"Is… Is that possible? To build a ship that floats on the Sea of The Afterlife?"
From Esil's perspective, having just been there, Suho's words were incomprehensible. The Sea of The Afterlife was a spiritual universe where dead souls drifted. Despite its name, it was different from the ordinary sea, existing as a completely different concept. Suho's plan to build and sail a ship in such a place was a notion far beyond her comprehension.
"Would a ship even withstand that place? No matter how strong the materials are, the moment they come into contact with the air there, they will instantly rot." But Suho immediately shattered Esil's concerns.
"The materials are scattered all over the place here, aren't they?"
"…What?" Esil's head turned to follow Suho's gaze. And there…
"Ah!" A gasp escaped her lips.
This was the demon world where the trial had just ended. Thanks to that, the corpses of the 'residents of the gap' that the demons killed were scattered all over the place. Actually, the expression 'killed' was inaccurate. The residents of the gap were completely destroyed and had returned to their original form, 'piles of weeds.' Suho shrugged.
"I fought there myself. I saw them all floating on the Sea of The Afterlife. How about it? Aren't they good enough as materials?"
"…" Esil was speechless with admiration.
Of course… It was enough! These weeds were literally 'lumber' that sprouted and grew in the Sea of The Afterlife!
[Kieeeeek! As expected, our liege is brilliant! Of course it's possible!] Beru appeared majestically.
He was so proud of Suho that his lips were practically touching his ears, and he clung to Suho's head, stroking it vigorously. He hadn't been this overjoyed since baby Suho first called him 'Anp' Perhaps that was when it all started. Beru began to actively teach Suho Korean. And it was the same now.
Sniffle.
Beru's narrowed eyes gleamed like that of an intellectual and cold-hearted tutor. The 'Explanation Bug' had appeared.
[In fact, when you think about it, there's no race more suitable for traveling the Sea of The Afterlife than demons.]
[Debuff: 'Death']
This curse of death, activated upon entering the Sea of The Afterlife, was the worst hindrance that consumed one's lifespan in real-time. Even just by breathing, a whopping 100 HP was drained every second, and no matter how many potions Suho drank, it only barely slowed that down. Moreover, if he fell into the 'water', the amount and speed of HP drain increased tremendously in proportion to the depth. But this only applied to Suho, a living human.
The Debuff: 'Death' had no effect on the shadow soldiers escorting Suho at that time. The reason was simple. They didn't have HP to lose in the first place. The shadow soldiers, who were already dead souls, maintained their existence with MP, Suho's magic power, not HP. Therefore, they were immortal as long as his magic power remained. They were an immortal army that wouldn't be eroded by the Sea of The Afterlife.
[…But although the principle is different, demons are also a race that isn't eroded by the Sea of The Afterlife!]
Not all things could be compared to the game system, but if he had to find an analogy, the demon race also lived with MP rather than HP. In other words, the demons were fundamentally accustomed to spiritualization. Moreover, weren't they originally the residents of the gap, the souls contaminated by the 'weeds' that grew in the Sea of The Afterlife?
[Tracing back, the Sea of The Afterlife is practically the spiritual homeland of the demon race.] Harmakan also subtly joined in the explanation.
The Demonic Spirits were originally a sinister race that enjoyed experimenting with souls. Numerous wicked ideas were already popping up in his mind as he glanced at the demons gathered here. He licked his lips. Things like the 'evil spirit's armor'.
[Heh. My hands are itching. If you leave it to this Harmakan, I will build the 'demon ship' that you desire, Master. However, it will take some time to construct something that can carry everyone here.] Harmakan was confident that he could build anything as long as he had enough time and materials.
Then, not to be outdone, Beru pushed Harmakan's face aside and added, [My liege, the Demonic Spirits are good, but there's also another race that's perfect for this. And as it happens, this time…]
"I saw them too."
Smirk.
They grinned at each other. He already knew which race Beru was going to point out. People usually couldn't remember everything they saw as babies. But there were fragments of memories that occasionally surfaced. Among the souls of the mixed world that Suho pulled from the Sea of The Afterlife this time, there were a variety of races. Not all of them strong and extraordinary. The truly powerful ones were sinking deeper, rejecting the shadow power because Suho's level was insufficient. But amidst those successfully extracted, there were quite a few races that Suho had seen in his father's shadow world when he was young. For example,
"Bearded dwarves."
Swoosh!
At those words, shadow newcomers appeared from under Suho's feet. Beru's smiling eyes narrowed even further.
[You're exactly right. The bearded dwarf race, although their combat abilities are poor, are blacksmiths with exceptional talent in crafting.]
They saw them having bushy beards overflowing with black energy, those short but sturdy blacksmiths with thick bodies.
