Chapter 85
It had been ten minutes since Lee Shin left, so the challengers on the boat began to get restless.
"Could it be that Mr. Lee Shin fell into the sea?"
"Oh, that's nonsense."
"He can't even fly; if he hasn't returned yet, he must have fallen."
"You think Lee Shin abruptly went out to sea alone and fell? Do you really think that would happen to him? Are you his anti-fan? You bastard!”
"Jeez, no! I just tried to be logical here!”
What on earth was happening? Lee Shin had taken off at high speed and had quickly turned into a dot. And then there was the other dot in the distance, which they assumed was a pirate ship. Therefore, they became even more worried.
“Huh? Look over there!” shouted a crew.
Something was approaching the challengers quickly, and its speed was still increasing. The probability of it being a pirate ship was high; as it got closer, the challengers’ anxiety increased.
If Lee Shin had boarded that ship, there might have been some chaos, but it seemed peaceful and was sailing toward them peacefully. This meant that Lee Shin either could not get on the ship or was caught by the pirates.
"Could it be... that he really fell into the sea?"
"Would Lee Shin have made it on that ship?"
"Then, that must be Lee Shin bringing the pirate ship here," said Vuela.
Vuela decided to go inside, convinced Lee Shin was on the approaching ship. He thought that there was nothing more to see and no need to wait for anything.
‘Didn't Lee Shin say that the pirates have a clue about Treasure Island?’
Even if Lee Shin had to confront someone on the sea, they were most likely pirates or the dragonian from earlier. As the ship got closer, it became clear that it was a pirate ship and that Lee Shin had robbed that ship alone.
Vuela had known that there was no chance Lee Shin would have fallen into the sea or gotten caught by the pirates.
"Mr. Vuela? Where are you going?" one of the crew asked.
"I'm going to get some sleep," Vuela replied.
"What? Mr. Lee Shin hasn't even come back yet," said the crew.
"Rather than worrying about that guy, you should worry about those damn pirates," said Vuela.
"But..." The crew did not know what to say.
Seemingly annoyed, Vuela waved his hands and went into the cabin. Some challengers nodded and returned to their positions, but most waited for the approaching ship.
"Prepare for combat just in case," said the captain.
If Lee Shin was not on that ship, the crew and the challengers needed to be prepared for combat. And if Lee Shin was there but in a bad situation, they had to help him. With that in mind, the captain waited with his eyes wide open.
"I think it’s that pirate ship from earlier. Maldarian of the east!" a crewmate shouted.
The challengers tensed up when they heard that.
"Something is flying toward us!" The crew shouted.
It flew toward them at an incredible speed and soon landed on the deck.
“Mr. Lee Shin!” exclaimed a crewmate.
Lee Shin had returned to the ship, riding the deck he had left on. He reattached the deck to its original spot with psychokinesis and then approached the captain.
"I have obtained the compass from the Maldarian pirates," said Lee Shin.
Lee Shin handed the compass to the captain.
"Ah, thank you!" said the captain.
Hwang Il-Han, who had stayed on the 20th floor for quite some time and thoroughly mastered navigation skills, received the compass proudly.
"Wait, but why did those pirates...?" The captain wondered why the pirates had come with Lee Shin.
"Well, I couldn’t leave them there. You can think of them as loot," Lee Shin explained.
"Sorry?" the captain asked.
"Just use them as you please. If they don't listen to you well, just call me,” said Lee Shin.
Hwang Il-Han, who had suddenly received management authority over the pirates, became confused, and his head filled with a jumble of thoughts. Would the notorious Maldarian pirate gang really listen to him? Despite what Lee Shin had said, facing the pirates was daunting for Hwang Il-Han.
"Even so, it’s still..." Hwang Il-Han muttered.
"Well, or you can just send them back," said Lee Shin.
"What? But, if we just send them back, they will retaliate with greater force," Hwang Il-Han said.
"I don't think they will..." Lee Shin muttered.
Lee Shin's voice trailed off as he noticed the Maldarian pirate ship approaching. When Maldarian caught his gaze, he quickly averted his eyes and feigned busyness.
‘Yeah, I agree with Hwang Il-Han. I don’t think I can trust them.’
Lee Shin thought for a second about what to do with the pirates and finally decided.
"Well, then let's just sink it," Lee Shin concluded.
.
“What did you just say?” Hwang Il-Han asked Lee Shin.
How many times would Hwang Il-Han say ‘what?’ Hwang Il-Han realized that he was repeating the word an awful lot, but that was the only thing that came to his mind.
Hwang Il-Han looked at Maldarian with a bewildered expression. Seeing Maldarian’s pale appearance, Hwang Il-Han could somewhat assume what kind of suffering he had endured from Lee Shin. Seeing Maldarian like that also filled him with pity.
