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nC111: The Great Ocean, the Lonely Island, and Me

nAn hour has passed since we boarded the fishing boat. Sea, sea, sea as far as the eye could see. The sky was clear and cloudless, with only the occasional island visible in the distance, and my vision was filled with blue.

nThe engine was off as we were riding the tide, so it was quiet and noiseless, and I could feel like I was at a resort as I gazed out at the sea.

n“Oh-ro-ro-ro!”

nAfter I threw up everything in my stomach, I didn’t mind the swaying of the boat anymore. But I didn’t have much appetite, so I just drank water, but there was a lizard next to me who was cheerfully eating sashimi without a care in the world.

n“You’re totally fine. I envy your appetite.”

nHe must have heard my voice, but he didn’t even turn around and silently ate the sashimi. By the way, this sashimi is the fish that Nagare caught for me earlier. Nagare is the name of the player who drives the fishing boat.

n“You’re eating well. Is it good?”

nHe nodded repeatedly in response to Nagare’s question, but his chewing did not stop. On the contrary, he pulls the sashimi on the plate closer to him with both hands. It’s……embarrassing, so stop it.

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n“I’m sorry, he’s got a big appetite.”

n“Don’t be. It’s the best way to make sure people eat well.”

nWith a smile on his face, Nagare processed the fish he caught one after another and put more on the plate in front of Destiny.

n“I don’t have any more fish, so I’ll leave you to it. Now, let’s get serious. Aren’t you scared, Yoshio? The island we’re going to now has a village that’s connected to the game world, right? I heard that there are monsters there.”

nAs he washed and put away his sashimi knife, he gave me a serious look. I don’t think I can duck this with a lie or a joke.

n“To be honest, I’m scared. I understand the fear of monsters from games.”

n“That’s true. Just the thought of people like us, who grew up in peaceful Japan, taking on monsters gives me warts.”

nThe way he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head seemed a little over the top and comical, but he didn’t seem to be lying about his fear.

n“And the ones you’re going to help are people you don’t know who are fooling around on the Internet, right? Do you have any obligation to go help them?”

n“No, I guess not…….But if someone is reaching out to you for help, you want to pull them……along.”

nEven if they are a bad person, I want to grab them by the hand, because that’s what they did to me. The reason I am doing this now is because so many people held my hand and pulled me up from the darkness.

n“If the other world and Japan were to be connected by any chance, the people I care about might be hurt. I have to stop that from happening.”

nWhat happens when monsters flood Japan? My family, Seika and Grandma Okiku, the people at work and Makoto. If those people are harmed, I’ll regret not going to the island for the rest of my life.

n“This is not so much for others, but for me. To live with no more regrets.”

nAfter I finished speaking, I felt a little embarrassed about what I had said. I had spoken passionately to someone I had just met today. I glanced at Nagare’s face to see if he was smiling bitterly, and he nodded his head in a serious manner.

n“It’s a noble idea. I was scared to death just to take you to the island, but to go and help them even if it’s for your own sake, that’s not easy!”

nHe put his hand on my shoulder, brought his face close to mine, and smiled. I didn’t expect him to praise me, so I was caught off guard and couldn’t speak right away.

n“I’d really like to help you explore the island, but I’m worried about keeping an eye on the boat just in case. You know, in a horror or suspense story, it’s common for the boat to disappear.”

n“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen that.”

nI’ve seen similar scenes in horror movies and my mother’s favorite suspense films.

n“That’s right. But it’s not good for my ass if I don’t help with anything. Here, take this.”

nWith that, he handed me an inflated water balloon. I was given those strange colorful water balloons that you see at the fairground stalls…….

n“These are not just water balloons, these are special balloons that contain my miracle. When you’re in trouble, throw them at your enemies.”

nIt seems that this person is a follower of the Water God, so he can perform miracles in water. If so, there’s no harm in accepting it, right?

n“Thank you very much.”

n“This is the least I can do, but do your best.”

n“Yes, I’ll do my best!”

nWe arrived at an island that had been just out of sight just a few minutes ago. We didn’t go ashore right away, but went around the island to observe it.

