Clang! Clang!
Cannon hatches opened across the ship as the latest model of magical cannons, purchased at a high price from the Magic Tower, emerged.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each blast, the ship shook violently, and waves sprayed into the air above the ocean's surface.
- "Attention, passengers. Due to the presence of sea monsters, please follow the crew's guidance to safely relocate to your cabins..."
Boom! Boom!
The cannon fire was so loud it drowned out the announcements. At the same time, the mercenaries who had been observing Theo’s group sprang into action, moving with well-practiced precision. They seemed accustomed to such situations.
‘Sea creature appearances have been unusually frequent lately. I guess that’s the reason.’
Theo infused his vision with spiritual energy and examined each of the elite mercenaries closely.
Haaaah!
“The cannons aren’t hitting anything! The Magic Tower swindled us—expensive, and they’re completely useless!” a dog-headed beastman grumbled, swinging a massive spear down at a sea monster that had just crawled up to the ship’s railing, knocking it back into the water.
“Maybe next time, we should seriously tell Lord Antoniou to stop buying from them,” added the gunslinger, assembling a large, multi-barreled machine gun from parts in his backpack and unloading it into the ocean. Blood from the creatures turned the surrounding sea red.
“Stop yapping and get them grouped up! I can’t hit them like this!” The fire mage, the only one Theo was truly interested in, lit a cigarette and flicked his fingers repeatedly. Magic circles on his gloves activated, sending fiery spells crashing down. They weren’t very effective against creatures submerged in water, but they were powerful enough to discourage any that were trying to get closer to the ship.
Several other mercenaries cut down or pushed back the sea creatures with various weapons. Some even displayed decent aura skills. Though intimidated by Selpard and Arin earlier, these mercenaries were far from lacking.
And among them was one Theo had been searching for.
Thud! Thud!
「Theo! How long are we going to keep this up?」
「Make up your mind quickly.」
Selpard and Arin stood beside Theo, guarding him and pressing for a decision.
‘I found them.’
Theo grinned, realizing that one of these mercenaries matched what he was looking for. They had a personality similar to the Slow Gang member he’d encountered before.
It was a good thing he hadn’t warned them about the approaching sea creatures in advance. Actually, it was Theo himself who had lured them here, attracting them with a magical scent mimicking the Sea King’s power.
「Both of you, keep the sea creatures at bay without causing damage to civilians. I’ll move separately.」
「Whatever you’re planning... Understood.」
「I’ll hold back as much as possible.」
Swoosh—
As Selpard and Arin unleashed their aura, the heads of the sea creatures exploded simultaneously.
“Aura! An aura swordsman is on our side!”
“We can do this! Push them back!”
Relief spread across the faces of the crew and mercenaries. Though fearsome as enemies, these swordsmen were more than reassuring as allies.
Meanwhile, Theo moved in the opposite direction of Selpard and Arin.
*Wind and Thunder God Technique: Gale Steps*
“Damn! I can’t believe it—it’s a sea serpent!”
Roaaaaar!
A massive sea serpent, tens of meters long, emerged from the ocean and wrapped itself around the ship, squeezing tightly.
Crunch—
The ship’s structure groaned under the pressure. Cannons fired again, trying to dislodge it, but only ended up ricocheting off the serpent’s scales and damaging the deck.
It was a monster classified as one of the highest-ranked sea creatures, notorious for sinking several ships recently.
“Fire! Hit it with everything we’ve got!”
“I’m trying! Stop yelling in my ear!”
The fire mage, Gray Gang, gritted his teeth as he chanted a spell.
‘Damn it! I was planning to deal with that brat, Rant, and now this?!’
Unknown to the others, Gray was a second-rank member of Black Skull, secretly positioned within Antoniou’s guard to extract sensitive information from the Spinola family. When he overheard Theo’s group discussing the Sea King, he knew this could have serious implications for Black Skull and the Shipping Triad. He planned to capture Theo at the first opportunity. But the unexpected attack of the sea monsters complicated things.
‘I’ll have to handle these creatures first...!’
「You’re with Black Skull, aren’t you?」
Suddenly, Gray’s thoughts were interrupted. Before he could react, something enveloped him.
It was fast. And silent.
“Gray’s gone!”
“What? He was just here a moment ago!”
“Oh no! Did a sea monster grab him? Find him before he’s pulled into the water!”
While the mercenaries panicked, Gray Gang found himself dangling from the ship’s mast, with Theo holding him firmly in place.
‘This guy...!’
Gray’s heart was pounding wildly as he struggled against Theo’s grip, who was smiling coldly.
“You recognize this, don’t you?” Theo held up a sword that Gray immediately identified, his eyes widening in shock.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
“So you do know it.”
Gray writhed, trying to escape, but Theo’s strength was unyielding.
That sword—Black Skull’s treasured relic, which they thought had been taken by Troivan, was right here in front of him.
‘What... how did he...?!’
“Troivan’s been using this to manipulate you, hasn’t he? Promising to return it if you followed orders, to put the Sea King back to rest. Am I right?”
