The usual teasing tone was entirely gone from Loviki's voice, replaced by a suffocating tension.
Flora did not answer. She merely stared into the depths of the fog where the Abyssal Sea Serpent had emerged, her fingers trembling slightly.
She could feel it.
That thing...
“Mr. Chen Mian,” she finally spoke, her voice so soft that only the three of them could hear.
Chen Mian walked over to her, holding a mug of ale he had gotten from somewhere.
Flora turned to look at him, her lively eyes filled with unease. “It's coming.”
The long, ancient cry echoed once more.
The smiles on everyone's faces instantly froze.
The surface of the sea began to change slowly, without the explosive commotion caused by the Abyssal Sea Serpent.
Everything was quiet and slow, yet what was happening made everyone on the ship hold their breath in sheer terror.
The sea level was rising... slowly but steadily.
The hull began to tilt, and everyone started sliding toward the stern.
“W-What's going on?!”
“The sea is rising!”
“Look over there!”
Deep within the fog, a shadow far larger than the previous one was moving.
More accurately, it was revealing its true form from beneath the water.
It was like a massive island slowly rising.
Seawater cascaded off the edges of the shadow, creating massive tsunamis.
A colossal, serpent-dragon head rose from the sea. Just the portion emerging from the water was far larger than the entire body of the previous Abyssal Sea Serpent. Its scales were black, each like a massive iron wall, and its spine was covered in ice-blue spines, each as tall as a ship's mast.
Its massive, ice-blue slit pupils looked toward the ship without any emotion, conveying only an ancient indifference that transcended time itself.
And this was far from its full form; the portion exposed above the water was still constantly increasing.
Head, neck, shoulders...
The ship was like a leaf caught in a storm before it.
The crowd fell into a dead silence. No one dared to speak, scream, or even cry.
None of it mattered, and they feared nothing more than angering the entity before them.
Almost everyone was trembling, their lips quivering, their eyes hollow with extreme dread.
Some even knelt on the deck with their eyes closed, seemingly praying to the gods they believed in, yet not daring to make a single sound.
“Leviathan,” Loviki's voice trembled slightly.
She had read the description of this ancient creature in books.
“Ancient Behemoth, Lord of the Abyss, Mythic Rank.”
The records also mentioned that four hundred years ago, Leviathan had fought on the sea against the Calamity Dragon, who was also of the Mythic Rank. The battle had lasted for three days. During the fight, tsunamis raged, and the coastal areas became a complete no-man's-land for humans. Ultimately, the Calamity Dragon was heavily wounded and fled.
When she read these words in the classes of the Royal Magic Academy, she had only thought of them as legends—distant imaginations written on parchment.
Now, this entity was actually standing right in front of her. The moment she saw those massive, ice-blue slit pupils, Loviki felt her blood freeze. It was completely different from what the flame demon bear had made her feel—it was as if they were from entirely different dimensions.
Chen Mian handed the ale to Flora. “Hold this for me.”
Flora snapped out of her daze and took the mug.
Chen Mian took two steps forward, standing at the very edge of the ship, looking at the boundless dark shadow before him.
Leviathan's ice-blue slit pupils reflected his figure. The sea churned violently, and massive waves battered the hull.
The defensive magic array had already shattered completely under the impact. The wooden planks of the hull creaked, on the verge of falling apart at any moment.
Chen Mian did not release any mana; he simply stood there.
In the past, encountering Leviathan—a top-tier Mythic Rank creature—on its home turf would have been extremely troublesome.
“If you don't want to fight, get out of the way.” Chen Mian's voice wasn't loud, but it nearly scared the captain, who was standing nearby, out of his wits.
Provoking a Mythic Rank creature... what on earth was this man thinking?!
Leviathan's massive slit pupils contracted slightly, reflecting the tiny human figure. After a moment, its head, which was far larger than the entire ship, slowly sank beneath the sea. Its massive slit pupils cast one last glance at Chen Mian before vanishing completely beneath the waves.
The sea level slowly receded, creating massive ripples, and the churning water pushed the ship several hundred meters away.
The fog began to lift slowly.
Moonlight spilled through the gaps in the clouds, casting down upon the sea.
The sea became calm, as if what had just occurred was merely an illusion.
Most of the people on the deck had collapsed to the floor, unable to stand up.
Loviki leaned against the railing, panting heavily. She didn't even realize when she had forgotten to breathe.
Flora stood beside her, still holding the mug of ale. Half of it had spilled, and the rest was sloshing slightly inside.
Chen Mian turned and walked back, taking the mug from her hand and taking a sip. “That guy has left.”
Flora looked at him, her lips parting slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.
Chen Mian glanced at her. “That shot just now was beautifully done.”
The tips of Flora's ears turned slightly red. “...Thank you.”
Loviki looked at Chen Mian, then at Flora, her lips twitching before she finally squeezed out, “You two are seriously monsters.”
The captain stepped out of the helm, walked up to the three of them, took off his hat, and bowed deeply once again. “Great experts, I don't know what to say, but thank you for saving our lives.”
As for why Leviathan had left, he wasn't sure, but it was definitely related to this young man who had provoked it.
Chen Mian interrupted him, “How much longer until we reach Wigtan?”
The captain froze for a moment, then hurriedly replied, “We'll enter port as soon as it's dawn.”
Chen Mian nodded and turned to walk toward the cabin. When he reached the stairs, he paused.
“Flora.”
“Hmm?”
“Next time you fight, try to leave a corpse. We're out of roasted fish.”
Flora blinked, then let out a soft laugh. “Okay.”
Loviki watched his back disappear down the stairs, then looked up at the rising moon over the sea, taking a deep breath.
“Let's go, time to sleep.” She tugged on Flora's sleeve.
The two of them walked side by side toward the cabin.
On the deck, the sailors began inspecting the hull and clearing the debris.
Everyone had lost all sleepiness, standing on the deck and chattering excitedly about something.
Some had even begun discussing how they would pass down the tale of surviving an encounter with Leviathan as a family legacy.
For most of the travelers on the ship, seeing a living myth would be the most legendary and thrilling moment of their lives.
Most of the survivors had already forgotten their deep-seated terror from moments ago, feeling only that the trip was well worth it. A Diamond Rank sea beast, a powerful elven girl who could insta-kill it, and encountering the legendary Mythic Rank creature Leviathan—these would be their talking points for a long time to come.
Of course, there were also those who were traumatized, developing thalassophobia from then on.
The ship's bell chimed again, lighter and more cheerful than before.
Driven by the magic array, the sailing ship slowly headed toward its destination.
Before dawn, the lighthouse of Wigtan City appeared on the horizon.
Towering glaciers, snowflakes falling from the sky, and a port blanketed in white.
The destination of their voyage, Wigtan City in the north of the Hella Kingdom, was almost here.
“You two, time to wake up.” Chen Mian gently shook them.
“Mm.” Flora was the first to open her eyes, pulling her clothes tighter around herself. She was a bit dazed upon waking, but as she looked at Chen Mian watching her, her gaze gradually cleared, her ears turning red.
“Are you two flirting first thing in the morning?” Loviki's sleepy voice drifted over from the side.
“Pack your things, the passenger ship is about to dock.”
Rate on N.U.
