Chapter 4 of 10

Chapter 4

8 min read1,888 words

The deck officer was a veteran sailor who had worked at Haesin Shipping for over 30 years.

My father had also worked as a crew member at Haesin Shipping.

The deck officer of this ship had a connection with my father, who had served as a deck officer on the ship where he worked as a crew member. And since we often visited each other, I used to call him Uncle when I was a child.

Meeting him, whom I knew, on the ship where I was appointed as a junior navigator was a great fortune for me.

"Oh, our Third Officer!"

The deck officer smiled and entered the bridge.

I gave a slight nod and called the deck officer over to the steering wheel. I quietly spoke to him.

"Deck Officer, is Joseph working now?"

"Joseph? Not today."

"Then where is he?"

Joseph was a helmsman from the Philippines.

We usually got along well and worked together often, so we were close friends.

"Joseph? He might be sleeping because it's before his shift."

"Could you send someone to find him?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Actually, Joseph has asthma."

"What? What do you mean? He passed the physical examination before boarding, and suddenly he has asthma? I haven't heard of that."

"You know. Local examinations can be passed with a little money."

Foreign sailors need to go through local management companies contracted with shipping management companies to work on Korean, Japanese, or European merchant ships.

Many foreign sailors want to become sailors because they can earn much more money than in their home countries.

Especially, merchant ships of global shipping companies like Haesin Shipping are popular due to their good welfare.

So, it was said that foreign sailors had to pay money to local brokers to get a chance to board Haesin Shipping.

Sailors must undergo a physical examination before boarding.

Foreign sailors often get examined at local hospitals, and it is a well-known secret in the shipping industry that if they fail the examination, brokers can bribe hospitals to manipulate the physical examination certificates.

If my past memory is accurate, Joseph will collapse due to asthma in the ship's enclosed space today.

And because he was discovered too late, Joseph will eventually be disembarked without recovering on the ship.

Before leaving, Joseph begged people not to let him disembark, but there was nothing he could do on the ship.

Joseph shouted that he had given a lot of money to a broker in the Philippines to board this ship. The money was collected from his family.

He pleaded that he couldn't go back without earning money and returning home to his family.

But I couldn't do anything for Joseph.

However, this time it will be different.

Maybe I can save him.

"Joseph has asthma? Oh dear. What should we do?"

The deck officer looked at me with a worried expression.

"Still, he's a helmsman, so there shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

"Right? Then that's good..."

"Actually, I have a strange feeling."

"About what?"

"Before coming up, I passed by and noticed that Joseph looked a bit strange."

"Really?"

"Yes, so could you go and check on him? If he's fine, ask him to come up to the bridge for a while. And keep this a secret from the others."

"Ah, I understand."

As the deck officer was about to leave the bridge, I called out to his back.

"Just in case, go to Joseph's room first. If he's not there, bring his inhaler with you. It might help."

"Ah! Right, that's a good idea."

"He might have gone to the enclosed area to use his inhaler secretly. Check there first."

After I finished speaking, the deck officer stood still and looked back at me.

His expression was very surprised.

He usually treated me like a nephew, often taking care of me secretly to prevent me from making mistakes as a junior navigator.

But now, I was giving him instructions in a calm manner, like a veteran sailor.

It felt very alien to him, and he was clearly very surprised.

To veteran sailors, junior navigators are like puppies.

It's similar to how non-commissioned officers look at newly assigned lieutenants who have just completed their training.

The deck officer had always treated me that way.

"Third Officer, you seem a bit different today."

The deck officer often called me 'Third' when we were alone.

He clearly noticed the sudden change in my demeanor.

"Different? What do you mean?"

But I had no other way to explain.

I could only smile slightly and pretend not to know.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe the atmosphere or the energy."

"Hehehe."

"Even your laugh sounds like an old man's."

"Well, I am a navigator now, right? Third Officer."

"Yes, a navigator. That's right."

The deck officer smiled contentedly and nodded at me.

Although I was just a Third Officer, I had worked up to First Officer in my previous life.

I had more knowledge and experience than most First Officers.

But such detailed explanations were unnecessary.

I just nodded slightly. This was enough of an answer for him.

* * *

After the deck officer left the bridge, I was looking at the nautical chart, deep in thought.

"Hmm, what should I do?"

In fact, I had a bigger problem than Joseph's asthma.

If Joseph is found in time, he will probably calm down with his inhaler.

In my previous life, Joseph was discovered quite a while after he collapsed.

