Chapter 146: Swallowed by the Sea God

A massive explosion sent me flying like a sheet of paper caught in a storm.

The monster had merely looked at me, yet an attack of such insane power had gone off. And inside my body, no less.

That skill is practically cheating, isn’t it?

Fortunately, I hadn’t taken serious damage from the anglerfish monster’s attack. Luckily, I had greatly increased my defense with Extreme Choice beforehand. If I had switched stances to attack, that last blow might have killed me.

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

—Hmm? Why are you still alive?

The anglerfish monster’s thundering telepathic waves poured out relentlessly. Even though it was only a voice ringing in my head, it made me feel like throwing up.

So this is what a mental attack feels like.

Tap! Shaaaah!

I twisted my body in mid-air and scraped my feet across the ground upon landing. I had come down on the rocky hill where the ballista had been installed.

“Hiiik!”

Hearing a strange noise, I looked to the side and saw a pirate sprawled out with a deathly pale face. Judging from the broken ballista and his injured leg, he seemed to have been struck by a snapped bowstring.

“Do you guys know what that monster is?”

“You mean the Sea God?”

“Yeah. When did it show up here?”

I asked naturally, but there was no answer. He probably didn’t want to give information to the enemy.

So I tried to appeal to him.

“I have a potion with me. It’s really effective on external injuries. Made by a sorcerer from Nermeia.”

“So what?”

“I’m saying if you answer well, I might give it to you. If you don’t like trading with the enemy, I’ll just leave it here. We can pretend I was talking to myself.”

“Hmm.”

I could practically hear the gears turning in his head. Soon, the pirate nodded quickly.

“You have to keep your promise.”

“What are you talking about? I just lost one potion.”

As soon as I set the potion bottle down, he snatched it up. He applied some to his leg, then shrugged with a satisfied expression.

“It really is a potion. Ask me anything.”

“When did that thing start staying here?”

“It hasn’t been long since it came to our hideout. But it’s helped us a lot.”

“For example?”

“It tells us which ships are good targets for raiding and where they’re headed.”

“I see. Then it would be especially easy to target only the Schultz Trading Company, right?”

“Of course.”

Now I understood. This was how a mid-sized pirate crew like Billigert had been getting such real-time information. Simple help from the navy alone couldn’t have allowed them to hit only the Schultz Company so precisely.

“But why did it do that? If the Sea God was giving you information, you could have raided other trading companies too.”

“I don’t know. I just did what the admiral ordered.”

Well, this guy was just a crew member following orders. The real reasons were probably known only by Admiral Baileys and Captain Hook.

I quickly snatched the potion bottle from the pirate’s hand.

“Huh? That’s not what you promised! How can you give and then take back?”

“I just found the potion I had lost. Besides, your leg is already healed. Now get lost.”

A wound like that would have been fine with just half the potion. He had probably been planning to sell the rest anyway. Giving him this much was already quite merciful.

At least I healed his leg.

Of course, that won’t save him from punishment.

Watching the pirate scamper away like his tail was on fire, I gave a meaningful smile.

Then I turned my gaze toward where the anglerfish monster stood. It was quietly staring at me, tilting its head as if observing something fascinating.

—I have one question.

“Didn’t you hear what I was saying to that guy earlier? You think I’ll answer you nicely?”

—Ah……..

I couldn’t read its expression because of its bizarre appearance, but it was clearly flustered. It fumbled around inside its scales as if it had pockets, like an otter.

Soon, it pulled something out. But there was nothing in its hand. It simply pointed its index finger at me.

“Ah?”

—You’re trying to negotiate with me? What a crazy bastard.

At that moment.

Tap-tap-tap-tap! Kwarararararang!

A sound like something catching fire rang out, and chain explosions began erupting around the rocky hill. Because the distance was greater this time, they didn’t explode inside my body. However, the situation became even more troublesome.

There’s no place to stand!

The moment I sensed danger, I dodged desperately, but I was still on the narrow rocky hill. I moved to where the other ballista had been, but the explosions chased after me instantly. Everywhere the anglerfish monster’s gaze landed, things exploded with a bang.

How easy must it be to aim?

Wait, it can do continuous explosions too?!

I considered this absurd ability pure cheating. Just looking caused massive explosions. And being able to chain dozens of them in a row was honestly…

“Total bullshit!”

Whether I shouted or not, the explosions continued without end. But they didn’t go on forever. Once I hid in the water beyond the rocky hill, the damn skill finally stopped.

So it only activates when the target is in its line of sight.

With the explosions over, I finally had a moment to catch my breath. I had roughly figured out the anglerfish monster’s ability. Its thick hide and mucus-covered skin seemed to provide high defense. It would probably be hard to damage it without using both Extreme Choice and Destructive Retribution at the same time.

The real problem was whether I could withstand the endless explosions while in high-attack-power mode—that is, in my glass-body state.

No matter how fast I am, I can’t dodge them all. This hideout has very limited footing.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized this was an incredibly difficult opponent to defeat.

“But it’s been staying still for quite a while. Is its mobility bad?”

