Free Web NovelChapter 45: Chapter 45: The Raising Plan
Kevin nodded. "I’m looking for a partner who can trust each other and lean on each other with a true heart. Right now, you’re not ready."
[Affection +25]
Hearing Kevin’s words, Nova was completely stunned.
She never expected a guy she’d met less than a few hours ago to understand her so well.
And unlike everyone else, he didn’t just want to own and control her body.
A look of shame washed over Nova. "I thought you were just like Strange and the rest. I’m sorry. What I did was offensive, and it disrespected your kindness and sincerity."
She gave a slight bow, apologizing properly.
Then she turned to Stephanie, who was smirking, and glanced at Celula and Monchhichi nearby. Her gaze turned firm. "You better watch out. Before, I was probably joking. But now, I’m serious."
The moment she finished, Nova hooked her arm through Kevin’s. "Captain Kevin, I get that you won’t officially make me crew. But please, let me sail my ship alongside you."
Nova’s choice left the other girls stunned.
They wanted to stop her, but had no real reason to. The ship was hers, and she wanted to come along. There was nothing they could do to force her away.
Would they throw hands? Not a chance. They’d just fought back-to-back. Neither Luna and Amelia, nor the Celula and Monchhichi sisters, would ever resort to that.
Kevin’s heart was already bursting with joy after seeing that Affection boost.
From start to finish, he’d been testing ways to raise her Affection.
Just as he figured, after being trafficked and locked up by a bad organization, all she really wanted was respect and freedom.
The fact that Kevin didn’t take advantage of her looks, and then let her walk away after blocking her mind control, sent her Affection up by twenty-five straight to seventy-five.
With a little more effort, he’d fully lock in that legendary figure from his past life and turn her into his "covenant-bearer."
This time, Kevin didn’t refuse. "If you’re willing to come along, it’s an honor. Since we’re sticking together, let’s rest up tonight and move out at dawn."
He turned to Celula and Monchhichi. "Tomorrow, I’ll count on you two to lead the way. We’ll head to that little island you found to gather supplies."
After that, the girls started splitting up to clear the battlefield.
Luna and Amelia went with Nova to strip the three ships for usable gear. Kevin had already taken the Mist Phantom drops, but George, Strange, and the others were carrying plenty of equipment and Eldritch Artifacts.
Between them, Luna and Amelia pulled out three C-Tier gear pieces, one C-Tier potion, two C-Tier Eldritch Artifacts, and a ton of ammo and guns. They even went through their pockets for grenades and body armor, packing it all into their canvas sacks. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Nova watched them pile up the loot and couldn’t hide her envy. "You’re going to get rich off this, Captain Kevin. Raking in supplies from three fleets at once? By dawn, he’ll be miles ahead of everyone again."
Luna and Amelia just exchanged a quick, knowing smile.
Amelia turned to Nova and explained, "Captain Kevin never forces us to turn in our loot."
Luna nodded from the side, looking proud. "Exactly. Whether it’s weapons, gear, or just food and supplies, whoever finds it gets to keep it."
Hearing this, Nova’s eyes went wide. "Seriously? No turn-ins? I know one of those items could cause a frenzy if put on the Global Channel, but they’re all yours to keep?"
While they talked, Nova kept her eyes locked on Luna and Amelia.
Nova had spent years reading people and had a sharp nose for human emotions. If Luna or Amelia showed even a flicker of hesitation, she’d know they were lying.
But Luna and Amelia just nodded quickly, acting completely casual.
That completely threw Nova off.
What kind of guy is Kevin, anyway? He’s ridiculously generous.
After the Eldritch descended, weapons and gear became the new power, just like authority did on old Earth. Food and daily supplies? Those were just like money back then.
Kevin was different. He didn’t chase power or clutch at cash. He just easily left those hard-earned treasures to his crew.
Nova took a deep breath and let out a quiet "Wow." "Okay, I get why you all follow him. He really looks out for you."
[Affection +10]
Meanwhile, Kevin walked the three ships with Monchhichi and Celula, checking out the engines and rigging piece by piece.
To Kevin’s eye, both George’s and Strange’s ships were classic wooden-hull sailing vessels. The mechanical setups on old ships like these were rare to find, but each one had its own quirks.
After weighing the pros and cons of each ship, Kevin ran a scan on George’s vessel. He successfully unlocked two mechanical blueprints: the [Vessel Water Supply & Drainage System] and the [Vessel Anchoring & Mooring System].
