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Chapter 237

Each tentacle of the octopus was as colossal as a mountain. With every wild swing, the Bone Dragon’s body trembled ominously.

As its body swaying like a mirage allowed the octopus’s tentacle to slip through effortlessly, the Bone Dragon opened its massive maw and tore at the tentacle.

However, the severed tentacle soon began to bubble and boil, with flesh regenerating right before their eyes. Overflowing mana was restoring its physical form!

In the blink of an eye, the regenerated tentacle lashed out, striking the Bone Dragon’s body. Thud! The sound echoed as the Bone Dragon was forcefully pushed back.

Yunwoo, watching from a distance, broke into a cold sweat and muttered, “Geez, now I’m craving some octopus sashimi.”

『To say such calm words while watching that—Captain, you really are something.』

Yunwoo, with a completely unfazed expression talking about octopus sashimi, elicited a mumbled response from the green-haired moustache. No use praising now; it’s not bringing anything back.

Almost ten minutes had passed since the battle began, but there was no change in the tides.

The Bone Dragon was undead, quickly realigning its bones to recover from external shocks, and the Kraken was sustaining minimal damage thanks to its regeneration.

The only variable left was the unmoving Dragon Knight.

However, for some reason, the Dragon Knight remained still. Somehow, it seemed they’d prefer to jump in when both sides were exhausted from the fight.

『You seem to think that way, Captain?』

“Is that for real?”

Turning his head swiftly in the direction the green-haired moustache was looking, an all too familiar ship appeared. It resembled a turtle ship seen in textbooks but was a massive galleon far larger.

The ship named Munmuho, which used to guard the East Sea, revealed itself. Yunwoo slapped his forehead, taken aback by its grandiosity.

“Great, just great.”

Not with other monsters, but when it came to the Kraken, Kim Hang-po offered no room for compromise. The plan of jumping in when one side was exhausted didn’t seem bad, but it was clear they’d rather collaborate with the Bone Dragon.

“Guess we have no choice…”

『What should we do? Act independently?』

“Then what’s the point of waiting for reinforcements? We need to stop and have a talk about the Dragon Knight and the dragon.”

『Then I’ll send the signal.』

Regardless of what operation they took, there were pros and cons. Here, it would be best to follow Kim Hang-po’s thoughts, who had more naval combat experience.

Thinking that way, Yunwoo gazed at the ghostly figures sending out ancient signals.

Would they really understand that now?

“…I’ll just do it myself.”

Sighing deeply, Yunwoo turned to Tae-oh. Nea would explain it well.

After waiting for a few minutes, the Munmuho’s searchlight began to flicker. It appeared to be Morse code. There was at least some utility to it, so Yunwoo had remembered it.

“Ap… proaching… Okay, they’re coming. Are you ready?”

『What will you do after they arrive? Shall we handle the fighting on our own?』

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

『Aren’t you going to fight on that ship? It seems more convenient for us to go underwater that way.』

“No, I’ll be on this ship. Don’t worry, there are ways to dive.”

『…Understood! We’ll wait here.』

With a somewhat regretful yet pleased expression, the green-haired moustache nodded. Yunwoo chuckled at that.

“Don’t be so happy; it’s creepy.”

『Thinking I could dunk the captain in the seawater? Stop.』

“Creepy.”

Exchanging such trivial jokes, the Munmuho approached closely. Yunwoo carefully observed the expression of the green-haired moustache. That was just a joke, right…?

*

“Welcome aboard! I didn’t think I’d encounter someone with a pirate occupation.”

“That’s quite a joke.”

“Wasn’t it?”

Hahaha, laughter filled the captain’s quarters. Old Man Kim Hang-po wasn’t smiling. So was he serious?

“Well, it turns out I did take the job. Life has its twists.”

“I see… bizarre things happen on the sea.”

When the seasoned white-haired sailor spoke, it bore a sense of weight. Yunwoo kept scanning the surroundings, taking it all in.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Yunwoo?”

Leading the greetings was Nea, with a calm voice, followed by Je Gal Seong-ryong, Baek In-hwa, Riley, Tae-oh, Dawn, and then an unfamiliar old man with platinum hair.

Who’s that? A friend of Old Man Kim Hang-po?

“Nice to meet you, Choi Yeon-woo. I’m Edward.”

“…Huh?”

Why is this guy on board? I shot a puzzled glance at Riley, but she shrugged, as clueless as I was.

I thought he might come around, but I didn’t expect him to board so openly…

With a warm smile, Edward seemed friendly, but the priority right now was dealing with the Kraken. I’d find out his intentions later, so I decided to talk about business.

“So, what’s with that dragon? I heard tales about a dragon appearing in the East Sea, but is it true?”

“Well, in a sense. Right now, it’s gone utterly berserk; we can’t communicate with it. But it will attack the Kraken as long as it doesn’t see us.”

“I see. So, it’s in a frenzied state. That’s interesting news.”

