On one of the isolated ships, the mercenary Owen regarded the approaching pirates with a casual gaze. It was no wonder that small-time mercenaries like himself would be assigned to the escort fleet on the perimeter. They were essentially fodder, meant to impede the enemy forces, or at the very least, delay them until the main escort fleet arrived. It was a cruel assignment, marred by a long list of deaths; however, it paid very handsomely, assuming one lived to collect at the end. Like the pirates, these mercenaries fought for money! And it took a special mental disposition to survive as a mercenary. People often broke down and quit because they underestimated the life of a mercenary. Those that stayed though were all fundamentally broken in some way and Owen was no different.
Glancing at his ragtag group of mercenaries, he shouted, "It's time to earn your pay, you scum!" much to a roar of excitement. They were itching to battle after sitting around for so long. As Owen suspected, these morons were truly defective in some way. He then did a quick headcount and asked, "Where are the new recruits we picked up?"
"Who knows? Maybe they're hiding below deck?" someone laughed.
"They might be! I did think they looked too scrawny for the job."
"Those poor bastards probably thought they could get some quick and easy money. Getting assigned this as their first job must be traumatic!" another mocked, causing another round of snickers.
"There're always people like this. Why did we have to pick up some dead weight?"
"Prepare for combat! I'll be back!" Owen shouted.
He rushed below deck to their assigned quarters annoyedly. The battle was about to begin, and yet he had to drag a bunch of cowards up! A battle on the sea was very different from a battle on the land because there was no running away here. It was win or die! There were no other options! That meant they had to increase their odds as much as possible, even if it meant having unreliable allies on your side. This calculated and tenacious nature of his was exactly why he could survive in this line of business.
He was about to charge through the door when he froze him in place. Chills rose from his back while sweat rolled down his forehead and his instincts screamed out in danger. He stood paralyzed with fear! Although he danced with death more times than he could count, this feeling was nothing like what he felt before. He knew one thing… certain death awaited him if he opened that door! Yet, as suddenly as that feeling came, it retreated without a trace.
"What is it?" someone inside asked coldly.
The man looked around in confusion. Was he imagining things? He was low on sleep these days, so maybe the threat of imminent battle made him stupid. Scratching his head, he answered, "Pirates are approaching, so I want the three of you joining us up top. We need to defend this ship!"
"Understood. You may leave now."
"Does that mean you're joining us?"
"I said you may leave now," the voice said more forcefully.
Owen gritted his teeth and shouted, "Very well! We'll be waiting for you up top."
Inside, two men were mediating. Although the battle seemed imminent, they had none of the urgency or trepidation that one would expect. It was also not like Owen's casual attitude towards the battle, born from innumerable near-death experiences. Owen no longer viewed it as a life-or-death battle anymore. Whether he lived or died, he left it up to fate. Only the next assignment mattered! On the other hand, these two men did not think the same in the slightest. They looked at the battle from above. Would anyone care for the ants fighting on the roadside? Would anyone care for the grass they stepped on? No. Why? Because they were strong! This battle was too far beneath their notice!
One of them, an older gentleman who radiated a certain nobility and grace, glanced at the person beside him. "You were about to kill him, weren't you?"
The person he addressed was a lively younger man with a vibrant vitality. He seemed to surge with boundless energy. "Do you have a problem with that?" he asked.
"Master instructed us not to draw attention to ourselves. Killing him would go against our master's wishes."
"He was about to charge inside, so I think he got off lightly. Besides, aren't you the pot calling the kettle black? Your sword is half-drawn."
"…You have me there." The gentleman sheathed his sword. "Should we inform master about this? Losing the ship and its crew would be problematic even for people like us."
"You think our master doesn't know already? You can go if you want. I'm not interested." He yawned in boredom before closing his eyes and meditating again.
"You…"
"Hidek and Lanar, deal with the commotion outside," a third voice said from further within the quarters. Although no one could see him, his voice packed unimaginable power behind it. He sounded like a king commanding his subjects to war!
"We shall obey." The two immediately straightened up, bowed, and exited the room with none of the previous leisurely attitude present. They would carry out their master's orders without question!
On the way, Lanar asked, "Why do you suppose master decided to bring us to the Yunyun Stronghold? Do you think we're entering the Second Great Kingdom War?"
"I heard rumors of powerful people involved. Perhaps our master has grown interested."
"You mean how the whole town of Liguang was destroyed? They're probably exaggerating."
"Not just Liguang, but I also heard rumors about how the first Alzar vanguard fleet was nearly wiped out by an unknown enemy. They lost eight thousand people in an instant!" Hidek mentioned grimly.
"We can't even do that and we're the disciples of the Sword King!" Lanar sneered.
"Master told us not to grow arrogant. There may be many lurking tigers or hidden dragons that we don't know of. For example, the Arcellius Family's Protector, Lord Avin Arcellius… I heard he was the first Blue Depth Core Arcanist in hundreds of years. He's someone we need to look out for."
"Blue Depth Core? What a stupid name. What is that supposed to mean?"
"Who knows?"
"Come to think about it, we don't know what our master's Instinct Realm means either. We know that the Fundamental Realm builds on our bodies, while Perception Realm builds on our senses. In that case, does Instinct Realm build on our instincts?"
"Save it for later. We have business to attend to," Hidek said as he drew his sword.
"Fair enough. I wouldn't want to get on master's bad side after all." Lanar also turned serious.
Meanwhile, their master, the Sword King, was meditating. As an Instinct Realm, he knew everything that was happening, even without Owen saying so. Nothing could escape his gaze! Because of this, he was disappointed. He hoped whoever destroyed the Alzar fleet would show up. Bisecting warships with a swarm of white cranes piqued his curiosity since it might be another Instinct Realm swordsman like himself. His battle intent soared. Although he heard about Protector Avin Arcellius, who was allegedly a mythical Blue Depth Core Arcanist, he had zero interest in fighting an Arcanist. It would not be exciting at all; a true clash of swords was what he wanted! As they say, to stand at the top was to stand alone. He had no peers nor rivals to motivate him further and he had no way to measure his progress anymore. This wretched feeling of stagnation was agonizing to someone like him.
Worst yet, he was treading new territory. He had surpassed his master, the previous Sword King before him, and all other generations of Sword Kings. He was the first Instinct Realm in over a century! What did that mean? Unlike the Perception Realm, which was well documented and had an abundance of people to draw experience from, the Instinct Realm was truly the unknown. He was fumbling in the dark looking for answers, paving a path towards destinations unknown. He could be headed in the completely wrong direction for all that he knew! Becoming an Instinct Realm might sound grand and amazing, but his rate of growth grinded to a halt. As much as it pained him to admit, he was an Instinct Realm Novice. His understanding of the Instinct Realm was incredibly shallow! What did the Instinct Realm represent? Truthfully, he did not know. He had yet to fully unlock the mysteries behind this new realm.