Sea Survival: My Luck is Off the Charts

The pirate ship ride started right on time, beginning its violent side-to-side swings without any regard for the condition of its newest passengers.

And this wasn’t one of those pirate ships that was fixed in place, merely swinging back and forth.

Since it was a pirate ship, there were, of course, pirates on board. And the ship, of course, was at sea.

The ship rocked amidst monstrous waves as the people on board fought to the death.

Many were swept away by the waves before anyone even had a chance to attack them.

The safety belts kept Faye Yardley and Kian Quill from being washed away, but they also severely restricted their movement.

"See? This is exactly it," Faye Yardley said, patting Kian Quill’s shoulder reassuringly. "You’re just supposed to sit quietly on a pirate ship ride."

When the old bear-man fought, he didn’t seem old at all. He was incredibly fierce.

He made a beeline for them, took a seat opposite Faye Yardley and Kian Quill, and flashed them a friendly smile before grabbing a safety belt and buckling himself in.

As he did all this, he casually tore off a zombie’s head.

"I’m surprised you two like this ride. You’ve found yourself a good teammate, kid."

Kian Quill snorted. "Of course."

Faye Yardley remained silent. She realized she had truly grown accustomed to life at sea. No matter how the pirate ship swayed or how rough the waves became, it all felt familiar, almost comforting.

Faye Yardley found this psychological shift in herself deeply unsettling.

’Habit is a terrifying thing.’

But as unsettling as her own adaptation was, she found these crazed players to be far more terrifying.

The lack of any perceived threat to their lives, coupled with the allure of rewards, truly unleashed the deepest madness and greed within people’s hearts.

For the sake of some ephemeral reward, they treated their own lives—and the lives of others—as if they didn’t exist.

Faye Yardley’s current goal was simply to protect herself from being harmed by those frenzied, greedy people.

For anyone who dared to strike at her first, her counterattack would force them to momentarily regain their senses. Those who couldn’t were simply turned into fodder for someone else’s reward.

’This is basically an amusement park-themed battle royale.’

The old bear-man was certainly formidable. He currently showed no malice toward Faye and her companion; they could even cooperate to a degree.

The safety buckles on the seats could withstand the crashing waves, but they couldn’t withstand the ambition of those who wanted more.

Since backpacks were unusable, whatever Faye Yardley could get her hands on became her weapon.

Sometimes, that even meant the severed limbs of others.

At times, the pirate ship was completely submerged by enormous waves; at others, it was lifted high into the air by the raging sea only to be slammed back down.

The whole point of the game was the thrill.

When Faye inadvertently killed a white, ghost-like creature, the Clown’s voice rang out: "Congratulations, esteemed guest, on slaying a pirate. You have temporarily acquired the pirate’s ability—Climate Control."

’Climate Control?’

Faye immediately said, "Wind, come."

A furious gale was added to the already tempestuous scene, sending anyone not buckled in flying across the deck.

"Wind, stop."

But the wind didn’t stop. ’So this ability only works to make the weather more thrilling and dangerous?’

As another pirate ship was about to collide with theirs, Faye listened to the mix of exhilarated cheers and terrified screams from the other players and spoke again: "Lightning, strike!"

In that instant, the sea was filled with the crushing force of a thousand thunderbolts.

Before it could even ram their vessel, the other ship was struck by lightning. With a loud CREAK, cracks began to appear in its hull.

Kian Quill looked at Faye, his eyes shining with adoration and desire. ’I want an ability like that so badly!’

The old bear-man, after tossing an unlucky Snakefolk overboard, glanced at Faye in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to unleash her ultimate ability right off the bat.

However, after the disintegrating ship bumped into theirs, their pirate ship was caught by another wave. With a deafening BOOM, the wave tossed them right into the harbor.

Their ride was over.

What a shame. How did it end so quickly?

Faye Yardley quickly unbuckled her safety belt, then undid the one for a still-dazed Kian Quill. She hauled him to his feet, hopped off the pirate ship in a few quick steps, and headed straight for the exit.

"Whoa, whoa! Miss Yardley, you’re so incredible! How did you make the weather change like that?"

"A temporary ability I got for killing a pirate."

Kian Quill paused, stunned. "A pirate? I didn’t see one."

"I didn’t see one either," the old bear-man added, striding up to join them.

Faye shrugged. "Neither did I."

To Faye, killing the pirate had been a complete accident. After all, she’d been sitting still the whole time. If someone came looking for trouble, it was only natural for them to be killed in the counterattack.

The old bear-man grunted in understanding. "Looks like it’s all down to personal luck. A pity. My luck has never been that great."

"We’ve done two rides now. Can we choose to leave?"

Hearing Faye say this, Kian Quill grew anxious. "Miss Yardley, let’s play a little longer! There are still so many rides I haven’t tried."

Faye blinked. "Me neither. But you have to know when to quit while you’re ahead if you want to walk away with a decent reward."

"Wise words," the old bear-man said with surprising agreement. He, however, intended to keep playing. He gave them a wave and headed off toward the next ride.

Kian Quill was confused. "But you only get the best reward by clearing everything."

"How old are you? Come here once a month, clear one ride, and get a small reward. You’ll get a little stronger each time. That’s twelve times a year. In ten years, you’ll still be young. Imagine how much stronger you’ll be than you are now. Wouldn’t it be easier to go for the grand prize then?"

"Huh?"

Faye Yardley looked at Kian Quill with utter sincerity until he nodded. Then she smiled and said, "Good. Now hurry up and choose to complete the mission."

"Are you just trying to get rid of me?"

Faye Yardley shook her head quickly. "Of course not. I’m just going to do some scouting, see which ride is the safest and easiest to clear."

At that, Kian Quill said, "There’s no ’safest’ ride. They’re all the same, really. You either pass when the time runs out, or you pass by getting rid of everyone else."

"I see. And you’ve played them all?"

"No, this is my first time. I just heard it from other people."

Faye let out a noncommittal "oh." "So, why doesn’t everyone just enjoy the ride and wait for the timer to run out before moving on to the next one?"

"Where’s the fun in that?"

Faye: ...

’Alright, alright. So you all love your thrills. You’re all so tough. Go on, try playing a game where you have to pay with your life.’

’Then you’ll learn what "try it and die" really means.’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!