The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Craaaack—!

Crack—!

Santos smashed the cabin where we were locked.

"Ugh…"

Thanks to the hemostatic agent, I hadn't lost a lot of blood, but my thigh still hurt.

"Hmm? This guy…"

Santos looked at me, suddenly came to his senses, and then shouted.

"Climb up to the deck quickly!"

"AAAHHH—!"

I could feel the ship tilting.

I had worked at a dockyard's cargo terminal before but had never been on a ship, so it was hard to keep my balance. No, standing straight in a situation like this would probably be difficult, even for a seasoned sailor.

"Go! Go! Hurry! My treasures!"

Santos and his crew were pushing from behind.

It seemed that this ship’s crew had already boarded the pirate ship while rescuing other people.

I hurriedly moved to avoid falling behind.

But at that moment…

Crack…

'Huh…?'

The ship started sinking even faster.

Crack…

'Eh…?'

With a sensation that the world was turning upside down, my body curled like a ball and rolled around.

Paaf—!

I barely managed to grab the threshold.

Crack…

"Damn…"

BOOM…

My body was sucked toward the rising water. It felt as if I was experiencing all of the misfortunes one could experience during childhood.

'I-I must hold my breath.'

The water was quickly rising.

I did what I could.

'I need to get out of here…'

The current was strong, and the ship continued to sink.

Survival seemed impossible… until someone appeared.

"Ahaha! Santos is coming!"

"You idiot! Come back!"

"Go first!"

"Damn it…"

I could feel someone’s warmth wrap around my body, but I had already swallowed too much water.

I reached out to the warmth and embraced it.

'I don't want to die…'

I was losing consciousness.

"You won't die."

That was the last thing I heard before fully losing consciousness.

* * *

When I woke up, that large ship was nowhere to be seen, and I was floating on a small plank, which I assumed was debris.

"Huh…?"

"Did you wake up?"

There was another person on the plank.

"Santos…?"

"So you remember me. How do you know my name?"

"You did keep shouting it…"

"Hmm… I thought I had become famous enough for a kid like you to know my name."

Santos was like a cloud—no matter what I said, he responded pleasantly.

"The sky and sea always calm down after a storm. Isn't it amazing?"

"Are we going to die…?"

Swoosh…

Santos patted my head.

"Why? Do you think we're going to die?"

"Because we're on the sea, and we're adrift without food."

"Oh, you're quite smart."

"…"

"But do you know what?" Santos said while lying on the plank and looking up at the sky, "You and I survived even that sinking ship on a stormy night."

He was right.

We had survived.

In a moment where only the word death came to mind, his presence led me to life.

"It doesn't make sense for us to die in such good weather."

"So… we aren't going to die…?"

"Obviously not."

"Why is it obvious…?"

"Obvious things are just obvious. That itself is the reason."

I didn't understand what Santos meant.

"Then, why did you save me?"

"That's also the same. It's obvious."

"I don't get it…"

"Hahaha! Don't question a seaman's actions! Santos just did the obvious. Ah! Also, you don't need to thank me."

"Alright."

"But I think it's okay for you to be thankful… Huh?"

With a dizzy feeling in my head, I fainted.

"Hey!"

It was because my body wasn't in good condition. Not only was my thigh bruised, but it had also been a while since I had a proper meal.

"Your body is a lump of fire."

It was painful.

To think I would end up dying in the middle of the sea.

Splash…

Splash…

The waves became a bit rougher as night fell.

I opened my drowsy eyes.

"Ah, you woke up."

Santos was clinging to my body. He was sharing his warmth.

"Santos."

"What…"

"My name is Kang Seol."

"Ah… I hadn't asked for your name."

"Yes…"

"…"

"Please, don't forget it."

He helped me stand up.

"A farewell? Isn't that too much after all I went through?"

"But…"

"Look over there, Seol."

Santos pointed toward a light on the horizon.

"A light…?"

"It's a star called Seaman."

I clung to my consciousness while listening to Santos's story.

"This sea is my universe, and that light is a star wandering the cosmos."

"…"

I lost consciousness.

And when I opened my eyes again…

"You idiot! There you are! Hey, everyone. Come here and look down. The dumbest seaman is whining down there."

"Hahaha! Captain, I was expecting something. But as expected, I did something stupid this time too!"

"What's up with that kid next to you? He seems to be injured."

"Do you have rum? He'll probably feel better if you feed him something."

"I hope he doesn't become as simple as you… Lower the rope!"

Santos hugged me and grabbed the rope.

"This…"

"Seol, welcome aboard."

I set foot on a new star.

* * *

I had become twelve years old and was having an unforgettable time.

"Turn left! We're crashing!"

"It's better to crash! That damn snake head!"

There were times when seamen fought against giant sea beasts.

"Hahaha! This is a raid!"

"KYAA!"

"If you resist, that pretty face of yours is going to get a mark."

There were times when we looted the ships of the wealthy.

"Here, clean it up. Make it sparkle."

"Okay."

I adapted well to ship life. Before meal times, I helped with cooking, cleaned the deck, and even learned a bit of carpentry.

"Alright, shall we practice raiding today to become excellent pirates?"

"Okay."

