The eastern sea was calm, but the days felt long.

Providence moved steadily across the waves, with Excellence following close behind.

At this time, Shane stood near the railing, watching the horizon... He wanted to see if they’d encounter a strong Sea Zombie, but aside from small ones like Zombie Murlocs, they didn’t encounter anything threatening.

’Eden Island... I wonder if this is alright.’

Eden Island was still far away, but he knew that whatever they found there could change everything. Sofia might already be dead, but the island itself could hold answers about what they could do to end the Apocalypse.

Harry, the captain, was at the helm as usual.

Soon, Shane heard his voice carrying across the deck.

"Keep the sails tight. Don’t let the wind slack," he ordered. His hands never left the wheel, and his eyes kept scanning the waters.

Shane walked over and smiled, "How’s the course?"

"Straight and steady," Harry replied.

"No storms yet. But you know... the crew’s getting restless. Food’s fine, but there’s nothing to do except play cards."

"Ohh..." Shane nodded.

He had noticed the same thing. Warriors who were used to fighting now sat around, shuffling decks of cards or staring at the sea. The silence was harder to endure than battle.

Anna, the medic and alchemist, was busy near the storage area.

She checked supplies and brewed small tonics to keep the crew healthy, and those with sea sickness were also cured...

"Sea sickness is easy to cure..." she told Shane. "But boredom is a sickness too. They need something to keep their minds sharp."

"Alright... Let me ask around." Shane replied as he planned to resolve this matter.

Chaloem, the monk, sat cross‑legged on the deck, eyes closed. He didn’t seem bothered by the monotony. He was very used to it, so Shane asked him.

As he was about to approach him, he noticed Layla...

"The sea teaches patience," Chaloem said calmly when Layla passed by. "You should meditate with me."

Layla shook her head.

"Meditation isn’t for me. I’d rather practice."

She lifted a crate with her telekinesis, moving it back and forth across the deck.

The crew watched, impressed, though she seemed more focused on precision than showing off.

"How about you, Sir Shane? Would you meditate with me?" Chaloem asked.

"Uhmm... I’ll do it at night. Right, Natalie sent priests to practice Aura... How was it?" Shane asked.

"Mhm... I’m not the one assigned to teach them. But don’t worry... Brother Arthis is there to facilitate their training. I’m sure we’ll hear a good result in a few more weeks." Chaloem replied calmly.

Shane nodded at this and turned his attention elsewhere.

Shinja, the stormblade warlord, trained constantly.

His sword flashed under the sun as he practiced forms, ignoring the rocking of the ship. It seemed like a good balance training...

"If I can fight on a moving deck," he said, "then fighting on land will be easy."

"Haha... That’s true... Keep it up!" Shane replied.

At the back of the ship, however, Travis’ clone leaned against the railing, staring at the two Triadent Mechs secured aboard.

"I still can’t believe you brought these," he muttered. "Two mechs, ready to sortie... it’s insane."

"Well, I’m more surprised that you decided to join us, even if that’s only your Avatar." Shane replied.

"There’s no way for me to compete with your ship. It’s better to join you than build a ship, make my own crew, and worry whether we can survive the seas or not." Travis said with a helpless tone in his voice.

Shane could understand him since it also took him a lot of time to prepare before heading to the seas.

He spent a huge amount of resources just to make this happen.

Still, there was one more surprise in this crew.

Natalie, Clan Leader of New Haven, stood beside Travis’ clone. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"It’s more than insane. It’s genius. Shane’s clan has resources no one else can match. These mechs alone could turn a battle."

Travis whistled. "Drakeheart Vanguard doesn’t have anything close to this. Makes me wonder what else you’re hiding."

Shane overheard them and smiled faintly. "No secrets. Just preparation. Eden Island won’t be easy."

As he said this, he left the two Clan Leaders. They were always praising him whenever they saw him, which was starting to get embarrassing.

Anyway, he headed to meet Lysandra, the quick learner, to ask what she wanted to do...

However, he realized that he was spending her time shadowing Harry.

She asked questions about steering, reading the stars, and adjusting sails.

"If I learn navigation," she said, "I can help when we split up..."

