The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-329

Chapter 329: Shadowless King of the Black Sea (Part 4)

[Water-resistant Oil Paper Pouch] / Pouch / D

A rather tough pouch that doesn’t dissolve easily in water.

The phrase “doesn’t dissolve easily in water” also means that it eventually dissolves when in water for a long time.

Vikir patiently waited for this pocket to dissolve as he sucked in air from it.

Like a lump of starch slowly dissolving in water, the pocket slowly softened, becoming slightly sticky over time.

It was being gradually crushed under the heavy pressure of the Black Sea’s depths as time passed.

And after sucking in all the air, Vikir crumpled the pocket and tossed it into the ghost ship, but in truth, there was one more item inside besides air.

Seeds harvested from the corpse of the Bloodsoaked Jade flower.

The pockets were filled with seeds of the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower flower.

Like any D-grade item, the pocket couldn’t last long in the harsh environment of the Black Sea.

And as the pocket dissolved into the water, the seeds inside met the Black Sea’s water.

“…For items obtained from random boxes, it proved to be useful.”

Vikir thought as he watched the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower seeds rapidly grow inside the hold of the ghost ship while sucking in water at an incredible speed.

Shoosh-

In the blink of an eye, the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower seeds extended stems and roots, and plump balloons sprouted abundantly.

The Blood Moon Bloodsoaked Jade Flower that Vikir had encountered couldn’t grow properly due to severe drought, but the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower sprouted here in the Black Sea was different.

Once it absorbed water, the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower rapidly inflated its balloons and filled them with gas light enough to provide sufficient buoyancy even in the Black Sea’s waters.

“Though it may not grow significantly due to seawater, it should at least grow enough to form gas balloons.”

[…Ah? I see, I see, Indeed, No cap! This is the Black Sea, filled only with heavy and cold saltwater. The Bloodsoaked Jade Flower won’t grow to a dangerous level here. It will grow just enough for our use. The location was well chosen.]

While Decarabia marveled somewhat gossipy, Vikir suddenly surged from the center of the deep sea.

Then…

…Splash!

The ship suddenly tilted to the side.

Vikir, hanging from the anchor line below the bow, almost fell down.

Creak-

Uncomfortable groans echoed from the entire hull of the ship.

As the bow leaned to the side, the items inside spilled out.

Heavy cargo such as crates, barrels, swords, and iron fell over Vikir’s head like rain.

Vikir infused aura into his sword and swung it, clearing away the debris falling like snow.

[There’s something above!]

Decarabia shouted.

Vikir nodded.

“It’s the Shadowless King of the Black Sea. Seems he’s come up to block the ship.”

The injured ship stopped because a giant jellyfish obstructed its path.

But it didn’t matter. Vikir actually hoped for this.

Climbing up the anchor line, Vikir ran along the ship’s mast and jumped onto it.

Swish!

And he struck the body of the jellyfish, which looked like a mass of darkness, dozens of times.

[…! …! …!]

Startled by the sharp sensation, the Shadowless King of the Black Sea recoiled.

But it was too late.

“It’s a good thing I left some spare.”

Vikir’s spear-like strikes deeply penetrated the jellyfish’s squishy body, simultaneously planting the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower seeds deep inside it.

Gradually, the seeds that absorbed moisture began to sprout.

Sshhh…

Roots growing inside pierced through the squishy flesh of the jellyfish, firmly anchoring themselves.

And the stems that grew outside the jellyfish’s body sprouted numerous gas-filled sacs with tremendous buoyancy.

Tss-tss-tss…

For the first time, the Shadowless King of the Black Sea began to show signs of confusion.

The sacs that grew outside it’s body made it buoyant and shot it upwards.

The roots firmly entrenched in its body were connected to the sacs and sturdy stems.

The Shadowless King of the Black Sea struggled as its body was forced upwards, unable to control the rise, thrashing its tentacles.

However, due to the jellyfish’s physical characteristics, rapid and powerful swimming was impossible, so it couldn’t prevent the upward flow.

Moreover, hiding in the darkness with a translucent body was futile.

The Bloodsoaked Jade Flower’s sacs and roots clearly revealed where the King’s main body was located.

Kugung- Kugugugugugug…

The ship, which had momentarily stopped moving, began to rise again.

This time, the Shadowless King of the Black Sea was also lifted along with it.

Vikir hoisted both the ship and the Shadowless King of the Black Sea out of the water!

But the King was not idle either.

Shurororok-

It extended its tentacles with a much fiercer and aggressive attitude than before.

It seemed like he was ready to entwine Vikir’s body and crush it immediately.

However.

…Boom!

The tentacles approaching Vikir suddenly burst into pieces under an unknown force.

The others were the same.

Boom! Boom! Thud!

The Shadowless King of the Black Sea convulsed, explosions erupting from various parts of its body, writhing like a puppet with its strings cut.

