Chapter 783 Raising a Storm in the Newcomer Trials 2 2-in-1
"Hey…please don't get carried away! That's a Champion level Great Shark that can even contend against the best of the best in the Champion realm! There are dedicated training classes regarding how one should handle these things, and if it weren't for their highly nutritious meat which is excellent as training resources for Champions, we wouldn't risk our lives to bother it!"
"Shark meat? Skrr used to love meat, but when Skrr was sleeping, Skrr could only eat plants! Yucky, yucky plants! Yes, yes, Skrr would love some meat! Mommy said meat makes us strong, and Skrr has to be strong enough to give birth to hundreds and hundreds of babies!"
"And you?"
"I used to love it when…never mind! Yes, I would love some!"
The newcomer could only stare, flabbergasted, as the trio discussed among themselves, almost ignoring him.
The two ladies who had average features had even begun to smack their lips, and that was too much for the newcomer.
"This is no joke! We could die if we don't move away right now! You newbies-"
The newcomer had always prided himself on his steel nerves.
He had the knack of being able to face any situation with calmness, but when the man in the three whom he had been assigned to suddenly fixed his gaze on him…he felt as if he were one step away from death.
His breathing hastened, and his heart started to beat frantically. His pupils dilated, and his body almost activated his life-saver techniques.
Yet…in barely a second, that was all gone, and a smile came once again on the man's face.
What…the f*ck had just happened?
As a splash of water that had been thrown up by the crashing waves fell on his face, his mind finally returned from where it had fled to in that moment, and all the sounds around him assaulted him at once.
Had he imagined it? But…the sweat on his brow was real!
And even his heart was still not calm!
But how could a newbie possibly…
The three had started to once again idly discuss regarding shark meat, and as the newcomer observed, he saw that the man had the easy air of confidence about him that he had only seen on a few people.
When he had entered the Order, his old man, who was also a member, had given him just one advice.
"The Order is the one place on the continent where all expectations go to die. A frail-looking kid could be a top-tier Champion, and someone with a sallow complexion could actually be a master of Life and Death. Son, no matter what you do, do not judge people by their appearances, and always be on your guard."
Yes. It was time to listen to his old man, for once.
Something was definitely wrong here, and it was best if he moved carefully.
With a gulp, he spoke again, and this time, he did so calmly.
"I am only here to explain the rules to you. Beyond that, I can help you if you make a plan, but only if I decide that it is within my capabilities."
Daneel smiled inwardly as he heard this, while discussing the different ways in which shark meat could be cooked with Eloise and Skrr.
The little Divine Cockroach's eyes were wide open, as, of course, she hadn't tasted any cooked food yet.
As for Eloise, she was enthusiastically joining in the discussion, knowing that it must be because Daneel was confident in handling the situation.
While all of this was going on, the other team had been observing them instead of 'moving out', and after they heard the newcomer say this, they finally walked forward.
One of them, who had been the one who said that dialogue before, was grumbling under her breath, and it was easy for Daneel to eavesdrop using the system to find out what she was saying.
"Every time. Every time! I say 'move out', and no one moves. Argh!"
It looked like he wasn't the only one who overheard her, though, as a member of the team, who was a tall man with a broad chest and a cleanshaven face turned around while they walked towards them and said, "That's because it is dumb to 'move out' before assuring, with certainty, that we won't face interference. True, we might end up killing them, but that will also result in us facing a difficult situation because we will have lost precious time."
As soon as the team reached them, the newcomer gave a start and bowed, and he looked like he had still not recovered from the scare Daneel had given him.
Daneel had done so that he could judge the man, as he believed that the way one reacted in such a situation told a lot about someone. His reaction told him that he was actually someone sensible who wasn't likely to throw around airs, and that was a great thing.
It was that same tall man who spoke again after he arrived.
"Listen. I'll save this guy here the trouble, and I'll explain what is going to happen. The Order has traps set up all over the Endless Sea. Great Sharks like these often get trapped, but because of their strength, it is impossible to also deploy killing formations on a large scale, as that would take too many resources. So, the onus falls to us to kill the Sharks before they deplete the trapping formations and escape. This is one of the missions with the most rewards, but also the most risk. Injury is assured, and there are often deaths, too. But if you are stupid enough to overestimate yourself and enter the fray, then maybe you deserve to die, as it is better that you die here than on the battlefield, where you might cause the deaths of others who depended on you, too."
It was quite clear to whom these words were directed at, and Daneel just sneered in response.
He had already decided. His identity was completely concealed, and to everyone, he simply looked like a young man with combed-back hair, a rich mustache and a strong jaw. Coincidentally, this face fit perfectly with the identity of an arrogant World Dominator that he was going to assume.
