Chapter 3

Kim Ho-yeong gave a suggestive wink and left the room.

The crew members take turns on watch, and it was my turn to be the watch officer after the first mate.

'What on earth is going on?'

Though I couldn't understand what was happening, I was certain I had returned to the past.

This was undoubtedly the ship 'M.V. Venus' where I first served as a third mate.

It matched exactly with my memory.

I began to recall my memories carefully.

Despite being from the past, the memories were unusually vivid, quickly forming images in my mind.

"Do I have such a good memory?"

The memories began to paint themselves in my mind, as clear and precise as photographs.

'The time I boarded this ship was right after I graduated from university, so have I returned about 40 years in the past?'

Am I dreaming?

'In situations like this, I should slap my cheek.'

Slap!

'Damn, that hurts! I should have been gentler.'

Like a cliché scene from a movie, my cheek stung terribly.

Indeed, this wasn't a dream.

If this isn't a dream, was my past a dream?

No, that's not it either.

'Right. If it were a dream, the memories wouldn't be this vivid.'

The past 40 years were vividly replaying in my mind.

"I need to think carefully and quickly head to the bridge."

The terrifying first mate, Gomchi, was waiting for me.

I was both excited and a bit worried.

If Gomchi was waiting on the bridge, I couldn't afford to waste any more time.

* * *

– The Bridge of M.V. Venus

Life on a ship among the crew is not much different from life in the military.

Or perhaps, it might be even more intense. The living space is confined, so a strong hierarchical order is necessary to control the rough sailors. Therefore, the ship emphasizes obedience and hierarchy.

Even though it's a civilian merchant ship, the order among the sailors is no different.

If we compare the crew to the military, the officers are like the officers, and the crew members are like the enlisted men.

The officers are divided into navigators who handle the ship's navigation and engineers who handle the ship's machinery, with the captain at the top.

Captain.

In English, Captain (CAPTAIN).

His word is law on the ship.

And the right-hand man of the captain, the de facto power on the ship, is the first mate.

The problem is that the first mate of this ship is nicknamed Gomchi.

First Mate Gomchi Yang Hwajong.

He glared at me as I entered the bridge, his eyes blazing.

"Oh, Third Mate. You're up?"

Yang Hwajong began to sneer at me as he glared.

It had been decades, but seeing Yang Hwajong, who used to bully me, made me feel like a mouse in front of a cat.

I couldn't help but flinch when I saw Gomchi, the first mate.

'Is the memory from my past life imprinted on me?'

Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, my body shrank involuntarily.

But the tension quickly dissipated. The wisdom of my 60-year life helped me regain my composure.

Yang Hwajong, seeing that my expression wasn't tense as expected, frowned slightly.

He approached me and poked my chest.

"Third Mate, are you feeling unwell?"

"No."

"Oh, did you not get enough sleep? We must have overworked you, Third Mate."

"No."

"Then were you too tired from yesterday's shift? I should have been more considerate and let you rest."

"No."

"Hmm? If you're not unwell, not sleepy, and not tired, why are you late?"

While I hesitated to answer, Yang Hwajong clapped his hands and answered himself.

"Oh, I see. You're not unwell, not sleepy, and not tired, but you still came up late."

"..."

"Are you just trying to mess with me? Is that it, Third Mate?"

"..."

"Huh? You're not even going to answer?"

Yang Hwajong, seeing that I wasn't answering, glared and leaned in.

But his scowling face looked cute to me.

"Hehehe."

I couldn't help but burst out laughing as I watched Yang Hwajong.

Though he's in his late twenties now, I have the 60-year life experience from my past life.

Yang Hwajong, who leaned in to intimidate me, looked merely cute.

"What, what is this? Why are you suddenly laughing like an idiot?"

"Indeed. Hehehehehe."

I laughed out loud again.

Yang Hwajong, seeing me laugh like a madman, was the one who was flustered.

'Is this guy scared out of his mind?'

Yang Hwajong, who usually couldn't even speak properly out of fear, felt a chill run down his spine when I laughed like a madman.

