Chapter 2
8 years.
That was how long it had been since I, an ordinary college student from South Korea, arrived in this world.
A game I used to enjoy playing—
“Try Killing Me: War of the Forest.”
It was a masterpiece praised for its effort in creating a vast world with numerous playable characters, each with a unique story.
As the name suggests, the game’s setting was an era of fierce warfare where countless countries were locked in bloody battles.
The main plot revolved around the playable characters acting as war heroes in their respective nations.
However, perhaps due to the preferences of the developers or to portray the harshness of war, the endings for these player characters were always death endings.
No matter how many nations they managed to save, the protagonists ultimately faced their demise without being able to save themselves—a bitter conclusion.
For players like me who immersed themselves in the story, it was a tragic and disheartening ending in many ways.
But—
As soon as I fell into this world, I realized something.
Although it was the same world as in the game, the possibility of me meeting the protagonists was extremely slim.
And that made sense, considering that—
In a work where wars fought in mountains, fields, and wastelands were the main focus, the body I was reincarnated into was not a playable character, a soldier guarding a castle, or even a peasant farmer tilling the fields.
What lay before my eyes immediately after reincarnation wasn’t dirt roads or villages—but the boundless open sea, with no land in sight.
And my occupation…
I was a Pirate.
At thirty years old, I found myself as an ordinary crew member of a small pirate group.
A Pirate with the name of Ezra Drake.
Since my area of activity was restricted to the sea and islands, and at most, the coastal regions, unless I decided to change careers entirely, I had virtually no chance of meeting the protagonists.
Not only did I have a vastly different area of activity,
but even the timeline was still ten years away from the original story’s beginning.
From my perspective, there was no reason to throw myself into the hellish land battles and suffer in place of the protagonists.
So, I cleanly gave up on interacting or interfering with them.
I decided to focus on enjoying this rare chance to experience a fantasy world.
My experience of serving in the Navy in my previous life turned out to be surprisingly useful,
But even more so was something else that provided a great advantage.
It was…
The translucent, semi-visible screen that appeared before me as soon as I reincarnated—
The so-called status window that only I could see.
<Quest Activated – A Worthless Pirate of the Mediterranean>
[You are an unnamed minion in a small pirate group.
Distinguish yourself in the upcoming battle.
The blood of your enemies will become your strength.
Their deaths will become your fame.
Objective: Kill 4 or more enemies in battle.
Rewards: Experience points, a slight increase in reputation, and the combat skill “Wave Blade.”]
The quests were simple, and the rewards generous, just like in the original game.
Thanks to this, I grew stronger much faster than others.
At the same time, I was able to enjoy countless conveniences that helped me survive in this world as a pirate.
And as a bonus, my reputation quickly built up.
Thus, receiving the help of the quest status window, I lived as a pirate for the next 8 years.
Starting as a nameless pirate in my early thirties,
I rose to become a vice-captain, then a captain, formed a large fleet, and eventually declared my domain.
Now—
As a middle-aged man in my forties,
I had risen to the peak of the sea.
I had become what a certain monkey protagonist in a famous pirate manga aimed for…
I had become the Pirate King.
The ruler of the Five Seas that enshrouded the continent.
Honestly, I had seen signs of it while progressing through the quests.
My combat power kept increasing dramatically, and the scale of the quests kept getting larger.
When a quest appeared asking me to plunder the Barbary Pirate Group that had ruled the Mediterranean for hundreds of years,
I vaguely realized where this quest line was heading.
After defeating all the major pirate groups in the Five Seas and bringing peace to the region,
I now stood at the pinnacle.
But at this moment—
Without a shred of fear, the slave ship flying the insignia of some insignificant Franz Kingdom noble dared to pass through our territory near Crete Island.
Thinking it was a good opportunity to stretch my muscles, I personally went to rescue a young girl, only to find myself utterly dumbfounded.
The girl’s name, Ambasha—an extraordinary name even by this world’s standards.
And the small cross-shaped scar on her forehead.
There was only one person in this world that could come to mind with such distinctive features.
The Slave Knight, Ambasha Abigail.
A playable character from the original game and considered the true protagonist due to her popularity and significance.
She starts as a slave knight of the Franz Kingdom, but later becomes the Emperor’s Sword, creating countless legends.
However, right now—
The protagonist herself stood before me in the Crete waters, over 1000 kilometres away from her original location in the Franz Kingdom.
Moreover, she was two years younger than in the original story, currently a 16-year-old girl.
It was a situation where the wild protagonist had appeared out of nowhere.
What I thought would be a simple matter was now developing in an increasingly strange direction, and I found myself lost in thought.
At that moment—
—Ding!
<Special Quest Activated – The Slave Girl>
[You have picked up a slave girl.
Escort her to her original destination in the Franz Kingdom.
Objective: Take the slave girl to the Franz Kingdom’s Marenseu Port.
Reward: Help in the future.]
“…”
The status window, which usually activates quests in response to certain triggers, appeared again.
Ever since becoming the Pirate King, the main quest seemed to have ended, and the frequency of quests had decreased, but it still occasionally gave missions for minor matters.
For example, quests to free slaves or to hunt sea monsters plaguing the sea at the request of merchants.
Although I felt like I’d maxed out my level, the quest window still ensured I wasn’t bored, and I’d benefited greatly from its assistance until now.
But at this moment—
I found myself at a crossroads.
Should I follow the status window’s instructions and send this girl to the Franz Kingdom, ensuring the story’s original flow?
Or should I choose a different path?
If I were to follow the so-called flow of the world, taking this girl to the Franz Kingdom would be the right thing to do.
Right now, Ambasha is just a small and fragile girl.
But soon, she will awaken her talent for the sword and become a hero.
She will contribute significantly to transforming the Franz Kingdom into an empire and make a name for herself in the continental war with her many feats, both large and small.
And…
“And in the end, she’ll die…”
In about 13 years.
This girl, who is only 16 now, will die on the battlefield before she even reaches 30.
A life that begins and ends in war.
The world will call her a hero, but—
All that will remain of her is a blood-stained sword and a tattered uniform full of holes.
No one she can call family.
No opportunity to experience happiness…
Only fighting and fighting as commanded, and then being buried in the mud without a proper burial, surrounded by countless other corpses.
That is the fate that awaits this child if I take her to the Franz Kingdom.
Is letting that happen…
truly the right thing to do?
I felt that I had to make a decision myself.
Should I let her be crushed to death under the wheel of fate?
Or should I save her, even if it means breaking that wheel?
‘Maybe… it would’ve been better if I didn’t know the original story…’
My prior knowledge was making it harder to decide.
After all, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of ripple effect this decision might create.
And finally—
I made my choice.
***
The Giant Pirate who saved her.
A man with such an intimidating appearance that if she saw him at night, she would immediately collapse in fear and burst into tears.
And now, he was looking down at her without saying anything for a while.
Ambasha simply remained silent, observing him.
A mannerism that had become second nature through her lifelong slavery.
‘Do not speak until the Master opens his mouth.’
Even though she had gained her freedom, she still retained the instincts of a slave.
Thinking and acting based on her own will was something she still lacked in many ways.
And right now, her instincts were—
Accepting the man before her as her new Master.
So, she waited.
She waited for him to give her an order.
Still holding onto a vague hope that, unlike her previous master, he wouldn’t lash out with violence and insults.
And then—
The pirate reached out his hand towards Ambasha and spoke slowly.
“Become my Daughter.”
“!”
—
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