Seeing the sneer, the man actually didn't react, but his companions did.
They comprised of another man and two women, and all four looked like they wanted to walk forward and smack him on his face.
They controlled themselves, though, as the man's voice rang again, just loudly enough to be heard over the sounds of the crashing waves and the thrashing shark.
"There are two phases. The first is the kill. The second is the harvest. Both are crucial. In the first one, two of us will distract the shark, and the other two will use a special formation that will dull the shark's senses to begin opening a cavity in the side of its skin from where they will enter. The shark will feel nothing, and after carefully maneuvering to the heart, they will pierce it and end the shark's life. The heart is the weakness of Great Sharks. The second phase will be when all of you will have to use the trinkets we give to harvest the meat. We can't teleport because it is too dangerous in the Endless Sea where elementary particles are constantly in a state of chaos. While you harvest, the four of us will hold off all the other creatures that will come after sensing the scent of this one. If you value your lives, just stay here in the first phase, as the Great Shark will easily gobble you up or smash you to bits if you dare to draw near. For precaution's sake, I am placing a barrier around you. If you try to move out of it, I will attack. Aegis team, move out."
Before anyone else could say anything, a barrier had been put in place, and the four had zoomed away, leaving Daneel and the rest standing there with the background of thunderous clouds that kept constantly moving, almost as if they wanted to swoop down and swallow all of existence.
Eloise tightened her lips, and Skrr pointed her finger in their direction and said, "Bad man! Skrr didn't like the feeling he gave!"
The newcomer, though…actually heaved a sigh of relief.
He had been dreading the moment when the crazy guy he was assigned to might go and do something dumb, but this way, there was no chance of that happening.
They didn't even need to test the barrier to tell that it was the Hero-level, which meant that even a few Champions went all out, they would need a little bit of time to break through.
Eloise looked to Daneel to see what he would say.
She had been quite apprehensive, too, when they had arrived, seeing that shark that had made her gape with shock.
Yet, she trusted Daneel absolutely, and as he had said that they would turn the tables, she had started to look forward to see how he would do that.
Would he have to change his plan, now?
With this question in her eyes, she looked to Daneel, and as a smile came on his face again, she understood right away that that was not the case.
Daneel didn't say anything, but he was irked by the attitude of these people.
From the words of the newcomer, he had understood that it was probably the norm that newbies would be directed by experienced teams, instead of being restricted to a place.
So…he decided to teach them a lesson.
Down below, the four had just reached their destination.
The two that had taken the duty of distracting the shark were the tall man who had spoken before and a slender woman who stood beside him.
Seeing them appear in front of it, the gigantic shark that had been struggling until now suddenly started to move much more vigorously.
It was trapped by invisible chains that were keeping it just below the surface of the sea, and that was why it was visible.
It kept snapping at the two, daring them to come closer.
The two first checked whether the other two were in position. On seeing that they were standing by, the tall man and the woman actually…joined their hands.
As they did so, Daneel witnessed something that made even him step forward with interest.
The man and woman had begun to cast a spell, and the way in which they did so was the most beautiful that Daneel had ever soon.
They shared the burden, each one playing off the other. Where one pulled, the other pushed. Where one needed a certain type of elementary particle, the other would place it there beforehand.
The result…was that a spell which would have needed four or five Champions to cast came into being with the efforts of just two.
As it burst into existence, the reason behind the name of the team became clear.
It was a massive bronze shield 30 feet(10 m) in height in the shape of the sun, which looked like it would defend against both the angels of heaven and the demons of hell. It looked indestructible and invulnerable, and it was also decorated with beautiful patterns made of motes of red light which revolved around its edge that was serrated.
As the two moved a bit forward so that they were barely in reach of the Shark, it showed that this really was the case, as no matter how much it butted its head against the shield or tried to use its jaws to break it into pieces, it was all for naught.
The shark didn't give up, though. It kept attacking more and more violently, and it became clear to those who were watching that the two were getting tired.
Yet, their efforts were effective, as the other two had already succeeded in making a bloody hole right below the shark's sawtoothed fin.
Everything looked like it was going great, and it seemed that they would smoothly succeed in doing what they had set out to do.
However…that was only if Daneel didn't have his say.
His smile stretching to the corners of his mouth, he sent a message to the system.
Down below, the man was constantly keeping an eye on these pesky newbies.
By his estimate, they would be done in a few seconds, and he could dust his hands off the matter.
Just as he was about to ask his companion regarding whether they could go grab lunch together after this mission was done, a bad feeling crept up his spine, making him snap his head up and wonder what the heck could have caused it.
