Alan lifted himself up. The blazing sunlight pricked his eyes, making it impossible to go back to sleep.

“Ugh…”

He could never get used to the hard deck. His entire body ached as if he’d been beaten by a boxer. Stretching to his fullest while gazing at the horizon, Robinson, who was holding the wheel, spoke to him.

“You’re up. How was your sleep?”

“I’m getting used to it. I could live on this ship.”

Of course, that was a lie. His parents already worried about how frail he was; there was no way he could say, ‘It’s killing me.’

White lies existed for moments like these.

Robinson nodded. Whether he took his son’s words at face value or simply decided to let it slide given the circumstances, only he would know. Chewing on the hard, tasteless preserved food—essentially a lump of nutrients—Alan entered the wheelhouse.

“I’ll take over. Lean against the wall and rest.”

“Alright.”

Robinson immediately stepped aside. With the sea so calm, anyone could steer the wheel without much concern. That didn’t mean Robinson let his guard down or truly rested, though. Sitting next to his wife, he inserted a needle connected to a mana battery into his arm. The fact that both husband and wife had magical power was one of the reasons they’d decided to escape.

Even if they ran out of fossil fuel, as long as they had mana, they could keep the engine running somehow. If it had been just the two of them, the journey would’ve taken far longer, but thanks to Alan, who could exert the strength of five or six magical laborers and still remain unharmed, they’d made great progress. Following his father’s teachings, Alan checked the compass and the sun as he steered the ship.

Although they had an old map, it was useless without land in sight. An endless expanse of ocean stretched before them. The initial curiosity and sense of adventure sparked by the unfamiliar scenery had long since subsided. Now, the same view held little wonder. Still, a small part of him harbored excitement.

'I’ll finally get to experience the world I’ve only known through books, newspapers, and other people’s stories.'

If Lanka had been a narrow, moss-filled well, then foreign lands were the blue sky and sun. Alan didn’t want to be content in the well. He yearned to climb out and see the broader sky, to experience the world beyond firsthand.

'The magical tools in the scrapyard were all broken and discarded. Now I’ll get to see how they work, where they’re made, with my own eyes.'

Of course, this assumed he’d first set foot on land, but one could dream. Besides, the growing optimism in his heart filled him with energy. With high spirits, Alan steered the ship until noon, when he switched places with his mother and left the wheelhouse. On deck, Robinson was turning seawater into drinking water. The desalinator, the most challenging piece of equipment to procure, continuously sucked in seawater.

Alan tilted his head as he watched, “You’re making more than usual, aren’t you?”

“We’ve been lucky until now.”

“The wind has been calm, and the waves were really mild. It made steering so much easier. An old man who used to work as a fisherman said the sea was a monster that devoured people, but it doesn’t always seem like that.”

“No, he was right.”

Robinson straightened his back and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He stepped into the wheelhouse briefly and retrieved an old map.

“This spot I’m pointing to is roughly where we are. It’s called the Sea Dragon Strait.”

“I heard a strait is a sea between landmasses, but I can’t see any land.”

“Even if it’s hundreds of kilometers apart, it’s still a strait if it’s between land. You asked earlier why I’m making more fresh water, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“It’s because, until now, we’ve been lucky and avoided storms, but that’s about to change. We’re stocking up while we can. When waves try to capsize the ship, you can’t stop to make water.”

Robinson’s words proved true. The Sea Dragon Strait was far rougher and wilder than any sea they had traversed before. Robinson took over the wheel almost entirely. Alan sat inside the wheelhouse with Mary, charging the mana battery. Even as his stomach churned from seasickness, his curiosity grew. He couldn’t help but marvel at his father’s steering skills.

“Dad, you seem like a real veteran.”

“I was a fisherman when I was young.”

Noticing Mary’s gaze, Robinson gave a small nod.

“Our family has been fishermen for generations. My father, your grandfather, was one too.”

“You’ve never talked about Grandfather before.”

“That’s because the sea took everything. My father, my brothers—all of them. And my mother fell ill from the shock and passed away.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Even in Lanka, where starvation was common, it was rare for an entire family to vanish at once unless it was due to war. Alan felt uneasy. Just imagining losing his parents made his heart race wildly. He quickly changed the subject to shake off the grim thoughts.

“Where are we going again?”

“I told you before…”

Mary looked at her son intently, then nodded.

“We’re heading to the Soldos Federation’s territory.”

“Soldos…”

It was the de facto ruler of Lanka and the powerful nation that had incited the civil war. The thought of going there filled him with mixed feelings.

“Soldos is the land of opportunity. Even the lowliest person can sprout dragon’s wings there. Do you know why? Because of the labyrinths.”

The major powers shared a common trait beyond their military and economic strength: the presence of labyrinths within their borders. The resources and technologies derived from labyrinths naturally enriched nations. Cities built near labyrinths attracted people, becoming excellent sources of tax revenue.

“With endless resources pouring out, they achieve overwhelming development compared to other nations.”

“Will we be able to settle there too?”

“Labyrinths are dangerous places. For ordinary people like us, it’s better to settle in peaceful cities or towns. Especially in the southwest, where the weather is sunny and the people are friendly. You can pursue your dreams there. Now, let’s focus; the sea is rough.”

