Chương 74: Wave Two Begins

Morning. The sun cast its radiant rays down on me, leaving bright marks on my torso and arms. How long had I been lying down for? I didn't even know. I had been on the deck since before dawn with a strong desire to stay away from everyone else, and somehow, I had ended up sprawled on the ground staring up at the sun. Everything that had happened a few hours ago was just a blur, from that one-to-one conversation with Maya, and hearing Ellie speak… Wait, Ellie spoke?

Despite not being old enough to start drinking yet, I thought I had been in a drunken stupor, since everything that had happened just a few hours ago was a hazy cloud of mist in my brain, not comprehending what my brain was telling it to do. However, the key takeaway I got from that exchange was that Ellie was capable of opening her mouth and speaking. With my body covered from head to toe in fatigue, I rubbed my eyes and sat up.

Some of my friends were already up and ready to start their day, especially Daniel, whose face was full of colour; he was like a bottle ready to burst with excitement. I could not fathom how he had managed to sleep with all of that snoring in the cabin. There were others that seemed as fatigued as me.

For example, it appeared as though Maya couldn't drift off to sleep after her conversation with me, since her hair was dishevelled, her crown was placed haphazardly on her head and her eyes looked ready to give in to the monster inside her that was falling asleep. Ben looked like he was in a daze, ready to pass out and fall asleep at any moment. Soon, with my eyes still fighting for sleep, I forced myself to stand up, brushing the dust away from my clothes.

That was when Cayman appeared from inside the cabin with neatly combed hair and a fresh, flawless face that had just been washed, looking like he also had a good night's sleep. I hobbled towards Cayman and the others, who were sitting down on the smooth deck. Conversations and the sound of human voices filled the air when I arrived.

"Do you know what happened last night?" Ben asked. He was sitting down in a group consisting of Theo, Maya, Daniel and himself.

"No," Daniel replied.

"Did you not get any sleep last night? I swear I can already see eyebags."

"That doesn't matter. I saw something miraculous last night whilst on my shift."

"Like what?" Theo questioned.

"Oh come on! You were literally there last night! You would've seen it too!"

"You idiot! Do you still not understand that eavesdropping is not a good thing? Besides, it's not really anything special, is it? You should've been in bed since it wasn't even your shift." As Theo and Ben bickered over something so seemingly trivial, I joined the small circle and sat down next to Theo and Daniel.

"Robert!" Ben shouted as soon as my bottom hit the floor.

"You won't believe what I saw last night."

"Saw what?" I asked, hoping he wasn't going to talk about the conversations I had with Ellie and Maya.

"I think I saw something monumental. Something out of this world. Something that shouldn't be allowed."

"Say it then!" Maya shouted as she manually untangled the knots in her hair with her hands.

"You never know when mana beasts might attack us!"

"OK!" Ben yelled, his voice matching Maya's raised voice.

"I think I saw Ellie talking to someone. Have you all realised that Ellie doesn't talk? I've never seen her talk before."

"She was talking to someone?" Daniel interjected.

"Talking to who?" Ben shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"I don't know. I saw silhouettes of a boy and a girl, and when I was walking up to the deck, Maya was already on her way down, so I knew the girl on the deck was Ellie. She was talking to someone."

"Don't make a big deal out of it. She might just be talking to Cayman. She might be unwilling to talk to us, but she might still be talking to Cayman behind the scenes. You never know." Ben closed his mouth at Theo's sharp remark. However, that simply paved the way for someone else to speak.

"D-Didn't Cayman say that Ellie never speaks?" I asked, trying to remain casual despite being the owner of a whole slew of information that was nothing but alien to my friends.

"That day in the portal room. Didn't Cayman say that Ellie stopped speaking after some sort of event?"

"This is pointless, guys," Theo said after hearing all of our opinions.

"There's no point talking about it. Yes, I saw it too, but they were silhouettes and their voices were close to inaudible. Assuming something is the case when you don't have enough concrete evidence is futile." Thankfully, those words put an end to the conversation, and even Ben shut his mouth, unwilling to continue speaking about the 'issue' at hand. Soon, Cayman appeared, ominously looming over us like a tower block standing out in a city.

His presence was cold and domineering, and his face was laced with lethal venom. And that was when Ben's annoying mouth opened once more.

"Cayman, how are you feeling?" he asked joyfully.

"You were quite sick on that boat yesterday. Also, have you got any breakfast for us? I'm getting hungry-""Shut up," Cayman snapped, his voice deep and condescending; he didn't even bother to answer the first of the numerous questions Ben threw at him.

"Didn't you pack some sweets in your bag? You idiot. Go and grab some of those to eat. I don't have anything." In an instant, although he had just been called an idiot by both Theo and Cayman, Ben shot up and hastily dashed into the cabin, slamming the door behind him. We all just sighed in response, unable to muster up anything else.

"And you all," Cayman continued, making me reconsider whether he really did have a good night's sleep, "stay out on the deck and keep guard. You should all feel more awake now, so there are no excuses. Now go." The circle soon dispersed as we hurriedly spread ourselves out in different directions. I stood at the very tip of the ship, staring as the sun continued its treacherous ascent up an imaginary mountain all the way to its peak. All I could see was the clear blue sea and a clear blue sky devoid of any clouds.

