Chapter 36

Blaine slowly lifted his head to look at Theo. His eyes were swollen red, raw at the edges. Theo wanted to reach out and comfort him, but it felt like that would just invite misunderstandings, so he stayed still. Then Blaine took a step closer. Even with his large frame looming right in front of him, there wasn’t a trace of intimidation.

“I’m sorry… but I hated it.”

“You mean the thought of me registering as Aslan’s partner?”

“……”

Blaine couldn’t answer. Or maybe he just couldn’t get the words out. The thought alone seemed to choke him, tears shimmering and threatening to spill again.

Theo swallowed a sigh. Was partner registration really something worth crying this hard over?

“I’m not switching guilds, and I’m not registering as Aslan’s partner either.”

Once he reassured him again, Blaine finally wiped his tears and nodded. Theo patted his shoulder with a small sigh of relief.

“Oh, and don’t go tattling to the guild about this again. The others just tease me when you do.”

Blaine looked a little confused at that, but nodded and turned slightly.

“Um… do you want to come in?”

Theo glanced past him into the house, then walked inside at a slow pace. It was his first time even finding out where Blaine’s place was, let alone stepping inside.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never visited since you moved in… I don’t even have a housewarming gift.”

“It’s fine.”

Blaine sniffled and forced a small smile, then quickly pulled out a chair at the table. Theo felt a bit awkward at the unfamiliar hospitality, but sat down. Blaine hurried to bring out snacks and drinks.

“If you ever need something, let me know. I’ll get it for you.”

“Yes.”

The place was already filled with quality furniture and items, but Blaine nodded eagerly, almost thrilled at the offer. Theo gave the house a quick look around, then returned to the table, eating the snacks as they chatted idly.

“By the way… didn’t you pick up your bow?”

“No, I thought I’d have Marco modify it some more.”

“Then what are you going to do today?”

“Hmm… I was thinking of fishing…”

Theo trailed off. Sitting idle might just give his mind too much room to wander. After a moment of thought, he asked Blaine,

“Want to go to the Survival Dungeon?”

“Huh? I’d love to!”

“Then let’s ask Father and the others.”

“Okay.”

“Guild, Anghee, Quia—want to hit the dungeon?”

[Guild] [Father: Survival Dungeon? I’m in.]

[Guild] [Holanghee: Me too.]

[Guild] [Noquia: Okay.]

[Guild] [Father: Which stage?]

[Guild] [Noquia: Roulette again?]

“Guild, nah. Let’s do ‘Visitor of the Deep Sea.’”

[Guild] [Holanghee: Damn fishing maniac bastard]

[Guild] [Noquia: LOL]

[Guild] [Father: Hahaha, alright then. Meet at the entrance.]

Not long after, the five of them gathered in the Survival Dungeon hall. While they greeted each other, Father squinted at Blaine’s face.

“What’s with his eyes?”

“Sweetie, did you cry?”

“Did you make him cry?”

Noquia shot Theo the question, but he just looked off into the distance as if he hadn’t heard. Blaine waved his hands quickly, insisting no.

After that short banter, they entered the stage Visitor of the Deep Sea.

Darkness swallowed their vision, and they felt their bodies drop. Theo clenched his eyes shut against the sudden dizziness, but soon blinding light burst across his sight.

The first thing he noticed was the cry of seagulls. Kki-ruk, kki-ruk. Then the sound of waves crashing and the salty tang of the breeze.

When his eyes opened, they were adrift in the middle of the vast ocean, aboard a half-wrecked sailing ship.

“Wow, at least it’s only half-wrecked this time.”

Father muttered as she scanned the ship. A broken mast, sails torn to rags, shattered armor plating and splintered deck, an empty helm, cannons without shot.

She went to the railing and checked the ship’s drift. With no mast or helm, it could only follow the current. No way to steer, no way to pick up speed.

“First thing, we fix the helm and the mast.”

At her words, everyone pulled out the one item sitting in their inventory: fishing rods. Standing or sitting along the railing, they all cast their lines into the sea.

They fished leisurely, hauling up everything from actual fish to random junk. Fish were strung on rope to dry in the sea wind, while wood planks, scraps of cloth, and rusty iron were gathered to start repairs.

