[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 94
"D-damn it, it's magic! Dodge!"
Crash!
In reality, it was just the explosion magic scroll that Zeke had detonated, but Donner mistook it for real magic due to its power.
"A mage! Find the mage!"
The knights, caught off guard by the sudden magic attack from the rear, retreated and searched for the mage who had attacked them.
But that was a wrong choice.
Zeke had already set up explosion scrolls in places they were likely to dodge to.
Crash!
The hidden scrolls detonated, causing explosions.
"Ugh!"
If it had been other knights, they would have been wiped out by this explosion, but these were Draker knights.
They quickly protected themselves with Aura and rolled to places where the explosion wouldn't reach them.
The Draker knight uniforms, which effectively blocked magic, also played a role in protecting them.
Donner drew his sword and shouted, "Damn it, who is it?!"
A tremendous gust of wind blew towards the knights who were disoriented by the continuous explosions.
Donner shouted at the sight of the gust,
"Dodge!"
Some knights jumped into the sea, and some rolled and hid behind rocks.
The gust of wind that Zeke created swept through the surroundings, obscuring their vision.
Meanwhile, Zeke, using his Concealment skill, crept up behind the knights hiding behind the rocks and slit their throats.
"Cough!"
Even Draker knights were helpless as he covered their mouths and stabbed them in their vital points in a single blow.
As the gust subsided, Donner, the lieutenant, finally regained his senses and tried to gather his subordinates.
But when he looked around, all his subordinates were already dead and collapsed.
"H-how..."
Just then, someone stood behind Donner.
He felt the sharp touch of a dagger against his neck.
"Where's Abel?"
Donner stealthily looked around, trying to find an opening to swing his sword.
Slash!
Zeke cut off Donner's arm with the sword he was holding in his other hand.
"Kyaaaak!"
Zeke held up Donner's severed arm and asked again,
"I'll give you a potion if you answer now. The faster you answer, the higher the chance it will reattach."
Donner gasped, clutching his severed arm.
A knight with a severed arm was worthless.
His lips trembled as he spoke.
"T-the commander is at the terminal..."
Slash!
Zeke cut off Donner's head before he could finish his sentence.
He had no intention of letting him live in the first place.
Zeke signaled to Boris, who was hiding.
While Zeke protected Karus, Boris was to enter the cave and negotiate with the smugglers.
A moment later, Boris came out with a few armed smugglers.
The wary smugglers came out of the cave with their weapons drawn.
Zeke asked the smuggler who seemed to be the leader in the Southern language,
"Do you have a ship? We need to go to the Southern Continent right now. We'll pay you."
The smuggler replied to Zeke,
"You saved our lives, so no payment is necessary. However, it's difficult to set sail right now."
"Is there a storm coming?"
The smuggler shook his head.
"It's because the big one comes out when the weather is like this."
Boris, who was next to him, added, "He means a sea monster appears."
Zeke said to the smuggler,
"If a sea monster appears, I'll take care of it, so don't worry and set sail."
The smugglers whispered among themselves.
Then, they soon nodded.
"A Southerner repays a favor even if it costs them their life. We'll set sail, but we can't guarantee your arrival."
"Okay."
The smugglers went back into the cave.
Then, surprisingly, they laid rails all the way to the coast and pulled the ship out from inside the cave.
The ship soon floated on the sea, and Zeke boarded it with Karus.
Zeke first checked the ship for any other traps with his Dragon Eye, but fortunately, there were no hidden assassins or explosive devices.
"Please rest here for a while."
Surprisingly, Karus had kept up well with Zeke and Boris's forced march.
He was given potions whenever his stamina dropped, but he was better than most soldiers.
Zeke asked Karus,
"Your Highness, have you received military training before?"
Karus nodded at the question.
"Yes, I received field training. How did you know?"
"Those who only received knight training often have a hard time enduring marches or field situations."
Karus nodded in agreement.
"There are such guys among the dandy noble knights. But I served my full three-year term and was honorably discharged."
Zeke was even more surprised by Karus's words.
"You mean you responded to the conscription even though you're royalty?"
The Rom Empire had adopted a conscription system.
All young men and women had to serve in the military for three years.
However, most nobles avoided their military service with various excuses.
