After a period of practice and accumution, Ethan was finally able to use his own magic power to cast the auxiliary spell that all apprentices must master: Mage Hand.

  This spell has a very low magic power requirement, primarily driven by spiritual power with only a small amount of magic. With Ethan's mental strength, he could have maintained the spell for a long time using just his spiritual power, even without the aid of magic.

  However, casting it with magic was entirely different. It prevented direct contact with external objects, providing a yer of protection for his spiritual power. This protective yer was especially useful during magic experiments, where it could help avoid many potential dangers.

  More importantly, the significance of this spell went far beyond its practical use.

  Looking at the small pebble floating in front of him, Ethan felt a surge of pride.

  At this moment, he could finally stand tall and announce to the world: I am truly a magician!

  Standing at the helm, Ethan tossed the stone into the sea. After calming his excitement, he turned his attention back to the surrounding waters.

  Having been away from the central isnd for so long, he was now gradually approaching the border of this sea. The conditions on the water had noticeably worsened. The once calm surface was repced by swelling waves, and the Goddess of Dawn could no longer maintain its former stability, rising and falling with the sea's unduting motion.

  The sky had also turned gray, with the sun's light now dim and weak. The sea breeze grew colder by the hour, prompting Ethan to put on the thick clothing he'd rarely worn before. Only then did he feel a bit of warmth.

  "Is it just my imagination?"

  He thought he saw snow mixed in with the sea spray, something he'd never encountered in this world.

  As the Goddess of Dawn continued forward, the clouds overhead thickened, and intermittent snowfkes drifted through the air, confirming that it hadn't been an illusion.

  "It's suddenly gotten colder."

  Ethan had always assumed the sea's climate was retively uniform, as the Sea of Calm rarely experienced significant temperature changes. This journey, sparked by curiosity, made him realize just how naive that assumption had been.

  The familiar concepts of titude and longitude from Earth clearly didn't apply here. The only relevant knowledge he could use was how to properly protect his ship in this unfamiliar cold.

  Ethan meticulously inspected every part of the vessel, slowing their advance to a cautious pace. Every so often, he stopped to check for damage or potential vulnerabilities caused by the harsh environment.

  He controlled the ship's speed carefully, wary of colliding with ice. Striking a hidden chunk of ice at high speed could deal catastrophic damage to the hull.

  His caution paid off. Though their progress was slow, they avoided any dangerous situations and successfully reached the outer edge of the sea.

  There, on the horizon, loomed a towering wall of storms. The storm stretched endlessly, connecting sea and sky in a chaotic mass. Through Tony's advanced equipment, Ethan observed the storm's sheer violence: torrential rain, lightning, and massive waterspouts spiraling across the water. Giant whirlpools emerged and vanished unpredictably.

  "This sea... no wonder no one tries to break through it."

  Even from this distance, the storm's ferocity was clear. It would take a long time to reach that wall if he decided to press on. Without Tony's technology, he'd have had to venture closer just to get this clear a view, an uncomfortable and time-consuming task given the turbulent conditions.

  The howling wind and swirling snow made navigation even more difficult. Ethan had to grip the wheel tightly to keep his bance, his movements cautious and deliberate.

  "Heavy wind and snow... No wonder adventurers steer clear of this pce."

  Out of habit, he took out the isnd pointer to check for nearby nd. Previously, the needle had swayed aimlessly, indicating no isnds nearby. He didn't expect that to change in this environment.

  To his surprise, the pointer now pointed steadily in one direction.

  The direction it indicated y to his left, toward the Sea of Storms.

  This meant the isnd was deeper within the dangerous sea ahead.

  Ethan hesitated. Abandoning the isnd wasn't an option, so he turned the Goddess of Dawn toward the pointer's direction and cautiously resumed his voyage.

  The journey was long and uncomfortable. The constant pitching and rolling of the ship left Ethan feeling disoriented, his head throbbing from the endless shaking.

  Just as he was considering whether to give up, an isnd came into view on the horizon.

  "..."

  As the isnd grew closer and closer, Ethan couldn't help but feel the urge to say, "Are you reading my mind?" But instead, he quietly circled around the isnd, searching for a retively calm spot to dock the boat. After securing the ship, he jumped down from the deck and waded through the choppy water to reach the shore.

