NOVEL WEB Chapter 54: Preparations, the Cargo Ship, and a Last-Minute Plan
As the group returns to the village, the mood has obviously changed.
The villagers are confused, scared, and without leadership.
Despite the chaos caused by Black Waltz No. 2, Alex’s appearance as a supposed agent of the Castle, and monsters wreaking havoc underground, the mayor hasn’t shown up, and the villagers don’t know what to do.
Alex just smiles slyly and explains to the group that he had to stretch the truth a bit earlier to avoid conflict with the villagers.
“Good decision, we don’t want to fight them… It seems they’re just following orders from the castle,” Garnet says naively.
“‘Just following orders,’” Alex thinks, recalling the history of his own world and the weakness of that argument. “What can you expect from a sheltered princess in a fantasy world”?
The group enters the inn, startling the lazy innkeeper, who can’t understand why the black mage is still walking around freely.
After resting for a little over two hours, Alex decides to conjure another grenade, figuring three will be enough. “Not like I can keep using them on the cargo ship, or the thing might come crashing down! That would be a stupid way to fail the main mission,” he muses.
Zidane’s words still linger in his mind: “Blue mage, huh?” Alex considers this, reflecting, “I guess if I had to name my fighting style, 'blue mage' would fit somewhat. But instead of casting spells, I combine physical conjurations of my enemies’ abilities with my body and use them as weapons and armor. I’m more of a mix between a classic blue mage and a physical fighter, mostly a knight with a bit of a gunslinger thrown in. Overall, I make good use of my balanced stats and basic skills. I’ve used all my core abilities since I got here, and I don’t feel lacking in any direction… The only thing I could use is a bit of healing, but I can cover that easily with items.”
Deciding to leave the inn early, Alex opts to spend his last 1,000 gil while he can.
He enters the village bar, which also sells medicine. As expected, just like the store in Alexandria and Cinna’s supplies, it carries the same three generic items he’s already familiar with: [Potion], [Antidote], and [Eye Drops]. Without overthinking, he dumps his last 1,000 gil, exchanging it for 1 [Potion] and 1 [Eye Drops], filling his inventory to the system’s limit, since these items are capped at 5 and 3, respectively.
Alex checks his status, glancing over his full inventory. He’s tempted to open the chest he’s been holding onto, but decides to wait until after the mission to increase his Luck further. Since it’s only a green chest, he figures there’s no point in wasting resources by emptying his inventory now. He’ll wait until his stats, including LUK, are higher. It’s unlikely he’ll get anything useful for the final battle ahead anyway.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 1
HP: 130/130, MP: 69/110
STR: 7 (+1), AGI: 7 (+1), PHY: 7, SNS: 7 (+1), CHA: 7 (+5), MNA: 7, INT: 7 SPR: 7 (+5), LUK: 7
Available Stat Points: 3
Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 1, Statistical OCD lvl MAX
Free Skill Slots: 0/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8
Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Footwork lvl 1, Basic Endurance lvl 1, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Eloquence lvl 1, Basic Concentration lvl 1, Basic Meditation lvl 1, Basic Mana Control lvl 1
Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 1, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 0
Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 1, Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 0
Fantasy Coins: 3500 Soul Crystals: Small x2 Gil: 0
Current Weapons: Mr. 5’s Revolver (Downgraded) (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue) Barbed Dagger (Light Green)
Current Equipment: Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Sealion’s Might (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)
Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x4 (Gray), Healing Potion x1 (White), Potion x5 (White), Ether (Light Green) Antidote x3 (White), Eye Drops x3 (White), Freshly baked Pumpkin bread (Gray), Various cards x10 (Mix) Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green) Navalia Fur Armor (White), Navalia Fur Boots (White), Navalia Fur Gauntlets (White) Solid Marine Saber (Light Green), Plant Essence x3 (Green), Frost Essence (Green), Steepled Hat (Green), Dagger (White), Rod (Light Green), Mage Staff (Light Green), Silk Shirt (Light Green), Wrist x2 (White), Iron Sword (Light Green)
As Alex strategizes, a sudden realization hits him. "My time in this world is almost over. Whether I die or succeed, I’ll be leaving this world… today!"
Despite the danger and chaos, Alex has truly enjoyed himself. The first four weeks in the castle felt like a vacation. There wasn’t a single day that was boring or that he regretted.
"Let’s not dwell on the good memories... I’ll visit more worlds and make even better ones! Only one enemy stands in my way now, and he must die. Defeating him like the party did in the game won’t be enough. I have to kill him, or I’ll lose my entire armor set, my sword, and my shield, maybe even three stats. If my innate skill doesn’t work—which isn’t guaranteed, since that kind of stat decrease comes from a curse, not an item, I’ll be in real trouble."
Alex walks out of the village. He had always dreamt of being here, but his actions have somewhat soured his view of the place. He’s eager to leave.
He heads towards the cargo ship and sits beside the Knight, still blocking the villagers and black mages from continuing their work.
"How’s it going, Captain?" Alex asks.
"It’s alright, young knight! This terrible nightmare will soon be over… just a few more hours and we’ll be back at the castle. Everything will make sense again," the captain says, his tone a mix of confidence and self-deception.