The same went for the royal family.
As a result, it became quite natural for royalty and nobles not to join the military.
Under such circumstances, it was naturally surprising that Prince Karus, who had the right to inherit the throne, had completed his military service as an active soldier.
"Is it strange that I'm a reservist?"
"It's unexpected. I thought you only liked alcohol and gambling."
"That's quite a rude remark, but I'll let it slide since you saved my life. Sir Zeke, I am an artist. An artist should know how to enjoy life, but they should also have various experiences. Wasn't Paris, the famous minstrel of the Holy Empire, a legendary bard, an excellent soldier, and a swordsman representing his era?"
Zeke was a little impressed by Karus's unexpected side.
In his past life, he had been involved in several rescue missions, and each time, dealing with immature nobles was more difficult than facing ten knights.
While talking about various things with Karus, the preparations were finished.
"Boss, they say we're departing now."
"Okay. Boris, you can rest now."
Soon, the ship set sail, and the Dorta Republic gradually became distant.
Just then, the captain of the smuggler ship approached Zeke.
"With this wind, it will take about ten days. However, as I said before, I can't guarantee that we'll arrive safely in the Southern Continent."
"Is it because of the sea monster you mentioned?"
"That, and it's difficult to predict how the pirates will act if it's not the designated day and time."
"Pirates? I heard that the Favella Cartel was disbanded and scattered."
The captain shook his head.
"They abandoned their honor as pirates and went ashore, so we don't consider them pirates anymore."
"So you mean there are other pirates besides them?"
"Yes, there are fearsome pirates operating around the Sea of Death. We usually pay tolls to come and go, but if we're unlucky, we become fish food."
In short, it meant that it was up to the pirates.
Zeke nodded.
"Okay, if we encounter pirates, I'll deal with them."
The captain bowed his head and went back to the deck.
He was worried that Abel's side might chase them by ship, but fortunately, there were no ships in pursuit.
'I hope Mr. Paynun arrived safely. I have to hope Muhammad did his job properly.'
Zeke sat in the cabin and opened his status window for the first time in a while to check his current stats.
[Intermediate Administrator Status Window]
Name: Zeke Draker
Class: Immortal (Unique)
Titles: Blessed by the Ancient Dragon, Heir of Terakan Draker, Inheritor of the Sword Saint
Abilities: Dragon Control, Decay
Constitution: Divine Body, Poison immunity
System Functions: Inventory (100 slots) / Minimap (Portal Movement) / Intermediate Quest Book / Skill Shortcut Slot / Potion Quick Slot /
Passive Skills: Healing Factor / Steadfast Mental Defense / Infinite Stamina / Combat Senses
Special Skills: Gale Force [A-grade (Skilled)] / Elemental Sword [S-grade (Skilled)] / True Dragon Sword Art [S-grade (Skilled)]
Active Skills: Precise Stab [E-grade (Expert)] /Continuous slash [D-rank (Beginner)] /Lightning [A-grade (Beginner)] /Electrocution (A-grade)]/ Flashbang [C-grade (Skilled)] / Discord [C-grade (Skilled)] / Mana Reflection [A-grade (Beginner)] / Area of Effect Buff [A-grade (Beginner)] / Concealment [A-grade (Beginner)] / Curse Reflection [A-grade (Beginner)]
Draconian Skills (2nd stage unlocked): Dragon Eyes (Expert) / Dragon's Majesty (Expert) / Gluttony (Expert) / Dragon Speech (Locked) / Dragon Scale Armor (Expert) / Dragon Claws (expert)
Karma Points: 2410
'I've grown a lot since I first saw this.'
Zeke checked the information on the newly acquired ability 'Decay'.
―Ability Information―
Decay: Can cause anything that comes into contact with it to decay.
'Anything can be decayed...'
Since it was an ability he couldn't quite grasp yet, he decided to slowly learn about the Decay ability.
Zeke looked at the over 2,000 Karma points with a satisfied expression.
Next, Zeke opened the three Random Boxes he had received.
