Chapter 816
[Tame the Sea Beast]
[You are the Pirate King ruling over the Green Isles! Tame a sea beast!]
[Harass the sea beast until its HP and Stamina have dropped to about 10%, forcing it to submit.]
[Type: Quest]
[Progress: 0%]
[Warning: Killing the sea beast will render the quest incompletable]
“Oh? Is this because of that thing?” Siegfried muttered, recalling the new title he had just obtained.
The title "Pirate King" came with the special effect of raising his affinity with sea beasts by five hundred percent.
“But… do I really need to tame it? Wouldn’t it be better just to kill it and sell the hide…?”
Just then...
Whoosh!
Brutus swung its massive tail toward Siegfried.
“Hm?”
With a casual motion, Siegfried shifted his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield and blocked the blow.
The result?
Boom!
The colossal body of Brutus was sent tumbling across the sandy beach. Despite weighing several dozen tons, the sea beast was deflected like a toy even though it was the attacker.
“...”
Brutus stared at Siegfried in disbelief, and its massive eyes were wide from shock.
“Oh? What’s with your eyes? Hey, Hamchi, go teach that lizard some manners,” Siegfried said.
“Kyuuu! You got it, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed in response.
He rolled up his sleeves—if the fur covering his arms could even be called sleeves—and stomped his way toward Brutus.
Siegfried watched in stunned silence upon seeing Hamchi peel back his fur as if it were a piece of clothing.
“...Is there a person hiding inside all that?”
For a brief moment, Siegfried recalled the large random items Hamchi had pulled out from his seemingly bottomless pouch.
Meanwhile, Hamchi completely ignored Siegfried. He grew in size and continued to grow some more. He had leveled up multiple times during his journey with Siegfried, so he was now capable of growing much larger than before. S
“Kyuuuu!”
Hamchi grew to nearly half the size of Brutus, becoming a furry titan.
“...”
Brutus froze in shock.
The cunning sea beast had encountered countless land animals before, and all of them had been easy prey.
But this… this was different.
What looked like a normal animal just moments ago had transformed into a terrifying beast almost rivaling its own size.
“You dare mess with us, you damn oversized lizard?! Kyuuu!” Hamchi exclaimed before unleashing a mighty swing of his massive paw, landing a direct hit on the sea beast’s head.
Smack!
Brutus flew through the air and rolled across the beach like a barrel.
“Hamchi will teach you a lesson!”
Without hesitation, Hamchi leaped onto Brutus’ back and pummeled the poor sea beast’s head with a barrage of strikes.
“Kyuuu! Have a taste of Hamchi’s Machine Gun Knuckle Sandwich!”
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Thud! Thud!
Thunk! Thwack!
Brutus could only writhe in agony as Hamchi’s special attack rained down on its head.
“Kieeek!”
“Kyuuu! Triangle choke!”
“K-Kieek...!”
“Time to knock you out! Kyuuu! The hide quality will drop if you die!”
Hamchi decided to knock Brutus out rather than kill it to preserve the quality of its hide.
However, Brutus was not an easy opponent.
“Krwaaaak!”
It thrashed wildly and pushed off the ground, launching himself and Hamchi into the ocean.
Splash!
The two disappeared beneath the waves.
“Kieeeek!”
Brutus shoved Hamchi off of its back the moment it entered its homecourt and made a run for it. It wasn't like it had deduced that it couldn't defeat Hamchi. It was simply because it was confident of its odds against Hamchi as long as they were underwater.
However, what Brutus feared more than the massive furry creature was the human that had thrown that metallic object at it earlier.
Brutus’ instincts screamed that the human was far more powerful than it was, and this instinct proved invaluable in its survival until now. The survival instincts of the sea beast were the secret behind its long life, as it would immediately make a run for it the moment its instincts cried out danger.
“Kyuuuu!”
Hamchi surfaced from the depths of the waters and hurriedly signaled at Siegfried.
“Owner punk! The leather is running away!”
“Is it? Hohoho! Then we just have to chase it down,” Siegfried replied nonchalantly.
“Kyu?”
