Ch.404404 – Strength That Sends Shivers

# Chapter 404 – A Thrill of Strength

The second-year students who took the “Let’s Try Growing Medicinal Herbs” class, along with Mandela Castella.

The third-year Production Department students who had their summons stolen and lost the baby Kraken from the isolation room.

Their challenge was how to exact meaningful revenge on Oknodie while avoiding the watchful eyes of the professor and instructors in charge of the “Naval Combat ①” class.

“If an Academy professor decides to, they could wipe us all out in an instant. So we absolutely cannot commit serious crimes like murder.”

“Then what’s the point of all of us coming out for revenge, senior!”

“That’s why we start by building ‘justification.’ We’ll create an herb field for hydroponics in the path of their ship and release guard summons to be trampled by the ship.”

The second-years trembled.

If that happened, they would be the ones whose class was disrupted first.

“Even if direct attacks against Oknodie himself are impossible, retaliation against the ‘ship’ that disrupted our class would be a sufficiently acceptable situation.”

“Ohhh!”

“Once we have justification, interfering with student affairs becomes even more dangerous for Professor El Draco. As a former pirate who was forcibly brought to the Academy to serve as a professor, El Draco probably wouldn’t want to risk it.”

The Production Department senior turned to look at Mandela Castella with sharp eyes.

“This must be the plan you came up with, right?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! As second-years lacking in knowledge, we simply follow the will of our third-year seniors!”

The third-year snorted at Mandela Castella’s innocent act as she fluttered her blonde twin tails and played dumb.

It seemed suspicious from the start that she helped build justification—apparently planning to shift the risk of conspiracy to the third-years in case something went wrong.

Sarpedon, the head assistant of the “Marine Biology” laboratory, didn’t bother making an issue of it.

‘The contents of yesterday’s conspiracy are already recorded in the magic tool. It’s too late to back out now.’

There’s no use trying to speak with two tongues in front of senior Production Department students.

The recording magic tool that prevents clients from playing dumb is an artifact passed down through generations in the Production Department.

“As soon as the herb field is swept away, we attack the ship. Of course, our real target isn’t sinking the ship but striking at Oknodie. We’ll focus our attack range around Oknodie.”

The plan was perfect.

Even the variables worked in their favor.

“We third-years of the Production Department with our magic tools will attack the third-year instructors responsible for student safety during class. This much can be barely tolerated.”

“Huh? Sarpedon sir. Those instructors over there are already down.”

“What?”

“See for yourself with the observation magic tool. Oknodie has taken down the instructors. He even broke the paddle wheel with his own hands so they can’t escape with the ship.”

“Hahaha! Heaven is on our side. To think he took down his own protectors with his own hands. This too is karma that a child with bad habits must endure.”

The third-year Production Department students rejoiced greatly at this windfall.

“Focus more on summoning magic. While the second-years buy time, we’ll conduct a summoning ritual here to guide a powerful summon into an ‘uncontrollable’ state, causing an unavoidable accident!”

“What if other first-years besides Oknodie get caught up in it?”

“The second-years will knock them all down and get them out of range before that happens. Unfortunately, only Oknodie will be left behind.”

“Haha. What a perfect plan!”

“It’s too early to celebrate. If the summoning ritual fails, we’re neither here nor there. Begin the ritual now!”

“Yes!”

While the third-years began their summoning ritual, attacks from the second-years led by Mandela Castella rained down on the ship carrying the first-years.

<Flame Explosion>

<Corrosive Sphere>

<Structural Collapse>

The bow burst into flames, the ship’s structures melted, and parts of the deck broke off.

“Woah, the ship is suddenly shaking!”

“Enemy ambush!”

“Is the professor creating these unexpected situations too!?”

“Zigoku, what do we do now?”

“Should we abandon ship and flee?”

Nancy and Brodo, executives of the Zigoku Pirate Crew who had followed Zigoku aboard only to be defeated by Oknodie.

As always in times of crisis, the two voiced the Zigoku Pirate Crew’s policy of easily throwing away pride and fleeing.

Survival comes first!

“The captain would value escaping safely rather than dying to protect the ship.”

“That’s right. Can’t give up the survival bonus!”

“Well, I suppose so. This Academy basically prioritizes ‘survival’ in all types of crises.”

Zigoku readily agreed.

That retreating was the wise choice.

“Take the crew members and escape in the lifeboats.”

“Aren’t you coming with us, Zigoku?”

“Someone has to buy time. I can take care of myself, so go ahead.”

“Thanks, boss!”

“If you die, I’ll name my first child Zigoku in honor of today’s sacrifice!”

The executives left without even pretending to hesitate or object!

Despite their cold-hearted response, Zigoku couldn’t help but smile.

People with such straightforward personalities who aren’t bound by face or conscience tend to survive longer.

“There’s one, a first-year!”

“Hey, move aside. We’re not interested in you.”

“Then who are you interested in?”

Despite Zigoku’s brief words, the seniors showed no discomfort.

After all, grade level is determined by enrollment year, not age.

What matters is individual strength.

Zigoku was a member of the first-year advanced class, clearly stronger than the average second-year lower class.

Rather than risking hostility toward such a person, the second-years answered her question straightforwardly.

“Oknodie.”

“We’re not trying to harm him personally. Just want to make him suffer a bit.”

“From what I can see, you could have earned good points originally, but Oknodie interfered and ruined it, right? Just turn a blind eye. We’ll fix the rankings for you.”

“The professor won’t stand for this.”

“I told you. Just turn a blind eye. First-year, all you have to do is pretend you didn’t see us. We’ll take care of the rest.”

“…”

On the deck that was burning, corroding with acid, and collapsing in places.

The seniors passed by Zigoku.

Bang!!

