Ryuji moved fast this time. While Lux was still coughing, he had already pulled up his pants, grabbed a nearby piece of wood, and the makeshift lifebuoy he had made out of an empty water bottle and without hesitation, activated the teleportation.
The very next moment, he felt himself flying through the air.
"Huh?"
As soon as he appeared, he realized he was plummeting straight downward. He had anticipated the possibility, so he immediately pulled out a simple grappling hook he'd made earlier, ready to latch onto any nearby rock.
But—
All he saw was endless sky… and a completely unconscious Kiri falling alongside him.
He glanced down at the sea below, filled with ships and scattered debris, then up at the cloudless sky.
Ryuji gave a resigned nod.
"Shit, I was so worried I forgot all about this!"
Kiri hadn't just fallen off a cliff—she'd fallen straight into Arad!
Without hesitation, he sprang into action.
He quickly pulled up his system interface, ready to abandon Kiri's fate out of respect for her choices and teleport to another world to lay low and start a new journey on his own.
But then…
"Insufficient energy. Teleporting to Erina Nakiri requires 100,000 energy points."
"Insufficient energy. Teleporting to Tsunade Senju requires 5,000,000 energy points."
"Insufficient energy. Teleporting to Luxana Crownguard requires 8,000 energy points."
The three notifications nearly made him cough up blood.
"What the hell?! A hundred thousand, five million, eight thousand?! Are you kidding me?! Why did it only cost 200 points to come here in the first place?!"
But there was no time to scream at the system.
Below, the wide expanse of ocean loomed closer and closer. He could even make out figures moving on the ships. All he could do now was brace for impact, adjust his posture midair—
And scream.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Splash.
Unexpectedly, the deadly impact he had braced for never came.
By all logic, given the height they had fallen from and the limp state Kiri was in, they both should've died on impact. But somehow… this world had cushioned their fall with a strange, invisible force, reducing the damage they took.
He didn't even pass out.
Choking on a mouthful of seawater, Ryuji came to his senses quickly. Realizing he was still alive, he instinctively grabbed hold of Kiri and started swimming upward.
But the resistance of the water and the rapid burning in his muscles made one thing immediately clear—
His strength and stamina had reverted to normal.
All the power and endurance boosts granted by his skill points were gone.
"Leaving that world stripped everything away?!"
Panicking, he summoned his inventory.
Fortunately, while his physical buffs were gone, the inventory full of supplies was still functional. He pulled out a few plastic water bottles, tied them together with his shirt, and created a rough flotation device. Clutching the unconscious Kiri tightly, he swam upward with all he had.
But he wasn't a skilled swimmer—especially not with a full-grown woman dragging him down. His ascent was painfully slow, and the icy seawater drained his strength at an alarming rate.
Luckily, people from one of the ships had already jumped in to save them.
Thanks to the kindness of strangers, he finally dragged Kiri onto the boat.
After confirming she was still breathing, he let out a long breath of relief and turned to the two men who had rescued them—a father and son who looked like fishermen.
"Thank you. Really. I'll repay this kindness."
He meant it. The son had leapt into the water and helped pull them both up, nearly capsizing the boat in the process.
Sure, he'd been swimming upward on his own, but with his physical stats now back to normal, there was no guarantee he could've reached the surface carrying her.
His gratitude was genuine.
But the father and son only stared at him, confused, scratching their heads before replying—
"@!￥@#%"
Perfect.
Ryuji winced and rubbed his forehead.
He'd completely forgotten. In the world of 7 Days to Die, everyone could understand each other, so he hadn't noticed the language barrier. But now… now it was painfully obvious. He couldn't understand a word these Arad locals were saying.
He wasn't sure if Kiri would be able to speak with them either, but one thing was certain—he definitely couldn't.
Still, he figured he could at least show some appreciation.
He knew his usual steel and iron ingots wouldn't work as currency here—pulling those out would just look ridiculous. He eyed the two men and their boat carefully.
Then he spotted a brass handle. Bingo.
With a sigh of relief, he pulled out a handful of casino tokens—brass coins he'd collected. He still had some silver and gold bars from looting and mining, but flashing those now seemed like a bad idea.
This much, at least, could show goodwill.
The father and son looked briefly excited, weighing the tokens in their hands—then immediately deflated once they realized they were just plain brass. They laughed, waved off his thanks, and said something else he couldn't understand before steering the boat toward shore.
Ryuji pressed his palms together and bowed in gratitude.
The gesture, at least, they seemed to recognize. Both men smiled and waved it off again.
"Safe… for now," he muttered, finally allowing himself to relax.
They docked soon after.
Carrying the unconscious Kiri on his back, he followed the father and son into a small medical clinic. They left some money behind and quietly departed.
Inside, a female doctor began examining Kiri. But when Ryuji realized they couldn't communicate either, she simply turned and left.
It wasn't long before he ran into someone… familiar.
A woman in a violet evening gown. Purple skin. A perfect figure. Flowing, brilliant white hair.
Sharan?
Before he could speak, a calm, mature voice echoed in his mind, startling him.
"Your companion is fine. There's no need to worry. But where did you come from? You speak a language none of us have ever heard. And you look… like a refugee."
Refugee?
He glanced down at his ragged, half-torn clothes and sighed.
"…Yeah. I guess you could say that."