Decarabia, surprised, asked.

[Human! Was that you?]

“No.”

Vikir shook his head.

What was currently disabling the giant jellyfish’s body was simply ‘pressure,’ the difference in pressure that occurred as it rose from the depths to the shallows.

If creatures from deep waters rise too quickly to shallower areas, various bizarre phenomena occur due to the pressure difference.

This is why many deep-sea creatures caught by fishermen surface in strange shapes.

Furthermore, decompression sickness, which kills divers, is also a phenomenon caused by this pressure difference.

Vikir barely suppressed the dizziness that made his head spin.

The protection of Styx’s River and the manipulation of mana, along with the regenerative power of the Basilisk, were keeping Vikir safe from decompression sickness. However, being sensitive to changes in water pressure and atmospheric pressure, marine animals like the king couldn’t adapt well to such sudden changes.

The Shadowless King of the Black Sea tried to return to the deep sea trench where it originally resided, but it was impossible due to the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower flowers sprouting all over its body.

Eventually…

…Boom!

Both the pirate ship and the Shadowless King of the Black Sea almost simultaneously breached the surface of the water.

In the sky where the sea breeze blew, a distant island where the three brothers of Baskerville awaited could be seen.

“Hurrah! The captain has raised the ship!”

“He has!”

“He has!”

The triplets were waving their hands in excitement.

[Oh! Finally, the ship has returned!]

[Finally! Finally, we can leave this place!]

[Our mission to ‘escape the island by ship’ is no longer just a dream!]

The insect kings were also deeply moved.

However…

Boom!

The appearance of a giant jellyfish that could fill the entire sea turned everyone’s cheers into shock and silence.

The Shadowless King of the Black Sea.

As it was pulled out onto the surface, its massive body spread out across the water like a pancake. Just like any jellyfish spreading out when it comes out of the water, it did the same.

…With one difference.

Shurororok!

Unlike ordinary jellyfish that become limp and lifeless as they are pulled out of the water, the Shadowless King of the Black Sea began extending its tentacles with a much more aggressive attitude.

Though its body was torn apart into pieces with explosions, and though Bloodsoaked Jade Flower seeds and roots were embedded in it, it paid no attention and attacked Vikir.

With a leap, the Shadowless King of the Black Sea, dripping wet with the surrounding sea, chased after Vikir.

Hundreds of giant eyeballs, clouded and murky like corpses’ eyes, all focused on Vikir at once.

Decarabia asked.

[What do we do now, human? In my opinion, fleeing now seems like the best option.]

Engaging in a fight like this would undoubtedly lead to defeat. The difference in size was too great, and the location wasn’t favorable. If it were outside the tower, Vikir could have used Swordmaster’s unique solid aura to fight by parting the sea, but that wasn’t possible now. Plus, they already had the ship; there was no need to gamble with their lives.

However…

“I don’t engage in actions without confidence.”

Vikir seemed to have no intention of backing down.

“Sail the ship!” Vikir commanded, directing his words towards his loyalists.

They soared through the sky and approached the ship, one by one clinging onto the masts and sails.

[We’ll sail the ship as you command!]

[To the island! Let’s head to the island!]

[The storm has passed! Ride the winds!]

Following Vikir’s orders, his loyalists steered the ship towards the island. Given that their mission on the underground 4th floor was ‘escape the island by ship,’ their attitude was quite desperate.

Shurororok-

The Shadowless King of the Black Sea, the disruptor of their mission, attempted to ensnare the loyalists with its tentacles again, but…

Slash-slash-slash-

Vikir swiftly cut through all the Shadowless King’s tentacles.

While the Graduator aura wasn’t quite strong enough to sever the Shadowless King’s tentacles, thanks to the ability stolen from the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower and the effect of it’s seeds, Vikir’s power was growing.

Thunk-

The murky eyeballs beneath the jellyfish’s head all dilated simultaneously.

With roots and sacs sprawling all over the jellyfish’s body, the Shadowless King of the Black Sea looked in their direction. Its imposing aura momentarily stunned even the Insect kings flying the ship, leaving them dazed.

And Vikir’s response to that intense gaze was equally fiery.

Swoosh-

A spark emerged on Vikir’s fingertip.

-[Inferiority Complex Flame ‘Inferno’] / Flint / A+

A stone that allows one to obtain a hot spark anywhere, anytime.

It burns using the deep-seated inferiority complex within one’s psyche as fuel.

-Heat +1,000

※ Depending on the level of inferiority, the temperature may rise or fall.

The flame that Dogma turned into before his death.

Vikir held it in his hand, then plunged it towards the Shadowless King of the Black Sea.

“Let’s see how well this fire works, shall we?”

Towards the sacs of the Bloodsoaked Jade Flower, buried deep within the King’s body.