The situation changed quickly.
Panic began to take hold of them as the ship split in two. The deck floor became steep, and the people lost their balance. The water got higher while the ship was slowly sinking into the sea.
"Hurry up! Up!"
"Grab the lifeboat!"
"Damn it! How did it come to this!"
The awakeners left the fight, letting the tritons escape. Their lives took priority over drowning in the ocean.
Meanwhile, Olivia froze. Guilt gnawed at her for causing this situation. She didn't expect that a single slash would split the ship apart.
THUD!
Suddenly, the ship shook. Olivia lost her balance and fell into the steepness.
"Olivia!"
Michael managed to grab her hand in time before she fell into the water. Behind him was Akio, one hand holding onto the sword stuck on the floor while the other held onto Michael's armor to keep them both from falling.
Olivia was still in shock. Pallor painted her face, and her eyes looked hollow.
"Sorry... sorry... I didn't mean this..." Olivia said in a trembling tone.
"No, it's okay. Everything will be fine." Michael tried to comfort her.
"Arrrggh! Save the chatter for later! We must get out of here first!" Akio shouted in an annoyed tone.
The oriental man looked around, his eyes scanning every part of the ship, looking for the highest spot. Then, his eyes fell on the bridge of the ship.
"Follow me!" Akio shouted at the top of his lungs.
He darted toward the bridge of the ship. Michael helped Olivia up, and then they followed Akio.
The ship was in complete chaos. The awakeners were running around. They were looking for high ground or to the ship's side where the lifeboats were. And to make matters worse, the emergency ship was only four units, and each unit could only accommodate 20 people. As a result, the awakeners scrambled with each other to secure seats.
Olivia saw that scene along the way to the bridge, and she could not help but bit her lips in shame as guilt filled her chest.
"Fuck!"
Akio cursed as he arrived at the bridge. Olivia and Michael made it not long after.
Apparently, all the members of the Rays of Hope had gathered. Justin was still suffering from seasickness, sprawled out and twisting his face. Joanna couldn't sit still, pacing back and forth while babbling. And the rest were biting their nails or shaking their knees.
The captain shouted into the radio, asking for help to evacuate the ship.
"Test! Test! Alpha 1 here! Over! Over! The ship is sinking! Please send help!"
They felt the same—panic. Only Klaus seemed calm.
When the ship was about to sink, Klaus stood before the bridge window, his eyes glued to the partially submerged ship. No panic or annoyance was written on his face. He showed no expression at all.
Because the guild master was unwell, Klaus was their only hope.
Since they saw how Klaus saved them from the yellow dungeon in SoHo, they believed Klaus could solve this problem.
However, he had been brooding there for a long time.
"Yo, Boss Klaus, sorry to interrupt your reverie. But we you need to get out of here before our bodies drown in the Bermuda Triangle."
Akio asked Klaus, asking for a solution. But the man ignored him as if his words were a complete waste of time.
"Boss! Please!" Akio pleaded. But still to no avail.
Akio clicked his tongue.
Not a word came out from Klaus, making Olivia feel even more depressed by her guilt. She knew her actions and was ready to accept ridicule if people blamed her. As long as no one died because of her.
On the other hand, Klaus was thinking about something else. His gaze fell on the sunken quarter of the ship's body, looking at the incision marks. It was clean-cut and perfect.
He didn't really care about Olivia sinking the ship but was surprised by her power.
Klaus knew Olivia had doubts and fears when she tried to take a life, even a monster. So, he needed to stimulate her confidence.
He gave her an arcana called [Damnatio Blade].
This blade was a unique-grade arcana. If other arcana gave the user an extraordinary stat-boosting or utility effect, the [Damnatio Blade] was not.
The [Damnatio Blade] really had no significant effect on its use. Whether it was increased physical strength, mana observation, or other unique utilities. It boosted its user by 100% conviction.
In other words, the damage was purely her power.
Even Klaus did not expect the situation to escalate to this point. Between incredulous and impressed, Klaus got a strange impression of Olivia.
"Klaus... sorry..."
A weak voice escaped Olivia. This woman drew close to him while bowing her head. She wanted to fix the situation but didn't know what to do. The only thing she could do was admit her fault.
When Klaus heard her voice, he stopped thinking deeply and turned to Olivia.
Without being asked, Olivia poured out her heart.
"I really didn't know the situation would turn out like this. I want to fix it but don't know what to do. I know it's selfish, but save this ship, please." She bit her lips as she said so.
Instead of getting angry, Klaus just nodded his head.
"Okay," Klaus replied briefly.
Olivia frowned. "Uh... what?" She thought Klaus would blame her after he pondered for a long time. "Well... but the ship is about to sink. We have to do something."
"No need to worry. She's working on it."
