Chapter 874

He was now only a single step away from reaching the maximum level. The battle only reinforced the necessity of achieving the maximum level.

Of course, Raskagin had been the final boss of the Southern DLC, but even then, Ian had only managed to seal it after exhausting nearly all the resources at his disposal.

Fusing with chaos to the brink of transcendence was not something he intended to repeat.

I sealed a god away again, and yet...

Ian's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the status window, as the experience bar was still far from full. Worse still, it did not even display the exact amount required for the next level.

Do I really have to cross back into the Black Lands again?

Ian smacked his lips unconsciously. There was no way he would be given that kind of time. The central region was already a powder keg waiting to explode.

Even if he chose not to intervene immediately, he couldn't just leave behind all those who followed him and wander off on his own.

Should I stir up some trouble in the middle and buy myself some time?

Crown Princess Seras and Seren, the Black Lion who had become his subordinate, flashed through Ian's mind. One was connected to the royal family, the other to the Dark Prince.

If he played his cards right, he might be able to drag out the current standoff a little longer. Of course, this meant becoming involved in the civil war earlier than planned—a choice almost as unappealing as choosing between the heavens and the void.

Nothing gets any easier, does it?

Clicking his tongue, Ian closed the status window.

He slowly pushed himself upright and slipped a hand into his pocket dimension.

He intended to check the princess's Scroll of Correspondence when he noticed a girl lying expressionlessly on the seat across from him. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Without making so much as a breath or a sound, she was staring directly at him with her blue eyes.

After a brief pause, Ian casually withdrew his hand and said, "I thought you'd have woken up long ago. Guess not."

As though responding, Lily sluggishly sat up. She then raised a hand and pointed at the closed carriage door.

Ian tilted his head as he asked, "You want to go outside?"

Lily nodded without hesitation. Right on cue, her stomach growled loudly.

"Yeah. Let's go." Ian let out a chuckle.

Lily immediately turned around, opened the door, and stepped outside, having likely endured her hunger while waiting for him to wake up.

As Ian planted his feet on the carriage floor, a sharp wave of pain coursed through him, making his brow twitch.

Prrrrt!

A familiar snort followed.

Nila had returned to the stable. Behind the beast and the pile of hay, the warhorses were slumped helplessly on the ground.

Stepping out of the carriage as if nothing were wrong, Ian said, "I'm fine. You don't have to look at me like that."

Nila snorted in response but continued approaching him.

"I said I'm fine..." Chuckling softly, Ian stopped beside the carriage and reached toward its neck.

Nila rubbed the side of its head against him, confirming he was truly unharmed.

It was understandable, given Nila had seen him transformed into an archdemon, and he was still in his battered equipment.

"You did your part again this time. Good work. Get some rest until we reach land. Just keep an eye on those guys." Ian gave its neck a few reassuring pats with his palm.

Snort...

Nila exhaled softly and, seemingly reassured at last, took a few steps back.

Looking down to his other side, Ian asked, "What, are you trying to support me or something?"

Lily had wrapped herself awkwardly around his left flank. She looked up at him and nodded slightly.

"So everyone's treating me like a patient now... Fine. Let's go." Ian laughed softly and draped an arm over the top of her head before turning.

At the same time, he extended his Willful Grasp and pushed open the closed door in the distance.

Creak—

Fresh sea air, heavy with the scent of salt, swept through the stable, cutting through the stench. A rich, savory aroma accompanied it.

Above them stretched a vast blue sky.

Supported by Lily, Ian stepped onto the deck and muttered, "Perfect timing..."

Fairies and beastfolk sat scattered throughout the ship, listlessly perched in every corner with wooden bowls in their hands, eating stew. By now, they mingled so naturally that it seemed completely ordinary.

"Huh?"

"The Demigod!"

The moment they spotted Ian emerging, the fairies and beastfolk widened their eyes and sprang to their feet. Some practically looked as though they had bounced off the ground.

Without slowing his pace, Ian said, "Don't mind me. Finish your food. Sit back down."

After a brief hesitation, the fairies and beastfolk slowly sat back down.

"Yes."

As they resumed eating, they exchanged glances with one another, clearly filled with questions.

Ian, however, paid them no further attention.

"Brother!"

Beyond them, in front of the central mast, a rough-looking priest rose to his feet with a broad smile. Across from him, a gray-furred, one-armed beastfolk also jumped to her feet.

"Go get two more bowls of stew," Miguel added the order a moment later, glancing toward her.

Nehat's eyes twitched slightly, but she turned around without protest. It was obvious she acknowledged Miguel's authority as their commander.

"Everyone got plenty of rest, I assume?" Ian casually asked.

Is he working her without mercy because they're both missing an arm?

Approaching, Miguel nodded. "Of course. Everyone slept well. Elie prepared the meal and headed back. We only just started eating."

"Elie did? Ah, right." Ian blinked before letting out a laugh and coming to a stop. "She must've had Diana's help."

"Diana looked as if she'd rather die than do it. But anyway, no matter how many times I see it, your recovery is incredible."

Standing before him with a hearty laugh, Miguel looked him up and down and continued, "You definitely had more than a few broken bones. Yet here you are already looking this healthy. Honestly, I figured you'd be asleep for at least another day."

"I'm not fine. Everything hurts," Ian answered, his gaze drifting past Miguel.

Most of the cracked and broken bones had already mended, but his entire body still throbbed and tingled with pain.