They managed to repair the helm and mast, but sails were still missing. At least now they could steer. Theo climbed the mast, scanning the horizon for any islands, but saw nothing.

“We need an island to get the map…”

He muttered with worry, then climbed down and cast his line again. Sometimes he fished up casks of liquor or crates of rations. With so many fish caught, food wasn’t a problem.

When he hauled up a massive piece of canvas, Theo checked the pile of supplies stacked on the deck.

“Hey, I think we can make sails out of this!”

He shouted, drawing everyone’s attention. They rushed over, counted the cloth, then spread it out and sat down to stitch the pieces together.

Once the sails were hoisted, the ship picked up speed. All that remained were the deck and the armor plating.

Before long, both were patched up as well. Noquia took the helm, Holanghee climbed the mast to keep watch, and Father, Theo, and Blaine kept on fishing. They still needed food and scrap supplies, after all.

After who knew how long, Holanghee suddenly shouted from the top of the mast, “An island!”

Everyone’s heads snapped upward. She was pointing into the distance, and the others rushed to the railing, peering across the water.

Faint on the horizon, they could see the shape of land. Definitely an island. Cheers went up as they turned the ship toward it.

The ship sliced the waves with a fresh gust of speed and soon anchored near the island. They scrambled ashore—just a small place, with a stretch of white sand and a low hill, but somewhere on it there had to be a map or supplies. Splitting up, they searched the island.

What they found in a cave beneath the hill were supplies and cannonballs, but no map. Crestfallen, they regrouped at the beach. Still, after grilling fish and eating together, their spirits lifted, and they boarded the ship once more.

The vessel drifted aimlessly across the sea. To plot a true course, they needed a map, and still they didn’t have one.

Then, without warning, the wind shifted. The once-calm surface began to churn, and not far off, a whirlpool formed. From the mast, Holanghee spotted something and screamed,

“It’s here!”

Theo and Father, who had felt the tension building the moment the winds changed, rushed to load the cannons. The whirlpool bulged outward, and from it erupted a colossal sea monster.

At first glance it resembled a giant sea serpent. But its face was like a frilled lizard’s, and the half of its body submerged below was octopus-like. They knew this monster by name—Haraban, the great visitor lurking in the deep.

Haraban let out a grotesque cry, then coiled its serpentine torso around the mast and snapped it clean in two. Holanghee leapt from the mast just in time, rolling across the deck.

Theo and Father grabbed the cannons, firing at the beast. Struck, Haraban spread the frill along its neck and glared menacingly, then lashed out at the two of them. They abandoned the cannons and scrambled to dodge. Blaine and Noquia took their place, loading and firing while Haraban reeled from the hits. With a wail of pain, the monster sank beneath the waves.

Seizing the chance, they scrambled to repair the mast. Without it, there was no escaping. But Haraban surfaced again, this time flipped over—now its massive octopus form revealed.

Tentacles wrapped around the ship, the enormous suckers crushing armor plating. The mast they had just repaired splintered once more. The figurehead snapped off, and the upper deck with the helm collapsed.

Noquia fell with the deck straight into the cabin below. As seawater poured in, he scrambled, battered and dizzy, to grab a bucket and start bailing. Above, the others fought desperately—repairing, firing, dodging as Haraban’s tentacles squeezed.

At last, the shredded vessel managed to slip free of the monster. And the crew, just as tattered, collapsed across the deck, gasping for breath.

“Why the hell is it so brutal today…?”

Father’s voice was hollow. Holanghee groaned as she sat up, pushing back her drenched hair.

“Seriously… how many times is that mast gonna break?”

“Let’s fix the ship first…”

Theo peeled off his waterlogged boots and upended them. A bucketful of seawater poured out. His face was pure disgust. He tossed the boots into a corner of the deck—bare feet felt like the better option.

They all pushed themselves up and went back to repairing. Thanks to the supplies from the island, they had enough materials. They worked nonstop—patching, cleaning, shoring up—until suddenly Holanghee let out a shriek.

Everyone rushed over, and the sight explained itself.

The fish they had hung out to dry in the sea breeze were completely gone. Not a single one remained.

And in the distance, a flock of seagulls took off.

Kki-ruk, kki-ruk! Every one of them had something clamped in its beak. Their cries sounded like cruel laughter.

Their rations had been stolen.