It wasn't long before the people inside the carriages had begun smelling the ocean's breeze.
The 8 carriages moved along the grassy terrain and soon arrived at the sandy beach. The grassy terrain confused Dream at first, but he remembered that this is probably what a beach looked like before it had been changed by modern society, like on Earth.
The carriages pulled onto the sand and came to a stop. Everyone stepped out in confusion, wondering why they had come to the coast.
Dream stepped out and smiled as he looked out to the water that wasn't more than 100 meters away. The waves were big, the sand was soft, but there was one problem.
"The sun isn't out. Damn clouds in the way."
The smile was wiped off his face as he looked up at the gray clouds. The sun was being blocked! This was definitely not the most preferable situation.
[We can solve this.]
'...You're right.'
Dream smiled once again after remembering that he could indeed solve the cloud problem. Though right as he was going to act...
"Ugh. Such gloomy clouds. Go away."
A voice suddenly came from beside Dream. He looked over and saw Idona raising her hand to the sky. The next moment, mana burst out from her body.
*WOOSH*
Air was swept up for several miles around and it seemed the sky was going to fall as the clouds were stirred. A massive cyclone was created with them as the center. Dream suddenly thought about a hurricanes eye, wondering if this is what it would look like.
In only a minute or so, the clouds were pushed away towards the horizon, and the bright sun was let through uninhibited.
"O-oh."
Dream, who was just about to do something much less magnificent, just looked on in surprise. Idona looked at his stumped face and chuckled.
"Hehe, this is what surprises you? You really are still young. How cute."
"Ugh, cute? I am not cute. I am a manly man. And I was just about to do the same thing..."
"Aww, well I'll be sure not to steal your spotlight next time, okay?"
Idona reached up and patted his head like a child after Dream huffed. Seeing this, all the men felt their eyes twitch.
"Humph. Anyway, The ship is about to arrive."
After he said that, everyone could hear a loud sound coming from overhead. They looked up to see a black metal object coming towards them at high speeds.
As the plane lowered itself to the beach, it cut its engines early as to not kick up sand, purely using mana to situate itself. The large hatch opened towards the water and revealed the huge luxurious interior.
Ciroc turned to the still confused crowd of people.
"Today we're going to be relaxing. The land bridge isn't that far and once we cross it we'll be in enemy territory. And I know that many of you are tired of being inside a cramped carriage for so long, so today is purely stretching out and recuperating. I want everybody 100% when we head out tomorrow. Alright?"
Everyone nodded to him. But although they understood the relaxation part, they didn't really know why this place was chosen. And what was with that big ship?
"Feel free to use the ship however you please. It's got a bunch of drinks and snacks and places to relax. You can eat, sleep, chat, whatever. Or you can go take a dip in the water. The waves are really nice right now. "
Dream laid out their options and that they could use the ship. Hearing that they could eat, drink, and relax, everyone smiled and eased up.
"Magus Idona, Sir Ciroc, care to join me on board for a quick drink?"
"Sure."
"Of course."
Both class 4's followed Dream on board. Everyone also followed and found a seat on one of the many couches and chairs.
Idona took her previous chair while Dream also took his. Ciroc sat down across from them on another cush chair.
Dream summoned out a bottle of wine and whiskey, pouring some glasses and handing it to them.
"Thanks."
Ciroc and Idona took their sips and were pleased.
"Good alcohol. And this is a nice ship you have. Especially the chairs. This is the most comfortable seat I've ever sat in."
Ciroc eased back into the soft chair as he spoke. Idona nodded in agreement and also snuggled into the premium cushion.
"I'm glad you approve."
"Indeed. Though after seeing all this, especially the ship and your clothes, I gotta ask, are you from another world?"
"..."
Dream tensed up hearing that question. It caught him off guard since it was so out of place.
"From another world? Why would you think that?"
"Well, the technology behind this ship of yours, the clothing that's always out of place, your weapons, your habits. Everything you are just doesn't fit with someone who's lived in this world all their lives."
"Indeed. During our conversation on the way to the Empire, I had the same thoughts. Your knowledge isn't something native to this world."
"...But is being from another world even possible? I'm not sure why that conclusion would be one of the first that you think of."
"You can relax, Dream. It's not something you have to hide from us."
