Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 378

After Amelia joined us, we finished our initial task of surveying the area.

Well, there was also that kid who fell into the sea earlier, right?

If you throw money into the sea, you’ll be punished by the heavens later.

“Navigator, steer the ship.”

“Where should we go…?”

“To Pione Island.”

After the naval battle, we first steered the ship back to Treasure Island.

It was clear that sailing to the next island without re-equipping was nearly impossible in our current state. In fact, just getting here was a close call.

‘The ship’s condition is worse than I thought…’

While returning, we unfurled the sails and rowed, and as we were replacing the shattered magic propulsion device, water started rising from the floor.

It seemed the propulsion device wasn’t the only thing broken.

So, we had to bail out water non-stop until we reached Treasure Island.

“…Now we can rest a bit.”

“Still, I think it was a pretty fun experience.”

Huh, fun? Her tastes are really weird.

Still, well, regardless of the fun, it was an experience that wasn’t bad to have.

At first, we were bailing water together, but then Erwen realized something and used water spirits to redirect the flow of water out of the ship.

We wouldn’t need to go through trial and error when we encounter this kind of situation again in the future.

‘Yeah, all these experiences add up to make a veteran explorer.’

Anyway, after returning to the island, we reverse-summoned the ship, then went inland and summoned all the shattered ships.

And this time, we properly checked their condition.

Not a single ship was intact.

“…Emily, which do you think would be more profitable, repairing and selling them or just selling them as is?”

“I don’t know…”

Amelia, who had a knack for buying and selling things, gave up on assessing them.

That meant their condition was so bad that it was difficult to determine their market value.

“Still, either way, they’ll be worth some money. These ships are very expensive, even if you just take the materials and sell them.”

“That’s true, but… hey, navigator!”

“Yes!”

“Fix the ships.”

It wasn’t a question of whether he could fix the ships, but an order to fix them.

The navigator tilted his head at this.

Huh, he’s really out of it, isn’t he?

“Can’t you do it?”

When I asked briefly, the navigator flinched and shook his head, shouting.

“I’ll try… no, I can do it!”

A reply full of determination to do it with all his might. It seemed he thought that if he became useless to me, he might follow in the footsteps of his previous colleagues…

“Good, tell me if you need anything.”

“…Thank you!”

The navigator replied and then ran towards the ships, carefully observing them here and there.

He seemed to be figuring out how to fix them.

Then, let’s leave the ships to him for now…

“Mage.”

“…Speak.”

“I want to take over the ownership of the ships. Do you know any related magic?”

“I can use it…”

Oh, is that so?

I was secretly expecting it after seeing him hanging out with these pirate bastards, but I didn’t think he could really use it.

I know it’s a pretty rare magic.

“Good, then get ready to use it quickly.”

“I understand…”

“Wow, what’s with your voice… you don’t want to do it?”

“No! I want to do it!”

He should have done that from the start.

With the mage persuaded, I took over the ownership of the ships.

The first one was the flagship, whose owner had disappeared after the captain’s death, and then the two men who owned one ship each.

However…

“This ship cannot be transferred.”

“What? Why not?”

“As you can see, the damage is too severe…”

It was the ship that had the ‘Lightning Spear’ [a type of magical attack] that had its damage increased eightfold, returning with a 300% boost.

“Above all, the core magic circle is broken. With this—”

“The magic circle is broken? But the summoning and reverse-summoning worked fine.”

“To be honest, I’m wondering why that function is still working…”

“Then there’s no saving this ship.”

Since the expert said it couldn’t be done, I had no choice but to give up on one ship. Anyway, we needed materials to repair the others.

The navigator, who was looking blankly at the flagship with its rear end smashed, heard our conversation and quickly ran over.

“Um… then can I take the planks from here?”

“Go ahead.”

“And also, maybe some manpower…”

“I’ll lend you all three of us.”

“Thank you…!”

The navigator, who received full manpower support, asked the mage for advice on various things and then began repairing the ships.

And we…

Whoosh.

We dumped all the spoils we had roughly shoved into the subspace onto the floor and started organizing them.

“This is… amazing.”

The exact amount would only be known after selling them in the city, but even at a glance, all the equipment was top-notch.

Well, it’s only natural since they were guys who were active on the 6th floor [a reference to a level in a dungeon or game].

Anyway, with this, we could pay off all our debts and even buy another mansion…

‘Is it okay to make money this easily?’

When I think back to the days when I was catching goblins and manually mining magic stones worth a single stone, it feels unreal.

A feeling that I can’t quite put into words lingers at my fingertips.

