The evening beach was lively with players' cheerful smiles. Their so-called feast didn’t have any fancy food and drinks, what they enjoyed right now were the fruits of their hard work.

For the first time since the start of the tutorial, everyone felt a sense of belonging. The land won by their blood and the ships crafted by their hands were akin to priceless jewels in their eyes.

Anyone who touched them would face their wrath.

“We need some spices and some wine,” Zyrus spoke as he tore off a chunk of meat.

“Breads would be good too,”

“And some sweets,” Lauren added to Shi kun’s answer.

All of them missed the rations given by the system. One of the downsides of selecting an uncivilized land as their starting area was the lack of food.

The requirement for nutrition skyrocketed as the players leveled up. Their need for energy naturally increased with a higher life level.

“On the bright side, at least there’s some variety. Everything would taste the same on the ocean.”

“Aren’t there a variety of fish?” Ria asked in curiosity,

“There are, but we can only hunt one of them.”

Zyrus’s words once again reminded them of a very important fact. They were no longer at the top of the food chain. It was the grim reality, but there was hope as long as they kept up the progress.

“Well, have a good night’s rest. We’ll head off before sunrise,” Zyrus waved at the group and walked towards the boats.

The official naming ceremony would be held before dawn, and it wasn’t something that could be done in an hour or two.

Zyrus decided to do the carving on his own. Players could engrave the names on longboats, but he wanted to name the four ships himself.

No mistakes were allowed in this task since it concerned the future of their fleet.

‘I wish I had the bloodspine spear right now…,’

…

The night passed accompanied by the scraping sounds of wood. The ships made with red wood looked ominous under the moonlight.

When Zyrus finished the last stroke on his warship, it was as if all the runes were alit with crimson flames. A soft hum of mana spread to his palm, similar to a beating heart.

‘Phew.. all done,’

Tiamat, Phorcys, Sedna, and Dragon of War. All four were ready to set sail on the ocean.

“Wake up everyone, well set off in an hour,”

Zyrus’s shout woke up the sleeping players. It had been a while since they slept without a care in the world. The players knew that it was a luxury they couldn’t afford in the sea.

One by one the players started to arrive at the open beach. Zyrus told them to name their longboats and similarly, the ones riding on the galleons were told to drop their blood on the carvings.

“Push the ships to the ocean when you’re done. And don’t forget to bind nearby ships with the ropes,”

Zyrus had reminded them on various occasions to take care of the ropes. No matter what happens at the sea, the ropes should remain intact until they reached the next island.

He knew all too well about the sea’s horrors. They had to be together if they wanted to survive on this long voyage.

“What’ll happen to the island while we’re gone?”

“Nothing. It’ll remain as it is before we come here once again,” Zyrus answered Kyle who was walking towards the Tiamat.

“Do you have a map? Also, are we going with the leaf formation?”

“Yes, and yes. I’ll share the map once we’re on the sea,”

Even Zyrus wasn’t sure about their direction. They could go to two islands from this one, and he planned to decide on which based on the cube’s response.

Before the sun raised its head on the horizon, the fifty-plus ships were pulled to the ocean. Everyone was excited and apprehensive about their journey to the unknown.

“Let’s not waste any more time, check if everything is ready,”

“All rest,”

“All set,”

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.

.

.

One by one the captains and vice captains answered his calls.

“Raise the Anchor,”

*gluk*gluk*gluk*

Dozens of anchors were pulled at the same time. The boats quavered on the calm waves, just like their hearts.

“Hoist the sails!”

*Flutter*

White sails spread open like a flock of birds taking flight. The sun was rising from their left which added another layer of red glow to their ships. Along with the runes which were lighting up like bulbs under the players' mana, it was a majestic sight to behold.

*Fwooosh*

Waves of southern wind pushed their ships forward. For the first time, a ship was sailing on this cyan waters.

It was the first time when players had ventured into the ocean, led by a king who dared to conquer the vast unknown.

[|] World announcement! Players have discovered a new land beyond the continent of Kyros [|]

[Map will be updated after the yearly rankings!]

At this moment, every player and native looked at the sky above. Be it the spirit kings who were thousands of years old or the little kids who were running on the streets, they all shared the same excitement at this moment.

The entire continent of Kyros was stirred into a frenzy by the sudden announcement. Everyone knew what it meant for there to be a new land.

Every leader was thinking about how to conquer the new area after the year's end. Not one of them believed that the ‘Players’ who found that area would be able to conquer it. After all, the players were around lv 20 at most.

