"Damned! They are so arrogant! A mere handful of people, and they dare to demand that we kill five of our own every day?" A young wizard apprentice, whose voice rang with righteous indignation, shouted, his face turning crimson as he bellowed. In his fury, he slammed his steel knife down onto the deck with a loud bang.
The fact that he could drive the knife into the deck showed he possessed some strength.
However, many others scoffed at him. The sailors had already departed, and only now was he posturing. What a joke…
Though they sneered, a number of wizard apprentices still gathered around him, for they all shared a common enemy. In their hearts, the apprentices looked down on the filthy sailors, considering them beneath themselves.
In fact, if they were to think about it, the sailors numbered over a dozen, which was enough to give the apprentices three days of peace.
"Since five have already died today, let it be. Tomorrow, we…"
...
The next day, the faceless masked wizard stood on the deck, counting the number of people aboard. After a brief pause, the wizard chuckled wickedly. "Five are missing. It seems you've begun to grasp the mindset of a true wizard. Heh, not bad, not bad. Looks like I won't need to intervene today."
With that, the wizard retreated to his tent, leaving the rest to their own devices. Girom, Yili, Bibeliana, and the First Mate followed, and soon the ship was divided into two distinct factions: the sailors and the wizard apprentices.
Though the sailors were few in number, their strength and martial skills made them formidable. Even a group of three or five apprentices would struggle to defeat one of them in a fight. On the other side, the apprentices numbered nearly four hundred, their overwhelming advantage in numbers clear. Yet, they were fragmented into numerous factions, and their unity was questionable at best.
The sailors sensed the tense atmosphere but did not rush in to attack a small group like the previous day. Instead, one of the strongest among them stepped forward, shouting, "What's this? Haven't you prepared your five sacrifices yet?"
"We won't let our comrades die! If anyone's to die, it'll be you!" The apprentice who had led the charge yesterday shouted from the crowd, though he had no intention of stepping forward.
Surprisingly, a few naive apprentices, or perhaps those pushed from behind, charged toward the dozen or so sailors. Behind them, others followed, some blindly, others with growing impatience, pushing ahead.
"You seek death!" The lead sailor bellowed, sidestepping one apprentice's charge. With a flash of malice on his face, he swung his blade, severing the apprentice's head.
The head rolled into the crowd, the body stumbling a few steps before collapsing.
Meanwhile, three other apprentices dashed forward, only to be struck down by the sailors' overwhelming strength. Upon seeing the four dead apprentices, the sailor leader cast a calculating glance at one of the nearest apprentices.
The apprentice at the front froze, terror gripping him. No one was foolish enough to throw their life away. Behind him, the crowd began to push forward, some anxiously asking if the sailors had been slain.
The apprentice singled out was none other than Ba Yi's companion, "Rat," whom Ba Yi had summoned on the first day when he clashed with Yorkris.
Rat, his heart pounding with fear, gripped his axe, hands trembling. "Who pushed me forward?" he cursed silently, glancing behind him. No one was willing to advance. The monstrous Andrew, whom he had once relied upon, had been killed by a true sea beast. There was no one left to help him.
Looking around with his triangular eyes, he noticed the approaching sailor leader and the blood dripping from the sailor's blade. In a moment of desperation, Rat suddenly swung his axe at a nearby female apprentice.
The sound of impact was followed by her body crumpling to the ground, half of her skull shattered.
"That's five! That's enough! We don't need to fight among ourselves anymore!" Rat cried, his voice filled with excitement. The sailor leader, clearly surprised by Rat's quick decision, hesitated for a moment before giving a cold laugh and leading his men away.
"Ah! Bastard, I'll kill you!" A male apprentice shouted, his face red with fury as he glared at Rat. It was clear he was the dead woman's companion. Rat flinched, but the vengeful apprentice was quickly restrained by the others.
What was the point of getting involved now?
Every apprentice was precious, and no one wanted to die. Since no one was willing to sacrifice themselves, someone else had to take their place. In truth, Rat and the vengeful apprentice had no personal connection, and it would be best if they both died. But, given that the required five had already been killed, a further death would be a disgraceful waste. As a result, the others "kindly" stopped the apprentice from seeking vengeance.
Another long day passed, and Green and his companions still stayed together in one room. In such tense times, no one dared to be alone.
The following day, the faceless masked wizard praised them for completing the task before leaving.
After a brief silence, without the sailors lifting a finger, the apprentices began to turn on each other. At the center of the chaos were Rat and the apprentice who had yelled for vengeance the previous day. The latter had now summoned an ally.
On the other side, Rat had also summoned a helper—Ba Yi, the one who had clashed with Yorkris on the first day.
The two sides soon clashed in a brutal fight. Surprisingly, despite his unkempt appearance, Rat fought fiercely, holding his own in the life-or-death struggle. The battle raged on.
However, as with all such battles, a victor emerged. Moments later, Ba Yi was struck in the back by the opposing duo, gravely injured, and ultimately fell after a fatal blow. Desperate, Rat found his final strength and, in his last act, dragged a victim down with him. The duel ended with the vengeful apprentice standing victorious.
But before the vengeful apprentice could savor his revenge or mourn his fallen friend, a short sword plunged into his back, emerging from his chest.
The killer vanished into the crowd.
Simultaneously, Yorkris roared, "You seek death!"
It turned out that in the chaos, someone had targeted Yorkrianna. It made sense—she appeared weak, and with one eye injured, she was forced to stay by Yorkris's side. She was an easy target.
After all, four people had already died, and one more would complete the required five.
The assailant was a tall male apprentice, his demeanor calm as he attempted a stealthy strike. But when he failed, he swiftly sheathed his dagger and tried to melt into the crowd. Just then, a massive vine shot up from the ground and coiled around him, rendering him immobile. In his panic, Yorkris cleaved his head off with a single swing.
"Bastard!" Yorkris cursed, her face splattered with blood.
Green rushed over, glaring at the crowd, and pulled Yorkris back into the group. But since the five deaths had already been met, there were no further incidents. Many were shocked, however, as they turned their eyes toward Lafi.
Clearly, an apprentice who could wield magic carried immense influence, and from this moment on, no one would dare to provoke Green's group. Even the sailors, stunned by the magic on display, looked at Lafi with newfound respect.
Days passed, and the tension aboard the ship grew unbearable. Nearly everyone aboard eagerly awaited their arrival at the destination. Each morning felt like a descent into hell.
The ship's hierarchy was clear: the highest rank belonged to the terrifying faceless wizard, along with the First Mate, Solam, Yili, Bibeliana, and a few others. These individuals, above all others, ruled the ship, responsible only for counting heads and rationing mushrooms.
The second tier consisted of the sailors and a small group of apprentices, like Lafi, who had mastered magic. As the days passed, more apprentices revealed their magical abilities, and soon five were known to possess such powers, earning the title "The Five Kings" among the apprentices.
The lowest tier consisted of the remaining apprentices, who, after the morning headcount, were forced to fight among themselves to fulfill the daily quota of five deaths. The sailors mockingly called them "meat pigs" and referred to the daily killings as "slaughtering pigs."
Days passed, and after thirty days, one hundred and fifty apprentices had been thrown overboard. The ship no longer felt crowded. Those who remained were hard-eyed and battle-hardened, their smiles as rare as luxury.
Everyone had become like ruthless demons, unrecognizable from the idealistic youths who had boarded the ship just a month ago.
One fateful night, Green, Yorkris, Yorkrianna, and Lafi stood on the deck, where nearly twenty others had gathered under the leadership of the Five Kings.
The Five Kings had come together, clearly preparing to make a significant decision.