Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: For a Brawler, Weapons Are a Luxury (1)
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The sailors recognized the Botri too. Basketball-sized fish poured down relentlessly, swarming over us. Everyone was in a panic, and I had no choice but to dodge left and right to avoid getting hit.
"Damn it! How are we supposed to take out a rain like this?"
Pippin swung his pitchfork around in frustration before retreating from his spot. Just then, frantic footsteps echoed from the engine room—tatatata—and Bishop Orchid came rushing out.
"Sprout!"
The moment Bishop Orchid shouted, the seawater around the ship rippled, and the seaweed shot up in an instant. The thick seaweed leaves spread out wide, wrapping around the ship like a protective barrier.
"I'll deploy the defensive wall!"
Just as he said, the seaweed completely enveloped the ship, forming a defensive wall. The sound of Botri thudding against the seaweed barrier—thunk thunk thunk—was deafening. Fortunately, the Botri could only crash against the seaweed and couldn't reach the ship itself.
There was nothing we could do about the ones already flopping around on deck, but at least this prevented the ship from being smashed to pieces right away.
"I'm sorry for the delayed response."
Bishop Orchid adjusted his posture and gently swept his arm. In response to his gesture, the seaweed grew even larger and denser, intertwining to shield the ship.
"What a rough start."
I let out a deep sigh and picked up a Botri flopping on the deck. Despite being a fish, its surface wasn't slimy—it was rough and dry. It barely felt wet at all. It seemed to have a body that didn't absorb water, even though it lived in it.
"Fascinating..."
That's when Pippin rushed over and snatched the Botri from my hand, hurling it overboard. His speed was so blinding that I stood there dazed, empty-handed.
"Huh?"
He'd tossed a hefty Botri in one go—impressive. But what the hell, I'd been studying it seriously.
"Hey, Pippin. What do you think you're doing, throwing it away like that? I was looking at it."
"You mustn't touch it."
For someone saying that, he'd grabbed and thrown it barehanded.
"Botri have a trait where they explode in dry environments. That's why you can't grill them."
"Hang on, forget the grilling. I just..."
I nudged a nearby Botri with my toe.
"They explode?"
To verify, I could see the sailors donning wet gloves and tossing the creatures overboard.
"They explode in overly dry conditions or if you set them on fire. It's a strategy to harm enemies while letting the rest of the group survive. Of course, if other Botri are nearby when one catches fire, it can trigger a chain reaction and kill them all..."
"The ones still in the water can escape."
A spark of inspiration lit up in my mind. The Botri were still hammering at the seaweed wall, threatening us.
They explode if lit on fire? Then why not ignite the ones attacking us and blow them all up?
It sounded absurd, but it was logical enough to make me smile. Pippin shook his head at me with a strange look.
"Master's thinking something weird again..."
"Nonsense. I only think rationally."
I borrowed some wet gloves from the sailors and joined in shoving the Botri on deck overboard. After working for a while, Gerbera Pride approached us, her hair tied back in a tight ponytail.
"Sierra! The Duke himself doing manual labor like this. Trying to set an example for the common folk?"
"Skip the lame jokes and help out."
"The fish on deck aren't the problem right now."
Gerbera sighed deeply. She'd been handling propulsion from the engine room, but things weren't going smoothly.
"Now that you mention it, haven't we been stuck in place since earlier?"
I wiped sweat from my brow as I said it. Gerbera nodded and yelled toward Bishop Orchid.
"Libido! What if you tie up the ship's 'feet' with seaweed like this? We can't move forward!"
"My apologies."
Libido apologized softly.
"This was the only method I could think of."
To undo the seaweed tangle, he'd need to go through Bloom and then Petal Fall in sequence. Plus, the Botri were still pounding the seaweed wall so hard it was reverberating. This was clearly his best effort.
Still, our path forward was blocked. Pippin added an explanation in a worried tone.
"Botri travel in such massive swarms. We're holding off their attack for now, but this could go on forever."
Gerbera ruffled her carefully tied hair and sighed.
"At this rate, who knows when we'll set off."
"I've got a good idea."
I approached Gerbera. She shrugged and widened her eyes in surprise.
"What's this? I figured passive Sierra would just be calming people from afar."
That was the original passive Sierra.
"I heard from Pippin. These things explode on fire, right? So we chain-explode the ones attacking us."
"What?"
Gerbera furrowed her brow.
"You're not telling me to go out there and take on that fish downpour, are you? I could light them up, but weaving through that swarm to do it? Pass. Too dangerous."
"It's simple enough, but I'm not going brute force."
