Chapter 30. Half-boat (3)

As soon as she turned her head, Rachel could see it.

Far behind the White Dragon.

A single ferry boat was approaching, accompanied by a massive spray of water, almost like a waterfall.

‘…What?’

Rachel's thoughts came to a halt.

Her brain, which had momentarily malfunctioned, struggled to accept what she had seen.

Right...

‘The White Dragon... is being caught up to?’

The fact that the White Dragon, which she had boasted was the fastest ship in the world, was being caught by a shabby ferry boat.

‘No, no, this can't be happening?!”

While Rachel strongly denied the reality, the ferry boat that had caused the giant spray of water had already reached right behind the White Dragon.

And then.

Whoosh! - Squeal!

Spraying a massive 10-meter-high water spray, it passed between the two White Dragons.

Hiss-.

The water spray from the ferry boat rained down like a shower, drenching Rachel's head.

“Wha...?”

“Tha...t...”

Despite being hit by the water, Rachel and the crew were speechless.

They just stared blankly at the ferry boat, which had already moved away, and were shocked once again.

‘It’s... already that far away!’

It had only passed by a moment ago, yet the ferry boat was already at least 200 meters away.

Truly an astonishing speed.

And the moment the bizarre ferry boat approached the pirate ship it was fleeing from.

“Where do you scoundrels think you’re going, slowing down in front of this old man? Get lost!”

Flash-.

A loud shout accompanied by a blinding white light.

Crack-.

The massive pirate ship was split in half.

“Aaaaah!”

“Gah!”

The pirates, trying to survive, jumped into the water.

Whoosh!

The ferry boat passed through the split pirate ship as if nothing had happened, moving swiftly.

The incident happened so quickly.

All that remained was the foam created by the bizarre ferry boat and the remnants of the split pirate ship.

And.

“Hahaha, try to catch me if you can!”

Only the echoes filled with madness remained.

“Now... what’s happening...?”

Rachel squeezed out her doubts, but there was no one to answer her.

Everyone just stared at the ferry boat, which had already become a small dot.

* * *

The mysterious ferry boat, Bungbung, which had overtaken the White Dragon and split the pirate ship, had now come to a stop.

Yuri, who had been pushing Bungbung with all her might, was lying on the river like a corpse, gazing at the sky.

‘I can’t... go any further... even if you beat me to death, I can’t...’

How many days had she run without sleep?

She had lost sensation in her limbs long ago.

Despair filled Yuri’s eyes, which floated on the water.

“Huh...”

She laughed.

A pale, white smile, as if she could turn to ashes and be scattered by the wind at any moment.

In fact, Yuri didn’t want to laugh.

But she couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping.

“Hahaha...”

Her voice, filled with despair, mixed with her hollow laughter.

“It’s over... everything is over...”

Only a day and a half remained until they reached the Mouth of the Cradle.

And the distance to the Cradle itself...

“Hahaha...”

Even if she rode a horse and galloped at full speed, it would take her a solid three months to reach it.

“Haha... Hahaha!”

Yuri, who had given up on everything and seemed to have lost her mind, was carried away by the current.

Splash-.

The rope tied around her waist, which had been holding her back, tightened as she was dragged against the current.

Swoosh-.

At the end of the rope was Johann.

“Haha, a big catch.”

Yuri, who had been pulled out of the water like a fish on a hook, dangled limply.

Squish-.

After being rescued onto the ferry boat, Yuri lay sprawled out, looking like a jellyfish.

Johann’s expression darkened at her bizarre appearance.

“What are you doing?”

In response to Johann’s question, Yuri stirred and replied.

“Old man...”

“What is it?”

“I... think I’ve failed.”

“You were always a failure. But it was this body that made you capable of being a person.”

“...Damn old man. This is all because of...”

Now lacking the energy to argue, Yuri simply turned her back to Johann and lay down.

“It’s all wrong... everything is wrong...”

Yuri, hugging her knees, slumped in a corner of the ferry boat, staring at the wall, looking extremely pitiful.

After all, she had struggled to the brink of death to reach the Mouth of the Cradle, but everything had crumbled in a futile manner. No matter who she was, the disappointment would be immense.

“I... wanted to enter the Cradle... but I can’t... Haha, hahaha...”

Now laughing like a mad person, Yuri’s back shook slightly.

Johann’s eyes sparkled with amusement at the sight.

‘Haha, is this enough?’

If he tormented her any further, she might cry.

‘...Is she already crying?’

He wondered if she was really crying, given how her shoulders were shaking as she stared at the wall.

Johann smiled and waved his hand.

Whoosh-.

“Ah!”

A small gust of wind lifted Yuri and brought her to Johann’s hand.

Yuri, thrown out of the ferry boat.

“Ouch, my back.”

As she rubbed her back, Johann stroked the ferry boat.

“Haha, you’ve worked hard. Now, go find your freedom.”

Saying this, Johann pushed Bungbung.

He watched Bungbung drift away with a wistful gaze.

He even waved goodbye.

Seeing this, Yuri finally thought Johann must have gone mad.

‘No, he was already mad, but is he worse today?’

Staring blankly at Johann, Yuri felt a surge of frustration.

‘Wait... I did all the hard work, so why is Bungbung getting the encouragement?’

I was the one who rowed the ferry boat day and night.

Just as Yuri’s lips were about to pout.

Swoosh-.

Johann turned to face her.

With his hands behind his back, Johann approached the crouching Yuri.

Looking down at her, Johann spoke.

“Perhaps, this will be your last lesson before entering the Cradle. We’ll see each other often, but I won’t always be by your side like this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Listen carefully.”