nAccording to the information we had researched beforehand, the village was located in the center of the island and could not be seen from the sea. The cliffs are a hindrance to landing on the island, but there is a sandy beach in the southern part of the island where we could anchor our boat. But conversely, that’s the only place we can dock our boat, so if they keep an eye on the beach, they’ll be able to detect any enemy intrusion.

nSo I’m looking for somewhere else to sneak into the island, but it seems impossible. As well as the cliffs, the island is surrounded by rocky shores, making it inaccessible to fishing boats.

n“Oh, no. If we get too close, we’ll make a hole in the bottom of the boat.”

nIf a professional fisherman says so, he’s right. We had to give up and go to the beach.

n“There’s a gentle slope there that you can climb, but these sharp rocks are too dangerous.”

nWhen I turned my eyes in the direction Nagare was pointing, I saw a slope that looked like it could be climbed. At the same time, I could also see a number of sharp rocks poking out of the sea like spears.

n“The only way is from the beach, right?”

nWe looked at each other, let out a big sigh, and as we were leaving the shore, Destiny jumped over the edge of the boat and turned around to look at us. He stood dexterously on his hind legs and crossed his front legs.

n“I’m not sure what to make of that. Uh, does that mean I can’t go back?”

nI asked, and he nodded in satisfaction.

n“But what should I do? I can’t go across even if I wanted to.”

nWhen we asked him a simple question, he seemed to smile, the corners of his mouth lifting up in a lizard-like grin. He turned his back to us and stared out to sea, then jumped over the edge of the boat.

n“Destiny!”

nI rushed over to him and reached for his hand, but it cut through the air, and his golden body was sucked into the rough sea and landed on the surface of the water without……

n“What is it?”

n“What’s going on?”

nNagare, who is also reaching next to me, widens his eyes in astonishment and stares at Destiny. Perhaps I have the same look on my face. My eyes fluttered and I carefully looked at Destiny and the surrounding area again. The gray ground stretched straight up to the island above the sea, and the back of a lizard walked leisurely on it.

n“You petrified the ocean?”

nI know you can petrify liquids because I tried it with Gochupicchu, but I didn’t know you could petrify the ocean and such a large area. This is unexpected.

n“That’s a big deal.”

nNagare seems to have understood the situation and is very impressed. After crossing a few meters, I turned around and saw Destiny beckoning me. It’s an appeal for me to cross, too.

nThe weight of a lizard is different from that of a human being, so I feel uneasy, but I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t go along with the arrangement. Fearfully, I gripped the edge of the boat and gently lowered my feet into the petrified water.

n“Oh, it’s more solid than I thought.”

nI was worried that the foothold would be unstable, like a piece of wood floating on the water, but it was as solid as a stone bridge. I could cross the bridge with ease.

nStill, the discomfort and fear of walking on water prevailed, so I walked slowly and carefully. When I finished crossing the petrified bridge and reached the island, I let out a big sigh.

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n“I’ll wait for you on the beach, since it will be easier for them to pay attention to me.”

n“It would be great if they could take the bait, but will you be okay?”

n“It’s not a problem. I’m a follower of the Lord God of Water. If there’s a lot of water in the area, I’ll never lose.”

nAs he said this and raised his right hand, seawater swirled up from behind the fishing boat and rose to the sky. Whoa! Can he use a miracle like this? Then he won’t be defeated so easily, will he?

n“I can control the current and escape at will. Good luck with your mission.”

n“Thank you very much.”

nDestiny and I waved widely, and Nagare responded with a thumbs-up. We watched the fishing boat move away and then climbed up the slope. The top of the slope is densely covered with tall trees, so they can’t see us from outside.

nI pulled out the map of the island that I had printed out beforehand, and reconfirmed our current location and destination to figure out our route. The shortest and most unobtrusive route would be the best.

n“Destiny, I don’t know what’s going to happen from here. We might run into other players, or worse, monsters from other worlds. Keep your guard up.”

nWhen I turned to my trusty partner, he was tapping his chest vigorously as if to say, “Leave it to me.” I’m sorry to keep asking you to do this, but you’re the key. I have faith in you.

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