William arrived at the back of the ship with Branik and Renno, both visibly pumped, like kids about to pull off a prank. Behind them, a few curious sailors followed, chuckling and whispering—they knew exactly what was about to go down. At the end of the group stood Captain Thenerev, watching silently, arms crossed, like a hawk keeping his eyes on them.
Branik tossed William a makeshift harness.
—"Here you go, rookie. You'll want to stay attached... just in case."
—"Tie it tight across your chest," added Renno, helping him with the knots. "And don't worry. If something eats you, we'll at least be able to drag up your ribs."
William pulled off his shirt, leaving only his pants, and let Renno strap the rope across his chest like a climbing harness.
—"You ready?" Branik asked, grinning.
—"I guess," William replied, uncertain but trying to stay cool.
Renno raised his sword and flashed a wild smile.
—"Time to fish!"
And with that, they both jumped into the water—bare-chested, swords in hand, like maniacs.
William blinked.
Fishing?
He didn't get it, but it didn't feel too bad. Back in his old life—before the betrayal—swimming had been his escape. Hours in the water, alone with his thoughts. He loved it.
Taking a deep breath and gripping his sword, William jumped in.
The second he hit the water, the cold punched the air out of him—but that wasn't what froze his blood.
They were right there.
Monsters.
Sharks. Not small ones. Massive, ten-meter-long beasts with razor-teeth and dead, soulless eyes.
His heart skipped.
—"Holy shit—!" he tried to yell, but water rushed into his mouth, bubbles bursting toward the surface as he kicked frantically upward.
He broke through the surface, gasping.
—"SHARKS! GET OUT! EVERYONE, GET OUT NOW!"
He looked around.
Branik, Renno, the others—they were floating calmly, laughing.
—"Where? I don't see anything," Branik said, playing dumb.
—"Look at him! Pale as a ghost!" another sailor howled.
Even Captain Thenerev was smiling on deck, fighting back laughter.
One of the sailors gave a thumbs-up, then motioned with his hand to dive.
—"Come on down, pup!" Renno shouted before vanishing under the surface.
Shame mixed with curiosity. William grit his teeth and dove.
Beneath the waves, all hell had broken loose.
Renno was a blur of motion. With a single swing, he cleaved a shark in half like it was paper. The water turned crimson as more beasts were cut down one after another.
William stared in shock, completely frozen.
—"Angel," he called out mentally, "analyze those things!"
—Name: Colossus Shark. Strength: 15. Agility: 6. Vitality: 24. Threat Level: Equivalent to a Level 1 Knight, replied Angel.
William blinked.
"These things are knight-level... and they're getting shredded like tuna cans."
He almost forgot—this wasn't Earth anymore. Nothing here followed the old rules.
While he floated there, trying to process, one shark—bloody and furious—turned its gaze on him. It had tried to flee, but every exit was blocked.
Now it knew the truth: it was being used as training bait for the cub in front of it.
It lost its mind.
It charged.
William barely had time to raise his sword before it bit down—hard. The impact rattled his entire body. Something cracked inside his ribs.
—"Shit—!"
The shark didn't stop. It snapped at him again and again, spinning around him like a whirlwind of teeth. William blocked what he could, but the hits hurt. Every one left bruises, cuts, fractures. He couldn't counter—he was panicking.
—Move left. Down. Spin. Guard high! Angel's voice came rapid-fire, saving him by seconds.
But it wasn't enough. The water slowed him, dulled his movements.
—"Angel! I can't hold—!"
—I've got a plan. Just hold... one more second.
The shark charged again, this time with everything it had.
William let it hit.
He dropped his sword, let the momentum spin him onto the beast's back, and latched onto its gills with all his strength. The shark thrashed, roaring in pain.
Holding on for dear life, William drew the knife from his belt and started stabbing—over and over—into the soft tissue.
Blood blinded him. The water pulsed with rage and death.
Then... stillness.
He could feel it. Something entered him—but it wasn't blood. It wasn't physical. Angel said nothing. No alerts. No warnings.
But William felt it.
An energy—raw, deep—slipping into his bones and muscles like fire, like strength.
He dragged the body up.
The sailors were waiting, cheering.
—"Did you see his face? I thought he'd piss himself!"
—"You did good, pup," Renno said, slapping his back. "Really damn good."
They hoisted the sharks up onto the ship.
—"This is how you get stronger," said Branik, watching the deck stain red. "You kill beasts bigger than you. No idea why, but every time you do... you grow. Eat 'em too, and you grow more."
It sounded like tribal superstition. But William knew better. He had felt the change.
That night, after the feast, he returned to his cabin.
—"Angel. Report."
—Strength: 5.0. Dexterity: 5.0. Vitality: 5.0.
He froze.
For a full year, he'd been stuck at 4.9—no matter how hard he trained, how much he bled. But now...
This was different.
Angel explained.
—Crossing 5.0 triggered new neural pathways in your muscles. You've unlocked a higher level of control over your body.
William looked at his hands.
The numbers were almost the same—but he wasn't.
—"I could kill five of me from this morning... with one arm," he muttered, smiling to himself.