The goddess raised her arms dramatically. "Now go forth, Shipwright! Build us a fleet that will save Osceania!"
"Yeah, about that," Ryuu muttered, trudging through the forest floor. "You keep saying fleet, but I can't even make a raft because I don't know how your stupid trees work."
The goddess floated lazily beside him, halo of gears spinning with a soft hum. "Learning is part of the journey! See? Your 'understanding level' is already rising."
Ryuu squinted at the translucent blue bar floating above the nearest tree trunk."Yeah, that's great and all, and I guess I don't really have a choice."
"Ah, here," The goddess materialized a makeshift hatchet on her right hand and extended it to Ryuu, "It's best if you understand it thoroughly. Whack it or something."
Ryuu sighed and approached the nearest tree, tapping its trunk. A glowing tag appeared above it:
[Verdleaf Tree] — Durability: Low | Buoyancy: High | Flexibility: Poor
"Verdleaf, huh. Looks like a bad mix between balsa and cardboard," he muttered, pulling out a makeshift hatchet the goddess had conjured earlier. A few swings later, the tree fell, dissolving into neat wooden logs that floated into his inventory.
"Hey, that's kind of satisfying," he admitted.
The goddess clasped her hands, eyes shining. "See? You're getting the hang of it! Try crafting with it."
A small holographic menu popped up before him:
[Craft: Basic Raft?]
→ Materials Required: Verdleaf Logs (5/5)
Ryuu pressed confirm. The logs arranged themselves into a crude, uneven raft that promptly tilted and sank halfway into the nearby river.
"...And there it goes," he muttered flatly.
The goddess tilted her head. "Perhaps Verdleaf wasn't meant for maritime greatness."
"No kidding." He glanced around, eyes narrowing at another tree species—taller, darker, with thick roots gripping the soil. He tapped it.
[Ironwood Tree] — Durability: High | Buoyancy: Low | Density: Extreme
Ryuu frowned. "So this one sinks like a rock. Great."
Undeterred, he kept testing—cutting, crafting, testing again.
[Reefpine] — Balanced but warps in saltwater.
[Skybark] — Lightweight, but brittle.
[Azure Oak] — Excellent buoyancy, poor tool compatibility.
By the fourth failed raft, his patience was as thin as the goddess's patience for gravity.
"This is hopeless," he groaned, falling onto the riverbank. "Either the wood's too heavy, too soft, or allergic to the concept of floating."
The goddess hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "What if… you combine them?"
Ryuu blinked. "Combine them?"
She nodded proudly. "You are the Chief Shipwright, are you not? Mix their properties. Blend their essences."
He stared at her, deadpan. "You mean... laminate. You're describing plywood."
The goddess looked confused but pleased. "Then invent this 'plywood' of yours and save Osceania!"
Ryuu groaned, dragging himself to his feet. "I can't believe the fate of the world depends on me rediscovering boat science."
Ryuu stood knee-deep in the river, glaring at the half-submerged wreck of his latest "raft." The goddess hovered nearby, watching the remains drift away like broken promises.
"That's raft number…?" she asked cheerfully.
"Seven," Ryuu muttered. "And number eight's going to be firewood at this rate."
He wiped the sweat from his brow, opening the Shipwright Log interface again. Each failure had earned him a few points of "Material Familiarity."
[Material Familiarity – Verdleaf: 34% | Ironwood: 21% | Reefpine: 19% | Skybark: 12%]
Small text appeared underneath:
Unlock: Composite Crafting at 50% Familiarity (any two woods)
Ryuu squinted. "So that's how it works. I actually have to fail to learn."
The goddess twirled mid-air, grinning. "Knowledge through trial! Failure is the shipwright's forge!"
"Failure's also how I drown faster," he replied dryly, wading out of the water. "I'm basically a one-man lumberyard of disappointment."
Still, curiosity kept him going. He tried again—Verdleaf for the hull, Ironwood for the supports. The system recognized the hybrid and displayed a new blueprint:
[Prototype Composite Raft] — Stability: Uncertain | Durability: Moderate | Weight: High]
He confirmed the build. Logs fused together in midair with a faint hum of magic, forming a sturdier platform this time. Ryuu cautiously stepped on.
The raft floated… for a moment. Then, with a slow, sinking groan, it tilted sideways and dumped him straight into the river.
He surfaced, coughing. "Okay—okay, that one stayed up longer. Progress."
The goddess applauded from the shore. "You lasted a whole five seconds! A new record!"
He glared at her, wringing water from his coat. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"I'm enjoying watching you learn," she corrected with mock seriousness. "Every test brings you closer to mastery!"
Ryuu exhaled through his nose, glancing at his log again. A faint shimmer now surrounded his "Composite Crafting" bar—almost halfway filled.
"If this system wants progress, I'll give it progress," he muttered. "As long as it doesn't kill me."
"Technically," the goddess said brightly, "if you drown, I can just respawn you here!"
"That's not comforting."