"Um... Let me think for a momen—" Hwang Il-Han could not finish his sentence.
“Wait a moment!” Maldarian shouted urgently.
Maldarian suddenly leaped from his ship and landed next to Lee Shin and Hwang Il-Han.
"Who do you think you are to jump onto our ship?" Lee Shin said to Maldarian.
Lee Shin’s cold voice made Maldarian tremble and kneel.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to... I mean, please don't sink our boat." Maldarian’s head was pressed against the ground in apology.
Hwang Il-Han found Maldarian’s behavior very strange. Was this the infamous Maldarian? The compassion that he felt toward Maldarian only increased after seeing this.
"Hwang Il-Han is worried you might betray us. But if we destroy your ship, you won’t be able to,” said Lee Shin.
"No, no! I don't have any intention of betraying you! I'm not that crazy. How could I betray a wizard?" Maldarian explained.
"Mr. Lee Shin, I'll reconsider it," said Hwang Il-Han.
From how things looked, it could be said that Maldarian wouldn’t backstab Lee Shin’s group. Hwang Il-Han knew that Lee Shin would surrender the pirates to the mighty ocean if he asked. However, he just couldn’t choose to sacrifice hundreds of humans.
"How about we just let them go? I don't think they will retaliate," Hwang Il-Han said, looking at Lee Shin.
"Oh, my goodness Mr. Captain! You are absolutely right! We won't even dare think about retaliating. Cross my heart!" said Maldarian.
"All right, just remember this. Don't let us see you again. And don't scheme with others either," said Lee Shin, looking at Maldarian.
"Yes, of course!" Maldarian replied with excitement.
"Take this with you." Lee Shin took out a small device and handed it to Maldarian.
"What is this?" Maldarian asked.
"This is a location tracker. If you get too far away, it won't respond, but we can check each other's location in real-time. Put it on your ship," said Lee Shin.
"Yes, sir!" Maldarian replied.
If Maldarian had this on his ship, Lee Shin thought that at least Hwang Il-Han’s worries would lessen.
"If you get caught doing something else, it'll be the end," Lee Shin warned Maldarian again.
"Of course! Never! That won't happen!" said Maldarian.
Maldarian bowed repeatedly, jumped over the railing, and crossed over to his ship.
"He has good ears indeed," Lee Shin muttered.
Maldarian and his pirates quickly vanished from sight, worried that Lee Shin might change his mind again. Next, Hwang Il-Han navigated the ship using the compass.
From the beginning of the stage, battles had raged without a moment's rest, but in truth, it was rare for anything to happen on the vast sea. Most of the time, the challengers just repeated the monotonous voyage. Even though they had sailed for a full day, they had not seen a single island or ship.
Splash—!
"The waves are getting stronger," Vuela muttered.
"That's strange. Looking at the weather, there shouldn't be such strong waves," one of the crew members replied.
"Is that so?" Vuela asked.
Vuela had just woken up, and his entire day was ruined by the news that Maldarian had been set free. And then, the ship started shaking nonstop due to the waves, further increasing his irritation.
"I’m about to lose my temper again," said Vuela.
"Crazy guy," Lee Shin muttered.
"Did you just call me a crazy guy?" Vuela was upset to hear Lee Shin's words.
Lee Shin sighed as he looked at Vuela, who did not seem to understand why Lee Shin was calling him crazy. Was it really a good idea to awaken the Berserker talent in that guy? Lee Shin was starting to worry that Vuela was turning into an ignorant Orc who only wanted to fight as the days passed.
"Nothing… If you're that irritated, use your sword at least," Lee Shin said.
"What do you mean? Where should I use my sword? Those guys over there aren't even worth fightin—" Vuela could not finish his sentence.
The wind roared as a massive water column suddenly arose from the sea. Amidst the pouring water, a huge monster emerged.
"Use it over there," Lee Shin pointed to the monster.
After seeing the monster, Vuela drew his sword and smiled.
“This is perfect for me to vent my frustration," Vuela muttered.
Vuela charged at the monster, so the big fish-like creature fixed its gaze on Vuela.
“Die yo—” Vuela could not finish his sentence again because the monster had shot multiple water streams at him.
“Keugh!”?Vuela gasped.
Lee Shin used his psychokinesis to catch Vuela mid-air, preventing him from being thrown off the ship. With a thud, Vuela landed back on the deck.
“T-t-thank you,” Vuela whispered.
With embarrassment, Vuela expressed his gratitude to Lee Shin, but his eyes turned red.
“Ugh, you fish head!” Vuela shouted in anger.
With rage building up inside him, Vuela enveloped his sword in blazing mana power. The monster, nearly half the size of a large ship, emerged from the water and began gathering water in its mouth again.
