Chapter 521

Raon massaged the back of his neck while watching the quiet ocean. It made him think of the calm before the storm.

‘It’s so quiet.’

The journey to hunt down Kaibar was extremely peaceful, to the point that it felt strange.

Marine monsters or the Seafog tribe could’ve attacked them, but not even dolphins and fish were approaching them.

‘The fact that it’s leaving us alone must imply that it's confident in its victory.’

Kaibar was well aware that the humans were coming to kill it.

The fact that it didn’t do anything implied that it was confident that it could crush them in a frontal clash.

‘A dragon…’

The only time Raon had seen a dragon was the gold dragon that was shooting its breath at Wrath in an attempt to kill him.

His mouth dried up before he knew it as he thought about killing a monster that could cover the entire sky from a distance.

Don’t be so nervous.

Wrath shook his head while looking at the ocean.

They are just delicious meat for the King of Essence.

He licked his lips, saying that he wanted some chewy dragon meat.

Grilled dragon! Grilled dragon!

Wrath started to sing a song called Grilled Dragon that he’d just come up with.

He’d gone slightly insane after the seagull took away his fish soup, and he’d become even worse.

However, his song allowed him to relieve the tension, and Raon was filled with confidence that he could slay the dragon.

‘Seriously…’

While Raon was laughing bitterly at Wrath, Aries, Kuberad, and Rabawin walked towards him.

“Yeah, you should smile instead of frowning.”

Aries smiled nicely, telling him that he was doing a good job.

“Tension affects your performance.”

“He is different from you. He will do just fine without your advice.”

Kuberad shook his hand, telling her to stop bothering him.

“Geezer, you keep picking on me.”

Aries simply snorted.

“Are you done with your work?”

“No, I’m still doing it.”

The warm sweat flowing from Kuberad’s forehead and shoulders testified that he’d been smithing until a moment ago.

“No amount of weapons will be enough for this battle.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead while saying that he’d just come out to get some fresh air.

“I assume so. All of the marine monsters in the area will be gathering around the nest.”

Rabawin sighed, saying that it wouldn’t be enough even if they prepared without sleeping.

“Yes, yes. Keep doing your best with the preparations so that you won’t regret it later.”

Aries tapped on Rabawin and Kuberad’s backs while shouting at them to get working already.

“When all you do is idle around…”

“That’s preparation for me. I’m polishing my swordsmanship to slaughter the mad dragon.”

She shrugged her shoulders, saying that she was preparing harder than anyone else.

“Seriously, you can talk.”

Kuberad frowned and turned his head towards Raon.

“You are the same as her. You shouldn’t participate in the preparations and battles.”

“What?”

“We will take care of the monsters and the Seafog Tribe. You can’t act until Kaibar appears no matter what.”

He pointed his finger at Raon while telling him that he had to keep that promise no matter what.

“Wouldn’t it be fine to just help a little…?”

“Slaying monsters isn’t your role.”

“He’s right.”

Aries nodded while quietly looking at him.

“We need to dedicate our bodies and minds to the fight against the mad dragon. The small fries should be left to our companions.”

She grabbed Kuberad and Rabawin’s shoulders while calling them her companions.

A faint smile also appeared on the faces of the other sailors standing behind them.

“…I understand.”

Raon nodded heavily.

‘They look just like the Light Wind division.’

The trusting relationship between Aries and the sailors was similar to the one between himself and the Light Wind division.

He remembered their faces one after the other even though he’d been trying to not think about them.

The King of Essence wants to see his subordinates.

Wrath seemed to be thinking the same thing as he licked his lips while mentioning the Light Wind division.

“I’m still a bit worried about the Seafog tribe.”

Kuberad loudly clicked his tongue.

“Indeed. The battle would’ve been a lot easier if it wasn’t for them.”

Rabawin nodded in agreement.

‘The Seafog tribe…’

Raon scratched his cheek while thinking about the Seafog warrior that he’d slain before.

‘He said something strange back then.’

He’d shown an extreme hatred towards humans at the moment of his death, calling them unnecessary in the continent.

Raon had been curious about it because he’d never heard that the Seafog tribe hated humans so much.

“Does the Seafog tribe hate humans, by any chance?”

“Hmm? Do they?”

Aries tilted her head, wondering what he was talking about.

“When I killed a Seafog warrior before, he said that we weren’t needed on the continent.”

Raon told everyone about what he’d heard from the Seafog warrior.

“That’s what Kaibar says all the time. He must’ve been brainwashed by it.”

Aries shook her hand, telling him to stop paying attention to it.

“Why does Kaibar hate humans?”

“I don’t know either. But the records state that it wasn’t like that in the beginning. I’m guessing that something might have happened.”

She wrinkled her lips, saying that the reason didn’t really matter anymore.

