Dawn broke.
Through the window, Ryan saw a clear blue sky tinged with the colors of sunrise. Seabirds circled overhead, diving into the water now and then to catch small fish.
Sea Beasts had finally begun surfacing nearby, too. The danger had passed.
Ryan pushed open the door. Traces of the Thorn Sea Beasts' slaughter still marked the corridor: blood, fingernail scratches on the floor, reminders of how terrifying the night had been.
He could not be the only Wizard Freshman who had survived. The others might still be hiding somewhere.
Most importantly, the darkness had lifted. Ryan was not afraid of Thorn Sea Beasts. He had killed so many he was sick of them.
The air reeked of seawater, mixed with the sharp smell of human blood.
He frowned slightly. Only when he reached the deck and the damp, salty wind struck him did the stench begin to fade.
Harak curled up on his shoulder. Bothered by the light, she tucked her head beneath a wing and resumed her daily sleep.
The sea wind billowed Ryan's gray robe, forcing him to hold down its hem.
The Wizard Ship seemed to have reached another part of the Endless Sea. The water was no longer so dark and murky. It was clear enough for him to make out fish, shrimp, and even the scales of some Sea Beasts.
Ryan gazed toward the Captain's Quarters. A faint Blue Sheen flashed in his eyes.
Notice: Wizard Tuta's data successfully collected. Analysis: Life Energy down 80%; particle energy down 70%.
Every carbon-based life-form possessed Life Energy. In a game, it would be the health bar.
Particle energy, meanwhile, was the mana bar.
Of course, those two figures alone could not measure a Wizard's strength. There was also the most crucial factor: powerful Spiritual Power, the medium through which the intangible influenced reality.
The Eye of Truth had previously lacked the necessary data to determine Wizard Tuta's level.
Comparing Wizard Tuta with himself, Ryan ventured a guess: he was at least a Third-level Wizard Apprentice.
What kind of opponent could wound a Wizard that powerful so badly?
Was it whoever had unleashed the darkness and the Thorn Sea Beasts?
The attack had clearly targeted the Wizard Ship, with the aim of leaving no one alive.
Ryan frowned. He could find no clues, so he set the question aside.
What mattered most was that he had survived. Wizard Tuta had probably driven off the enemy, suffering grievous wounds in the process.
The days ahead might not be peaceful, either. Wizard Tuta was badly injured.
Ryan stroked Harak's Black Feathers. When she was relaxed, they felt soft, their warmth spreading across his palm.
Since the Thorn Heart had induced her Benign Metamorphosis, Harak's strength had grown rapidly. Her power and carrying capacity in flight were no worse than before, despite her much smaller size. Even if another disaster struck, Ryan had some confidence they could survive at sea.
Ultimately, he had to rely on his own strength. Only he could walk his path as a Wizard.
Footsteps interrupted Ryan's thoughts. The surviving Wizard Freshmen had emerged, their faces and bodies smeared with blood and filth.
Even Anna, the proud member of the Wizard Exchange Meeting, was no exception. Her fiery red hair hung in sticky clumps, foul-smelling filth caught in it.
"Oh, my God, I'm alive! Those damned monsters should be sent to hell and tortured for a thousand lifetimes."
"Look at that beautiful sky! Smell that lovely sea breeze! Everything is wonderful. But my good friends, my old companions, died at the hands of those monsters. It's heartbreaking."
"I'm so glad I survived! Why were there monsters like that aboard the Wizard Ship? Where was Wizard Tuta? What was he doing?!"
The Wizard Freshmen vented the strain they had endured, caring nothing for appearances.
Some shouted at the top of their lungs.
Some stripped off their stinking clothes, spread their arms, and ran across the deck.
Others wept, even complaining about Wizard Tuta and anything else they could think of.
After a moment's thought, Ryan understood how they had survived.
He instinctively walked toward the edge of the deck, where the stronger sea wind carried away the smell that had made him frown.
Compared with those Wizard Freshmen, his almost spotless gray robe was bound to draw attention.
Several freshmen noticed him. "How did he survive? His clothes are so clean. Is there some way to avoid the Thorn Sea Beasts that we don't know about?"
Anna was surprised as well, but she gave it little thought. She assumed he had simply been lucky.
She could barely stand the stench clinging to her. She needed to find somewhere to wash five times, ten times, and then throw away these damned filthy clothes.
Suddenly, her pupils contracted. Someone she had never expected to see stepped out.
His entire body was covered in torn wounds. Half his face had been bitten off, and a third of his scalp had come loose. He looked like a vengeful ghost, blood still running from injuries no Wizard Freshman could heal.
It was Arthur. He was still alive!
His left arm was gone, and he limped forward, a pitiful sight.
The moment he saw Anna, his nearly broken face twisted into a smile that sent a chill down the spine.
It was Anna. His woman. The woman he loved.
He had lost too much already. He could not lose her too.
The Wizard Freshmen were horrified by Arthur's appearance. If not for the shape of his face and his clothes, they might not have recognized him. His condition was appalling!
Disfigurement and the loss of his left arm would probably have a profound effect on his path as a Wizard.
The Wizard World did have Supernatural Potions that could regrow severed limbs, along with other such methods, but low-level Wizards had no hope of obtaining them.
Anna recognized the look in Arthur's eyes. It was infatuation. Back when she was still a mortal, she had seen it in countless men who had fallen at her feet.
It meant Arthur could no longer bear to be apart from her.
Once, that might have pleased her. But not with Arthur as he was now.
His hideous face and mangled body filled Anna with revulsion.
She spared Arthur no more than a glance before turning toward her room. She needed to wash the filth off her body.
Arthur froze, his pupils widening. Why was she so cold? Was this still Anna? Where had the gentle, kind Anna gone?
Despair and fury surged inside him, made worse by the stares of the other Wizard Freshmen. No. My Anna would never treat me like this. There must be some misunderstanding.
Arthur glared around the deck like he wanted to devour them.
He still stood above them all. Nothing had changed. Nothing ever would.
He had the finest aptitude and a chance to obtain a Wizard Legacy. How dared those damned inferior freshmen look at him with pity and gloating!
Then Ryan caught Arthur's eye, his clothes clean, his expression calm.
For some reason, seeing Ryan like that only deepened Arthur's dislike, anger, and resentment.
Arthur hobbled toward the cabins. What was wrong with Anna? He had to ask her. Perhaps the Thorn Sea Beasts had frightened her, and that was why she had been so cold to him.
A strange look flickered in Ryan's eyes. Arthur was nothing like he had been before. What had happened to him to cause such a change?
He was like a stray dog with a broken leg, barking at everything in sight to show how strong he was because he feared its owner would abandon it.
It hardly mattered, though. Arthur was no concern of his, so long as he stayed out of his way.
Ryan looked toward the Captain's Quarters. What exactly had happened to Wizard Tuta?
By rights, he should have appeared by now to restore order and confirm their course.
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