Chapter 52 - Feast of the Monstrous Seagulls
Horrified by the scene in front of him, Luke clenched his fists, but all he could do was watch as the seagulls screamed with joy, laughing at the whale calves they were devouring. One of them grabbed a calf's head and pecked at it with all its might, tearing out what seemed to be a brain. The others laughed and did the same. They chewed it with pleasure. Luke saw one of them lying on the opened calf, adorning itself with its entrails as if they were jewels.
"Bastards…" Luke muttered.
To Luke, it was one thing to kill in self-defense or according to one's nature, like a carnivorous animal that had to kill its prey to eat. But these seagulls, even though they hadn't killed the whale, were celebrating and mocking its death. They had gone beyond eating to survive; these seagulls were malevolent. It was the cruelty of corruption in a more intelligent animal.
In contrast to his reflection, in front of him was a flock of seagulls having fun showing off the calves' bodies.
Tsk…
Luke clicked his tongue.
Who am I kidding? I'm not stupid enough to get angry and go 'avenge' a dead monster that would have certainly devoured me. It's just nature taking its course… but these damn seagulls…
He grew tired of thinking and was now worried about his own safety. After all, those creatures had enough intelligence to act as a group. If they decided to kill him, they could. Luke began to think about how to confront them; the first thing that came to mind was…
Fire! I could try to use the torch to scare them. But… it's just a measly torch against a giant seagull almost 2 meters tall…
My hammer isn't a blade; I could try to smash these things, but I don't know how strong they are. The real problem is their beaks; I'm sure if one of them pecked me, I'd be done for. From what I've seen, they probably have a Transmitter Segment. Do they apply concentrated prana in their beaks? So, it's possible to focus prana in a specific part to make it more powerful. I personally saw them tear apart a monstrous whale and pierce the skull of a monstrous whale calf.
They might be weaker than the weird creatures from the Veil, but they're still dangerous. They're of Sinister Peculiar rank or even Devourer Peculiar rank. The wolves I faced don't even compare to them; I think they'd play with the wolves and eat them alive… so the creature's intelligence could also be a factor in its danger level.
I need to think about how to get out of this situation. I have my intangibility… but I'm in a damned open field. I can't do anything. What wall can I find to hide in this damn place? My only option is the ground, but I don't know if that's possible. The last time I went through a floor, it was because I knew there was a basement beneath that house. Even then, it wasn't easy. As soon as my body passed through the floor, my intangibility wavered, and I ended up falling onto the basement floor, becoming tangible again… if I try to do the same here, I risk falling endlessly, and I'll just bury myself alive when my power runs out or I become tangible and die under this sand. I'm completely screwed.
What a mess!
I can't handle a damned seagull, so why did I come this far then? That black god could literally create a weapon with his body, leap, have super strength, stretch his body of sand and slime… the bastard was even a walking armor. And the worst part was, he wasn't even my real god, just a puppet of his… I'm screwed… wait, puppet?
Luke quickly checked his status to try to force something.
[Name: Lucan
Age: 16
Gem: Ember
Color: Orange
Segment: Dissident
Element: Void
Description: You are someone empty inside and out; you are a being of emptiness.
Abilities: [Intangibility], [Master of Puppets]
[Intangibility]: One who inherits the Void must empty themselves. Your intangibility allows you to pass through inanimate objects.
[Master of Puppets]: Your Void has absorbed a powerful control curse. In the end, the power that tried to control the Void failed because the Void is infinite.]
Lucan stared at the mysterious ability he had acquired after nearly dying from the curse of the notebook.
This doesn't tell me anything. So what if my Void absorbed something? What does that even mean? Somehow, I survived the notebook, but what's the use of this ability? It's listed as an ability, but how do I use it? What's it for?
He rubbed his eyes.
This is just complicating things. I need to deal with the situation in front of me now. I need to protect myself from these insane seagulls.
In the end, Luke remained on high alert, sitting and watching the seagulls from a distance as they devoured the calves. His only option was to fight. His hammer was ready at his side for any movement, and he placed his knife within easy reach.
He spent all that time observing them, trying to resonate with the prana constantly, exposing his body to different pranas. He wanted to see if he could improve his prana perception ability. According to the girls, this was something a Deviant would learn over time as they were exposed to more diverse pranas. The amount of prana one was exposed to also somehow improved the opening of this prana perception channel. Luke was sitting near the corpse of a Superior Rank or Supreme Rank monster, not to mention the insane seagulls. He was concentrating all his prana on this. Doing this didn't make a Deviant stronger, but by being exposed to it, he could try to understand how prana behaved and work on his own prana while observing others using it.