“Our military strength isn’t too good no matter how I think about it. It would’ve been nice if Sir Sif was with us…”

Rabawin rubbed his hairless head regretfully as it sparkled under the sunlight.

“Sif?”

“Do you not know about him?”

Kuberad’s lips parted in surprise at the fact that he didn’t know about him.

“He’s my son.”

Aries responded nonchalantly.

“What? You have a son even though you aren’t married?”

“I told you, I kept up romantic relationships.”

She chuckled while opening her hands.

“I’m not really interested in the house either, but I still find you amazing. After all, he’s rather famous. Didn’t you hear about someone from Zieghart with a talent that comes once every hundred years?”

“Ah!”

Raon nodded blankly. That reminded him that one of Glenn’s grandsons was such a genius.

“Where is he right now?”

“I don’t know either.”

Aries shook her head firmly.

“What?”

“I’m not taking care of him since he’s already old enough. He should do fine by himself since I raised him well enough so he won’t be easily beaten.”

She yawned, saying that she didn’t really care.

“Hah…”

Raon gasped. He thought that she was really peculiar in many wants.

“Hey, everyone. Get back to work!”

Aries clapped her hands and made the crew, who had gathered around them, return to the workshop.

Raon looked behind him and leaned his back against the deck.

On top of the Azure Wind’s crew, even the sailors from the warships following behind it were busily working.

‘There are lots of old and young people.’

Raon had heard that the people who’d survived the mad dragon’s slaughter had volunteered to do the menial labor and became the warship’s crew. They wanted to avenge their family and the city—even at the risk of their lives.

People of various genders, ages, and stories were focusing on their jobs, fully determined to slay the mad dragon.

“Haa…”

Raon sighed in frustration. Light footsteps could be heard from next to him.

“H-hang in there.”

Raon looked aside as they tried to encourage him. A boy and a girl who still retained their childish features were nodding at him.

“You two…”

Raon remembered seeing them because they had both been working hard for the city’s restoration.

“My name is Morin. She is Nuan.”

The boy named Morin introduced himself and the girl.

“Why are you here?”

Raon could feel an extremely faint trace of aura from them, but they were still far too young.

Since they looked as young as Yua and Yulius, he couldn’t understand why they were boarding the ship.

“Our village was destroyed by that shitty mad dragon. I asked them to let us on board so that I can take revenge with my own hands.”

Morin bit his trembling lip.

“The same goes for Nuan. She is still unable to speak, though, because she received too great a shock back then…”

He held Nuan’s hand tightly, saying that she suffered even more than him.

They exhaled roughly while saying that they wanted to witness Kaibar’s death with their own eyes.

Raon bitterly met the furious gazes of the children.

‘So that was the reason.’

They must’ve been helping Aikar with so much dedication because their village had also been attacked by the mad dragon.

“I don’t have the power to achieve it, but Sir Raon and Lady Aries can do it. Please kill the mad dragon.”

“……”

Morin and Nuan bowed multiple times before returning to a small workshop located under the deck.

Sniff…

Wrath sniffled while looking at the children.

They are so praiseworthy! The King of Essence would like to protect them!

He shook his hand, saying that he wanted to catch Kaibar right away and take off its scales.

‘They are so praiseworthy that it’s sad.’

Raon watched the children’s backs until the door was closed.

‘Everyone is serious.’

Everyone desired the death of the dragon from the bottom of their hearts, and they believed they were fine with losing their lives in return.

‘I shouldn’t be just meditating at this point.’

It can’t be helped!

Raon was about to start practicing the dragon hunt in his mental world when Wrath briskly came up next to him.

The King of Essence will give you a special lesson to slay the lizard!

* * *

After two days of sailing, the Azure Wind arrived in front of Kaibar’s nest, which was their destination. The warships following behind it also stopped at the same time.

“There are so many of them.”

Rabawin swallowed nervously while looking in front of him.

“This is far more than I imagined…”

Kuberad’s wrinkled hands trembled.

“This is insane.”

“Is this why it didn’t attack us so far?”

“God damn it, mad dragon…”

They weren’t the only ones showing that reaction. The other crew members of the Azure Wind and the warriors from other warships were also agitated, and their anxiety could be felt through the wind.

Raon slowly nodded while looking at the people who were murmuring.

‘It can’t be helped. No one could’ve anticipated this many monsters.’

An island had appeared on the horizon that the ships were facing.

Obviously, the island wasn’t created naturally. There weren’t supposed to be any islands in that location.

It was a collection of the mad dragon’s guardians, a monster island.

On top of small- and intermediate-sized monsters such as shark moles, sirens, rain lizards, balaxes, and blowfish, there were even huge monsters like sea serpents, lunar whales, and mantakurns.

