The Old Man Is So Good at Acting Like a Loser

＜ 2. Slave and the Sea (3) ＞

‘As expected, I’ll just die.’

The endless blue sea. People on land might admire it because it is a truly mind-opening landscape.

Andrea thought otherwise. This infernal sea was a blue hell that dried people to death.

My skin was sizzling in the scorching sun with no shade. My forehead was unbearably hot. Every time I blink, my consciousness fades and returns. My vision flickered like a piece of film glued together.

The seasickness lasted so long that I forgot what it felt like to not be nauseous. The feeling of vomiting came up again. Andrea grabbed the boat by the edge and vomited furiously.

Gueek, kkeok.

“What are you doing? It’s a waste to eat.”

Marco, who was watching from the side, clicked his tongue. After three days adrift in a small boat, they ate food for the first time. It was thanks to Marco going into the sea and miraculously succeeding in fishing with his bare hands.

Still, Marco shared the fish with Andrea. The problem was that Andrea’s stomach wasn’t in good condition enough to digest raw fish.

There were not many ingredients, only new things came out. Andrea wiped away tears. I thought throwing up would make me feel better, but the nausea still wouldn’t go away.

“Mr. Marco, how is my back… how is it? Please look at me one more time.”

To make matters worse, my back suddenly hurt like crazy since last night. The sharp pain, like stabbing with an awl, suddenly turned into a heavy pain, like being struck with a mace.

Marco looked at Andrea’s back and frowned. The wounds from the whip were on the verge of rotting because they had not been disinfected and treated in time.

“I’m not going to lie at all. It looks like rotten meat from a butcher’s shop.”

“…you can just lie.”

“Isn’t that even better? I don’t want to eat rotten meat either.”

Andrea laughed weakly, making a sound like a deflated balloon.

‘Is Malponsae a true story? The real Marco is a legend…’

Escape from the galley was absurdly easy, as they did not venture to the food depot. As expected, there were sailors who stood vigil. However, all of them were at the front, so the boats tied to the rear were blind spots.

It took a long time to untie the rope, but in the end the sailors didn’t notice until the end. They probably would have been upset the next day, but that wasn’t their business until then.

It was good up to that point, but they ran into trouble right on the boat. The weather, which was sunny in broad daylight, became overcast as if it were a lie at night.

A few stars could be seen, but they were quickly obscured by clouds. Marco’s plan to estimate the current location and the direction of Helios by looking at the constellations was in vain. They had no choice but to float and drift like buoys.

Three days passed like that. I quenched my thirst by drinking the dew on the oiled leather, and caught a fish for the first time today. But both had a hunch that this poor voyage would not last long.

“The wind is not good.”

Marco said while looking at the sunset with his hand shaded. Andrea thought Marco was catching dog pom.

‘I don’t know where to go, but bad wind will freeze to death.’

“The wind has been blowing in the direction of the setting sun since yesterday. In Helios, they say that if the wind blows like this for a long time around this time of year, it is an omen of a typhoon.”

“…isn’t this Helios?”

“That’s what it says. If you catch the horse by the tail every time you say that, I will pour sea water on your back when you sleep.”

Just hearing it sent chills down my spine. Andrea kept her mouth shut, not having the slightest desire to live and become salted food.

As dusk fell, Andrea lay down on the ground. My back hurt and I had a fever, so I couldn’t sleep well, but it was an unbearable reality if I didn’t force myself to close my eyes.

It was in the dark of dawn when Andrea opened her eyes. I felt a hand shaking me roughly. When I woke up, I felt a tremendous noise and vibration in the darkness where I couldn’t see an inch ahead.

“Oh my God, are you still sleeping in the middle of this? Come to your senses!”

“What, what is it?”

“It’s a typhoon! Scoop out the water quickly!”

Raindrops hitting the cheeks harshly. Occasionally, I could only see what was in front of me when lightning flashed. The turbulent waves were turning the whole sea upside down. The boat rocked as if it would capsize at any moment.

“Since when has it been like this!”

“I don’t know either! This is what happened after I closed my eyes for a second!”

I had to shout with blood in my neck so that the person next to me could hear what I was saying. Every time the waves crashed against the boat, enough sea water filled the boat. Marco and Andrea frantically scooped the water out by hand.

“Damn it, I didn’t carelessly bring up the typhoon at sea…”

“I beg your pardon!”

“Quickly scoop up some water!”

The wind of the sword clawed my whole body. The waves showed no signs of abating. I couldn’t see how big the wave would be next time, so my fear gradually grew. At first, it barely exceeded the burial mound, but gradually the height changed to the size of a hill.