“Let’s go.”
Siegfried took out an Aqua Runner from his Inventory and placed it on the water.
“Hey, you drive.”
“Kyuuu! Got it! Hamchi is the best driver!”
Hamchi immediately reduced his size and drove the Aqua Runner, chasing after the sea beast. Brutus noticed that the two had not given up, so it dove deep into the waters once again, but…
“Not a chance,” Siegfried muttered with a grin.
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He activated Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance and tracked Brutus down.
The sea beast could run, but there was no way it could hide from the overpowered maphack—the Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance.
***
Siegfried relentlessly chased down Brutus for nearly three hours. He harassed and tormented the poor sea beast without mercy. He pressed Brutus by poking it tirelessly and occasionally engaging in skirmishes that inflicted both physical and psychological damage to the sea beast.
Brutus was a sea beast, but it needed oxygen to survive, so it had to surface periodically to breathe. In other words, there was no escaping from the torment.
As a result…
“Kieeek…”
Brutus floated aimlessly on the surface of the water like a buoy, looking badly battered.
[Brutus]
[HP: ⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜]
[Stamina: ⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜]
Both its Health and Stamina had dropped to less than ten percent, leaving it utterly drained and defenseless. Perched atop the Aqua Runner, Siegfried circled Brutus like a shark eyeing its helpless prey.
‘Hmm… What do I do now?’ Siegfried wondered.
He successfully wore Brutus out, but he realized he had no clue how to actually tame the beast.
Bzzzt!
Just then, something vibrated in his Inventory.
It was the Pirate King’s hat.
Without warning, the hat floated out of his Inventory, and from its inner lining, a glowing green rope shot out, winding itself around Siegfried’s hand.
[Brainwashing Tortoise Rope]
[The legendary rope used by Pirate King Freydlief during his lifetime to subdue and tame sea creatures.]
[It is crafted from the Deep Sea Kelp, an extremely rare plant that only grows in small quantities around the Green Isles.]
[This rope boasts unmatched durability and binding capabilities against sea creatures.]
[Type: Rope]
[Rating: Legendary]
[Durability: 674/1,000]
[Attack Power: 0]
[Effects: +1,000% binding strength against sea creatures, 100% success rate for brainwashing when successfully capturing a sea creature]
But that was not the end of it…
Ding!
[Alert: You have acquired a new skill!]
To Siegfried’s surprise, he gained an entirely unexpected skill in addition to the legendary rope.
***
Following Deus’ advice, Shakiro left the Proatine Kingdom along with the Golden-Haired Young Man Who Fell From the Sky.
As they rode along on horseback, the Golden-Haired Young Man Who Fell From the Sky spoke up.
“Where are we going? Am I being exiled?”
The question carried a mixture of concern and curiosity, but Shakiro responded with a gentle smile.
“No, Mikhail.”
For now, the Golden-Haired Young Man Who Fell From the Sky was given the temporary name Mikhail.
“The Proatine Kingdom has not exiled you.”
“Then why…?”
“This is an opportunity to get some fresh air and to explore the world. Who knows? Traveling might help you recover your lost memories,” Shakiro explained.
“Oh!”
“In the meantime, let’s enjoy the world’s most famous landmarks and sights together. I’ll be your tour guide.”
“That sounds wonderful! Thank you so much!”
“Relax and enjoy the journey. Sometimes, enjoying life is the best kind of rest,” Shakiro said. Then, he grinned and added, “Fortunately, we’re well-funded for this trip, too.”
In the past, Shakiro wandered around the continent with little money. Sleeping outdoors was normal for him, and his meals often consisted of whatever game he could hunt, seasoned with the seasonings he had on him.
But things were different now…
With a stack of checks issued by the Proatine Kingdom, there was no need to endure such hardships again. Of course, they would still suffer if they traveled through areas without inns, but Shakiro had no reason to do such a thing.
However, not everyone in their group was thrilled about the journey.
“What fresh air? We left a warm comfortable palace for this nonsense!”
“Exactly! This is unfair, my lord!”
Metatron and Chaos were part of this journey, and it was all because Siegfried had ordered Metatron to keep an eye on Mikhail.
