In the blink of an eye, she found herself immersed in a lavish banquet hall, awash with clinking glasses and dazzling kaleidoscopes of colorful lights.
"Oh dear!" A woman in an elegant champagne-colored gown, clutching a glass of bubbly, accidentally collided with Eric and murmured a startled apology.
"Sorry!" The lady courteously apologized, to which Eric waved her off. "It's nothing."
Disregarding the lady's astonished glance upon seeing Eric clad in athletic wear amidst the soirée's finery, Eric pressed onward toward the exit, determined first to ascertain her whereabouts.
Along her search, she encountered several others similarly out of place, attired incongruously amongst the revelers. Their expressions betrayed not the ease or leisure of partygoers, but rather the tense alertness befitting fellow players.
Veteran players knew better than to waste precious moments on pleasantries in such moments; tacitly, each raced against time in their own pursuits.
Eric swiftly departed the grand hall, finding herself in a corridor—yet where exactly was this?
Intercepting a passing waiter pushing a trolley, she inquired anxiously, "Excuse me, where am I?"
"I'm drunk," came a vexed reply from a fellow traveler. "My friends brought me here."
The waiter answered patiently, "This is the maiden voyage of the *Sea Goddess II*. We are currently sailing across the XX Ocean on a seven-day, six-night journey."
Eric was momentarily speechless.
She promptly pressed on, "May I ask where the safety equipment is aboard the ship—life rings, life jackets, lifeboats, that sort of thing? Forgive me; this is my first time on a vessel, and I confess I am quite frightened."
Moved by her earnestness, the waiter provided her with a life jacket, a life ring, and a medical kit for sea sickness. Feigning nausea, Eric requested the waiter escort her back to her cabin.
As with her previous mission, she found both her ticket and room key in her pocket. The waiter guided her to the room designated on the card: a modest single cabin, furnished with one bed, a chair, a small bathroom, and a window—undoubtedly the most economical package aboard the cruise.
"The service on this ship is truly impeccable," Eric mused, setting down her newfound provisions and carefully inspecting the quarters. Beyond the room's standard furnishings, several personal effects lay scattered about.
Among these was a lady's backpack, containing an ID card, bank cards, lipstick, compact powder, and the like. An adjacent suitcase held several elegant dresses and swimwear.
Clearly, this cabin was tailored by the game for her, and the illusion of reality was convincingly crafted.
Delighted, she stowed these belongings away in her supermarket stash. During the Flooded Island dungeon, she had learned that items within dungeons could be transported with her. She had even attempted—and succeeded—in taking a life ring along.
Eric refrained from wandering about, opting instead to await the impending catastrophe within the confines of her small cabin.
This was Eric's maiden voyage aboard a grand cruise ship, yet she felt not a trace of admiration.
She had already pinpointed the lifeboat locations and charted emergency escape routes. Should the ship sink, she vowed to hasten immediately to the lifeboat stations and secure her place aboard.
If faced with other crises, she would adapt accordingly.
She had no intention of seeking portals aboard at this juncture—her experience counselled patience. The crisis had yet to commence; it was a fleeting lull before the main quest unfurled, utterly devoid of clues. She preferred to conserve her strength.
Ten minutes into the dungeon, the cruise ship suddenly jolted violently before inexplicably tipping sharply to starboard!
Her suspicions were confirmed: this truly was a sinking ship scenario.
Eric's cabin was situated on the starboard side of the cruise ship, and as the vessel tilted, she was nearly flung out of the window!
Fortunately, she had anticipated such a scenario and had positioned herself by the door. The moment the ship began to list, she swiftly unlocked the door and dashed into the corridor.
It was nighttime, and while the banquet hall was alive with a dazzling soirée, the residential area was sparsely populated. Eric heard only a few cries of alarm from nearby cabins as she steadied herself against the wall and followed her pre-planned route.
The ship's tilt made her run unsteadily, like a drunken sailor.
