As the journey across the sea continued, life aboard the ship gradually became far more dangerous than it had first appeared.
At first, the sea had seemed calm and almost relaxing compared to the silent forest we crossed earlier. Endless blue water surrounded the ship in every direction, and most days passed with nothing but the sound of waves and the steady movement of the boat beneath our feet.
Still, none of us truly lowered our guard.
Every night, one person was assigned to remain awake and guard the ship while the others rested. The sea looked peaceful most of the time, but after hearing Bora's repeated warnings about sea beasts, everyone understood that danger could appear at any moment from beneath the water.
Because of that, no one treated the night watch carelessly.
Fortunately, during the first few days, we encountered no serious problems.
The ship continued moving steadily across the endless sea beneath the open sky, and aside from the constant sound of crashing waves and the occasional strong winds, the journey almost felt peaceful enough to forget the dangers hidden beneath the sea.
But that peace did not last very long.
After several more days passed, sea beasts began appearing more frequently around the ship. At first, the encounters were occasional, but before long, attacks became common enough that none of us could truly relax anymore.
Sometimes we were attacked every other day and sometimes, every single day.
The constant danger gradually kept everyone alert throughout the journey. Even during calm weather, all of us instinctively watched the sea more carefully now, aware that a beast could emerge from beneath the water without warning at any moment.
Fortunately, low level and moderate level sea beasts were still manageable.
Whenever one attacked, the four of us worked together immediately to kill it before it could seriously damage the ship. Some beasts attacked from below, slamming violently against the bottom of the boat hard enough to shake the entire ship, while others leaped directly onto the deck, forcing sudden battles in the middle of the sea.
Several times, the wooden deck became covered in seawater and blood during those fights.
One day, while we were traveling peacefully during the afternoon, the calm sea around us suddenly exploded with movement.
A massive creature emerged from the water beside the ship.
The enormous beast resembled a giant fish, but its appearance was far more terrifying than any normal creature. Its huge body was covered with thick dark scales that reflected faintly beneath the sunlight, and its enormous mouth was lined with multiple rows of sharp teeth large enough to crush a person whole with ease.
The moment it surfaced beside the ship, a heavy pressure spread across the surroundings.
My entire body tensed instinctively.
High level sea beast.
Before any of us could properly react, the creature attacked.
The massive beast slammed violently into the side of the boat, causing the entire ship to shake so hard that I nearly lost my footing. Seawater crashed onto the deck as the wooden structure groaned under the impact.
For a brief moment, it genuinely felt as though the ship might split apart completely.
"Move!" Bora shouted immediately.
The four of us reacted at once and fought desperately just to survive.
But the difference between us and a high level sea beast quickly became obvious.
Every movement from the creature carried overwhelming strength, and even approaching it felt dangerous because of the pressure it released. Compared to the low level and moderate level sea beasts we had fought before, this creature felt completely different.
No matter how we attacked, the creature barely seemed affected.
Our attacks landed against its thick scales, yet the beast showed almost no visible damage. Compared to its enormous body and overwhelming strength, our power felt insignificant.
Worse, every movement from the creature carried enough force to kill one of us instantly if we made even the slightest mistake.
Several times, its massive jaws snapped dangerously close to the ship, while its enormous body crashed against the water hard enough to send huge waves onto the deck. The pressure alone made it difficult to stay calm.
At one point, it genuinely felt like we were about to die. Fortunately, Bora reacted quickly.
While the beast prepared to charge toward the ship again, Bora suddenly pulled out a small pouch from his belongings. Without hesitation, he threw a strange powder directly toward the creature's face.
The powder burst apart the moment it reached the beast's eyes.
Immediately, the enormous creature let out a violent roar and began thrashing wildly in the sea. Its movements became unstable as the powder temporarily dulled its senses.
The instant the opening appeared, Bora activated the artifact attached to the ship.
The boat suddenly accelerated forward across the sea at incredible speed, shooting away from the beast before it could properly recover.
Strong winds slammed against my face as the ship rapidly escaped across the water.
Only after the high level sea beast gradually disappeared into the distance behind us did everyone finally breathe properly again.