―Upper Body Armor Information―
Description: Upper body armor made using sturdy and lightweight Wootz steel
Unique Ability: None
Special Note: Unique ability activates when the full Wootz steel set is equipped
―Helmet Information―
Description: Helmet made using sturdy and lightweight Wootz steel
Unique Ability: None
Special Note: Unique ability activates when the full Wootz steel set is equipped
―Longsword Information―
Description: Longsword made using sturdy and lightweight Wootz steel
Unique Ability: None
Special Note: Unique ability activates when the full Wootz steel set is equipped
All three were equipment made of Wootz steel.
'The gauntlets, boots, and lower body armor I got before were also made of Wootz steel.'
Just then, a message window popped up.
[The full Wootz steel set has been assembled.]
[When equipped with the full Wootz steel set, the unique ability 'Magic Shield' will automatically activate.]
"Magic Shield? Does that mean a barrier will be formed automatically? It's lucky that I got the full set right away."
Zeke immediately equipped the full Wootz steel armor set.
Since the Wootz steel armor itself was tightly woven like cloth rather than plate mail, it was very comfortable to move in.
"Good, I'll use this when I need to hide my identity and move around."
***
During the voyage, Zeke taught Karus basic survival skills on the ship.
Perhaps because he had received knight and military training, he followed along better than expected.
Zeke mainly taught Karus how to use a crossbow and a shield.
"Other knights only focus on sword training, but Sir Zeke is different."
"Those idiots are the ones who usually get hit by arrows and die."
Karus nodded at Zeke's firm words.
In reality, the most threatening thing to knights in battle was a sudden arrow.
If he could maintain his Aura at all times, arrows wouldn't be a threat at all, but when exhausted, even a single arrow could be fatal.
This was the reason why, even though the armor gradually became lighter after being promoted to Purple Knight, they still covered vital points.
Perhaps because his life depended on it, Karus diligently learned survival skills.
It was possible because they were having a fairly leisurely voyage since the Empire's warships weren't chasing them. But soon, a problem arose.
On the third day, the sea suddenly became rough.
"What's happening?"
The smugglers shouted in a panic.
"Th-the big one... The big one is coming!"
It seemed the sea monster they were worried about before they left was approaching.
Zeke drew Bahamut and looked out at the sea.
But despite the rough waves, nothing was visible.
In his past life, he had encountered sea monsters a few times.
But back then, he lured the monsters to land and hunted them using various equipment.
Despite being in a more difficult situation than before, Zeke calmly took out the 'Whale's Breath' he had purchased in advance from his inventory and drank it.
Thanks to this, he could now breathe even if he fell into the sea.
That was when it happened.
Rumble!
A huge sound echoed from the bottom of the sea.
The sailors started praying in fear.
Just then, something approached from under the sea.
Crash!
A powerful wave struck the side of the ship.
The smuggling ship rocked violently, almost capsizing.
Zeke shouted to Boris, "Take His Highness inside!"
Boris immediately took Karus to the inner cabin, and after confirming this, Zeke drew his sword and swung it at the wave.
Crash!
The wave shattered from Zeke's sword strike.
But another wave surged in.
At the same time, a giant monster appeared within the wave.
Rumble rumble rumble!
A colossal kraken stretched out its tentacles, attempting to ensnare the ship.
Its size was so massive that each sucker was the size of a human.
As the terrified sailors froze in place and began to pray, Zeke shouted,
"Get inside the cabin, now!"
Simultaneously, Zeke swung his sword at the kraken's tentacle.
Slash!
As he severed the tentacle with the Dragon Slayer Art, the colossal kraken roared and retreated.
Kraaaaaaaaa!
Along with a long cry, more tentacles attacked the ship.
Zeke realized he had no chance of winning while on the ship.
He hesitated for a moment, then shouted towards the sea,
"Nahuel!"
The subjugated dragonkin responded to Zeke's call.
A giant magic circle appeared on the sea, and Nahuel was summoned from within.
Rumbling!
Nahuel let out the same mystical cry as when Zeke saw him at the lake.
Zeke immediately jumped onto Nahuel's back.
He held onto Nahuel's neck and raised Bahamut.
"Nahuel, let's go catch that damn squid."
Rumbling!
As the monster cry echoed, Zeke felt his mind relax.
Seeing Zeke riding the mystical beast, the kraken's tentacles surged towards him.
The colossal tentacles, looking like towers, attacked Zeke.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]