Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Kraken Crisis
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The worst event one could encounter while playing Lost World was arguably the appearance of a dragon, but if focusing on the seas, the emergence of a kraken was just as terrifying.
A kraken was a kind of natural disaster.
It only sporadically appeared in early-game ship travel events, but starting from the mid-game when naval activities ramped up, its activity increased dramatically, frequently wreaking havoc on vessels.
Fishing boats trawling nearshore waters, heavily laden merchant ships, and even the massive galleons that hadn't yet appeared in the game—all were powerless before a kraken's tentacles.
The only vessels that could somewhat contend with a kraken without divine aid were those made of iron, like steamships, but even they often relied on sheer luck.
The fundamental reason krakens posed such a massive threat was that their main body could not be targeted.
A kraken used its long, numerous tentacles to ravage ships on the surface and pluck out humans to devour, while its true body lurked deep in the ocean.
'Judging by the size of the main body alone... it's got to be at least 500 meters, right?'
Seong-un was not in the skies but submerged in the sea.
Deep-sea observation was something many players overlooked.
While much could be observed from above, to see creatures dwelling in the ocean depths, players had to dive in themselves.
A player's divine body faced no resistance in water and could move freely.
Even in pitch darkness, outlines of living and non-living things were clearly visible, thanks to a special correction.
Despite this, many players stuck to habitual playstyles and neglected deep-sea scouting—Seong-un was no exception at times.
Since most gameplay occurred on land, maritime losses were often dismissed as bad luck.
'Fortunately, I checked just in time this time.'
A massive kraken tentacle surged toward a surface ship, passing straight through Seong-un.
This happened because a player's body did not interact with the world.
Still, the sensation of something overlapping his form was unpleasant, so Seong-un retreated while eyeing the direction from which the tentacle emerged.
Thankfully, thanks to his timely warning, Heukrin's ships hadn't yet entered the attack range.
'But...'
Seong-un sensed this was far from over.
A video chat window popped up beside him.
It was Krampus, with his goat-like eyes.
"Nebula! Did you know about this?"
"Ah, I just spotted it. Sorry I couldn't warn you sooner—I figured you'd all see it coming."
Krampus glared at Seong-un.
"Don't tell me this is some scheme of yours..."
"As if. There's no way to control a kraken in Lost World."
"...Then?"
"It's been lured here."
Seong-un could see other entities approaching from beyond the deep seafloor where the kraken clung.
They moved in a school, initially resembling a school of fish.
But upon closer inspection, they were a group of people swimming stealthily.
Krampus spotted the swimmers approaching from the direction Seong-un was watching.
"Deep Ones!"
Seong-un noted that the Deep Ones showed no fear of the kraken whatsoever.
The reason krakens were a threat wasn't simply their massive size.
A kraken devoured people.
It rocked and capsized ships, dragging humans into the depths one by one to stuff into its maw. If any remained hiding aboard, it thrust tentacles inside to drag them out.
'Come to think of it, krakens were tied to some ancient evil lore or something, right?'
From his observations, Seong-un saw the kraken not extending tentacles toward the Deep Ones.
It was as if the kraken could distinguish them, or the Deep Ones knew how to avoid its attacks.
'That's intriguing.'
Seong-un said,
"I couldn't warn you about the first attack, but I can about the second. Deep Ones will come attacking through the gaps between the kraken's tentacles."
"Is that so? Then maybe you can tell our fleet on the water about the third attack too."
Seong-un looked in the direction Krampus pointed via the video window.
Pirate ships from the Yabon Pirate Fleet were appearing over the horizon.
"They're trying to trap us in kraken territory."
Krampus sighed.
"What do we do?"
Seong-un hesitated at the question.
"You're not seriously asking me to handle even this trivial mess, are you? Especially when your ships have..."
Krampus clicked his tongue dismissively, as if he hadn't expected help anyway, and cut the video chat before Seong-un could finish.
"Sever the tentacles! Slam your axes into the ends!"
"Aaaagh!"
"You idiots! Abandon anyone who's been grabbed!"
"Captain! The sails...!"
The first ship ensnared by a tentacle was the Dan Yeom warship Whalebeard.
The Whalebeard's mast was wrapped by a massive tentacle at least a meter thick.
As the tentacle pulled, the ship first tilted, but soon the mast could no longer withstand the vessel's buoyancy and began to bend.
Crack!
The sturdy, tightly packed mast snapped explosively, sending wooden shards flying as it toppled along with the tentacle onto the starboard railing.
Mazdari was still inside the ship.
"What a mess."
Aren't you scared?
"Of course I am. But fear doesn't help get the job done."
Mazdari was drawing on the floor with a brush.
The brush was awkwardly enormous, sized for a garuda, but more striking was what Mazdari was drawing.
A circle within a circle, with ancient script inscribed along the rim.
Even those unable to read the ancient tongue could infer Mazdari's mastery from the formation's beauty.
As the ship rocked, Mazdari anchored his talons to the deck and braced his body against the ceiling with his other hand to draw steadily.
Though using black ink, each completed circle glowed faintly.
"Mazdari! Mazdari, where are you? Maz..."
The commotion outside halted as the door opened.