Mary ended the conversation at an opportune moment. There was no need to share the negative aspects when even the positive outlook seemed scarce. It was true that the Soldos Federation was called the “land of opportunity,” but that phrase applied only to a select few. How many people entered a foreign land illegally and actually succeeded with nothing but their bare hands? Even if they managed to evade surveillance and smuggle themselves in safely, challenges remained. Overcoming the imbalance in education and cultural differences would take more than a year or two. Most importantly, without legal status, it was nearly impossible to live actively. Despite these hurdles, Mary chose to remain silent. She didn’t want to burden her already struggling son with unnecessary worries.

“Ugh…”

The rough currents left Alan’s face pale. If Mary could, she would take on his pain herself, but that was impossible. All she could do was pray they would overcome this hardship safely.

When Alan met his mother’s gaze, he forced a smile. Mary returned his smile with one of her own.

‘Let’s not say anything unnecessary here.’

Brilliant Alan knew better. Even if he were only ten years old, he would have understood. At sixteen, it went without saying. His experiences at the factory and his extensive reading had given him insight into the outside world. But he pretended ignorance to keep his mother from worrying. There was no need to dwell on misfortune when hope still remained.

Drip, drip!

Alan instinctively looked up. The pitch-black night sky scattered thick raindrops in all directions. The fierce wind and raging waves churned his stomach violently. Even so, he endured it. Slowly and steadily, he funneled his mana into the engine to keep it running, soothing his queasy stomach in the process. It was an almost instinctual act. Whenever he opened and closed his eyes in the half-conscious haze of sleep, the situation outside had drastically changed. Rain would stop, or the moon would peek out from behind the clouds.

Finally, the sun rose. And with it, land came into view.

“Phew…”

Robinson, who had been manning the wheel until now, let out a long breath. With his exhale, the tension and worry left him, and with his inhale, relief and calm filled him.

“We made it through the worst. You and Alan both did well. Your bodies must ache, and your stomachs must feel queasy from trembling through the night, but to endure the journey, you need to eat something, even just a little.”

Robinson, too, dissolved a nutrient block into water and consumed it while spreading out the map.

“You see the land? It’s called the Sea Serpent Archipelago.”

“All the places around here are named after sea creatures.”

“I don’t know if it’s true, but they say that long ago, this was the nesting ground of sea dragons. Since sea dragons command sea creatures, I suppose the names are fitting. Near those islands, though, there are many reefs, and the currents are fierce, so if you approach carelessly…”

Robinson stopped mid-explanation, shaking off his exhaustion.

He grabbed the telescope hanging on the wall and peered into the distance.

A ship came into view. It was moving fast and had several crew members aboard. Even from afar, their faces blurred by distance, there was a palpable sense of menace about them. Life on the harsh seas often hardened people, but these men seemed excessively rough. What’s more, something glinted in the morning sunlight.

The elongated shape confirmed it—gun barrels. They were pirates.

“Damn it!”

Robinson practically tossed the telescope to Alan and gripped the wheel again. Disregarding mana efficiency, he pushed the ship’s speed to its maximum.

Rattle-rattle-rattle!

Just as with humans, overexertion quickly wore out the engine. Its tortured cries filled the air. Alan used the telescope to examine the pirates. The size difference between the pirate ship and their fishing boat was stark—like comparing a dump truck to a compact car.

'If they ram us, we’ll split in half.'

Even worse, the pirates were alarmingly fast. For every step the fishing boat advanced, the pirate ship closed the gap by three. Robinson noticed this as well. If they continued to race across open waters, they’d inevitably be caught.

“No… Please.”

Pirates were pirates for a reason. Being sold into slavery or forced into servitude might be the best-case scenario. The worst? Ending up as target practice for their amusement. They had come so far from Lanka. Land was already in sight. All they had to do was follow the coastline northward. They couldn’t afford to be caught now.

Robinson turned the wheel. The ship’s bow now pointed toward the archipelago. Better to gamble on the slim chance of survival than to face certain doom. The waters surrounding the Sea Serpent Archipelago were known as the “Dragon’s Spite.” True to its name, the currents flowed chaotically, ignoring any set direction and constantly shifting. The small fishing boat staggered like a drunkard who had downed pure alcohol.

“Alan! Distance?”

Alan extended his arm and raised his thumb, estimating the distance as his father had taught him. Judging by the size of the pirate ship relative to his thumbnail…

“Five hundred meters!”

There was still hope. They just needed to make it a little farther. Once they entered the archipelago’s reefs, the pirate ship, much larger than their fishing boat, would have no choice but to turn back. Time seemed to crawl slower than ever. Robinson gripped the slippery wheel tightly, his palms slick with sweat.

“Please… Please…”

At that moment, a massive wave lifted the boat into the air. Alan clung to the wall, barely able to keep his footing. The sudden descent as the boat crashed down sent a strange sensation through his chest—like his heart was sinking into his stomach. Thankfully, the boat didn’t capsize.

Alan’s eyes caught sight of the archipelago, now much closer. He could almost count the leaves on the trees if he tried.

Crash!

But the following impact turned his mind blank. His thoughts vanished as if wiped clean, leaving no room to process what had happened.

The culprit was a reef. The wave that had lifted the fishing boat slammed it onto the reef with brutal force, much like a wrestler delivering a spine-shattering backbreaker. The boat shattered into pieces, hurling its occupants into the sea.

Alan found himself thrashing in the salty water, desperately trying to stay afloat.