[Shadow Dwarf Lv.1]
[Normal Rank]
[Shadow Dwarf Lv.3]
[Normal Rank]
[Shadow Dwarf Lv.1]
[Knight Rank]
[…]
But levels didn't matter for these guys as he wasn't going to make them fight. The shadow dwarves had more fiery personalities than expected. Those with low soldier ranks couldn't speak, but those who could were voicing their opinions one after another.
[Uhaha! You're going to build a ship to sail the Sea of The Afterlife?]
[Kraa! To think I'd be tasked with such an interesting job after dying!]
As soon as they heard Suho's objective, their bushy beards bristled in all directions with burning enthusiasm and fighting spirit. Their eyes sparkled like stars.
[If you're in a hurry, is it really necessary to build it all here?]
[That's right. We have enough materials, so how about building a lot of rafts and setting off right away?]
[We can each ride on a raft and gradually expand it on the Sea of The Afterlife.]
[That's right! If the materials are weeds that grow there, we can procure them on site and grow the ship.]
[Alright! Let's build it right away!]
They rolled up their sleeves in earnest.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Before he knew it, Suho's plan began to materialize before his eyes through their words and hands.
[Hey, you demons!]
[Stop just standing there and carry this!]
'…?'
[Uh-huh! What are you saving your strength for?! Aren't you going to work?] The demons inadvertently became their assistants and were put to work.
"…But I'm the king." Esil was a little sullen.
She suddenly realized that all the demons who were supposed to serve her as king had become servants of the dwarves. But apart from that, the crafting speed of the shadow dwarves was astonishing.
Saw Saw Saw
[Uhaha! Rafts are a piece of cake!]
[It's just a matter of tying logs together!]
[Master! It's complete!]
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, numerous rafts were completed before Suho.
Ding!
[Crafted Item: 'Raft of the Afterlife'.]
[Acquired: 'Raft of the Afterlife' crafting skill.]
Eventually, a line was added to the [Crafting Skill] section at the very end of Suho's skill window.
[Crafting Skills:]
[Holy Water of Life]
[Raft of the Afterlife]
When Suho looked at the 'Raft of the Afterlife', its description appeared.
[Item: Raft of the Afterlife]
[Acquisition Difficulty: E]
[Type: Mount]
[A crude raft made by weaving weeds that grow in the Sea of The Afterlife.]
[Although its weak defense is a drawback, it is a ship that can move on the Sea of The Afterlife.]
"This really works…" Looking at the last line, it seemed like the plan was a success.
[For now, this should be enough to carry the demons and set off!]
[Let's go see if it actually floats!]
They were so excited that their beards were bristling. The shadow dwarves were eager to see if the ship they built would actually float on the Sea of The Afterlife. But in the meantime, one of them showed a little more enthusiasm than the others.
[Oh my, what should I do with this? I may have worked too hard on it because I had time left.]
Ding!
[Crafted Item: 'Rowboat of the Afterlife'.]
['Raft of the Afterlife' crafting skill is upgraded to 'Rowboat of the Afterlife'.]
[Uhaha! It's nothing much! I just made one to show you how we're going to gradually expand these rafts later.]
"…!"
The other shadow dwarves glared at that sycophant who was flattering Suho while stroking his beard. His excuse was plausible, but anyone could see that he was just trying to show off! Who couldn't build a rowboat and had to make crude rafts? Wasn't the purpose to make as many as possible! The shadow dwarves gritted their teeth at that flatterer and continued their explanation to Suho.
[Anyway, we'll build a bigger and sturdier ship on the Sea of The Afterlife like that.]
[To start, one of our kind and ten demons to use as workers are enough to put on a raft.]
[And until our ship has its own attack and defense capabilities, you can put soldiers in charge of combat on board.]
[Once the warship is complete, even that won't be necessary. Ah, should we also make cannons for the warship?]
The moment someone suddenly mentioned 'cannons', Harmakan appeared as if he had been waiting.
[If it's cannons for the demons to use, this servant of yours has already taken care of it.]
Flash—!
Harmakan spread his palms and unfolded a sinister magic circle.
[Hellsteel. A hard metal imbued with magic that can only be found in the demon world.] He wasn't just playing around while the shadow dwarves were building the rafts. He was fulfilling his own ambitions behind the scenes to gain favor with Suho.
[Using this Hellsteel, we can create cannons that gather and fire the magic power of the demon race, Master.]
Flash!
[Harmakan crafted Item: 'Demon Cannon'.]
[Well, it's just a trivial skill. Heh.]
An invisible battle of nerves unfolded between Harmakan and the shadow dwarves. Watching them, Suho suddenly had a good idea.
"Ah, wait. Then, if that's the case…" Suho took out 'Kamish's Wrath' and showed them to the shadow dwarves, asking,
"Can you guys fix this dagger too?"
'…!'
At that moment. The beards of all the shadow dwarves who saw Kamish's Wrath bristled.
[A sword made from dragon's tooth?!]