Once all 16 players had appeared on the second floor, the real challenge had begun.
Upon emerging, they took a look at the stone platform beneath their feet, amalgamating with the sand of the surrounding beach.
In front of them stood towering ships that were wrecked and covered in moss and seaweed, each vessel with its own tragic tale to tell, unfortunately reaching its end as the bells toll.
Nico looked around him and surveyed the area. Despite the shipwrecks, the only thing around them that seemed to be relevant was the ocean, which made him think that the real challenge within the tower of Poseidon would begin on the second floor.
"Looks like the first floor existed to just throw us off. This isn't a normal tower," said Sophia. "I don't see anything else other than the ocean."
"Then that's where we're headed," said Nico. "We can't use any of these ships though. We might need to fix one of these babies if we're gonna sail."
"I-I know a thing or two a-about ships... L-Let me have a look..." Veronica stuttered as she walked towards a broken ship. She rubbed her chin and inspected the area further. "Victor, c-could you lift this courter deck for me?"
With no hesitation, Victor walked towards Veronica as he cracked his neck and knuckles before lifting the courter deck and allowing the sand to flow out of it.
"Huh? I thought this would be bigger," he said as he put it back down.
"So did I. It's just as I suspected," said Veronica. "These ships aren't just wrecked, they're all from a single vessel," she explained with a soft smile on her face. "This is a puzzle! We're supposed to piece these together to set sail!"
"Wow. You seem awfully excited," said Nico.
Embarrassed, Veronica shook her head. "N-No! It's just... I enjoy solving puzzles..."
Nico shrugged and walked to the other pieces, where he tried picking up a bulkhead on his own, putting all his strength onto his legs. Barely lifting it from the sand, he set it to the side and took deep and heavy breaths.
Sophia tapped him on the shoulder. "Let the rest of us handle this. You'll help Veronica piece them back together," she ordered as she effortlessly lifted the hull. "Until you work on your weak ass arms, let us do the heavy lifting before you hurt yourself."
"Not all of us have muscles for brains. You should try reading a book before you judge me about my strength," Nico said as he walked past her.
Sophia rolled her eyes in annoyance and began lifting different parts of the ship. One by one, the other players assisted and eventually, they ended up finding all the pieces of the ship.
With detailed instructions from Veronica, the group carefully pieced the vessel together, lifting up the sails, topmasts and other parts of the ship.
After what felt like an eternity, what was once a shipwreck was now a fully-fledged vessel, one covered in green from different types of weeds and moss.
"I was going to steer the ship, b-but, I'm too weak... unfortunately..." Veronica said as she pushed her fingers against each other. "A-Any volunteers? I-I'll be sure to teach you how to steer properly!"
No one volunteered. Instead, they awkwardly looked away and whistled nonchalantly. This broke Veronica's heart. She would've gladly steered the ship if she wasn't so weak, but hurdling such a huge ship needed strength, strength that she didn't have.
She faced the ground and felt frustrated; until she heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up and saw Jax, who gave her a soft smile.
"I've always wanted to be a pirate when I was a kid. So, I guess this is as close as I'll get," he said as he shrugged. "I'll be more than happy to learn."
Veronica's eyes lit up and she gave Jax the sweetest smile he had ever seen, which made him blush. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his and dragged him towards the ship.
***
After pushing the ship off the shore, the group set sail onto the calm ocean. Those with the wind affinity and abilities assisted with the movement of the ship by blowing some air onto the masts and sails.
While the rest of the players mostly strategized about what was about to come, Nico isolated himself and began working out. He checked his system screen and looked at the training regimens that granted rewards that all players could use.
