Hello, Monster
We had seized the Imperial ship without even drawing our swords. Although it was merely a merchant vessel, it was clear they had spared no effort to transport the TS fruits. The escort was excessively large, even including some high-profile, named mercenaries. I suppose they couldn't tolerate their ship being plundered by pirates. Unfortunately for them, the "pirates" they encountered happened to be us—two of the strongest powerhouses vying for the top spots in the Empire. There was absolutely no way they could win.
"I'll handle all of them, Master," I said.
"If you do, it'll make things much easier for me," Scarlet replied playfully.
"Kill him!"
Perhaps realizing that fighting me one-on-one was suicide, the guards rushed me in a massive swarm. They were trying to overcome the gap in our skills through sheer numbers. It wasn't a bad strategy, but I had recently acquired a new power. I had more than enough leeway to deal with them without even drawing my weapon.
"It's actually quite nice not having to clean them up one by one."
Dodging the attacks aimed at me, I grabbed one of the guards by the collar. Every time my hand made contact with someone, I lifted them effortlessly and hurled them into the sea. Was it because I had absorbed the Minotaur's physical strength? Before, lifting a grown man felt like hoisting a heavy sack of rice; now, it felt closer to handling a bulky piece of Styrofoam. I could even shatter their swords in half just by striking the flat of the blades with my bare fist.
Absorbing that Minotaur really made a massive difference...
The Minotaur was a relatively high-ranking monster. Its raw strength alone was incredibly formidable, and I had devoured such a creature. Since there was no status window, I couldn't measure exactly how much stronger I had become, but I could feel the difference in my bones.
"W-What on earth is that guy?!"
"His strength is absolutely monstrous!"
"He shattered steel with his bare fist...? That's impossible!"
The crowd that had rushed in so confidently quickly realized my strength was far from ordinary, and they hesitated to draw closer. A smirk played on my lips as I watched them falter and take step after step backward. If they weren't going to come to me, I would just have to go to them.
"Aaaagh!"
"S-Spare me!"
In an instant, I plunged into the thick of the crowd and began throwing them into the sea. A few of them, their faces pale with terror, swung their swords wildly. However, their frantic, blind slashes ended up striking their own allies instead of me.
Having superior numbers isn't always an advantage. Especially when dealing with a ragtag group of mercenaries who have never trained together.
They didn't even have a leader to command or coordinate them. In short, they were a disorganized mob. Even highly disciplined soldiers would have a low chance of victory against us, so how could a bunch of third-rate thugs hope to bring us down?
"It's a waste of time even dealing with them. I won't gain any insights at this rate."
I had intended to use my *Authority of Predation* to absorb anyone who showed exceptional talent. However, now that I had grown to a certain level, not a single one of them was satisfying enough to devour. Trying to absorb them would probably just give me indigestion and make me spit them back up. In fact, I was throwing them into the sea simply because it felt like a waste of effort to slay them with my own hands.
I don't know who their employer is, but they really should have focused on quality over quantity.
Though I complained, it wasn't that they were exceptionally weak. Strictly speaking, the issue was that I was simply too strong. Smacking my lips in disappointment, I sent the very last of the combatants plunging into the water.
"You look awfully displeased for someone who just won a flawless victory," Scarlet noted.
"I finally found a clue to break through my stagnant growth, but those guys just now were nowhere near enough to satisfy my hunger," I replied.
"Is that so? Well, I have some good news for you. Want to hear it?"
"I think I already know what it is without you telling me."
The waves began to churn violently. The ship rocked heavily as the sea dyed a deep, ominous black. A massive shadow surged from the depths toward the surface. Amidst the swirling currents, a colossal tentacle erupted from the water, scooping up the men I had thrown overboard with its massive suckers. At first glance, it looked like a rescue, but the tentacle immediately dragged the trapped men back down into the abyss. Before long, crimson blood bubbled up to the surface, signaling that they had been devoured by a deep-sea monster.
"K-Kraken!"
"The Demon King of the Deep...!"
"We're doomed!"
The remaining sailors shrieked in terror the moment they saw the tentacle. Some tore at their hair, while others fell backward in sheer panic. Every single one of them was losing their mind, throwing the deck into absolute chaos.
"It seems it was drawn here by the scent of the guys you threw overboard," Scarlet said.
"So monsters like that actually live in the ocean," I murmured.
"You didn't know?"
"I've only ever traveled inland."
In the original storyline of *The Knight Never Breaks*, there was never any reason to head out to sea, so I was completely ignorant about marine monsters. Of course, I knew of the Kraken since it was a famous creature, but I had no idea a Kraken actually existed in this game's world. Naturally, this was my first time seeing one in the flesh.
