Chapter 62 - Setting Sail
Throughout all of his time learning about magic under Aphy, Jae had never once heard about something called ‘essence’. All he knew was that it was how she referred to the soul in relation to a person’s identity.
‘Be it physical or spiritual, a person’s soul is their essence.’
That is precisely why the Soul Discernment of Envy, who reveals the hidden details of one’s soul, depicted in an easy-to-comprehend fashion through the Soul State, could be taken as ‘seeing into one’s essence’.
Thus, if ‘essence’ could be equated with the soul, just what would happen if said essence was devoured and absorbed through Gluttony?
This very question is what Jae had come to Fansch’s renowned maritime marketplace to answer.
Hm... There really is a whole lot of fish. Should I just go up and grab whatever? No, the first form of Gluttony only works with monsters; assuming it still functions the same way, I should take a look around some more for any places selling monster meats.
Being such a vast market with countless stalls, it didn’t take long to find those advertising just what he was looking for―and after a short while, with various kinds of aquatic monster carcasses now forming a pile in a corner of the Inventory, Jae moved to a quieter location and took a seat on a public bench.
“Mpgh-! What’s that thing...?”
As Bailey munched on an exotic fish snack purchased along the way, Jae took out and examined the first monster fish; a thick, brown fish with a jagged, dagger-like appendage sticking out the front.
“Looks weird...”
“Doesn’t it?”
The old man running the stall said it was called a ‘Gutfish’, which sounded quite apt considering the characteristic weapon attached to its head, but Jae didn’t mind it so long as it proved useful.
And so, without much reservation, he brought the raw fish to his mouth.
Skill 「Gluttony」 has activated
You have acquired the Active Skill: 「Gutted」
Originally, those two lines would have been all there was, but now, with Gluttony’s new improvement, there was an additional series of notifications that popped up.
You will absorb the essence of the devoured target
Absorbing essence
At that moment, Jae felt an odd change begin to occur within his body.
What’s that...?
It was an incredibly slight change, so much so that he couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly had happened, but most definitely a change there was. And just a couple of moments after said change...
Essence absorbed
You have acquired a minor affinity for Bleed-inflicting attacks
“......”
Jae stared absent-mindedly at the questionable notification for a while before eventually coming back to his senses.
Affinity...? What is that supposed to mean?
He could presume that, from now on, any attacks that inflict the [Bleed] Abnormal Status Effect would be slightly enhanced, but the details of what that actually meant was yet unknown.
Either way, Jae couldn’t really consider it a bad thing.
Considering it’s only Level 5 at the moment, I wonder if the efficacy of each, or even the number of affinities will increase as Gluttony continues to level up.
When he first thought of it as absorbing the essence of monsters, Jae could only think of an increase to his Level or perhaps his status values, but this development was unexpected indeed.
Hm... But, isn’t levelling up usually attributed to absorbing the souls or essence of monsters or something? With this, it means gaining experience is something separate entirely, right?
There might be something yet to uncover with this, but for now, he thought to try eating the rest of what he bought and experimenting.
Skill 「Gluttony」 has activated
You have acquired the Passive Skill: 「Marine Domination」
You have acquired the Passive Skill: 「Slippery Escape」
You have acquired the Active Skill: 「Lubrication」
Essence absorbed
You have acquired a minor affinity for marine environments
You have acquired an intermediate affinity for evading incoming attacks
Right after gulping down the second monster carcass belonging to some kind of shark-like monster called ‘Zj-lavite Protein’, and the third monster carcass belonging to a ‘Lahar Eel’, something strange occurred.
“Hm...?”
It gave me two skills...? And an ‘intermediate affinity’ rather than a minor one, too. But, how come? Hey, any answers?
Suddenly calling out to the voices that plagued his mind, one might think of Jae as crazy at first glance.
[Oohh, you hit the jackpot already, huh~? Mmhmm~]
Of course, when a funny-sounding Gluttony responds in a matter of moments, he begins to seem a lot less crazy. Instead, it is the event itself that becomes so, rather than the initial act.
Jackpot? Can you explain?
[Weeelll~ You know how it is~ Keep eating, eating and eating and you might win biiig, you knowww~?]
But why is this the first time... Wait, is it because you levelled up to 5? When Envy levelled to 5, it unlocked the ‘Conditions’ tab, so was this function being unlocked the same idea?
[You got it~]
Correctly identifying the key to Gluttony’s change, Jae leaned back in his seat and looked back at the notifications.
“I see...”
It was absolutely satisfying acquiring two skills from a single activation of Gluttony, though the second one was admittedly a little suspicious in nature, and the idea of gaining an intermediate affinity rather than a minor one was also something he could get behind.
I’ll have to find some way to figure out what exactly the difference is between a minor and intermediate affinity since it feels kind of vague, but for now, I should just get as much as I can... By the way, speaking of Envy, that reminds me―I need to use that skill-stealing system to level it up. I don’t think it’ll be able to, but it’d be good to see if it can get to Level 10 without clearing the Dungeon.
