Chapter 83
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Rocky Cliff Dockside (4)
The carriage I rode sped down the road through the village center.
Along the way, pirate inns inside or main strongholds came into view.
But pitch-black shapes had already surrounded such places like a siege.
Shadow Union's guild master, Diren's magic summons.
From the looks of it, the occupation of the village's key strongholds was complete.
The carriage pressed on to the dock, where pirates locked in combat were visible ahead.
The bastard swung his sword wildly in panic, but Beth's shortsword pierced his neck from behind.
With a short death rattle, the pirate collapsed.
First Mate Phron.
His head rolled across the ground.
"Die!"
As if he'd been waiting for Beth to show herself, a man standing a short distance away raised his staff.
Second Mate Kal.
A fireball bloomed at the tip of his staff and shot toward Beth.
I immediately unleashed Splitting Ray, striking both the fireball and him at once.
Boom—
The fireball detonated in midair, and Second Mate Kal's hand gripping the staff decomposed and vanished.
Beth followed up by severing his head.
"You're here."
Confirming the carriage's arrival, Beth gave a casual wave.
I stepped down from the carriage and approached her.
"Looks like you handled it fine."
"...Next time, give me a proper explanation."
"You seemed to have it under control."
Beth flashed a sly smile.
Sigh.
At this all-too-familiar sight, I let out a brief sigh and gazed at the beach stretching out behind her.
A pirate ship utterly wrecked, and several pirates washed ashore by the waves.
Most lay limp, unconscious.
The conscious ones raised their hands in surrender, showing no will to fight.
Beth tossed ropes toward the pirates.
"Tie yourselves."
"Yes, ma'am!"
At her command, the pirates bound their own hands and feet.
I slowly scanned the pirates.
Navigator Phron, gunner Jackie, Second Mate Kal.
All the key elites were accounted for—but the most important figure was missing.
Iron Hogger Pirates' captain, Drake.
The boss of this place was nowhere in sight.
"Where's the captain?"
"Who knows? He wrecked the ship himself, but no sign of him."
Beth pointed at the shattered pirate ship debris.
The pirates must have tried fleeing by sea, only to get nabbed by Shadow Union's Diren...
I headed to the beach and surveyed the surroundings.
"See anything?"
"......"
I shook my head by way of reply.
Doesn't seem to be around here, at least.
"Once we secure this spot, we're done. Rockhart's reinforcements will arrive soon—just wait it out."
"...We don't need to catch the captain?"
"It'd be nice, but the others can hunt him down later. Sea route's already sealed off."
Beth glanced toward the beach.
With the sea route blocked, the captain was likely still hiding somewhere below.
The beach was wide open—if he'd surfaced, Beth would've spotted him immediately.
Which left only one possible hiding spot... the Kraken's nest.
[Kraken's Nest]
— Caution: Large Skill Gap
'Perfect.'
This would let me head straight to the Kraken's nest naturally.
"I'll bring him in."
"...You know where he is?"
"I have a hunch."
I approached Second Mate Kal.
His collar was drenched in blood from the severed neck.
I reached into his inner pocket and felt a small sub-space pouch.
Rummaging inside, I pulled out a transparent pearl-like gem.
【Siren's Tear】
— Consuming this transforms the body into sea kin for a set duration.
『1 hour』
Siren's Tear.
A gem that periodically washes up on beaches—consumption turns one into sea kin, allowing breath underwater.
One hour was short, but plenty for my needs.
"You... that's—"
"I'll be back."
Beth clocked the pearl and hesitated, but shrugged like do what you want.
I swallowed the Siren's Tear.
Crunch—
Webbed flaps sprouted from my hands and feet.
I summoned the golem, headed to a nearby cliff, and leaped into the sea together.
Splash—
The golem plunged in and began sinking under its own weight.
Clinging to its back, I descended to the seafloor with it.
Deep underwater, a massive pit-like cave entrance came into view.
I maneuvered the golem to swim toward the entrance.
A pirate lurking by the cave mouth appeared.
Iron Hogger Pirates' captain, Drake.