Hah!

Since emerging from the trap, the anglerfish monster hadn’t moved a single step. It probably believed it could suppress its opponent just by looking at them. But even after I hid, it showed no reaction?

“That can’t be…”

I was about to say something negative when I stopped. An unimaginable sight had unfolded before me.

I wasn’t the only one who called it an anglerfish monster. The pirates referred to it as the Sea God. That meant it must be incredibly good at swimming. It couldn’t have earned such a name if it couldn’t even swim properly.

“I’m screwed.”

The anglerfish monster’s head poked slightly above the water’s surface. In that short time, it had circled the island and arrived here.

I unconsciously cursed. Even while swearing, I quickly began running away.

Crackle! Kwaaaang!

—There is nowhere for you to run. Once you entered this place, your only fate was to become my prey! Kahaha!

The monster laughed wildly as it gouged out the rocky hill, causing large-scale explosions in places where I might be hiding.

This is by far the strongest being I’ve encountered so far. Its presence is on a completely different level.

Feltron had lost most of his authority, and while Shugl and Delria were quite powerful, this thing easily surpassed demi-gods or demi-demons.

The stupid squirrel was one thing, but who was the latter?

The guardian deity of Delriat. The one I had beaten up thinking it was a disaster.

The anglerfish monster was on a whole other level.

Killing intent is binding my entire body.

Not only did it cause explosions with its gaze, it was now restricting my movements with sheer pressure. Could it really be the Sea God, just like the pirates said?

Doubt and anxiety crept up slowly.

Just as I was about to kick off the lower part of the rocky hill to move—

Slip! Crack!

An ominous sound rang out as my foot slid out from under me. There had been seaweed or something, and I had stepped on it without noticing.

“Damn it!”

I felt my body float into the air. This meant I would be hit by the monster’s explosion ability. Up until now I had avoided it before the attack completed, but this time I couldn’t.

—How careless in such a disadvantageous situation. You deserve to die.

Crackle! KWAHAAAAANG—!

Along with the anglerfish monster’s mocking voice, the explosion engulfed my entire body. A tremendous shock and heat assaulted me.

But suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Huh? I can endure this?

As I was blasted far away, I quickly checked my condition. My hat had flown off and my clothes were slightly burned, but I wasn’t injured. It seemed the defense boost from Extreme Choice had done its job.

That meant I couldn’t switch to attack power.

How am I supposed to take this thing down? Should I just charge in like this?

I probably wouldn’t die even if I took a few hits. I began kicking off the rocky hill repeatedly to build speed. Running diagonally, I closed the distance to the anglerfish monster.

It was stubbornly sticking to chain explosions. It probably thought I was still just running away like before.

Perfect timing. The opponent was letting its guard down noticeably.

“Hah!”

Thud! Kwaang!

I let out a battle cry and kicked hard off the rocky hill. The moment my body left the ground, a loud boom erupted right behind me. The anglerfish monster’s eyes filled with madness. It seemed to think this was its chance.

“Heh heh! You think so?”

I smiled coldly and swung Hector Punisher.

Destructive Retribution Activated

Shwaaaaak! Fwoosh—!

A massive pillar of light stabbed into the anglerfish monster’s chest. Because of its slippery mucus, I had aimed for the widest possible area. Fortunately, the attack neither bounced off nor missed.

The problem was that the monster’s deeply caved-in body recovered almost instantly.

“Eh?”

Kekeke! Did you really think a mere hammer strike could fell me?

Honestly, I hadn’t expected it to take almost no damage. Even though Extreme Choice had drastically reduced my attack power, it was still Destructive Retribution. It had enough power to pulverize most buildings, yet all it did was make the monster jiggle like in a cartoon.

No matter how I thought about it, this thing was beyond imagination. And the opponent was already preparing a counterattack. It seemed the previous blow hadn’t even tickled it.

I need to dodge now! Summon!

I stretched out my right hand. Hector Punisher flew toward me at tremendous speed and I caught it. Using the impact, I tried to change direction in mid-air. I needed to head back toward the rocky hill to have any chance of evading.

But suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over me. The bright sunlight vanished in an instant, leaving a chilling sensation.

“What is this?”

When I looked up, I saw a disgusting ceiling covered in horrible protrusions.

Gulp!

My vision went completely dark. It seemed the anglerfish monster had swallowed me whole. I felt myself being pushed inward, mixed with unpleasant saliva.

Most people would have given up on life at this point. Falling into a monster’s digestive system meant they were as good as dead.

But my thoughts were different.

This is actually the perfect opportunity, isn’t it?

No matter how high its defense was on the outside, the inside couldn’t be that tough. The same should apply to the anglerfish monster. Its esophagus and stomach wouldn’t be covered in mucus and thick hide. Plus, there was no risk of explosion attacks in here.

Vrrrr!

[Choice: ‘Attack Power’]

You will enter ‘Glass Body’ state.

Extreme Choice Activated

I gripped Hector Punisher tightly. Then I aimed deep into the anglerfish monster’s body.

It was time for my counterattack.