Just as the fishermen describe abundance as half the water being fish, half of the ocean was literally filled with monsters, creating a grotesque sight.

‘The Seafog tribe is also there.’

Moreover, the Seafog tribe mixed in between the monsters, making them give off an intense pressure.

The old Seafog warrior positioned at the center looked especially dangerous since his energy seemed to be at a whole different level from the others. Raon could guess that he was the chief of the Seafog tribe.

‘It won’t be an easy battle.’

Raon caught his breath, and Aries went up to the main deck in the meantime.

“Why are you so surprised?”

Aries smiled casually and opened her hands.

“We expected this much. Don’t tell me you are afraid now, when we are already here. Are you afraid of the mad dragon?”

Despite her cheerful voice, a heavy pressure was raging from underneath her.

Whir!

Aries’s powerful pressure removed the presence of countless monsters at once, and the terrified eyes of the sailors glowed with renewed passion.

“A bundle of monsters like that isn’t our objective. It’s the mad dragon. We won’t achieve anything if you flinch at such a trivial sight.”

Aries’s quiet voice echoed, and the military spirit was set ablaze.

“Fight. Even if you had to die as a result, stab with your swords and spears to open the path for me.”

She unsheathed her sword with a confident smile on her face.

“I’ll behead the mad dragon and bring victory to you.”

“Whoaaaa!”

As soon as she finished her speech, the crew cheered so loudly that the entire ocean seemed to tremble.

Fear wasn’t reflected in their eyes anymore. All that existed was their passion to slay the mad dragon.

“Let’s go.”

Aries ordered, and the Azure Wind advanced alongside the majestic sound of a horn.

The warships spread behind it into a crescent shape and faced the mountain of monsters.

It was a strange scene, where fleets and monsters were looking at each other. Once they got close enough for arrows to reach, Rabawin came onto the main deck.

“I’ll take the lead now.”

“I leave it to you.”

Aries smiled and came down from the deck.

“Open the gunports and ready the cannons!”

Upon hearing Rabawin’s shout, the bow of the ship opened up in a lengthy manner, and a thick iron cannon made its appearance. It was the magic cannon that Kuberad and the magicians had made together.

“Fire!”

Five colored lights were focused on the muzzle and unleashed a powerful ray of light.

Whaaam!

The light cannonballs were fired from twelve warships at the same time and assaulted the mountain of monsters.

Whaaam!

A tremendous explosion occurred, and the island of monsters seemed to be half-destroyed as it collapsed. The red and blue blood flowing from them was spread into the ocean endlessly.

“Fire!”

Rabawin ordered a second volley, and the magic cannons shone brilliantly once again.

Wham! Wham!

The impact was even bigger than the first volley, and the monsters disappeared as if they hadn’t existed from the beginning.

A mantakurn’s body collapsed, and dozens of sirens exploded before they could even scream.

However, the mountain of monsters wasn’t destroyed yet.

“Fire!”

Rabawin ordered the third volley, and the Seafog tribe finally pulled themselves together and took action.

Whir!

Gray smoke emerged around the monsters and created a thick wall to block the cannonballs.

Whaaam!

The explosion was even bigger than before, but the number of monster casualties was significantly reduced. The impact was reduced because of the fog.

Hoooo!

Along with a sound similar to the howling of a wolf, the gray smoke intensified and spread around to block the vision.

“Hmm…”

Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the fog.

‘They are moving.’

At the same time as the Seafog tribe’s fog spread to the ocean, monsters moved under the water to surround the ships.

Rabawin also seemed to have noticed that movement, since he raised his sword with a hardened face.

“All ships, circular formation!”

“All ships, to the circular formation!”

The crews from the twelve warships repeated his order and moved their ships.

The Azure Wind positioned itself at the center, and the other warships got into a circle around it like a peacock spreading its wings.

It was a defensive formation made by ships on the ocean.

“Fire!”

Rabawin shouted, and a fourth volley of magic cannons dropped lightning alongside a huge resonance from the ships and the ocean.

Whaaam!

The fog surrounding the ships was broken through, and the monsters hiding behind it were battered like dough.

“Fire!”

The fifth explosive radiance caused another slaughter among the monsters, but the magic cannon couldn’t withstand the power, and the muzzle was smashed.

“Kuh…”

Kuberad clenched his back teeth while examining the iron cannon.

“How could it buckle so quickly?!”

He slapped his own cheek as if he were scolding his pathetic self.

“That’s enough. We’ve already spent all the mana we’ve stored.”

Aries patted Kuberad’s shoulder, telling him that it was fine.

“Abandon the cannons!”

Rabawin ordered, and the warriors and the magicians that had been protecting the magic cannons came onto the deck.

The warriors from the other warships also went onto the deck and exhaled nervously.

