"That damn octopus is here again!"
Rio turned around. The monster was standing directly in front of the ship, its massive body looming over the waves as if it were deliberately blocking their path forward.
The moment everyone saw it, a heavy gloom settled over the deck.
Only a few days ago, they had suffered devastating casualties. Facing an S-rank monster now—especially in their current condition—was nothing short of a nightmare.
Just like last time, the octopus was accompanied by its vast army. The only difference was that none of the monsters above C-rank were present anymore. They had all been slain in the previous battle. Unlike low-rank monsters, high-rank ones were rare; they were not something that could be replaced easily.
Even so, aside from Ms. Anna, no one on the ship was capable of standing against that monster.
As Rio was thinking this, a sudden, piercing pain exploded inside his head.
It wasn't ordinary pain—it was sharp, invasive, and lethal. It struck directly at his consciousness, bypassing his body entirely. Before he could even react, his vision went dark, and he collapsed onto the deck.
Unnoticed by anyone else, a grotesque smile spread across the octopus's massive face. Its tentacles writhed through the air in what looked disturbingly like triumph.
Seeing its reaction, Anna sneered inwardly.
What is this thing so happy about? Does it really think it can win just because I'm injured? (Anna)
During the last battle against the A-rank monsters, Anna had been wounded and had yet to fully recover. But she could tell—this monster hadn't recovered either. And yet, it was behaving as if victory was already assured.
Her expression turned icy.
Anger flared within her—the fury of a mage whose flawless record was being mocked. Her eyes reddened, and a dangerous smile crept across her lips.
"It's been a long time since someone dared to look down on me," she muttered.
"Today, only one of us will walk away alive. I'll chase you into the depths of hell if I have to. A mere monster dares to insult the honor of a mage?"
"If my colleagues heard of this, how could I ever show my face as a fire wizard again?" (Anna)
Her aura erupted outward, crashing toward the monster like a tidal wave.
Yet instead of responding, the octopus turned—and fled.
That only pushed Anna further.
Her smile twisted into something almost unhinged. She cast a flight spell on herself and reinforced the ship with a defensive barrier before launching after the retreating monster without hesitation.
The octopus had barely escaped the range of her magic when the sky ignited.
A storm of fire arrows rained down, so dense it was as if the heavens themselves were burning. Flames swallowed the horizon.
This was the true might of an S-rank mage.
There was a saying in this world:
Never insult the honor of a mage or a knight—even if they appear weak.
That saying existed for a reason.
Once, a low-rank mage had been publicly humiliated by a martial artist for his lack of talent. Driven into madness, the mage absorbed mana recklessly and burned through his own life force to cast an S-rank spell—despite being only B-rank.
The city vanished.
Even warriors with bodies tempered through years of training were reduced to ash.
Knights were no different. Insult a knight's honor, and they would pursue vengeance even at the cost of their own lives.
Because of incidents like these, an unspoken rule formed. Mages and knights were respected wherever they went. Over time, that respect turned into something closer to reverence.
The octopus roared as the flames tore into its body. Enraged, it stopped retreating and lashed out with mana-reinforced tentacles.
It didn't matter.
Anna flicked her wand.
A colossal hand formed from pure blue flames erupted into existence, grabbing the tentacles and incinerating them instantly. While the monster could regenerate them, the process consumed both time and energy. Losing all of them would mean certain death.
Desperate, the monster coated its tentacles with water affinity, forming a defensive layer that shielded them from the flames.
Fire met water.
They clashed endlessly—Anna hurling devastating spells as effortlessly as breathing, the monster desperately defending itself with water-enhanced flesh.
A stalemate formed.
Anna knew that if this dragged on, her mana would eventually deplete. The monster knew the same—its water defenses were being boiled into steam, slowly cooking it from the inside.
Time passed.
Inevitably, the monster reached its limit first.
Unlike mages, monsters did not cultivate or refine their mana. Their reserves were crude and limited. When that power ran dry, their greatest strength—their massive bodies—became a liability.
Without mana to reinforce itself, the octopus began to falter.
Desperation took over.
It threw its body forward, tanking spell after spell as wounds spread across its flesh. But Anna wasn't faring well either. Her breathing grew heavy, her spells slowing.
If this continued, both of them would die here.
They knew it.
And still, neither backed down.
Only death would end this battle.
Then—
The octopus froze.
Its tentacles went slack, slipping lifelessly into the sea. Its massive body paled, sinking slowly beneath the waves, utterly devoid of life.
Anna stared, stunned.
But exhaustion overtook confusion.
She turned back toward the ship and barely made it onto the deck before collapsing. The students rushed her to the healer's office.
Everyone believed the same thing.
Ms. Anna had slain the named monster.
The ship resumed its journey toward the academy. Peace returned.
…For everyone except one.
A Few Hours Earlier
When Rio collapsed, Lia had just stepped out of her room. Though still recovering from exhaustion, she wanted fresh air.
Instead, she found the ship under attack.
Unable to fight, her eyes searched the deck instinctively.
Rio wasn't there.
He had always fought alongside the others. There was no way he would hide during a battle.
Panic crept into her chest.
She searched frantically until she found him collapsed near the back of the ship, alone. His heartbeat was steady.
Relieved, she assumed exhaustion had claimed him—just as it had her.
She took him to the healer, who confirmed he was merely unconscious.
So Lia stayed.
And waited.
Rio's POV
When my consciousness faded, I heard a voice calling out to me.
I looked up.
The octopus loomed over me, just like in that strange dream.
"IT'S BEEN SO LONG! LAST TIME YOU ESCAPED BECAUSE OF THAT MAGE!"
"THIS TIME, YOU WON'T RUN!"
"TODAY, YOU DIE!"
"Who are you?" I demanded. "What do you want from me?" (Rio)
"A RAT LIKE YOU DOESN'T DESERVE TO KNOW ABOUT THE GREAT FRAGMENTS!"
"What fragment?" (Rio)
"JUST DIE!"
Agony tore through me.
Not my body—my soul.
My will.
I understood instantly: if I failed here, I wouldn't die. I'd become an empty shell. A breathing corpse.
Then—
[Ding!]
[Your soul and will are under attack by the named monster 'Karpil'!]
[Warning! Defend your soul and will or face death!]
A named monster…
One that had awakened its true name.
As despair set in, the pain vanished—stopped by something absolute.
[True Immunity has been activated.]
[The attack has been blocked.]
[Energy absorption complete.]
[Counterattack initiated.]
[Counterattack successful.]
[The opponent's soul will have been destroyed.]
Then another message appeared.
[You have killed the holder of the 'unknown fragment,' Karpil.]
[The fragment is being transferred to you.]
"…What?"