I picked up a Botri from the deck. It was puffed up like a pufferfish, flopping around.
"I'll handle it."
I had a better solution. I flashed a grin at Gerbera, who stared at me like I'd lost it.
"Easy. I'll tear open space."
"Tear open space?"
"It's complicated to explain, but trust me, it's doable. When I give the signal, toss one of these through the gap and light it up. Boom—no one gets hurt, maximum explosions."
"What the...?"
Gerbera tilted her head, utterly baffled. Meanwhile, Lagia, propped up nearby, vibrated excitedly.
[Space Rupture! Sierra's new signature move! Well, it didn't have such a cool name originally, but I just dubbed it that. Whaddya think? Cool, right? Cool, right?]
I grabbed Lagia. Swung it once, then looked at Gerbera.
"Trust me just this once. Better than sitting around, yeah?"
"I guess..."
"No worries."
I swung Lagia, opening the Door of Death. Or as Lagia put it, activating "Space Rupture."
Ziiip—The air tore open, revealing a pitch-black subspace. I'd opened one side of the Door of Death. Normally, I'd summon my death spirits here, but not this time.
"One down... now for the other side..."
I'd tear another spot to create a passage. Then toss a Botri through to the other end.
"What is this...?"
Gerbera looked genuinely shocked by my unfamiliar technique.
Pippin, standing beside her, remained expressionless—he knew the gist of my abilities. But he seemed a bit flustered by her reaction and added an unnecessary comment.
"Uh... it's not weird. Master can slice space like meat. Y'know, like meat."
Not helpful at all.
Pippin was probably trying to keep my necromancer status under wraps. Admirable effort, zero effect. Gerbera alternated confused glances between me and the Door of Death.
"I don't get it even more now."
Anyway, slicing here alone wouldn't cut it. The Botri needed an exit.
I shouted to Bishop Orchid.
"Bishop! I'm cutting through the seaweed end and heading out!"
"Pardon?"
I dashed to the ship's edge and sliced one end of the seaweed with Lagia. Even if Orchid was holding it with magic, it was still plant matter. The sharp scythe sheared through, and the damp leaves parted limply. I grabbed a sturdy stem and pulled myself out.
"Sierra!"
"Master!"
Everyone reacted like I'd gone insane. Was it insane?
But I wasn't that scared. How many wild things had I done before entering this game? I'd bounced between odd jobs, including short-term gigs assisting with extreme sports.
'Compared to that, this is nothing!'
I knew the basics of rock climbing. It was slippery, but with gloves on, not as bad as expected. Worst case, I'd swing Lagia and hook it into the seaweed to hold.
"Duke Sierra!"
Even Bishop Orchid called out to me in uncharacteristically urgent tones.
"Hold on just a bit! Don't let go of the stem! Hang in there. I'll harden the seaweed to make it easier to climb."
After Bishop Orchid spoke, the seaweed began wriggling and shifting.
[Whoa! Hang tough, Sierra!]
Soon the mass of seaweed softened into something plush, like flower buds blooming along every stem. He'd cast Bloom—I could tell.
It made climbing the stem a breeze, but Botri kept raining down, making it plenty dangerous. One even smacked me right on the head—hurt like hell.
"Gotta open it quick."
Dragging this out would keep the ship stalled forever.
Gripping the stem with one hand, I swung Lagia wide with the other. Space ripped in an X, opening another black Door of Death beyond. Something faintly visible on the other side. The exit portal was ready.
[Perfect! It's linked to the door inside the ship! Toss a Botri from that side, and it'll pop out here!]
I slid back down the seaweed into the ship, yelling.
"Gerbera! Now! Toss it into the black space and light it!"
The instant my feet hit the deck, Gerbera hurled a Botri into the Door of Death. Almost simultaneously, she ignited it and flung the fire in after. I sealed my mana and closed the Door—no room for carelessness.
"Bishop Orchid! Reinforce the defensive wall!"
"Yes!"
My judgment was spot on.
Then—pfbbt-pfbbt—the explosive racket followed. Scorched marks appeared between the gaps in our seaweed shield. Massive chain explosions raged beyond the barrier. They went on for quite a while.
"It actually worked?"
Gerbera let out a disbelieving laugh and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me.
"Sierra! Duke Sierra! It actually worked? Amazing!"
"Motion sick here—can you not shake people on a ship?"
How much time passed? The explosions finally died down. I could feel fierce currents rushing past the ship's side. The Botri swarm had retreated, unable to withstand the blasts.
"I'll release the defensive wall."
Bishop Orchid said in a tense voice.
"Petal Fall."
