Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Food! Fooood!

A few weeks later, under the scorching sun on the open sea.

"Uuuuuugh..."

"Fooood..."

Beryl and Mikkelsen lay sprawled on the deck like corpses.

Their cheeks were so sunken it would’ve been more fitting to call them human mummies.

Their lips were dry and cracked, and their skin had turned red from sunburn.

Crunch, crunch.

Mikkelsen chewed on the bones of some creature that was assumed to have once been ‘a bird,’ while Beryl licked the bare bones of a fish with his tongue.

For the past week, everyone on the ship had done everything they could to survive.

— Look! A bird! Catch that seagull!

— Uwaaaah! Got it!

They lured flying seagulls using jerky from their pockets and caught them.

— Anchovies caught, sir!

— Can’t you catch... something bigger?

— I’ll try my best.

They used fishing rods and nets to catch fish to stave off their hunger.

Of course, the problem was that it was nowhere near enough.

The only saving grace was that it had rained a couple more times, so they weren’t lacking in water.

‘I want to go home... I want to go home.’

Go back, and stuff my mouth with delicious soup and meat...

Mikkelsen, who had been gnawing on a bone, raised his head and spoke.

"Young Master, please do something."

"He's right. If this goes on, we’re all gonna die."

Beryl and Mikkelsen shot a glare at Hardin, who was sitting at the back.

Of course—

"Shut it, you bastards. I'm dying here too."

Hardin had also turned into a mummy-like state and didn’t even have the strength to respond properly.

‘What kind of damn sea is this, anyway?’

He had already gone underwater dozens of times, even tied a rope to his leg and swam out as far as he could, but all he managed to catch were a few small fish.

He was confident he could catch plenty of fish if they were around...

‘But how the hell am I supposed to catch fish when there are none?’

Why aren’t there any?

There were definitely plenty of fish in these waters back in the day.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Hardin pounded the deck with his fist in frustration.

Mikkelsen glared at him and said,

"Don’t waste your energy and just sit still, Young Master. You’ll just end up breaking the ship."

"...No, that’s not it—"

Just as Hardin tried to say something, Mikkelsen waved his hand and cut him off.

"Huuu, forget it. Shouldn’t we be thinking about how to get back as soon as possible?"

"Get back? To where?"

"Where else? With things like this, forget fishing or whatever. I’m saying we should start thinking about heading back to Mudside."

At that, Hardin furrowed his brow.

"What are you talking about? We're almost there. Go back? Go where?"

"Destination? What destination are you talking about?"

"You'll see soon enough. It's about time it shows up."

"See what?"

Just as Mikkelsen frowned—

"Huh?"

Beryl, who had been leaning against the side of the ship, squinted his eyes and pointed with his finger.

"That over there… is that an island?"

"An island? What are you—"

Mikkelsen turned his head in that direction, and sure enough, beyond the thick fog, a massive island came into view.

Hundreds of birds hovered in the sky, and above the island grew a dense, untouched green forest.

Hardin's lips curled into a smirk when he saw it.

‘Found it.’

Before heading to the Calav Archipelago, there was a stop he needed to make to gather some "supplies."

That place, known as the so-called ‘Island of Skulls,’ was somewhere Hardin had once heard about from a friend.

‘As long as I can get that thing from there... this mission should be easy to finish.’

Even as Hardin grinned with hidden meaning—

"Food! It’s food!"

"Uuuuaaaah! We—we’re saved!"

Swoooosh! Swoooosh!

Beryl and Mikkelsen, suddenly full of energy, were rowing like madmen, as if they’d never been exhausted.

---

A short while later, on the uninhabited island.

High above, atop a giant tree that seemed to stretch endlessly skyward.

Like a monkey, Hardin had climbed up and stopped at a certain point, letting out a deep breath.

"Just as I thought."

Before his eyes were clusters of egg-sized fruits.

‘Whale Tree Fruit.’

A fruit with a blue shell and yellow flesh, known for its uniquely sweet flavor.

