Chapter 60 - Kraken (1)
Kraken.
It was a monster that existed since the distant past. It was a large monster of the ocean. Over the numerous years, it had eaten its competitors to grow in size. It had the combination of overwhelming size and massive amount of magical energy. It was a calamitous monster. Sailors, who lived their entire life on the ocean, couldn’t even catch sight of its shadow. Still, when it did show up, it destroyed everything and everyone in the region. This was why no one knew if it was a squid, an octopus or a crustacean. Still, this monster appeared frequently in legends.
[Kraken]
[Level : 267]
[Oooh-ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
Moreover, this Kraken had shown itself in the ocean in front of Frate. It was still very far away, so Artpe could discern only two facts. The first fact was its level, and the second fact was that the Kraken was a squid.
“It has impeccable timing!”
“Oppa, is that edible?”
“Nope. However, we usually eat their kind.”
The humans had been about to coalesce into a unified front in an effort to face the monsters. It was supposed to be a tale of brotherhood and bravery amongst the humans. However, the final boss had shown up at that moment!
“There is no doubt about it! It’s the real Kraken!”
“Its legs are incredible big!”
“C...can it be?”
“Kraken!? It really is that dreadful being!”
The current situation was so unfair that it verged on being immoral. It wasn’t the case where a final boss made an appearance to scare its opponents. It had locked in on Frate as its target, and it was making a beeline from the deep sea to the coast!
[Kee-heeeeeee!]
[It’s here! That bastard is here!]
Humans weren’t the only ones to shake from fear in the presence of the Kraken. The sea monsters had lost their mind as they coveted the inland, but they felt fear when they realized the Kraken was approaching them.
[We follow its words. Obey!]
[If we don’t listen to it, we’ll die. We’ll all die.]
This was especially true for the mermen and mermaids. They spouted some nonsense about obeying the Kraken. It seemed there was a clear hierarchy between the Krakens and the mermen.
It was extremely rare for a monster of Kraken’s caliber to appear in a Lunatic Wave. It seemed this Kraken was aggressive as it ruled over the mermen of this region. It seemed the Kraken was the leading this Lunatic Wave!
“Why did it have to show up this year!”
“Customer, let me go! Please!”
“No way. If we are going to stay alive, we do it together. If there are going to be any deaths, you will die alone.”
“Isn’t that a roundabout way of saying you’ll throw me out as bait, while you guys run away! I’m right, aren’t I? Let me go!”
Mycenae was on the verge of tears as she fell to the floor.
In truth, she was well aware of the current situation. Once she decided not to run away, she couldn’t escape the clutches of the Kraken.
Moreover, there was a record of her entering Frate. If she left solely on the basis that the city was a dangerous place to be, a huge crack would form in her qualification as a merchant. She would have thrown away her wares and customers in pursuit of her own safety. Even if she was able to survive through running away, it would be tough for her to be a merchant in the future.
“On the other hand, if you survive this, it might count as an Achievement.”
“Achievement······?”
Artpe’s words stopped Mycenae’s tears. A thought came to her when she heard his words.
“When you say Achievement….. Are you perhaps…..”
“When one is trying to gain a high rank Class, this requirement is more important than one’s level.”
“I have to put my life on the line if I want to move forward?”
“It is up to you to make the choice.”
He didn’t know how she felt about being a merchant. Since she was a Dark Elf, he was sure there was some backstory as to why she became one. On the other hand, she wouldn’t be able to drop the Class easily. This was true even if her life was in danger.
“······how? Is there a method that’ll allow us to win against such a powerful monster?”
In the end, she put strength into her two legs to stand up, and she carefully posed the question to Artpe. He let out a sigh as he gave an answer.
“I’m working through that problem right now.”
Obviously, the humans in this place were of no help. The highest level amongst them was lower in level than Sienna. None of them could last a second against the Kraken. Moreover, there were only a very select number of people that could use magic. Artpe and the Dungeon Merchants were the only ones that could use magic.
“If the Kraken hits this barrier wall with its full strength, it’ll eventually fall.”
“Barrier wall…. Reinforcement… That’s right! Wait a moment, customer!”
It seemed Mycenae had come up with an idea. She desperately clung to him as she asked him a question.
“Customer, didn’t you say you could duplicate the effects of Reinforcements if you had Magic Stones?”
“I was talking about small items like my boots. If I want to further Reinforce such a large barrier wall, the amount of Magic Stones I would need…..”
