Chapter 114: Inhabitants of the Dead Sea Line
Night quickly arrived.
The already dim light of the Dead Sea Line faded completely, leaving the caravan ships drifting under a sky with almost no stars.
Only the faint glow of the lanterns and the occasional flicker of skill-based lights along the decks pushed back the darkness.
Jake stood alone near the railing at the rear of the ship, his gaze fixed on the black expanse of the sea.
The waters here were unnervingly still.
There is no waves, no wind.
Just a heavy, silent darkness that stretched endlessly in every direction.
Even with his Aura Perception, the energy flowing beneath the surface felt twisted and unstable... like something vast was shifting far below.
He murmured quietly to himself,
"...What exactly is hiding in these waters?"
The memory of the sea beast from earlier still lingered in his mind.
That creature had been strong, but something about this place told him it was only a small taste of what the Dead Sea Line could offer.
Behind him, soft footsteps approached.
Grace walked over quietly, carrying a simple cloak which she gently placed over his shoulders without a word.
She then stood beside him, following his gaze out into the endless dark.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Only the faint creaking of the ship and the distant calls of the night watch broke the silence.
Jake kept his eyes on the black expanse of water and spoke in a low voice.
"...It’s so quiet, too quiet. The sea looks peaceful like this, but it feels eerily creepy instead."
There were no waves crashing against the hull.
No distant cries of seabirds.
It was as if the entire stretch of ocean was holding its breath.
Grace nodded slightly beside him, her golden eyes reflecting the faint lantern light.
"It does feel that way," she said softly. "But even though it looks empty... there are actually some human inhabitants living in these waters."
Jake turned his head toward her, clearly surprised.
"Human inhabitants? Here?"
He glanced back at the endless darkness surrounding the ships.
The idea that people could live in a place like this... where the sky stayed dim even during the day and strange beasts could erupt from the sea at any moment was hard to imagine.
Grace nodded and continued in a quiet tone.
"They’re not ordinary settlements. Most of them are small, hidden communities that have adapted to the Dead Sea Line over generations."
"Some live on isolated islands that barely appear on maps, while others stay on specially reinforced ships that never leave these waters. They know how to survive here better than outsiders."
Jake’s expression grew more serious as he absorbed her words.
So the Dead Sea Line wasn’t just an empty, dangerous boundary.
There were people who chose... or were forced to live within it.
"...This place really is different from the normal seas," he muttered.
Grace gave a small nod, staying close to his side as the two of them continued staring out into the unsettling darkness.
Then she continued in a quieter voice.
"But those kinds of settlements are rare. The most common ones you’ll find in these waters... are unlawful pirates."
At those words, Jake’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Pirates?"
Grace nodded, her expression turning a little more serious.
"Yes, the Dead Sea Line is the perfect hiding place for them. The strange environment makes it hard for regular navy ships or large merchant fleets to operate freely here. Because of that, many pirate crews use these waters as a temporary base or escape route. Some of them even specialize in hunting ships that try to cross the Line."
She glanced out at the dark sea, her golden eyes reflecting a hint of caution.
"That’s why caravans always stay on high alert while passing through. Sea beasts aren’t the only danger here."
Jake’s hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword as he processed her words.
Sea beasts.
Hidden settlements.
And now pirates who used this eerie stretch of ocean as their hunting ground.
The Dead Sea Line was starting to feel more and more like a place that didn’t welcome outsiders.
"...So we might run into pirates before we make it out of here," he muttered.
Grace didn’t deny it.
She simply stayed close to his side, her presence quiet but steady under the heavy darkness of the night.
Just then, a familiar rough voice shouted over from the upper deck.
"Jake! Your shift’s over. Go get some rest!"
Garrick’s figure could be seen under the dim lantern light, one hand raised as he called out toward them.
Jake let out a quiet breath and pushed himself away from the railing.
"Looks like we’re off for now."
Grace gave a small nod, her expression softening with a bit of relief.
"You should rest properly. You’ve already done more than enough today."
Jake glanced at her and gave a faint smile.