He'd consumed a Siren's Tear too—webbed flaps visible on his hands and feet.
"...! Who the hell are you!"
As I drew near, Drake yelped in surprise.
Sea kin could speak underwater, it seemed.
No reply—instead, I sent the golem charging at him.
Using magic right at the nest risked alerting the Kraken.
Drake knew it too, which was why he hadn't strayed far.
Thud—
Drake dodged the golem's fist, which smashed straight into the Kraken's nest.
The nest shuddered violently, the impact echoing inside.
"Tch, you moron! Stirring up noise here...!"
"I know. Me too."
I kept driving the golem at the panicking Drake.
The prolonged fight caused the entrance to crumble bit by bit, booming echoes spreading.
At last, from within:
- Keee.
Sirens emerged, their eyes regressed to milky white.
Gripping tridents, they rushed the noisy Drake and golem.
"You idiot! He's the one making noise!"
I waited calmly for the full siren pack to exit.
- Keee.
The tenth and final siren differed from the rest.
Crawling along the floor with a slender staff instead of a trident, it soon spotted Drake.
- Whoom.
It raised the staff skyward, black energy converging at the tip.
When it unleashed it on Drake:
"Uh... uwaaaaa...."
Drake's body shriveled like he was aging at high speed.
It tried the same spell on my golem next.
- Kee?
The golem, being lifeless, resisted the black magic.
I directed the golem to seize Drake and slowly withdrew from the nest.
The sirens pursued us out.
The golem took repeated trident stabs but showed no damage.
I lured them to a spot a short distance from the nest.
Should be far enough not to alert it now.
I drew my staff and hit the front line of pursuing sirens with Decompose Ray.
Sizzle—
Five sirens broke down in the light, their upper bodies gone.
The rear five wheeled around to flee.
But now that they'd come this far, it was too late.
- Keeeek!
I decomposed the heads of the remaining five, then swam to the corpses.
Amid their scaly sea kin torsos gleamed red gemstones.
【Red Nest Siren's Bloodstone】
— Bloodstone of the siren tribe that submitted to the Kraken.
Red Nest Sirens had yielded to the Kraken, guarding its lair.
Securing all ten bloodstones, I returned to the nest entrance.
『Sunken Altar』
— Currently prepared ritual: 1
ㄴ Bloodstone Implant
A half-submerged altar stood revealed on the floor.
I approached and began preparing the ritual.
『Altar Ritual Dagger』
— Dagger used to conduct rituals at a black mage's altar. Possessed by only a tiny few.
The dagger from slaying the fifth-floor boss, puppeteer Myal.
I placed my left hand in the altar's center.
I set one bloodstone on the back of my hand, then drove the dagger down, piercing both.
Blood from my hand soaked the bloodstone, turning it to sticky jelly that oozed downward.
It filled the groove at the center, completing the first ritual.
『Ritual will be performed.』
— Remaining rituals: 9
I repeated the process for the remaining nine bloodstones.
『Ritual completed.』
— Bloodstone Implant
【Bloodstone Implant】
— Implants a specific bloodstone into the body. The body adapts accordingly. Destroying the bloodstone cancels the ritual.
Scales sprouted across my body post-implant.
My legs seemed to elongate before merging into a single fish-like tail.
I maneuvered the golem to stand guard at the altar with the shrunken Drake.
Crawling along on my fins, I slithered into the Kraken's nest.
- Keee.
- Kiek.
The nest interior was vast and expansive.
Dodging patrolling sirens, I reached the far end undetected.
- Kooo... hooo... fuu...
The colossal Kraken slumbered soundly within.
Moving carefully to avoid waking it, I approached the treasure chest in the corner.
Reaching for the blue-glowing chest, its lid eased open smoothly.
【Seafloor Rune Tablet】
— Tablet crafted from runestone. Manipulates ocean currents.
"......!"
The Seafloor Rune Tablet could manipulate currents to force paths to normally inaccessible sea islands.
Invaluable for farming hidden items later on.
I stowed the rune tablet securely in my inventory and slipped out of the Kraken's nest.