"Does Brow really seem to love gold or something?" Liam muttered as he stuffed the last gold plate into his ring. Early in the morning, he had woken up to inspect all of Brow's belongings, but all he found was gold. Maybe he had been hoping for something special, like the medallion from the Carter family.
"I think that medallion you got is the only valuable thing from that treasure." James stretched and yawned after just waking up.
"If I get another chance, I should focus on more unique items."
Liam gave a wry smile as he listened."You think we'll really get another chance like that?" After that, he extended his hand, and red energy quickly enveloped it. Unlike last time, the energy was now starting to take a more defined shape.
"What is that?" James asked, surprised as he watched Liam's hand.
Liam observed the energy surrounding his hand, forming into a sharp sword, and looked pleased.
"It's an energy sword." He lightly let his hand touch the stone ground, but contrary to his expectation of slicing through it, the sword quickly dissolved as if it were merely light.
"A real sword?" James raised an eyebrow at this trick.
Liam felt a bit embarrassed by the failure. It seemed he still had a lot of training to do.
"Anyway… we should get going..." He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah," James nodded, not paying much attention. After all, that was something only Liam could handle.
The two of them left the cave and headed toward the shore to build a raft. Time was of the essence, and they needed to act quickly.
***
"Finally done." James wiped the sweat from his forehead after finishing the small raft.
They immediately set out without resting. After all, that wasn't as important as crossing the sea while it was still calm. The weather in these waters was unpredictable, sometimes stormy, sometimes peaceful. If they were unlucky, they might be stuck on this island for a long time.
"How's the compass?" Liam asked with some concern. Last time in the fog, they couldn't use the compass. If something went wrong again, it would be serious. They'd be drifting aimlessly on the ocean.
"Don't worry, the compass is pointing the right way." James set the compass on the map to check their direction, glancing up at the sun to ensure the compass was accurate. The sun was a useful tool for navigation, but it wasn't always reliable because the weather at sea could be unpredictable.
Hearing that, Liam felt a bit more at ease. He turned back to look at the island behind them, now shrinking in the distance. This gave him an idea of the raft's speed. Once everything had settled, he sat down and extended his hand. The energy flared up again, surrounding his hand and forming into a sharp sword.
"What am I missing?" Liam thought to himself, picking up a small wooden stick and repeatedly touching it to the energy sword in his hand. But the result was the same as always. Still, he didn't give up, continuing to train all day without stopping, until his energy was completely drained.
This dedication made James, who was sitting nearby, feel a sense of admiration. Not wanting to fall behind, he also pulled out the exercises his grandfather had taught him and began practicing again.
Time passed quickly, and three weeks had flown by in the blink of an eye. Fortunately for them, the journey had been smooth. They weren't disturbed by any creatures, nor did they face any bad weather. The food and water they brought were more than enough for a two-month journey, so they were confident. Even if they ran out, they could always catch fish from the sea.
"So boring..." James lay sprawled on the raft, then stood up to watch Liam, still diligently training, feeling a bit admiring.
"Aren't you bored?" James yawned. Liam had been practicing non-stop the whole time, never taking a break, as if it was his favorite pastime. Meanwhile, James had only managed to keep up his training for a week before starting to slack off.
Liam didn't respond to James' question until the stick in his hand split in two, falling to the raft with a soft "clack." His right hand was now trembling from overuse. He collapsed onto the raft, exhausted, took a deep breath, and said, "Yes, of course..."
The truth was, anyone would get bored doing the same thing over and over again. They'd eventually feel like giving up, especially when the end goal seemed so far away. It was like chasing after something in the endless void.
"Then why don't you quit if you're bored?" James asked, puzzled. He had always seen Liam working so hard, not just now but even back when they were training with his grandfather. He didn't understand what drove Liam to keep going.
"Quit?" Liam mumbled. In reality, that thought had always crossed his mind. Even in his previous world, there were many times when he wanted to give up, to walk away from every opportunity. But in the end, he always pushed through. Others never saw his effort, only judging him based on the final outcome.
"I just want to see how far I can go… if I give it my all."
James listened and thought about himself for a moment. He stared at the fiery red sunset, feeling the salty breeze from the sea on his lips, and mumbled to himself:
"Have I ever truly given it my all?"
***
"There's land ahead!" James shouted.
"Land... People..." Liam's voice mingled with the air as he continued to sleep. Perhaps it was because they had been at sea for so long.He jolted awake, eyes still groggy as he looked ahead. A long stretch of land appeared, with no end in sight. There were also a few small boats near the shore. Though the early morning fog made everything a bit blurry, it was undoubtedly land.
"Land..." Liam was now fully awake, too excited to sleep any longer. After a journey full of hardships and dangers, nearly becoming food for monsters, who wouldn't be happy to reach safety?
"I'm going ahead!" James left the wooden raft, immediately stepping onto the water and heading toward the shore, unable to wait another moment. Liam watched and simply shrugged at James' hurried nature, muttering to himself:
"Relax... the land's not going anywhere."