The guardian of the Green Coal Mine, King Baba, had an essence that could be useful until the middle phases of the game. However, none of us would catch it, even if it fell, and in the end it didn't fall.
[You have defeated King Slime. EXP +4]
[Guardian death bonus. EXP +3]
Seeing King Baba disappear in a cloud of light, I pursed my lips in disappointment. «Wow, really? Nothing?»
I didn't care about an essence; I hoped to get at least one Numeric Item. How come there wasn't even a crack stone? The individual fall rate of each should have been 33.3%.
Come to think of it, there were no essences in the way either.
That's why I had gotten my hopes up, thinking that the guardian could spit out a good numerical item at the end.
«There was an essence, at least».
I laughed at Amelia's words of comfort.
What kind of essence is that? That's garbage.
When the essence of the rank nine monster Slime was taken, physical stats such as Bone Strength, Physical Stamina, Strength, and Agility decreased, and it only gave you stats with little combat value such as Poison Tolerance, Intuition, and Digestion. Even the active skill was mediocre, although it could be useful depending on the situation. However, it usually didn't make up for the other penalties, so most people considered it one of the worst essences you could pick up, even among rank nine. The essence appeared while we were killing a garbage mob in the middle of our fight against King Baba.
It would have been better if nothing appeared. So, at least, there would have been hopes of hitting the jackpot next time.
«Lord, there is an open portal there! Will we go out directly?»
«Of course».
I guided my comrades towards the portal without hesitation at all. This was supposed to be a Rift, but the only thing that fell was a Slime essence. What the hell was going on with this level of garbage?
[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor].
Let's get out of here quickly. If we stay longer, bad luck could infect us.
After leaving the Rift, we wasted no time. Now that we had nothing to do with the lower floors, we headed up and reached our target floor on the twenty-sixth day.
[You have entered the Great Sea on the sixth floor].
The Island of Beginnings, Laemia, was not crowded with adventurers and soldiers like last time, nor was the coast full of warships. The naval force heading to the Dark Continent left on the twenty-fifth, so this was natural. In fact, that was the reason we arrived a day late on purpose.
«Okay, let's head to the coast.»
There was no reason to waste time on an empty island, so we headed straight to shore, and then pulled our ship out of subspace. Unlike the previous ship he owned, which had to be rowed, this one had a different appearance.
Yes, this is what is called a boat.
The vessel was similar in size and shape to the fishing boats commonly seen in Korea. There was a large, square sail in the center of the ship, and at the back of the hull was a mana propulsion device, so it was possible to increase speed by inserting mana stones. Simply put, as long as we had enough mana stones, we could pass through any windless water.
Actually, I don't know if we will go out to the windless areas without a sailor or navigator...
Once we all got on the boat, Amelia swallowed and took the helm. It seemed untrustworthy, because Erwen cautiously expressed some concerns. «Can that woman really steer this ship well, even if she's not a sailor...?».
«He said he has experience steering a small boat, so he will be much better than me since I only have experience with oars. And apparently he learned the basics of how to handle it when he bought it».
«Hmm ... »
«¿True, Amelia?»
«...Don't talk to me. I'm thinking.»
Dang, I'm getting worried now.
Amelia, wheel in hand, had a serious expression as if she were doing simulations in her head. Only when he finished did he officially start giving orders. «First... we have to row away from the island. Only then can we ride the wind, I think».
«You think...?»
«If you have any problems, you can do it yourself...»
«No no problem. I'll do what you say».
Instead of messing with Amelia, even though she was clearly a rookie, I faithfully followed her instructions. Of course, I had no intention of trying hard paddling. If not, why would we have paid so much for this boat?
¡Slide!
When I inserted mana stones into the tube connected to the mana propeller, the ship began to slide forward.
«...Ugh!» Amelia was surprised by the sudden speed, but soon regained her composure and turned the helm to change direction. «Now! Unfold the candle! Unfold the candle!»
When the sail was spread, the ship began to slide forward in the wind.
Ugh, somehow it worked.
«In what direction?»
«We're going east, so don't worry».
«I see...» Amelia sighed in relief, but I realized she had a white knuckle grip on the wheel. It was a refreshing sight. To think that someone who didn't even flinch when killing another person would get so nervous about something like that.
«I'm starting to see it».
After sailing about fifteen minutes east, we spotted an island on the edge of the horizon. It was the closest island to the starting point after Farune Island, where our fierce battle against Water Storm took place: Gurkha Island. In reality, there was no reason to stop on this island. All monsters were low-ranking and could be found on other floors. There was little EXP demand for this place.
But we don't have a sailor, so we have no choice.
It was almost impossible for us to head directly to our desired destination with our navigation skills, so we had no choice but to go step by step, visiting each island one by one. There were other reasons to stop too.
«...Sir, are you okay?»
Gosh, this damn dizziness. It definitely seemed a little better than before, but it was still hard to deal with the way my insides were churning.
«Schuitz, if you want, we can take a break.»
«Please.»
After anchoring the boat on shore, we took a short break. Still, this was the good thing about having the body of a barbarian. The dizziness may have been bad, but it went away in ten minutes.
