Chapter 38: Under the Sea
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Under the Sea
I think I’ve held back long enough.
During the Final War, I nearly vanished like the others due to the Demon King’s final, desperate struggle. Ridiculously enough, I only managed to salvage my will thanks to the lingering traces of that crazy bitch.
Since then, I’ve been curled up in a corner, doing nothing but recovering my strength.
Because of that, I was forced to watch Alto voluntarily play the pushover, but I didn’t really care. Whether it was that bitch Mirei’s party or whatever else happened, I knew that if things kept going this way, he would eventually need my teeth.
Just like right now.
“Captain, is this ship sturdy?”
“I prepared for the worst! She can take at least five hits!”
“Haha! What did you do for a living? Got any anti-monster weapons?”
“The law wouldn’t allow it!”
Well, that’s a shame!
I was checking the ship’s durability just in case, but the Serpent wasn’t just sitting idly by. Its eyes glowed with an ominous orange light, and the sky began to darken.
Rumble—!
Dark clouds swirled in, blotting out the sun as the winds turned savage. The monster that failed to become a dragon realized I was no easy opponent and was now pulling out all the stops.
I was genuinely impressed. The Captain gripped the helm tight with her wrinkled hands.
“An Imugi-rank? That’s incredible.”
“Incredible, my foot! The dungeons in Hus are nowhere near Semi-Legendary rank. A monster growing into an Imugi shouldn’t even be possible here. This is an anomaly!”
Oops, my bad.
It might be a disaster for the Captain, but I had a feeling I knew the cause.
[Krawaaaaaaa—!]
As another shockwave rippled out, a specific spot on my bare torso tingled.
Specifically, my side, which was covered in burns and scars. That was the spot where that lunatic, Vulcanus of Mad Laughter, had stabbed me, claiming we should have ‘matching tattoos.’
Your essence… wasn’t it supposed to be scattered in the Lukart Dungeon?
“Are you… that bitch’s lackey?”
[Krawararara!]
“Not so fast!”
The monster’s head lunged from the sky like a harpoon, aiming to bite into the ship.
Part of me wanted to let it bite the boat so I could carve it into pieces, but the Little Lady was in the cabin. If I let the ship get trashed, Alto would try to step in himself.
Better not.
If that happened, even I wouldn’t be able to stop him. The one who tore Vulcanus into three pieces wasn’t me—it was him.
I leaped toward the Serpent’s head.
I put a bit more strength into my legs this time. The ship was indeed sturdy; though the hull was pushed back, it held firm.
I slammed the large spike on the handle of Howling into the Serpent’s head. Its cheek torn open by the spike, the Serpent crashed into the sea.
“Ha… Not a bad scent of blood.”
“To your side! Watch out, Alto!”
I know, Captain.
The Serpent’s tail whipped across the deck, aiming for me as it grazed the side of the ship. I blocked the tail with the blades of Roar and Howling held in a reverse grip, but I didn’t bother trying to stand my ground.
I let the force of the tail push me back as the monster intended. Gaining confidence, the Serpent pushed harder, snatching me up and flinging me off the ship.
“Alto!”
My limbs flailed with nothing to step on or grab.
An orange glow flashed from beneath the waves. Determined to swallow me whole this time, the Serpent surged upward, its maw stretched wide.
“I was waiting for this.”
I quickly aligned Roar and Howling vertically. I plunged the heavy blades of the daggers into its upper and lower jaws respectively.
Wait, was that phrasing a bit crude?
I’m a dog, so give me a break.
[Krgh…!]
“Got something to say? Speak up! I’m all ears!”
Creeeeeak!
As if hanging from a pull-up bar, I used all my strength to pry the blades of Roar and Howling apart. The monster’s maw couldn’t withstand my strength and was forced open with a sickening crack of bone.
[Krawaaaaa—!]
The Serpent thrashed its head in agony.
“Hahahahahaha!!”
The level of this fight is disappointing, but it’s decent exercise.
I burst into laughter, savoring the thrill of the hunt for the first time in a while, when I happened to catch sight of the eyes pressed against the cabin window.
Specifically, I locked eyes with the Little Lady, who was looking at me with worry.
Though she was pale with fright, she didn’t take her eyes off me. Because of that, the guy watching from inside me sent a warning.
Fine, fine. I get it.
I just have to play along, right?
By the way, hey. If you have feelings for the Little Lady, you know there shouldn’t be any secrets between you, right?
Huh?
You say you never lied?
You’re hiding a pretty big truth, aren’t you!
“Always with the flimsy excuses!”
Tsk, I’ll play along for now.
