"What happened?"
Frowning, Olivia looked around warily. She sensed something strange about this thick fog.
Besides limiting visibility, this thick fog seemed to block everything that came inside. She couldn't see anything but white, the black sky with its full moon and starry sky disappeared somewhere. Not even the sound of the night breeze or the voice of the sea could be heard.
It was as if this white fog blocked everything outside.
"Why did this thick fog suddenly appear? Is there a monster summoning it?" Olivia muttered, asking herself.
"It's not a monster, but a dungeon. We are entering dungeon territory."
Naturally, Olivia looked at Klaus with narrowed eyes. "It's impossible. We haven't even met the rift yet. How can we be in the dungeon? Don't play games, Klaus."
"You don't have to go inside the dungeon if the dungeon expands its territory."
Olivia furrowed her brow. "What?"
Klaus suspected the cause of this white mist was the dungeon.
Like a volcano that continuously expelled the material in the bowels of the Earth, a rift that was too open expelled the contents inside the dungeon. It was not only limited to monsters but also air particles, mana, animals, and even dust.
He could tell because the white mist carried 'mana'. The earth was like an infertile barren land. There was no mana in the air apart from the awakeners, or the residue from the utilization of technology that used monster cores as fuel.
If the rift was not sealed soon, it was not impossible that this white mist would spread and cover the entire world.
"It sounds ridiculous."
Olivia hissed through her teeth. She couldn't believe it after hearing Klaus' explanation.
It didn't take long for the thick fog to catch the attention of the passengers. The awakeners were sensitive to mana. They came out onto the deck. Their faces twisted when they saw the ship's current situation.
Their instincts as awakeners kicked in. They realized the strangeness of this white mist. Some told their members to grab their gear, and some immediately pulled out their weapons.
Knowing the situation would soon deteriorate, Klaus immediately ran to the ship's bridge.
"Hey! Where are you going!" Olivia shouted. She then caught up with Klaus.
As Klaus ran on the deck, he met Sylvia and several members of the Rays of Hope. Just like the other awakeners, they seemed wary of this white fog.
"Where, Justin?" asked Klaus.
Sylvia pursed her lips. "I don't know, I haven't seen him. But the last time I saw Justin, he was shut up in his room. He said his head was dizzy."
"Hey why are you suddenly running!?" Olivia shouted as she just catched him.
The woman looked upset that Klaus had left her. Instead of apologizing, Klaus gave her a task.
"Good, you here. I need you guys to stick together. Sylvia gather all our scattered guild members. Then, Olivia, find Justin and tell him to come out. We'll all gather on the platform later."
While Sylvia nodded her head, Olivia hissed in annoyance. They both took his orders differently.
"One more thing. Please find her, Joanna, and don't let that brat get away with anything. She has an important role in this raid."
"Relax, Klaus. Joanna is a strong girl. She'll be fine," Sylvia replied soothingly.
Klaus gave Sheila a smile, and then he proceeded to the bridge.
The ship's control room looked spacious. Full of sophisticated equipment and dozens of control desk buttons. There, the crew seemed to be busy looking for a solution to the white fog.
"What are you doing?" asked Klaus.
The captain of the ship, a forty-year-old man with gray hair and beard, looked surprised as he saw Klaus who came out of nowhere. However, the captain still took him seriously.
"We are discussing a solution to this problem. We've made it into the Bermuda Triangle, but this fog is blocking our visibility and we're losing our bearings because our compass isn't working. But don't worry, I'm the captain of the ship. I will guarantee your safety."
The captain thought Klaus had come to the bridge worried. He tried to give a comforting answer, as he usually did to passengers who got easily panicked.
And of course, Klaus hadn't come here for that.
He hissed. "That's not what I meant. Why don't you follow protocol when a situation like this happens?"
The Captain frowned, not understanding what Klaus meant. "Son, take it easy. I've been sailing the seas for thirties. I know what I'm doing. You don't need to worry. Go back to your room, and let us work on it."
"Damn it."
