Harley stood in the basement, looking at the cage that he slept in, and he didn't like it at all.
'This Eman is right, the cage dampens any essence a person has.' He thought, looking at his slender fingers.
'I can probably burst a soda can right now, or chop planks with my hands.' He smiled, sitting down on the ground in front of his cage instead.
There were many changes he underwent when he used the verse of the wish locket.
The first was undoubtedly the amount of strength that came flowing through him like a tide. Although small, he felt like he was as strong as a peak human.
It was no surprise; Wardens were known for their extraordinary strength and speed. Most were known to be able to crush solid rocks in their fists and be as fast as a bullet.
Of course, there are levels to it. By completing this trial, Harley would become a real Warden.
Wardens within their first trials are called Challengers by the Oracle. After the first trial, you become a Gardener.
As for the reason why first-echelon Wardens are called Gardeners, Harley didn't know... yet.
'I gained an attribute earlier.' Harley raised a hand, summoning the brownish paper onto it.
He smiled, excited at the fact that he gained an attribute.
In the real world, many attributes were known and popular. Attributes are like skills that a Warden gains when they fulfil a certain requirement.
The
Wardens document every attribute from those who are willing to share. Many of them have highly dangerous requirements, but Harley didn't know what he did to be able to gain one.
The ink began to form words on the paper, displaying what he wanted to see.
———
Attributes
Cold Blood: This attribute allows you to release a murderous aura that is significant to the number of humans you kill. The more humans you kill, the more powerful your aura is.
Killing other creatures enhances your aura, but not as significant as your other option.
Effect: Fills a target with the feeling of pure dread.
Attribute Requirements: You should murder an innocent person in cold blood for your own benefit.
———
"Damn." Harley mumbled, seeing the reason why he gained the attribute.
He didn't feel bad for killing another person. In fact, he didn't feel anything... At all. He wasn't scared, he wasn't excited, he was just calm about it.
From the way the words were portrayed on paper, it seemed like the Oracle was telling him to kill people.
"Now, to wait." He mumbled, looking around.
He could see that the people in cages were all staring at him in silence, but he didn't say anything and instead laid down and slept.
...
Bang!
Harley woke up to a thunderous noise in the ship. He cleaned his eyes, hearing frantic running on top of the deck.
"It's already here?" He said, quite surprised by the timing.
"Now what did you do?" Eman's voice came from his cage.
Harley could see the man smiling in the dark, and he reciprocated the smile, running up the ladder and popping out onto the surface.
The sun was already out, illuminating the vast waters and also the ship.
"Load the cannons!" Captain Ragnar's voice rang out.
Harley could see pirates mounting all three cannons on both sides. They were shooting at something inside the waters, and that's when Harley saw it.
A fish that was half as big as the ship. The ship was only 30 metres long, so it was a white shark of close to fifteen metres in length.
"Where did that thing come from?!" Ragnar pushed a pirate overboard in frustration, walking down the side steps.
Harley ran over to load cannonballs for one of the pirates, lifting one from a bucket and giving it to the elderly man.
The man loaded it, lighting the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three consecutive shots fired at the shark, making the parts showing go inside the waters.
The waters rippled in various parts, but there was no blood in the waters, so the shark was definitely not injured.
"I have never seen the leviathan before. I hope the captain can kill it, god please." The man beside Harley said, visibly shaking in fear.
Ragnar stood at the rail, looking into the water with sharp eyes. He had a deep frown on his face.
'His entire crew have been avoiding it for a while. I hope I'm right; if not, my plan would fall apart totally.' Harley thought, waiting and watching the captain.
All of a sudden, the captain's eyes widened.
"Move away from the rail!!" He signalled, and all the pirates ran towards the masts.
The water burst upwards, revealing the full tyrannical size of the Great Ice Shark.
The creature was humongous, having solid ice scales on top of its skin. It opened its mouth, sinking its upper jaw into the side of the ship and tearing the rail off and scraping the deck.
Its teeth slid on the deck, pulling back until it went back into the waters.
There were deep bite marks on the deck now that looked like someone dragged dozens of swords over where the rail was. Now it was broken.
"Everyone maintain your positions! This ship will not fall today!" Ragnar stepped closer to the railing, raising his wrist.
The special sigil at the back of his palm glowed a bright red, and a stream of light poured out of it, forming a large creature on the ship.
The light died out, revealing the drake that Harley saw back at the village.
The deep cut caused by the prophetess was almost completely sealed. Seeing this, Harley smiled.
'I was right. The reason why the captain won't want to annoy an oversized fish is because he couldn't fight, or his drake couldn't. Everything is perfect!' His smile was cold; there were barely any emotions left in his light purple eyes as he glanced at the entire deck.
A long ice spike suddenly rose out of the ocean, coming towards the ship. The captain stretched his hand forward, and the drake opened its hideous mouth, releasing a stream of bright flames that clashed with the ice.
Boom!
A steam cloud rose up as the flames and the ice clashed with each other. Harley was looking at this in fascination; he wondered what it would be like to command such a powerful beast.
'I have heard about such beasts being commanded by the royal family in the real world. It's amazing.' He smiled.
Basically, bringing this shark here was a gamble for him.
After hearing that the pirates were trying to avoid it as much as possible, it was either the crew wouldn't be able to kill it, or it could completely obliterate them.
That was until last night, before he went to kill the pirate.
'Eman said that the drake is stronger than the shark. So that left me with two conclusions: either the captain was saving the drake for a bigger threat, or the drake was injured and not up to full strength.' His gaze met the water.
Deep down, he was glad that his first guess was right. Now, he only needed the drake to get injured more, but the shark must also die.
"My ship!" The captain seemed enraged, looking into the water for the creature.
"Crew, man the sails. Sail faster!" The captain ordered, and the pirates immediately scrambled around.
The ship shook as something heavy hit it from below.
"It's trying to sink the ship." The captain said with a deep frown on his face. At this point, he was already too angry at the fish to play safe.
He pointed at the waters, letting the drake dive into it without hesitation. The waters rose, pouring onto the ship and drenching the pirates in a big wave.
"Hold strong!"
The pirates held the masts strong enough not to get carried by the wave.
Harley cleared his eyes, looking forward to see that the captain was no longer standing on the edge.