Artpe stopped mid-speech. Mycenae was looking straight at him with incandescent eyes. This was the first time he had seen such sincere eyes since she had talked about the Eternal Forest with her Soul Contract in hand.
“Is it possible, customer?”
Was that the reason?
Artpe acted out of character by talking somewhat seriously towards her.
“······according to my calculations, the Kraken won’t be able to destroy or cross the barrier if I Reinforce it twice more.”
“Is it really possible for you to calculate the amount of Magic Stones you need?”
“I would need around 500 Magic Stones that is over level 200. It doesn’t matter what properties they possess. It just has to be a high rank Magic Stones that is over level 200.”
Magic Stones were rare drops from monsters. It was a crystallization of pure Mana.
Each Magic Stone possessed different properties, and since it was the purest form of Mana, it was often used as supplementary ingredients for artifacts. Of course, it was traded at high prices. As the level of monster it had dropped from increased, the price also increased precipitously.
Moreover, if one was talking about 500 Magic Stones that only dropped from level 200 monster and above…..
“We could have bought every item put up for auction with that amount.”
“Even if we empty all of Diaz, I question as to whether that much Magic Stones could be found.”
“It’ll show up. I’m sure it’ll show up.”
Mycenae spoke with strong conviction behind her words.
“Money can even summon ghosts.”
“You······.”
“I need to go and negotiate, customer. Please wait a moment. I’ll be sure to bring all 500 of them.”
Mycenae immediately turned around as she jumped off the barrier wall. However, it wasn’t the sight of someone trying to run away. The sight of her retreating figure was something that could be seen only with a person that had put their life on the line.
“She’s only an ajumma, yet she is trying to act cool······.”
However, at that moment, he was sure of one thing. If they were able survive today’s ordeal safely, Mycenae would be able to advance to the high rank Merchant Class.
‘Yes, if we are able to survive today…..’
The humans were running about in confusion at the appearance of the Kraken. Alongside the humans, the monsters were plunged into a state of confusion too. They were acting as if the world was ending today. As expected, the irresistible urge to run away tempted everyone.
At that moment, Maetel realized that the Kraken had made its appearance, so she hopped across the surface of the water. She returned to Artpe’s side.
“Artpe, what should we do to catch that thing?”
“If we make the ocean boil, wouldn't it cook completely on its own?”
“Wa-ah. I bet that’ll be delicious!”
Maetel let out an innocent laugh at Artpe’s joke. In the next moment, her lily-white hand pinched Artpe’s cheek. Even in the corner of her smile, there was a small piece of rage that was infused within it. It was a rage that was suited for a Berserker.
“Ah-ya-ya.”
“I'm being serious right now. Artpe?”
“I’m being serious too. It would be great if someone would make the ocean boil.”
“How can there be a person in this world that can make the ocean boil!”
There weren't’ any humans that could do it, but there were Demons that could pull it off. Artpe let out a sigh as he kept that answer to himself.
If Etna stepped forward to use her magic, she could solve this easily with one attack. However, she was under the Demon King’s shackles, so she couldn’t get directly involved in this matter. He frowned as he thought the world was really fucked up. Artpe spoke towards Maetel.
“I trust Artpe, but I also know that there are things that are impossible to accomplish in this world. Artpe, that is why…..”
Maetel whispered in a small voice. It was small enough that Artpe and Sienna was the only ones that could hear her words.
“You have to tell me if we have no chance of winning. I’ll run away with Artpe and Sienna in tow.”
“You’ll leave everyone to their certain death?”
“The fact that people will die makes me sad, but if Artpe dies, my world loses meaning. Artpe is the one that taught me to choose what is more important to me.”
It seems she received unnecessary specialized education from him!
Artpe clicked his tongue as he flicked her forehead.
“I can’t win against it, but I can make it retreat. So don’t even think about running away.”
“Yes, I’ll put my trust in you. Just tell me what I have to do, Artpe.”
“Oppa, I’m ready too!”
Maetel and Sienna had killed Demons in the auction house earlier, and their levels had risen thanks to it. Maetel was level 195, and Sienna’s level rose to 174.
If a little bit more time had been given to them, they would have easily broken through level 200. This was to be expected of Maetel, but Sienna had also gone through an explosive growth. It was thanks to her power to dominate and kill strong enemies.
However, this didn’t mean they weren’t in danger.
“Since this is an absurdly dangerous task, a single mistake could kill you.”
“What do I have to do?”
“You have delay the Kraken as much as possible. You have to delay him as much as possible. You have to hit it with meaningful attacks to attract its attention, and you have to decrease its speed.”