I slowly said to Yang Hwajong.

"First Mate, you must be tired. Go down and rest."

"Huh?"

The first mate seemed to sense a change in my aura.

'This guy's atmosphere has suddenly changed.'

Yang Hwajong stared at me intently.

The first mate was a quick-witted and adept person.

Sensing the sudden change, he decided to let it go this time to understand the situation.

'Why is this guy suddenly acting like this? Is he crazy? I need to observe what's going on.'

Yang Hwajong bit his lip.

Occasionally, third mates who couldn't handle the life at sea would go crazy and cause trouble, so the first mate decided to let it go this time to understand the situation.

"Y-Yeah, Third Mate, you're tired today, so go down and we'll see you later."

"Thank you, First Mate."

"Um, and the route we set before departure has been revised, so check the chart. I've already input it into the electronic chart, so confirm it."

"Understood."

The first mate looked at me once, shook his head, and left the bridge, muttering to himself.

"You're still cute, kid."

As I watched the first mate leave, I muttered to myself.

When I turned my head, I saw the helmsman, a Filipino crew member, staring at me with wide eyes.

The Filipino crew member, who seemed to have understood the situation, gave me a thumbs up.

"Third Mate, you're the best! Sir."

"Hehehe."

The first mate wasn't well-liked by the crew.

In front of the first mate, they were usually too intimidated to speak properly.

But the Filipino crew member seemed to have noticed that I had won the confrontation with Gomchi.

I smiled at the helmsman.

But the real battle was just beginning.

At that moment, a ringing sound echoed in my head.

< Ding! >

A strange scene appeared before my eyes.

+

<Starting the Main Quest>

Special Features: Regression, Quests, Status Window, Level Up

Main Quest: Become the Ship King

Clear Condition: "Obtain the title of Ship King"

Time Limit: Until survival

Reward: ???

Failure: ???

+

What is this?

A quest? To become the Ship King?

Helmsman Joseph

A mysterious window appeared before my eyes.

I waved my hand, but it was intangible. The window remained visible.

Am I dreaming?

I rubbed my eyes and slapped my cheek, but the window remained vividly in front of me.

Then,

< Ding! >

The ringing sound echoed in my head again.

The text in front of me began to change rapidly.

+

<Starting the Bonus Quest>

"There is a crew member in danger on the Venus. Rescue the crew member!"

Sub-Quest: Rescue the Crew Member

Clear Condition: Restore the health of the endangered crew member

Time Limit: Until survival

Reward: Reputation +5, Loyalty of foreign crew members, Skill [Rescue Level 1]

Failure: ???

+

What is this? A bonus quest?

To rescue a crew member in danger?

'Am I crazy?'

But a vivid memory from the past suddenly surfaced in my mind.

'Ah! If this is the ship I first served on?'

I quickly moved to check the chart on the bridge.

Generally, ships plan their route before departure, usually handled by the second mate.

On large container ships, both electronic and paper charts are often used, and this ship was no exception.

The paper chart on the table showed the revised route.

Looking at the chart, I felt a strange sensation.

Goosebumps began to rise on my arms, and an inexplicable sense of unease washed over me.

My heart started pounding.

'What is this feeling? Panic disorder? Or arrhythmia?'

But I had no memory of ever having these conditions in the past, and I was in my early twenties, healthy.

A vivid memory suddenly surfaced in my mind.

'Ah! This is the route from that time!'

This voyage was particularly eventful and challenging.

On the ship where I first served, incidents and accidents frequently occurred, and Gomchi, the first mate, often bullied me, saying I was a jinx.

But this time, I couldn't just stand by.

I quickly picked up the radio.

"Boatswain, where are you? This is the bridge."

The radio crackled a few times before the boatswain responded.

"This is the boatswain. I'm at the bow."

"Yes, Boatswain. This is the third mate."

"Hey, Third Mate! Is it already time to relieve me? You're up early."

"Yes, please come to the bridge for a moment."