Standing on the sea's surface, Liam held his black sword in a vigilant stance. The sharks within his line of sight immediately rushed toward him, their sharp teeth emerging from the water, snapping at Liam. He leaped high, avoiding the deadly jaws, and followed up with a powerful slash to the head of a shark while still in mid-air. The force of the strike whistled through the air, severing the shark's head instantly. Blood from the slain shark poured out, creating a large red stain across the water.
Sensing that one of their own had died, the other sharks no longer attacked Liam blindly. They swam around him, waiting for the right moment.
"Whoa... Amazing... My slash was... terrifying." Holding the black sword now stained red, Liam couldn't help but be amazed. He thought to himself that if there were a contest to see who could deliver the strongest slash, even the strongest person on Earth could never defeat him. This was the difference between someone who had leveled up and a regular person.
As he was reveling in the sensation of his power, a shark suddenly launched itself from beneath the water right in front of him. Reacting instinctively, Liam immediately dropped his sword. He grabbed the shark's jaws with both hands, grimacing from the pain as its sharp teeth dug into his flesh. Blood started dripping from his fingers.
Liam immediately flexed his muscles, attempting to tear the shark's jaw apart. The shark struggled, but soon only the motionless image of the shark and its lower jaw remained in Liam's hands. It was a bloody sight, and now the entire area was stained with a large red pool.
"I was too careless..." Liam sighed, silently scolding himself. If he had still been a normal person, he would have been bitten and dragged underwater to become the shark's prey.
"That will be the last time..." He picked up the black sword, which was about to sink into the sea, and assumed a battle stance. What followed was a one-sided slaughter. Although the fight was tough for Liam, with the overwhelming power of the Force, he easily dominated the sharks.
On the ship, James yawned as he watched Liam. "Maybe what he said is true... His fighting style is so clumsy. He swings that sword around like he's never used one before."
All around Liam were now the floating corpses of dead sharks. The sight of dismembered bodies and pools of blood made the scene somewhat horrific. This was Liam's victory, though it hadn't gone as smoothly as he had hoped. He had been bitten by the sharks, but his injuries quickly healed thanks to the power of the Force.
"It's finally over." Liam sighed in relief, feeling as though a heavy burden had been lifted. He scanned the area one last time to make sure there were no more sharks. His previous carelessness had taught him a lesson. After confirming there were no more threats, he climbed back onto the ship.
The first thing he saw was James, who seemed unharmed. It made sense—someone who had lived in constant danger was different from someone like Liam, who was new to this world.
"Stay on this ship for me now. We'll wait for my grandfather. And don't cause any more trouble." James looked at Liam with a warning gaze.
"Alright... I'll follow every—" Suddenly, a massive light brown tentacle appeared behind James. Noticing something strange, Liam immediately shouted in alarm.
"Watch out behind you!"
James flinched and quickly turned around. His body shuddered, and he hurriedly tried to retreat, but he was too late. The massive tentacle wrapped tightly around him, giving him no chance to escape. Then, red flames erupted from James's body.
"Ah…" James screamed in pain as the tentacle squeezed him, making him feel as though his body was being crushed. The flames emanating from him clearly weren't enough to make the tentacle let go. He looked like a witch being burned at the stake, crying out from the searing heat.
"Damn it! Why can't things ever be peaceful?" Liam yelled and immediately rushed forward, slashing at the tentacle with all his strength. But all he felt was the trembling of his sword reverberating through his hands.
"Damn... It's as hard as steel…" He grimaced, continuously hacking at it until his sword started to show signs of wear and tear. But that was his last chance. It seemed the Kraken had realized something was wrong and moved the tentacle elsewhere. Liam watched helplessly as James writhed in pain, still tightly bound by the tentacle.
"Channel... the Force into your sword!" James managed to grit out through clenched teeth as he resisted the crushing pressure.
"How do I do that?" Liam shouted back as he watched James being squeezed by the tentacle from afar.
There was no response, but time wasn't on his side. Other massive tentacles appeared one after another, wrapping around the ship. The ship began to crack under the immense pressure.
"What should I do?" In the dire situation, countless options flashed through his mind. He could choose to flee and leave James behind. That was clearly the easiest and safest choice, but he knew he would regret it if he acted that way. Because that wasn't who he was. He didn't want to live with that regret. If it came to that, he'd rather die.
"Will that work?" Liam clutched his head as thoughts raced through his mind.
"Damn... He doesn't seem like he can hold on much longer." Without hesitation, Liam dived into the sea as the flames around James began to weaken. Submerged, the sight before him was that of a massive Kraken. Its head was below, with gigantic tentacles wrapped tightly around the ship. Seeing the monstrous creature, Liam couldn't help but tremble. It made sense; this was the first time he had seen such a beast, having only encountered them in movies before.
Instinctively, he thought of running. But he stopped himself, biting his lip so hard that he tasted blood. With a determined look, he immediately swam toward the Kraken. It seemed the Kraken hadn't noticed him yet.
Seizing the opportunity, Liam unleashed a surge of energy and swiftly swam to the Kraken's head. By the time the Kraken realized Liam was there, it was too late. Liam slashed with all his might, driving the sword deep into its eye.
Feeling excruciating pain, the Kraken thrashed violently. The surrounding water turned into powerful waves, pushing everything away. Its remaining eye glared at Liam with fury and hatred. It abandoned everything else and lashed out at him with its tentacles.
"I need to get out of here," Liam thought as his plan seemed to have worked perfectly. He quickly dodged the incoming tentacles and swam as fast as he could to escape. Realizing that its attacker was trying to flee, the Kraken abandoned the ship and pursued him.
"Good... Chase after me." Feeling the Kraken closing in, Liam swiftly surfaced and ran, knowing that swimming was not his strength compared to these creatures.
As soon as he reached the surface, the tentacles began to emerge, creating powerful waves that made it difficult for him to stay balanced. He struggled to steady himself and ran as fast as he could.
Meanwhile, James gritted his teeth in pain as he knelt on the water's surface. His arms had lost all strength due to the Kraken's crushing grip. If it went on any longer, he could be completely crushed. The thought made him shudder, and he silently berated himself for letting his guard down. He looked ahead and saw the monster chasing Liam.
"He's using himself as bait... so it'll release me." James smiled bitterly.
"It's a clever plan... But it's stupid."
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out:
"What's going on here?" The voice was urgent, demanding an immediate answer.
Hearing the sound, James immediately turned toward the source and spoke with a hint of urgency:
"Grandpa…"
With just a glance, his grandfather assessed the situation. His face no longer held its usual calm and wisdom. He was truly furious.