The ocean fell quiet once again as the gray smoke fell like a curtain.

The fog that had engulfed Aikar in the past seemed to have an ability to hide their presence.

It was so quiet. The frightening silence made it feel like they were on a peaceful night sea instead of a battlefield.

Whaam!

The silence seemed to continue, but the monsters immediately broke through the fog and jumped out.

Crack!

Rabawin extended his sword along with the horizon as if he’d been expecting them. The blue aura dwelling on his blade drew the trajectory of a full moon and cut the monsters in half as they charged toward the twelve warships.

His terrifying sword strike had slain over a hundred monsters with a single attack.

However, the monsters jumped towards the ships once again, not fearing death.

“How dare you!”

Rabawin scattered his aura without reserve to reduce the casualties.

The sword strike spread around like a tsunami, and the monsters that were trying to climb the warships collapsed, their blood scattering around.

Whir!

The huge monsters such as the mantakurns, lunar whales, and sea serpents started to move. They seemed to be trying to protect the monsters climbing on the ships.

A mantakurn charged while blocking their vision, a lunar whale fired the ice wave, and a sea serpent breathed out poison.

Cring!

Rabawin stabbed his sword into the air. His astral energy spread around like a tidal wave, and the fog protecting the mantakurn and the other monsters was mercilessly shredded.

Whaam!

The mantakurn’s corpse fell next to the ship and blocked the lunar whale’s ice wave.

The two attacks were successfully defended, but the sea serpent’s poison cloud was rushing towards the Azure Wind from the opposite direction.

“Block it!”

“Block it at all costs!”

At that moment, the captains from the other warships gathered together. They created a wall with their auras and magic to block the sea serpent’s poison.

‘What a relief.’

Raon breathed out a sigh of relief. There were no casualties at all so far thanks to Rabawin, the magic cannons, and the captains from the warships. However, the real battle was only getting started.

Whoosh!

The gray fog wavered violently and started to scatter a rain of sharply condensed blades. The Seafog tribe was taking action.

Cring!

Rabawin raised his sword. Blue radiance emerged from his blade, which was even thicker than a saber, and created a sword barrier.

Claaang!

The rain of foggy blades pouring upon the twelve warships were all bounced back and sank under the ocean. It was a divine performance befitting a Grandmaster and supreme commander.

Whoosh!

The fog rampaged once again.

Instead of targeting the ships, the turbulence was directed at Rabawin alone. The huge movement implied that it was the chief’s power.

Whaaam!

Rabawin’s astral sphere clashed against the concentrated fog, and a tremendous explosion occurred.

Rabawin removed the shockwave storming around and advanced. He seemed to be trying to personally stop the chief to reduce the damage.

“Prepare for melee combat!”

Monsters jumped out from the ocean as soon as he shouted.

“Stop them!”

It wasn’t just the Azure Wind. Every warrior from other warships also drew their swords and cut down the monsters as they landed on the deck.

However, the swarm of marine monsters was endless. The biggest problem was the fact that monsters like the lunar whale, mantakurn, and sea serpent capable of destroying a ship in a single blow were also approaching.

Kieeeh!

When a mantakurn got close and was about to body slam the ship, Kuberad and the artisans took action.

“Fire!”

He shouted, and the harpoons and hooks fixated on the warship advanced like a storm.

Psssh!

The properly polished huge weapons pierced through the monster skins and rooted into their flesh.

Kieeeh!

The monsters struggled to get rid of the harpoons, but they couldn’t even leave a dent on the weapons crafted by the continent’s blacksmith.

“Do it now!”

While the monsters were writhing in pain, the warriors and magicians boarding the warships unleashed their sword strikes and magic to pierce the monsters’ vitals.

Kieee!

The mantakurn fell, and the lunar whale tilted to sink under the ocean.

However, the sea serpent gained distance while being pierced by hooks and spears and bared its poisonous fangs. A dark poison cloud was unleashed once again.

“That’s…”

Raon bit his lip and tried to take action, only for Aries to grab his arm.

“Not yet.”

Aries shook her head, telling him it wasn’t time to act yet.

“Unleash the barrier!”

Kuberad shouted, and a yellow iron plate spread from the front of the warship to block the poisonous cloud.

The steel turned dark as if it were completely rusted, but it didn’t cause any damage at all to the ship.

“Fire!”

He ordered them to fire the weapons once again, and long spears and hooks pierced through the sea serpent’s eyes and neck.

Kiaaah!

The sea serpent rampaged in pain and melted the rope with its poison before running under the ocean.

“Haa…”

Kuberad sighed while wiping his sweat. He smiled at Raon, as if he was asking how his performance was.

Just as Raon was smiling back at him, huge bubbles emerged from the ocean where the mountain of monsters was located in the beginning.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]