Chapter 53: Displaying Might in the Sea of Blood! The Skull-Crushing Sea Monster

It is probably not the giant Grendel.

Observing through his divine perspective, Duncan discovered that the monster's skin was covered in folds resembling hardened keratin layers, piled on top of one another like scales. It was thicker than many pieces of leather armor, and it bore no special name tag.

However, Grendel was a name given by the indigenous people; perhaps it had not truly made a name for itself yet.

According to legend, that monster terrorized Denmark for twelve years, and it was only decades later that it encountered Beowulf and was slain.

"Still, one cannot rule out the possibility that it has already been born."

"Giants live for a very long time."

Thinking of this, Duncan decided against acting rashly.

It was not that Duncan could not defeat this giant monster, but if it truly was a young Grendel, then there would be a powerful witch-mother behind it. Beowulf's defining feat was slaying two monsters in succession.

With his divine perspective, Duncan did not mind observing for a bit longer to see if the monster had any other companions.

——"Legendary Status 4/8." (Gained one point of Roman Legendary Status.)

Eh?

How did he suddenly gain a point of legendary status?

Within Duncan's divine perspective, the giant monster was still fast asleep inside the cave, yet he had abruptly gained a point of legendary status.

"Did Anya spread my reputation to Rome?"

He was not yet clear on what had happened.

However, with this extra point of legendary status, as long as he killed this monster, Duncan would have enough to gather the legendary status required to imprint the Dragon's Bloodline.

The giant monster was still fast asleep.

Its cave was very deep, and the situation inside was quite complex, making it impossible for the divine perspective to see completely through it. But its tag was three-star silver-gray, making it presumably the most powerful supernatural monster Duncan had encountered so far. Dealing with it would carry a slight risk.

"Whether it's the giant monsters of Norse legends or the trolls of Saxon legends, all of them have tough hides and thick flesh, and rumors even claim they are impervious to blades."

"Might Oathkeeper be a bit lacking for this?"

Duncan scouted the surrounding terrain to find a battlefield advantageous to himself. Giants were relatively clumsy, so he needed an open area where he could kite them and maneuver around.

He was certainly not going to enter a cave. What kind of sharpshooter enters a cave?

Just as Duncan was walking along the coastline searching for a suitable ambush site, a red flash suddenly appeared in the projection screen, and an enemy target materialized once more.

——Giant Sea Serpent (Monster Offspring) (Two-Star Silver-Gray) [Hostile].

At this moment, wind and waves were rising. In the distant swells of the ocean, a massive sea serpent stretching more than ten meters emerged. Its ferocious head was unlike that of other serpents; it somewhat resembled the colossal head of Jormungandr from God of War, its surface covered in a thick layer of keratin, while its body was somewhat like that of a gigantic ribbonfish.

——Sea Nymph (Mermaid) (Siren) (One-Star Golden) [Neutral].

Amidst the ocean waves.

Under the divine perspective, half-human, half-fish figures emerged one after another. They surged up from the seabed, fleeing the pursuit of the giant sea serpent, and plunged headfirst into a reef-strewn area.

The seawater here was relatively shallow.

The mermaids could move freely, but the giant sea serpent, due to its massive size, found it somewhat difficult to maneuver. Unable to catch up, it lingered just outside the reef.

"A sea monster hunting sea nymphs?"

"Are things in the north always this exciting?"

Duncan had already taken out the Bow of Nodens. Standing upon a reef as the fierce gale raged and whipped his hair about, he gave it a try, only to immediately put the Bow of Nodens away.

The wind was too strong.

Only the wind arrows gathered by the magic of the Bow of Nodens could ignore the interference of the wind direction; ordinary arrows were completely useless at this moment, and shooting them into the water would yield no power.

However, Duncan's magic power was scarce, and he could only loose a single arrow.

A burst of beautiful singing resonated.

The sea nymphs that had fled into the reef area gradually gathered. They seemed to have noticed Duncan on the shore as well, and the lead sea nymph whispered and chanted, as if trying to lure him over.

"Magic power fluctuation detected!"

"Supernatural power 'Siren's Song' detected."

