Published: July 4, 2025
“Abel... why are we walking through the jungle... the dense forest?”
“...It's because the ship sank. It can't be helped.”
Ryo and Abel were making their way through the dense forest together.
The reason was, as Abel said, because the ship they were on had sunk...
With dreams and hopes in their hearts, the two had departed from the Autonomous City of Kubevasa aboard a military ship arranged by Duke Helb, the younger brother of the Grand Duke of the Duchy of Atinjo.
Especially, the ship continued to head north without any bullying from the crew.
The voyage had gone smoothly.
On the fifth day, as they crossed the northern border of the Duchy of Atinjo and saw the continent to their left, the ship continued to proceed further north.
It was during the midnight of the sixth day after departing from the Autonomous City of Kubevasa that it happened.
Ryo and Abel had eaten a surprisingly delicious dinner for a military ship, not as good as Soushi, the head chef, but still quite satisfying, and were fast asleep.
Suddenly, the ship began to shake violently up and down.
It was as if a vertical earthquake had struck... that would be one way to describe it, and it was precisely that.
Of course, since they were on a ship and not on land, it wasn't an earthquake...
“What the hell!”
Startled from his hammock, Abel literally jumped up.
Ryo also woke up and immediately began scanning the surroundings with [Active Sonar].
As a result...
“There’s a huge hole in the cargo hold…”
“Is the ship going to sink?”
“I'll try to seal the hole…”
Just as Ryo said that and was about to cast a spell, the ship shook violently once more.
Additionally, there was a desperate sound of wood cracking...
“The hull has broken! Water will be coming in here soon!”
Ryo shouted.
They were on the middle deck.
Although this warship was quite large, it would still sink when the time came.
“Come forth! Neil Anderson!”
As Ryo chanted, the knife sheath emitted a faint light of alchemy, summoning the Rondo-class second ship, Neil Anderson.
Measuring ten meters in length, the ship was reasonably large, but the middle deck of this ship was also quite spacious.
The two quickly boarded the Neil Anderson.
Almost simultaneously, the ship split in two, and everything was filled with seawater.
The sound of cracking wood continued.
There were no screams.
Everyone else was a sailor.
At the moment the ship broke, most of them had jumped into the sea themselves.
Staying close to the ship would mean being dragged down with it.
It was better to swim away and grab hold of floating debris after the ship had completely sunk.
Or perhaps, it would be a good idea to swim to the continent visible to their left...
However, after jumping in, they learned why the ship had suddenly sunk.
They saw several giant “legs” protruding from the surface of the sea...
“Kraken…”
Many of the sailors muttered as they saw it.
At the same time, they saw several krakens ignoring them as they were thrown into the sea and heading southward.
Had they playfully destroyed the warship...?
In any case, it was impossible for a warship to withstand a swarm of krakens.
The fact that the krakens were leaving could also be confirmed from within the Neil Anderson.
“Those guys again!”
“There were so many of them…”
Ryo said regretfully, while Abel felt relieved that they hadn't come for them.
In reality, if it was just one, they could fight with the Neil Anderson, but facing multiple krakens...
“I have to admit, it's certainly difficult to face multiple krakens at once.”
Even Ryo had to acknowledge their lack of firepower.
“However, someday... I will prepare enough strength to fight even dozens of krakens!”
“Y-yeah, do your best…”
With his fist raised in determination, Ryo was supported by Abel, who honestly felt he wanted to keep his distance.
After that, the two aboard the Neil Anderson became part of a search and rescue team.
They used the Capture Arm of the Neil Anderson to grab sailors who had been thrown overboard or jumped into the sea themselves and pulled them to the shore...