Chapter 397 - 176: I Said This Was Just an Accident...
"You’re the greatest captain there is! No one on the entire Cordo Sea is better than you!"
They knew full well that if it weren’t for Wei’en, they would have fallen into the sea just like everyone on the other ships. As for what would’ve happened then... being torn to shreds by the aberrations would have been a merciful fate!
In the crowd, Vian and Haisa clung to each other. As they watched the pirates erupt in celebration of their survival, the panic on their faces finally began to fade.
’This is the second time...’
Vian watched Wei’en and Clelia, who were surrounded by the crew, and thought to herself, ’Counting the time Clelia rescued me, I now owe my life to this ship twice over.’
"Vian, look over there..." Haisa whispered, pointing to the other side of the theater.
"Hm?"
The noble lady followed her gaze. Standing before a door not far away was a mechanically augmented woman in a long white dress. She had a cybernetic eye and a prosthetic arm...
"That’s a zombie!" Haisa added in a hushed tone.
’A zombie?’
’She really is!’
Upon confirming it, Vian’s expression froze. ’Does that mean there’s a necromancer or a spirit Wizard here?’
’That would be perfect!’
"Alright, I’ll find you all a place to rest for now!"
"Yes, Captain!"
A short while later, Wei’en clutched his stomach, which was rumbling with intense hunger. He created separate spaces for the pirates and Guards next to the main rest area.
Once only Triangle-Eyes and Clelia were left outside, he hurried to the dining table and waved to Miss Zombie. "Shawa, bring some food!"
"Mm."
Ignoring the others, Miss Zombie brought the stored food to the table and sat down beside Wei’en, her movements slow and stiff.
"Let’s go," Clelia said as she went to join them.
Ronan glanced at the door behind him, then cautiously sat down across from Wei’en. "Captain, where are we...?"
"’You can think of it as the effect of a forbidden item,’ Wei’en replied, stuffing his mouth with Blue Marlin. ’We’ll hide here until that monster is gone.’"
"’Did you get a good look at what that thing was?’ Clelia asked, resting her chin on her hand. She seemed to enjoy watching him eat so ravenously."
"’It was probably similar to that Deep Sea Monster that appeared in the Caster City State, except this one was in the middle of an evolution.’"
Wei’en thought for a moment, then said, "I don’t know what that Alchemy Array was for, but I’d guess one of two things. Either it summoned that monster that was about to evolve, or it was *causing* the monster to evolve."
"Causing a Deep Sea Monster to evolve?" Ronan’s face paled. "That’s not possible, is it?"
Unlike Wei’en and Clelia, he had spent over a decade on the Cordo Sea and knew some of the legends about Deep Sea Monsters.
They were terrifying Class-3 Calamities. Each one possessed power equivalent to at least a Governor-rank Extraordinary. In the Deep Sea, their destructive power could even rival the Hand of the Kingdom, putting them just one step shy of the Legendary-rank.
"It’s just a guess, I could be wrong. After all, we’d only just arrived at Keman Island when this happened."
Wei’en devoured an entire Blue Marlin in a few huge bites, then frowned slightly.
’Hmm, why am I getting hungrier?’
’Did I get a lot of Resilience Level rewards this time?’
With that thought, he focused his consciousness inward, opening his status panel. A look of astonishment crossed his face.
’This is—’
[You used Corpse Explosion Skill (Death God) to kill a Deep Sea Aberration... Special Reward: Survival Points +10, Spirit Level +1.]
[You used Corpse Explosion Skill (Death God) Magic to damage an Unnamed Deep Sea Giant Beast, triggering Death Attribute - Plague. Instant Death Progress: 70/35,000. Evaluation: A Rune Magic that can stack damage, emm... I don’t know how to evaluate this, it’s just messed up! Special Reward: Survival Points +200, Resilience Level +10, Spirit Level +10.]
[...]
[You used Corpse Explosion Skill (Death God) Magic to damage an Unnamed Deep Sea Giant Beast, triggering Death Attribute - Calamity. Instant Death Progress: 35,000/35,000. Evaluation: If Olanier knew his Origin could be combined with Rune Power like this, he’d probably die from the shock—after all, no one can stomach their own stupidity. Special Reward: Survival Points +100.]
[Unnamed Deep Sea Giant Beast triggered Death Attribute - Instant Death. Target is deceased. Evaluation: This is probably the most pathetic death a Deep Sea Giant Beast has ever suffered! Special Reward: Survival Points +2,000, Resilience Level +100, Spirit Level +100.]
’Fuck!’
’That terrifying Deep Sea Giant Beast... was... was killed by my Corpse Explosion Skill?!’
"What’s wrong?" Clelia asked, noticing his expression.
"I’ll explain later, I have to go outside!"
Without another word of explanation, Wei’en used the Golden Key to leave the theater and return to the outside world.
"...HRAAGH!! Who is it?!"
"Who killed the Guardian blessed by the great Lord of Truth?!"
"KILL! KILL! KILL!"
’Uh...’
The moment Wei’en returned to the outside world, he heard three frenzied roars before he even had a chance to feel relieved that the steamship was still in one piece.
He flashed up to the crow’s nest and scanned his surroundings, inwardly stunned by the destructive power of his Corpse Explosion Skill.
’No wonder it drew out the Deep Sea Giant Beast, Adnan, before. So this is how powerful the Corpse Explosion Skill is when cast into the Deep Sea!’
"It’s you?!"
"It was you, wasn’t it? You killed it! You killed the emissary of the Lord of Truth!"
The three bandaged freaks sensed his arrival, their empty eyes locking onto him.
"Can I just say this was an accident...?"