At this point, I couldn’t even pump the water out. Andrea and Marco held on to the corner and struggled to avoid being thrown off the ship. It was a rough wave that was hard to guarantee that even a galley would be safe.

“Hold tight! The boat will capsize soon, but don’t let go! If you miss the boat and get swept away by the waves, you will surely die! Get your mind straight!”

Andrea gritted her trembling teeth and nodded. Even a fit and seasoned sailor will die if swept away by these waves. Not to mention, the wounds had rotted away, so there was no way the patient who would be treated tomorrow would be able to survive.

“come!”

A flash of light just in time so they could see clearly. Huge foam rushing like a giant’s grip. It was a wave that would swallow the ship like dust and claim their lives.

It’s such a smart-looking death. Andrea felt somewhat detached. He closed his eyes and repeated the two sentences over and over again.

‘I don’t die. I am a game character i don’t die I am a game character’

In some ways, it was more earnest repetition than praying to God.

In the meantime, the approaching wave hit them. The boat was pushed up by the waves, and then, upside down on the other side of the waves, crashed into the sea.

My whole body was submerged in the water, and all noise was muffled, leaving only the bubbling sound. While the pain was pulsating, her hand was still holding the edge of her stomach.

‘I don’t die. I am a game character i don’t die I am a game character’

*

Andrea opened her eyes. Marco was stunned.

“My God, he’s still alive.”

There was no sensation in the body. Even if a nerve was damaged somewhere, it seemed to be firmly damaged. I tried to exhale, but foam rose from my throat.

Marco turned Andrea over and tried to pat her on the back, but stopped. It was better for me to just hold my breath than to pat this broken back.

However, since I was turned upside down, I was able to breathe a little. The landscape in front was a white sandy beach covered with sand.

Andrea tried to ask where this place was, but all she could hear was wheezing. Fortunately, Marco recognized Andrea’s will.

“This is… I don’t know where I am, but it’s an island. As you can see, it’s completely barren without a single tree. Of course, no one is there either. It seems that you and I came here because we were somehow pushed by the waves.”

“…”

“The strange thing is that there was a wooden door in the middle of the island. There is no building or anything, just one door. If you look at it, it might be a place where people lived a long time ago.”

“…”

“Anyway, you will die soon. When you die, I will eat your corpse and wait for rescue somehow.”

“you···.”

“I wish that your soul will forever reach the paradise where the sun never sets.”

“Yu, yuk…”

“…!”

“When you touch the land… heh-eok, hee-eok, your wish… you say, gaeg, kek-keek… right?”

It was a wonderful vitality. Marco nodded his head, unable to contain his admiration.

“Okay, tell me anything. I think it would make my heart feel better if I listened to that.”

“Me, take me, cuugh, to that door, take me… please.”

Marco tilted his head, but nodded without asking further. It was an effortless request.

Andrea prayed earnestly, holding on to her fading spirit.

‘Please… I hope that door… is the door I know…’

Marco lifted Andrea up and approached the center of the island. The island was truly barren, where not a single blade of grass grew. To the point where I wonder if someone made it artificially. All I could see was a white sandy beach.

how long did it take In the distance, the door Marco had spoken of began to appear. The closer she got, the clearer the figure. Andrea took a deep breath.

A maroon door with intricate vine patterns. That door was one that Andrea knew.

‘Anyone who is selected for the Infinite Dungeon will face this door. That place could be a wall in an alley, a snowy mountain in the cold, or a remote island in the open sea. We don’t know what mystery connected the door and the infinite dungeon, but one thing is certain. All journeys begin through this door, but this door can never be an exit.’

It was a door that looked exactly like the execution icon in ‘Dungeon of Infinity’.

As Andrea struggled behind her back, Marco put her down. Andrea mustered up her last strength and crawled to the door.

I felt like I was swimming in the air because I had no senses in my whole body. The distance of only three meters seemed as far away as the distance between the stars.

The moment Andrea finally arrives at the door, grabs the doorknob and turns it to open the door.

“Welcome, Andrea. I was waiting.”

A deep, low voice reached my ears.

Beyond the door, I could see a room about 20 pyeong made of densely stacked blue bricks. There were no sculptures, but the pale walls gave off an ominous sense of intimidation.

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Not a single window was open, but the room was as bright as daylight. It was because of the white burning incinerator located on one side of the wall.

In the middle of the room, the owner of the voice was sitting on a chair hewn out of stone. A mouse-colored robe and black leather boots, a huge iron cage in his hand, two horns protruding from his temples, and a goat’s head emitting blue eyes. The monster was crossing his legs in a relaxed manner.

Andrea muttered the monster’s name in a low voice.

“Arpan…”

It was Arpan, the one who guided the chosen person into the dungeon.

＜ 2. Slave and the Sea (3) ＞ End