Boom!
Thunder roared with lightning flashing across the sky.
Deep and dark as ink, a three-masted sailship was rocking in the midst of the stormy sea.
Thud, thud, thud—
Sailors rushed up the wooden stairs, carrying planks and various tools in their hands.
Colin led the way at the forefront.
The solid cabin muffled the roar of the violent storm outside, making the sound of water flowing within some part of the cabin much clearer.
Such a sound meant the damage must be significant.
The sailors' complexions were panicked and unsightly.
At sea, there's nothing worse than a damaged cabin, let alone during a violent storm.
Had it not been for the steady figure of the wizard ahead, they would have likely descended into sheer panic and despair.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
Riel pushed himself to follow close behind Colin, urging the sailors behind him to keep up.
Down the stairs they went, passing the first and second decks.
Without faltering, Colin led them to the very bottom of the ship.
Slosh.
As soon as he stepped down the stairs onto the deck, Colin's heart sank.
The water here had already reached ankle depth!
Hum—
He activated the Light Brightness Skill to illuminate the surroundings, making it easier for the sailors to see.
He continued to rush forward, reaching the Confinement Room at the end of the corridor!
As soon as he heard the click, his first thought was of this place where the insomniac sailors were confined.
He flung the cabin door open!
Slosh!
Ice-cold seawater, mixed with the stench of the sea, rushed toward him.
"My lord, this?!"
Riel also ran up and looked into the Confinement Room with a look of astonished shock!
The insomniac sailors who had been confined inside were now nowhere to be seen!
Only several large holes, violently torn open, spewing wood chips, remained!
And through them poured a continuous torrent of raging seawater!
"What are you standing around for!"
Swoosh!
A pale blue glow spread out as Colin, clutching the Foolishness Scepter, used a force field to block the large holes while shouting.
"Yes!" Riel and the other sailors hurriedly stepped forward.
Corks, planks, wooden posts, bed sheets...
Plugging leaks on a ship was a mandatory skill for these sailors.
Now, with Colin's assistance, the holes no longer let in seawater, and without the interference of the rushing water, sealing the leaks became much easier.
Tap, tap, tap.
Heave-ho!
The sailors worked fervently.
In short order,
All the large holes were roughly patched.
Though some small amounts of seawater still trickled in, they posed no real threat.
And so, the sailors cheered one after another!
What could have been a deadly crisis for both ship and crew had been effortlessly resolved by the wizard's power!
"Don't celebrate too early, start bailing!"
A moment later, Riel, putting away his joyful expression, continued urging everyone on.
The accumulated water in the cabin wouldn't simply dissipate on its own; it had to be bailed out bucket by bucket, by hand.
While they bailed the water, Colin approached the several patched holes in the cabin, examining them carefully.
Now that the holes were blocked with planks and other objects, many details were concealed.
But by the shape and size, it very likely could have been the work of seven sailors.
Colin stroked the scepter in his hand, his expression grave.
The hull of a three-masted sailship was tough and thick, such that at least an intermediate knight armed with a suitable heavy weapon would be needed to inflict any significant damage.
And to create these large holes, it would take at least a Great Knight armed with heavy weaponry to accomplish such a feat.
But those sailors were all just ordinary people…
The rain outside continued to fall, and the ship kept rocking, with sailors carrying buckets back and forth, tirelessly scooping water.
The accumulated water, which had been ankle-deep in the hold, was gradually receding thanks to the sailors' unremitting efforts.
Aside from a thin mat on the floor and several large buckets for convenience, the Confinement Room had no other items.
By now, those large buckets had been washed away to who knows where, but the thin mat remained in place.
Colin bent down, his gaze sweeping over the thin mat floating on the water's surface.
Soon, his movements paused ever so slightly.
In the upper right part of the mat, there was a crescent-shaped black scale reflecting the light.
Colin reached out to pick it up—the scale was about the size of two thumbs, and it appeared very fresh as if it had just been shed.
'Crescent-shaped scales, a hull breach torn by brute force, missing insomniac sailors…'
'It's either some unknown vicious monster with scales that broke into the cabin and turned the insomniac sailors into easy prey,'
'Or…the insomniac sailors mutated into monsters covered in black scales.'
With the black scale in hand, Colin conjectured in his thoughts.
Immediately after that, he frowned slightly, bringing the crescent-shaped scale up close for a thorough examination.
'What exactly is this black scale…?'
Before long, it seemed that he remembered something and hastily made his way towards the captain's quarters.
"Sir."
As he emerged onto the deck, the storm raged on outside.
Riel, holding a bucket, approached him and offered a respectful greeting.
He nodded slightly and continued towards the captain's quarters.
The rain and wind were blocked by the Defensive Field, unable to dampen his Wizard Robe in the slightest.
Riel looked on with envy sparkling in his eyes.
In this world, no one wouldn't want to be a Wizard.
Crack!
A blue-white lightning bolt streaked across the sky, momentarily illuminating the entire world.
'What was that?!'
Suddenly, Riel's pupils shrank, and he rubbed his eyes before looking again toward the sea beside the ship.
But the light from the lightning was but a fleeting moment.
Now the world had returned to pitch black.
Shaking his head, Riel, with his bucket in hand, made his way to the hold.
'Perhaps it was just some large fish.'
He speculated to himself about the scaly black silhouettes he had glimpsed among the tumultuous waves just moments before.
…
The storm gradually subsided during the latter half of the night.
The water in the hold seemed scarce, but it wasn't until the dawn's light that the sailors finally managed to scoop out all the accumulated water and reinforced the gaping hole once more.
Having finished this task, they all collapsed on the deck, exhausted.
But with dawn's arrival, they needed to set sail again, lest they fall behind on their journey.
Thus, at Captain Riel's urging, they mustered their energy and returned to their duties.
Today was the seventh day of their voyage—if all went well, they would reach Bananka Island by the afternoon.
Regardless of the reason, all they wanted now was to quickly return to land.
While their insomniac shipmates had disappeared, no one was foolish enough to think that the eerie insomnia symptoms would simply vanish.
They were still in peril on the high seas; only solid land could restore their sense of safety.
Meanwhile, inside the captain's quarters.
Colin put away the Knowledge Crystal Ball, still somewhat puzzled.
There were still too many unknowns at sea.
However, after careful deliberation and combining it with the crescent-shaped black scale found the night before, he could deduce…
Those sailors were mostly gifted with a higher Spirit and had likely been affected by some unknown pollution.
Now, they had probably transformed into mutated monsters…
Colin sighed quietly to himself.
Time silently passed by.
Perhaps it was the fine weather following the storm that had lifted spirits.
The three-masted sailing ship had clear winds following, speeding along rapidly.
And so, after sailing briskly with the tailwind all morning,
A dark shape slowly emerged in front of them—
Bananka Island!