HEO 75

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠“Gah?!”

The guy stumbled backward, tangled up with the axes.

“Get out of the way, you idiot!”

“You’re the one who–!”

It was his chance. Wolf raised his greatsword high. He dragged his toes across the deck and shifted his entire weight onto the blade. He thrust it forward with all his might. The air, forced aside by the blade’s pressure created a fierce gust. In an instant, the tip of the greatsword reached the latissimus dorsi. Straight through. Deeper. The blade teared through muscle and shattered ribs. It thrust deep into the heart of the man with the axes lying beneath, finally piercing through his back muscles before slamming into the deck.

“Guh…”

“Ugh…”

The groans didn’t last long. The notification dryly reported their deaths.

〚Subject 1 Vital Signs :: None〛

〚Subject 2 Vital Signs :: None〛

Wolf quickly pulled the greatsword out. Blood, trailing like a shadow, gushed out in spurts. Well, is it over?

He looked around. The pirate ship had long since retreated. The pirates who had made it over here had been mostly subdued. Excellent. Now all that’s left is to toss the bodies into the sea, and it’ll really be over… Wait, no?

〚Threat Level:: ■■■■■ (5/5)〛

What the hell? Why is this gauge suddenly maxing out?

The moment he blanked out, the crosshair pointed upward.

The mast. The lookout at the top. Someone was perched on the yardarm. One leg dangled down, the other rested on a wooden beam. He looked as relaxed and comfortable as a theatergoer, but Wolf recognized it at a glance. The center of gravity was perfect.

〚Subject Combat Output :: Unmeasurable〛

Wolf blinked.

“Unmeasurable?”

〔Any value exceeding 100 Kalden is automatically classified as unmeasurable. In other words, it could be 101 Kalden.〕

“Isn’t 101 Kalden too much?”

〔If it’s ‘Thunder,’ then it’s possible.〕

“I didn’t know you had a talent for poetry.”

〔Thunder is not a myth from folklore.〕

〔Based on observation records from <Our Domain>. Thunder has been confirmed to exist.〕

〔Average combat output for a 20-year-old individual is around 500 Kalden.〕

“Hey.”

〔Recommended action: Evacuate immediately.〕

〔Warning. Even if you flee, it’s the ocean. Use your swimming skills to the fullest.〕

There was no time to hurl insults at Flea.

Before he knew it, the enemy had suddenly stood up. Clad in a black robe, he had the hood pulled tightly over his head. At the same time, black boxes began to multiply.

〚Measurement Upper Limit Exceeded → Threat Scale Expanded〛

〚Cumulative Threat :: ■■■■■■■■■■ (10/10)〛

“You’re exaggerating.”

〔It’s a calculation.〕

The enemy lowered his body slightly. The next moment, he turned his back to the sun and soared into the air. That high. It was a leap so high it was hard to believe he skipped the acceleration phase. To put it simply, it looked like he had “rose” right from where he stood. His body traced a spiral and instantly shifted into a steep descent. At the same time, a sword shot out from inside his robe. The rotation accelerated further. The hem of his black robe fluttered, and the tip of the sword, clutched firmly in both hands, was aimed directly at him.

〚Subject → High-Speed Descent〛

〚Weight-loaded dive → Presumed intent to maximize destructive power〛

Warnings fired off in rapid succession.

〚Upon impact → Expected to sever the body in two〛

〚Evasion strategy → Uncalculable〛

〚Enemy target exceeds speed limit〛

Shit! It wasn’t an exaggeration!

Wolf’s legs moved reflexively. Just two steps southwest. Immediately afterward, a fierce wind swept past him. It was so powerful it felt like a waterfall crashing right in front of him. The ensuing sounds rivaled a landslide. Boom. Thud. Crack. Thump. Crunch. Crash. Bang.

Wooden debris flew in all directions. The enemy, who had narrowly missed Wolf, had crashed through the deck. The chain of noise quickly subsided. Thick dust billowed from the gaping hole in the deck.

The area was deathly quiet. Not only Wolf, but every warrior was frozen in place.

〚Threat Level :: ■■■■■□□□□□ (5/10)〛

〚Subject → Temporary Loss of Consciousness〛

He’s not dead?

Wolf hurriedly peered into the hole. Amid the hazy dust, the person lay face-down in a frog-like position. The warriors shouted in panic.