“······.”
She knew it was a possibility, but once he gave the order for a direct assault, Maetel turned absentminded for a brief moment. She turned her gaze towards the ocean. The Kraken was still a long ways away, but it was charging towards them at terrifying speed. The sight of the Kraken filled her eyes.
She replied with a vacant voice.
“That guy······?”
“Yes. In this place, you are the only one that can pull this off.”
Maetel had a high rank ability called Acceleration. The only one that could match the reaction speed of the vicious Kraken was Maetel with her Acceleration skill activated. Maetel was a genius where she could move on instinct. He confirmed this fact when she moved across the ocean.
“Let’s link our Mana. It’ll allow you to use Acceleration to your heart’s content. It’ll allow you to stall for enough time.”
“······I understand.”
Artpe had told her to stall for time against a level 267 large monster, and she accepted his request. Both of them were already halfway crazy. However, the most crazy thing here was the situation they found themselves in.
“I’ll give it a try. I’ll go right now.”
“The most important thing here is your life, Maetel.”
Artpe took off Maetel’s battle boots, and he put his black leather boots on her feet. When the artifact accepted the will of its owner, it shrunk in size to fit Maetel’s feet.
“If it gets too dangerous, I want you to run away immediately . At that point, I’ll abandon this place.”
“Ah-ooooooh.”
He told her the instructions on how to use the boots. Unfortunately, none of Artpe’s words were reaching Maetel at this point.
“I...is this heaven? Ah-ooh! Heaven!”
Artpe’s actions had broken through the the threshold of Maetel’s happy meter. He had placed her in heaven. When she didn’t move, Artpe tapped her shoulder.
“Maetel? Hey!”
“······haht. Yes! I can do any tasks you ask of me now!”
“Are you all right······?”
“I’m completely fine! It feels like I’m walking in heaven!”
“You don’t seem all right at all!?”
Maetel was facing Artpe, and her face was glowing. If the Kraken tried to take the boots off of her, she would probably use her superhuman strength to rip the Kraken into pieces. Artpe became worried. He was unable to pinpoint what he was worried about. Maetel left him behind as she quickly turned her body towards the ocean.
“I’ll go right now! Artpe? Do you mind if I kill it?”
When he heard her words, his worry started to spike uncontrollably!
“No. Don’t kill it. Run away! I told you to run away!”
“Hoo-ahhhhhhhhhp!”
Maetel’s energy had been fully charged. She didn’t listen to Artpe’s words as she jumped towards the ocean. She didn’t bother killing any monsters. She charged forward as she used either the head of the monsters or the head of the spears as stepping stones! She was charging with such ferocity that it made one wonder if she would really just kill the Kraken.
‘However, there is always a gap between reality and ideals…..’
The fact that heroes overcame all impossible situations was something that was only possible in old stories.
If one wanted to turn the impossible into possible, one had to turn one’s eyes away from one’s ideals to face the uncomfortable reality.
He turned around with a hardened expression on his face. He faced the other girl, who was waiting for her orders.
“Just tell me what to do, oppa!”
“Sienna.”
“Yes!”
Sienna spoke with a dependable voice. If he asked her for the stars in the night skies, she would have gotten them for him. It was probably safer for her if he had asked her for the stars. Instead, he asked her to do a task that was much more dangerous.
“······actually, you’ll have to face someone that is more dangerous than Maetel’s opponent.”
“Huh? There is a more dangerous opponent here than the squid?”
“She isn’t our enemy right now, but that’s right.”
In truth, Artpe had told Mycenae a single lie.
He would need to consume 500 Magic Stones from monsters over level 200 if he wanted to Reinforce the barrier wall twice. He told the truth up until that point.
However, the two additional Reinforcement had no chance of holding off the Kraken. He needed to Reinforce it one more time. Moreover, he had to Reinforce the barrier wall with a property that was completely opposite of the Kraken. Artpe would have to execute the world’s strongest and splendid Reinforcement.
The supplementary ingredient needed for this Reinforcement was simple.
“I want you to take this letter to Jaime’s Inn located in C Sector.”
“Jaime’s Inn located in C sector…..”
Sienna repeated his words as she took letter he had written during the few minute break. Then he spoke with a desolate smile on his face.
“You will find a woman waiting there for me. Tell her that I want to hold her hand once.”
The third supplementary ingredient for the Reinforcement was none other than the magical energy of the Fire Witch Etna.