Making a mental note to use Envy’s Power Imitation whenever he was able to, Jae continued through the rest of the purchased food items.
“Mm, wow. Some of these are really good. Bailey, you wanna try some?”
“Okay... Is this fish from the sea? We didn’t have this at home.”
“Oh, right, you only had whatever you could catch from local rivers, huh? Well, it’s probably not that different. Give it a try.”
“...Mm, bleh... It’s salty...”
“Hahaha, you don’t like it?”
You have acquired the Passive Skill : 「Swift Swim」
You have acquired the Active Skill : 「Guillotine」
You have acquired the Active Skill : 「Ink Discharge」
You have acquired a minor affinity for swimming
You have acquired a minor affinity for crushing
You have acquired a minor affinity for ambidexterity
By the end, although there was no lucky double-activation after the first, a number of interesting things were gained.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
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A few hours later, the next set of departures were ready. Having agreed to meet up in advance, the whole group was present, and so as soon as everything was set, they boarded one of the ships―a large, extravagant boat, enhanced with magic and, strangely, bearing the appearance of a modernised superyacht.
“This is the one I like taking. Their attitude is rather oriented around the passenger, so just relax as you like; if you have any concerns at all, the crew will take care of it.”
After Nazar introduced them briefly to the boat’s crew, everyone took off to do their own thing, with Amy immediately heading for a cabin with a book in her hand and Bailey simply taking a curiosity-driven look around the exotic place.
As for Jae, before even thinking of doing anything else, he ensured the security of the ship by stealing glances at the Soul State of everyone aboard the vessel until their departure from the port was confirmed.
Although the chances were exceptionally low that his worries would prove to be true, it was better to be safe than sorry in a situation like this where escape would be impossible in the event of someone like an angel or member of the church’s high order sneaking aboard.
Everyone seems to be safe; it seems to be mostly rich tourists here. Well, it’s a relief...
Fortunately, Jae could afford to ease his guard when the boat slowly left the dock, floating further and further into the open sea.
Or wait, would it be the ocean? It seems big on the map, but is that even big enough to be considered an ocean?
In any case, nobody dangerous from the mainland would be able to catch him now, so until they reached the Southern Continent, Laquada, he could take it easy.
Approaching Nazar, who overlooked the sparkling waters from the boat’s deck, Jae stood next to the Devil and put a hand on the side railing.
“......”
“......”
The two stood wordless for a while, silently enjoying the cool breeze of the wind that brushed against their faces, watching schools of fish animatedly race through the blue water and small wave ripples crashing against the side of the boat.
At this moment, the world was very much alive.
It was a terribly complex thing consisting of infinite smaller parts; something that could only be considered natural to experience, and something no human could ever think to resist.
“......”
For Jae, standing beside someone who could turn all of that upside-down in the literal blink of an eye...
Someone who could resist the natural law of the world, and bring everything to a standstill...
It was undoubtedly strange.
“...You’re a Ruler, right?”
As if on instinct, the words exited his mouth before they even entered his brain.
He already had an idea thanks to his previous conversation with Leila, but Jae still found himself wanting to ask the person directly.
Nazar definitely has a Ruler title, I know that much for sure―It’s just what Ruler title, exactly, that I’m curious about.
“Ruler of Evil Eyes.”
Suddenly, seemingly without a moment’s hesitation, Nazar was found looking Jae in the face with this answer.
“That’s all. It’s just the Evil Eyes.”
During his brief continuation, the way Nazar emphasised that he was the Ruler of Evil Eyes, nothing more, seemed to stick out strangely.
“Are you... Supposed to have another Ruler title?”
“Not ‘supposed to’. Just, it’s something I find interesting to contemplate. After all, you know how the System works, don’t you, Jae? By admitting my position as a Ruler of Evil Eyes only, you can gather multiple other, unspoken truths through inference.”
“Oh...? Like what?”
“For example, you might wonder why I am the Ruler of Evil Eyes, yet not the Ruler of Devils. From those two simple facts, you could come to many different conclusions, but the reality is that not every Devil tribe possesses the Evil Eyes.”
“Really?”
“Isn’t it intriguing? In fact, my Southern Devil Tribe was the only Devil Tribe to possess these eyes. But it’s not just Sand Devils that are special; other tribes possess their own powers, but the point is that this explains the inconsistency between the Ruler titles.”
Jae didn’t quite understand why Nazar was going on about all of this all of a sudden but, finding it intriguing, he decided to listen along anyway.
“In that regard, each Devil Tribe could be considered a unique species, yet the System categorises all of us under a single tag―Devil.”
It was at this point that Jae started to see what Nazar was getting at.
I see now. The leader of the Southern Devil Tribe is the one to possess the title of Ruler of Evil Eyes, but being the leader of a single tribe doesn’t make you the leader of the Devils as a whole.
For Races with a population on the smaller size compared to humans, it wouldn’t be difficult in the slightest to figure out who the Ruler was.
