The fog hung heavy over the Sonia Sea, swallowing the small ship in a gray silence.
Adrian stood on the deck, staring at the wandering spirit drifting above the dark water.
The ghost floated aimlessly, its body thin and blurry like smoke in the wind. Sometimes it flickered, as if it might disappear at any moment.
Adrian took a slow breath.
"This is my chance…"
If he wanted to survive in this world, he needed to start using his powers.
Running away from every supernatural encounter wouldn't help him grow.
He focused his mind and slowly extended his spiritual senses.
The world seemed to grow quieter.
A faint invisible connection stretched between him and the wandering spirit.
The ghost trembled slightly.
Adrian spoke softly.
"Don't resist… I'm not here to harm you."
Of course, he had no idea if the spirit could understand him.
But surprisingly, the ghost did not attack. It simply drifted closer to the ship, hovering above the deck like a lost traveler.
Adrian frowned thoughtfully.
If he tried to bind the spirit directly, it might fail. His abilities as a Spirit Master were still weak.
But suddenly, a different idea appeared in his mind.
He slowly looked down at the wooden deck beneath his feet.
"This ship…"
It was the first thing he had seen after waking up in this world.
The place where he had regained consciousness.
And more importantly, the place where the original owner of this body had died.
Because of that, the ship already contained a faint trace of spiritual residue.
Adrian's eyes lit up.
"…Perfect."
Instead of binding the spirit to himself, he could bind it to the ship.
The vessel would become its anchor.
Adrian knelt down and placed his hand on the wooden deck.
The wood felt cold and slightly damp from the sea air.
He closed his eyes and focused his spiritual energy.
"Guide… bind… anchor…"
The simple words came instinctively to his mind, as if something deep inside him was guiding the process.
The wandering spirit began drifting closer.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Three meters.
The ghost slowly passed through the ship's railing and floated above the deck.
For a brief moment, Adrian felt a wave of cold pass through his body.
But he didn't move.
Instead, he concentrated harder.
A faint invisible force spread from his hand into the wooden ship.
The spirit suddenly trembled violently.
Adrian's heart skipped a beat.
"Don't resist…"
The ghost flickered rapidly, as if struggling.
But after a few seconds, its movements slowly weakened.
Then something strange happened.
The wandering spirit began dissolving into pale mist.
The mist sank downward… into the wooden deck.
Adrian's eyes widened.
"It's working!"
The fog around the ship swirled slightly as the last traces of the ghost vanished into the vessel.
Silence returned.
The sea once again became calm.
Adrian slowly opened his eyes.
For a moment, nothing seemed different.
But then—
He suddenly felt something new.
A faint presence inside the ship.
It was weak, almost like a sleeping consciousness.
Yet it was clearly connected to him.
Adrian blinked in surprise.
"…So this is what binding a spirit feels like."
The wandering soul had become part of the ship.
Not trapped.
Not enslaved.
But anchored .
Now the vessel itself had gained a small spiritual presence.
Adrian stood up and looked around the deck.
The fog still surrounded the ship, but he now felt slightly safer.
As if the vessel itself was quietly watching the surroundings.
A thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
"…Interesting."
Because of the spirit bound to the ship, he could vaguely sense the nearby waters.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was similar to a spiritual radar.
Adrian couldn't help but smile slightly.
"This might actually be useful."
Suddenly, a warm sensation spread inside his body.
Adrian froze.
The strange feeling quickly moved through his mind and spirit, like something gently settling into place.
A moment later, the feeling disappeared.
Adrian blinked.
"…What was that?"
He thought carefully for a few seconds.
Then realization hit him.
"My potion…"
His eyes widened slightly.
The Spirit Master potion had digested a little.
Adrian let out a quiet laugh.
"So that's how it works."
By acting like a Spirit Master, communicating with spirits and guiding them, the potion would slowly digest.
Binding the wandering soul to the ship had clearly helped.
Adrian leaned against the railing and looked out at the endless sea.
The fog had started to thin slightly.
Far away, the faint outline of the horizon could finally be seen again.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Adrian felt a small sense of confidence.
He now had:
A spirit-bound ship.
It wasn't much.
But it was his creation.
Adrian crossed his arms and smiled faintly.
"Well… I guess I'm officially a pirate now."
The small ship continued sailing slowly across the gray sea.
And beneath the wooden deck, a lonely wandering soul quietly slept, forever bound to the vessel that had become its new home.