“Because of that, I’ve been waiting for you, Captain, hoping one side would tire out. What’s your plan?”

“Let’s collaborate.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kim Hang-po answered.

There could be various reasons for such a confident response, but it almost seemed he was devoid of any doubts.

“Are you sure? It might sweep you up.”

“Of course.”

Well, surely the biggest reason was confidence. He’d need absolute certainty in his navigation skills to declare that so boldly.

“Then let’s proceed that way. We’ll make sure not to interfere with it from that direction.”

“…Is that safe? To be honest, it doesn’t seem that way.”

“Where is there safety in rescuing people? Ultimately, it’s about saving lives.”

At those words, I sensed a shudder from Edward standing behind me. I wondered what caused that reaction.

He was someone hailed as a hero, so why flinch at the notion of saving people?

“Then we’ll proceed that way. Will you be boarding the Munmuho?”

“No, I’ll head back to that side. It seems better suited for me to fulfill my role over there.”

“Very well.”

After wrapping up the brief conversation, my companions came into view. Nea, looking worriedly at me, fine; the rest would likely be safer on this ship.

Whatever the case, it would be easier to fight here rather than aboard the pirate ship.

Waving my hand slightly at Nea, I started moving to board the pirate ship when, suddenly, I halted and muttered.

“Wait, did I just say that…?”

“What is it?”

“I love you, Nea!”

With my arms above my head making a giant heart, I dashed onto the pirate ship. Everyone stared blankly at the scene.

Amidst the stunned expressions, Edward was nowhere to be seen.

Pointing towards the bow, the green-haired moustache said, 『Is that a guest, Captain?』

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I decided to board this way, so I’d appreciate your support.”

“O-oh, thank you.”

I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck as I greeted Edward after he boarded on his own. It wasn’t that I felt awkward seeing his face, but more so worried if everything was alright.

“This ship will be diving soon; is that okay?”

“…What did you say?”

『Is everyone ready for the dive?』

『Yes, yes, Captain!!』

Whoa, I’m not the captain anymore~! Hee, hee, ho! And with that cheerful laugh from the green-haired moustache, the ghost ship sank beneath the waves.

Oh boy.

*

The stellar mana surged vigorously throughout my body.

This mana demanded courage, even the courage to forsake humanity, utterly unconcerned with anything but the crisis; it wouldn’t obey me otherwise.

Yet it was clear that this situation was being recognized as a crisis due to the existence of the Kraken.

The needed form as it stood was easy to envision. Gills and fins.

Did I need to worry about how to create the gills and fins? Fortunately, my body began to morph autonomously.

Being respiration organs, their placement could hardly be random; perhaps I lacked control over it.

『You have some unusual abilities, Captain?』

“I’m a bit incredible, huh.”

After saying that, I checked my body a few times and shifted my gaze towards Edward. I couldn’t just leave him to his fate.

Fortunately, it appeared Edward was using his specialized mana to gather air from around us. At that level, I had no worries, but it was better to mention it in advance.

“You’ll be fine in the cabin, I believe?”

[Hoho, I can’t do that. We need to fight, right?]

The reply returned via telepathy. How genuine; he really was trying hard to seem friendly… That was all I thought.

But as long as he didn’t interfere, I wouldn’t worry too much.

“Shall we set off? Brace yourselves, everyone. You may be dead already, but you can die again!”

『That’s what we call a glorious death! Let’s set off, you scallywags! Hee, hee, ho!!』

『Hee, hee, ho!』

Amidst the cheerful laughter, the pirate ship swiftly glided through the water. Before long, the massive body of the Kraken began to come into view, which we couldn’t see before rising above the surface.

“Whoa.”

『Cook, how many plates of octopus sashimi can we make if we take that down?』

『Hmm… even if we serve two portions per plate, it’d probably be thousands of servings.』

“No, no, that calculation is off, you guys. It can regenerate, so there will be more.”

『This is beyond just a party level.』

Tearing my gaze away from the chuckling green-haired moustache and his pirate crew, I took a look around.

They commonly refer to the ocean as the treasure trove of life, but given that, it was surprisingly devoid of anything.

In a battle between whales, even shrimp would find themselves crushed, and with the Kraken and the dragon fighting, it was only natural that shrimp wouldn’t last.

Observing the area meticulously, something peculiar caught my eye.

Stuck in the joint where the Kraken’s limbs met its body was a massive harpoon. Although it looked small compared to the gigantic Kraken, the fact that it remained embedded and hadn’t been pulled out was critical.

I concentrated mana into my sight. Surrounding the Kraken, an overwhelming mana surged as if the colors of the waves were shifting, emanating a dark, murky mana from the harpoon.

“That’s….”

It was a curse. A different nature from what Demon Kings or dark sorcerers wielded, pure and righteous energy transformed into a grudge.

Decades ago, the 1st Fleet’s 22nd Battle Unit fell to ruin while fighting the Kraken, leaving this final gift for posterity… it was!

(To be continued)

 

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