MTFBMP Chapter 7

A familiar light, but brighter than ever. After staring at the coin for a while, I cautiously lifted my gaze to look at Simon.

 

NPCs like me were supposed to have white names to indicate that we were not capable of combat or had no intention of fighting.

 

‘Pink.’

 

Simon’s full name, which I hadn’t realized until now, combined with his surname, glowed pink above his head.

 

It was a color similar to coral, like my pupils, but a little more transparent. It was also the color of the highest level of character.

 

“Never forget what I told you, my granddaughter.”

 

“Ah…”

 

I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

 

‘That’s because I am Antheia.’

 

Antheia, who loved everyone in this village.

 

Without a word, I hugged Iris and Simon once more, then stomped my foot. And that was goodbye.

 

The next thing I knew, I was on the boat. The anchor was raised, and the sails were lowered.

 

Countless birds circled the ship as we set sail.

 

The White Gold Beach, where I had spent all my life, began to recede into the distance.

 

Neither of the two of them waved at me, and neither did I. The boat quickly drifted away from the beach. The sun was slowly setting, closer to the horizon, and it felt like we were sailing out to the ocean.

 

“You will be here as a guest for the time being.”

 

I pressed down on my hat, which nearly blew off in the wind, and turned around to see Dion standing there.

 

“Your room is next to the one I use; it was originally set aside as a guest room, so it should be the most comfortable of the now empty cabins.”

 

I nodded at the rather businesslike explanation.

 

“Oh, let me introduce myself again, I’m Dion, the owner of this ship.”

 

“Yes. I look forward to serving you.”

 

The introduction by first name rather than last was a bit unusual, but I already knew that.

 

Dion quickly pointed to several figures behind us.

 

“This is Jade. A navigator.”

 

“Yes. Um. Anthele?”

 

Jade nodded sincerely, the belated self-introduction making me cringe. Even the hastily crafted alias felt awkward.

 

“Thank you for having me as a guest. But I could use a hand, I’m an innkeeper’s child, after all.”

 

“That’s not necessary, but in that case…”

 

Just then, Dion spotted a passerby and called out to him.

 

“Rhodon, come here!”

 

Rhodon turned toward our direction and came running, his heavy body echoing off the floor. I turned to face him without blinking.

 

“It’s the chef. You two might have something to talk about.”

 

“Hello~ I’m Rhodon, and I’ve heard the story.”

 

He smiled, and there was a large, straight scar across the bridge of his nose. I couldn’t help but stare at it.

 

“Ahaha! He must have gotten scared by the scar. You should get used to this!”

 

“Well, I hope so, Sir.”

 

I managed a forced bow. Unfortunately, Rhodon’s face looked familiar.

 

Still wearing a straight scar instead of an X, Rhodon grinned roguishly.

 

💫

 

Afterward, I was guided through the ship’s layout, and then we ate and greeted some crew. For now, we decided to keep things light.

 

It had been a long time at the dock and the food was plentiful, so it was a bit of a lively party, but it was still awkward when I joined the drinking game. I excused myself to rest and returned to my cabin.

 

As soon as I saw the bed prepared for me, I threw myself down without even unpacking.

 

‘Am I screwed?’

 

The chef of this ship came to mind.

 

‘But it’s still daylight.’

 

There was a good chance he’d get another scar on it someday, making it an X.

 

‘Surely he won’t have an accident on the ship?’

 

This was before the game began in earnest. I wouldn’t be surprised if something unexpected happened on this ship.

 

“There’s not a moment to relax.”

 

Having put everyone’s guard down as much as safely possible, I planned to move quietly, but it seemed I would have to move faster than intended.

 

After forcing myself to stand, I cautiously opened the door and scanned the hallway. I could hear the muffled chatter of the men on the deck, still drinking, but otherwise, it was eerily quiet.

 

‘For now, let’s just see where the dungeon is.’

 

There’s no running away until we get what we want.

 

‘Well, it has to be today, so if I get caught, I can just say I got lost.’

 

Carefully closing the door behind me, I moved swiftly into the darkness.

 

The path to the dungeon was a maze. Descending from the center staircase, I took a right, then a short walk to the left, until I came to an ordinary-looking door.

 

‘Here it is!’

 

No matter how thoroughly I hid it, it was useless in the face of death.

 

The bottom of the ship, the best-kept secret prison. It was a must-stop for the game.

 

‘I never thought a dream in my room would come in handy.’

