Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 105

Despite their overwhelming durability and the immense strength backed by their colossal size, the sailors who had defeated the Kraken had no time to revel in their victory. Orders were rapidly exchanged on the deck.

“Hurry up and assess the damage!”

“Get the wounded down to the middle deck. Squad leaders, report the number of those who are still unscathed!”

“Are the spare sails and masts ready yet?”

“What’s the status of the flooding in the bilge?”

“The seawater has stabilized!”

“Stay vigilant. They’ll be here any moment!!”

The Kraken had been vanquished, and the battle should have been over. Yet, hearing these disturbing words, Walm pressed the deck chief for an explanation.

“What, are we getting sharks after the octopus?”

Walm spoke with frustration, recalling numerous ocean disaster movies from his world.

“There shouldn’t be any large sharks in these waters… More importantly, it’s the Sea Goblins that are coming.”

“What? Sea Goblins? Ah, I see them.”

Before Walm could gather more information about the unfamiliar term, a horde surged into view through the breaks in the waves. They had deep green skin similar to goblins, teeth reminiscent of carnivorous fish, and dorsal fins extending to their tailbones.

“Cease all operations! Cease all operations! The Sahagin are coming!”

“Don’t let those sea vermin steal our spoils! If they take everything, we’ll end up working without pay!”

To Walm’s amazement, neither he nor the sailors intended to let the Sahagin get even a scrap of the Kraken they had slain.

“That stinking pile, just let them—”

The deck chief, exasperated, explained to Walm.

“Don’t joke around. That corpse is a treasure trove. The tentacles are said to enhance vitality so much they can make even a dead man’s privates stand up. Nobles who’ve lost their vigor will pay handsomely for it. Its bile and teeth are valuable ingredients for medicine and catalysts. There’s nothing we can give to those creatures.”

Hearing this, Walm couldn’t argue. The ship was in a dire state. Though the mast remained intact, one side of the yardarms that held the sails was completely broken, and the deck and hull were riddled with holes. As an amateur, Walm couldn’t even imagine how much gold it would take to restore the ship to its former state.

“Walm, if you can still use magic, reduce their numbers before they get here. Fighting them in melee will be tough.”

Sarshef, who had been running around the ship, returned to the deck. Although he still wore a smile, fatigue was evident. The other sailors were also exhausted from the battle and repairs. If it came to close combat, the casualties would increase significantly.

“Yeah, I’d rather not swim back.”

Walm focused his magic power and launched a Fireball. The leading edge of the horde was engulfed in flames, spraying blood and staining the sea red. Near the water’s surface, some of the Sahagin vomited their innards from the explosion’s shockwave. After repeating the Fireball several times, the Sahagin finally seemed to learn and submerged underwater.

“I can’t see them!!”

“They’ve dived. Stay alert. They’ll come all at once.”

Back-to-back with Sarshef, Walm sharpened his senses. The ship grew eerily quiet, but the demon mask began to vibrate annoyingly, signaling the approach of new visitors.

“Got it. I’ll put it on, so stop shaking.”

“Whoa, Walm, what’s with that creepy mask?”

Sarshef, who was back against him, stepped away in discomfort. Though Walm agreed with him, the constant vibration of the mask on his face was intolerable. He refrained from unnecessary words, refocused, and kept a broad view. Suddenly, sprays of water surrounded the ship. All of them were caused by Sahagin leaping out of the sea.

“They’re here! Kill them all!!”

The deck chief roared, smashing a hatchet into an incoming Sahagin. The creature’s shoulder to chest was split open, and it fell with a piercing screech. Walm followed suit, slicing off a Sahagin’s arm and beheading it with a quick flick of his wrist.

There was no shortage of targets. The Sahagin visible on the surface were only a fraction, and more kept emerging from the sea. Walm responded to the “friendly” approaches of the fish-men with his longsword. The blade pierced throats, but the Sahagin kept advancing. Such aggression was not uncommon among the monsters that had invaded Dandurg castle.

With a twist of his wrist, he severed parts of the Sahagin, leaving it to sleep peacefully on the deck. As he retrieved his longsword, he aimed it at another Sahagin but slipped on the deck’s slimy residue. Two Sahagin seized the opportunity to close in.

“Damn that slimy monster, causing trouble even after death.”

Walm didn’t fight the slide of his right foot but used his left foot as a pivot, rotating. As he turned, a Sahagin came within reach. Channeling magic into his blade, he executed a Strong Strike, slicing through the Sahagin from waist to shoulder.

The remaining Sahagin grabbed Walm, pulling him close like a lover. With its jaw open, releasing foul breath and exposing uneven teeth, Walm pressed his shoulder into its slimy abdomen, dodging the teeth. As it collapsed forward onto him, he slashed its ankles, bringing it down. Helpless, the Sahagin writhed on the deck until Walm’s longsword split its head, leaving it convulsing, and soon, no movement could be noticed anymore.

Trampling over the corpses of their kind, more Sahagin swarmed. Spotting a scattered bundle of crossbow bolts on the deck, Walm impaled his longsword into the deck and gathered them. Sarshef’s complaints went unheard as Walm had no time for listening.

“Nice find.”

Walm gripped a bolt lightly and released his magic.

“Release.”

Compressed air propelled the bolt, which shot straight into a Sahagin’s forehead, toppling it as if it had slipped. Fire magic, though powerful on land, was too potent for shipboard combat. Using bolts as a medium for wind magic proved more effective and practical on a ship. Delighted, Walm fired the bolts without hesitation. Though they weren’t his, the emergency allowed some leeway.

After downing four Sahagin, others approached with planks as shields. Behind them followed more Sahagin wielding clubs and spears. To Walm, a massive horde attacking without concern for losses was more threatening. The shield-like planks obstructed their view, allowing Walm to slip into their blind spots and sever their fins and legs. The now one-legged Sahagin staggered, collided with those behind, and fell.

Walm didn’t waste the opportunity to strike two heads within reach. Two swift slashes decapitated the Sahagin. The last Sahagin wielded a spear, thrusting it at Walm from the hip. He deflected the spear upwards with his sword’s blade, their bodies crossing paths. Turning to face the Sahagin, blood spurted from its neck. It gasped wetly, dropped its spear, and reached out futilely before collapsing lifelessly on the deck.

Translator – Lyxxna