The ship's bell chimed through the fog, dull and lingering.
Everything around was a blanket of white, with only the distant lighthouse's glow barely piercing the thick mist to guide the passenger ship forward.
“The fog is way too thick today...” The tall sailor at the bow looked at his shorter companion with a puzzled expression.
The shorter sailor replied with concern, “Yeah, it’s unnervingly thick. In all my years on the Wigtan, I’ve been through sea beast attacks, storms, and tsunamis, but I’ve never seen sea fog this dense. Besides, there wasn't a trace of it just a moment ago. It rolled in so fast...”
“Don't overthink it. It's just extreme weather. As long as the ship keeps heading in the right direction, we'll be fine,” the tall sailor consoled him.
Before the words could fully leave his mouth...
A long, low cry echoed from the deep sea.
The sound was ancient and deep, like the murmurs of an old entity that had been slumbering for thousands of years.
It penetrated everything, directly awakening the deepest fears in the human heart.
The tall sailor's pupils dilated instantly. His smile froze on his face, his mouth agape, but his throat felt as if it were blocked by something, preventing him from uttering a single word.
The shorter sailor had already collapsed onto the deck, his face pale as death.
It was an instinctive shudder, engraved deep within their bloodlines.
Nobody was ringing the bow bell anymore.
Once the tolling of the bell faded into the mist, a deathly silence fell over the surroundings.
Then, a second cry rang out.
It was longer than the first, and much closer.
The ship's hull began to vibrate violently. Commotion erupted from the cabins—people shouting, children crying, things shattering, and a chaotic din of footsteps rushing up the stairs.
“What’s happening?”
“Is it a sea beast?”
“No! Sea beasts don't sound like that!”
“What the hell is that thing?!”
More and more people crowded onto the deck. Some were wrapped in blankets, and most weren't even wearing shoes, their faces filled with confusion and panic.
Disturbed by the cries, Leila and Loviki also made their way onto the deck.
“Make way!” Loviki pushed through the crowd, walking briskly, any trace of sleepiness completely gone from her eyes.
She was still wearing her robe, her rapier already hanging at her waist, her fingers resting on the hilt. Walking to the stern, she stopped beside Flora. “What’s going on? What was that cry...?”
“Something big is coming.” Chen Mian leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on the depths of the fog, which was also the direction the sound had come from.
“Something big?” Loviki followed his gaze but saw nothing but a blanket of white fog. She tightened her grip on her rapier's hilt.
A third cry echoed.
This time, the sound was slightly different. The terrifying, shudder-inducing dread was gone, replaced by pure hunger.
The ship shuddered violently.
A massive force struck the bottom of the hull from below, lifting the entire ship before letting it slam back down. People on the deck tumbled every which way. Some were thrown against the railings, while those still near the stairs tumbled straight down the steps.
The wooden hull let out an ear-grating screech.
The magical defense array activated automatically, and a blue light barrier flared around the ship, blocking the second impact.
However, a crack appeared on the barrier.
“The defense array won't hold for long!” the captain's voice called out from the helm, filled with obvious panic. “What class of monster is this?!”
The sea erupted.
A colossal shadow rose from the fog.
Just the portion emerging from the water was over thirty meters long, its body thicker than the ship itself. Its scales were dark gray, each the size of a washbasin, gleaming with a metallic luster under the dim glow of the magical lamps.
It had a triangular head and murky, yellow slit pupils.
“Diamond Rank...” an experienced adventurer in the crowd muttered under his breath.
“The Diamond Rank sea beast, the Abyssal Sea Serpent...”
Deathly silence fell over the deck.
Diamond Rank.
It was an existence that could easily bring disaster to an entire city. Out at sea, its threat level was doubled.
And their defense array was already cracked.
“We're finished...” Someone knelt on the deck, staring blankly. “We're dead, we're all dead...”
Loviki pressed her hand against her hilt, her knuckles turning white.
Her mana level was only at the Platinum Rank ninth tier. Against a Diamond Rank opponent, she would stand almost no chance even on land. To face a Diamond Rank sea beast on the open ocean...
She took half a step forward, shielding Flora.
The ship shook violently under the Abyssal Sea Serpent's attacks, and the cracks on the defense barrier multiplied rapidly.
Just as Loviki was about to draw her rapier, a hand rested on her shoulder.
It was Flora's hand.
“Let me handle this,” Flora said, her voice still soft and gentle.
Loviki turned her head, utterly stunned.
By now, Flora's hood had been blown back by the sea breeze.
Her light brown hair fluttered in the misty wind, revealing the pointed tips of her elven ears. A faint scent of Moonlight Grass drifted through the air, and her lively eyes were filled with absolute focus.
Loviki had rarely seen Flora look so focused, let alone so solemn.
Flora took two steps forward to the edge of the ship, tilting her head up slightly to face the colossal Diamond Rank sea beast.
She didn't use a magic circle on the deck. Instead, she simply raised her right hand, and a golden light erupted from her palm—a gold so pure it held absolutely no impurities.
The light expanded from her palm, condensing above her head into a massive, circular magic array whose diameter exceeded the length of the entire ship.
The array's patterns were dizzyingly intricate, with every line flowing and emitting powerful fluctuations of mana, as if it were a living thing.
The intense light pierced through the sea fog, allowing everyone to finally glimpse the true appearance of the Abyssal Sea Serpent—colossal, hideous, and terrifying.
The Abyssal Sea Serpent let out a piercing screech and lunged violently toward the ship.
Flora's hand gently fell.
From the center of the circular magic array, a beam of golden light plunged vertically. It was blindingly fast, yet completely silent.
The beam struck the Abyssal Sea Serpent's head, piercing straight through its entire body from top to bottom.
Its scales vaporized the instant they made contact with the light. Bone, flesh, magic core—nothing could withstand it for even a single breath.
The beam plunged into the sea, continuing downward.
The surface of the sea blasted open, creating a crater dozens of meters deep. Massive waves surged outward, causing the ship to pitch violently.
Where the beam had vanished, the Abyssal Sea Serpent was gone.
It was as if it had been entirely erased from existence, leaving not even a drop of blood or a single scale behind.
There was only a massive whirlpool on the sea's surface, slowly closing back up.
A dead silence gripped the deck, followed shortly by a sudden eruption of cheers.
“We won!”
“She killed that monster!”
“Heavens! We're saved!!”
Cheers echoed all around. Some people hugged each other and wept, their faces filled with the joy of surviving a near-death experience.
Standing nearby, Leila stared at the back of the elven woman at the stern, her mouth agape and speechless.
It seemed her intuition really hadn't failed her.
The captain took off his hat and bowed deeply toward Flora. “Respected Elven Lady, thank you for saving everyone on board.”
Flora shook her head gently. She remained standing where she was, her eyes fixed on the thick sea fog. She pursed her lips slightly, still looking very tense.
Loviki noticed this.
She let go of her rapier's hilt, took two steps forward, and stood beside Flora. “What’s wrong?”
Rate on N.U.