“Mister… then we don’t have to sell our house?”

“Of course not! Let’s change the bed to a good one too.”

“A, a bed?”

The bed is important.

It changes the quality of life.

“Then can I change my weapon too? There was something I wanted to get.”

Amelia, thinking this was her chance, mentioned an item she wanted to buy.

“…Of course.”

“It was worth the trouble.”

“But… how much is it?”

When I asked, Amelia glanced at Erwen and then whispered to me.

“…It’s a stone [a large sum of money].”

An amount several times larger than I had expected.

“…!”

I couldn’t help but take a deep breath, but I didn’t go back on my word.

“Okay, buy it.”

It’s not a waste to invest in a colleague…

“Hehe, then forget about leaving me on the ship with this.”

Besides, I’ve done a lot wrong to her…

***

It took two days to finish repairing the ships.

I don’t know if this is a fast or slow work speed, but at least the ship itself was repaired with great perfection.

It helped that there was a mage to help with the work, and later I found out that the navigator had experience working at a shipyard.

‘A navigator with some maintenance skills as well…’

He seems like a pretty good talent.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“A-are you talking to me?”

“Who else?”

“My name is Auyen Locklob, but…”

Okay, at least he wasn’t Hans.

That alone is enough to pass the document screening.

“Good name. Good work, Auyen.”

“It’s Auyen…”

“Ah, was it?”

After praising the navigator for successfully repairing the ship, we launched the ship on the beach.

And…

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to get on?”

“…I’m getting on.”

The navigator boarded the ship with a face as if he was heading to hell.

Next was the mage.

“You get on too.”

“…I understand.”

When the mage boarded, the remaining two looked at me with awkward expressions.

They were the guys I brought alive to the island because they had the ship summoning imprints. If they died on the ship, the ships in the imprint subspace would spill out.

However, I had just taken their equipment and left them because I needed manpower for repairs…

“I’ll get on…”

“Yes, me too…”

When I stared at them, they sighed as if they had no choice and headed for the ship.

But…

“Stop right there.”

“…?”

“You can’t go with us.”

Their skills were too meager to receive a passing grade.

Thud.

The guys who stopped walking, blocked by my shoulder, made strange expressions.

“Yes, then are we staying here…?”

A face that didn’t know whether to be happy or not.

Still, one of them was quite quick-witted.

“…Please, take us with you. We’ll be useful somewhere.”

Well, with that kind of judgment, they might be useful?

That thought also crossed my mind, but the decision didn’t change.

“That’s enough, you guys just rest around here.”

“Damn it…!”

Damn it, how common.

I think that’s probably the most common last words I’ve heard since I fell into this world.

Crack, crack-!

After smashing both of their heads equally, I just threw their corpses on the beach. If I leave them there, the sea monsters that smell the blood will take care of them.

Now, shall we go?

Splash, splash.

I strode through the blood-stained sea and climbed onto the ship using the rope ladder attached to the outer wall of the ship.

Everyone except me had already boarded.

“…Hic!”

The navigator, who saw his useless colleagues being thrown away like old shoes, started to tremble as soon as he made eye contact with me.

He’s so scared.

‘Well, it’s good to have this much tension.’

I went over and patted the navigator’s shoulder.

And I took out the Eastern Sea map they had and pointed to one place with my index finger.

“From now on, we’re going to this place—”

“Of course, it’s possible!!”

An immediate answer before I could even finish my sentence.

As a captain, I was quite satisfied with his attitude.

Yes, a subordinate should have this much positivity.

Well, I’ll have to correct his habit of interrupting.

Thump, thump.

After seeing the navigator stand in front of the helm, I walked towards the deck and stood at the bow of the ship.

And I shouted loudly.

“We’re setting sail!!”

I wanted to try it at least once.

***

The navigator was like a bed.

Especially in that he changed the quality of life.

“You’re saying we don’t have to stop at any islands in between?”

“Yes! Checking their position by searching for islands is something only unskilled navigators do!”

The navigator, who was full of energy, also slipped in his self-promotion from time to time.

“Still, I’d like to stop by these islands here.”

“Then I’ll redraw the route!”

“Oh, you’re quite useful.”

“Thank you for the compliment! I’ll engrave it in my bones! Forever!”

The navigator quickly drew up a route according to the captain’s orders and began to steer the ship along the route.

But maybe he didn’t like that.

“Tsk.”

The mage who was captured with us clicked his tongue while looking at the navigator.

Well, is he saying he’s different from him?

You have to acknowledge the mage’s sense of superiority.

Whoosh-!