Idona put her hand on his arm, trying to comfort him. Both of them had sensed his agitation and realized that he might be a little afraid.
"Being from another world is not a foreign concept. Such a thing has been seen on more than a few occasions. In fact, that probably explains why you're so extraordinary even though you're so young." (Ciroc)
"Agreed. In fact, there's quite a famous otherworlder over at the Enchanted Mountain known for his exotic crafts. And there a few who are class 3 mages over at the Spire." (Idona)
"I also know some at my own Empire. Several had come from the Sword School and they had made names for themselves after displaying amazing martial arts abilities. Point is, Dream, you're not the only one. So there's nothing to worry about." (Ciroc)
"..."
Dream went quiet. Back when he had first come to this world, Riddick told him that he wasn't such an anomaly for being from another world. Turns out he wasn't lying.
"...Then I guess I have nothing to hide. I am indeed from another world."
Dream came clean after knowing nothing would happen to him. He was only nervous because the ones asking him were class 4's. But since there was no reason to deny it, he didn't. But although he knew it was fine, he still wouldn't just go announcing it to everyone.
Another reason he was fine saying it now was because Idona had put up a barrier around them, not allowing anyone to listen in. It was a nice gesture on her part.
"Very cool. Honestly it would be hard to accept anything besides that. I mean, just look at you. Like I said earlier, nothing about you fits with being a normal person. And your power compared to your age, it's truly something amazing." (Ciroc)
"How old are you?" (Dream)
"This year I will be 312 years old."
"What?!"
Dream shouted out at that ridiculous number. He couldn't even fathom living for that long.
"It's not that big of a deal. People like us just live for a long time. Though even then I could be considered young. I know some class 3's who are older than me. And there's a couple class 4's among the Empires who have crossed the thousand year mark. Idona knows exactly what I'm talking about."
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"I do. Those monsters, despite being close to us in level, are still on a whole other realm. Their mastery over themselves and the power they wield isn't something us young ones can compare to."
"Mm. Although you yourself are also quite young, far more than even me. If I recall correctly, you haven't even passed 100."
"I haven't. This year I'll be 68."
"..."
Idona stuck out her bountiful chest in pride. Meanwhile, Dream just looked at her with a weird expression as if asking, 'Is that really a number to be proud of?' Though when he remembered Ciroc's age and the fact that Idona still looked like a supermodel, he just shook his head.
'My brain has a hard time handling the concept of living for that long.'
[I could very well accelerate time for you and have you at that age in merely a few hours.]
'Hmm, I think I'll pass. I'm not sure what kind of effect that would have on my psyche, but it probably wouldn't be that good.'
Dream turned down Sophia's proposal. Only being that old wouldn't gain him anything.
"*sigh* So I really am the child in this group."
"You may as well be. But that makes what you're doing that much greater. I mean, it only took you maybe 12 years or so to get where you are, assuming you started down this path from a young age. I definitely couldn't say the same."
"I hit A level mana when I was around 30, so you also beat me."
"..."
Dream went quiet and just nodded with a smile.
'We can treat this as a pleasant misunderstanding.'
[If they were to hear that you've haven't even been leveling up for a year, they may bury you out of pure spite.]
'But it's okay. It's not like they can read my status.'
After Ciroc and Idona continued chatting with Dream in the middle for a while, he stood up from his seat. Seeing this, the two class 4's stopped talking and looked to him.
"I think I'm gonna go have some fun in the water."
"The ocean? What are you going to do in there?"
"Have fun? Maybe I'll surf, dive down and see if I can find any fish, anything that piques my interest."
"What's surfing?"
"An activity where you ride the waves of water while standing on a board. You guys want to join me?"
"Hm, no I think I'll pass. I'm not a big fan of the water."
"I think I'm going to pass too. This chair is too relaxing."
"Alright. I'll be back in a little then. I recommend you help yourselves to some of the snacks. They're pretty delicious."
Saying so, Dream began walking out of the ship.
When he walked off the platform and onto the sand, his shoes disappeared. His toes also disappeared under the soft and warm sand and wiggled around comfortably. After smiling, his dressy clothes disappeared and were replaced with swim shorts.
"Ahhh, yea."
Dream basked in the sun as he stretched his body. All his muscles rippled with power as he flexed everything from his calves to his traps in satisfaction.