But the real prize came from the gear George and Strange brought along: George’s gunship helicopter, his military APC, and Strange’s RPG launcher.
If he could scan these modern weapons without a hitch, he’d be able to mass-produce a heavy firepower mech army.
All the loot Luna and Amelia stripped from the ships—gear, weapons, potions, supplies—got dumped back to Kevin. The system even multiplied the quantities by ten to twelve times as a bonus.
The problem was, the gear George and Strange ran was way too trash to be useful for Kevin or his crew.
No doubt about it, Luna and Amelia would take that junk to the Global Channel and swap it for better stuff.
As for the leftover potions and Eldritch Artifacts, those actually gave Kevin a pleasant surprise.
[Iron Heart: C-Tier Eldritch Artifact]
Meld it with your heart in your chest to boost your Strength stat by 5. You can also spend 30 stamina to activate [Iron Body], turning your skin to solid steel and massively boosting your physical defense.
Drawback: You have to look out at the ocean and repeat "I’m a coward" ten times a day.
[Restoration Potion: C-Tier Potion]
Drink half the bottle first to lock in your current health and status. Within the next 72 hours, no matter how badly you’re hurt or cursed, taking the other half will instantly restore you to that locked-in state.
Kevin stared at the two items, and his eyes lit up.
First up was the [Iron Heart]. Any other Survivor would probably rip open their chest just to fuse it with their heart and get a power boost. Kevin wasn’t planning to do that.
The real use for the [Iron Heart] wasn’t for combat. It was a backup organ. If someone’s heart got wrecked, this thing would step in and keep them alive.
Imagine a Survivor’s heart blown out by a sniper round, hanging by a thread. In that moment, fusing an [Iron Heart] into his chest would be like pulling him straight back from the dead.
The Eldritch had only just fallen for a few days, so Survivors had no clue what this thing was actually worth. But Kevin, having lived this life before, knew exactly how much an organ-type Eldritch Artifact like [Iron Heart] would be driving prices through the roof in the future.
Without a second thought, Kevin stashed it away and kept it for the right moment.
As for the [Restoration Potion], the value was obvious. No wonder it stung to use it just to clear an Immobilized Status on his men.
This was also a treasure. Even though it was only C-Tier, it could sometimes outshine A-Tier items. It was exactly the kind of game-changer that saved your neck when it mattered most.
With this haul under his belt, Kevin was already mapping out his upgrade path.
There was no doubt that his [Lance of Condemnation] and [Mechanical Sovereign] Talents both required heavy resource investment to unlock their full potential.
Especially [Lance of Condemnation]. Ignoring rules and defenses to deal true damage meant Kevin needed solid physical stats and sharp combat skills to back it up, and both of those demanded a serious resource grind.
Even in his past life, Survivors had to pay a heavy price just to break past human limits and unlock base stats that went beyond mortal levels. Otherwise, why would so many gamblers risk their lives swallowing [Bloodmist Crystals] and other Eldritch Artifacts?
But in this life, Kevin could rely on the refund mechanic from the [Covenant of the Saint] to stack up massive resources for his own growth.
Once he had enough supplies, Kevin was even confident enough to charge straight into that black curtain behind him, armed with just himself, to dig into the truth of this nightmare sea.
If [Lance of Condemnation] gave Kevin the confidence to face down any Eldritch Entity, then [Mechanical Sovereign] was his ticket to ruling these terrifying waters.
That Talent might not do much against powerful Eldritch Entities, but when it came to taking out other Survivor factions, it was a god-tier skill.
Especially since Kevin had been a veteran [Iron Heart] Talent user in his past life, and had previously developed the Mechanic path Talent to a very high level.
He knew exactly how to optimize the Mechanic path and build a strategy to dominate the Survivor world.
Using [Mechanical Sovereign] to crush Survivor factions, and [Lance of Condemnation] to handle Eldritch Entities—that was the path Kevin was going to walk.
"I need to get my hands on some silicon blocks ASAP and roll out a drone swarm for scouting and perimeter security. I can’t safely take [Bloodmist Crystals] until I have a secure environment," Kevin muttered before calling Luna, Amelia, and the others over.
"From now on, Luna and Monchhichi will pilot George’s ship. Celula and Nova, you’ll take Strange’s vessel," Kevin laid out the next set of orders, then turned and headed straight for the captain’s cabin.