A rare find in the Fabian Empire, it only grew near island nations off the eastern sea.

Back when he was still Varlach, wandering the world and doing all sorts of nonsense, he used to eat them a lot.

‘Been a while.’

Gulp.

Hardin swallowed his saliva, then looked down at Mikkelsen and Beryl waiting below.

"Here it comes. Catch it properly."

Then he quickly began picking the fruits and throwing them down like a madman.

The only issue was—

"Argh! My—my head!"

"Throw slower, Young Master!"

The outer shell of the Whale Tree Fruit was so thick and hard, it was cracking their heads open down below.

How long had their screams echoed like that?

"Haaaah, I feel alive again."

"I seriously... thought I was gonna die."

The three of them sat beneath the Whale Tree, patting their bellies and letting out deep sighs.

They might not have felt completely full, but at least the threat of starving to death had passed. That alone was a small blessing amidst their misfortune.

At that moment, Beryl let out a heavy sigh and asked Hardin,

"Phew... Young Master, so why exactly did we come here?"

"What?"

"I mean... It doesn't really look like you brought us all the way here just to go fishing, does it?"

Beryl and Mikkelsen’s eyes were filled with suspicion.

Anyone could see they were clearly doubtful.

Hardin crossed his arms and replied,

"I told you. I came here to fish."

"...You came all this way just to fish?"

"Yeah. There's a really good bait hidden here."

"Bait? What kind of bait?"

What the hell is he talking about?

"You’ll see. Just wait and see."

Swish.

As Hardin stood up and began walking, the two of them had no choice but to follow him for now.

Forward, and further forward.

From all directions, they heard the sounds of birds and wind, and occasionally spotted animal tracks or droppings on the ground.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anything special?’

‘...Isn’t this just an ordinary uninhabited island?’

Just as the two of them tilted their heads in confusion—

"Hold on."

Hardin suddenly stopped and closed his eyes.

After about ten seconds passed—

"This way."

Flash.

He opened his eyes again and changed direction.

After walking for quite a while toward the opposite side of the island, the trees began to thin out, and before them appeared a long seaside cliff.

Thunk!

Hardin stopped in front of it and pointed downward.

"We’re going down there."

"...Down there?"

"Doesn’t really look like there’s anything down below though?"

It was a steep cliff, easily over 50 meters tall at a glance.

Beryl and Mikkelsen frowned with uneasy expressions.

Even a mutt at the Magic Tower would learn basic spells after three years of rolling around.

After being dragged around by Hardin for years, they’d developed a sixth sense.

‘Something smells like a pain in the ass already...’

‘No way... Not again?’

They could tell instinctively—Hardin was dragging them into another headache.

Just as they both began to instinctively step back—

"Get going."

Thud!

"Huh?"

Hardin pushed them both in the back, sending them off the cliff.

"Aaaaagh!"

"W-What the hell are you doing?!"

As they fell, they desperately reached out and grabbed onto the cliff face.

Hardin began climbing down the cliff and kicked their faces with his feet as he spoke.

"Ah, quit whining. You planning to spend the night hanging there? Hurry up and get down."

"Uggggghhh..."

"Fine, fine! Just get your foot off me!"

In the end, all three of them continued climbing down the cliff.

A short while later—

"Hup."

Thud!

Hardin, who had descended the fastest, landed on a protruding rock at the bottom.

Soon after, Mikkelsen and Beryl also landed on the jagged rocks, each finding a spot to stand.

Then—

“Huh?”

“What is this, Young Master?”

The two of them widened their eyes in shock.

A deep recess carved into the cliffside.

There, hidden from view from above, was a pitch-black cave.

Hardin grinned.

“Told you. I came to get bait for fishing.”

“...Bait? In there?”

As Hardin stared into the cave with a smirk, he could feel a strong flow of mana emanating from within.

“Yeah. It’s in there. For sure.”

With a light jump, Hardin leaped forward and quickly entered the cave.

“W-Wait, Young Master! Wait for us!”