"Yeah. I will."
He gave the dark sea one last look before turning away from the railing.
Together with Grace, he headed back toward the lower deck, leaving the quiet and eerie night watch to the next group of crew members.
Along the way, several crew members who were changing shifts noticed him.
After learning that the young man who had cut down the sea beast in a single strike was actually an Elite Class holder, their attitudes had clearly changed.
A few of them straightened up and greeted him respectfully as he passed.
Jake maintained a friendly smile and responded with a polite wave and a few short greetings of his own, looking every bit the calm and reliable fighter.
But the moment the door to their room closed behind them—
That polite smile vanished.
In its place, a lewd, predatory curve slowly formed on his lips.
Grace, completely unaware, stood a few steps ahead of him and raised her arms above her head, stretching her body after the long day.
"Mhmm~"
The movement made her soft curves more pronounced under the simple clothes she wore.
She didn’t notice the gaze that had already locked onto her.
In the next instant, Jake stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Hyan—"
Grace jumped slightly in surprise as his hand slipped under her clothes from below, his warm fingers spreading across her soft abdomen before slowly sliding upward.
The rough yet familiar touch made her body tense for a moment... but she didn’t pull away.
She only stiffened for a second before relaxing slightly into his embrace, as if already used to this side of him.
Then another rough hand tilted her chin upward.
Jake’s lips came down and claimed hers in a greedy, deep kiss, swallowing the soft sound that tried to escape her throat.
The quiet room was quickly filled with the wet sounds of their kiss, far removed from the polite atmosphere he had shown outside just moments ago.
_
_
_
Deep into the night, even the faint light inside the room had completely vanished.
In the thick darkness, only the faint outline of Jake’s muscular figure could be seen, his waist moving in a slow, steady rhythm.
Between his hips, a pair of delicate, pale legs were raised high, looking especially alluring even in the dark as they trembled slightly with every motion.
Jake continued for a while longer... then suddenly paused.
His eyes narrowed.
Beneath him, Grace was completely naked, her golden eyes dazed and hazy from pleasure, parted her soft lips as if about to whisper something.
Jake immediately leaned down and gently pressed a finger against her lips, softly shushing her.
"Quiet."
Grace froze obediently, her breathing still uneven.
Then Jake slowly leaned back and pulled himself out of her.
Squelch...
A wet, glistening sound followed as his thick length left her body, still hard and coated in their mixed fluids.
Without caring about his completely naked state, he silently reached to the side and closed his fingers around the hilt of his sword.
His gaze locked onto the door.
Through his sharpened senses, he could clearly feel it...
...Someone was walking toward their room.
At first, he thought it might just be a neighbor.
But that didn’t make sense.
Garrick had already rearranged the nearby rooms precisely because he knew the two of them wouldn’t be quiet at night.
There were no neighbors left on this side of the corridor.
So then...
Whose footsteps were these, approaching their door in the dead of night?
Jake’s eyes turned cold as his thumb slowly pushed the sword a fraction out of its sheath, the faint metallic sound almost completely swallowed by the darkness.
At the same time, even in that tense moment, Grace’s current state was extremely alluring.
She was still completely naked, her soft body faintly glistening with a thin layer of sweat under the darkness.
Her golden hair was slightly messy, sticking to her flushed cheeks and neck.
Between her slightly parted thighs, thick white cum continued to slowly leak out from her entrance, trailing down onto the sheets in a lewd, sticky line.
Yet her expression had already sharpened.
Without making a sound, Grace reached to the side of the bed and closed her fingers around the familiar grip of her gun.
In one smooth motion, she raised it and aimed directly at the door, her golden eyes cold and focused despite the lingering haze of pleasure still clouding their depths.
Her breathing was carefully controlled.
One hand held the gun steady, while the other unconsciously pressed against the bedsheet, her body still faintly trembling from the earlier climax... yet ready to pull the trigger at any moment.
The two of them remained completely silent.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Outside the door, the footsteps continued to approach... then stopped.
Right in front of their room.