Chapter 13. Ruler of the Harbor (1)
Chapter 13. Ruler of the Harbor (1)
Before setting off, just in case, I stuffed a few cans of tuna into Han-byeol's bag as I grabbed them.
I offered to carry the bag, but she kept shaking her head stubbornly and wouldn't hand it over.
It was a silent protest that she would take responsibility for at least this much herself.
A desperate struggle to prove her worth somehow so she wouldn't be abandoned.
I could read her psychology perfectly, and while I felt bad for her, I didn't bother to stop her.
We walked along the coastal road on the west side of Okinawa.
The road was strangely quiet.
It looked to be about 40 kilometers to the port.
'Gonna have to walk for a full day.'
Whenever we got hungry, we stopped to open a can, and when Han-byeol's breathing started to get rough, we took short breaks.
The sea stretching out to the left was cruelly blue and peaceful.
The sound of the waves rolling in and out calmed my mind.
But if I turned my head to the right, the skeletal remains of the burned-down city stabbed at my vision.
As if we had made a silent pact, we marched forward, staring only at the sea on our left.
By the time the sun passed overhead and began to set, Han-byeol's legs were visibly trembling, and her breathing started to get labored.
After a short break, I stood up, snatched Han-byeol's bag without a word, and slung it over my shoulder.
This time, perhaps because the kid was out of energy, she didn't resist and followed along obediently.
Around evening, when the sunset dyed everything red, the destination, the port, came into view in the distance.
'Motobu Ferry Terminal.'
A massive passenger ship was docked at the pier, tied down with sturdy ropes.
And the area around it was packed with people.
It was a large group, easily over a hundred people by a rough estimate.
Makeshift barricades were layered around the port, and those presumed to have lethal capabilities were standing guard strictly.
There was even a guard post at the entrance controlling traffic. It was a perfectly organized group.
The very fact that they had preserved the port and the large ship intact in this insane chaos proved that their military power was no joke.
It meant there was a powerful focal point binding the group together—in other words, a 'Strong One'.
"...There are really a lot of people."
Han-byeol whispered in a tense voice. I nodded.
Turning that many people into enemies was a foolish move.
Even if I could survive, I couldn't guarantee Han-byeol's life.
But the problem was how to strike up a conversation with them.
The name 'Slaughterer' was poison in a situation like this, let alone a negotiation card.
Because just by me approaching, they would be terrified.
As we approached, the guards raised their weapons in unison, just as expected.
And the complexion of one guy who recognized our faces turned white as a sheet in an instant.
"Bl-Blue Lightning...!"
Someone recognized me. It seemed he was one of those who had watched me from hiding at some point.
The entire port froze in an instant. Dozens of gazes were fixed on me.
They were eyes mixed with fear and hostility.
The rumors of the Slaughterer had spread far and wide across this small island.
The rumor that I had wiped out thousands of people all by myself.
The tension became taut like a bowstring.
If I swung my hand once here, both sides would end up in a terrible state.
The hands of those holding weapons were trembling.
I also saw some holding firearms.
Those who are terrified are bound to be the first to point their blades.
If just one person panicked and rushed in, it was a hair-trigger situation where everyone would jump in as a signal.
But I hadn't come to fight.
I quietly raised my hands and spoke in the calmest voice possible.
"I want to borrow a ship."
People murmured.
The Slaughterer negotiating? It must have been a picture that didn't fit at all.
The problem started here. I didn't have a single card to trade with them.
No money, no supplies, no justification. All I had was the power they were scared to death of, but with that power, I could kill them, but I couldn't get the crew to drive the ship handed over.
Of course, I thought about just killing everyone and taking the ship, but when I thought about it carefully, there was no answer.
Because I couldn't drive that massive passenger ship by myself.
To move the ship, I needed a captain to take the wheel and a navigator to read the sea routes.
There also had to be an engineer to handle the engine.
If I wiped them all out, there would be no one left to actually drive it.
Occupying an empty ship would just be a perfect way to die while drifting in the middle of the ocean.
No, I wouldn't even be able to start the engine to head out into the open sea in the first place.
Above all, if a battle broke out, Han-byeol would inevitably die too.
I didn't want to lose anyone anymore.
So, drawing out their cooperation was the only way.
But even if they were trembling in fear, there was no way they would hand over the ship obediently.
The first button was completely stuck.
It was a knot that couldn't be untied with force alone.
"Aaaargh!!!!"
Just then, one of the group couldn't overcome their fear and thrust a spear first. It was a thrust trembling without restraint.
