A second playthrough was impossible. Within half a day, Ethan confirmed that this was not his original starting point.
Looking at the two to three-meter-high waves around him and the strong winds that nearly tossed him off the boat into the sea—when he first started sailing back then, he hadn't encountered such harsh sea conditions. Those had given him ample time to adapt.
Although he was now a seasoned captain, his powerful physique and various magical spells were all gone. He only had a small boat, slightly better than a skiff. In this situation, facing a storm, all he could rely on was luck.
"Does this Babel Tower even test luck?"
People with bad luck would be flipped over by a giant wave, their boat shattered. Even if they miraculously survived the storm, without a boat, food, or water, drifting on the vast ocean was just a slow death sentence.
Fortunately, Ethan's luck had always been good. The small boat held up in the wind and waves, and even the supplies on board remained intact despite the rough weather.
After the storm passed, Ethan collapsed in the small boat. Although tired and hungry, he didn't even think about eating. He only drank a large gulp of water to rehydrate.
Unconsciously, he fell asleep. When he woke again, he was almost unused to the groggy feeling that came from deep sleep. He lay there dazed for a while before remembering his current situation.
Sitting up, he felt soreness all over his body. It was the result of overexertion and sleeping in uncomfortable positions. After all, having lived in luxury for countless years, his body was no longer accustomed to such harsh conditions.
Looking around, Ethan even climbed to the top of the mast to look as far as he could.
He didn't expect to see land. He just wanted to observe any changes in the sea's color. The color could indicate water depth. If he saw turquoise waters, sailing in that direction would increase the chance of finding land.
Unfortunately, the view was the same in every direction. In this situation, he could only choose a direction at random and carefully ration his food and water.
"Time to show off my skills."
Ethan had collected all kinds of knowledge back then, constantly reading in his free time. Those books hadn't been read for nothing.
Compared to back then, he now had a wealth of knowledge in his mind, so he wasn't too worried about surviving.
Aside from extreme weather, which was a matter of luck, ordinary problems like food and water were manageable.
In the following days, Ethan didn't encounter bad weather again. The waves remained within the boat's tolerance, and at the same time, Ethan was trying to train. Although his mental power showed no response at all and he couldn't feel any magic, he still meditated daily, even if it seemed pointless.
Ten days passed in a flash. Ethan noticed a change in the color of the seawater ahead and quickly discovered a not-so-small island.
"Finally, land."
Although he hadn't used much food and water, the lack of replenishment brought growing mental stress. More importantly, sailing alone in a fragile little boat across an endless sea was simply too dangerous. If possible, Ethan really wanted to reinforce or modify the boat.
He didn't expect to instantly turn it into a large ship, but at least it needed to be more stable. On the sea, stability was everything.
Finding an island at this time was truly a blessing, especially since it was covered in trees. Knowing himself, it wouldn't be surprising if he just stayed on the island to build a proper ship before setting off again.
"Never leave without being fully prepared."
That was Ethan's personality. So after pulling the boat ashore and ensuring it wouldn't be swept away during a sudden high tide, he began exploring the island on foot.
He hadn't gone far when he saw a few wild chickens at the edge of the forest... or at least they looked like wild chickens.
"Meat!"
Ethan cautiously approached, but he found that these wild chickens weren't afraid of humans at all. It seemed this was an uninhabited island, and the wild chickens had no vigilance whatsoever...
Just as he thought that, the wild chickens suddenly attacked.
"?"
Though surprised by their aggressiveness, Ethan's reflexes kicked in. He shifted to dodge a chicken that almost took flight and charged at him. Then he swung his arm, slamming the wild chicken to the ground.
He had put all his strength into that swing. However, the chicken got back up like nothing had happened and immediately pecked at Ethan's foot.
He kicked out, trying to send it flying, but his foot collided directly with its beak. It felt like he'd been stabbed by a steel awl. The pain nearly made him curl up on the spot.
"I can't even beat a chicken?"
Realizing he was about to fall, Ethan gritted his teeth and threw himself on the chicken, swinging his arm across its neck and pressing down.
This finally worked. With his weight and gravity combined, he managed to break its neck and kill it.
But the danger wasn't over. As soon as he hit the ground, Ethan rolled to the side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw three more wild chickens pounce where he had just been, their beaks stabbing into the ground and leaving holes behind.
...
He didn't even need to check his foot. It was a miracle it hadn't been pierced.
As he got up, looking for something to use as a weapon, the other chickens suddenly seemed to sense the death of their companion. They let out a sharp cry, then scattered and disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye.
Ethan confirmed they had really left before letting out a sigh of relief. Then he looked down at his foot.
"Luckily, just a flesh wound."
It wasn't deep. Maybe because he kicked with all his strength, or maybe because he instinctively pulled back in time.
In any case, it wasn't serious. Ethan picked up the dead chicken, broke off a stick from a nearby tree as a weapon, and wrapped the wound with leaves before continuing to explore.
After estimating enough time had passed, he returned along the original path and camped at the boat.
In the following days, Ethan settled on the island.
He started with a simple tent and gradually built a wooden house. He explored the island bit by bit.
After confirming there were enough animals to hunt, which meant food wasn't a problem, his next goal was finding fresh water.
He also searched for the island's highest point to survey the surroundings and determine which direction to sail next.
Everything progressed steadily. Aside from not seeing another living person, things were going well.
Three months later, Ethan had fully explored the island and even reinforced and modified his small boat. After stocking up on food and water, he set off toward his next destination—he had seen a faint outline of another island in the distance.
From then on, Ethan sailed from island to island. During this time, he never gave up on training, even though three years passed without his mental power showing any reaction.
It was as if everything from before had been a fleeting dream, and he was just an ordinary man drifting at sea, finding islands, surviving day by day.
"Was that really just a dream?"
That thought crossed his mind more than once, and his memories seemed to blur with time.
"This isn't good..."
If this continued, Ethan felt he would eventually forget his past completely and believe that everything had been a dream or a hallucination. All he could do was continue his training, hoping to recover his mental power and resist this strange, creeping mental erosion.
Time continued to pass. His mental power remained unresponsive. In the blink of an eye, several more years had gone by. Ethan noticed that many of his memories were fading, and even the methods for training mental power were becoming unclear. He had tried to write them down, but any object he used to record the method would mysteriously vanish shortly after.
"Something's definitely wrong."
When he arrived at another island, Ethan didn't go searching for food or exploring. Instead, he quietly sat on the beach and reflected.
"Could I have been wrong from the beginning?"
Much of his memory was already blurred. Sometimes he would sit in silence, struggling to recall even the broadest details. The only thing that lingered clearly in his mind was the idea that he needed to become stronger.
Carefully sorting through what memories he had left, Ethan felt as though he had overlooked something important.
"Become stronger... become stronger?"
He vaguely recalled bits and pieces from the past.
"I used to be really powerful?"
Suddenly, something clicked.
"If I used to be strong, shouldn't I be trying to get back the power I lost?"
That thought burst forth like a blocked pipe finally clearing. Ethan suddenly understood what he had been doing wrong all this time.
"So that's it!"
After this realization, Ethan didn't continue sailing. He stayed on the island, focusing solely on training to recover the power he had lost. He persisted for a whole year. Then, one day, he felt something gently vibrating in his chest. In front of him, a staircase leading straight into the sky appeared out of thin air.
(To be continued.)