Overcome with anger and frustration, Klaus then pierced through the crew members in front of him, and took over the helm.
"HEI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! Get away from there!" The captain of the ship snapped, his voice echoing.
Klaus ignored him. His eyes were more focused on the row of buttons on the control panel. Among them, one of them was a half crystal ball embedded in the case. He touched it and flowed mana into the crystal ball.
"Quick! Don't let that kid do whatever he wants! Catch it!" The Captain called out.
The crew quickly did as they were told, grabbing Klaus and dropping him from the control panel table.
"Hey! Let go! Don't do anything weird!"
"You idiot!"
"Arrrrgh!"
However, no matter how hard they tried to pull him, Klaus stood firm as a pole.
Suddenly, the ship shone brightly, giving off a blue-green glow, dispelling the thick white fog surrounding the ship. Naturally, the crew noticed the change out there. With astonished faces, they let go of Klaus and looked out the window.
The moon was back in the night sky, shining brightly in the darkness alongside thousands of stars. The white mist eroded away after Klaus activated the arcana on the ship.
"Oh, you did this?" The ship captain was dumbfounded. The old man looked up at the sky with his jaw dropped.
Klaus snorted. With a furious expression, he tugged on the captain's collar. The crew saw their boss about to be beaten, they instinctively wanted to save the captain, but Klaus waved his hand and they fell to the floor before landing their hands on his body.
"You should have done this, not me. When the fog appears or something strange happens, you should immediately activate the arcana in this ship. So that things like this don't happen! Are you stupid!"
The artificial arcana planted on the ship was created for things like this, neutralizing all sorts of effects of natural phenomena. This white mist came from the dungeon, even though it contained mana, it was still a natural phenomenon from another dimension.
The reason this artificial arcana was created was because of this voyage. Who wouldn't be angry if someone went to the trouble of creating an invention but the users didn't use it?
"Do you want to send us all to our deaths, huh! This is a mandatory protocol. I proposed it to the Awakener Association myself. Why are you doing it."
The ship captain twisted his face in confusion. "But... but... I have orders from the Raid Leader not to use it."
Naturall, Klaus took his hand from him. "What did you say?"
Then, The Captain told him the reason for not following protocol. When they were sailing earlier, a captain got a call from Vincent, telling him not to activate arcana no matter what.
Vincent said, the artificial arcana on the ship they were traveling on was damaged. Of course, the captain followed the orders of the Raid Leader.
"What the fuck. He said something like that!" Klaus snapped.
"Yes, yes. He said if I didn't do it, I would endanger the passengers. So I did what he asked. You know, he's the raid leader. I can't argue."
Klaus snorted.
He really couldn't understand what he had just heard. Vincent Thomsen, an S-Class awakener and guild owner of the Morning Star, had the heart to deceive a ship captain who could lead them to death.
Luckily, they only faced thick fog. Not a storm that could flip the ship over or a giant whirlpool that could sink it.
Suddenly, a grin bloomed on Klaus' face.
"I don't remember making trouble for you. But you have enough nerve to bother me. Watch out, you will pay for it," Klaus muttered.
The Captain and his men saw Klaus' expression. They shuddered with goosebumps.
One problem was finally solved. However, the real problem was about to arise.
"From now on, I am the captain of this ship." Klaus said it in a stern tone. "You're still in charge, but from now until the dungeon quest is over, you obey my orders. Not that damn Raid Leader. Understood?"
The captain bounced his head up and down. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."
Klaus took his hand off the captain's collar. He walked towards the exit like a boss, and the crew turned sour faces to him.
As he was in the doorway, his instincts suddenly kicked in. He sensed hundreds of creatures from underwater approaching the ship simultaneously.
And then, a scream broke out amidst the silence.
Klaus quickly approached the bridge window at the front. Peering out, he saw the human-shaped monsters climbing up from the belly of the ship. They had blue and slimy skin. On their necks were three pairs of gills. Its eyes glowed in the darkness.
Not long after, another scream echoed through the air, starting a battle.