"I’ll split you in half," said Vuela, glaring at the monster.
Chwaahh!
Once again, a water stream shot him down.
[Wave Cutting Sword]
In response to the monster’s attack, one of Vuela’s admirable performances, the Wave Cutting Sword, exerted fierce mana power and charged ahead.
Swoosh—! Babababam!
The sword aura of Wave Cutting Sword split the water stream in half, eventually cleaving the monster. The monster could not comprehend what had happened and met its demise with a bewildered expression without even screaming.
Kwaahh!
The sword aura of Wave Cutting Sword split the water stream and the monster. However, it didn’t stop there. It exerted its force on the sea, creating a huge storm before disappearing.
"Wow... Mr. Vuela is really amazing too."
"I can’t believe he killed a sea monster with just one strike."
"Wow, this is the power of Lee Shin’s number one swordsman!"
"What are you talking about? Lee Shin’s number one swordsman is Baek Hyun."
"Hey! No, that's not right. Lee Shin’s right-hand man is Park Joo-Hyuk."
"Where did you hear such nonsense? Lee Shin cherishes Park Hye-Won the most. There's even talk about their engagement in the future."
Lee Shin’s face distorted when he heard all that nonsense.
“Hey, that’s no—” Lee Shin was about to intervene in their conversation.
"Hey! What the hell are you talking about?! Why would I be Lee Shin’s number one swordsman? Do you think I'm some kind of servant of that monster, Lee Shin?"
Upon hearing their words, Vuela approached the challengers and the crew members on the ship with an incredulous expression.
"Huh? Oh, is that not true?”
"Yeah! What's with this talk about Mr. Vuela being Lee Shin’s number one swordsman? He's just one of Lee Shin’s colleagues!"
"Yeah, that’s right. You're right."
The challengers hastily tried to explain themselves in the face of Vuela’s fierce reaction. However, they still failed to calm him down.
"And why are you even mentioning the others? Do you think I'm inferior to them? Huh?" Vuela was upset and was glaring at the challengers.
"No, it's not like tha—"
"Please just calm down a littl—”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! Except for monsters like Lee Shin, no one can beat m… Well, except for that guy, Endo or Enjoy or whatever his name was. But other than these two, I can win against anyone. You understand?” Vuela shouted at the challengers and the crew members.
Even after killing the giant sea monster earlier, Vuela’s excitement and anger had not subsided. He continued to lash out at the people on the ship. Lee Shin watched the scene for a bit before ignoring the challengers signaling for help and went to Hwang Il-Han, who was lost in thought.
“This is strange,” Hwang Il-Han muttered, looking at the monster's corpse floating on the sea.
“What do you mean?” Lee Shin asked, looking at Hwang Il-Han.
As Lee Shin approached Hwang Il-Han, he explained what he had said.
"These monsters don't usually come up to the surface. They don't like sunlight," Hwang Il-Han explained to Lee Shin.
"You know much about these monsters?" Lee Shin asked.
"I know a little. They live deep down in the sea. They inhabit places so deep that they're hard for humans to see," Hwang Il-Han continued.
Hwang Il-Han was right. Besides, if such giant fish were roaming beneath their ship, the pirates would not be able to navigate the waters easily.
Suddenly, the nearby currents started to gather around the monster's corpse. However, compared to the giant monster, the currents looked insignificant.
"This isn't a good sign. Whenever strange things happen at sea, bad things tend to follow," said Hwang Il-Han, looking troubled.
Hwang Il-Han was certain that something bad was going to happen.
"Do you happen to know about Abaim Monstre?" Lee Shin abruptly asked Hwang Il-Han.
Hwang Il-Han's eyes widened when he heard the name.
"No way," Hwang Il-Han muttered.
Hwang Il-Han did not think Lee Shin would mention the name without reason.
"Do you know something about it?" Lee Shin asked Hwang Il-Han again.
"I don't know much either. But I've heard stories about the monster of the deep sea, Abaim Monstre. That creature can dominate the entire sea," Hwang Il-Han explained.
“All right,” Lee Shin replied.
Hwang Il-Han had little significant information.
"Do you expect Abaim Monstre to appear?" Hwang Il-Han asked Lee Shin nervously.
Lee Shin wanted to keep this from the other challengers. It would only increase their anxiety. However, Lee Shin felt that it was appropriate to inform Hwang Il-Han, the ship's captain, now that it had come to this.
"I'm not expecting it," Lee Shin replied.
"Then...?" Hwang Il-Han asked Lee Shin nervously.
"It will definitely appear. But don't tell anyone else because I can handle it," Lee Shin said.
Hwang Il-Han's pupils shook rapidly.
"I'll leave the ship to you," Lee Shin said calmly.
Lee Shin’s request sounded like a death sentence to Hwang Il-Han.
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