'Is it just a battle in the end?'
I just twisted my head slightly and let the sharp spear tip slide past.
But that short skirmish became a detonator, and the surrounding personnel began to boil over.
It was the moment when the tension, having reached its critical point, was about to explode.
"That's enough."
A low, heavy voice instantly suppressed the commotion of the entire port.
Like the miracle of Moses, the crowd parted left and right, and a man walked out with long strides.
He was a giant. A head taller than me, with a build like a rock.
In the eyes looking down at me with arms crossed, there was none of the fear that the others had.
Instead, there was a light of interest.
As if he were welcoming a guest he had been waiting for for a long time.
"So you're that rumored Slaughterer."
This guy was the leader of the port.
I could tell at a glance. The identity of the power that had protected this group.
The aura he exuded was in a different league from the others.
It was the weight that only someone who leads hundreds of people possesses.
"You need a ship? The Blue Lightning Slaughterer is negotiating. What a curious thing. Is that your lover next to you?"
He grinned. It was a smile like a beast that had found its prey somewhere.
"I didn't hear that you were a mute... Well, fine. I'll lend it to you. But, there's a condition."
I kept silent and waited for his next words.
"Let's fight one-on-one. If you win, I'll give you the ship with all the personnel you want, whether it's a captain or a navigator. I'll take you safely to your desired destination, whether it's Tokyo or Osaka."
The murmuring grew louder.
Even his subordinates seemed surprised.
It was a natural reaction since their leader had challenged that 'Slaughterer' to a duel.
I stared at him quietly.
The giant man was confident.
He had his own grounds for believing he could win even against the 'Slaughterer'.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have walked into this gamble on his own.
Since there was no reason to bluff, he clearly seemed to have something to rely on.
I couldn't tell what the basis for his arrogance was, but one thing was certain: he wasn't an idiot who came out to die a meaningless death.
"Why one-on-one? You could just push me with numbers."
"Hmm? Are you Korean? It's far to Korea, but... well, I guess you could get there somehow."
Just as his words were translated and heard by me, it seemed my words were translated and heard by him too.
He looked surprised at that strange phenomenon, but soon, as if he realized this was the kind of world it was, he didn't seem to care.
He continued.
"If you go crazy here, my subordinates will die for nothing. That would be a huge loss for me too. Conversely, if our personnel start an all-out war, you won't be safe either. Above all, I definitely can't guarantee the life of that little girl behind you."
It wasn't wrong. If I poured out lightning like I did in the square, the whole port would be blown away. All these people would get caught up in it.
The hull of the passenger ship was steel, so if the lightning hit it directly, the electrical system could burn out, turning it into scrap metal that would never move again.
And while I wasn't sure I would be safe from their attacks, it was certain that Han-byeol would be in danger.
If it's one-on-one, that won't happen. It was definitely better for both sides.
They had made the same calculation.
They knew that no matter how many numbers they had, it was meaningless in front of my area-of-effect lightning.
Seeing that I was still alive, they must have also thought that guns wouldn't work either.
That's why they were insisting on dragging me into a one-on-one.
It was the cleanest picture where he could cherish his subordinates and catch me at the same time.
Provided, however, that he had a way to beat me.
He wasn't just strong; he was a clever guy whose brain worked well.
Well, I thought that might be why he was leading a group of survivors of this scale.
That smile, as if he were licking his lips looking at me, bothered me. Those eyes looking at me like prey.
That man was genuinely planning to kill me.
Giving me the ship if I won was a bait, and his inner intention was to catch the Slaughterer and make me his own power.
A world where you get stronger if you kill people.
If you kill a strong guy, you could level up that much more.
If he caught me, no one on this island would be able to stop him.
With a huge ship, he'd become the king in name and reality.
Han-byeol looked up at me, urgently clutching the hem of my clothes.
Her eyes were saying not to go, that it was their trap.
I gently removed the kid's hand and stared at the giant man again.
That man definitely had a way to counter my ability.
I didn't know what it would be, though.
It could be an Electric Shock ability like mine, or it could be an ability like a rubber man from an anime.
Anyway... at least it was a much better situation than being attacked immediately without any negotiation as I had worried.
I absolutely needed the ship. Because I had to go to Korea. If I backed down here, the way to get a ship again would be hopeless.
I couldn't guarantee how long that ship would stay intact like this either.
And honestly, I also wanted to wipe that annoying smile off his face at least once.
"...Fine."
Instead, the one who dies won't be me, but you.
With just that resolve firmly planted inside.