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The pleasant sea breeze brushed through my hair. The sunlight reflected off the vast blue sea, dazzling my eyes.

In my mind, I could hear the squeaky notes of a recorder playing “My Heart Will Go On.”

“What are you doing…?”

Luna asked, looking at Yui, who was standing at the bow with her arms spread wide, while I hugged her from behind.

“Well, I’m bored on the way.”

If I didn’t do something like this, I’d feel like I’d go crazy from boredom.

We were currently on a ship, searching for the Leviathan. Like before on the airship, this place would be our home for the time being.

It took quite a long time to prepare this ship because we built it ourselves. Who would want to lend their ship when they knew it was going to a place certain to be destroyed by some mad captain?

And the biggest problem was that we hadn’t found a captain to help us.

– “We’re aiming to catch an S-Rank Monster, could you drive the ship for us?”

– “Get lost! Some weirdos are trying to get me into a bad situation!”

We had tried charming every captain in the harbor. Even when we offered large sums of money, they would say, “What good is money if you’re dead?”

We even tried threatening them by saying we would kill them if they didn’t come, but they retorted that if they were going to die either way, they’d rather just die comfortably than suffer.

“People should be willing to risk their lives for romance. This is why men are unreliable.”

Sigh.

Anyway, we needed to build the ship and find a captain. There’s no race better suited for such work than the Dwarves. We visited Marquina just like last time.

– “You… you little punk!”

– “Oh, good to see you. We need a ship, could you make one for us?”

– “Shut up! Get lost!”

The Dwarf we had thrown away before had somehow made his way back. He looked a bit haggard, but as long as he was alive and healthy, that was fine.

So, we managed to persuade him to build the ship again.

And I found out not long ago that his name was Hassan. Right now, Hassan is the one who built this ship and is also the one driving it.

“Luke, I’m cold now, I want to go inside…”

“How long have you been out here to get cold?”

“Do you know we’ve already been at this for three hours?”

Oh my. Has it really been that long?

“Then we should go inside and rest.”

I took Yui, who was shivering, and headed into the ship’s interior.

This time, just like the airship, we had made accommodations inside.

The Whirlpool Area is famous among fishermen, so gathering information wasn’t hard.

However, like before, it took some time to build the ship, and it took some time to travel to the Whirlpool Area.

Since we weren’t planning to fight on the water anyway, I made the ship sturdy enough not to fall apart easily, and as for speed, we were enjoying a leisurely voyage, without things like jet motors.

Lying on the bed, reveling in my freedom, Luna returned from visiting Hassan.

“How much longer?”

“They say we’re almost there.”

A week of sailing had passed. It seemed we were finally arriving. We had killed a lot during the journey.

Near the shore, only weak monsters like Goblins appeared, but starting from the third day, strong monsters began to show up in droves.

Thanks to that, I wouldn’t be looking at fish for a while when we returned. And it was a relief that no one among us got seasick. If they had, that would have been even scarier.

A week of seasickness? That would surely be harder than catching the Leviathan.

“Luke, could you explain this plan before we arrive?”

“Isn’t it simple? Just gang up and kill it. That’s it.”

“So there’s no flashy plan again, huh…”

The essence of every plan is all in what I said anyway. Is there any hunting where you don’t hit and kill?

“Hey! We’ve arrived!”

As soon as I finished speaking, Hassan came down the stairs.

“Okay. Everyone, get ready.”

I stood up first, and the three followed behind me.

“Yes.”

“Got it.”

“Ugh… We just got in…”

As I climbed the stairs and stepped outside, I found that dark clouds had gathered in the sky and multiple whirlpools were turning like gears in the sea.

However, the waves were calm and serene, making the whole scene feel distinctly out of place. Perhaps the whirlpool itself was created by the Leviathan.

“Looks like something out of a legendary Pokémon.”

Staying still until the event trigger occurs.

“What are we going to do now? It’s impossible to get deeper in.”

The ship we were on stopped before getting into the Whirlpool Area. It would be like suicide to sail in there.

“Well, like with Balarain, we lure it out. What other choice do we have?”

No matter how much we hide, an enemy won’t shy away. If we attack first, it’ll have no choice but to show itself.

“Alright, use all the magical power you’ve been saving here.”

“Where?”

“Just throw it anywhere. It’s bound to be somewhere nearby.”

Following my instructions, Luna, Yui, and Riche scattered magic around the whirlpool.

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hassan operated the cannon to attack. I can’t use magic, so I threw Magical Power Bombs and regular shells. The bombardment caused huge jets of water to shoot up.

