Episode 94
“Damn it, it’s magic! Take cover!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In reality, it was an explosion spell scroll that Zeke had activated, but its power was so immense that Donner mistook it for real magic.
“Find the mage! Find the mage!”
The sudden attack from the rear had the knights on edge, retreating to locate the source of the magic.
But that was a mistake.
Zeke had already planted more explosion scrolls in places they would likely retreat to.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The hidden scrolls detonated, causing another series of explosions.
“Ugh!”
Any other knights would have been wiped out, but these were the knights of Draker.
They quickly shielded themselves with aura and rolled to safety, away from the blast zone.
Their uniforms, designed to resist magic, also played a crucial role in their survival.
Donner drew his sword and shouted, “Damn it, who are you?!”
A fierce gust of wind swept towards the disoriented knights.
“Take cover!” Donner yelled.
Some knights dove towards the sea, while others rolled behind rocks for shelter.
The whirlwind Zeke conjured obscured their vision.
In the chaos, Zeke stealthily approached and swiftly dispatched the knights hiding behind the rocks.
“Ugh!”
He silenced them with a precise strike to the vital points, rendering even the Draker knights helpless.
As the wind subsided, Donner, the squad leader, tried to gather his wits and rally his men.
But as he looked around, he realized all his men were already dead.
“How… how could this be…?”
Just then, someone appeared behind Donner.
He felt the cold touch of a dagger against his throat.
“Where is Abel?”
Donner, trying to find an opening to swing his sword, hesitated.
Slash!
Zeke severed Donner’s arm with the sword in his other hand.
“Aaargh!”
Holding the severed arm, Zeke asked again, “Answer now, and I’ll give you a potion. The sooner you answer, the better your chances of reattaching it.”
Donner clutched his severed arm, breathing heavily.
A knight without an arm was worthless.
His lips trembled as he spoke, “The commander… at the terminal…”
Slash!
Before Donner could finish, Zeke beheaded him.
He never intended to let him live.
Zeke signaled to Boris, who was hiding nearby.
While Zeke protected Karus, Boris was to negotiate with the smugglers inside the cave.
A short while later, Boris returned with a few armed smugglers.
The smugglers, who had been on guard, emerged from the cave with their weapons.
Zeke addressed the one who seemed to be their leader in a southern dialect.
“Do you have a ship? We need to head to the southern continent immediately. We’ll pay.”
The smuggler replied, “You saved our lives, so no payment is necessary. But it’s difficult to set sail right now.”
“Is it because of a storm?”
The smuggler shook his head.
“When the weather’s like this, a big one comes out.”
Boris added, “He means a sea monster.”
Zeke told the smuggler, “If a monster appears, I’ll take care of it. Just get the ship ready.”
The smugglers whispered among themselves, then nodded.
“Southerners repay their debts, even at the cost of their lives. We’ll set sail, but we can’t guarantee a safe arrival.”
“Understood.”
The smugglers returned to the cave.
To Zeke’s surprise, they laid tracks to the shore and brought out a ship from inside the cave.
The ship soon floated on the water, and Zeke boarded it with Karus.
He inspected the ship with his dragon’s eye to ensure there were no hidden traps or assassins, and thankfully, there were none.
“Please rest here for a while.”
Surprisingly, Karus kept up well with Zeke and Boris’s grueling pace.
Though they provided potions whenever his stamina waned, he was more resilient than most soldiers.
Zeke asked Karus, “Your Highness, have you undergone military training before?”
Karus nodded. “Yes, I have. How did you know?”
“Those who only train as knights often struggle with marches or field conditions.”
Karus nodded in agreement. “Some of those pampered noble knights are like that. But I completed my full three-year service and was honorably discharged.”
Zeke was taken aback by Karus’s words.
“You’re a royal, yet you served in the military?”
The Rom Empire had a conscription system.
All young men and women were required to serve in the military for three years.
However, most nobles found ways to evade this duty.
The same went for the royals.
It was quite common for royals or nobles to avoid military service.
So, hearing that Prince Karus, who had a claim to the throne, completed his service was indeed surprising.