<Automatic Defense>

“…You should have just pretended not to see until the end.”

“How foolish. Why are you opposing us?”

Zigoku looked down at the seniors with a casual, slanted stance.

“Obviously. I can’t let you take away a candidate for the Zigoku Pirate Crew’s first mate position.”

“You want to recruit Oknodie, who sent your pirate crew’s grades plummeting?”

“Gyahahat! Seniors might not know this, but let me tell you an industry fact. In pirate crews, villains are popular.”

The second-years quickly activated magic or drew their weapons, but Zigoku’s gun took in all the magic circles appearing in the air, the weapons in their hands, and the trajectories of swinging weapons, firing bullets in rapid succession like lightning.

<Rapid Fire>

<Continuous Fire>

<Aim Correction>

<Trajectory Correction>

<Moment: Firing Time>

When the fire ceased from the rapidly moving gun barrel, the second-years who had threatened her had all dropped their weapons, their attacks forcibly canceled, and were terrified.

“R-run away.”

“This is beyond our level.”

“Hmm. Second-years aren’t much after all.”

“Kuk. Your arrogance ends here. Fire the signal flare.”

“Bringing Mandela here?”

“We have no other choice!”

“Ugh. It can’t be helped.”

Mandela Castella.

Even when the name of the second-year class valedictorian was mentioned, Zigoku remained indifferent.

No matter how grandly they were called, thinking of them as the leader of these youngsters lowered her expectations.

“Aah~hah~hahha~!”

A loud laugh.

An approach so bold it bordered on reckless.

Cute swinging twin tails.

First impression: she’d make a good hostage for ransom.

As a pirate, she seemed like an excellent “noble lady” who would fetch a good price if captured.

“To protect a child even after suffering humiliation, you’re quite unusual for a pirate!”

“Gyahahat! That’s rich coming from someone who laughs like you!”

“Aahhahaha! That’s my line!”

But with each step closer, Mandela’s presence felt frighteningly larger.

<Danger Detection>

<Survival Instinct>

<Pirate’s Intuition>

Her instincts warned her not to allow Mandela to approach any further.

<Trigger Happy>

<Rapid Fire>

Rapid Fire, which triples firing speed.

Combined with Trigger Happy, which increases firing speed tenfold.

Magic bullets formed from magical power supplement the firepower that a single magazine couldn’t handle.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh

The impacts that went from abdomen to chest to head pierced through Mandela’s body.

This happened because, unlike the first-years being tested, she had no mana field protecting her body.

However, tension only increased on the face of the perpetrator.

Swish swish

Because Mandela Castella’s body, which had been pierced with holes, returned to its original form.

“My score for you is~~ 45 points! Your rapid-fire ability is excellent, but by dispersing your shots, it doesn’t feel like a decisive hit! This is how you deliver a decisive hit!”

“…!”

Mandela lifted a huge hammer with supernatural strength that didn’t match her delicate female body.

As her hammer delivered a full swing <Pull Strike>, Zigoku fired a <Shock Bullet> at the ground beneath her feet and quickly retreated from her position.

Thud.

The already unstable deck collapsed.

The entire floor gave way, and Zigoku fell to the corridor below.

She tried to resist using various elemental bullets, but all her attempts were in vain as Mandela deflected all attacks and drove Zigoku into a corner with eerie counterattacks.

“No matter how many times you try these attacks, they won’t hit me.”

“Aahhahaha! I never expected them to hit you. But you can’t avoid the collapse of the ship where your precious comrades are staying!”

“Do you think our professor would stand by and watch that happen?”

“I think he would. We have our professor too!”

“…!”

As Zigoku continuously retreated to avoid Mandela, her senses detected familiar presences.

The Zigoku Pirate Crew, who were just lowering the lifeboats to escape, were behind her.

“Now, can you retreat any further? With your precious crew members behind you!”

“Kugh…!”

“C-captain…”

“Don’t worry about us, just fight!”

“The professor’s barrier will protect us anyway!”

She couldn’t retreat any further.

Zigoku knew.

The crew members whose talents hadn’t yet bloomed.

With their insufficient grades, they needed to achieve results in this class to earn the credits necessary for advancing to second year.

While the executives might be fine, if even one regular crew member meaninglessly lost their protective barrier, they would face the crisis of failing.

If she took one step back now, one crew member would fail to advance to second year.

“If you can’t retreat?”

“Then you’ll have to suffer!”

A desperate crisis.

She had no confidence in winning but had to face it somehow.

Just as Zigoku was about to take a step forward rather than backward—

Boom boom boom boom.

“W-what is this vibration!”

“It’s coming from the water surface. It’s rising from the water surface!”

“What’s happening!?”

Mandela’s head tilted awkwardly.

A summoning ritual?

No, too fast.

This timing wasn’t the work of the third-years.

Then who did what?

“Sorry to interrupt while everyone’s busy, but I’m just going to release our baby into the water!”

The culprit was Oknodie, hiding between the lifeboats.

At the source of the tremendous magical wave was a baby Kraken hurriedly escaping from its box and fleeing into the water.

In response, an even greater vibration than before, one that shook the soul, struck Mandela and everyone else on the water from the depths of the sea.

“A resonance phenomenon from domain expansion…!”

A phenomenon that occurs when the energy of a small domain responds to one who has deployed massive mana and dominated space.

To Mandela Castella, a genius whose talent reached the heavens, resonance phenomena were not unfamiliar.

But the scale was different.

This was a resonance phenomenon covering the entire sea.

Such an ultra-large domain is not permitted to humans.

“Bye-bye, baby!”

“Muoooong!”

The parent of the baby Kraken.

It was the precursor to an adult Kraken, the great monster of the deep sea, rapidly rising to the surface.