---
Another frightening incident happened several days later.
That night, the sea had been unusually calm.
The dark ocean stretched endlessly beneath the night sky, illuminated only by countless stars above and the faint moonlight reflecting across the water. Compared to the constant battles and dangers we had faced during the previous days, the atmosphere that night felt almost peaceful.
It was my turn to guard the ship while everyone else rested inside their rooms.
I stood near the edge of the deck quietly observing the surroundings while listening to the steady sound of waves striking against the sides of the boat. The cool night wind moved across the sea, and aside from the movement of the ship itself, everything around us felt silent.
Then suddenly, the entire ship shook violently.
A massive impact echoed from beneath the boat, as if something enormous had slammed directly into the underside of the ship.
The sudden force nearly threw me off balance. My body tilted sharply as the deck shook beneath my feet, and for a brief second I almost fell overboard before quickly grabbing the edge of the ship tightly to steady myself.
The violent noise immediately woke everyone else aboard the ship.
The doors to the rooms opened almost at the same time as Bora, Tara, and Charlie quickly rushed outside onto the deck. All of them looked alert instantly, clearly experienced enough to react without hesitation the moment danger appeared.
Bora's sharp eyes immediately turned toward me.
"What happen?"
I steadied myself against the side of the ship before answering.
"I am not sure… but it looked like the boat hit something."
The moment he heard that, Bora's expression became serious.
Without wasting another second, he quickly moved his gaze across the surrounding sea, carefully observing the dark water around the ship.
But there was nothing visible.
The ocean beneath the midnight sky was almost completely dark, making it impossible to see very far ahead. Aside from the sound of waves and the movement of the ship, the sea looked empty and silent.
For a brief moment, it almost seemed as though nothing was there.
The sea around the ship remained dark and quiet, and aside from the gentle movement of the waves, everything appeared normal again. Even the tension on the deck eased slightly as no immediate attack followed.
But just as everyone was beginning to relax, my eyes suddenly caught something beneath the water.
A dark shadow.
It was difficult to see clearly in the darkness, but judging from the sheer size of the shape beneath the surface, I could tell that whatever was down there was enormous.
"There is something in the water!" I shouted immediately.
The moment I spoke, Bora's expression sharpened instantly as he focused toward the dark water beside the ship.
Then slowly, something massive began rising from beneath the sea.
A huge black tentacle emerged from the water beside the boat.
The thick appendage lifted itself higher and suddenly slammed violently against the side of the ship, shaking the entire boat before slowly slithering upward along the wooden surface toward the deck like a giant serpent.
Bora reacted instantly the moment the tentacle began climbing onto the ship.
Without even a second of hesitation, he activated the artifact attached to the boat once again.
The ship suddenly accelerated forward with explosive speed, surging across the sea so violently that all of us nearly lost our footing. The sudden burst of movement caused the massive tentacle to lose its hold against the side of the ship before it could fully climb onto the deck.
The enormous black appendage slipped away and remained raised above the dark water for a brief moment, swaying slightly beneath the moonlight like something alive and unnatural.
Then slowly, it disappeared back beneath the sea.
Just watching it sink into the darkness below made my skin crawl.
After creating some distance from the creature, Bora immediately attempted to activate the artifact once again.
But this time, nothing happened. His expression darkened slightly as he looked toward the artifact attached to the ship.
"The artifact has cooldown after five uses," he explained quickly, his voice remaining serious. "Need five hours before use again."
Hearing that immediately made the atmosphere tense again.
We had already used the acceleration several times earlier during our encounter with the giant fish-like high level sea beast, leaving very little remaining energy for emergencies.
Fortunately, the sudden burst of speed had already carried us a fair distance away from the creature beneath the sea.
More importantly, the beast did not attack us again immediately.
For several long moments, all of us remained completely silent while staring into the dark ocean around the ship, waiting for another attack that never came.
Only then did everyone quietly let out small breaths of relief.
Still, none of us relaxed completely afterward. Even though the sea looked calm again, the memory of that enormous tentacle disappearing beneath the dark water remained fresh in all of our minds.
End of volume 1-Survival.