My heart had healed, and I could effortlessly share my past with Santos and the crew.

The day Santos heard about my past, he cried.

"Sob… So sad… How could you have endured such things at such a young age?"

"Shut up! Santos! Let me get some sleep!"

"Listen, this kid…"

I was a little pirate, and all of the crew accepted me.

All of the things I had gone through had easily broken down their mental barriers.

"But you did a great job saving your friend!"

"But I just did something obvious…"

I suddenly remembered his words.

I noticed something I hadn't before due to not having thought much about it.

- Obvious things are just obvious. That itself is the reason.

"So it was something obvious…"

I finally understood why I hadn't regretted having risked my life to save Yurim.

"Yes, things like that are obvious. Doing the obvious is hard, but if you accomplish it…"

Santos grinned.

"You're also a man."

"A man…"

I grew up on the ship.

Until I turned fifteen years old, Santos was my captain, teacher, and father.

[Unrestrained actions inspire courage.]

[Courage doesn't lead to actions. Actions themselves inspire courage.]

[Awakening! You awaken a new skill.]

[You awaken Passive: Man.]

One day, just before my fifteenth birthday, I became seriously ill.

"Ugh…"

"You don't know the cause?"

"It seems something happened with his mana. This is something I can't handle. We need to get a skilled magician."

"…"

After I recovered, Santos bid farewell to me before the ship reached land.

"Seol."

"I don't want to leave…"

"You’re different. You have something me and these clueless guys don’t."

"Is that why I have to leave?"

"You idiot, you're going to die if you stay here! Piracy is for guys like me, not someone with a future like you!"

Santos got angry.

"Shouldn't you try everything you can?"

"…"

"This place is just a cage for you, and you're a bird too big for it. Okay?"

"I…"

"You aren't getting ready to leave, but getting ready to fly."

On my fifteenth birthday, Santos and his crew had gifted me a farewell.

They put me ashore and said their goodbyes.

"Seol! Even if you become successful, don't forget your origins! You were once a pirate!"

"Hahaha! As if that's something to brag about. You can forget about people like us!"

"Don't say that while crying, idiot!"

I stopped walking and looked back at them.

They were standing with the evening glow behind them.

"Will we meet again?"

"…"

"…"

"Hmm…"

At that moment, when everyone was silent, Santos shouted loudly.

"Even if it isn't here, seamen wander across the cosmos! So…"

He smiled widely for my sake.

Grin…

"Of course we will, you idiot!"

* * *

Ugh…

"Bleh…"

The seizures in my body were due to my mana becoming shorter.

I heard there was much more mana inside my body than others.

They told me that I had to take some measures to stop the seizures, whether to awaken my mana or eliminate it.

'My body… can't hold on any longer…'

After hearing about a city where wanderers gathered, I went there.

Baluel—it was the name of the city.

Swoosh…

While wandering around the city, I smelled someone's scent.

'Scent? No. This…'

It felt like a trace of someone engraved on my soul.

I chased the woman who had left such a trace.

"Excuse me…"

"Who…?"

She had an exotic appearance. A huge greatsword hung over her back, but I didn’t know who she was.

"Ah… It's nothing."

"Ah… Okay…"

Maybe I was mistaken.

If there was something I gained after coming to Baluel, it was that there was a magician interested in my condition.

"Pack your things. We're going to the villa."

He was confident he could fix my problem. It turned out that he was quite a famous magician in the area, and he was also quite reputable.

To alleviate the symptoms, I decided to follow him for now.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Snowman."

"I'm Kang Seol."

Snowman…

'Why does it sound familiar…?'

For some reason, his name sounded familiar.

He checked the time on his pocket watch and muttered.

'Huh…? That pocket watch…'

Not only was the Magician's name familiar, but also his pocket watch. Sometimes, I felt a sense of déjà vu, and occasionally the feeling became stronger.

For example, today…

"What you have to do here is simple. Prepare meals by the designated time, clean at the assigned hours, and allocate a certain amount of time each day for your studies. If you manage your time diligently, you can use whatever's left as you please."

"Is there anything I should be careful about?"

Snowman replied.

"I will allow you to enter the laboratory after observing your level. Until then, don't even think about going there."

"Understood."

"And I eat a lot, so prepare a generous amount."

"Yes."

If he asked me not to do something, I just wouldn't do it.

If he asked me to do something, I would.

With my twisted sense of positivity, I would stick to what I was ordered.

That's how my days at the mountain villa started.

"Food is ready."

"Okay."

"…"

"Food is ready."

"Ok."

Seizures didn't happen during my stay at the villa.

I heard that the mana I possessed made my body sick.

However, by learning the appropriate magic and taking proper measures, I heard that my physical condition would return to normal soon.

I was glad I chose Snowman.

I was truly feeling it.

He didn't interfere with me unless it was at the designated time.

Yet he meticulously watched over my studies.

"Your mana isn't just suited for one element but four."

"Four…"

"You have a blessed body. It's suited for Darkness, Light, Storm, and Blood. Although they're completely different attributes, they're all bubbling within your body."

I didn't fully understand him, so I could only nod.

"There are parts similar to attributes I've mastered, so follow my teachings well."

"Yes."

That's how my time at the mountain villa passed.