Naturally, Olivia twisted her eyebrows.
Klaus looked back. "Sylvia. Are you ready?"
CLANK!
The sound of a glass hitting the floor echoed. A red-haired woman got up from the floor after drinking four bottles of [Ether].
"I'm ready!" Sylvia said confidently.
Klaus smiled. "Good."
The person who would save the day was not Klaus but Sylvia. She could fix everything and return them to their original place with [Time Rewind].
After restoring Laplace, healing Akio, and healing the orphans from the experiment---though it failed, there was no reason for Klaus not to entrust this matter to her.
All the guild members saw Sylvia let out a sigh. They felt relieved. Especially Olivia. The burden of regret carried on her shoulders eventually disappeared.
"I'm counting on you," Klaus said.
Sylvia smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I will make it."
DEUM!
Again the ship shook for who knows what reason. It plunged deeper, and people began to jump into the water. Those who couldn't find a place in the lifeboats were forced to dive into the sea rather than drown inside the ship.
The tritons didn't just watch as their prey struggled in the water. They attacked and took their revenge.
"Arrggh!"
Slash! Slash!"
The black water began to run red. The blood of the awakener stained the sea. They may be strong on land, but in the ocean, everything is different.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
While the situation was getting more and more chaotic, Sylvia stood on the roof of the ship's platform. She closed her eyes and stretched her arms out, letting the breeze flutter her red hair.
Not long after, her body emitted a green light. The mana inside her body overflowed and enveloped the entire ship like wildfire. Even it also engulfed the awakeners who were fighting in the water and the lifeboats that were moving away.
SHHHHSSS!
Greenlight glowed brightly.
The split ship body slowly coalesced and rose to the surface. The cracks on the floor disappeared. The water returned to the sea. And the awakeners and tritons fighting on the water were pulled back to the deck.
Everything was back in place.
It took Sylvia a long time to recover them.
SHHSSSS!
And then, the green light vanished. The ship was back in one piece as before. The awakeners who were initially at sea had their faces twisted in confusion. They wondered what had happened.
However, since time was delayed, they returned to the starting point where the tritons were still on the ship.
"They're still alive! Attack!"
The roar of battle vibrated the air again.
At the same time, Sylvia was exhausted from her duty.
"I did it."
The red-haired woman went limp, and Klaus caught her before her body hit the ground.
Sylvia smiled weakly. "It's feels like de javu."
Klaus chuckled. "You're right. How many times have I counted on your help. Now get some sleep."
She nodded her head. Not long after, her eyes closed.
Later, Klaus returned to the bridge with Sylvia in his arms. The guild members seemed to be waiting for him with smiles.
"What are you guys doing here? Back to battle. There are still monsters that need to be killed." Klaus said loudly.
And they answered, "Yes!"
Before they set off, Klaus trusted Akio to lead the battle. The oriental man agreed to take Justin's role---even though everything was back to normal, the guild master still suffered seasickness.
The second round was much easier than before, so the flow of the battle was fast. The awakeners who excelled on dry terrain won by a landslide.
…
The battle was over. The awakeners looted the spoils of war. They picked up the monster cores lying on the deck or hidden inside the monsters' bodies. They divided the monster cores based on how many tritons they killed.
Thanks to smartlinks, they could calculate it easily.
Klaus leaned against the ship's side, watching the awakeners scavenge the scattered blue crystals. He liked to pull over when the battle was over. For some reason, watching people gave him a thrill.
"Hi!"
Olivia gently walked over to Klaus.
"What is it?"
Olivia bit her lip. "I just wanted to say thank you. And sorry."
His eyebrow raised. "For what?"
"For everything."
Olivia lowered her head. She didn't dare look into Klaus' eyes. Her face expressed regret, and her eyes implied sincerity.
"I apologize for always troubling you and the guild. And also always thinking badly of you. Even more so because of my stupidity, thinking you didn't give me arcana because you hated it. But I was wrong. And I realize it now."
Hearing her sincere words, Klaus just nodded his head. He could read her and find no hypocrisy or hatred in Olivia.
"Well, I've never had a problem with you. And you've exceeded my expectations."
Olivia opened her eyes wide. Enigmatic was painted on her face. After what she had done, his response was enough to make her surprised.
"Uh, I'm not sure what you mean."
"You know it," Klaus replied.
He smiled while Olivia twisted her face in confusion. They both stared at each other for a long time. On the one hand, the man had more expectations. On the other hand, the woman was trying hard to read him, but she couldn't.
Amid the silent atmosphere, suddenly, an awakener shouted.
"Hey! Hey! Look!"
His shout attracted all the awakener's attention. They saw what that man saw.
Far across the ship, an orange rift glowed amidst the darkness.