Beryl and Mikkelsen followed him inside.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Suddenly, lights flickered to life along the walls, illuminating the interior of the cave.

“Whoa?”

“...What is this?”

The two of them looked around in awe.

At the end of the cave, a large stone gate came into view.

And above that gate... was a mural.

A painting of a female pirate wielding a cutlass against a massive octopus-like monster.

Perhaps it was because the woman and the octopus were drawn so fiercely—

Just looking at it sent chills down their spines.

Mikkelsen, with a doubtful voice, asked,

“Young Master... is this a dungeon?”

Hardin smiled faintly and replied,

“Yeah. It is.”

“Excuse me?”

Beryl and Mikkelsen’s eyes instantly widened.

Dungeon.

An artificial space created long ago by ancient mages or sages, built in hidden locations with valuable treasures or specific purposes in mind.

Although dungeons could occasionally form naturally, those were exceedingly rare.

Which meant—

‘There’s treasure in here?’

‘So it’s not fishing, it’s a treasure hunt...?’

The two of them had stars in their eyes.

Rumors of people conquering a dungeon and discovering enough treasure to sustain three generations were common in the Empire. There were even mana users who dedicated their lives solely to dungeon exploration.

In other words—

‘We could strike it rich too!’

Their hearts thumped, and their mouths watered with excitement.

— Wahahaha! We’re rich! Riiiiiich!

— Beryl, look at this!

In their minds, they saw themselves swimming through piles of gold coins.

But just as Mikkelsen was deep in his daydream, he suddenly turned to Hardin with a curious look.

“But... how did you even know there was a dungeon here?”

Hardin stroked his chin and replied—

"It's where an acquaintance is buried... I guess you could say."

"An acquaintance?"

What kind of nonsense is that...

Just as Mikkelsen tilted his head and fidgeted with his foot—

Clatter!

He turned his gaze toward the noise caused by something hitting his heel.

“Hiiieeek!”

“A s-skull?!”

Right beside him, human skulls and bones rolled across the floor.

Mikkelsen and Beryl went pale, their bodies trembling violently.

People dying in dungeons was nothing new, but with that terrifying mural above the stone gate and now these bones added on top, their feet refused to move.

"Young Master, do we really have to go in there?"

"Wouldn't it be better to reconsider this just once more?"

No, seriously, we came because you said it was for fishing! Fishing!

Why on earth are we stepping into this creepy dungeon?

"Ah, shut it. Quit whining and follow me. We don’t have time."

Hardin grabbed the stone gate with both arms and pushed it open with force.

Just as the door opened halfway—

Thunk! Clack!

A metallic clatter rang out, accompanied by a clicking sound.

“Huh? What was that sound just now?”

“...I dunno.”

Was it instinct?

Beryl and Mikkelsen, faces tense, slowly looked upward.

Something was falling from the ceiling toward them.

A massive log covered in sharp spikes.

In short—

“A-a trap!”

“Hiiieeek!”

Mikkelsen and Beryl leapt to the side to dodge.

And standing right in its path was Hardin...

“What the?”

Clenching his fist, his eyes gleamed with blue light.

KWAANG!

He swung his fist into the air and shattered the spiked log into pieces.

Clatter!

The splinters flew in all directions, some sticking to Beryl and Mikkelsen’s faces.

Hardin dusted off his hands and spoke with a look of disdain.

“What the hell are you two doing?”

“W-what do you think?!”

“We almost died just now!”

Seriously, these so-called Daphne Knights were disgustingly cowardly...

Hardin shook his head and said,

“Die my ass. At most, it’d just split your skulls a bit.”

“What am I, a golem?! Say something that makes sense!”

“...Young Master.”

The two of them protested with eyes full of grievance.

But Hardin ignored them completely, pointing his thumb toward the interior.

“Quit whining. We don’t have time, let’s go.”

Only then did Beryl and Mikkelsen turn to look at what was beyond the door Hardin had opened...

“Hmm?”

“This place…”

Before them lay a long corridor, lined on all sides with blue bricks, as if recreating the inside of the ocean.

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