Gray tried to keep a neutral expression, but Theo noticed the slightest flicker in his eyes.
‘So, Troivan made it look like they had retrieved the Dragon Slayer Sword to control the Shipping Triad.’
It seemed his guess had been correct: Troivan’s manipulation in his past life had been just as devious as it was now.
Now, this sword could be the key to severing the alliance between the Shipping Triad and Troivan entirely.
“I’d like to have a talk with your superior in exchange for returning this. Can you arrange it?”
Gray closed his eyes tightly, signaling silent surrender.
“Of course, it’s only natural to be suspicious of a direct approach. For all you know, Troivan could be behind this, pulling some new trick. Isn’t that right?”
“...”
“Then let me prove to you that I have no ties with Troivan.”
Theo released his hold on Gray.
Thud!
“What are you... planning?”
Gray glared, frowning as he regained his freedom. Theo simply smiled.
“I said I’d prove I’m not aligned with Troivan. But since that’s not possible right now, I’ll show you something else.”
“...?”
“That you need me.”
Before Gray could ask what he meant, Theo leaped into the ocean.
Swoosh—
“Umbra!”
In an instant, Umbra shot from the reflection of the sea serpent’s shadow, clamping its jaws onto the creature.
Crunch!
The sea serpent, proud of its tough scales, squirmed wildly as Umbra’s bite surpassed even its resilience, pulling it toward the depths.
Splash!
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- "The sea serpent’s retreating!"
- "What just happened? It looked like something dragged it under!"
- "Who cares! Get those cannons reloaded, and keep firing!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid the cannon fire and scattered sea creature remains, Theo dove gracefully into the ocean.
Splash!
‘Did he really jump in?’
Gray hurried to the edge of the mast to peer down into the water.
- “I’ll prove that you need me.”
Theo’s words echoed in his mind, mingling with the dread that the long-sought relic of his homeland might sink into the depths forever.
“We need to get that sea serpent! Capture it now!”
While Gray’s desperate shouts were drowned out by cannon fire, Theo watched the fierce underwater struggle between Umbra and the sea serpent.
The serpent wrapped its long body around Umbra, attempting to crush him. Umbra, refusing to let go, only bit harder, ravaging the serpent’s flesh.
Both creatures were deadlocked in an intense battle, but Theo knew Umbra was at a disadvantage. This was the serpent’s domain, and Umbra couldn’t breathe underwater.
Flick! Flick! Flick!
Activating the *Wind and Thunder God Technique*, Theo moved swiftly toward the serpent, commanding the *Death Beat*.
Four thunder dragons emerged, their searing heat intensified with charged energy, sending massive bubbles to the surface.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunder dragons struck the sea serpent in rapid succession, forcing it to release its grip on Umbra.
The serpent’s body, already struggling, was ravaged by the amplified power, its internal organs heavily damaged.
Groooooar...
[Activating Skill: Wyvern Taming to lure the sea serpent.]
At that moment, Theo activated a specialized skill designed to tame dragon-type monsters and creatures.
[The sea serpent resists strongly, failing the charm attempt.]
[Skill reactivation in progress.]
[The sea serpent resists strongly, failing the charm attempt.]
.
.
[Activating Skill: Hatchling Syncro to breach the mental barrier of the sea serpent.]
Within seconds, Theo’s skill was activated repeatedly until, finally, he succeeded in his objective.
[Successfully breached part of the sea serpent’s mental barrier.]
[Reading part of its thoughts.]
A series of images flashed before Theo’s eyes.
Deep within a seafloor trench lay a
vast abyssal plain, where a colossal ancient dragon writhed in agony.
The Sea King.
Theo knew immediately that this was the creature Rodbrok had spoken of.
Shudder—
The pressure and magic emanating from the Sea King were overwhelming. Every twist of its massive body caused underwater volcanoes to erupt and continental earthquakes, creating catastrophic events.
-Father...
The sea serpent looked at the Sea King with sorrowful eyes.
For an incredibly long time, the sea serpent had served as both child and loyal follower to the Sea King, desperate to alleviate its pain.
-Please hold on a little longer. I will find someone who can help.
And so the sea serpent had ventured beyond the ocean, gathering other sea creatures in search of humans, thinking their magic might somehow ease the Sea King’s suffering.
‘I misunderstood.’
Theo realized his mistake. The sea serpent and its kin had never intended to harm humans. They only retaliated when attacked out of fear, and initially, they had even tried to communicate, albeit unsuccessfully.
-Human.
Back in reality, Theo locked eyes with the anguished sea serpent.
-You bear a scent like my father’s, unlike other humans. Can you help him?
A desperate plea.
Theo nodded.
Yes, he would help.
-I believe in you.
And then, a bell rang.
Ding! Ding!
[Charm attempt successful.]
[You have tamed the sea serpent and claimed it as your familiar.]
[Please give it a name.]
‘Pontus.’
An ancient name meaning “the sea.”
[Sea Serpent: Pontus has bowed to its new master.]