Chapter 114
Meanwhile, at the ship’s helm.
Teech stood with his back to the deck, studying their new flag intently.
The golden hourglass emblem fluttered in the sea breeze.
Just then.
“Aaaagh!”
From far away, screams and the sound of things smashing came drifting over.
Teech frowned and muttered, his thoughts interrupted.
“Why is it so damn noisy over there?”
A sailor reported, sweating.
“It’s nothing, former captain! A few rats just showed up, that’s all!”
“Rats?”
Teech tilted his head, but didn’t ask further.
His mind was already completely filled with thoughts of the flag.
The former first mate, now the deputy captain beside Teech, asked cautiously.
“Former captain, what are you thinking about so hard?”
Teech answered without taking his eyes off the flag.
“That flag.”
He jerked his chin toward the hourglass emblem.
“Don’t you find it strange?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Think back to when the witch disappeared and then came back.”
Teech slowly replayed the situation in his mind.
“After the flag glowed, she appeared right in front of it. Almost like it was some kind of coordinate.”
The deputy captain finally understood what Teech was getting at.
“No way...”
“Yeah.”
Teech said in a confident voice.
“That flag doesn’t seem like a simple piece of cloth. I think it serves as some kind of magical conduit.”
At Teech’s words, the other sailors nearby widened their eyes.
One impatient sailor shouted excitedly.
“Then if we get rid of that flag, that witch won’t be able to come back anymore, right?”
The sailor shouted as if he was ready to rush over at once.
“Let’s pull that flag down right now and toss it into the sea!”
A hopeful light appeared in the faces of several sailors at his incitement.
But that hope didn’t last long.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
Teech smacked the back of the sailor’s head with a huge palm.
Looking coldly down at the sailor rolling on the deck, Teech barked,
“You idiot, why is your thinking so damn short?”
“C-Captain...”
“Throw away the flag and the witch can’t come back? Fine, maybe that’s true. But shouldn’t you also think about the opposite? What if she can come back just fine even if the flag disappears? Then we’d all turn to sand right there. You want us to make a gamble that dangerous?”
The sailor lowered his head without saying anything.
Teech looked back at the flag and said,
“Besides, why are you all so desperate to get away from the witch? It’s not like she’s really harming us.”
“But we’re pirates, aren’t we? A pirate answering to someone else just doesn’t have any style.”
“You’re a born rebel, aren’t you? How did you even survive under me?”
“Well, that was a real shame. I had a mutiny planned, but the captain changed before then, so it all went to waste.”
“What the hell kind of bastard are you?”
Teech slapped the back of the sailor’s head once more.
Smack!
The sharp sound rang out across the deck.
***
Under the sea, everything was quiet and peaceful.
Above me, shattered sunlight swayed as it streamed down in long rays.
A beautiful scene that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale.
Thanks to the piece of coral in my mouth, breathing wasn’t a problem at all.
When I inhaled, fresh air filled my lungs.
I could see tiny bubbles slowly drifting upward.
But that peaceful feeling didn’t last long.
‘...Why is my body so heavy?’
The moment I entered the water, I felt my body grow drastically heavier.
It felt as though invisible lead weights had been tied all over my body.
My body kept sinking downward.
I could still breathe just fine. But that was all.
‘It feels like something down on the bottom is pulling me….’
I tried to swim to escape that strange pull, but it didn’t do much good.
The water hindered my movements like sticky tar, and my body was dragged downward even faster.
‘Should I try using magic?’
I gathered mana.
But I felt an unfamiliar, alien sensation unlike usual.
It was like some foreign substance was getting mixed into the flow of mana.
Even the grains of sand that made up my body couldn’t spread out in all directions, clumping together like mud.
‘I’m screwed.’
I had to admit it.
Under the sea, I was powerless.
Thanks to the item’s effect, I could barely breathe, and nothing more.
‘This is a little dangerous...?’
A sense of danger began to creep in.
If I kept sinking like this, it might really become dangerous.
Should I use the flag and return to the ship right now?
Or should I explore just a little further?
Something down below had to be there that the compass would react to.
I hesitated for a moment.
There didn’t seem to be any dangerous creatures around.
And I could always use the flag to go back when it was time to return.
As long as I ignored the fact that I couldn’t swim back up, it was bearable enough.
‘Let’s go a little farther down...’
Just as I made that decision.
Far away, something faintly emerged from the deep blue darkness.
‘A fish?’
The shadow kept drawing nearer.
Before long, I was able to make out its outline clearly.
My eyes met its dozens of eyes.
‘……!’
I held my breath.
Instinctively, I knew I had to run from it at once.
I immediately activated the flag’s power.
Boom!
With a loud boom, a column of water shot up in the middle of the deck.
The pirates standing nearby screamed and toppled over.
“W-What the hell!”
As the water column subsided, my soaking-wet figure was revealed.
Seawater dripped from my hair and clothes, soaking the deck.
“Cough, cough...”
I spat out the seawater in my mouth and coughed hard.
Teech hurried over with a large towel.
“Are you all right?”
“…Yeah, thanks.”
I took the towel Teech handed me and wiped myself off while looking around.
The monster I had just seen kept flashing before my eyes.
‘If something like that exists... it definitely means it’ll show up as an enemy someday.’
Whether it would appear as a boss or as a normal mob.
Maybe it was the kind of thing I could pass by without fighting.
But one thing was certain.
It was an enemy I couldn’t beat if I met it unprepared.
‘I need to come up with a countermeasure.’
I clenched my fist tightly.
Not even my magic worked properly underwater.
It was the worst possible environment, with my only weapon sealed away.
I had to find some way to fight underwater, or a method to drag monsters like that out of the water.
My mind was spinning in knots.
Just then.
“Um, Captain?”