After exiting the deck, she prepared to ascend to the upper level, where chaos reigned. Passengers scrambled in panic, colliding with one another, while the floor was littered with shoes and shattered bottles. Eric weaved through the crowd, even stopping to steady a fellow player who nearly fell.
"Thank you!" Megan gasped, glancing at Eric's attire before exclaiming, "Let's head to the port side—the lifeboats are there!"
"I know, let's go!"
The two made their way with purpose to the port side, where crew members were frantically yet methodically lowering lifeboats and guiding passengers aboard.
Seeing a lifeboat already half-lowered, Eric lunged forward, grabbed a rope, and, to the crew's astonishment, swung down onto the lifeboat.
As the lifeboat hit the water and the rope was severed, Eric clung to the vessel, her heart pounding.
"Be careful!" a crew member shouted.
Eric had no time to thank him, quickly scrambling into the lifeboat.
She was the first passenger aboard, having descended with the lifeboat. The crew member at the helm exhaled sharply. "You've got nerves of steel—that was incredibly dangerous!"
"Sorry about that," Eric replied meekly, settling into her seat.
Other passengers descended via rope ladders as the ship tilted further, the ladders swaying precariously. Some fell into the water, others cried for help—chaos reigned. Eric adjusted her life jacket, feeling a surge of confidence.
"Hey, give me a hand!"
Eric leaned over the edge to see a figure in the water—the player she'd briefly partnered with earlier. She reached out and pulled her aboard.
Megan, also clad in a life jacket, was drenched. "Thanks," she said. "I wasn't as quick as you. I tried to grab a rope like you did, but a crew member stopped me, so I had to jump. Thanks again—I'm Megan. And you?"
"I'm Eric."
Thus, the two became acquainted.
More passengers boarded the lifeboat, quickly filling it to capacity. The crew member steered the vessel away from the sinking ship.
Looking back, Eric saw that half the cruise ship had already submerged, its hull now visible. The once-bright lights of the ship had dimmed, the remaining glow illuminating the panicked faces of the passengers. Eric's heart grew heavy as she observed their vivid expressions.
"It's all just an illusion," Megan murmured.
Half an hour later, the cruise ship sank completely.
Though it was a large vessel with ample life-saving equipment, the ship's tilt had caused all the lifeboats on the starboard side to be lost. The number of lifeboats, originally sufficient for all passengers and crew, was now halved. While many passengers had fallen into the water and disappeared, more had survived, leaving the lifeboats overcrowded.
The captain organized the crew to retrieve additional lifeboats and rescue those still in the water.
But the ship sank too quickly.
The lifeboats' searchlights illuminated the area as the captain pointed in a direction. "There's a small island nearby. The nearest rescue team will arrive by dawn. Hold on a little longer!" He proposed sending a group to the island first, then returning with empty lifeboats to fetch the others.
Hearing this, Eric's heart stirred. She guessed the portal must be on the island and suspected the real crisis lay ahead.
Passengers left without lifeboats, floating in the water with only life jackets and rings, voiced their grievances. The captain's announcement only fueled their discontent. Among them were influential figures who, having been a step too slow, were unwilling to remain adrift. They demanded immediate boarding, creating further tension.
Eric listened to the passengers' complaints while keeping a wary eye on the sea.
The dark waters exuded an aura of mystery and danger. Suddenly, she spotted something—
"Shark!" Eric shouted, pointing ahead. "There's a shark!"
"It really is a shark! Go, go, go!"
"Start the boat, hurry!"
The passengers urged frantically, but the captain struggled to coordinate, as many were still in the water.
"Ah!"
The shark appeared suddenly, moving with terrifying speed. Though Eric had only just glimpsed it, the lifeboat was struck with a tremendous force, sending it flying. Caught off guard, Eric was thrown into the air!
She instinctively grabbed for the lifeboat, but the impact was too great. She lost her grip and was flung into the sea.