Harry didn’t mind her curiosity. "Better to learn now than later," he told her.

The rest of the crew found their own routines.

Some sparred on deck, others meditated, and a few simply leaned against the railing, staring at the endless water. The ocean was vast and quiet, and every day felt the same.

***

One evening, Shane gathered them together.

"I know the voyage feels slow," he said. "But this silence is part of the test. Eden Island is our goal, and we need to be ready when we arrive. Don’t let boredom weaken you."

Shinja grinned. "Then let’s spar more often. That’ll keep us sharp."

Layla added, "Or we can train our talents. I’ll set up exercises tomorrow."

Anna sighed. "Just don’t break bones. I don’t want to spend the whole trip patching you up."

Travis laughed. "Cards are safer. But fine, I’ll join the sparring."

Natalie looked serious. "We’re not here to play. Eden Island might hold the answer... or maybe even more questions... But I’m wandering... If Sofia’s research is still there, it could end the apocalypse. I wonder if we’re going to return to Earth."

Her words silenced the group for a moment.

Everyone knew the importance of their mission.

Later that night, Shane stood beside Harry at the helm.

There was really nothing to talk about aside from various matters regarding their life outside this ship...

However, as they were having snacks and drinks together... They suddenly heard an explosion!

It seemed like it was a signal flaring up from Excellence!

But since it was being led by Tundra, they had probably encountered a problem!

***

Indeed, the explosion from Excellence lit up the night sky...

At this time, Tundra had already seen the problem.

About thirty zombie murlocks were clawing their way up the hull, their wet bodies slapping against the wood as they climbed!

Tundra didn’t hesitate. He reached into his pack and pulled out stone, triggering an Explosive Fire Bomb. He hurled it down the side of the ship.

Boom!

The fiery blast lit up the deck, incinerating several murlocks and leaving burning patches across the planks.

Still, he wasn’t worried as he knew about the enchantments made by the Elves. Simple fire like this wouldn’t cause any problem at all!

Just like that, the survivors nearby jumped back, startled by the sudden explosion.

"Stay clear!" Tundra shouted.

He was already preparing another. This time, he used a Silenced Concussive Bomb, tossing it into a cluster of climbing murlocks.

The blast was quiet but powerful, sending them flying back into the sea, stunned and disoriented.

The crew began to stir, some grabbing weapons, others rushing to see what was happening.

But Tundra kept moving, planting a Cryo-Stasis Charge near the railing.

When the next wave of murlocks reached the top, the freezing burst caught them, slowing their movements and locking two of them in solid ice.

"Damn pests," Tundra muttered, pulling out another Explosive Bomb...

Boom!

By now, the noise had woken others.

Lily stumbled out first, still in her nightgown. Elsa followed right behind her, also dressed for sleep. Both looked annoyed.

"Tundra!" Lily shouted... "Why didn’t you wake us up?"

Elsa added. "You think you can handle this alone? We’re not useless!" Water gathered around her fingers, forming into sharp streams.

Tundra sighed, glancing at them. "You two were busy... I didn’t want to interrupt." His eyes flicked to their nightgowns, and he shook his head. "Figures. Making out while the ship’s under attack."

Both girls flushed red. "That’s not—!" Lily started, but Elsa cut her off with a glare. "Forget it. Just focus."

With that, Elsa the Water Elementalist raised her arms, sending a surge of water crashing over the deck!

The force swept several murlocks back into the sea.

Lily, the Wind Elementalist, followed with her wind, slicing through the air, knocking others off balance before they could climb higher.

Together, their skills turned the tide! The remaining zombies were pushed back, frozen, or shredded by elemental blasts!

Tundra, seeing that a huge number of Murlocks were still gathering at the sea, finished the job with a final Graviton Imploder, pulling the cluster of Murlocks together before crushing them in a heavy implosion.

Whom~

"Done..."

Just like that, the deck shook, and silence followed!

The crew stood around, stunned by the sudden chaos.

Meanwhile, Elsa crossed her arms and glared at Tundra. "Next time, do not use that explosive to wake us. Got it?"

Tundra wasn’t sure what happened, but he could only nod to end it.