Mazdari looked up at the intruder.
"Aldor Maen. Perfect timing."
"What are you doing right now?"
"The reason King Dermaldin hired me, sent me to these distant southern seas, and why you were seeking me."
Aldor felt greater displeasure from this than the screams, shouts, and splintering ship around them.
"Magic?"
"Indeed."
"We need that help right now. Not just us—the Dark Grotto ships are under kraken tentacle assault too..."
Suddenly, Mazdari drew a dagger.
Startled, Aldor reflexively raised his sword, but Mazdari hurled the dagger.
It streaked past Aldor too fast to block or dodge.
Turning, Aldor saw the dagger embedded in a writhing tentacle, which then yanked itself free and retreated hastily onto the deck.
"Th-thank you."
Mazdari merely shrugged.
Aldor caught a flash in both of Mazdari's pupils.
'...What was that just now?'
But he couldn't dwell on trivialities.
Mazdari hadn't yet demonstrated magic before Aldor, but he was a mage endorsed by Dermaldin.
"What aid do you require?"
"Are you aware of the situation outside?"
"Of course."
"How many ships within three hundred paces of ours?"
"Three hundred paces? We're at the vanguard, so about half of the Dan Yeom fleet we chartered—around ten ships."
"'Around' ten..."
Mazdari muttered, inscribing ancient script onto the drawing.
"Racial composition?"
"Mostly trolls, but there are elves, Renards, hobgoblins too. Of course, satyrs make up a large portion of the crew."
"Nothing else? I think I've seen humans."
"Ah, yes, humans too. The slaves are a mixed bag, so I'm not sure."
Mazdari silently pointed to himself.
"Ah, garuda. Right, there's a garuda."
Mazdari swiftly added more script.
Mazdari said,
"You're in charge, so take responsibility."
"Pardon? For what?"
"Now leave. I need to focus."
"Sorry, but how long will it take?"
"Not long. By the time you reach the deck, it should be done."
Aldor decided to trust Mazdari.
For now, praying to the gods was their only option.
As Aldor ascended, the Rotten Hand spoke.
Shall we begin?
'Yes.'
The Rotten Hand muttered incomprehensible ancient script from within Mazdari.
At the same moment, Mazdari began chanting aloud.
It was a spell of magic.
The concentric circle drawing—Mazdari's magic circle—reacted with a scorching sizzle, turning crimson-black.
This was why magic's secrets were hard to uncover by chance and why only the cursed could wield it.
Magic required a contradiction between inner thoughts and outward actions to activate as a spell.
Over 150 years had passed since ancient ruins were found and knowledge accumulated to reveal this truth.
Mazdari had completed a few spells by combining his master's teachings with fragmented alchemical lore.
According to the ancient history he uncovered, a mage with fewer than ten spells was merely an apprentice.
Yet Mazdari knew even that apprentice wielded incomparable power.
'Magic...'
As Mazdari placed his hand on the circle, it fractured, separated, and vibrated.
A light force pulsed, expanding and contracting repeatedly within.
A magic circle also appeared over Mazdari's pupils.
'...behold.'
It was the mage's tattoo to ignite the spell.
It could be inscribed anywhere, and Mazdari had etched it into his own pupils.
Finally, Mazdari's palm touched the circle.
Rushing up to the deck, Aldor felt something—not wind or touch—pass through his back and stretch far into the distance.
The deck, filled with shouts, fell eerily silent, replaced not by combat's crashes but by confused murmurs.
Aldor hurried up.
He slapped a dazed soldier's shoulder.
"Hey, what happened?"
"General! L-look at that."
A tentacle poised to lash the crew hovered skyward.
But it was utterly still.
Not only motionless, it even sparkled under the southern sun.
Clunk!
As the listing ship righted itself with a shake, the tentacle toppled, shattering into fragments.
Fortunately, no one was crushed beneath the massive pieces.
One sharp shard grazed Aldor's cheek, but he felt no pain.
"Frozen... solid?"
Aldor understood why the soldiers stood stunned.
"It's not just our ship. Look."
Aldor followed the soldier's pointing finger.
Not only tentacles—the sea surface itself was frozen, encasing all tentacles around a dozen nearby ships.
The radius was roughly three hundred paces.
"...Impressive. Now I see why His Majesty is so fixated on that one."
But it wasn't just tentacles that were frozen.
Turning, Aldor saw a man wielding a raised axe, frozen mid-swing.
An orc slave.
"No way..."
Mazdari approached from behind.
"Good, the magic worked perfectly. It would have helped if you'd mentioned orcs among the slaves."
Leaving the stunned Aldor speechless, Mazdari gazed skyward as if searching for someone.
"'Frozen Time,' huh."
It was one of the temperature-manipulating spells.
Its effects and range were excellent, but the long casting time kept it from advancing beyond beginner level.
It also required target selection, leading to frequent 'accidents.'
'There must be better spells for this situation. Was it for showmanship?'
Perhaps.
'Frozen Time' alone had halted the onslaught on the warships.
The frozen sea, warmed by the ambient heat, was already cracking and crumbling.
Seong-un smiled down at Mazdari.
'You have your own goals in mind, after all.'