Chapter 57

I didn’t sit on the pier for nothing. I needed Karis—or rather, his Cartographer skill. If what he said was true, I could get a map of a vast territory with the most detailed instructions. Just in case something went wrong with the ship now or on the way to the continent.

Karis was supposed to return shortly before the ship arrived, and I waited for him.

"Hello. I’ve managed to master the Wood Hardening skill, and for that, I thank you with all my heart," I bowed deeply to him. "I have a request for you. I need a map of all the places you’ve been to, drawn using your Cartographer skill."

"All of them? Kid, do you even have any idea how many places I’ve visited in fifty years? And how long it would take to draw such a map?"

"What do you want in return?"

"You haven’t made any concrete offer, yet you’re asking me something. Propose something, and I’ll think about it."

"I can offer eighty gold," I replied. Karis burst into loud laughter.

"Anji, you just asked me to chart the entire chronicle of my life for eighty gold. Even the map I made for you out of the kindness of my heart is worth a hundred. And you’re talking about a map of nearly the entire Ocean of Terror."

I had acted very poorly. I insulted him with my offer, but I was ready to make amends. I pulled out a black pearl from my pocket.

"I think we can come to an agreement. Right, Karis?" He wasn’t laughing anymore—his full attention was now fixed on the pearl.

"Where did you get this treasure? It’s worth as much as our entire village."

"From the bottom of the ocean. Do you agree to make the map for me?"

"Yes. Hurry up and give me the paper—this will take a very long time, we need to move fast."

He climbed into his boat and didn’t leave the cabin until the ship arrived. Meanwhile, I had time to think about the journey to the continent and refine my leveling plan.

In this world, I’d mostly be attacked with physical damage, poison, and fire. The most popular specialization among mages, according to online statistics, was fire—half of all mages chose it as their first path. Upon reaching the tenth tier of mastery, they unlocked a second specialization, and almost all of them doubled down on the same element, effectively doubling their damage bonuses. So, in most cases, I’d be facing physical attacks, poison, and fire. I needed not only to defend against these but also to kill my attackers. I needed perfect defense and perfect offense. Against any mental attacks attempting to control my body, I needed absolute resistance. "When defending, attack; when attacking, defend." I think that was an ancient gladiator’s creed. I could adopt at least one of these principles.

This world would gain one more monster once I finished refining my defense and offense scheme. And the plan was already forming in my mind.

The enormous six-masted sailing ship arrived right on time. With three decks and a massive cargo hold, it looked like an ark. When I mentioned this to Karis, he said:

"In a storm, ships like these are nearly unsinkable because they’re almost impossible to capsize. Here’s the map—I didn’t finish some parts, but even as it is, this is my greatest work."

I took the map and started looking for the city of Zirda—the place where the Hunter Trials were supposed to take place. It wasn’t there. Maybe the city was too small or hadn’t been drawn yet?

"Karis, do you know where Zirda is?"

"...No, can’t say I remember. Do you need to get there urgently?" Karis answered after a slight hesitation.

"In seven months. Right now, I just need to scout the route—that’s why I needed the map."

Karis stood deep in thought, his expression conflicted.

"We still have time before departure. If I remember, I’ll tell you. Good luck."

He walked back to his boat, and I boarded the ship.

For just ten gold, they agreed to take me to the nearest continent, Kongul. And for another fifty, I got a private cabin at the stern. The ship traveled between Katain and Kongul on the longest route, stopping at small islands like Heron. No one sailed further into the Ocean of Terror from this side. According to the map, the ship traveled between the upper right and upper left continents.

I was very pleased with myself—my map truly was a masterpiece. It even marked wind directions at different times of the year, not to mention ocean currents. The entire coastline of all four continents was charted. In the center of the Ocean of Terror was a massive black spot. The captain said that monstrous creatures lived there—ones capable of swallowing a ship whole in one bite. No one who sailed to the center of the ocean had ever returned alive.

I had big plans for these two weeks at sea, which was why I’d rented a private cabin at the stern where the wind would carry away any smells. The ship stayed at the island for half a day. Before departure, I managed to make one last run to gather the ingredients I needed—and I collected half a ton of fresh, high-quality herbs.

Once the ship set sail, my first task was setting up a poison-brewing lab. Over the past few weeks, I’d been collecting poisons and making concentrated solutions and ointments. Right now, I had a poisoned bandage strapped under my shirt at all times. Now, I needed to replenish my supplies.

