A salty wind swept across the deck, brushing Adlet’s face—cold, clean, and filled with open horizon.
They were finally leaving.
Behind them, the Forbidden Island rose from the sea in silent defiance, its cliffs dark against the morning light. What had once felt like a prison now stood distant and unmoving—a place of struggle, loss… and transformation.
As he stepped aboard, Adlet paused and looked back one last time toward the jungle hidden beyond the cliffs.
His chest tightened.
So much had changed there.
The ship groaned as it began to turn, slowly pulling away from shore. Only then did the question he had carried since their arrival finally push its way forward.
He turned toward Lucien.
“Lucien… the creature that destroyed the fleet when we arrived.” His voice lowered slightly. “What was it?”
Lucien didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze rested on the ocean, calm and endless beneath the morning light. For a moment, nothing moved but the waves.
“The Kraken,” he said at last.
The word seemed to sink into the air itself.
“A legendary Apex. Rank Six.” His voice grew quieter. “There hasn’t been a confirmed sighting in decades. Most believed it was a myth… or that it had long since died.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“It appears they were mistaken.”
Adlet felt his breath catch.
“Rank… six?”
Lucien nodded once. “Likely the strongest Apex ever recorded. Not just in these waters—across the entire kingdom.”
A chill crept along Adlet’s spine.
The King of Rokh Mountain had already felt overwhelming, something beyond reason. The gap between Rank Four and Rank Five had seemed immense.
Rank Six existed on another scale entirely.
“I heard stories about it growing up,” Polo said quietly. “Parents used its name to scare children into behaving. I always thought it was just a legend.”
Beside them, Linoa stared out across the sea without speaking.
The horizon reflected faintly in her eyes.
“Why… did it have to happen to us?” she whispered at last.
The words carried the weight of those who had never made it back to shore.
Lucien placed a steady hand on her shoulder.
“Sometimes,” he said gently, “tragedy comes without warning or reason. What matters is what we choose to become afterward.” His gaze shifted briefly toward the three of them. “As Protectors, our duty is to grow strong enough that one day… we can stand against it.”
The words settled heavily in Adlet’s chest.
One day.
He would reach that strength.
Strong enough to protect everyone.
Even against a Rank Six.
His fists tightened at his sides, resolve burning quietly beneath the sound of the sea as the island slowly disappeared behind them.
Their voyage lasted nearly a full month.
The sea remained strangely merciful.
No Apex attacks disturbed their path. No storms rose to challenge the vessel. The days passed beneath steady winds and open skies, as if the world itself had granted them a rare moment to breathe after everything they had endured.
Rest, however, did not mean idleness.
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Whenever ship duties allowed it, Adlet trained on the open deck. The gentle sway of the vessel forced balance and precision, turning even familiar movements into constant adjustments. Under Lucien’s quiet supervision, Linoa recovered steadily, leaving the boys free to focus on their own progress.
Adlet limited himself to the Dark Beetle Aura—the only power he could use openly among the crew.
At first, the restriction irritated him.
Then he remembered Polo’s explanation.
Weeks earlier, Polo had shown him how Aura worked best when it followed the nature of the creature it came from. The Bind Lizard’s power extended naturally through its tail, turning motion into acceleration. The Turtle’s Aura thickened along the shell, reinforcing defense where it mattered most.
Aura wasn’t meant to be shaped arbitrarily.
It wanted direction.
It wanted purpose.
Adlet stood before a reinforced mast, black Aura gathering around his arm as he repeated heavy forward strikes. Each impact sent vibrations through his shoulders, forcing him to adjust his stance again and again.
Impact.
Recoil.
Impact.
Recoil.
Gradually, he stopped forcing the Aura to spread across his body.
Instead, he guided it forward—just as Polo had described.
The Dark Beetle did not slash.
It charged.
Black Aura compressed ahead of his fist, resisting at first before condensing into a narrow projection. The energy trembled violently, as if unsure whether it should exist at all.
Adlet leaned into the motion.
He pictured the beetle lowering its head, driving its horn forward with unstoppable momentum.
The Aura answered.
A jagged extension burst outward—dense, angular, unmistakably shaped like a horn forged from shadow.
For a single heartbeat, it held.
Adlet thrust forward.
The impact detonated against the mast, a deep crack echoing across the deck as force traveled cleanly through the projection.
Then the construct shattered.
Fragments of black Aura scattered into the wind, and pain jolted up his arm as the backlash forced him to step back.
He exhaled sharply, shaking his hand—but a grin slowly formed.
It worked.
Not perfectly. Not yet.
But the principle was sound.
Just like the Lizard’s tail.
Just like the Turtle’s shell.
The Beetle’s power demanded a horn.
Longer reach. Greater leverage. A reinforced line of attack and defense aligned with forward motion itself.
This wasn’t a new power.
It was understanding.
And once mastered, it would change everything—especially with the promotion tournament drawing closer.
One afternoon, as the ship cut calmly through rolling waves, Adlet and Polo rested near the bow, watching seabirds glide above the water.
“Hey, Polo,” Adlet said after a while. “You already achieved one of your dreams—setting foot on the Forbidden Island. What comes next?”
Polo smiled, tapping his fingers lightly against his forearm, a familiar habit whenever he was thinking.
“That was only the first step. My real goal is to build the largest trading company in the kingdom.” His eyes brightened. “To get there, I need to reach Gold rank first.”
Adlet nodded. “And you’ve got a plan?”
“Always,” Polo said proudly, raising a fist. “Ideas aren’t my problem. Strength—and the opportunities to use it—that’s the real challenge.”
He glanced sideways at Adlet. “What about you?”
Adlet didn’t hesitate.
“I keep training. Becoming a Protector strong enough to follow my own path—that’s all I’ve ever wanted. The next promotion tournament is just the next step.”
Polo’s grin widened. “So you’ll be participating too. I figured.”
Adlet frowned slightly. “‘Too’?”
“I need a higher rank myself,” Polo said with a shrug. “Fighting other Protectors isn’t exactly my passion, but becoming a Master Protector is essential for the business I want.”
Adlet smirked. “Then we just push each other. No one else stands a chance.”
“That’s the spirit!” Polo laughed. “Speaking of which—do you know how long until the tournament?”
A brief pause.
“…I may have lost track of time.”
Polo snorted. “About four months.”
Adlet let out a slow breath. “Four months… plenty of time.”
The ship rocked gently beneath them as silence settled for a moment.
Then Polo brightened suddenly. “Since this ship is delivering cargo to the capital, you should come with me.”
Adlet blinked. “By ship? Aren’t ships only for the sea?”
Polo stared at him.
Then burst into laughter.
“Well, yes—but we’ll be taking the Silk River. It connects the Neraid Sea directly to the capital. Much faster than traveling by road.”
Adlet scratched the back of his head, faintly embarrassed. “The… Silk River?”
Polo nearly doubled over. “You really don’t know anything about the outside world, do you?”
Still smiling, he gestured toward the distant horizon.
“It’s a massive natural waterway. Trade flows through it nonstop—the kingdom’s lifeline.”
Adlet imagined it: a river wide enough for ships, stretching farther than anything he had ever seen near his village.
Wonder replaced embarrassment.
“I can’t wait to see it.”
Polo grinned. “You will.”
Together, they watched the horizon ahead—wide, open, and filled with promise.
The ship cut steadily through the open sea, leaving a fading trail behind it.
Ahead lay unfamiliar shores, stronger foes, and challenges neither of them could yet imagine.
Adlet rested his arms against the railing, Polo beside him, both watching the horizon stretch endlessly forward.
They had survived.
Now it was time to grow.
Their journey as Protectors had only just begun.
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