Take Demons, who mostly lived on a single continent, in a single country, almost all within the same borders; all it takes is a single king or queen to be recognised as leader, and the System will immediately understand.
But, for Races who didn’t live under one leader, could it ever be so simple?
For all the Devil tribes who lived in separate continents and countries to each other, not having an established line of contact or even relations between them, bearing different languages and cultures...
Did it even make sense to have a single Ruler for all of those groups?
That part I don’t get. Hmm... Maybe the System needs more time to recognise them as separate Races?
Whilst it may be confusing when thought about in a vacuum, what about when other Races were brought into the conversation? For example, humans.
...That’s right. Humans are the same, aren’t they? Living in completely separate places, with different cultures, languages and traditions... Excluding the part about special powers like Evil Eyes, aren’t they the same? Humans aren’t split into separate species just because of that, but I guess the System’s definition of Race is also quite unique.
Of course, humans and Devils could not be compared one-to-one, and it would be hard to imagine a single human leader ruling over the rest of the populace, but it was the closest comparison he could make.
The easiest way to think about it was with such a phrase:
Not every Devil is an Evil Eye, but every Evil Eye is a Devil... Anyway... Other than that one bit, it’s simpler than I thought.
Putting to rest the confusing thoughts that didn’t really matter, Jae turned to Nazar and opened his mouth to ask.
“Then... Do you know who the Ruler of Devils is?”
“......”
Silence flowed as Nazar continued to gaze into the air of the open ocean. With strong yet calm winds blowing his exceptionally long and vibrant hair, the image of a kite sprung to mind as Jae waited patiently for a response.
A minute passed before Nazar’s lips parted.
“I’ve never met them. But I’m certain they want nothing more than to meet me.”
After a pause, he then went on to briefly explain.
“Ruler titles are passed on through succession.”
“Though there are myriad ways in which a Ruler title can be inherited, I’m sure many of them are hereditary.”
“The crown of the Ruler of Devils is passed on such the same.”
Listening to his words, Jae couldn’t help but feel some kind of hidden meaning woven within.
He avoided the question, but it’s clear he knows who it is. And what was that thing about them wanting to meet him? What’s he trying to say...?
Then, just as Jae began to wonder who the real Ruler of Devils was and what their relationship could be with Nazar, a cry for help suddenly came from aboard the ship.
“Stop the ship! Body overboard...!!”
At that yell from one of the crew members, both Jae and Nazar snapped their heads. Briefly glancing at each other, they moved to the side of the boat where a small crowd was beginning to gather.
Fortunately, the crew acted swiftly, and by the time the two arrived, the person’s unconscious body, floating in the water, had already been secured with a rope and lifted to the deck.
What the hell’s going on...?
The crowd parted to make space for the rescued to lie on the deck as specialised crew hurried to check their vitals.
The rescued party was a grown woman with unnaturally long, teal-hued hair. And though she didn’t seem to have any clothes to cover herself, it didn’t take a minute before one of the crew had provided multiple fresh towels to wrap up the newcomer and provide warmth for her drenched body.
“Jae.”
Suddenly, Amy’s voice appeared from Jae’s side, calling his name. From her blank face alone it was impossible to tell what she was about to say, but he knew it had to be related to this bizarre event.
“What’s up? Is something wrong?”
“There’s something strange.”
With just those three words, Jae felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He couldn’t agree more that this was a terribly coincidental thing to occur; it would make the most sense for something bad to happen even in the best case.
It might sound like a horrible thing to say, but honestly, the best case scenario here is that this woman really is just an unlucky person who got caught up in an accident.
Somehow, though, Jae couldn’t help but feel that things wouldn’t end so simply. And such ominous thoughts were only reinforced.
Tap tap.
Someone tapped twice on Jae’s shoulder, as if trying to gain his attention. Turning his head, he saw Nazar, who wore an uncharacteristic stern, straight-faced expression. He calmly brought his mouth close to Jae’s ear and spoke in a low voice.
“This woman. Can you check her Soul State?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m asking you to figure that out. For some reason, my Evil Eyes aren’t working out here. Check it for me.”
“Ah. Hold on.”
His eyes aren’t working? Is that a normal thing to happen, or is something really up here...?
Looking back towards the woman’s body for a moment, Jae activated Envy.
“...Huh?”
Unintentionally, he let out a silly noise. Nazar and Amy both stared at him, waiting for an answer to their concerns, but he stayed unmoving.
“Hey. Jae, what is it?”
“Jae...?”
“......”
As if their words went through one ear and out the other, Jae remained still.
Of course, if they could have seen what he sees, they would be shocked too.
Because what he saw in that woman’s Soul State was just that ridiculous.
...Absurd...
Soul State - Human (Monster)
Name : Scylla (Cursed)
Put simply.
Soul Level : 11 / 90 (3799 / 4000)
Title : Ill Omen (Monster Queen of the Sea)
Age : 18 Years (5506 Years)
It was a monster.