He sighed, pulling another axe from his inventory. "Alright. One more test. This time I'm mixing Verdleaf's buoyancy with Reefpine's weak salt resistance. If this one sinks, I'm building a houseboat just to spite physics."
The goddess nodded solemnly. "A noble declaration of intent."
"Yeah, and I'll turn you into a pillow."
Ryuu's axe bit into the next tree with a clean thud. Sap sprayed, bark split—and then, for the briefest second, the air shimmered.
The system pulsed to life again.
[Observation Level Up]
You are beginning to understand Osceania's natural properties.
New Subskill Unlocked: Material Synthesis (Tier I)
"Material synthesis…?" he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
Before his eyes, the interface expanded—new crafting slots appearing one by one, showing ghostly outlines of hull planks, oars, and crude connectors.
Ryuu stared at it, then smirked, just barely.
"…Now we're talking."
He crouched down beside the scattered logs, dragging two onto the sand. "Alright, let's see what this new toy can do."
With a tap on the floating window, the crafting menu unfolded.
A small icon of a wooden plank blinked beside a schematic outline.
[Available Materials Detected]
Verdleaf Wood (Buoyancy: High | Durability: Low)
Ironwood (Durability: High | Buoyancy: Poor)
The goddess leaned over his shoulder, eyes sparkling. "Oh! You're trying a composite craft already?"
"I'm trying not to die on a floating coffin," Ryuu muttered, dragging Verdleaf into the frame. "If I combine high buoyancy with durability…"
He added a strip of Ironwood. The schematic flickered—then stabilized.
[Composite Material Formed: Verdleaf-Ironwood Hybrid]
Stability: 32%
Durability: 41%
Buoyancy: 58%
Warning: Material fusion unstable in saltwater environments, Inheriting similar characteristics from Skybark trees.
"...Guess that means it'll fall apart in a few good minutes," Ryuu sighed.
The goddess clapped anyway. "But that's progress! Progress, mortal!"
"Progress toward drowning."
The goddess tapped her chin, smiling mischievously. "Tell you what—if you manage to build a working raft by the end of this day, I'll grant you one favor~"
Ryuu raised an eyebrow. "Define 'favor.'"
She winked. "Surprise incentive!"
He sighed, "That usually means trouble." Barely looking the goddesses' way.
Still, he went back to work, piecing together a rough frame from the hybrid planks. It looked crude and uneven—but it floated.
For ten whole seconds.
Then, with a mournful creak, one side splintered apart and sank halfway into the shallows.
Ryuu exhaled, water splashing at his boots. "And there it goes."
[Craft Failure]
Material Familiarity +8%
Observation +3%
A faint grin tugged at his lips. "Huh. I can work with that."
The goddess beamed. "That's the spirit! Build, fail, learn—and soon you'll be the savior of the seas!"
Ryuu stood, wringing out his sleeve.
"Yeah. Or the most experienced shipwright at sinking prototypes."
Ryuu stared at the broken planks half-buried in the sand, rubbing his chin. "Alright… the fusion failed, probably because of immediate exposure seeing how one side bloated and splintered. Maybe if I coat the surface with resin first…"
He scanned the treeline until his eyes landed on a strange, dark-barked tree dripping with amber-like sap.
[New Material Identified: Brinecoat Resin]
Properties: Waterproof | Elastic | Mildly adhesive
Compatibility: Excellent with hybrid wood composites.
Ryuu grinned. "Now we're getting somewhere."
He went back to work, sealing the seams of the next raft with the resin. The system pinged softly as he assembled each joint, recalculating buoyancy and balance.
When he pushed it out to sea this time, it didn't tip.
It didn't even creak.
It just floated.
[Craft Success]
Prototype Raft (Verdleaf-Ironwood Composite)
Stability: 76%
Durability: 62%
Buoyancy: 84%
New Blueprint Unlocked: Basic Raft (Tier I)
Ryuu crossed his arms, watching the small raft bob gently in the tide. For the first time since arriving in this bizarre world, he actually smiled.
"…Huh. Not bad for a day's work."
The goddess clapped like a proud child. "You did it! I knew you could!"
Ryuu thought for a moment, eyes half-lidded.
"Coffee."
"C…coffee?" She blinked. "You mean—like the mortal bean drink?"
"Yeah. Black. Two sugars. You said any favor."
The goddess groaned dramatically, facepalming. "Out of all possible divine blessings, you want caffeine? I don't know—maybe touch my body, a kiss, or an EXP boost?!"
Ryuu blinked. "Wait… I can get an EXP boost?"
She froze. "…No, you can't. That's cheating."
"Then coffee."
The goddess let out a long, defeated sigh. "You're impossible."
She sighed, summoning a porcelain cup out of thin air, steam curling from its surface. "Fine. But next time, wish for something cool."
Ryuu took a sip and exhaled contentedly. "This is cool."
[Achievement Unlocked: First Vessel Completed]
System Feature Unlocked: Blueprint Library