Chapter 127: I'm so sorry!

The three of them left the room and stepped into the corridor.

The ghost ship remained eerily quiet, shrouded in darkness and an oppressive silence.

Both hunters and prey adhered to the "Dark Forest" rule: whoever was exposed first would be in danger.

"Amamiya-kun, where are we going?" Umi asked cautiously.

"To the second floor," Amamiya replied calmly. "We'll check out the treasure room marked on the map. There's something I need to confirm."

Carefully, the three made their way to the second floor. The journey was uneventful—they hadn't encountered either the ghost captain or any player ghosts.

"This is it."

Amamiya stopped, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked at the closed door before them.

They were near the staircase on the second floor. The door appeared unremarkable, indistinguishable from any other cabin. Had it not been marked on the map, they would have easily passed by without giving it a second glance.

"The door's locked. It won't open," Amamiya said, pushing against it, confirming what they expected.

"Maybe something's blocking it?" Umi speculated in a low voice.

Hayasaka folded her arms across her chest, her gaze fixed on three grooves in the center of the door. She spoke thoughtfully, "The shape of those grooves seems familiar..."

"It should fit the coral key we found earlier in the girl's hand," Amamiya replied.

Taking out the coral key, Amamiya placed it into one of the grooves. The size and shape were a perfect match.

"It fits!" Umi's eyes brightened with realization. "There are three grooves on the door. So we need two more coral keys to unlock it, right?"

Hayasaka nodded slightly. "That seems to be the case."

Umi hesitated. "But this ship is huge. Finding the remaining two keys will be like looking for a needle in a haystack, right?"

"It's easier than that," Amamiya said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I already have a good idea where the remaining keys are."

"Eh?!" Umi's eyes widened. "Where? How do you know?"

Hayasaka, equally surprised, turned to Amamiya. She had no clue where the other keys could be, so how did he know?

She started to piece it together. Since they had been together the whole time without separating, if Amamiya knew where the other keys were, then he must have also known…

Something clicked in Hayasaka's mind—a thin veil of realization hovered just out of reach, like a truth she could almost grasp if she stretched a little further.

But before she could fully process it, something else caught her attention. From the corner of her eye, Hayasaka spotted a tall, blue figure silently appearing at the far end of the corridor.

Her heart clenched.

It was the ghost captain.

Before she could react, their eyes met. His cold, malevolent blue gaze bore into hers from across the corridor.

In that instant, Hayasaka's head buzzed, a wave of dizziness overwhelming her senses. Then, to her horror, she felt her right foot move on its own—stepping forward, dragging her body toward the ghost captain against her will.

"Oh no, my body's out of control!" Umi panicked.

"It's the eyes!" she continued. "The ghost captain can really control people from a distance!"

"…"

"Amamiya-kun!" Umi's distressed voice echoed in the corridor.

Hayasaka glanced sideways and saw that Umi had the same panicked expression. Her body, stiff like hers, was also taking steps forward.

"Did she also see the ghost captain's eyes?" 

"Can this monster control multiple people at once?"

"So... is this the end for all of us?"

"…"

But no, it wasn't over for the whole team.

Amamiya had been vigilant the entire time, carefully observing his surroundings. When he noticed Hayasaka suddenly walking forward and heard Umi's distressed cry, he quickly realized what was happening. Keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the floor, he avoided falling under the ghost captain's control.

Abandon the two girls and run away alone?

That thought never even crossed Amamiya's mind.

The way to save them was clear, and no one needed to be left behind.

With a deep breath, Amamiya took decisive action. He swiftly moved to Hayasaka's side, grabbed her by the waist, and without a word, hoisted her over his shoulder.

Next, with his free hand, he firmly wrapped his arm around Umi's waist and lifted her as well.

In an instant, Amamiya found himself carrying both girls, Umi in his left arm and Hayasaka slung over his right shoulder.

It felt a bit surreal, like something out of an ancient tale where heroes carried two people at once. But in this case, it was Amamiya holding Umi and Hayasaka instead of historical figures.

Thanks to the strange "quantum mechanics" strength he'd gained during the game, Amamiya found that he could carry both girls with ease. Not only that, but he was moving quickly despite their combined weight.

Though he normally struggled to lift a 50-kg sack of rice, here he was, sprinting down the corridor with two girls weighing a total of 100 kg on his back.

Without wasting any time, Amamiya raced down the corridor, his reflexes sharp and quick. Even the ghost captain seemed momentarily stunned by the speed of his reaction.

As the boss of this eerie scene, the ghost captain had a terrifying set of abilities: phasing through walls, controlling minds, and converting captured players into ghostly crew members. But teleportation wasn't among his skills—it would have broken the balance of the game.

So, the ghost captain didn't give chase. Only twenty minutes had passed since the game started, and ending it so soon would be dull. After all, a game of cat and mouse was far more entertaining.

"We escaped... we really escaped," Umi said breathlessly, her arms wrapped tightly around Amamiya's neck. She glanced over her shoulder, checking behind them. "The ghost captain didn't follow us."

Hearing this, Amamiya finally stopped, slightly out of breath. Sprinting while carrying two people was no small feat.

"It's his eyes," Umi said quickly. "You can't look into the ghost captain's eyes. When I accidentally did, my body lost all control. I felt dizzy and just... moved forward without meaning to."

"Are you okay now?" Amamiya asked.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Then why don't you walk on your own?" he said dryly.

"…"

Amamiya exhaled and gently set Hayasaka down from his shoulder.

Hayasaka lightly bit her lip, rubbing her sore backside as she calmly covered it with her hands.

Her butt hurt.

Why had he grabbed her there when lifting her up?

Still, she couldn't really blame him. In fact, she felt grateful. Amamiya hadn't abandoned her or Umi, even though it would've been easy to run away. His actions had shown both courage and responsibility.

But just as she was about to thank him, Amamiya, rubbing his own shoulder, remarked casually, "I think I hurt my shoulder."

"…"

Hayasaka's expression froze.

How was she supposed to respond to that? Was he really complaining after saving them?

"Sorry for being so heavy that I hurt your bones!" she thought silently, her face blank.