Chapter 138: The Adventurers’ Battle
“Alright, everyone, it’s time to get ready!”
As the fishing vessel arrived at the fishing grounds, the fishermen began to bustle about with urgency. Being a large ship, it was clear they were targeting giant fish. A crane-like apparatus extended from the center of the ship, where an enormous fishing hook was baited with a massive lure and lowered into the sea. Naturally, the fishing line was equally thick.
“Hmm. Looking at this, our fishing rods seem a bit ridiculous, don’t they?”
“Well, at least the materials are top-notch. Like the Metal Spider Thread…”
Though I appreciated the shirt made from it, the defensive capabilities were nothing short of impressive. With such sturdy thread, there was no need to thicken the fishing line.
“Oh!”
“What is it?”
“The prey is getting closer.”
“Really…? Oh, you’re right!”
While my range was broader, Rio also possessed the Presence Detection skill. She sensed a massive presence approaching the bait. We had caught these creatures numerous times before, but they often bit without much caution. I figured they would be easy to catch, but looking at the ship’s equipment, it seemed quite formidable.
“This one seems more cautious than usual.”
“Yeah, usually they bite right away. They might even try to eat us directly.”
“Haha, true. But I guess they wouldn’t dare attack someone on a large ship.”
When floating just above the surface, the giant fish could easily approach from below. Honestly, I thought we could catch them even without bait.
“Oh, it looks like something’s biting!”
After a while, I felt the presence of something taking the bait. At the same moment, the ship lurched violently.
“Whoa!”
“Ah!”
As I caught Rio, I took the opportunity to enjoy her presence.
“Come on…”
“Haha, just remember, it’s almost time for the guards to step in, so don’t let your guard down.”
Just as Rio returned my embrace, Christoph chimed in with a warning. While we were alert, I knew we didn’t look it.
“Those two seem fine, right? They were all lovey-dovey but still looked alert.”
“Rio might understand, but there are others who might not.”
“Hehe, even if you praise me like that…”
Suddenly, the two of them locked eyes, creating their own little world. Shouldn’t they be showing a bit more vigilance?
“Well, let’s focus on our own tasks.”
“…Right.”
We were having a normal conversation, but the ship continued to sway violently. The surrounding fishermen shouted angrily as they desperately tried to reel in the giant fish. From the center crane, the line was being pulled taut with a loud grrrr as the creature fought against being dragged down to the seabed.
“If we pull too hard, the ship might capsize.”
“Yeah… It seems harder to reel in a giant fish than I thought.”
Two hours had passed since the giant fish had taken the bait.
“It’s still thrashing around; it has a lot of stamina.”
As I marveled at the ship’s continued rocking, I sensed another presence approaching. It seemed to be heading straight for our vessel.
“I detect multiple presences coming this way.”
In these two hours, I had explained my Presence Detection range to the other six guards who had taken on similar tasks. Now, I could detect within a semicircular dome with a radius of five kilometers. Including underwater, the distance would shorten, but if I focused solely on the sea, I could still cover five kilometers.
“Can you tell how many?”
In response to Christoph’s question, I replied, “Five.”
“They’re about two to three meters in size. They don’t seem fish-like, though. What could they be?”
“If they’re coming at this timing, they might be Merfolk-type Monsters.”
“Oh, I didn’t know those existed.”
“They’re D-rank monsters, but with this number, we should be fine.”
“Which direction are they coming from?”
Kant swiftly drew his sword from its scabbard and took a stance.
“They’re coming from the left side, slightly behind us.”
“Got it. Shu, keep your guard up. We’ll have one Tamed Monster handle one, while Kant and the others take care of four. Rio and I will provide support.”
“Understood. Nil, I’m counting on you.”
“Woof!”
As Christoph quickly issued commands, the other members readied their weapons. Christoph nocked an arrow, while Alina prepared her staff. Rio began casting buff spells on everyone in rapid succession. Gasps of surprise arose at her swift spellcasting, but no one took their eyes off the approaching enemies.
“We’ll launch a preemptive strike.”
With that, Rio conjured Ice Needles around us, ready to strike.
“They’re coming!”
Rio was likely aware, but I raised my voice to alert the others. Well, depending on Rio’s preemptive strike, we might not even get a turn.
With a loud splash, the monsters leaped from the water, attempting to board the ship. However, just before they landed, Ice Needles pierced their foreheads, sending them flying backward.
“Wh-what!?”
The monster that landed fell motionless, causing strange sounds to escape from Kant and the others, who had intended to charge forward. It seemed they wouldn’t have their moment to shine after all.
“Um, are there any other monsters approaching?”
Lowering his bow, Christoph searched for words, looking somewhat lost.