No adversaries just yet. This was going to be boring. A delicate scent washed over me as the ship bobbed up and down with the calm waves; I thought I could feel imaginary sea water splashing on my face, drenching me in the taste of salt. I wanted to fall asleep on the tip of the boat and recover all the sleep that I had lost just from the shock of Ellie opening her mouth and speaking. However, that couldn't happen, since we were on high alert; enemies could attack us at any point.

And soon, all hope of me falling asleep on the deck had faded into oblivion.

"Hey, I think there's something here." I immediately rushed toward the source of the voice. It was Maya, whose call lacked the usual sweetness and serenity her voice normally possessed; instead, it sounded eerily chilling. She was pointing at something way out into the distance which roughly took the shape of a ship.

"That should be them," Theo replied, a smirk forming on his face.

"We should get ready." I hastily reached into my inventory and pulled out the sword I had acquired from one of the skeleton pirates I fought previously. I held onto it tightly with my right hand whilst gripping onto my makeshift dagger with my left.

"Are you all ready?" Theo asked.

"Assume a combat stance! Get ready to teleport once the ship is close enough!"

"What nonsense is this? Are you really just going to charge in like this?" A voice which was laced with anger and indignation could be heard from behind us. Unsurprisingly, that voice belonged to Cayman.

"The ship is too far away. Your teleportation skill won't allow you to teleport that far because of your level. What happens if you end up drowning at sea?" Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Nobody could form a response.

"We don't even know who's on that ship. If it's a group of Hoppers, Hoppers with flesh and blood, blindly charging in could result in you all getting mauled!" Theo sighed, letting his head drop.

"Sorry, Cayman," he said, feeling disheartened, dejected and defeated.

"I spoke out of line."

"At least you understand." We waited for the ship to get closer to us before making a move. After all, because the sea was flat, the ship was actually significantly further away than we thought. Although it only looked like it was a couple of miles away, it could actually be tens of miles away. Charging in too early was all but a farcical move. It was impossible to tell from where we stood. Our eyes were fixed on the ship like a hawk gazing at its prey.

The ship was indeed getting closer, with a growing number of details being visible to us. We still weren't able to discern who was on the ship, but we collectively surmised that the ship contained enemies. And soon, little figures on the ship were visible. The sun had climbed at least eighty percent of the mountain it set out to climb.

"There's definitely people on that ship," Theo mused, deep in contemplation, "but I still can't decide whether they're people or corpses standing upright."

"Let's just go," Ben replied.

"Let's take a gamble. I'll wager that those figures are mana beasts."

"Shut your mouth." What felt like another hour passed. The feeling was akin to literally watching sand in a sand timer drop.

"They're pirates." Suddenly, we all turned our heads to face Maya, who had let her opinions slip. Our faces twisted in anger and bewilderment.

"They're pirates," Maya repeated.

"I can see it now. They're just bones. No flesh."

"Go and get Cayman," Theo ordered.

"If I decide to command you all, I'll be acting out of line and I'll probably face a dire punishment." In a flash, Maya was gone, and just a few seconds later, she was back, bringing Cayman with her.

"Look." At Theo's simple sentence, Cayman peered into the distance, surveying the figures on the ship and observing their movements. Then, after a few minutes where tension hung dry in the air, Cayman turned around to deliver the final verdict.

"They're pirates," he said, his voice deep and chilling.

"Get ready." We were all clutching swords in our hands, ready to teleport at any time.

"Give it a few more minutes. Wait until they're close enough. Then we'll strike and ambush them. Remember that these skeletons have one foot in the legendary level. They won't be easy to beat." A subtle nod was all Cayman needed to confirm that we understood. We waited for the ship to edge closer. We paced the deck, waiting for Cayman's orders. We had conversations with each other, but none could last more than a few minutes. And then-"Theo! Ben! Robert! Teleport now! Surprise them and kill as many as possible!"

The order had finally arrived. Theo, Ben and I jolted, gripping our swords tightly and with unwavering confidence.

"Go! Now!" [Skill, 'Teleportation (advanced)', has been activated.] I charged into enemy lines. I only had one shot at this. [Skill, 'Strength (advanced)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Speed (advanced)', has been activated.] Slash! Slash slash slash slash slash slash!!! My vision was a blur. Wherever I saw chunks of white, I slashed. My movements didn't have to be refined, nor did they have to be elegant. They only had to be effective and enough to cut the life force out of the beasts.

As a result, ordinary spectators would think that I was flailing wildly like I was having a seizure. I had expected around three skeletons to fall from my slashes. But the reality was far from that. One of the skeletons had fallen into the water, which was a relief, because the other two that I had slashed only suffered minor wounds which were insufficient for its defeat. The skeletons, with teeth bared and hollow, non-existent eyes, stared straight into my soul whilst carrying sharp, shiny swords.

"Oh dear," I whispered to myself.

