Ray stood awkwardly at the side while the rest of the crew moved around, working as if he didn't exist. An hour had passed—he was still just standing there.
"I want to go with you guys!" Ray suddenly shouted, voice cracking through the salty air like a desperate flare.
Everything froze.
Robin paused mid-clap, brushing dust off his palms. "Shout one more time, and Rabbit 's gonna eat your brain."
Both of them looked toward Rabbit, who lay sprawled out on the blanket on ground, his round stomach rising and falling beneath the sky.
"Man, nothing wakes him," Robin sighed, scratching his cheek. "Why is he so much like his owner?" A sly grin slid across his face.
Jack snorted and promptly flung a small stone—bonk. It hit Robin right in the forehead, drawing a tiny trickle of blood.
Robin burst out laughing even as he clutched his head. Sicilia—crimson-haired, clad in tight leather clothes with short pants hugging her thighs and a long cloak billowing behind—leapt from the railing, landing gracefully beside them. She knelt and healed Robin with a glowing touch.
"You know better than to argue with him about sleeping and eating," Sicilia said, lowering her hood. "Yet you never learn."
"Eh, life's no fun without him," Robin said with a shrug, grinning even wider.
The crew quickly returned to their preparations, loading cargo, checking supplies, talking about what to bring ashore—and just like that, Ray was forgotten again.
"HEY!" he shouted, louder this time.
No one looked his way.
They just kept working.
Ray gave up and sat beside Sicilia on a wooden crate, munching on an apple she'd handed him without looking.
"So," Sicilia said, voice casual as she watched her crew, "why do you want to go to the Void Sea? Don't tell me you've got a death wish."
Ray took another bite, chewing slowly. "I'm going because… it's important."
She raised an eyebrow, not turning. "Uh-huh. And what's so important about it?"
"I can't tell anyone."
"I see." Sicilia's tone didn't change. "Well, it's getting dark. You should head home."
Ray's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm joking, don't you?"
I need to go. I can't live without a system. I'm barely surviving in the Academy. Every day I wake up hoping—begging—that one day I'll be able to visit the Void Sea and unlock mine. This is my only chance. If I miss it… sooner or later, I'll be tossed out like trash. Killed by a minor beast. Just another useless piece.
Sicilia waved a hand lazily. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. It must be important. Nobody rushes off to die without a reason. But we can't be held responsible for your death. ISA will disband us if we take a civilian and they end up as fish food."
"So it is about my death."
She is Ninety-nine percent sure about my death. That's what she was saying.
"I'll write it," Ray said.
"Hm?"
"I'll write a statement saying that if I die, it has nothing to do with you or the crew."
Sicilia paused mid-bite, her sharp gaze sliding toward him. "Fine. Then tell me—what's your system? And your rank. If it's decent enough, I'll talk to the captain."
Ray's eyes widened. His heart thundered in his chest, palms slickening with sweat. He looked down.
"I… my system is Spiritchain. I'm a Channeler."
"Oh?" Sicilia's brow lifted. "Well, that's new. We don't have a Channeler aboard. What's your rank, kid?"
"…It's… it's B."
I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.
"Alright," she said, standing. "Show me something. I need to make sure you're not a fraud."
Ray swallowed hard. His throat felt dry as dust. His eyes darted around for something, anything. Then, he stood, raised both hands, and shouted, "Activate Sky Storm!"
Sicilia looked up, unimpressed. "Casting magic without a staff? Never heard of that."
The sky, which had been slowly dimming with evening light, suddenly shifted. Clouds swirled, heavy and gray.
But then… nothing.
The air fell still, even the wind holding its breath.
Ray clenched his eyes shut and squeezed his fists.
Shit, shit, shit—come on! Please just rain. Why did I pick Sky Storm? I should've picked something easier. Something that actually works…
Seconds passed.
Then—
CRACK-BOOM!
A jagged bolt of lightning slammed into the ship moored beside them. It burst into flames as thunder ripped across the sky.
Ray's eyes flew open. Sicilia gave a slow, flat clap.
"Woo. Impressive." Her hand dropped. "Still you need to sign that form saying your death's on you."
By midnight, the crew bustled with energy, securing supplies and tying off ropes as moonlight bathed the ship in silver. The sea shimmered like a sheet of black glass, smooth and unnervingly quiet beneath the glowing full moon.
"Whoa, full moon. Good omen," Robin said, hanging from the mast like a monkey as he tightened the sails.
"Pirates don't wait for good omens," Sicilia replied from the crow's nest, one leg dangling over the railing. "We wait for the bad ones."
Robin snorted. "That's the most piratey thing I've heard all day."
"Because I am a pirate," she said, her crimson hair fluttering in the wind.
Down on the main deck, Ray mopped in slow, uncertain strokes, a makeshift mop stick gripped awkwardly in his hands. Jack and Rabbit were passed out nearby, both lying on their backs, snoring with their stomachs pointed skyward like a pair of overturned turtles.
Robin slid down a rope, landing with a thud beside Ray. "So, kid," he said, stretching his arms overhead. "B-Rank Channeler, huh? Not bad. Pretty impressive."
Ray perked up—until Robin added, "Just hope we don't have to scoop up your corpse. We're not gonna. Better to feed you to the sea monsters if you die."
"Wha—what?!" Ray's voice cracked in horror.
"What?" Robin shrugged, strolling casually toward the helm. "That's how we do funerals on this ship. Best way to go if you ask me."
As if summoned, something massive shifted beneath the waves. A long, glistening tail broke the surface, then slapped the water with a gentle push—nudging the ship forward.
Ray nearly dropped his mop.
A serpent-like creature, half-hidden by the mist, rose beside them—sleek, beautiful, and terrifying. Its luminous eyes glowed like pearls beneath the surface.
Robin grinned. "There she is. Say hello to Jellyfish."
Ray's jaw dropped. "That's a sea serpent. And you… named her Jellyfish?!"
"Yup." Robin spun the helm. Mana stones embedded in the wheel flickered to life, pulsing blue as the ship groaned and surged forward like it had a soul of its own.
The ship glided across the ocean like a blade through silk, its sails full, its hull humming softly with arcane energy. Crew members moved with practiced grace, each person falling into place.
And Ray? Ray stood in the middle of it all—half stunned, half elated, and fully overwhelmed.
This was it. The journey had begun.
The start of something dangerous… something impossible.
And once his system truly activated, the challenges would only grow. Every gain would come with a threat. Most would be life-threatening.
Robin let out a long, loud whistle, then bellowed toward the ocean, "ALL HAIL TO THE OCEAN!"
The crew fell silent for a moment, heads bowed toward the waves in solemn reverence.
Ray blinked.
He had expected pirates to be looters, crude and selfish. But what he saw was something else entirely. A strange, chaotic family bound not by law—but by the sea. With a inhale he gave a half bow to the ocean
'Let's find the red crystal and be done with this cursed like of a loser'