In the ocean, the most poisonous fish had the brightest colors. There were even analogs of pufferfish—the deadliest fish in the world. Collecting venom was what I planned to do during the voyage. Depending on the method of exposure, poisons could inflict more than just damage—they could also reduce stats, cause paralysis, stun, or induce hallucinations. My enemies were skilled, so I’d rather overprepare ten times than make one mistake. Plant and animal toxins had different effects, which was why I was gathering various components to boost my resistance.

This was the first part of my plan, and I’d start working on it while we sailed.

Magic scrolls were one of the most marvelous inventions of this world. A magical seal was inscribed on paper, activated by human aura and keywords. The scroll’s charge depended on the material—in special cases, mana-storing stones were used. Special cases meant scrolls attached to holders with gemstone accumulators on the sides. It looked like a tiny roll of toilet paper with two gemstone door handles on the sides. In the vast majority of cases, scrolls produced single-tier spells without nested effects—fireballs, flame spears, wind blades, stuns, and simple buffs fell into this category. Complex spells like acid fog, fire tornadoes, or golem/elemental summons followed different principles. These were interdisciplinary spells built on multiple levels of interaction. A golem required life and earth magic; a fire tornado was air magic imbued with fire properties.

Large magical seals were constructed by combining different schools of magic, with each discipline having its own symbol converging at the center of one large pictogram. Think of it like Olympic rings. They could be identical to amplify the spell’s effect—like in the case of the Bone Astral Sword.

Very few mages in the world could create scrolls with complex spells. Essentially, this required a mage who had developed multiple magical disciplines along with the Inscription skill. For example, if a mage’s Earth Magic was leveled to 90, Life Magic to 120, and Inscription to 120, the resulting scroll would summon a golem based on the mage’s 90-level proficiency in all relevant skills. That’s why things like Meteor or Acid Fog scrolls were rare and extremely expensive. Usually, in Chrysalis, during large-scale raids or wars, powerful spells were cast by groups of mages or universalists with massive mana reserves. Scrolls were for non-mages.

To create a scroll, you needed an activation word, a spell seal, the paper itself, and developed skills in the required magic schools. A mage would draw the scroll, pour mana into it, and then activate it with a keyword when needed. Or the buyer could do it. Their biggest drawback was that they self-destructed due to magical backlash and the sheer volume of mana channeled—acting as a buffer against the consequences.

Now I understood what Bernard had done to teach me spells. He was right—it was incredibly difficult. You needed highly developed skills in Mind and Life Magic. Right now, the spells were recorded in my mental body—something only the mage themselves usually worked with, not outsiders. It was like having a vein in your body that, by consciously releasing blood, could increase your running speed or jump height. I had the same thing, but with magic. The assumption was that I wouldn’t use spells too often. But I had developed my magical potential and was constantly using magic. My mind activated the spells "embedded" in my mental body, not the ones I had learned. What Bernard did was a miracle—he indirectly altered my mental body by influencing my physical form with Life Magic while working on my mind. I wasn’t even close to such a deep understanding of magic. And here I thought I was a dark magic guru…

The second part of my plan revolved around seals, and I could only implement it once I reached a major city. It would be far more insane than ordinary sacrifices. My mind had surpassed all my expectations of myself. Ritual magic? Blood magic? No… I would surpass my own humanity, my own weakness!!!

I also needed to implement fire and mental damage resistance, and I knew how to do it. But that would come after completing the first two parts of the plan—otherwise, I simply wouldn’t survive.

It was the fourth day of our voyage, and we were approaching inhabited lands. There were outposts, castles, and cities here. Two ships appeared on the horizon, and the captain started shouting, raising the alarm. The ship’s shields activated, and the crew hurriedly donned their armor.

"Captain, do we have a problem?" Captain Geriont was watching the fast frigates approaching from the west. We’d intercept them in about ten minutes.

"Yes, a very big one. Three pirate frigates from the Bodoy Archipelago. They never travel in groups of three—we could handle a single ship, but not two crews at once. Plus, survivors from the first frigate would board us."

"What are their levels?"

"Around a hundred. Captains up to one-fifty," Geriont had suspected I was up to something in my room. His cabin was above mine, and yesterday he’d complained about the smells. I had to seal the gaps. "Why? Got something in mind?"

"How many crew members?"

"Thirty each, but they outlevel us."

"If I neutralize one ship, can you handle the rest?"

The captain stared at me. A boy in a village shirt, picked up just three days ago, was claiming he’d kill thirty men. Good thing he thought that way.

"I don’t care what you do, but if it saves our lives, I’ll be grateful."

"I’m doing this for my own reasons. I’ll take their ship, cargo, and crew for myself."

"Not the time for jokes, but do what you want."