Thus, Metatron had no choice but to reluctantly join the trip.
However, he was compelled by duty rather than choice.
For reasons he could not fully understand, merely being near Mikhail made him, Metatron, feel uneasy. Even Mikhail’s shadow sent chills down his spine and made his heart race.
In other words, this journey was nothing short of torture for Metatron.
But what other choice did he have?
As the king’s steward, he had no option but to obey Siegfried’s commands.
Thus, the peculiar group of Shakiro, Mikhail, Metatron, and Chaos set off on their journey, leaving behind the comfort of the Proatine Kingdom.
At first, the trip was uneventful. They passed through various towns, enjoyed the scenery offered by the continent, sampled regional delicacies, and experienced life as ordinary travelers.
But on the fourth day, their journey took an unexpected turn.
An old man appeared on a deserted forest path, standing firmly in their way.
‘Something doesn’t feel right…’ Shakiro thought. His instincts screamed at him and his experience told him that situations like this rarely ended well.
Nevertheless, being the polite person that he was, Shakiro decided to resolve things through dialogue rather than resorting to violence.
“Good sir, blocking the middle of the road like this could inconvenience others, us included. I apologize, but could you please let us pass?” Shakiro asked.
However, he did not get any response from the old man.
Instead—
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted from the old man, hurling Shakiro, Metatron, and Chaos into the air.
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
Metatron and Chaos were sent flying, causing them to crash into the open field and tumble painfully across the ground.
“...!”
On the other hand, Shakiro narrowly avoided smashing into the ground thanks to his extraordinary reflexes that allowed him to stabilize himself in mid-air. Then, he quickly got back on his feet and put his guard up.
However, the old man ignored him and had his eyes fixed on Mikahil alone.
“So, here you are,” the old man said with a sly unsettling grin.
Shiiing…!
He drew a sword in one hand while conjuring flames in the other.
***
“D-Do you know me by any chance?” Mikhail asked, and his voice trembled with confusion and unease as he stared at the old man. He had no idea why this stranger was acting so hostile toward him.
“How could I not?”
“If you do know me… why don’t we try resolving this calmly through dialogue? Resorting to violence so suddenly is surely not the best way.”
“Tsk… So you’ve even lost your memories, haven’t you? That’s pathetic,” the old man sneered, his grin brimming with disdain.
“Yes, I have no memories of my past. But if I have ever wronged you in some way, I beg your forgiveness. Please, show mercy and—”
“Silence! You are a traitor to your kin!”
The old man’s voice turned as cold as ice, and each icy word cut through the air like a dagger.
“You’re still the same! Weak and indecisive!”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“Enough! I don’t want to hear your pathetic excuses anymore! By the names of my father and our kin… I will execute you myself.”
With that declaration, a searing crimson flame surged from the old man’s hand, roaring toward Mikhail like an unstoppable wave.
“...!”
Mikhail froze in shock, and he could not even think of dodging. He was locked in place as the flame closed in on him.
Fwoosh!
Just as the blazing fire was about to devour him—
Boom!
Shakiro landed right in front of Mikhail. He descended from above in one swift movement and summoned a massive aura shield, intercepting the flames and neutralizing it in an instant.
“Step back! Leave this to me!”
Positioning himself in front of Mikhail, Shakiro channeled more mana into the shield.
Wooong!
In an instant, dozens of aura blades materialized and floated around Shakiro like a protective barrier.
‘Go!’
Using Flying Sword, he sent aura weapons flying toward the old man.
“Argh!”
Meanwhile, Metatron, who barely managed to lift his decrepit old body off the ground, froze in place after catching sight of the old man.
“T-That old man!” he cried out.
Chaos hurried to support him and asked, “What is the matter, my lord? Do you recognize that old man?”
“Fool! How can you call yourself a demon and not know who he is?!” Metatron lashed out, and his voice was tinged with fury and disbelief.
“M-My lord?”
Metatron’s eyes were filled with terror and disbelief as he struggled to squeeze words out of his throat.
“T-That man is…!”
