His main goal was to use the ship and its resources to train his magical beast and conquer his first dungeon. He used the crew as cannon folders within the dungeon, leaving their survival up to their fate.
As expected, once the dungeon was cleared, he and a broken ship were the only ones who survived. The main character was one of those MCs who preferred a loyal servant to die with their master than find another, disregarding that there were incredibly complex beings who would make the most rational choice to save their lives when pushed to a corner and given a choice.
Men like Fiinn were rare gems.
Even though Zuriel didn't feel pity for the rest of the crew members, he couldn't allow the main character to have his way––stealing his things and throwing him out of his own ship. Instead, he needed to get rid of him as swiftly as possible.
Zuriel had considered imprisoning him in a secluded area to harvest editor points. But he couldn't risk following the same plot line as the earlier parts of the novel.
It was also subtly implied that the main character had a hidden family. A seasoned webnovel reader like Zuriel knew what this meant. If he killed the main character at such an early plot phase, he would have several formidable hidden figures coming after him.
Zuriel didn't want to take any chances until he discovered the changes thegreatquill had made to the re-edited novel.
"Are you sure you want to meet him right now, Captain?" Finn asked, his tone filled with concern.
Sensing his concerns, Zuriel responded with a confident nod. "Yes, I do. The sooner I deal with him, the better."
Finn observed him momentarily before sighing, "Alright, if you wish to meet that uncivilised brute, then I will lead you to him," he responded. He turned around and left the room, with Zuriel following behind.
They walked down the small wooden corridor before taking the stairs down the decks, then stopped before a door. A man in his late twenties, dressed in a red short-sleeved coat with reinforced metal studs and black fitted trousers and boots, stood at the front of the door.
A 1.2-meter (4-foot) scaled, four-legged magical beast with leather wings resembling a drake was seated on the ground beside him. The beast had a large snout with sharp rows of teeth that appeared capable of tearing out a mouthful of flesh from its prey in one bite. From a glance, it was obvious that it was the man's tamed beast.
The beast growled at them as they drew nearer.
"Control your beast before the captain," Finn ordered with a frown.
"I'm sorry. Flamie has rarely met the captain. He was just startled, that's all. I promise that it won't happen again," the man said solemnly, bowing down toward them. He cast subtly curious glances in Zuriel's direction.
"He's your tamed beast. If you cannot handle him, I will ensure that you are resold when we reach our next destination and use the money to purchase a much more competent sea slave," Finn snorted, narrowing his eyes on him.
He knew the man was lying, so he threatened him because it was the only way to keep crew members in line. Otherwise, he risked waking up one morning and the captain in a threatening condition.
As expected, the man lowered his head, looking remorseful, and apologised, "I promise never to allow this mistake again." Even the magical beast on his shoulders lowered its head in apology.
Zuriel realised how little the crew members respected him. After dealing with the issue involving the main character, he will address their disrespect appropriately.
"Humph! Let's hope you learn from your mistake," Finn snorted. "Open the door," he ordered.
The man nodded and pulled a key from his pocket. He turned around, placed the key in the keyhole, and opened the door. Then, he stepped to the side.
Finn gestured for Zuriel to follow him, and they walked through the door together. The crew member swiftly closed the door behind them.
As they walked forward, Zuriel looked at the empty cells at his left and right. According to the novel, it should only be a few weeks since they took off from the shelter. The former Zuriel didn't keep prisoners even as the plot advanced, as he thought they would hinder his growth due to the resources that would have to be spent to keep them alive while they were in their cells.
Anyone who fell prey to his hands was slaughtered or used as a tool to get to the main character—both would have all of their possessions seized. Even when he captured the main character's lover, he planned to use her as a tool to capture the main character. Unfortunately, he ceased to exist after that in the upcoming chapters.
Finn and Zuriel stopped in front of the cell where they held a prisoner. The prisoner was a young man with brown skin and full, curly hair. He wore a beautifully embroidered golden white shirt loosely tucked into a pair of blue trousers and a thick, elegant black coat. On his legs were a pair of black boots that complemented his outfit, all made from unknown materials.
He was covered in injuries, from his peeled, bloody lips to the wounds hidden beneath his clothes, which were soaked with blood. His hands and feet were bound by chains and anchored to the wooden board, rendering him immobile.
The rattling of chains echoed in the empty brig as they moved from side to side. His head was lowered and deep in thought. Sensing their sudden appearance, the young man lifted his head and fixed his gaze on them. His eyes widened in shock and surprise when he saw Zuriel.
This young man was one of the main characters in the novel. His name was Malik Omare!
Zuriel looked at Malik's current condition and was stunned. He wondered how he had managed to deceive the former Zuriel in the story by letting down his guard in his weakened and injured state. But, seeing the scene for himself, even his heart fluttered.
He couldn't help but admit that the main protagonist's make-up and acting skills were outrageously convincing.
Suddenly, a hoarse and weakened voice with a hint of vigorousness resounded and sliced through the tension in their surroundings.
"I didn't expect to wake up too soon from that beating that I had given you?… What are you doing here? Have you come to spit and brag about your superiority?… I'll kill you… I promise that I will really kill you and the entire Zahara household!" Malik growled, his voice rising with momentum as he continued to speak.
He attempted to rise to his feet and rush towards Zuriel but was swiftly held back down by the chains holding him in place. He stumbled forward, laying flatly on the ground; however, his expression was furious, and his gaze radiated an intense desire to kill.
Malik's words stunned Zuriel, causing his expression to morph into a frown. He didn't remember this being part of the script during his next meeting with the main character. However, before he could respond, the system's alert rang in his head, and a bright blue notification tab flashed before his eyes.
┏━━━━━━༻✾༺━━━━━━┓
[System's notification ]
Action: You have successfully invoked the main protagonist's ire due to your actions.
Reward: +1,500EP
Remarks by the thegreatquill:
"Well, look at you! Making friends one step at a time. Keep it up; maybe you'll get a hug from someone other than your magical beast soon."
┗━━━━━━༻✾༺━━━━━━┛
After reading the notification alert, Zuriel's brow twitched in anger. Of course, he realised that this was one of the changes that thegreatquill had made in the story.
This wasn't even a minor change as the main character had never threatened to kill Zuriel or looked at him with such an intent to kill until over a hundred chapters in the story when he captured his lover. Having the main character blood lusting for him was like waving a death flag.
Zuriel realised why he hadn't awakened with memories of the former Zuriel and was like a clean slate. If he had, he would have been aware of the changes that had been made, which wasn't something that thegreatquill wouldn't have found entertaining considering his 'remark.'
Fortunately, Zuriel had obtained some editor points from the little interaction. He also became one of the story's main protagonists with his Beastmaster Editor system. However, he was unsure how to proceed, afraid of any other changes he might encounter.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Zuriel turned his head to the side to look at Finn. "What is he talking about?" He asked, frowning heavily.
He wanted a clear explanation about what had happened, and the only one who could give it to him right now was the loyal middle-aged man beside him.
Hearing his words, Malik was shaken. His expression twisted into confusion momentarily, and then a realisation appeared.