"This is going to be a long battle." Without warning, one of the skeletons charged towards me. Clang! The one that charged unleashed an attack with its sword, swinging it right at my face. Reflexively, I blocked it with my own sword, creating a painful noise that resonated throughout the whole ship. These attacks had traces of the legendary level imbued in them, whereas I, who had only been in the skill user business for just over a month, had just reached stage 5, at the very bottom of the advanced level.

Therefore, on paper, this should be nearly impossible. However, what was the reason I lived in the universe of skill users? To make the impossible possible. Clang! With nothing but inspirational quotes and optimism stuffed into my already cluttered brain, I swung my sword vehemently at the skeleton, only to have it blocked by the skeleton's insane reflexes. However, I didn't falter, nor did I give up, since I had expected something like this to happen.

I had upgraded my stamina previously when we found a whole treasure chest of advanced and legendary-level mana crystals, and I wasn't the timid, feeble fighter I was during my solo mission and on Planet 501. Levelling up has changed me significantly. Clang! Clang! Clang! I continued to swing the sword in my right hand despite all of my moves being blocked. However, I still had a whole slew of options at my disposal. [Skill, 'Strength (advanced)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Speed (advanced)', has been activated.] Clang! Clang clang clang clang clang!!! I unleashed a deluge of sword strikes in just a single second, managing to make the skeleton flinch and falter. However, since every second counts, I couldn't squander the opportunity that had been bestowed upon me. Therefore, at a speed so swift that I was only a blur in the eyes of ordinary people, I charged. And the part of the skeleton that I aimed for was undoubtedly its head.

"Too late," I said, my voice laced with conceit. Slash! The head of the skeleton that I had engaged in a gruelling fight with was effortlessly sliced, detached from its neck. The slicing move was precise, akin to chopping tofu on a chopping board; it was a move that still did the job. The skull, which was no longer being supported by a neck, was sent flying into the air, almost reaching the sun before falling at breakneck speed, not towards the deck, but towards the clear blue sea.

When it reached the sea, the impact was so great that the splash was audible from any point of the ship. Without the head, the skeleton I had just defeated was nothing but a pile of bones melded together to form a single concoction. Without the head stabilising the rest of the body, the skeleton fell backwards, tumbling like a house of cards into the deep dark sea. Splash! Two down, just one to go.

I couldn't pick up the swords that had been dropped, since one of them had fallen into the sea along with the rest of the skeleton, and the other was too close to my adversary for me to pick it up. I still had two swords, one in each hand, however, which in my mind should be enough to turn the skeleton in front of me into mincemeat. With unwavering resolve and commendable confidence, I charged in an attempt to ambush the skeleton.

The sword in my right hand was poised to sever its neck whereas the dagger in my left hand was ready to block any surprise moves.

"Got you." Clang! The skeleton, which didn't hesitate, bravely blocked the sword in my right hand, forcing my hand to tilt sideways, bending at an angle which I thought was enough to dislocate my shoulder. Even so, that didn't faze me, since the skeletons were oblivious to what skills I had in my locker. [Skill, 'Strength (advanced)', has been activated.] Gradually, I forced my arm to move, pushing the skeleton's arm bones and forcing the sword to tilt with it.

This caused great pressure in my shoulder, but I ignored it, believing that my healing skill could heal any wound that this endeavour entailed.

"Push!!!" Soon, my arm had reached a height where I was able to throw the sword in the skeleton's hand away from it. I was finally winning in this giant arm wrestling battle.

"Just a little more!!!" Clang! My strength, which I had always underestimated in the past, had done the job. The skeleton's sword was flung out of its hand, landing a few metres away from the fight. The skeleton, unarmed, finally faltered, staring down at the hands that no longer carried a sword. I could finally deliver the finishing blow to this mana beast, the skeleton pirate. I had been waiting for this moment. The moment where I could punch a legendary-level mana beast to its demise.

I was never going to get a better opportunity than this. [Skill, 'Strength (advanced)', has been activated.] Punch! Crack! One punch was all it took. One punch was enough to shatter its ribcage, sending small fragments of bones flying in the air. It was tantamount to broken glass. One punch had led to this beast's defeat.

With the ribcage severed, the skeleton split into two halves; the top half, now devoid of any ribs or legs, tumbled forward, crashing into me and subsequently breaking into its individual building blocks, while the bottom half, the unlucky half, tumbled into the sea where the skeleton's comrades fell. Splash! And just like that, three beasts that were half in the advanced level and half in the legendary level met their demise.

I had gotten out of that ordeal unscathed apart from an aching arm that should in theory be an easy fix. There weren't any enemies near me that could attack me at any moment, since they had all gathered around Theo and Ben. I could finally get a brief moment's respite. Or not. Soon, the cabin door was pushed open, revealing a large horde of fresh mana beasts. There were at least fifteen skeleton pirates in that group of beasts, and they definitely had the audacity and grit to attack me if they wanted.

I soon realised that there were no breaks in battles. I realised that I had to charge in. And soon, just seconds later, I hastily grabbed the sword that the fallen skeleton pirate had dropped, stuffed the makeshift dagger back into my inventory and pounced, delving deep into the mire.