Overwhelming presence, fame, and status these were just some of the epithets used to describe the so-called Olaf, the Greatest Adventurer.
In this world, most people lived ordinary lives, content with their routine existence. However, there were always those for whom "ordinary" was never enough. Olaf was one such individual. At the age of seventeen, he set out to test his limits. He was the first true adventurer, and throughout his journeys, he chronicled his experiences in a series of books. These books did not merely recount tales of his travels but were also filled with supernatural elements.
One of the most infamous passages from his works reads:
"I feel incredibly unwell after drinking the liquid from an ancient artifact. It's as if I can see human emotions not as mere expressions, but as energy radiating from their bodies. It's impossible to describe in words. Even my own consciousness struggles to comprehend the discovery I have just made."
Many dismissed Olaf as a madman, branding him nothing more than a delusional lunatic. His books were largely ignored, and after his death, they were classified as mere fantasy novels. Those satisfied with their mundane, uneventful lives never believed a word he had written. Yet, among them were individuals who yearned to push past their own limits, just as Olaf had. And so, over time, he earned the title of the Greatest Adventurer.
Inspired by Olaf, many set out on their own journeys, driven by the same burning passion. One such person was Dilo.
Dilo was a devoted reader. One day, he stumbled upon an eight-volume series titled Beyond the Horizon: Olaf's Travels. It was this discovery that ignited his passion for adventure. No longer content with a normal life, he wanted to see just how far he could push his own limits. Could he, too, see what Olaf had described? Could he perceive the human energy Olaf had written about? He craved answers. He wanted to turn his mundane existence upside down.
Throughout his adolescent years, Dilo meticulously studied every sentence of Olaf's books, searching for clues. For years, he pored over them, and during a crucial moment while reading the sixth volume, he noticed something peculiar numbers appearing sporadically throughout the text. They seemed unrelated to the story, but upon checking the other books, he realized the same pattern repeated across all eight volumes.
At that moment, Dilo knew these numbers held a secret. But what could it be?
He tried decoding them, but no method seemed to work. At sixteen, he made a decision to dedicate an entire year of his life to solving this mystery. He wasn't even certain if these numbers truly meant anything, but he was convinced Olaf had left behind a hidden message.
Failure didn't discourage him. Even if he didn't succeed, he could always try again. His determination only grew stronger.
A year passed, yet Dilo remained at square one. Countless hours of study had yielded no results. But he refused to give up. He reread every passage containing numbers, searching for something anything he might have missed.
Then, after minutes of staring at the text, an idea struck him.
He had previously attempted to match numbers to words, but the result had been a nonsensical, overly long sentence. But what if the numbers corresponded not to words, but to letters? Could that be the reason for the excessive length?
With renewed energy, Dilo painstakingly extracted letters from each volume. After what felt like an eternity, he had assembled them all. But when he looked at them, disappointment struck again the letters made no rational sentence.
He was back at the beginning.
Frustrated, he decided to take a short break. As he stood up, something caught his eye a specific combination of letters forming the words "Find" and "Go."
That was enough.
Dilo realized he had been approaching the puzzle from the wrong angle. What if he needed to reverse the order of the letters? He felt foolish for not considering it sooner, but there was no time to dwell on past mistakes. He was finally on the right track.
For hours, he rearranged the letters, until at last, he had uncovered the complete message:
"Go find it in my research on the island of Gekkajima. But remember the number five hundred."
Dilo frantically searched through Olaf's books for any mention of an island named Gekkajima, but he found nothing. Doubt crept in had he solved the puzzle incorrectly?
Then, another realization hit him.
What if the number wasn't part of the message itself, but a clue after decoding the sentence?
Days passed as he pondered its significance. And then, it struck him coordinates.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a map and plotted the numbers. To his astonishment, there was an island marked at those exact coordinates. However, it had no name.
At that moment, a passage from Olaf's book resurfaced in Dilo's memory:
"I have arrived on an island that does not exist on any official map. I even met its native inhabitants. But the real question is what should I call this island?"
It all made sense.
Dilo had finally solved the riddle Olaf had left behind.
Without wasting another second, he began preparing for his journey. The following months were spent gathering supplies and saving money for a ship ticket.
Finally, the day had come.
Standing before the bustling crowd boarding the ship was a tall, athletic young man seventeen years old, draped in oversized dark-blue denim jeans. His feet were clad in loafers, and over his shoulders, a black leather jacket completed his look.
Dilo took a deep breath.
Then, with unwavering determination, he stepped onto the ship.
"Has anyone found what I am looking for, or is the story still waiting with an unfinished ending? That is the question. But I will solve this mystery and leave behind this ordinary life."
After finishing his monologue, he took the last drag of his cigarette and tossed it to the ground. The wind carried the smoke away to an unknown place.
His adventure had begun.