The ship quickly sailed through the vast sea, cutting through the wind.

Erwen and I set up folding chairs and parasols on the deck and enjoyed a comfortable rest.

‘Yeah, this is what sailing is.’

The old ship didn’t even have this kind of space, and I had to help Amelia while checking in real-time whether the ship was going in the right direction.

It’s so much easier with just one navigator.

“Emily, why don’t you come and rest too?”

“…I’m fine.”

“Why?”

“…Just because.”

I called Amelia while I was at it, but she didn’t even answer properly and went back to her spot.

For reference, her spot was next to the navigator.

I wondered why she was there, so I took a look, and Amelia was carefully observing the process of the navigator operating the ship.

“Wait, why did you turn the helm like this here?”

“Ah, that’s because the sail is slightly tilted like that, isn’t it? This is called an angled wind, and in this case, it’s better to turn the helm slightly…”

Amelia was not only observing but also actively talking to the navigator, asking him various questions.

She can make that kind of face too.

Seeing Amelia listening with a more serious look than ever, even nodding her head, I chuckled.

‘I wondered why she looked a bit disappointed when I said I’d leave the sailing to him in the future.’

It seems she enjoyed steering the ship.

Well, if I ask her, she’ll definitely say no.

She’ll definitely say she’s learning the skills in preparation for a possible emergency.

Anyway, time passed quickly like that.

It was a very peaceful day.

We would sail smoothly with the wind, and when the navigator arrived at the destination, we would get off and defeat the monsters.

And then move to the next island again.

In Amelia’s case, she diligently learned sailing skills on the side while moving, and Erwen and I spent our time catching fish with fishing rods.

I happened to find a fishing rod while looking around because I was bored.

It’s good to try all experiences.

You never know, maybe there will be a time when we run out of food on the ship and have to be self-sufficient like this.

“Oh! It’s a big catch after a long time!”

Surprisingly, if you hang a fishing rod even on a moving ship, something will get caught.

“Wow… you’re amazing, mister.”

The things that get caught on the fishing rod are mostly ordinary fish.

Well, to be exact, should I call them monsters that have been judged as unranked, like the deadmen I hunted in the Crimson Fortress [a location from a previous chapter]?

They don’t drop magic stones or essences when defeated, and their corpses don’t disappear.

However…

“It’s a Sea Horned Beast!”

Sometimes, monsters would appear when they bite the bait.

That’s why I can’t stop fishing.

[You have defeated the Sea Horned Beast. EXP +4]

Because these monsters that only appear in the sea are more difficult to encounter than to hunt.

It’s not just about killing time, but there’s also a practical benefit.

Anyway, that kind of daily life continued for a long time, and we, heading east, left the early sea area.

I could hear Amelia and the navigator talking.

“Do you know why the compass stops working from here?”

“Well, there’s a saying that there’s a Sea God in the Great Sea who plays tricks on the explorers who approach him, but it’s probably just a myth.”

Well, if it’s the Sea God, is it Leviathan [a mythical sea monster]?

I have to catch him someday too…

“Anyway, from here, it’s difficult to know the direction easily, so the navigator’s ability becomes important. In fact, this is where novice navigators feel the most challenged.”

“Then how do you find the route?”

“Stars, sun, temperature, weather, all of that becomes information. Of course, the most important thing is experience.”

“That’s amazing. Can you tell me more about it?”

“Hehe, of course. Ah, we’ve caught the wind now. Would you like to try holding the helm?”

“…Is that okay?”

“Of course. I’ll help you if something goes wrong.”

“Then…”

When did Amelia get so close to the navigator?

Isn’t she going to say later that she’ll feed him and take care of him, so don’t throw him away?

‘…There’s no way Amelia would really do that.’

I chuckled and closed my eyes for a while, and when I opened them, the wind had stopped.

A windless zone, one of the representative special areas of the Great Sea.

“It’s most convenient to use a magic propulsion device in this place.”

We broke through the windless zone with the magic stones we had collected so far, without having to row.

Ah, for reference, the propulsion device that Erwen broke was not repaired but replaced. The other three ships also had propulsion devices.

I took all three of them and moved them over.

Since it’s a medium-to-large ship, it needs three small propulsion devices to produce the original output?

“The wind is blowing!”

After crossing the windless zone over two days, a sea area full of reefs unfolded.

The far eastern sea area, where rocky islands and volcanic islands account for 99%.

Grand Rock.

I smiled as I glanced at the sea, which had its own unique characteristics.

‘How did I manage to get a navigator in the middle and come this far.’

It’s time to explore the subterranean island, Atlantis.