“Crossbows! Just in case, bring crossbows!”

〚Threat level will rise if subject resumes activity〛

〚Recommendation :: Use ranged projectiles → Eliminate quickly〛

〚Subject → Regained consciousness〛

What?

〚Cumulative Threat :: ■■■■■■■■■■ (10/10)〛

Are you kidding me?

〚Recommendation :: Immediately withdraw and flee to the ocean〛

It was no joke. The enemy’s shoulders twitched and he raised his head.

〚Subject’s Vital Signs :: Normal〛

Wolf was baffled once again. For an ordinary person, it would be natural to die from internal organ rupture. Yet, Flea had judged it “normal.” That meant he was perfectly fine aside from a minor scratch.

The man was already scratching the back of his head and getting to his feet. At the sight, the warriors gasped and retreated from the deck hatches in unison. Only Wolf remained still as he stared at the enemy. Strangely, he couldn’t look away.

The man let out a sigh, then suddenly kicked the floor. His movement radiated anger. He was the type who hated failure. That said, he didn’t dwell on a missed target. He was the sort to kick the floor once in frustration and then shake it off. His body language spoke volumes.

“Crossbows. Crossbows.”

A warrior looked around belatedly. Wolf raised one hand.

“Fall back. Grab your shields.”

“But… against just one guy?”

The hesitant warriors quickly obeyed the order. They quickly formed a defensive line ten paces away from the hatch. Kneeling on one knee, they held their shields forward and angled their swords at a 30-degree angle toward the hatch.

It was an overly grand formation for facing a single man, but an unprecedented tension filled the warriors’ eyes. Even without a warning sign quantifying the enemy’s power, they all sensed it. The man about to appear before them was a monstrous beast.

Wolf stood at the front of the warriors. The scent of salt, tar, oak, and the heavy smell of iron wafted through the air. The creaking of the masts and the sound of waves crashing against the hull blended with the dim sunlight.

Finally, a movement stirred from inside the hatch. The sound of footsteps, slightly unsteady. Not long after, the man stepped onto the deck. He didn’t even glance in their direction. He seemed to regard the dozens of blades pointed at him as nothing more than dry winter twigs. His robe, caked in gray dust, was torn in places, and his hood was thrown back. The moment the sunlight fell on his face,

“Ugh… Uwaaah!”

The warriors screamed in unison and recoiled. Wolf felt a chill run down his spine.

The man was wearing a mask. It looked as if a sheet of flattened, raw dough had been pressed tightly against his face. If it had been a real, round dough mask, it would have been quite funny, but unfortunately, Wolf and the warriors recognized it at a glance. It was human skin.

What the hell is wrong with him…… Is he insane?

The madman headed toward the deck railing and flung off his robe. The moment the robe hit the deck, there was a clang clink, clang sound. It was unmistakably the sound of metal. Daggers and awls were packed into the lining of the robe like scales. Yet his build was slender. It was a sight that would make Atania’s physicists reexamine the laws of mass from the ground up.

The madman jumped onto the deck railing. It looked like he was planning to jump into the sea and swim all the way to the pirate ship. Wolf could even hear someone letting out a sigh of relief. Flea joined in as well.

〚Detected individual attempting to flee into the ocean → Recommendation: Do not pursue〛

The madman twisted his upper body from side to side as if warming up. The sea breeze ruffled his hair. Though it was cloaked in the faint blue of the battle interface, he could still tell it was platinum blonde. His eyes were Alice Blue.

What the hell.

Why is he acting like that?

The madman’s gaze, which had been sweeping over the sea, the seagulls, the sky, and the warriors, suddenly landed on Wolf. Wolf stared back at the madman without flinching. Was it a delusion? Suddenly, everything except that bizarre man became blurry. Even the sounds faded into the distance.

It felt as if he’d been struck by a powerful spell. It also felt as if his body were being corrupted by something. As if it were bypassing even the defense system implanted by the skeletal evil spirit and penetrating deep inside… That’s how strange it felt.

“Ah!”

Wolf gasped. The guy had suddenly vanished from his field of vision.

〚Subject: Oceanic Escape〛

〚Threat Level :: □□□□□□□□□□ (0/10)〛

The madman was cutting through the water, heading toward the pirate ship. He was fast and relentless.