I slipped out of its thrashing maw. Instead, I buried my daggers into its torso and began to climb it like a mountain.
I’ll just go up to the head and stab its eyes. That’ll be the cleanest way.
“Alto, are you alright?!”
“Captain, keep the ship back! It’s going to throw a blind tantrum before it dies, and the ship will get hit!”
“What about you?!”
“Just do as I say! I’m a Gold-rank adventurer, believe it or not!”
Even if I am just a supporter!
I’m probably the strongest supporter in the world!
Haha! If those girls from Mirei’s party saw this, they’d lose their minds. With their skills, they wouldn’t stand a chance against a Semi-Legendary-rank monster like this.
Though if Alto and I had supported them, it would have been an easy win.
[Krawreck!]
The Serpent twisted its head back and forth, trying to bite me as I clung to its body. Since it might accidentally bite itself, it was trying to lightly scrape me off with its scales, but I quickly moved in the opposite direction of its head, stabbing my daggers as I went.
A meaningless war of attrition continued.
The monster seemed to be waiting for my stamina to drop, but unfortunately for it, the thicker the scent of blood, the less likely I am to tire.
How is it? The wounds from Roar and Howling are shallow, but they sting quite a bit, don’t they?
Don’t be surprised. These weapons were forged from the cursed thoughts of a human.
And that curse was born from the gentle Alto himself. It’s a curse he’s been harboring since the day you demons and monsters brutally ravaged our parents and our village!
Splash—!
“Pfft!”
Still, when the waves kicked up by its movements hit me, my vision was momentarily blocked and my body temperature dropped.
Damn it, the ship wasn’t getting as far away as I’d hoped. The monster was manipulating the weather and waves to create a current pulling toward itself; it was a miracle the ship was resisting that flow at all.
Captain, you’re as stubborn and wise as you are old. You’re cut from a different cloth than that old geezer Dakuus.
[Grrrrr…]
The Serpent noticed me flinch every time the seawater hit me. Its thrashing movements stopped.
I was able to hang on a bit more comfortably, but I soon found myself staring into those orange eyes.
Enduring the pain, without even opening its mouth, the Serpent’s snout split into a wide, horizontal grin.
“This bastard… is he laughing?”
As I was bracing myself to plunge Roar and Howling into those snake eyes, the monster gave its body a massive shake.
Then,
The bastard surged upward and dove straight into the ocean.
K-splash—!
“Guh?!”
This is bad.
I was dragged down with it before I could react. I tried to hold on by digging my daggers in, but as it thrashed like a coiling spring underwater, I was eventually thrown off its body.
Dangerous.
The monster stared at me again. Its sneer was even deeper than before.
I looked up to check the ship’s position from below. It was a bit far.
I looked back at the Serpent. It was quite large.
This is really… dangerous.
[Krawaaaa—!!!!]
An underwater shockwave rippled through my body. The sensation was so intense it was almost paralyzing.
Actually, my brain was already paralyzed with excitement and exhilaration.
The Serpent swam toward me at a terrifying speed, intent on tearing me apart. Its long body wriggled vigorously as it approached, looking not much different from a cat wiggling its butt before a pounce.
“Ha, damn it.”
I’ll admit it.
“I really wanted to enjoy this a bit more, since it’s been a while since I’ve had a real fight, a real hunt.”
I relaxed my body and let Roar and Howling hang loose.
“If I’m being a gentleman and following the rules, you should have done your best to entertain me.”
What do you think, Alto?
Since we’re underwater, no one’s watching, so it’s fine, right? Even if we do things the way we usually do.
“But if you’re going to use cheap tricks like this to try and beat me…”
So, danger be damned,
“Then I’m going to be a real thug too!”
I can go berserk, right?
“Kihahahahahaha—!”
Seawater?
Actually, it’s better this way. The water will absorb most of the impact, so I can go all out without holding back.
[Krawarara—!]
The monster opens its maw. I open mine too.
I send another surge of blood through my unnaturally hardened muscles. My racing heart circulates vitality through my entire body, and the Roar and Howling in my grip begin to cry out.
‘Awooooooo—!’
Howling’s drawn-out cry chases the scent of the monster’s blood.
‘Grrrrrr.’
Roar watches for the moment to sever the monster’s throat, which pulses at the end of that scent.
[Krawarararararara—!]
The monster already knows something has gone wrong. In the blood-red glow filling the sea, it realizes it picked the wrong opponent.
It didn’t choose its prey; it was chosen as the prey.
But the monster, driven by instinct, made its final move.
And that move…
“Khahahahahat—!”
Was shredded by the blood-tracker and the executioner.
Without any resistance,
And utterly in vain.