Chapter 33
The center of the Ship’s Grave.
On the massive vessel, Gidan slowly closed and opened his eyes.
The rage that had once blinded him had now settled deep inside.
A light breeze brushed past his skin. The tension was just enough to make him ready to move.
From a puddle left over from when this place had been sea, a briny smell rose.
The boy naturally thought of a swimming pool—and his father’s booming voice.
The situation was the bottom of the ninth, two outs.
One runner on base.
Score: 1-0.
Defeat was imminent.
Gidan stood in the batter’s box, gripping his sword.
[Skill ‘Lion’s Breath’ activated.]
[Skill ‘Purple Bloodflow’ activated.]
As he consecutively activated his skills, the sword greedily swallowed the blood dripping from its edge. Magical energy swirled around Gidan like a storm.
Before long, Malikian’s massive body lunged toward Gidan.
“Human child, are you afraid of death now?”
Malikian spoke mockingly to Gidan, who had been hiding his presence.“Have you already forgotten the atonement you sought through death?”
But Gidan remained unshaken.
Now was not the time to act recklessly—it was the time to truly succeed.
For a comeback victory.
‘The goal is a home run.’
He bounced on his right foot and rolled across the deck.
In an instant, Malikian’s hand shot straight to grab Gidan’s body.
Gidan lightly leapt along the hand, evading the attack.
As the chase continued, Malikian chuckled at Gidan’s speed, which exceeded his expectations.
‘His movements are even better than before.’
Indeed, the reactions of this briny-smelling boy were incredibly fast and sharp—almost terrifying.
At this age, such talent was rare even in Malikian’s world.
‘However…’
Malikian blocked the sword that pressed stubbornly toward his chest.
‘Technique is shallow.’
Because of this, the sword’s trajectory was predictable.
Gidan momentarily changed direction, running along the hull and leaping toward Malikian.
“Foolish!”
As he lunged, Malikian gripped his greatsword with four hands.
A menacing aura enveloped the blade.
“Before the great Viat, all is meaningless!”
Reading the downward trajectory of the greatsword, Gidan twisted his body to the side.
The blade instantly shifted horizontally, and the energy rising from it spread like a net.
To Viat, who had fought across countless battlefields, this boy was nothing but a rookie!
Caught off guard for a brief moment, Gidan’s expression flickered with hesitation.
Viat’s speed and movement were impossible for anyone to replicate, and with the destructive power of the greatsword, he was invincible!
Without reaction speed surpassing his own, and without a skill to perfectly evade, one would be defenseless against his attacks.
Just as Malikian savored the certainty of victory, Gidan suddenly grinned.
‘…?’
Gidan’s main skills numbered only two. His awakened experience was less than a year.
Yet the reason he had jumped to rank 5 in just a few months, surpassing top hunters in Korea, was—
Gidan flipped in midair, evading the attack.
With overwhelming stats, innate combat sense, and a buff skill that amplified it—Berserk.
The combination of his natural talents allowed his body to react before his mind could even catch up.
With sensitive perception, Gidan stepped on the tip of Viat’s greatsword and dashed forward at incredible speed.
Malikian fell back to avoid the attack.
In that instant, Gidan’s sword, ‘Viat’s Desire’, thrust forward, striking toward Malikian’s solar plexus.
The onslaught drove Malikian’s back fully against the ship’s hull.
Thud!
It was then.
Puff.
[Skill ‘Blood Subjugation’ activated.]
[Debuff resisted.]
A small snow duck appeared.
It broke lightly above Malikian’s head.
“Hah!”
Malikian chuckled.
“Was that all you were aiming for?”
Laughable. Even if the little boy had the Lord’s power, if he couldn’t use it, it was like a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.“And the only stronghold fails—what a pity.”
Yet Gidan looked up at Malikian with a blank expression.
Three of his eyes spun mockingly.
“‘Viat’s Desire’ will be returned!”
At that moment.
Drip, drip.
“What?”
Malikian looked up.
Snow was falling heavily.
‘No, all of that…’
Above Malikian’s head, Gru stood on the ship’s railing, grinning and baring his teeth.
Full Command: ignores target’s resistance with a somewhat low probability.
Checking the function of the duck trap, Gidan muttered.
“Hmm… a somewhat low probability… roughly 8%?”
“8%? What do you mean?”
“Ever tried a gacha?”
He nodded.
“Out of 100 draws, 92 are blanks and 8 are candy. Could be lower…”
The system didn’t state this clearly. Researchers inferred it from hunter data.
Also, only Gru could cast it.
“Instead of hoping for 8%, maybe running away is better…”
“Then what if we throw 100 at once?”
Gidan blinked at the unexpected suggestion.
“Ah… no, unlike a gacha, the blanks don’t decrease. So you’d have to keep drawing from 100 with 8 candies each time…”
“Oh! Then more mana?”
Gru casually pulled a bottle of mana syrup from his bag and lined them up.
Before Gidan could respond, Gru began making snow ducks while drinking the syrup. They began piling up one by one.
The duck trap is a bound item. The debuff only triggers if the snow ducks Gru made hit Malikian.
If that’s the condition for victory…
“Then wait a moment. I’ll bring them to you upfront.”
And now.
Gidan had successfully brought Malikian into Gru’s range.
Gru held a large bundle of snow ducks and flung them.
There was always uncertainty.
How many ducks would it take for the low probability to succeed?
Would Gru run out of mana first?
Even if it worked, could they survive this place?
Among countless uncertainties, one thing was certain:
The more attempts—
Countless snow ducks fell like heavy snow.
The chance of the debuff hitting increases.
[Debuff resisted.]
[Debuff resisted.]
[Debuff resisted.]
[Debuff resisted.]
‘I have to avoid it.’
Malikian moved instinctively. He couldn’t be sure, but he sought to escape the impending wave of danger.
But what blocked his path was ‘Viat’s Desire’.
Vwoooom-
Gidan’s ‘Viat’s Desire’ resonated ferociously and stabbed toward Malikian’s neck.
He couldn’t dodge the final snow duck in time.
From the ship, the duck left the child’s small hand and fell slowly.
Thud!
It shattered from the black-stained fingertips.
[Skill ‘Blood Subjugation’ activated.]
“…!”
The Lord opened its eyes.
The Lord’s vision before him overwhelmed Malikian.
In an instant, Malikian gasped in extreme terror.
The Lord’s face carried a deep smile.
[The Lord confiscates the minion’s authority.]
[The minion’s defense is ignored.]
“Ugh…!”
The hood surrounding him like armor began to melt like snow.
“Aaaah!”
Malikian desperately tried to grab the hood, but it slipped through his fingers.
“No, no!”
Inside the hood, Malikian’s frail, emaciated body was revealed. Diseased, cursed black stains clung to his skin, making it grotesque.