"Willpower saving throw passed."

"Ineffective!"

The sirens or mermaids of Norse legend were no good either. Pretty they were, but dangerous, and rumors of sirens harming people were frequent.

However, they were currently displayed as neutral units, and Duncan trusted the judgment of the divine perspective.

For the time being, these sea nymphs showed no hostility.

The gathered sea nymphs circled the reef, seemingly surprised that Duncan had ignored their song. Then, the lead sea nymph used the wind and waves to approach in his direction, cautiously poking her head out.

These sea nymphs possessed enchanting appearances, with wet, long hair draping down and their upper bodies completely bare, looking no different from ordinary humans. Their lower bodies were fish tails—not ordinary fish tails, but rather slender ones, about three meters in length, with a total body length of roughly three to four meters.

"I somehow feel like I've inadvertently stolen Beowulf's legendary script."

At this moment, the wind and waves were growing increasingly violent.

On the outer edge of the reef, another enormous sea monster surfaced. The number of these monsters was not small, making them far more common here than in other places.

With two-star silver-gray enemies, killing them should not be too difficult for Duncan.

It was just that for underwater combat, he did not have absolute confidence.

Duncan had slain quite a few elite Saxon pirates, and his swimming skills were top-tier as well, but the problem was that it was hard to exert force underwater, making his strength take a discount.

"Is there a way to lure it over?"

Duncan's gaze shifted to the sea nymphs. Having nowhere to hide from their pursuers, they were only about a hundred or two hundred meters away from him.

Astonished that they could not bewitch Duncan, the sea nymphs were drawing closer inch by inch.

"I possess underwater breathing."

Duncan calculated the distance and sprinted along the rocky coastline. Seeing him move, the sea nymphs followed suit, emitting a series of babbling, low chants as if crying out to him for help. The last time he encountered such a situation was when a forest nymph cried out to the Raven Queen, Thryth.

"Lure those monsters over!"

Regardless of whether they could understand him or not, Duncan could only give it a try. If the sea monsters approached the cliffs and trenches near the shore, a single jumping slash from him might just instantly kill them.

If he missed this opportunity, hunting them in the open sea would be even harder.

Plop!

Plop!

A total of five sea nymphs bravely jumped off the reef because the enemy was getting closer and closer. As the waves lashed, the giant sea serpent lunged forward as well. The five sea nymphs fled for their lives, and having no idea how long they had been chased, they all looked somewhat out of breath.

Splat.

Blood splattered!

One of the younger-looking sea nymphs was a step too slow; whipped up by the wind and waves, she crashed against a reef and failed to keep up with the pace of her companions. In the next second, a bloody maw appeared, and sharp teeth bit directly into her. With a single crunch, the sea monster tore her apart on the spot, dividing her into two halves.

The fish-tail portion of the sea nymph was devoured, leaving only the upper body of a woman with her intestines and viscera spilling out. Blood spread along with the seawater as her alluring face contorted in extreme agony, letting out a shrill scream. Before she could crawl onto the reef, another sea monster swallowed her whole.

Crunch, crunch.

Even the sea nymph's skull was crushed, and trails of bloody foam diffused through the water.

The slaughter continued!

Unsatisfied after feeding, the two giant sea serpents continued to pursue the remaining sea nymphs. Their slender bodies allowed them to enter the shallow water areas with the aid of the wind and waves, but they could not flexibly avoid the reefs, making them look slightly clumsy.

The surviving four sea nymphs offered almost zero resistance. They lacked even weapons, and their songs could not affect the monsters, much like a top predator in the food chain hunting a lower one.

Ah!

A shrill scream rang out once again.

The wind and waves by the shore also affected the movements of the sea nymphs. One alluring sea nymph with a head of golden hair was whipped up by the waves and slammed against a reef, her waist heavily lacerated and stained with blood. Stimulated by the scent of blood, the giant sea serpents behind her flew into a frenzied rage, throwing aside all caution regarding their injuries as they lunged forward.

Blood and viscera scattered across the sky!