At Teech’s voice, I stopped thinking and looked up.
“What is it?”
“Could you do something about that?”
“?”
Teech pointed toward the opposite side of the deck.
Only then did I become aware of the commotion around me.
The screams and thudding sounds that had been going on for a while.
“…What the hell is that now?”
Before my eyes stood a massive sand giant that looked to be well over three meters tall.
It was Cheohoki.
A pirate was dangling from Cheohoki’s enlarged hand, caught and hanging there.
“P-Please spare me! I’m sorry!”
The pirate pleaded while flailing his legs in the air.
Cheohoki ignored him and swung its arm wide like a baseball player.
Around them, other pirates who had already fallen into the sea and barely clawed their way back up were sprawled out unconscious.
“What, it can increase its size on its own too?”
I held my throbbing head.
I couldn’t even guess what had happened while I was away for a moment.
“Enough, put him down.”
At my command, Cheohoki obediently loosened its grip.
“Aaaagh!”
With a short scream, the pirate dropped onto the deck.
The pirate lay spread-eagled on the deck, not moving a muscle.
Fortunately, he still seemed to be breathing.
“I’m pretty sure it couldn’t adjust its size on its own before...”
I ordered Cheohoki to return to its original size.
It hesitated for a moment, looking reluctant, then scattered the sand gathered in its body and returned to a fist-sized form.
Then it came trotting over and rubbed its head against my leg.
“Sigh.”
I let out a sigh and retrieved my robe and staff.
I’d gotten everything I could get, and confirmed everything I needed to.
There was no reason to stay on this ship any longer.
I looked back at Teech one last time.
“Sorry for the trouble. Take good care of the injured.”
“It’s their own fault, isn’t it? They probably picked a fight first again. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Teech bowed respectfully.
I put Cheohoki on my shoulder and once again borrowed the flag’s power to return home.
***
After changing into dry clothes and sitting on the sofa, I finally relaxed.
So much had happened in such a short time.
From the giant monster beneath the sea to the riot on the deck.
I took a moment to catch my breath, then suddenly remembered the compass in my pocket.
“Could there be something hidden in my house too?”
Curious, I picked up the compass and stood up.
I slowly began walking around the house.
First, the kitchen.
I swept the compass over the sink, the fridge, and every corner of the house.
But the compass needle didn’t move at all.
Next was my room.
I searched under the bed and inside the closet thoroughly, but the result was the same.
After that, I searched every space in the house, including the bathroom and basement, but the compass remained silent.
“Ah, I guess there really isn’t anything?”
Disappointed, I returned to the living room.
Come to think of it, why would an ordinary building have a secret space?
I’d had needless expectations.
In disappointment, I was about to toss the compass onto the desk.
That was when it happened.
Vwoooom—!
The compass in my hand suddenly vibrated violently and began to shine.
“Huh?”
Startled, I looked back at the compass.
The needle, which had been still as if dead, spun wildly before finally pointing in one direction.
I followed the compass back to my room.
I quickly found the treasure the compass was pointing to.
It was my computer.
“…….”
I was speechless for a moment.
I was dumbfounded.
The treasure the compass was pointing to was my computer?
It felt like the system was messing with me.
“No, maybe this is actually the most accurate answer of all.”
Because this is where my life began.
I let out a dry laugh and stuffed the compass into my pocket.
That was enough testing for the compass.
Now it was time to deal with the next item.
The mysterious book I’d gotten from Teech.
I had to ask Sharon to translate it.
I checked my faith power again so I could head back to Floor 40.
“I’ve burned through quite a bit today.”
Going back to the ship, then back home again.
And now I had to go to the temple again.
The faith power consumed by travel was by no means small.
But it couldn’t be helped.
I had to check what was in the book.
It definitely wasn’t an ordinary book.
I used the flag to head to the Floor 40 temple.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the temple’s familiar marble pillars and high ceiling.
A faint fragrance and a solemn aura lingered in the air.
It was far more orderly than the desolate place it had been before.
“Sage?”
Sharon was the first to spot me.
Sharon, who had been giving instructions to the other clergy in the center of the temple, ran toward me with a bright face as soon as she saw me.
She looked quite different from before.
She was no longer wearing a soldier’s uniform, but a pure white priest’s robe.
Anyone could tell she belonged to this temple now.
“You’ve returned!”
Sharon knelt before me and bowed her head.
The others around her followed and knelt in unison.
At that moment, milky-white points of light were drawn from their bodies and flowed into mine.
It was the faith power offered by everyone in this temple through Sharon.
‘Oh….’
I closed my eyes and savored the sensation.
I could feel even more faith power than I’d spent traveling all day being replenished in an instant.
The result of all the time I’d spent clearing the floors in the 30s.
Feeling proud, I helped Sharon to her feet.
“Sharon, I have a favor to ask.”
I took out the old book I’d gotten from Teech and handed it to her.
“Can you read this book by any chance?”
Sharon accepted the book carefully.
She gently stroked the cover, then slightly furrowed her brow.
“…though it’s in a script I’ve never seen before.”
“You can read it, right? Like that scroll back then.”
“Yes. I think I can.”
Sharon opened the book.
A brief silence fell.
Sharon’s eyes quickly scanned the densely packed characters.
It looked like she was reading a mother tongue she’d long forgotten.
I swallowed dryly and waited for her to speak.
A moment later, Sharon began reading the book’s first line in a trembling voice.
“To all mortals in this world, I proclaim...”
Her voice carried a strange power, as if it were echoing throughout the entire temple.
“…the path of great magic is open to all, and here lies the secret to opening that door.”
Sharon lifted her head and looked at me.
“Sage, this is...?”
By the time I heard that much, I already understood everything.
This book was about how an ordinary human could awaken as a mage later in life.