To put it bluntly, even the stray cats and dogs were stronger than the current players. Forget about conquering the new land, it would be a miracle if they survived till the year-end.

And while everyone speculated who and where these players were, the ones in question were being bombarded by strings of notifications.

[You have discovered a new area!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the achievement: Pioneer (B)]

[SP +5, Exp + 10%, Drop rate +20% in unknown area]

[You are the first players who have sailed on the ocean!]

[You have earned the achievement: Brave Sailor (E-)]

[SP +1, Water resistance +5%]

[The world acknowledges your adventurous spirit! Additional rewards will be given for each new feat before the map is updated]

“All eyes on the sea, Check the rewards when it’s your turn to rest,” Zyrus’s composed voice woke up the giddy players.

He knew that a moment of carelessness could be catastrophic on the ocean. And true to his thoughts, the players faced their first opponents’ before they even traveled a kilometer.

“W-What are those?”

“What else could it be? It’s fish that live in shallow waters,” Zyrus replied to the stammering Ria. He could see better than the rest since his Dragon of War was sailing at the vanguard.

Phorcys and Sedna were at the side while Tiamat was covering the rear. The Viking longboats were protected in the middle of these four.

Many doubted his decision as they couldn’t understand why they needed to be so careful. However, everything became clear at this moment.

*Bbubu*

Thousands of foot-long fish were swimming in their direction. Even if the fish were at the weakest level, it was still a group of thousands of lv 20 monsters.

“Do not engage in combat. Just focus on defending and they’ll leave on their own,” Zyrus ordered in a calm tone.

The fish that looked like red mullets were getting closer to them with every passing second.

*Thuck*Thuck*Thuck*

The dragon of war bore the burnt of the tide. Thankfully, it was tall and sturdy enough to endure the ramming.

The same was true for the three galleons. Alas, the ones riding on longboats weren’t as lucky. Even if the fish couldn’t jump a few feet from the ocean, they could flop on top of their brethren to land on the boats.

Normal red mullets wouldn't use such a tactic. But these weren’t normal fish to begin with. They were aquatic beasts who were attracted by the flag’s aura. The presence of Zyrus’s fleet was like a lighthouse in their senses.

“Protect the ropes and push them back,” Zyrus commanded as he looked down from the mast. Apart from Franken who held the wheel and 100 ophidian warriors who were managing the sails, his warship was empty without a single player.

‘The ships are doing better than I thought,’

Gallons of blood was absorbed by the red-wood. It was an unexpected surprise. As long as a fish was injured, its blood would flow towards the ships. The whole fleet was transformed into a hungry beast that sought the blood of enemies. Apart from that, the engraved runes were smoothly performing their tasks as well.

Zyrus had taught them to engrave dozens of basic spells on the logs. They were inferior to the spells cast by living players, but still, there were thousands of such runes that were activated under the players’ mana.

“Focus on the runes for speed and barrier. We need to leave before the blood attracts bigger predators,”

“Roger that,”

While Zyrus gave out one command after another, Ria was in charge of making sure that they were executed. The fleet worked like a well-oiled machine after months of coordinated work.

The players were absorbing the new knowledge like a sponge. It didn’t take long before they got used to fighting on the ships.

The fishes attacked them in wave after wave before they crossed the range of 10 kilometers. Only when the sun was halfway in the sky did they leave a sigh of relief.

“As you’ve noticed, the fish you fought earlier weren’t considered 'monsters' in the system. You won't earn much exp from them. Besides, it is imperative to conserve your stamina and MP while you’re on the ocean. Even if you sustain some injuries, never go all out unless it’s a life-or-death situation.”

Zyrus lectured them as the fleet sailed on the quiet ocean. Some things were better experienced firsthand. Only after fighting on the sea would they realize how dangerous this place is.

“One more thing, do not drink or eat anything that hasn’t been purified with magic. I’ve placed all the healers and fire mages on the galleons. Take the injured and collected fish to the ones nearby you.”

“Roger that,” A uniform shout answered his order. The nervous players relaxed a bit after hearing his words.

The unknown was terrifying. There was no rhyme or reason behind the fish’s attack. A journey like this would put immense psychological burden on the players.

It took nerves of steel to sail on a foreign ocean. More than any skills or equipment, the players needed a pillar of support to keep their sanity.

‘Hmm…looks like there aren’t any monsters in the nearby area,’

Zyrus deactivated his eves of annihilation and sat down on the mast. Now, it was time to decide on their destination.

Since the moment they started their journey on the ocean, he had received the second mission from the cube.