The two giant sea serpents clamped their jaws on either side, and amidst the screams of the sea nymph, they tore her in half and devoured her entirely in the blink of an eye.

This was a naked, unadulterated slaughter.

Scared out of their wits, the three surviving sea nymphs swam frantically in Duncan's direction, plunging headfirst into a crevice beneath the reef. It was a dead end, but the water was deep, and they could climb ashore along the rocks.

At this moment, Duncan's figure stood upon a nearly six-meter-high rocky cliff.

Hoo!

He took a deep breath, no longer looking at the three remaining sea nymphs, and concentrated his attention entirely on the two giant sea serpents. Now it all depended on whether they would chase after him.

They were coming!

The hungriest giant sea serpent crossed the reef. Its slender body was sixteen to seventeen meters long, as plump as a titan boa. Its head was nearly one meter and twenty centimeters in diameter, filled with sharp teeth, and its pupils were bloodthirsty and cruel as it charged into the trench like a hunting beast.

The last three sea nymphs let out terrified shrieks!

——Greater Frenzy.

His breathing grew gradually heavier, his blood surged like a torrent, and his heart pounded like a war drum.

Every muscle in Duncan's body coiled like hard marble. His figure leaped down from the rocky cliff several meters high, and Oathkeeper in his hand transformed into a cold flash that pierced straight ahead. With a squelch, it penetrated directly through the skull of the giant sea serpent.

Instant kill!

Duncan plunged into the seawater, barely managing to steady himself. The death-throes of the giant sea serpent prevented him from pulling Oathkeeper free, yet he still showed not a shred of panic. Facing the other giant sea serpent lunging straight at him, he wound up his fist and dealt a heavy blow to the monster's skull.

Bang!

A muffled, tremendous crash.

The skull of the giant sea serpent was struck as if by an iron hammer, causing even its head to cave in. Its status tag flickered with a brief dizziness, but its massive body still instinctively coiled around Duncan, as if attempting to drag him to the bottom of the sea and crush him to death.

Duncan grabbed the Flamberge axe at his waist, his afterimage chopping down as blood gushed forth. With a fierce, violent spin, his sharp battleaxe nearly disemboweled the monster.

He hooked his single hand onto the reef and exerted force, his immense strength leaving a clear handprint directly on the rock!

"Die!"

Duncan roared toward the sky, supporting himself with a single arm while reaching his other hand straight into the disemboweled belly of the giant sea serpent. He did not know what he grabbed—perhaps internal organs or bones—as long as he had a point of leverage. His right leg kicked off the reef, and the terrifying brute strength of Greater Frenzy, Giant's Strength, and the Blood of the Holy Grail erupted in a single instant!

Boom!

His figure actually leaped upward out of the trench, grabbing the head of the giant sea serpent and smashing it heavily against the reef.

At this moment, it was a display of power simply not belonging to a mortal.

An overwhelming spray of blood and viscera scattered everywhere, and Duncan was nearly drenched into a bloody figure!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Once, twice, thrice—by the time Duncan withdrew his hand, the head of the giant sea serpent had been smashed to pieces, its brains smeared all over the ground. Not far from him, only the three surviving, alluring sea nymphs trembled in terror.

Terrifying!

Utterly brutal!

Even the heroes of the age of myths should be no more than this.

Breathing slightly, Duncan sat down upon a reef. His waist and abdomen bore minor grazes, though he had managed to avoid being bitten by the giant sea serpent.

Plop.

One of the alluring sea nymphs submerged into the water. Before long, she resurfaced, holding Oathkeeper—which had sunk to the seabed—in both hands. She swam to the shore and practically crawled up, her eyes filled with boundless awe and reverence, kneeling beside the reef like a human as she held Oathkeeper aloft and offered it before Duncan.

The other two sea nymphs swam over as well, busying themselves for a moment before crawling close in the same manner, each holding a snake gallbladder from the giant sea serpents.

Duncan slowly stood up, took Oathkeeper, and sheathed it.

The three mermaid-like sea nymphs continued to kneel by his feet, refusing to leave, and even wrapped their slender, fair arms around his shins, emitting a prolonged and melodious chant.