It all looked normal, but just as he was about to look away…all hell broke loose, with no warning whatsoever.
SMASH!
With a loud sound, the constraints that had been keeping the shark at bay actually…broke.
For a moment, the man was so bewildered on seeing the Great Shark's joy that he almost let go of his companion's hand.
It had had no option but to snap at them from a distance without putting forth its full strength, as they had been taking care to stay just out of reach. It could still attack them with an effort, but most of its strength would be wasted each time on stretching its constraints to reach them.
However, now…it lunged forward with full force to finally take revenge.
Thankfully, right before disaster was about to strike, years of training kicked in, making the man narrow his eyebrows and say, "Aegis, ultimate mode!"
He managed to rouse his companion who had also been frozen with surprise, and as one, they put forward all of their strength to make the bronze shield shine with a golden light.
SNAP!
With an ear-wrenching sound, the massive jaw of the Great Shark actually caused the shield to cave in, and a few teeth even managed to penetrate it.
The two stared at it with horror, and they even started to get messages of panic from the two inside who had been thrown around due to the sudden movement.
Even the man was convinced that they were doomed, and his hand inched toward a trinket that had been given by his master to be used if he was afraid that his life would be lost.
However, in the next moment…the shark suddenly stopped and looked into the air.
Following its sight, the man was about to curse, as this day that had already suddenly devolved into such a mess was about to get worse.
The Shark had found easier targets, so leaving behind the shield which was like a tough nut that it couldn't crack, it took a small dip and then jumped into the air.
Great Sharks were known to be powerful enough to be able to leap over 80 feet(25 m) into the air, and it was easy for it to reach the four people who were helplessly standing above it.
The man didn't even have time to react. He had been hit by the backlash of his shield being broken into, and all he could do was stare and wonder whether he would get into trouble for not doing his duty of protecting the newbies.
Well, there would be a fine, but he could pay it off.
The moment the shark had eyed them, he knew that their fate was set. Hence, his thoughts had already started to go in this direction.
He did keep watching, though, as the open jaws of the Shark reached closer and closer to the orb in the air which was the formation he had placed. It would swallow it whole, and even the Hero-level formation would quickly break apart when it came into contact with the powerful acids present in the shark's stomach. The four couldn't even teleport out, so even if they did put up some feeble resistance, they were destined to meet their death.
It went in the way he thought. In barely the span of a second, the barrier disappeared into the depths of its mouth, and right before it splashed back into the Endless Sea, the two that were inside barely managed to make their way out of the small hole they had made.
As one, all four of them looked on as the Shark continued to dive deep, intending to get away before it was bound again.
The four regrouped, and for a moment, they didn't find any words to say.
After that, though, it was the tall man who spoke up.
"A moment of silence for our fallen comrades."
The moment didn't last very long, and none of the four got very sad expressions either.
With a shrug, the man continued.
"Well, we are going to be fined, but let's share it. We- look out, it's back!"
His shout filled with panic was because of the fact that he saw a large figure appearing out of the depths of the Sea, and hearing it, all four of them got into formation.
Yet, that…was when they were treated to a sight they would remember for the rest of their lives.
It was, indeed, the shark, but the thing was…that it was its underside that was floating up to the surface.
Seeing this, the four got flabbergasted expressions on their faces, but they remained in place, wondering whether there might be an even greater threat.
Soon, with the sound of splashing water, the shark's body broke the surface of the sea and started to bob on the waves.
The man was extremely confused. The Shark didn't even look injured, but it was clear that it was dead.
"What should we do?", his companion asked, and he could tell that all three of them were quite shaken due this turn of events.
Even he felt a chill in his back that refused to go away. They were all just 18 years old, and they still had not gotten the maturity to face such situations completely unperturbed.
With a gulp, he put on a show of confidence and said, "Let's check it out."
Nodding, the other three followed as their captain wearily approached the shark while still holding onto the hand of his companion so that they could conjure the Aegis if necessary.
Everything seemed to be in order, though, as nothing untoward happened until they reached the shark.
But just as they were about to touch it to see what was wrong, they received the shock of their lives.
BAM!
In an explosive shower of blood and flesh, a gash appeared on the shark's skin, and all four of the team started to scream.
Was it a deep-sea monster that had been hiding to target them? Was it an enemy who had lain a trap for them? Were they going to be killed, too?
"AAAAAHHHHHH- wait, what?"
The scream of the man suddenly stopped, though, when he finally saw the people who emerged from the gash.
They were…the four whom they had just 'mourned'.
The man who had spoken those arrogant words before looked at him and smiled, and that smile made his skin crawl.
In a jolly voice, he said, "Hiya! How are you all on this fine day?"