 

My smile was one of revelation.

 

‘It was like…, a video of a game’s event.’

 

In games, videos are played at intervals to enhance immersion or speed up progress.

 

These were often called ‘event videos’ or ‘cut scenes,’ and the player, as the protagonist, could do nothing to interrupt them until they were over.

 

Although players could force the screen to turn off, it wouldn’t change their fate.

 

‘The timing was just right.’

 

Despite questioning why I was the one who was seeing the dream, I could have gotten help beforehand.

 

‘It’s supposed to be here.’

 

As the game’s protagonist progresses, their path widens, and they need a new means of transportation.

 

AKA a Pet.

 

[Poor Wounded Flying Beast].

 

That was the name of the quest to get a pet.

 

The dream I saw was an event video that marked the beginning of this quest.

 

In the game, the ship was a ghost ship that had been abandoned at the entrance to the black market for a long time. That meant there was at least one ship that had carried the pet, hoping to get to the secret market.

 

‘So far, my guess was right.’

 

There must be a flying beast trapped down here that could cross oceans. If I could tame it, I would have a way to escape from the ship at any time.

 

That’s it. If necessary, just ride the pet to escape.

 

‘The goal is to escape with your pet.’

 

Suddenly, my stomach churned.

 

‘Ugh!’

 

I reflexively grabbed the doorknob, hoping to grab something, and the door swung open.

 

‘Oh, dear mother!’

 

I barely held back a scream. I looked down and saw the stairs.

 

‘Can they leave this place so open?’

 

It’s not the kind of thing a sneak would say, but my heart raced.

 

There was no light in the basement. The treads of the staircase were barely visible in the darkness. It didn’t look like a beast’s gaping maw at the far end.

 

‘Maybe I should head back.’

 

I was needlessly frightened.

 

‘The passage was pretty easy to find, and maybe I can come back another time.’

 

Just then, the boat was hit by another large wave and tipped over.

 

“Yikes!”

 

The boat rocked violently. The center of gravity had already fallen, so I had to stumble while holding onto the door handle. The recoil knocked something out of my bag.

 

“No!”

 

Clink, clink, clink—

 

The gold coin that Simon had given me rolled down the dark stairs. I realized I’d forgotten to put that coin in my purse.

 

“What the hell…”

 

No matter what happened to the rest, I couldn’t afford to lose that one.

 

It was a precious parting gift, but it was also proof that I was here. At least Dion would recognize the coin.

 

If anyone saw me like this, I’d be in trouble. There was no time to hesitate.

 

A faint breeze brushed my face as I cautiously stepped inside the door. The wind was wafting in from underground. 

 

Somehow, it seemed to whisper, ‘Come down.’

 

As I descended one more flight of stairs, the torches on the wall began to light up, one after the other, as if guiding me.

 

The staircase was shorter than I imagined. I could see the floor. My heart sank a little.

 

‘Okay, this is my chance.’

 

It was the same wooden floor, but unlike the hallway I had just walked through, my footsteps echoed, even when I walked carefully. It was like being in a cave.

 

‘This is spooky.’

 

I saw a shiny coin on the floor. I approached the coin with relief.

 

One moment the waves were rough, and the boat tipped again.

 

Swoosh—

 

The coin slid across the sloping floor and disappeared into the darkness.

 

I picked up the torch on the wall and paced slowly.

 

In the distance, I could see the coin glinting.

 

‘That’s where it ended up,’ I thought.

 

A sinking feeling came over me.

 

I struggled to keep my eyes on the coin. On either side of me was a row of prisons lined with bars. It was dark, so I couldn’t see much, but it wasn’t a narrow prison.

 

Each time I passed a cell, I could feel the sharp stares and ragged breathing.

 

‘It’s not just one.’

 

Like Rhodon on the ship, there could be beasts lurking here that I didn’t anticipate.

 

A chill ran down my spine, as if the beasts in the cell would jump out at any moment and attack me.

 

To avoid eye contact, I kept my eyes on the coin in front of me. A few more steps and I picked up the coin.

 

Suddenly, something covered the coin. It was the front paw of a beast. It dragged the coin into the cage.

 

“What? My coin!”

 

The screams stopped. My heart raced, and I ran toward it. A torch shone inside the cage.

 

Red light glinted in its huge, watery eyes, like deep pools of water. The beast didn’t blink, as if it had been watching me for a long time already.

 

I was overwhelmed by its glare, unable to move.