«Now, let's set sail again».
Once recovered, we set sail again. Our next destination was the second island on the eastern route, Anos.
«It will take about three hours to arrive, are you sure you can do it?».
«...Don't worry. "I've heard we just have to move northeast»", Amelia said.
«According to whom?»
«...Un book».
Erwen, who would never have participated in such a reckless journey, looked doubtful. But Amelia seemed to have quite a talent for sailing, as an island appeared in the distance after about three hours.
Amelia clenched her fists in satisfaction. «We have come to the right place».
«But why is the island to the east of us and not in front?».
«...That is within the margin of error».
Amelia turned the bow and, before long, we reached the island of Anos. Unlike Gurkha, which we had skipped, on this island we had matters to discuss. There were no hidden events or treasures, but we had to get XP that we hadn't obtained yet. Also, we planned to spend the night here since the sun was setting.
«¡Blaaargh!»
But before that, I needed to empty my stomach.
***
[You have defeated a Raffle Monkey. EXP +3]
[You have defeated a War Serpent. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Panther Nigel. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Belgian. EXP +5]
[You have defeated a Black Tree...]
***
Almost 99% of the island of Anos, excluding the coast, was jungle. After camping off the coast for one night, we officially began exploring the island the next day. When we finished touring and collecting EXP, the sun was setting again, so we had to camp one more night.
I thought we could do a full sweep in half a day and move on to the next island.
The monster we hunted last time played a big role in the mess of our schedule. Even after searching all over the island, it was nowhere to be found. We had to look for him until nightfall.
«Sir, they are not super pretty stars...»
***
¡Honnnnk!
[You have defeated a Raffle Monkey. EXP +3]
[You have defeated a War Serpent. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Panther Nigel. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Belgian. EXP +5]
[You have defeated a Black Tree...]
***
Almost 99% of the island of Anos, excluding the coast, was jungle. After camping off the coast for one night, we officially began exploring the island the next day. When we finished touring and collecting EXP, the sun was setting again, so we had to camp one more night.
I thought we could do a full sweep in half a day and move on to the next island.
The monster we hunted last time played a big role in the mess of our schedule. Even after searching all over the island, it was nowhere to be found. We had to look for him until nightfall.
«Sir, they are not super pretty stars...»
¡Honnnnk!
«Oh, you're sleeping...»
The next morning, we set sail early for the next island and luckily were able to arrive in one piece once again. We repeat this process several times.
«We are already on the seventh island».
«It's called Fione Island, right?»
We reached the seventh island of the eastern route in ten days. To be honest, this was quite impressive and surprising. After all, we arrived here safely with a sailor who only knew how to move forward, stop and park.
I thought we'd miss at least one island. Is it easier to navigate than you thought?
With that thought in mind, I watched Amelia sail the ship from the sidelines and learned little by little. I was also slowly getting used to the dizziness.
«Wow, the island is as beautiful as I had heard».
«Erwen, is this also your first time coming?».
«Yeah. I usually pass by».
«True, if you're not lucky, it's a waste of time».
Fione Island, the seventh island on the eastern route was often known as Treasure Island among adventurers. Compared to the islands with mountains in the center, Fione was relatively flat and smaller. You could go through it all in about three hours, and there was only one type of rank four monster that appeared here.
«Are you going to skip it too?»
«The sun is starting to set, so we'll stay the night».
Erwen seemed quite satisfied with my answer. Which was fair, since it was safe to say that there were no monsters on the island. If we happened to come across one, it would essentially be the equivalent of winning the lottery.
«Lord! There's still plenty of time until nightfall, so let's take a look at the island together. Hmm?»
«...We can.»
«It could be dangerous», Amelia said. «I will go with you».
After landing on the island, we put the ship in subspace and walked around to get an idea of the terrain.
Shaaaaa.
The cool ocean breeze caressed my skin. After a short walk, we stumbled upon an open field full of colorful flowers.
«No está had».
The comment came out of my mouth involuntarily and Erwen gave a shy smile in apparent agreement. «Hehe, right?».
«Yes, since it is open everywhere we can easily detect any looter that crosses our path».
«...What?» Erwen tilted her head in confusion, but this was important.
This place wasn't called Treasure Island for nothing. Even if most of the top adventurers were currently at war on the seventh floor, there was almost zero chance that there would be no adventurers on this island. Aside from the Cracks, this island was the only place where Numeric Items could be obtained.
«Enough exploring, let's camp there. I saw a good place before.»
«Ah, right...»
Since we were all experienced adventurers, we set up camp on time and went to sleep, leaving Amelia's double watching.
An indeterminate amount of time later, Amelia shook me awake. «Schuitz, wake up».
When I looked around, rubbing my eyes, I saw that Erwen had also stood up and pulled out her bow. I only came up with one possibility, and it made a lot more sense than meeting a monster on this island.
«How many?» I asked only for critical information, omitting any unnecessary chatter.
Amelia's response was just as brief. «Fifteen».
«It's a clan, then».
We had received an uninvited guest in the middle of the night.