The facts proved that the transformation brought by the birth of the world was extraordinary.
Even while carrying Aveline, and in such a narrow, dim environment, Lynn easily moved at speeds far beyond his previous limits—and remained perfectly steady.
That meant he still had plenty of room to push further.
Unfortunately, before he could test it, he had already caught sight of light at the end of the corridor ahead—the door leading to the deck.
In the next instant, Lynn rushed out with Aveline, emerging into the clear night sky, and…
"Faster! Move it, move!"
The captain's frantic roar echoed as he urged his subordinates to ready the ballistae.
Following the direction of the weapons, Lynn spotted their target—a massive sea beast.
"Not bad. Quite a spectacle."
While everyone else focused entirely on dealing with the creature, Lynn quietly led Aveline to a more rearward position and began watching the scene unfold.
"The 'Haishan' Beidou split in two must've looked something like this, right? I wonder what that strike really looked like…"
Setting Aveline down, Lynn spoke with a soft sigh.
It wasn't that he lacked experience. Even excluding what he had seen before transmigrating, the past year of living under a constant streak of bad luck had given him more than enough encounters.
Especially in Natlan, where monsters emerging from randomly appearing Abyss gates were far more varied and dangerous than anything seen in the game.
But his mood now was completely different.
Since arriving in this world, he had never felt as relaxed and at ease as he did at this moment.
"Captain Beidou of the Crux Fleet?"
Aveline seemed equally at ease. Hearing his comment, she joined in casually.
"I've heard of her when traveling for culinary research. Based on the descriptions, that 'Haishan' should have been much larger than this sea beast."
"Oh? Then isn't that perfect? Maybe our dear captain here will recreate a similar feat and become famous."
Lynn suddenly spoke with apparent sincerity, as if offering genuine praise.
Aveline immediately caught the sarcasm and couldn't help but laugh, lightly patting his shoulder.
"Stop it."
Lynn laughed along.
Could this ship's captain compare to Beidou?
Could this vessel compare to the Alcor?
There was no comparison at all—it was practically a joke.
But then…
"Lynn, will this ship sink?"
Aveline recalled what had happened earlier.
She had clearly noticed the changes in Lynn. It was undoubtedly a good thing.
But precisely because it was good, based on her understanding of him, he shouldn't have acted so urgently—waking up and immediately pulling her away. It felt more like there was an even bigger problem waiting behind the scenes.
What bigger problem could there be now?
After a moment's thought, her gaze fell to the ship beneath them.
Especially considering how, before leaving, Lynn had casually dropped a bomb without hesitation.
And that wasn't an ordinary explosive—it was a specially processed solid phlogiston charge. Once detonated, at the very least, it would blast an irreparable hole in the hull.
Under the right conditions, it could even split the entire ship in two.
And they were still at sea.
As someone from Fontaine, Aveline had some knowledge of navigation. Even if they eliminated the crew, she was confident that, with Lynn's help, she could steer the ship to their destination.
Yet Lynn showed no intention of staying aboard, treating the ship as entirely expendable.
He wasn't the type to make things harder for himself without reason.
Which meant there was only one possibility.
He was certain the ship would sink.
"Exactly."
Lynn gave a direct confirmation—and added more.
"Don't bother with the lifeboats either. They're compromised too."
He recalled what he had sensed the moment he woke up, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
At a glance, the situation seemed stable. The captain and his crew were fighting hard, using ballistae and defensive equipment to keep the sea beast at bay, albeit with some difficulty.
But in reality, every impact from the beast sent tremors through the ship.
And only Lynn could perceive that these vibrations were landing with uncanny precision—just the right intensity, at just the right frequency—to damage specific structural points.
Individually, the damage was minor.
But combined, it would trigger a qualitative collapse.
By the time Lynn woke up, the ship's keel had already suffered irreversible damage. Even if the sea beast stopped attacking now, within an hour, the situation would worsen beyond recovery.
The two lifeboats were in a similar condition. They might not sink immediately upon touching water, but they wouldn't last long.
After hearing his explanation, Aveline found it hard to believe.
"How could it be this precise? Could the ship already have had hidden damage that went unnoticed before they set sail?"
Lynn simply shrugged.
"Maybe it's just that unlucky."
But was it really just coincidence?
'Yes.'
Lynn answered inwardly.
'But… it's also inevitable.'
What made it inevitable?
The origin of the sea beast.
It had been drawn by his "unlucky constitution"—a manifestation of the universe's instinctive rejection.
Under normal circumstances, the World Seed would counteract this, giving Lynn room to steer events away from the worst outcomes.
But this time, the seed had absorbed enough energy and was occupied with its own birth. It hadn't intervened.
And so, the malice of the world unfolded in full.
A chain of "inevitable coincidences."
Like death itself arriving.
If left unchecked, the ship sinking would only be the beginning. Whatever lurked in the sea beyond would merely be the appetizer.
But that was fine.
Everything was about to change.
The world had been born.
Though it seemed larger, more conspicuous, and likely to draw even stronger rejection, it was like a being emerging from ignorance—gaining the ability to communicate.
"Aveline, keep watch for me. I'm going to have a chat… with someone."
Aveline blinked in confusion.
Chat?
With who?
There was no one there.
Even if he meant talking to the smugglers, shouldn't he at least walk over or call them? Why was he leaning against the corner and closing his eyes instead?
Still, she chose to trust him.
Silently, she summoned her spear once more. Cryo energy gathered within her Vision, ready to be unleashed at any moment.