"I assume we have to fight it?"
"Yeah. It seems the snacks you threw it weren't enough to satisfy its appetite."
"Is it strong?"
"I've never fought one myself, so I'm not entirely sure, but probably. It's not called the Demon King of the Deep for nothing."
The Kraken's tentacles, which had just snatched up all the men I threw overboard, began to multiply. Eight colossal limbs, each capable of dragging dozens of men down at once, burst from the sea. The tentacles wrapped around the ship, squeezing and thrashing. The sailors scrambled to flee into the cabins, but the ship tilted violently under the immense weight of the beast, causing several of them to slip and lose their chance to escape.
"Master," I called out.
"Right. We should at least give those people a chance to repent," Scarlet replied.
The sailors who had slipped were caught by the Kraken's suckers, about to be dragged into the abyss just like the mercenaries before them. Right before they were pulled completely underwater, Scarlet kicked off the railing and leaped into the air, swinging her spear in a massive arc.
The blade of her spear cleanly severed the Kraken's tentacle. The flames erupting from the cut instantly engulfed the limb. The captured sailors were released, tumbling safely back onto the deck.
She had essentially volunteered to handle the rescue. By default, that left me with the task of dealing with the thrashing tentacles and the main body of the Kraken. Scarlet, having noticed my earlier dissatisfaction, was giving me my chance.
How much stronger will I get if I devour a Kraken?
Just absorbing a Minotaur had made me noticeably stronger. What about a Kraken, a creature that could treat a Minotaur like a mere toy? The sheer potential was unimaginable, bringing a wide grin to my face.
"Tonight's dinner is parboiled octopus."
In response to my hunger, my Void Aura flared up instinctively, wrapping around my blade. This was actually perfect. It was an opponent that forced me to go all out anyway. I slowly advanced toward the main body of the Kraken.
"...I can eat it, right?"
The Kraken glared at me with its four layers of eyes. Recognizing me as a threat, the tentacles wrapping the ship lunged at me all at once.
I stopped walking and took a deep breath. My left hand gripped the scabbard, while my right hand wrapped around the hilt.
The path of the blade is forming in my mind.
As someone who wasn't the original Alvin, I didn't know anything about swordsmanship. However, Alvin's body remembered exactly how to swing the sword. Regardless of whether the opponent was small or colossal, the path the blade needed to take laid itself out clearly before my eyes. Like drawing a line with a pen, I only had to draw my sword and trace the predetermined path.
"I'll end this in a single strike!"
Slash!
The sensation of a clean cut reverberated through my skin. It felt as though I was merely slicing through empty air, but reality was different from what the eyes perceived. The Kraken's massive body and limbs had tensed up, and in an instant, space itself seemed to warp and misalign.
"Dead without even a chance to scream..."
Along the warped line of space, the Kraken split cleanly in half. My Void Aura had bypassed the laws of space and time to cleave the enemy before me. Slipped into sudden death, the Kraken began to sink slowly into the sea, spewing blue blood.
"Oops!"
I had to devour it before it sank completely. I dashed toward the bow and stretched out my arm. The Kraken was far too massive, and since it was already sinking into the ocean, devouring the entire thing seemed impossible. To absorb at least a portion of it, I shot my aura forward.
The aura surged ahead, swallowing the Kraken's head. A slimy, unpleasant sensation, as if slippery tentacles were wrapping around my arm, sent goosebumps shivering across my skin.
"Ugh!"
"Alvin?! What's wrong?!"
Despite felling the Kraken in a single blow, I collapsed onto the deck. Scarlet rushed up from behind and grabbed my shoulder. However, her hand, which had desperately tried to support me, slipped uselessly, and she tumbled forward, collapsing right beside me.
"Huh...?"
"A-Are you alright, Master?"
The palms of Scarlet's hands, now lying flat in front of me, were drenched in thick mucus. Had she gotten it on her while saving the sailors from the Kraken? The moment I reached my hand out to check on her—
A stream of mucus shot out from the tips of my fingers.
"Ngh...?! Ahhh-haaahn! ♥"
Drenched in the mucus, Scarlet let out a strange, intensely erotic moan. She shuddered violently, and a sudden burst of arousal fluid sprayed from between her thighs. Her hands, coated thick with the slime, trembled uncontrollably. Watching this bizarre spectacle, I finally realized what kind of ability I had just absorbed.
"...I hope I don't start growing tentacles instead of a beard."
It seemed I had acquired the ability to secrete mucus with potent paralyzing and aphrodisiac effects.