“Is it so strange that I’m a reservist?”
“It’s unexpected. I thought you only indulged in drinking and gambling.”
“That’s quite a rude remark, but since you saved my life, I’ll let it slide. Sir Zeke, I’m an artist. An artist should enjoy the finer things in life but also have a wealth of experiences. The famous bard Paris of the Holy Empire was a legendary musician, an outstanding soldier, and a renowned swordsman of his time.”
Zeke was impressed by this unexpected side of Karus.
In his past life, he had been involved in several rescue missions for important figures, and dealing with spoiled nobles was often more challenging than facing ten knights.
As Zeke and Karus continued their conversation, preparations were completed.
“Boss, we’re ready to set sail.”
“Got it. Boris, you should rest now too.”
The ship set off, and the Republic of Dortha gradually faded into the distance.
The smuggler captain approached Zeke.
“With this wind, it should take about ten days. But as I mentioned, I can’t guarantee a safe arrival at the southern continent.”
“Is it because of the sea monster you mentioned?”
“Yes, and also because it’s hard to predict how the pirates will act outside of their usual times and routes.”
“Pirates, huh. I heard the Pamela Cartel disbanded and scattered.”
The captain shook his head.
“They abandoned their pirate honor and went ashore, so we don’t even consider them pirates anymore.”
“So, there are other pirates?”
“Yes. There are fearsome ones operating around the Sea of Death. We usually pay a toll to pass, but if we’re unlucky, we could end up as fish food.”
In other words, it was up to the pirates’ whims.
Zeke nodded. “Understood. If we encounter pirates, I’ll handle them.”
The captain bowed and returned to the deck.
Zeke was worried that Abel’s forces might pursue them by sea, but fortunately, no ships were in sight.
‘I hope Lord Fainan arrived safely. I must trust Muhammad to handle things properly.’
Zeke sat in the cabin and, for the first time in a while, opened his status window to check his current abilities.
[Intermediate Administrator Status Window]
Name: Zeke Draker
Class: Immortal (Unique Grade)
Titles: Blessed by the Ancient Dragon, Heir of Terracan Draker, Successor of the Sword Saint
Powers: Dragon Kin Control, Decay
Constitution: Celestial Body, Immune to All Poisons
System Features: Inventory (100 slots) / Mini Map (Portal Travel) / Intermediate Quest Book / Skill Shortcut Slot / Potion Shortcut Slot
Passive Skills: Healing Factor / Strong Mental Defense / Infinite Stamina / Combat Sense
Special Skills: Gale Technique [Grade A (Proficient)] / Elemental Sword [Grade S (Proficient)] / Dragon Sword Technique [Grade S (Proficient)]
Active Skills: Lightning Strike [Grade A (Beginner)] / Flash Bomb [Grade C (Proficient)] / Dissonance [Grade C (Proficient)] / Magic Reflection [Grade A (Beginner)] / Area Buff [Grade A (Beginner)] / Stealth [Grade A (Beginner)] / Curse Reflection [Grade A (Beginner)]
Dragon Skills (Stage 2 Unlocked): Dragon’s Eye (Proficient) / Dragon’s Majesty (Proficient) / Devour (Expert) / Dragon Speech (Locked) / Dragon Scale Armor (Proficient) / Dragon Claw (Proficient)
Karma Points: 2410
‘I’ve grown a lot since I first saw this.’
Zeke checked the details of his newly acquired power, “Decay.”
―Power Information―
Decay: Allows the user to decay anything they touch.
‘The ability to decay anything…’
It was a power that didn’t quite resonate with him yet, so he decided to explore it gradually.
Satisfied with his over 2,000 karma points, Zeke smiled.
He then opened the three random boxes he had received.
―Upper Body Armor Information―
Description: Upper body armor made from durable yet lightweight meteoric iron.
Unique Ability: None
Special Note: Activates a unique ability when the full meteoric iron set is equipped.
―Helmet Information―
Description: Helmet made from durable yet lightweight meteoric iron.
