Mainly, we just discuss some possibilities and talk about some things that might happen. For the most part, I will react according to whatever situation I happen to run into. I do discuss my plans for the elves and what I plan to do about the beastmen tribes.

However, no one mentions me marrying anyone other than Lin and Myria. I didn't expect Myria to bring it up since Brightfire is with us, but it is still a relief. There isn't much to go over, but we still end up talking for a few hours before I end the soulscape.

I have just climbed out of the lava bath when Athena tells me that there is a problem. So, instead of heading to bed, I leave the castle and head to the bridge to see what's wrong. When I reach the bridge, all the sailors are staring ahead of the ship, so I turn and look.

Athena says "Master, there is a storm ahead, but it feels strange."

"I can see that. There is far more lightning than I would expect. It almost looks like one of my spells. Can we avoid it?"

Athena says "No, the wind is against us. We could turn around and try to outrun it, but I doubt we could. The other option would be to beach, but we would be battered by the storm and I would take damage."

"Then what do you think our odds are if we go through the storm?"

Athena says "I can handle the waves, but the lightning worries me. Enough hits would break the shielding and damage the sails or masts. If we take too much damage from the lightning, we could be in trouble."

"So, without the lightning, we would be fine, right?"

Athena says "Yes. You built me well. No amount of wind or waves will sink me. Do you have a plan to deal with the lightning?"

"Yeah, I will act as a lightning rod."

Athena says "What does that mean?"

"I will sit on top of the mast and attract all the lightning to myself."

Athena says "That would work."

"Okay, that is what we will do. How long until the storm hits us?"

Athena says "Maybe ten minutes."

"Then I better get ready."

Leaving the bridge, I climb to the top of the tallest mast and sit on top of it. Once there, I start preparing a spell to attract all the lightning to me. The storm should only last for an hour or two, so the spell only needs to last that long.

Luckily, lightning is something I understand, so making a spell to attract it is easy. I cast the spell before the storm hits us and then just sit and wait for the show to start. The wind picks up first, followed by the waves as we hit the front edge of the storm.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Not long after that, the first lightning bolt comes down and hits me in the chest. It actually feels really good, my body is full of energy for a few seconds before it gets sucked into my core. As I am enjoying the feeling, two more bolts hit me in quick succession.

Core Upgrade Progress: 45%

+1 Evolution Point!

'I got an evolution point from the lightning?! That's never happened before, I wonder what changed?'

The lightning improving my core isn't anything surprising, but the evolution point is. I have to wonder if there is something different about the lightning, or if I have changed. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I was hit by natural lightning.

Chances are that it is me that has changed, I just can't be sure which change caused this. Whatever the reason, I plan to sit here and enjoy it for as long as the storm lasts. Bolt after bolt rains down on me until there is practically no space between them.

Core Upgrade Progress: 50%

+2 Evolution Points!

With lightning bolts raining down on me almost non-stop, I can't help but be glad the storm is so fierce. Athena was right to worry, this much lightning would damage the ship. I'm no expert, but this storm seems a little too severe to be completely natural.

Then again, for all I know, this could be completely normal for this area. What was abnormal in my world could be perfectly normal in this one, I just don't know. After all, I have no idea how the presence of mana might affect the normal order of things.

I also never sailed anywhere in my world, so I have no idea what storms are like at sea. Instead of worrying about if it is normal or not, I just enjoy the lightning hitting me. As I am enjoying the feeling, I am wondering if I can somehow add lightning to my lava bath.

In fact, I also find myself wondering if there is a way to make the lava bath more natural. If I could gain evolution points just from bathing, then that would be a huge deal. Considering that I need two hundred evolution points for the next level, I need a steady way to get them.

I didn't consider this before, but if natural lightning can give me points, other things should be able to. That is an idea that I will definitely have to test out later, once the storm is over. For now, I just enjoy the lightning and the improvements to my core.

Core Upgrade Progress: 60%

+5 Evolution Points!

Unfortunately, the storm soon starts to weaken and the amount of lightning decreases. However, just as the waves start to lessen in size, something rises out of the water. It looks like a turtle, but it has two heads that look more like a wolf's and is almost as big as the ship.

Except for those on the bridge, the rest of the crew is below deck waiting out the storm. Athena can control everything without the crew, it just takes more effort. This means that the only thing the beast can do is damage the ship itself.

The ship can repair itself, but I would prefer to keep the ship from being damaged. Since I am currently covered in lightning, I simply gather it to my hands and prepare to throw it. The beast closes in on the ship and right as it goes to bite it, I throw two bolts of lightning.

Both heads of the beast get a lightning bolt right in their open mouths. Both heads explode, but the bolts don't stop there, they tear through the beast's body. The entire body of the beast explodes into pieces which then sink under the waves.

1 Rank 12 Two-Headed Turtle defeated! 1,200,000 Exp gained!

It looks like the lightning was a lot more powerful than I expected it to be. Since it doesn't hurt me at all, I am not very good at judging how strong the lightning is. Either way, it doesn't really matter since the beast already is dead.