Soon, Adam reached the docks and slowed his pace. His eyes swept over the damaged vessels.
Most were burned, holed, or half‑sunk. Their decks were littered with debris and dried blood.
'It looks like the pirates were smart,' he thought. 'They burned most boats, so no one could chase them.'
After searching for several minutes, he spotted a small fishing boat tied loosely to a cracked pier. The hull bore scorch marks, but it hadn't been breached.
Adam untied the rope and shoved the boat away from the pier. Normally, he would never steal from someone who had already lost so much.
But right now, urgency outweighed morality.
Just as he was about to climb in, a sudden voice halted him. "Wait! Adam."
He looked back and saw his classmates, with Mark among them.
"You guys aren't here to join me, are you?" Adam asked, skepticism in his tone.
Liz coughed awkwardly. "No, we're just here to… uh… check on the other islands and see if the pirates attacked them too."
Even though she was brave, she wasn't stupid enough to go hunt Magus. It wasn't her people who died.
She just thought it was a pity that Adam had made up his mind. To Liz, going after Magus was suicide.
She felt reluctant to let him go and wanted to stop him. But it wasn't her place.
Adam nodded. Their worries weren't unfounded. If the pirates reached Rum Island in the center, they likely attacked nearby islands first.
"Then, I wish no tragedy happened to them."
The other classmates tried to persuade him in their own way.
"Good luck, Adam."
"Don't be impulsive. You could wait until you become a Magus."
"Right, right. We already know what those scum look like. We'll hunt them once we advance to Magus."
Adam merely smiled and shook his head. Then he rowed the oars.
Mark, who had kept silent, finally spoke. "Make sure to come back in two weeks, or else you'll miss your admission to the academy."
Adam paused and looked at him in surprise. Everyone thought he was going to die, yet Mark told him to come back.
Did he have confidence in him, or did he think he would chicken out?
"I will!" Adam said, determination in his voice. He wouldn't miss the chance to enter the Magus academy.
It would guide him properly and give him access to more dungeons.
As he moved away, Adam couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
No one offered to go with him.
Even though he knew that this matter had nothing to do with them, they should at least show their attitude. Even superficially.
But in the end, no one offered help.
Even his best friend Evan kept his presence low, too afraid he would ask him to go with him.
"Friendship is really a fidable thing in face of interest." He sighed. "It's better to gain actual strength than forge real friendship with Magus."
After putting some distance between himself and the shore, Adam stopped rowing.
'This is too slow,' he thought. 'I need to get faster if I'm going to catch up to the pirates.'
Activating Visionary, Adam visualized a blueprint in his mind. He burned 40 spirit points to construct an engine.
Purple mana swirled at the back of the boat and materialized into an engine.
'This will increase my speed,' Adam thought. He grabbed the guiding handle and let it absorb his mana.
The engine howled louder and propelled the boat forward.
It was faster than the gas engines of his previous life. Its speed depended on how much mana he poured into it.
Adam pulled out a mouthful of essence pound from his inventory and swallowed it. His spirit replenished.
'The cost this time was manageable.'
Because he only knew the basics of engines, the blueprint was rough, and it cost him more spirit.
Using Visionary to construct an object was like making a wish. The more accurate the design, the less spirit it consumed.
The opposite was also true.
'I should think of how to deal with them.'
Adam's thoughts shifted as he started to plan how to kill the pirates.
He wasn't foolish enough to believe sadness would suddenly make him stronger.
He was merely an Adept facing two Magus. It wouldn't be easy.
Some might even call it a death wish. But Adam was determined to fight them, no matter the cost.
After all, he wasn't without a chance.
'Right, Visionary!'
*****
After traveling for a few hours, he still didn't see a shadow of any ship.
"Damnit! How could this be? Did they change their course?"
If that happened, he would be screwed. He only knew their rough direction from Mark's description.
But if they deliberately changed course, finding them would be nearly impossible.
Dammit. The more time he wasted, the slimmer his chance of catching those pirates.
'I hope this works.'
He used Visionary to create zoom goggles, wasting 2 spirits.
Through the zoom goggles, Adam finally saw movement on the horizon.
Two ships appeared in different directions from his course.
One ship carried a pirate flag and was attacking another vessel. Smoke rose from its deck.
Adam's grip tightened on the handle, his heart pounding. He couldn't see clearly if these were the same pirates he was chasing.
The distance was too far for him to judge.
'Damn it,' Adam thought. He drained another 2 spirits to increase the zoom and looked again.
But they weren't the pirates he was looking for.
Adam's chest sank with disappointment. A deep dilemma weighed on him.
Should he continue his course, hoping to catch those scum? Or change direction and deal with these trash first?
He was conflicted. Deep down, he wasn't even sure if the path he followed was the right one.
"Damnit!"
Adam yanked the handle and turned the boat. He charged toward the two ships.
He chose to deal with these pirates first. It wasn't out of kindness to save the merchant ship, but rather his need for information.
If he captured them, maybe they would reveal the den of the ones he sought.
After all, scum always know their own kind best.
Once he got close, Adam stopped the boat.
He wasn't foolish enough to rush in blindly.
Ordinary pirates were one thing, but there could be Adepts onboard.
Heck, there might even be a Magus hiding among them.
So instead of charging in like a bull, Adam decided to play his cards right.
After all, he had the element of surprise.
'Visionary… sniper.'
Purple mana swirled in his hands as he visualized the weapon.
He burned spirit points, shaping the outline of a long‑range rifle with a special zoom that could detect mana.
It cost him a total of 45 spirit points to craft, along with fifty rounds of bullets.
Adam grinned. As a former FPS gamer, how could he not know a few weapon designs?
Unfortunately, he had no idea how to create nuclear weapons. Otherwise, he would have a trump card strong enough to threaten even high‑ranked Magus.
'It would cost me a fortune to wish for a nuclear bomb without visualizing the details.'
Setting aside his wishful thinking, Adam adjusted his position and pointed the rifle out.
"I'm so gonna enjoy this!"