That said, even this recovery speed was far beyond normal. It was probably one of the benefits of leveling up.

"Is the captain downstairs?" Ian asked, glancing at Nehat as she returned carrying wooden bowls.

Miguel hesitated briefly.

The smile faded from his face as he nodded. "He's eating with the crew. And... after checking, it turns out not everyone merely passed out. Nearly ten people were already dead. Their hearts must have stopped."

That was enough to make Ian's eyes twitch. Of course, it was not entirely unexpected.

Raskagin was a monster capable of killing people with its roar alone. In that sense, the fact that only around ten people had died could almost be considered a miracle.

"And the bodies of the dead sailors?"

"Well, the people on that ship threw all of theirs into the sea. We gathered ours beneath the foredeck. They said they'd like to give them proper funerals once we reach land," Miguel answered while tilting his head to the side.

Ian's gaze naturally shifted to the right as Miguel continued, "There are a lot of people from the archipelago on that ship, but nearly everyone on this one is from the Empire. I'll be leading the funeral rites, but I'd appreciate it if you attended as well, brother."

"That's not difficult. They came with us into the jaws of death, after all."

Ian looked toward the Silent Storm sailing alongside them. Just like the Black Wave, it now had two sails unfurled.

Beyond the railing, he could glimpse fairies and beastfolk sitting around the deck. They seemed to be eating as well.

It was then that Nehat stopped beside Miguel.

"Great Warrior."

She extended both hands forward, carrying two bowls at once.

Ian let out a chuckle and looked at her. "That respectful attitude really doesn't suit you. Just act the way you normally do. Charlotte's the one who cut off your tail, not me."

"Understo— I mean... right. Fine," Nehat stumbled over her words, looking away awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Ian took one bowl in each hand and held the one in his left toward Lily's face.

"Eat. You don't have to support me anymore."

Lily immediately accepted the bowl and sat down on the deck, bringing the wooden spoon straight to her mouth.

"Chew your food properly, you little kid. You're going to choke." Miguel scolded her while looking down. Despite his words, a fond smile lingered on his lips.

Ian took a bite of stew as well and curled one corner of his mouth upward.

"Looks like her skills haven't rusted at all."

There could not have been many ingredients available beyond salted meat, yet the flavor was surprisingly good.

As expected, she must have been carrying spices with her.

"So how exactly did you do it?" Miguel asked cautiously a moment later.

It was probably because of Nehat's burning stare. She kept glancing at Miguel, seemingly unable to gather the courage to ask him. Even the nearby fairies and beastfolk had stopped what they were doing and turned toward Ian.

"Do what?" Ian pretended not to understand as he drank the stew straight from the bowl.

Miguel lowered his voice. "You know what I mean. That Raska-whatever creature. How did you seal it again?"

The battle with Raskagin flashed through Ian’s mind: raging storms of mist and lightning crashing down like rain, towering pillars of water and waves of chaos erupting outward, simple yet devastating physical charges, and eyeballs bursting one after another.

"Just well."

Of course, he had no intention of explaining the entire process.

Miguel burst out laughing at the answer. "Yeah, I figured that's what you'd say."

Everyone else, including Nehat, merely stared at him with slightly open mouths.

Suppressing a laugh, Ian raised the bowl to his lips and added, "Either way, it was monstrously strong."

Every single one of Raskagin's attacks had been deadly, even while Ian had been in his transcendent fusion state.

"Well, it was an ancient god manifesting in the world. That's only natural. The fact that you defeated something like that..." Miguel's voice trailed off. His eyes were filled with renewed admiration.

Ian narrowed his eyes slightly and swallowed another mouthful of stew. "If it had fully manifested, I wouldn't have won. It was that strong even while spending most of its power trying to break free from its seal."

It was not a scenario he even wanted to imagine.

Bursting its eyes would have become completely meaningless, and it would have been able to move freely.

Killing a sea dragon capable of roaming the oceans at will would have been nearly impossible even if it were not immortal. Now, when not a single dragon remained on the continent, it would have been even more hopeless.

"You mean... even in that state?" Miguel asked with wide eyes. His voice had become almost a whisper.

Ian snorted again. "Obviously. Unless I'd completely transcended."

That alone was enough to make Miguel stop breathing for a moment. He clearly understood exactly what might have happened if Ian had fully transcended in that condition.

Ian glanced at Nehat as well, noticing the stiffness in her expression.

Keeping the faint smile on his lips, he added, "Don't worry. I don't want to do something that dangerous again either."

There had been multiple moments during the battle when he had nearly lost consciousness. Without Yog's help, he would either have been consumed by chaos or crushed beneath Raskagin.

Only then did Miguel nod, wearing an awkward smile. "That's... probably for the best. No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like the sort of thing the heavens would appreciate."

"Well, if anything, they seemed pretty anxious about it."

Miguel blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Ian turned his gaze away and asked, "So where are we headed now?"

"Looks like we're passing through the northern waters of the Black Isles," Miguel answered after a brief pause and looked out over the starboard rail. "The plan is to follow the islands eastward and enter the inner sea."

Ian raised an eyebrow. "After coming this far north? Why bother?"

As far as he knew, the nearest port was not in that direction.

Miguel shrugged. "Something about the currents flowing that way."

"The currents, huh..." Ian nodded, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

No matter how he looked at it, that didn't seem to be the real reason.

A moment later, he turned to Nehat. Raising the bowl to his lips, he casually said, "Go get the captain. Right now."