CHAPTER 91: TO THE WINTER REGION [II]

There was a difference in power between monsters of different ranks.

Size, ferocity, and raw mana density always increased the higher the rank.

But the most dangerous thing about Rank 3 monsters and above wasn’t their size or the destruction they could cause.

It was their intelligence.

They knew when to retreat.

They knew when to call for reinforcements.

They knew how to fight as more than beasts — they fought as predators, calculating and cunning.

And they took every opportunity to take down their opponent, one could say as the ranks increased, the monsters became more human?

That was why a Rank 3 monster wasn’t just considered unlucky.

It was considered a calamity for any adventuring party.

"I wonder how much mana Edna would get with this," Azel muttered under his breath as he stood at the edge of the rocking ferry, his eyes narrowing at the emerging titan.

It was a Rank 3 Kraken, just the fact that it was a Kraken meant that it wouldn’t be easy to handle at all, in fact it was pure horror to meet one at all.

Azel’s lips tightened into a faint smirk.

In the end, it was just a Rank 3.

Troublesome, yes, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

After all he hadn’t been doing that training with the goddess for nothing.

Then, without hesitation, he launched himself into the air.

The boards beneath his feet splintered from the sudden force.

Wind screamed past his ears as he surged upward, aura exploding through his veins like fire.

The sea below shrank away as his figure became a blur against the gray sky.

The Kraken’s baleful eyes — two burning orbs of abyssal light snapped toward him.

A low, thunderous roar rose from its maw, the sound vibrating through the very air.

It lifted its monstrous tail high, scales grinding against one another like steel plates.

The tail descended.

Shhhhk-BOOOOM!

Azel’s sword met the strike head-on.

Aura flooded into the blade, doubling, tripling its intensity until the edge gleamed with a light sharp enough to blind.

The Kraken’s tail split apart in one clean motion, Azel didn’t even have to swing, the motion of the tail swing cut it.

Blood fountained into the air as the severed limb fell, slamming into the waves below with a sound like an earthquake underwater.

A tidal wave surged, rocking the ferry so violently that the crew screamed, scrambling to hold the railings.

But Azel didn’t falter.

He rebounded off the falling flesh, twisting his body upward with impossible speed.

The air cracked under the pressure of his movements.

The Kraken shrieked, its voice shrill and piercing, a sonic shockwave meant to shatter bone and burst eardrums.

The sheer force of it pushed at Azel’s body, threatening to send him tumbling back into the sea.

But a radiant golden shield bloomed in front of him, its surface rippling with divine inscriptions.

Holy energy flared, absorbing the brunt of the Kraken’s roar.

Azel surged forward through the fading shield.

His aura and holy energy intertwined, coiling into his sword until the blade hummed with destructive resonance.

He brought it down in one devastating arc.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The Kraken’s skull cracked, then burst apart.

The blade cleaved through hardened bone, scales, and enchanted flesh that could withstand cannon fire.

Blood and chunks of bone erupted outward in a sickening spray.

The Kraken’s body convulsed, its scream warping into a guttural moan as its bulk collapsed.

The sea quaked as its titanic form crashed into the waves.

A wall of water rose, towering over the ferry, before slamming down with enough force to nearly capsize it.

Crewmen clung to the rails, shouting in panic.

The deck groaned as ropes snapped and crates rolled across the floor.

Edna who had come onto the top with Medusa held Lillia protectively while Medusa managed a wide smile.

And then, silence.

Only the sound of waves slapping against the Kraken’s corpse remained.

Azel landed atop the slimy head with casual precision, aura clinging to his boots to keep him stable.

His expression was calm, though his nose wrinkled at the foul stench.

"Ugh. I hate the sea," he muttered.

He drew his blade again, plunged it into the Kraken’s skull, and with a single, efficient motion, carved free a glowing crimson jewel.

The monster’s core, pulsing with condensed mana and life force.

He flicked it into his storage ring.

[Hubby, you looked so cool~]

Nyala’s sing-song voice rang in his mind, dripping with mischief.

Azel exhaled heavily, sliding his sword back into its sheath.

’Do you think Kraken meat can be eaten?’ he thought dryly, glancing down at the vast corpse.

A kill this massive... it felt wasteful not to at least try.

[Wellllll, people have tried since the Age of Monsters. But Kraken meat is too scaly, so there’s barely anything edible. And even then, the flesh is poisonous to humans. Great nutrition for sea monsters, though!]

’If you were this knowledgeable about everything, maybe you’d actually be a useful goddess,’ Azel thought, his eyes narrowing.

Nyala gasped dramatically in his head.

[That’s mean!]

Ignoring her pout, Azel hopped off the Kraken’s body.

His aura carried him across the waves, each step light and sharp, like a pebble skimming the surface.

He made his way back toward the ferry, the sea beneath him still red with the monster’s blood.

[Won’t you check on the Executioners?] Nyala teased.

"Meh. Who cares about them? Waste of money anyway." His tone was dismissive.

Back on the ferry, chaos reigned.

The crew was still scrambling to stabilize the ship, dumping water that had surged onto the deck.

Edna stood steady despite the rocking, her silver hair plastered against her cheek from seawater, her sharp eyes tracking Azel’s return.

The two Executioners who had leapt off earlier — the ones supposedly hired for protection were nowhere to be seen.

The crew members had already deployed for a group to search for them, and then Azel landed on the deck.

"T-Thank you for the help, Mr. Azel," The captain said with a bow and Azel waved him off dismissively.

"Let’s get the ship moving before any other Monster gets attracted to the corpse of the Kraken," Azel said and noticed the people searching for the Executioners, "If you don’t find them then that means they’re already dead."