Unique Ability: None
Special Note: Activates a unique ability when the full meteoric iron set is equipped.
―Longsword Information―
Description: Longsword made from durable yet lightweight meteoric iron.
Unique Ability: None
Special Note: Activates a unique ability when the full meteoric iron set is equipped.
All three items were made of meteoric iron.
‘The gauntlets, boots, and lower body armor I got last time were also made of meteoric iron.’
Just then, a message window appeared.
[Meteoric Iron Full Set Equipped.]
[When the full set of Uncheol armor is equipped, the unique ability ‘Magic Shield’ is automatically activated.]
“Magic Shield, huh? So it forms a barrier on its own. Lucky me, getting the full set so quickly.”
Zeke wasted no time in donning the complete Uncheol armor.
The armor was woven like fabric rather than being made of solid plates, making it incredibly easy to move in.
“Perfect. I’ll use this when I need to move incognito.”
During their voyage, Zeke taught Karus the basics of survival on the ship.
Thanks to his prior knight and military training, Karus picked up the skills faster than expected.
Zeke focused on teaching him how to use a crossbow and shield.
“Most knights just train with swords until they drop, but you’re different, Sir Zeke.”
“Those fools are the ones who usually end up dead from an arrow.”
Karus nodded at Zeke’s blunt assessment.
In actual combat, the most dangerous threat to knights was often a sudden arrow.
If one could maintain their aura at all times, arrows wouldn’t be a threat, but when exhausted, even a single arrow could be fatal.
This was why, even as armor became lighter after being promoted to a Purple Knight, it always covered vital areas.
Karus, aware that his life depended on it, diligently learned the survival techniques.
The journey was relatively calm, as the empire’s warships weren’t pursuing them. But soon, trouble arose.
On the third day, the sea suddenly turned rough.
“What’s happening?”
The smugglers shouted, their faces pale.
“A… a big one… a big one is coming!”
It seemed the sea monster they had feared was approaching.
Zeke drew his sword, Bahamut, and scanned the sea.
But all he saw were turbulent waves.
In his past life, he had faced sea monsters a few times.
Back then, he had lured them to land and used various equipment to hunt them.
Despite the more challenging situation now, Zeke remained calm and took out the ‘Breath of the Whale’ he had prepared in advance, drinking it down.
Now, even if he fell into the sea, he could breathe underwater.
Then it happened.
Rumble!
A massive sound echoed from beneath the sea.
The sailors, gripped by fear, began to pray.
Something was approaching from below.
Splash!
A powerful wave struck the side of the ship.
The smuggling vessel rocked violently, nearly capsizing.
Zeke shouted to Boris.
“Get the prince inside!”
Boris quickly ushered Karus into the inner cabin, and once Zeke confirmed they were safe, he drew his sword and slashed at the waves.
Crash!
The wave shattered under Zeke’s strike.
But another wave surged forward.
Within it, a colossal sea monster emerged.
Rumble!
A gigantic kraken extended its tentacles, trying to ensnare the ship.
Its size was so immense that its suckers were as large as a person.
As the terrified sailors froze and prayed, Zeke yelled.
“Get inside the cabin, now!”
Simultaneously, Zeke swung his sword at the kraken’s massive tentacle.
Slash!
Using his dragon-slaying technique, he severed the tentacle, causing the kraken to retreat with a howl.
Roar!
With a long wail, more tentacles lunged toward the ship.
Zeke realized he couldn’t win this battle on the ship.
After a moment’s hesitation, he shouted toward the sea.
“Nahuel!”
At Zeke’s call, the dragon he had bonded with responded.
A massive magic circle appeared on the sea, and Nahuel was summoned from within.
Rumble!
Nahuel let out a mystical cry, just as it had at the lake.
Zeke leaped onto Nahuel’s back without hesitation.
Gripping Nahuel’s neck and holding Bahamut, he commanded.
“Nahuel, let’s go catch that damned squid.”
Rumble!
The mystical beast’s cry resonated, calming Zeke’s heart.
As the kraken’s tentacles rose to strike Zeke, they loomed like towers, ready to engulf him.