This extremely out of place greeting only served to make the four blink and wonder whether they had gotten delusional, but it was the man who recovered first and asked in a frantic tone, "What the hell happened?"
The answer…was delivering in a nonchalant tone that made him want to punch the one in front of him.
"Oh, I killed it, that's all. And because it was taking so long to break out, we had a snack. How's the meat, guys?"
Until now, the man had focused on the one who had appeared out of the gash first, so he hadn't paid much attention to the others.
So, when he did divert his focus to them to see what they were doing…he felt like pulling out his hair.
The two women…actually had fat pieces of shark meat that had been cooked perfectly in their hands, and they were ecstatically taking bites while wiping the drool that kept flowing from their mouths.
As the man even heard the sound of lips smacking behind him, he turned around and glared at the other woman in his team who had a penchant for acting however she wished, regardless of the situation.
The other two were stuck in amazement like him, and the man spoke to break them out of it.
He folded his arms and said, "Nick, go check if this newbie is taking credit for your work. Maybe one of your leftover weapons managed to find its heart."
He had noticed that the two had appeared without their weapons, which they must have left behind in panic.
The chance of this happening was small, but the chance of a newbie killing a Great Shark was even smaller.
Hence, the man had convinced himself that it was all a fluke, and that this guy was just posturing by using the opportunity.
They continued staring into each other's eyes, with the newbie still having that easy smile that irritated him so much.
A moment later, though, he received an urgent message from the one he had sent inside.
"Captain, you should see this! Come quickly!"
What the f*ck could the matter be that he couldn't find out about it through the trinket?
With a humph, the man went inside the Shark, and with curiosity, the other two followed.
The four newbies, with the newcomer who seemed to be paralyzed with disbelief stayed outside, and as the three reached the cavity where the Shark's heart was present, they found their team member staring with an astonished expression on his face at the human-sized blob of meat that was still at the moment.
Soon, they understood the reason behind his amazement.
The heart…was spotless.
There was no damage on it whatsoever, and it even looked like it would start beating again at any moment.
The same question appeared in all of their minds at the same time.
If this was the case…how the f*ck had the Shark died?
It was the one who had been sent first who spoke.
"Guys…did you see the eyes of the Great Shark before?"
They shook their heads, to which he said, "I did. I found a strange emotion in them, but I couldn't place it. Now, I get it. Hey, don't say I'm crazy, here, but this Shark…was scared. It was so f*cking scared that it even emptied its bladder, which I found peculiar on the way here. And it seems that it was also so scared…that it died."
These words echoed in the bloody cavity, and even the one who had said them looked like he didn't believe them.
After a pause, it was the man who spoke.
"Preposterous. Perhaps he did something else? Maybe it was poisoned? Yes, people can die of fear, but I've never heard it happen to a damn Great Shark! These things are supposed to be fearless even when they face foes much stronger than them!"
In a low voice, the woman whose hand he had been holding before to cast the shield spoke.
"There's a way to make sure. If a being dies of fear, its heart may be kickstarted again with force. Captain, punch it."
The man first looked at her as if she was crazy, but after that, he realized that she was right.
Letting out a breath and telling himself that this was the way to prove that that guy had been acting, he readied himself and threw a punch at the heart that was strong enough to make it bulge inwards, but not get injured.
What happened next…would forever be engraved into their minds.
BANG!
As the four took a step back while looking like they had been struck by a lightning bolt at the Hero level, the heart began to frantically beat, and they also heard the sounds of the Shark moving suddenly in the water.
It was a frantic movement, though, filled with desperation, and in the background…they heard a low sound that they had to prick their ears to pick up.
When they did, they found that it was a whine filled with so much fear that they, too, felt their hearts beating faster in response as it managed to influence them and make them understand just how much fear was necessary in order to make one die of it.
In a few seconds, the heart stopped again, as the temporary revival was not effective enough to bring it back to life. That fear had still been present, and it looked like it had done its job again.
The proof was in front of their eyes, and the four could only stare at each other, incredulity and disbelief apparent in their eyes.
Up above, Daneel had chuckled when he felt the Shark move.
In anticipation, he had already made them float, so they weren't harmed as the Shark relived its final moments before its death.
There's a reason why only one Leviathan was able to be killed throughout history.
Musing to himself in this manner, he decided to have just a bit more fun, as he had really not liked the way they had been 'mourned'.
"System, use the Shapeshifter Bloodline to mimic this Great Shark, and make it send out a mating call."
Let's see if your Aegis can deal with this…
Saying so in his mind, he patted Skrr's head and said, "Eat all you want. Don't worry, there's more coming."