Alex can’t help but question him. "Do you really think so? Well, some things are just destined to be, I suppose. I think we should focus on keeping the princess safe. That’s the best thing we can do right now. Soldiers aren’t meant to think independently, but I think we ought to anyway… Look at these villagers, endlessly producing these puppets. They seem to have only one purpose, don’t they? Don’t you see the danger in just closing your eyes and 'following orders,' like they’re doing?"
Steiner falls silent. "I… I will think about it, Alex. But for now, you’re right. Our sacred duty is to protect the princess. Can I count on your help?"
Alex salutes, having genuinely enjoyed his time as a Knight of Pluto. "Yes, Captain Steiner!"
Steiner smiles, though a bit uncertain. "I admit I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m glad to have you with me on this journey."
As Alex talks with Steiner, he notices the rest of the group approaching.
"Let’s do this, everyone!" Zidane says with a smile, clearly not intending to fly towards Alexandria.
Alex observes that Garnet and Vivi don’t look too worried, likely aware of Zidane’s plan.
Steiner, however, says, "Let’s go. I can’t wait to get back to the castle… I mean to Castle Lindblum, of course!"
Zidane: "..."
Garnet shakes her head, and even Vivi giggles a little despite everything that’s happened to him.
Alex shakes his head as well, thinking, "You can’t be serious, Steiner…"
The group climbs the ladder into the airship while the villagers and black mages finally load the last barrel onto the cargo ship.
Alex hears Garnet shriek, followed by Zidane whispering something about “soft.”
Knowing exactly what happened, Alex can’t help but think, "What an idiot. Looks like he’ll be getting the silent treatment for a while. Too bad I won’t have time to enjoy the comedy show—I need to prepare!"
The group stands on the bottom deck of the ship, staring at the roaring mist engine. It looks old but well maintained.
Several black mages are busy with various tasks on board, yet none of them acknowledge the group’s presence.
Vivi desperately tries talking to them, but even he is ignored, making the poor guy seem even smaller than he already is.
Alex feels an urge to help Vivi, but realizes he can’t. Vivi needs to overcome these challenges himself. Instead, Alex rushes up to the main deck, his focus solely on his own survival. He knows exactly how Black Waltz No. 3 will make his entrance, and he thinks about setting up a trap, but he draws a blank. He isn’t sure how to use his knowledge to gain an advantage.
"I only managed to beat No. 2 by exploiting his arrogance for a surprise attack. And I only defeated No. 1 by getting rid of him quickly so I could focus on taking down Sealion. I can’t afford to be arrogant and fight No. 3 without some kind of advantage! My life is on the line!"
"It’s too bad I can’t use my grenades like mines… I can extend the fuse for quite a few seconds, but it’s not a viable option since I can only activate the fuse when I’m holding the grenade in my hand."
"What can I use? Maybe I could hide under the deck and ambush him with my gun... No, he’ll be flying in… That’s too obvious. He’d either spot me, or I wouldn’t be able to aim properly."
"There’s nothing on this dumb cargo ship I can use. Aside from the black mages, there’s only the usual logistical materials—ropes, some tools… nothing… Wait a minute... this rope…"
With no better ideas, Alex grabs a rope and frantically tries to think of a way to combine it with his grenades. He wishes he could summon MacGyver for advice. "That guy could make a mini nuke out of an old battery, some gum, and a few matches."
Unfortunately, Alex isn’t skilled at crafting. While he isn’t dumb, anything related to makeshift engineering or inventing is beyond him.
Instead of attempting some crazy solution, Alex decides to drop the idea altogether.
"That won’t work, or to be honest, I simply can’t make it work."
He could risk trying to build a bomb or something out of ship parts, but what if he damages the ship by accident? All in all, Alex feels helpless. "Even if it’s a fair fight, as far as I remember, Black Waltz No. 3 prefers thunder spells over ice and fire. I better use my new ability and try to force him into melee combat. I can’t just stand a few meters away, jump in for a single attack, and then retreat like in the game. That’s just silly. Black Waltz No. 3 is much stronger than No. 2, but as far as I recall, he’s not as tricky and can’t use teleport."
"What else is there to know? He’s arrogant, pure evil, and incredibly selfish, even disobeying his creators, Zorn and Thorn, and looking down on them. Think about the lore… What is Black Waltz No. 3 really trying to do? Just like the others, he wants to capture Garnet because Brahne wants to extract her summons, which she’s not yet powerful enough to use in combat… Well, not unless you overlevel like crazy for days," Alex jokes, remembering players who did just that, trivializing the game to an absurd degree.
"Wait a minute, summons! He wants to retrieve the royal pendant Garnet carries too, doesn’t he? As far as I remember, that’s also tied to summoning. Now what do I need? Just a small bag… like that one!" Alex spots a small cloth bag lying around and immediately grabs it, treating it as if he’s just found a treasure.
"Do I use all three? No, that’ll be too obvious from the weight and might even look suspicious… just one it is. Set the fuse to three seconds… perfect!"
"I just need to hold it to activate it. I can feel it. I can activate this grenade through the bag. Perfect!"
"Looks like I won’t have to fight without an advantage after all… Now it just depends on my acting and luck. At least I’ve done my best… even if it doesn’t work, I won’t have regrets. Hehehe, Black Waltz No. 3, I hope you’ll enjoy the little present I’ve prepared for you," Alex thinks with a wicked grin, his methods of taking down enemies growing more cruel and sinister by the day.