Jett sat cross-legged, elbows on his knees, racking his brain for a plan. His mind felt like a storm. He had sworn to clear the tower his way, but now, staring at these strangers, he had no idea what that way was. Everything he said earlier had been blind conviction.
"Come on, man, think," he muttered. "There has to be a way to beat this stupid trial."
The others on the boat watched him carefully. The warmth that had flowed through them earlier from his [Area Heal] had lifted their exhaustion and soothed their pain. For the first time since the trial began, their color had returned.
"Is he alright?" one of them whispered.
"How should I know? He just did… whatever that was, and now he's pacing like a madman." point at Jett as he stood up and paced around the boat.
"Well, whatever he did, I want him to do it again."
"Shhhh."
Jett barely heard them. His mind ran through every possibility. "Deep breaths," he muttered, trying to steady himself. "Seven days. No, six and a half now."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group. Something off caught his eye. One of the men sitting at the edge of the boat, the same one who had been fishing earlier, was holding something near his mouth.
'What the...?" Jett's instincts flared. He bolted forward and slapped it out of the man's hand. A small dried leaf spun across the deck before landing by Jett's foot.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jett barked, grabbing the man by the wrist.
The man flinched, pale and shaking. Jett picked up the leaf and glared at it. His expression darkened.
"Lyk herb," he muttered. "You trying to kill yourself? You brought this with you just in case, huh?"
The man froze, his lips trembling.
"You're lucky I promised to save you all," Jett said, voice low but firm. "Otherwise, I'd let you go through with it. Can't even blame you though. Suicide wouldn't be that bad in situations like this.
'But I'm here now...' Jett though with a smile, 'Cringe! I'm not saying that. I sound like a washed up all might'
He dangled the herb between two fingers. "Next time, try staying alive till I figure this out."
The man's eyes widened in horror. His face went white. "P… P… Poison?" he stammered, realizing what he almost did.
Jett sighed and turned away, tossing the herb into the sea. "Yeah. Poison. You were seconds away from ending yourself."
The man broke into a silent sob, clutching his face. The others stared, shaken by the realization that the hopelessness had nearly claimed one of them already.
Jett looked at the calm, unmoving water and clenched his fists again. "No more of that," he said quietly. "Now, what to do, what to do?"
"You were going to end your misery and leave us to ours? You selfish old man!" one of the women snapped, voice sharp and trembling.
The man flinched. "No, no, I wasn't trying to kill myself! I swear! I found it while fishing. I was hungry, I didn't think before I tried putting it in my mouth."
"Wait." Jett straightened, his tone calm but alert. "You found it in the water?"
The man nodded, still shaken.
Jett turned toward the massive ship looming across the still sea. His eyes narrowed. 'That has to mean something,' he thought.
"This would've never happened if those damned rich bastards had let us on," another man spat. "They lied about being full. I know they did."
"True," the third woman muttered bitterly. "They're probably having a feast right now, filling their stomachs while we die of hunger. I hope they all die of food poisoning."
'Food poisoning,' Jett repeated in his head. 'Die. Survival. Hmm.' The words circled like gears locking into place.
"If it were up to me," the first man said again, anger spilling out, "I'd climb overboard and raise hell up there. We're all going to die anyway, and no one's bringing us back to life!"
Jett froze mid-thought. His eyes snapped toward the man.
"What did you say?" he asked quietly.
The man blinked. "Uh… we're all going to die anyway?"
"The one after that," Jett said, his lips curving into a grin.
The man hesitated, then repeated, "No one's bringing us back to life?"
Jett's grin widened. "Exactly."
The others looked at him, confused by the sudden shift in his tone, but his mind was already racing.
'No one's bringing us back…' he thought. 'But that doesn't mean I can't cheat death.'
He turned back toward the distant ship, a flicker of dangerous confidence lighting his eyes.
"Alright then," he murmured, half to himself, half to the sea. "Let's see how true that rules really are"
[Rules]
[1. The trial will end if everyone on one side is judged as dead.]
[2. The trial will end if you last seven days.]
[3. The other group cannot leave their ship, but your group can.]
[4. Switching groups is allowed, but the receiving group must all agree.]
[5. You will not die even if your group perishes.]
[6. Rewards will be calculated based on how the trial ends.]
Jett skimmed the rules twice more, his eyes narrowing as his grin slowly grew wider until it stretched into something dangerous.
"I've got you now." His voice was calm but laced with mischief. He turned to face the massive ship again, eyes burning with purpose. "New plan. I'm taking you all out. No hard feelings."
The mother frowned. "What do you plan on doing, if I may ask?"
Jett chuckled. He reached into his [Storage Space] and began pulling out food. Bread. Fruits. Water. Enough for everyone. The scent made several heads turn instantly.
'I wasn't planning on giving them food since they were bound to die anyway,' he thought, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. 'But change of plans.'
He handed the food around, his grin widening. "You guys eat up and leave everything to me."
"FOOD!"
"Where did this come from?"
"Oh, praise the gods, we've been saved!"
"How can we ever repay you?"
'Some skills would be nice.' Jett's grin turned sly. "You don't have to do anything. Just agree that my decision can be seen as a collective one made by all of you."
They exchanged looks, whispering among themselves. It didn't take long for their faces to soften with relief and gratitude. Their answer was clear without words.
[Congratulations]
[You've acquired the trust and support of the other passengers]
[Title: The People's Man has been acquired]
[Description: Increases likability by 5% everywhere]
'Nice,' Jett thought with satisfaction. He knelt, reaching his hand into the water. The liquid shimmered faintly at his touch.
'So, the Lyk herb grows underwater? Weird… but not a problem.'
[Water Blessing]
Without hesitation, he dove in, the surface rippling behind him as he disappeared beneath the waves.
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Let's gooooo (✷‿✷)