Luke was trying to learn how those insane seagulls used the prana in their bodies to peck with such force. He constantly tried to activate the resonance that allowed him to feel a little and deduce their rank. Doing this was like watching someone wrap a present, the most idiotic description he could think of, but it was something like that. You could only learn to wrap a box by watching someone else do it first and then trying to imitate them. Unlike riding a bicycle, which could be challenging but simpler because there were pedals to generate momentum, wrapping something required delicacy, strength, and dexterity. Observing the seagulls focusing prana in their beaks might have been monstrous, but it was an observational experience he could never have in the Veil or elsewhere. When would he have the chance to see deranged monsters up close without them deciding to attack? Perhaps never. He wasn't a noble who could train with a Deviant teacher or be taken by his family to practice his training with weaker monsters in a controlled environment.
The Deviant Academy was also a place for the exchange of information and knowledge. Many students could practice with each other and share tips on prana usage. Students could find others with the same Segment and more experience, but Luke didn't have that. He was thrown into the middle of a hellish, unknown zone, and he needed to use everything he had to stay alive. Observing the bizarre scene was infuriating, but invaluable. He hadn't had time to ask Alice and Anna more questions before they left, and he still needed to discover how to unlock his Aspect. As a Dissident, he had the advantage of at least having one Aspect to unlock. It was an absolute certainty that Dissidents would have at least one Aspect, and with luck, they might unlock a second, reaching the pinnacle of Dissidents. A Deviant from another Segment rarely managed to unlock an Aspect; those who did were exceptionally talented. Dissidents didn't have the other prana Segment uses, but their deficiency was compensated by the guarantee of having an Aspect, and with luck, two.
Drinking from his canteen, he didn't dare take his eyes off the crazed seagulls. The entire time, he remained vigilant, observing the creatures. After eating the calves, some lay on the whale while others went inside it.
Due to the massive hole already in the whale's chest, much blood flowed out, widening the gash. Luke could see some seagulls lying inside the whale amidst the blood.
The seagulls might be weak compared to other monsters, but they had something Luke valued. Something he himself had and used: intelligence. An intelligent beast is dangerous, regardless of its size. He knew those creatures were intelligent enough to act together in an attack, and they were crazy. The issue was that he was too...
I'm showing my weapon. Do they understand that even if I'm going to die, I'll at least take one or two with me? I'm counting on them knowing this and deciding not to attack for fear of being one of the unlucky ones to die with me. They definitely know they can beat me, but the question is: are they willing to do it at the risk of dying? They don't need to since they're well-fed. Let's see what they do. Although I prefer they do nothing, I just need these things to get tired and go home to the mainland so I can follow them.
Luke sighed.
Anna can heal and is learning to be an Emissary, making her more deadly. Alice is a walking thunderstorm. If anything touches her, it'll get shocked—I know from experience. I also saw her fight a water spirit and come back alive. She withstood a water ball that blew up a stone building. I know that if she gave it her all, she'd cause significant damage to these seagulls, especially since they're standing in water. I'm definitely the most useless in the group. What can I do? Look through a door... what a useless ability.
Luke frowned while complaining in his thoughts.
Would it have killed that guy to give me a cool ability? I'd be happy with the ability to create weapons... I'd easily take that sand and liquid hand of his that stretched. Intangibility is useless in combat... and the ability name is 'intangibility,' and I can't even pass through living things. What's the point? And I can't see inside a wall, so why move within one?
I definitely don't want to die to a bunch of insane seagulls, not when I know they'll play with my dead body and parade around with my organs. I faced an Undine and survived... I need to think of something. Though I didn't really fight the Undine, I just took a beating while waiting for my plan to work. I haven't really fought these monsters; I've just tried to find their weakness based on what I had available. I need better items. The Midnight Cloak is performing miracles, but without a good weapon, I'm useless. I'm the most useless in the group.
Night was falling, the sunset nearing its end. Luke watched the seagulls, satisfied with their meal, now asleep on the whale. Some were inside the whale, others outside, but they were tired and content. Luke could tell by their faces.
Suddenly, a deafening sound erupted. Luke and the seagulls were startled.