The captain didn’t need to know what I really planned. I needed pirates—lots of pirates. Their cargo and ship were secondary. Back on Heron, with Clarissa, I’d made a paralysis poison. All the metal had gone into stakes—or rather, just the blanks. The stakes were useless now without a mana-storing stone.

I removed the bandage with regular poison and replaced it with a paralysis ointment. I didn’t have immunity to it yet—my resistance wasn’t high enough. But I could use it by coating my leather gloves. The bandage was just convenient storage that didn’t restrict movement. I grabbed the stakes and jumped into the sea. I had to capture a ship, and the farther from ours, the better.

I swam as fast as I could, staying underwater as much as possible. A cannon blast struck about a hundred meters to the right, and I got a hearing loss debuff. The second frigate was passing fifty meters ahead, followed by the third a hundred meters behind. That was my target.

I nearly died trying to grab the ship at full speed. Smacked my head against the bow, only managed to latch on near the stern, and climbed up there. The pirates were in for a surprise when their ship suddenly veered off course, now sailing parallel to our cargo vessel. I emerged right behind the helmsman while their entire crew, including the captain, was on deck preparing to board. One poisoned touch, and I quietly laid the man down after coating his neck. Then I changed course.

The fight was short—only the captain was annoyingly agile. He was the only one in the crew who used both a sword and a dagger simultaneously—and had stun immunity. I had to engage him directly, and I won. I smeared poison all over his face. The important thing was that he didn’t die.

A frigate was a small ship, and it took a lot of effort to draw a ritual blood seal in such conditions. I kept the seal simple—just two tiers: three power points at ten sacrifices each. The captain was right—there were exactly thirty of them. The problem was the enchanting medium. I didn’t have mithril, and considering its price here, I never would. I had to settle for a simple silver ring—no gemstones—that I’d made on Heron after finding a small silver vein. After killing the sacrifices on the ship and then in the astral plane, I got what I wanted.

Captain Archie’s Ring

The pirate captain was infamous for his love of torturing his victims. Over the years, the ring absorbed all his pain, suffering, and skill.

Effect: +20 Dexterity

Requirements: Personal item

Durability: 125/125

And so, the truth was revealed. To create a properly scalable item, I needed at least eighty-five sacrifices. The nature of the victims, the method of killing, the quality of the material—everything mattered. With mithril, I could’ve made a ring with three modifiers instead of one. But beggars can’t be choosers. I’d take what I could get.

At least Eliza from the game didn’t show up over such a small thing. There were no gods here, but no sacrifices either. While I was busy disposing of the bodies and burning ritual traces, the battle on our ship also ended. They couldn’t capture the other frigate but managed to repel the attack.

Geriont said the pirates, seeing the second frigate turning away, started retreating. Then they fled at full speed. They couldn’t win by numbers, so they ran.

"What will you do with the prize?"

"Sell it, along with everything inside. I don’t need the ship."

"Hm, for how much?"

"I’ll find out in the city. Or do you have an offer?"

Geriont didn’t think long—greed and glory outweighed fear.

"I can help sell the ship—you don’t know the trade. Plus, it’ll draw attention from people who work with pirates."

"What do you want in return?"

"A quarter of the ship’s value."

"That’s a lot, and you know it. But I’ll pay if you share some information."

The captain grinned—of course, he’d just hit the jackpot. Yeah, buddy, you don’t even realize why I agreed. You were right—I don’t want any attention on me, in any form.

"I need to know where the city of Zirda is. I also need info on the strongest monsters on the continent. In Surale—the port we’re arriving at—I need the best healer who works on fighter body modifications and a tattoo master. And most importantly, I need books on magic," Geriont grew more serious with each request. "I’ll pay for everything myself. I just need their locations—legality doesn’t matter."

"That all sounds pretty creepy, but I’ll hold up my end."

He didn’t bother me again until arrival, for which I was grateful.

Two days of calm seas with almost no wind, and I spent them hunting the most poisonous fish underwater. An interesting pattern emerged—at a hundred meters deep, I started taking physical damage. Probably water pressure. Something to think about. I needed a place with constant physical damage, and I’d found it. Too bad I couldn’t brew a water-breathing potion—only alchemists made those. The seabed was about three hundred meters down—that depth would kill me, but as a training spot, it was perfect.

Today, I decided to rest and study again—I needed to understand what was happening to my body. Though the overload came from mental strain. Now, I could control my thoughts, but in this mode, my nose bled nonstop. I had to delve deeper into brain function and human neurophysiology. I passed out after nearly a day in this state and woke up in a hospital—inside my personal virtual space again.