Johann’s serious demeanor made Yuri sit up straight.

Even if it was any other time, during learning sessions, Yuri was always serious.

As Yuri straightened her back, Johann’s voice continued.

“The difference between a 9th Rank Public and a Master is the opening of the Spirit Blood and the manifestation of the Spirit Body.”

Yuri was familiar with this content.

But hearing it again now, it felt different.

‘Abnormal Spirit Blood and Spirit Body...’

Johann had said he was around the level of a 1st Rank Unofficial.

Of course, considering the time he had spent in serious training, it was an absurdly high level.

But that was all.

A novice who hadn’t even reached 1st Rank Public.

That was her current state.

The fact that such a novice had used a Spirit Body, which was the exclusive domain of Masters, was now dawning on her as truly absurd.

Of course, that was one thing.

But the sudden mention of this topic by Johann was puzzling.

“So? Why bring this up suddenly?”

“Usually, when someone who has steadily progressed through the ranks opens their Spirit Blood, their first Spirit Body has a clear form. But your Spirit Body...”

“...”

“Was just a crude black mass, hardly worthy of being called a Spirit Body.”

The moment Johann mentioned the ‘black mass,’ Yuri unconsciously rubbed her earlobe.

The hard texture that her fingertips touched.

It was the blue gem, a shari, she had received from Ralph as a condition for accepting his inner energy.

Before serious training, Johann had made this shari into an earring and given it to Yuri.

[This shari’s power will block your Spirit Blood, allowing you to accumulate mana even without me. Additionally, it’s a safety device to prevent the monster inside you from emerging.]

In the past, Yuri often had nightmares.

Dreams of becoming a black monster, rampaging, and being drenched in thick blood.

This continued even after meeting Johann.

But since wearing the shari earring, she hadn’t had a single nightmare.

The situation had definitely improved, but Yuri knew very well.

The black monster still existed within her.

If she didn’t have the shari earring, it could reappear at any time.

Seeing Yuri touch her earring, Johann continued.

“What do you think is the reason your Spirit Body couldn’t take a proper form?”

Upon hearing the question, Yuri removed her hand from the earring and looked at Johann.

“...I’m not sure. Maybe because I’m a weirdo? Others build a foundation step by step to open their Spirit Blood and manifest their Spirit Body, but I skipped all those steps, right?”

“Hmm?”

“Perhaps, because the process of manifesting the Spirit Body was abnormal, an abnormal Spirit Body was created?”

“What do you think others build their foundation on? What do you think they need to build to manifest a Spirit Body with a proper form?”

“...”

Yuri couldn’t easily answer this question.

After all, Johann’s question was one that someone might dedicate their entire life to finding an answer to.

It was that difficult.

Therefore, Johann didn’t rush her.

He simply waited to see what answer this young genius would come up with.

Meanwhile, numerous possibilities ran through Yuri’s mind.

‘Foundation, foundation...’

Was it the pure mana accumulated in the body?

Or the mental strength gained through cultivation?

Or knowledge and wisdom?

Or the experience gained through life?

After much contemplation.

Finally, Yuri’s tightly closed red lips moved.

“Maybe... it’s the wind?”

Wind (wish) was Yuri’s answer.

The moment he heard it, Johann’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Wind?”

“Yes, or perhaps a wish? A desire? Something like that?”

“Why do you think so?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. What foundation should I build? So I thought about it in reverse. What was I like when I first manifested my Spirit Body?”

This was a problem-solving approach that only Yuri, who had already opened her Spirit Blood and manifested her Spirit Body, albeit abnormally, could take.

Johann showed interest.

“What was it like?”

“When I first manifested my Spirit Body, at that time, I...”

Yuri had first manifested her Spirit Body on the day her childhood village was trampled.

Witnessing her only place of solace burning and the lives of people she knew disappearing, Yuri...

“...wanted to kill everything in the world.”

Yuri wondered if the black monster within her was a creature born from the hatred of her childhood.

But the immature and weak hatred had dissipated soon after she realized her life was limited.

The desire to survive had become stronger than the hatred.

“My first wish was for someone’s death. My Spirit Body, born from such a wish, couldn’t be completed when the hatred disappeared, and that’s why it remained as a shapeless mass, right?”

Yuri calmly expressed her thoughts, looking at Johann, hoping he would tell her if she was right or wrong.

Johann smiled.

“Is that so?”

“Is my thinking correct?”

“Hmm? Is it correct? Or not?”

“...?”

Yuri’s expression, which had been going well, now looked like she was asking what kind of nonsense this was.

Johann chuckled.

“Are you trying to take the easy way out for something someone might dedicate their entire life to find an answer to?”

“...If you’re going to do that, why did you even ask?”

“Well, it’s a homework assignment for you.”

“...”

“Think hard about it. What foundation do you need to build for your Spirit Body to take a proper form? Is it really what you said, ‘a wish’?”

“...Can’t you just give me the answer in multiple-choice form?”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“Or at least a hint?”

“Tsk, don’t be ridiculous. This is a homework assignment that you must solve on your own for it to have any meaning.”

“Tch.”

The topic Johann had thrown at her, ‘the foundation for creating a Spirit Body,’ might be a lifelong homework assignment for Yuri.

A problem that only had meaning if she solved it on her own.

That’s why Johann only threw out the topic, wanting Yuri to find the answer herself.

However...

“Though I can’t give you a hint, I can tell you what reward you’ll get when you solve this homework.”

“Reward?”

At the mention of a reward, Yuri’s eyes sparkled excessively.