Whenever Dream was sleeping Sophia would carry out refinements on his body. This mainly consisted of things like enchantment optimization, but it was also a way to enhance his physical bodily functions. She would slowly redesign his muscles and various systems like his vascular and nervous system, leading to greater efficiency and capability. And his muscles have had a great deal of optimizations carried out on them.
Just looking at him, one couldn't call him hugely muscular. He was still no taller than 6'3". But his body had seemed to reach peak human form. His muscles were tight, compressed, defined, as if they were just waiting to burst with power at any moment. His body was a sight to behold, and that's exactly how Sophia had designed it. It was her work of art, after all.
"Oh my." (Idona)
"Hmph. Look how small he is. What's he trying to show off?" (Ciroc)
"Not everyone has a bloodline like yours. Besides, bigger isn't always better."
"I can half agree with you."
"You also have to remember that he's a mage. Well, an enchanter would be more appropriate. Either way, strength isn't his specialty. And to be that developed...It's rather beautiful in a way."
"Someone's getting a little captivated."
"Maybe. He's a very likable person. A looker, charming, smart, powerful. Though he still has a bit of a way to go before he catches up to me, but still."
"To be wooed by such a young kid."
"I'm still a woman, you know."
"Not what I was talking about."
Ciroc glanced back at all the other men in the ship. He had noticed certain agitations after Dream had stripped in front of their goddess, Idona. And seeing her entranced face only worsened it. Idona realized what he was talking about and huffed.
"Hmph. A bunch of stinky old men. I'm still young you know. If I'm choosing a partner it's not going to be someone who's a few hundred years older than me."
"I don't think you realize how much that limits your options. Do you want me to scope him out for you? He could very well be smitten for you as well."
"N-no. That's alright."
Idona blushed slightly at the thought. Ciroc just smirked and looked towards the water where a certain someone was having a blast.
...........
As the class 4's were talking about various things, Dream had already gone off to ride some waves. Though surprisingly enough, this got boring rather quickly.
After Dream had done a few pipelines, he realized that his capacity for thrill had increased drastically. This was no surprise as he had literally been going to and from space. Such small activities couldn't get him quite as excited as before. Though he still enjoyed the peaceful feeling, he wanted to have some fun. So he improvised.
One thing he found himself doing was flying across the surface of the water at mach speeds. Going at high enough speeds would kick up some water under him, and it was fun seeing the tall swirling mists behind him. He would dip his hand down and cause high walls of water to fly up, he would also part the water, creating a big empty pit. And when the water rushed back together, it would cause a huge splash.
He came to just have fun seeing the power he could exert on things. Though he was also made sure to go and dive down to take a look at all things fishy. This actually turned out to be an awesome experience.
As this planet wasn't Earth, there were many different species that didn't exist on Earth. Not only that, but mana had caused huge changes for life underwater.
One of the more noticeable changed was to shape. Dream saw many different alien-looking fish and crustaceans roaming around unhindered by modern society. Though some things seemed to be common like shells and scales and such, it didn't change the fact that mostly everything he saw was widely exotic.
Another big difference he noticed was size. Things seemed to be bigger than they were on Earth. This was obviously due to mana as fish could survive being bigger. Though there were still small ocean life, even the small ones were bigger than normal.
And the last big difference that he found was the power of ocean life. Like animals on land, fish were also capable of gaining power. Although Dream had sensed dozens of fish with varying mana levels, they were never that high and he kind of just glossed over it, forgetting that they were animals as well. And so, as he dove farther from the coast and deeper into the watery abyss, he was caught off guard by the powerful sources of mana that he felt.
This wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that he couldn't see anything. Though he still had his seemingly omniscient mana sense, his sight was obviously a sense that he never wanted to go without. Not being able to see still spurred a certain fear within him, and this wasn't helped by the fact that something was rapidly approaching him.
Dream floated there, half curious and half terrified of the thing that was approaching. But he didn't have to wait for long, and using his powerful but hindered eyesight, he was able to barely make out the figure of a fish about 70 meters away and closing.
It was a big fish. A really big fish. It filled up Dream's entire field of view, and he could see one of its many eyes that were bigger than he was looking straight at him.
'...Nah.'