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

  For the first time since the start of the tutorial, everyone was feeling 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 more spices and some wine,” Zyrus spoke as he tore off a chunk of meat. Once again glad that being a Sylvarix didn’t change his taste buds.

  “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. As the players leveled up, their need for energy increased with a higher life level. Which meant that the requirement for nutrition had skyrocketed

  “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, to which Zyrus replied with a shrug,

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

  His 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 sail 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.

  In the meantime, Zyrus decided to do some carving on his own. Players were engraving the names on longboats, but he wanted to work on the four ships himself.

  No mistakes were allowed in this task since it concerned the future of their fleet. And perhaps, the whole ocean.

  …

  The night flowed accompanied by the scraping sounds of wood. The ships made with red wood looking all the more ominous under the moonlight.

  *Whoosh*

  When Zyrus finished the last stroke on his warship, all of 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. What was there to wait for then?

  “Get ready everyone, we’ll set off in an hour.”

  Zyrus’s shout jolted the players awake. They knew it would be a while before they’d be able to sleep without a care in the world. Still, none were lazy as a nervous excitement had been bubbling inside them ever since they saw the ships.

  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. It was a solemn ceremony that bound them to their vessels.

  “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 about this matter. No matter what happened on the sea, the ropes should remain intact until they reached the next island.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  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. It would be a different case if other kings were to attack his camp, which was next to impossible since they were out of the Kyros continent.

  Besides, it’d be them who’ll be doing the raiding part and not the other way around.

  “Do you have a map? Also, are we going with the leaf formation?” Ria asked while activating her conductor’s tiara. As always, she was in charge of managing the troops.

  “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.

  It didn’t take long before the fifty-plus ships were pulled to the ocean. For most if not all players it was their first time sailing on the ocean. They couldn’t help but be excited and apprehensive about their journey to the unknown.

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

  “All set.”

  “All set!”

  .

  .

  .

  One by one the captains and vice captains answered Zyrus’s calls, their voices rolling off like waves ahead of them.

  “Raise the Anchor.”

  *gluk*gluk*gluk*

  Dozens of anchors were pulled at the same time. The boats quavered on the calm waters as if they too were nervous like their occupants.

  “Hoist the sails.”

  *Flutter*

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

  *Fwooosh*

  Gusts of southern wind pushed their ships forward. This was for the first time that a ship was sailing on these 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.

  Such a feat was more than worthy to be recognized by the sanctuary.

  [|] World announcement! Players have discovered new lands 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, most players were still below lv 25.

  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, EP +2, 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 Sanctuary has acknowledged 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 voice echoed throughout the whole fleet. 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.

  A wise decision considering what they were up against.

  *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. He knew from past experience that fighting them was akin to fighting against the ocean itself. A futile endeavor.

  Schools of fish that looked like red mullets got closer and closer to them with every passing second.

  *Thuck*Thuck*Thuck*

  The dragon of war was the first to bear the brunt of the tide. It was tall and sturdy enough to endure the ramming, yet even the warship was pushed back against the sheer number of fish.

  The same thing happened with the three galleons. The ones riding on longboats weren’t as lucky, however. The longboats were tossed around in the waves, and that wasn’t even the worst of it. The fish couldn’t jump a few feet above the ocean.

  They could, however, climb on their brethren to land on the boats.