As we were tossing bombs, one by one like skipping stones, at some point the surrounding whirlpools began to lose their might. The sea calmed and quieted down as if nothing had happened. That eerie silence seemed to create a sense of fear, as if it were a premonition of what was about to happen.

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over us.

“It’s here! It’s a big one!”

The moment I spoke, the surface of the water surged. The massive column of water formed by our magic was a child’s play compared to the enormous jet of water that rose before us, towering far beyond our reach.

-ROOOOAR!

Water poured down like a waterfall above us. Soon, a colossal something emerged from within the torrent.

To be precise, it tried to. Before the Leviathan could fully reveal itself, I took out a Teleportation Stone from my Inventory and threw it with all my might.

A huge Teleportation Stone I got as a request from Amy before.

“Break that!”

In time, the three of them threw magic to shatter the stone.

Then, right in the middle of the sea, a large magic circle appeared beneath the Leviathan. Soon, with a bright flash, the Leviathan’s form vanished.

First strike victory.

The key to this tactic was to spawn-kill it before it could make noise and act up.

*

“Ahh…”

Inside the Dean’s Office of Jeminal Academy.

Lucia, who had been holding a quill all day, leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms.

Next to the table she was sitting at was a pile of documents stacked to her eye level. Even that mountain of paperwork seemed relatively manageable these days.

It was at least better than the times when Demon attacks were so frequent she thought she might suffocate under all the papers.

“Sigh… I should find a successor soon and pass this off to them so I can take a break.”

Every time like this, she mused about how she wished she could relax and do what she wanted, like Gideon or Amy.

Moreover, the continuous tension had significantly increased her fatigue lately.

‘When was that time again?’

It’s been two months since Luke last said that. Although quite a long time had passed, she still had no idea when ‘that time’ he mentioned was.

Of course, it’s only natural for hunting monsters to take a while since those monsters are what they are. Still, it would have been nice if he had at least explained things in detail before leaving.

Not knowing when the S-Rank Monster raid would begin, she spent each day on high alert.

“Ha…”

-Thud!

At that moment, the whole academy shook. No, judging from the scale, the entire Empire rocked.

“…!”

Startled, she rushed to the window and saw a massive blue form transitioning through the Empire.

*

The monster in the sky had been brought down. So, what’s the tactic for the monster in the sea? Of course, it was to drag it out of the water.

Most fish can’t stay on land for long unless they can operate in both sea and land.

Sharks can’t breathe unless they keep swimming, right?

In other words, just getting it out of the sea means half the battle is won.

I moved the Leviathan using a Teleportation Stone registered at the Empire’s coordinates. Then, we also returned to the Empire using the Teleportation Stone.

As soon as we returned, the sounds of screams and cries reached my ears.

“Looks like everyone enjoyed my surprise.”

Receiving such fierce cheers right after coming back.

Excluding my auditory senses, the sight before me showed the Leviathan dividing the Empire in two.

Its colossal dorsal fin, the turquoise scales covering its body, razor-sharp teeth that looked like they could chew through a ship, all of it smaller in breadth than the Balarain but longer.

“This is a complete upgrade from the Sea Serpent.”

It’s a perfect upgrade from the Sea Serpent we had caught before. Of course, its strength could hardly be described as an upgrade; it was practically doomed the moment the sea monster stepped onto land.

“I’m not sure if this is right…”

“I don’t know how we’re any different from Hassan, who invaded Marquina…”

Luna and Riche, who were beside me, murmured. It seems they were feeling guilty now.

“Take a page from Yui. What I’m doing is strengthening humanity, right? No need for guilt, we should be proud.”

S-Rank Monsters that are impossible to kill even if we wanted to. Just one of them could alter the map of the continent with its overwhelming danger, keeping humanity in constant fear.

Of course, we, who knew the truth, weren’t worried about what they might do.

Wasn’t it when the Behemoth invaded the Empire that everyone united and fought back? They can do it again. They shall fulfill their wishes with their own hands! Don’t run away! Fight back!

“Humans are far too weak. They cannot survive in this harsh world.”

There’s a saying that lions drop their cubs off cliffs. Of course, that doesn’t mean they truly do that; it’s a metaphor for raising strong children.

Humans, in comparison to the strength of other races, are far too frail.

Sure, there are exceptionally strong individuals like S-Rank Adventurers, but those are anomalies.

Considering the average strength of the race, they would disappear from the maps the moment war breaks out.

“So today, I’m going to toughen up humanity.”

Luke’s Fitness.

Day one of operation begins.

 

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