{ Basic Sets (LVL.1)
5 sets of 10 push-ups (sets completed: 4/5)
5 sets of 10 squats (sets completed: 5/5)
5 sets of 40 squat punches (sets completed: 2/5)
5 sets of 10 squat jumps (sets completed: 3/5)
5 sets of 20 leg raises (sets completed: 3/5)
5 sets of 20 raised leg circles (sets completed: 3/5)
5 sets of 20 flutter kicks (sets completed: 5/5)
Reward: Fortifying Potion (1) }
He was doing good so far. In only an hour or two, he should have completed the basic training. He'll also get a fortifying potion, which is supposed to help with revitalizing the body after a hard workout.
'This isn't a particularly hard workout, especially in this body. So, I think I'll stash it instead. Plus, this potion is supposed to give you boosted stats, but it tastes like shit, so that's the only downside to it,' Nico said to himself.
"I never thought you'd be a gym rat, Nico," Victor said as he crossed his arms and smirked.
"Yeah, I'm not. I'm just doing this to make sure I never find myself cornered ever again," he responded. "That body of yours... it doesn't look like it came with your character..."
"That's because it didn't," Victor proudly declared. "I had to develop these guns in the game, just like I did in real life."
"Why would you need to work out in real life and get ripped like a shit brick house?"
Victor smiled solemnly. "My godfather died in my arms when I was 14... I was too weak to carry him. My family never blamed me, but I did..."
Nico's eyes slightly widened. "I'm sorry to hear that..."
"Don't be. It made me the man I am today. Seeing another person strive to become stronger makes me happy. A man's honour lies within his heart and his fists. Protect those you care about, Nico. You won't regret it."
After Victor said that, the ship rocked side to side as the ocean started experiencing waves. Storm clouds accumulated above them and the bright blue sky quickly turned black, releasing a cold and icy rain onto the ship and players.
"Oh no..." Veronica muttered in a low whisper, mostly to herself, as she stared at the horizon.
"What's wrong?" Jax queried as he looked at her horrified face. When he looked in the same direction, his own eyes widened while his eyebrows slightly twitched.
Right in front of them was a whirlpool swirling in the direction they were headed. The ocean violently whipped as the waves pulled the ship closer and closer to the players' doom.
"Unfurl the sails! Now!" Veronica instructed.
Swiftly, the players unfurled the sails and held on tightly to the ship, barely maintaining balance as the vessel swayed from side to side.
Right when they thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, it unfortunately did.
Lightning descended from the black sky and struck the wooden boards of the ship, creating a hole in the floor. The players wore panicked facial expressions and looked at the huge gaping hole in the middle of the vessel.
"Don't panic! It's shallow, so water won't get inside the ship!" ensured Veronica. "That is..." she suddenly smiled anxiously, her eyebrows twitching while her heart beat fast. "... If it wasn't raining..."
"Shit!" Victor exclaimed. "Everyone, find something to pluck this hole up! We can't let this thing sink!"
The players scrambled and searched, hoping and praying they could find something to hold the ship together. It appeared that luck wasn't on their side.
"We'll have to face the storm ahead if we wanna live! For now, we need to make sure that hole doesn't get any bigger!" said Nico.
"And how do you suppose we do that, genius?!" Sophia crowed.
"Veronica said the damage was shallow, and she's right! Right now, we need to get the eye of the storm!" Nico said as he pointed at the cumulonimbus clouds swirling above the whirlpool, which was now starting to form a cyclone.
Veronica nodded and turned to Jax. "Lend me your strength!"
Jax nodded and they steered straight towards the storm, the ship bumping harshly against the waves. As they sailed towards the storm and whirlpool, they heard the wooden vessel creak, threatening to shatter another part of itself.
But, Veronica wouldn't allow that to happen.
She gathered her mana, and a faint blue glow followed, which enveloped the entire ship and the players. As if it was unaffected by the storm, the vessel sailed smoothly and phased through the ocean water.
Nico looked around the ship and realised that he could now see the ocean floor beneath him, where he saw countless sea creatures swimming below the ship.
"She's a phantom?!" he exclaimed.
After realising what Veronica was, Nico believed that it was up to her to get them to safety. But, would her strength be enough to carry the weight of the ship and 16 players?