Blue-black seawater surged forward in rolling waves, and grotesque monsters with fish heads and human bodies bellowed and roared as they charged like ten thousand galloping horses.
The images at the far end of the corridor unfolded before Lucian's eyes like slow-motion scenes in a film. The surrounding air grew damp, saturated with an abundance of "Water Element," and breathing began to feel difficult.
The apprentices around him reacted in various ways — some collapsed in terror, pressing themselves against the cabin walls; others wailed and screamed, though their cries were swallowed by the Storm and thunder; a few tried desperately to stay composed, but they were trembling violently, their faces drained of color. These young adolescents had never faced such terror, such mortal danger — much like Lucian himself when he had first encountered the red-eyed rat in the sewers, utterly unable to keep his composure.
Countless thoughts flashed through Lucian's mind, but under these circumstances, hoping to both save his life and hide the truth from the priests and knights aboard the ship was clearly a pipe dream.
The Kotao merfolk with silvery-gray scales rushed to the fork in the corridor, then split into two groups without hesitation. The vast majority followed three tall, burly, and peculiar merfolk whose scales glowed red as they sprinted toward the main cargo hold. A smaller contingent, led by another equally strange merfolk, charged toward Lucian's position with raised weapons and battle cries.
"Their goal seems to be stealing the cargo?"
"Could there be something precious hidden in that cargo that the Kotao merfolk are after? Is that why they risked attacking the fleet?"
"If that's their objective, then even if merfolk got into other decks, they'd converge on this one — or head for places where things might be hidden, like the captain's quarters or Viscount Wright's cabin…"
Deduction after deduction streaked through Lucian's mind like meteors, gradually forming a clear picture: "Then there's still a decent chance of slipping through!"
Lucian spun around, dashed into his own cabin, and launched himself upward with a powerful push from both feet. His right fist slammed hard into the ironwood planks of the upper floor.
Crack! Splinters of wood flew upward and tumbled into the cabin above, revealing a dark, gaping hole.
"Climb up there and use the Switch Spell to hide in a nearby sailor's quarters!" Lucian said the moment he landed, addressing the stunned apprentices. His tone was stern yet unhurried, as though what he faced was not a life-threatening crisis but a lazy student during a routine teaching session.
Since Tom had dared to arrange for them to stay here, the corresponding rooms on the deck above must house sailors or laborers who could be trusted — otherwise, the noise and conversations below would be impossible to hide from the people above!
If the Kotao merfolk's goal wasn't murder but theft, then hiding in the humble quarters of poor sailors with his apprentices was an excellent choice — and it would also let them dodge the incoming priests and knights!
Lucian drew his longsword "Vigilance" and sprinted out of the cabin toward the charging Kotao merfolk, while calmly ordering: "Figure out how to climb up on your own. Don't panic and don't shove.
If he didn't eliminate the merfolk already charging toward them, there was a high chance they'd simply smash through the planks and follow after — and then the hiding would be pointless!
"Yes, Mr. Evans." Though his face had gone pale with fear, Ormos still maintained a basic level of composure.
The two apprentices exchanged a glance and spoke in unison: "Use the hammocks in combination with Mage Hand or similar spells, or use magic that boosts agility and balance…" These were the two most obvious and simplest methods of climbing.
Seeing Ormos and
In this most critical moment, the authority and presence of Lucian as a formally ranked mage kept them from turning on each other; instead, they became methodical and orderly.
Halfway through his charge with "Vigilance" gripped in both hands, just as he was about to collide with the Kotao merfolk, rings of faintly green, impossibly serene ripples suddenly radiated outward from Lucian's body.
The ripples surged forward like a tide. Every Kotao merfolk they swept across staggered and collapsed to the ground, fast asleep. Even the leader — that peculiar merfolk with scales glowing blood-red — couldn't help but have its eyes glaze over for a moment when touched by the faint green ripples, as though it were desperately weary, longing for sleep. This fellow who charged straight through with a sword — was he not a knight but a mage?!
First-circle Arcane Magic: "Sleep Spell."
The vast majority of the Kotao merfolk, whose strength hadn't reached the knight tier, had absolutely no resistance to this.
The entire corridor fell instantly silent — no more clamorous battle cries, no more menacing squadrons of merfolk. All that remained were the merfolk leader, Lucian, and a large crowd of creatures who had dropped off to sleep right where they fell.
The merfolk leader instinctively activated its own quasi-spell ability — the "Azure Aura." Countless waves of water churned and coiled around it, its eyes snapping back to full clarity. The surrounding "Water Element" grew so dense it was on the verge of condensing into droplets, making Lucian feel as though he were submerged deep at the bottom of the ocean, completely unable to breathe. Every time he tried to inhale, a flood of water rushed into his lungs.
Lucian didn't panic. Holding his breath, he activated his left hand — a crystalline glow flashed — and three icy flying blades, glinting with piercing frost, materialized out of thin air and shot forward.
In this critical moment where every second counted, Lucian wasn't about to be stingy with his magic items, even if the opponent only seemed to possess ordinary knight-tier strength.
In fact, had the use of Fireball not leave traces that would be impossible to erase, Lucian would have gone straight for the Fireweaver's Bracelet.