  The moment his feet touched solid ground, Ethan felt momentarily disoriented. The sudden absence of the boat's constant rocking left him unsteady. He stood still for a while until his sense of bance returned, then began to examine the isnd.

  Gone was the familiar greenery; in its pce stretched a vast expanse of white. The entire isnd was covered in snow. A short distance from the shoreline stood a cluster of trees, their branches weighed down by thick yers of snow. Ethan approached one of the trunks and kicked it lightly. Snow fell away, revealing bark reminiscent of trees from Earth's colder regions.

  "No fruit here."

  Fruit was an essential source of food in this world, often serving as both nourishment and hydration. Adventurers instinctively checked for fruit as part of their initial isnd survey.

  But Ethan saw no sign of fruit, despite walking a good distance along the coast. Every tree he encountered was of the same type—sturdy and snow-den.

  Typically, a floating isnd's flora remains consistent across its surface. If one side cks fruit-bearing trees, the chances of finding them elsewhere are slim.

  "What does this isnd have, then?"

  He hadn't come all this way to leave empty-handed. If there was no food to collect, then gathering wood or minerals was the next best option. Ethan shifted his focus to the trees.

  "This wood looks like good quality."

  He hadn't paid much attention earlier, but now he recognized the timber's potential. It seemed like high-quality raw material, worth collecting to restock his cargo hold.

  "If nothing else, I can py lumberjack for a day."

  Wood was a fundamental resource, but Ethan wasn't thrilled about the idea of logging. Cutting the trees down wasn't the issue; for him, that was just a matter of a few swings. The real challenge would be transporting the logs to the ship and loading them into the cargo hold. That was tedious work.

  "I'll go a bit further innd first."

  He gnced back at the Goddess of Dawn, still anchored offshore. The chance of other adventurers appearing nearby was low, one of the reasons he'd chosen this spot.

  Without companions or a crew, he had no one to guard the boat. If someone boarded and stole it while he was away, he'd be stranded here.

  To mitigate that risk, Ethan cast a protective ward around the ship, an arm spell that would alert him to any intruders.

  After donning his full set of magic equipment, he continued deeper into the isnd. The worsening cold prompted him to wrap a thick cloak around himself, leaving him bundled from head to toe.

  This extra yer made stealth impossible; his footsteps crunched loudly in the snow. Ethan kept one hand on his weapon and activated the search functions on his specialized gsses to stay alert.

  The technology worked like a charm. Not long after venturing innd, his gsses picked up signs of life. This was the first isnd he'd visited that showed evidence of living creatures.

  "But... its movements..."

  Ethan studied the readings on his dispy. The creature's position shifted frequently, occasionally moving closer to him before pulling away again.

  "Is it testing me?"

  This behavior wasn't a good sign. It suggested the creature might be preparing for an ambush, whether to defend its territory or for some other reason. In either case, Ethan needed to stay alert and be ready to strike first if necessary.

  Marking the creature's position on his gsses, he continued walking while pretending to remain oblivious. The isnd's snowy ndscape was monotonous and devoid of variety. The persistent whiteness made the terrain blur together after a while.

  Then, his gsses detected something unexpected: multiple energy signatures deeper within the isnd. The data matched records stored in the device's database.

  "Magic stones!"

  Following the dispy's guidance, Ethan found himself standing before an open-air magic stone deposit. The gems were scattered across the ground, partially buried in the snow. Some were even exposed on the surface, requiring only a bit of digging to collect.

  Most of the stones were of mediocre quality, but they were still useful as ammunition for his magic cannons. Their manageable size also meant Ethan could store them easily in his dimensional storage, sparing himself the hassle of hauling heavy logs back and forth.

  While appearing absorbed in the discovery, Ethan kept one eye on the dispy. The creature's marker had shifted behind him and was now creeping closer.

  Beneath his cloak, he gripped the Book of Inheritance with his left hand and the Battle Cross with his right. His muscles tensed as he prepared for a sudden strike.

  The creature picked up speed.

  Ethan spun around in an instant, activating the energy bde in his hand. The weapon fred with brilliant light as it sshed toward the approaching figure.

  Only then did he realize...

  The "threat" lunging at him with cws bared was no rger than his fist.

  A small, fierce, wild-looking... kitten?