The surface of the ocean was mirror-still, without a single ripple.
This was only natural; after all, they were in the Calm Belt.
Three warships were moored securely together. Sean stood on the deck of the central large warship, using his Reiryoku/Spirit Power to sense the depths beneath the waves. Although the range of this perception wasn't vast, it was more than enough to provide early warning.
"Everyone, heads up! Here it comes!"
'Here what comes?'
The Marines aboard the three ships had all accompanied Sean from Headquarters, so they knew exactly what he meant. They didn't panic in the slightest; for them, this wasn't the first time they had witnessed Sean hunting Sea Kings.
In fact, several company-grade officers—graduates of the Elite Training Camp whose strength had increased after consuming the special Sea King meat—seemed restless, itching to test their current power against a Sea King.
Of course, they were overestimating themselves. While their strength had grown significantly—enough to likely handle a Lord of the Coast from the four seas—it was still far too early for them to face a true Sea King. Especially not the types found in the Calm Belt, which could easily reach hundreds of meters in length.
In the next instant, a colossal Sea King erupted from beneath the surface. Its speed was so immense that it triggered a massive swell of waves. Fortunately, the three warships were huddled together; otherwise, while the large warship might have been fine, the two medium-sized ships could have been pushed far off course or even capsized by the surge.
As the water cleared, everyone finally saw the Sea King's true form. A collective gasp echoed across the decks.
It looked like a giant lion, estimated to be around 400 meters long.
Sean, for his part, was mentally complaining. 'Did this Sea King hybridize with every single land animal in existence?'
With other species, it was rare to find an outlier with distinct physical features. With Sea Kings, it was the exact opposite; finding two that actually looked like the same species was a genuine challenge.
'Four hundred meters...'
This one was slightly larger than the previous one, meeting his hunting criteria.
Sean moved instantly. He drew Hekireki from its scabbard, leaped to the very tip of the bow, and coiled his body into a slashing posture.
The lion-like Sea King lunged forward. However, as Sean began to bring Hekireki down, he suddenly stopped the blade mid-air. Abandoning the plan to unleash a lightning-infused strike, Sean leaped forward.
In a flash, two figures—one gargantuan and one tiny—crossed paths.
The movement was so rapid that the Marines on deck couldn't even see what had happened. But a moment later, the massive Sea King's eyes rolled back, and it collapsed onto the ocean surface, triggering another massive wave.
Cheers erupted from the warships. However, the more observant Marines soon noticed something strange: there was no blood in the water.
During Sean's previous hunt, a single slash had painted a vast stretch of the ocean red. A creature of this size possessed an incredible volume of blood.
Confused, many looked up at Sean, who was hovering in the air. Only then did they realize that Sean was holding Hekireki in a reverse grip. He hadn't used the edge of the blade; he had used the blunt spine of the sword to knock the Sea King unconscious.
The Marines were baffled. What was going on?
Sean ignored their confusion. He remained suspended in the air, his Reiryoku/Spirit Power focused on the water below.
The reason he had changed his mind at the last second, switching from a kill to a knockout, was that at the moment of impact, he sensed another Sea King approaching from below. And this one was significantly more powerful than the lion-shaped one!
Since the goal was to hunt and then use the system to multiply the rewards, it stood to reason that the stronger the base Sea King, the better the outcome.
However, Sean was puzzled. According to his perception, the approaching Sea King was smaller than the one he had just knocked out—much smaller. Normally, for Sea Kings, size equated to power; the larger they were, the stronger they became.
Why did a creature that looked to be less than 200 meters feel so much more powerful than the 400-meter giant?
It was illogical. Completely illogical.
"Here it comes!!"
A black blur shot out of the ocean at an incredible velocity. It was so fast that it left the surface before the resulting spray of water even had time to rise.
Sean's pupils contracted. He quickly brought his sword up in a defensive guard.
The speed far exceeded his expectations. For a split second, he was caught off guard, losing the window for an optimal attack. His only choice was to tank the hit!
'BOOM!!'
The massive form slammed directly into Sean. Despite his defensive posture, the impact sent him flying back dozens of meters. Of course, much of that distance was intentional; Sean had yielded to the force to bleed off the kinetic energy, meaning he wasn't actually injured.
Still, the sheer power of the strike completely defied Sean's understanding of Sea Kings.
As he stabilized himself, Sean finally saw his attacker.
It was a relatively small Sea King, roughly 170 to 180 meters long. Compared to the monsters of the Calm Belt, this was indeed tiny. Its appearance was similar to an otter, looking quite cute and docile.
But no matter how cute it looked, it was destined to be his prey.
Instantly, a crescent-shaped Zanjutsu slash, composed of lightning and Reiryoku/Spirit Power, tore through the air, hurtling straight toward the otter-like Sea King.
'Hm?'
Once again, the unexpected happened. The Sea King moved with blinding speed, narrowly dodging the attack.
'I actually missed?'
Though he hadn't even used half of his strength, missing twice in a row against a single Sea King was... frustrating.
Sean stared blankly at the hundred-meter-long trench carved into the ocean surface and the Sea King floating just beyond it.
'Is this thing even a Sea King?'
Realizing that this human was not someone it could easily handle, the otter-like Sea King attempted to dive back into the depths.
But after coming this far, there was no way Sean was going to let it escape. He plunged downward and drove the edge of Hekireki deep into the seawater.
In the next instant, a blinding explosion of lightning erupted, so intense that the Marines on the warships had to shield their eyes. The entire surrounding stretch of ocean was dyed a deep, vibrant blue.
The previously unconscious lion Sea King, lying nearby, had its hide scorched black by the discharge.
Sean had originally intended to let that one live... but now?
Forget about letting it live.
It took a full thirty seconds before Sean withdrew Hekireki and ceased the output of lightning.
A few moments later, the otter-like Sea King—measuring less than two hundred meters—floated to the surface, belly-up.
"Everyone, listen—"
Sean had been about to order the Marines to begin butchering the creature, but as he turned around, he froze in confusion.
Every single Marine on deck now sported a massive, frizzy afro.
'Fair enough,' he thought. The sustained discharge of lightning had been immense. While the electricity in the water hadn't posed a direct threat to those on the warship, the sheer volume of the output had left the air saturated with static. It wasn't lethal, but...
Then, a sudden thought struck him.
Makino had been standing on the bow deck as well. Surely...
Instinctively, he shifted his gaze.
There she was—a young woman with a wild, exploded head of hair, staring at him with an expression of pure resentment.
'God, I've really done it now!'