At that time, there was nothing the ship could do, but this time it shouldn't be a big problem.

The issue was the changed route of this voyage.

I was recalling my previous life.

This voyage was particularly eventful.

Among the incidents, the one that will happen this time is a significant event.

In my previous life, the incident was as follows:

During this voyage, with the changed route, the helmsman Joseph went missing.

When a crew member went missing, the ship was in chaos.

After searching the entire ship, Joseph was finally found collapsed.

Soon after, the ship encountered a tsunami and severe weather, causing significant damage.

'This is definitely an event that happened on this voyage's route.'

Looking at the ship's expected route on the nautical chart, my past memories vividly came back.

I clearly remembered the incident that happened just before the next shift.

'That time, I was really scared and even considered leaving the ship.'

It was a moment of real fear, to the point where I seriously considered quitting my job as a navigator.

The problem was that if I left the ship, I would have to join the military.

Sailors can fulfill their military service by working on ships through the reserve system, but if I left the ship, I would have to join the military.

Still, working on ships was a better way to earn money and gain experience, so I gritted my teeth and continued my life at sea.

Of course, this time is different.

In my previous life, I worked up to First Officer on large ships and had several experiences on long-distance fishing vessels, so I had already faced all kinds of situations at sea.

But even for a seasoned sailor, the sea remains a source of fear. However, I was no longer a coward who couldn't board a ship out of fear.

But I was certainly not a fool to walk into a storm knowingly.

'The weather forecast doesn't show any problems.'

It was an incident caused by an unexpected disaster.

It was later revealed that an earthquake occurred in the nearby sea, causing a large tsunami and severe waves.

A tsunami after an earthquake, and a severe storm.

This was an event I experienced only once in my long career at sea.

In fact, a veteran captain with 30 years of experience said he was lucky to survive.

The large container ship rolled severely due to the tsunami.

Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the ship suffered significant damage.

In my previous life, we narrowly avoided capsizing, but there was no guarantee that we would be so lucky this time.

The cargo containers also suffered significant damage.

Large waves hit the side of the ship, causing hundreds of containers to fall into the sea.

It was later discovered that one of the containers contained samples from a promising Korean small and medium-sized enterprise being sent to the United States.

The company, unable to supply the samples, had its contract terminated and eventually went bankrupt due to financial difficulties.

When I heard this news after the incident, I felt very disheartened. I strongly felt a sense of failure for not fulfilling my duty as a navigator on a merchant ship.

But the sea is still a dangerous place.

People who haven't been on a ship don't know, but even in modern society, the sea remains a place where dangers have not been fully conquered.

Sailors often refer to these incidents as unique maritime risks.

Despite advances in science and technology and improvements in ship performance, there are still natural dangers that cannot be overcome.

In such cases of force majeure, shipping companies rarely take full responsibility.

But I felt a strong sense of moral guilt when I heard the news, regardless of the responsibility.

Even as a junior navigator, I felt responsible because I was a navigator on this ship.

* * *

– Bridge of the ship "M.V. Venus"

"Beep!"

A signal sound came from the radio placed next to me.

"Bridge, this is the deck officer."

"Yes, go ahead. This is the Third Officer."

"I found Joseph. He was collapsed inside the door to the ballast tank."

"Is that so? How is he?"

"Fortunately, he seems to have collapsed not long ago. After using his inhaler, he quickly calmed down. His breathing has improved, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

"Ah, that's good. Have him rest in his room for a while. Just in case, I'll contact the company and arrange for remote medical support when the Second Officer wakes up."

There is a designated person on the ship to manage the health of the crew during the voyage, usually the Second Officer.

At least, the small fire was put out.

< Ding! >

A mysterious window appeared in front of me with a chime.

Rewards:

- Reputation + 5

- Helmsman Joseph is loyal to you.

- Foreign crew members respect you.

- You can now use the status window due to completing the first quest.

- You have obtained the skill [Human Rescue Lv.1].

Rewards? What is this?

What is happening?

Anyway, it's clear that Joseph is out of danger.

At least, the small fire is over?

Now, the task is to avoid the tsunami that will appear where the ship is heading.

Then,

< Ding! >

Again?

Another chime. And a window appeared in front of me.

You are progressing the main quest according to the scenario.

"The Venus is in danger. Save the ship and the crew."

Sub-quest: Escape from the tsunami

Clear conditions: Save the ship and the crew from the danger caused by the tsunami

Time limit: Until the tsunami ends

Rewards: Reputation + 20, Title (???)

Failure: ???