Center of the Ship Graveyard.
On the massive vessel, Gidan slowly opened and closed his eyes.
The blinding rage that had clouded his vision had long since settled into the depths of his mind.
A faint breeze brushed against his skin. Just enough tension remained in his body—perfect for movement.
From the puddles that bore traces of a once-existing sea, the scent of briny water lingered.
The boy naturally recalled a swimming pool. And his father’s booming voice.
Bottom of the ninth, two outs.
One runner on base.
Score: 1-0.
Defeat was imminent.
Standing in the batter's box, Gidan gripped his sword.
[Skill 'Breath of the Lion' has been activated.]
[Skill 'Purple Blood Flow' has been activated.]
As the skills activated in succession, the black blade greedily devoured the blood that trickled down its edge. A storm of mana raged around Gidan.
At some point, Malikian’s massive body had closed the distance, looming over him.
—Human child, have you finally grown afraid of death?
Malikian sneered, mocking Gidan, who had been concealing his presence.
—Have you already forgotten your intent to seek atonement through death?
But Gidan was not easily shaken.
This wasn’t just about rampaging mindlessly.
This was the moment when he truly had to succeed.
For a comeback victory.
"The goal is a home run."
He pushed off with his right foot, grinding it against the ground.
In an instant, Malikian’s hand lunged straight toward him, aiming to seize his body.
Gidan effortlessly evaded by using that very hand as a foothold to leap away.
A brief pursuit ensued—chasing and being chased.
Malikian scoffed at the sight of Gidan moving at a speed beyond what he had displayed earlier.
"His movements have improved."
This briny-smelling brat was reacting with incredible speed—shockingly so.
Such raw talent was rare, even in Malikian’s world.
But.
Malikian swatted away the sword that was boldly driving toward his chest.
"His technique is shallow."
That was why his sword’s trajectory was too textbook.
Gidan abruptly changed direction, using the ship’s hull as a foothold to propel himself toward Malikian.
—Foolish!
As Gidan leaped at him, Malikian gripped his greatsword with all four hands.
A sinister aura coiled around the blade.
—Before the might of Biat, all is meaningless!
Gidan read the downward trajectory of the greatsword and twisted his body to the side.
But the massive blade instantly shifted sideways, and at the same time, the energy emanating from it spread out like a web.
To Biat, a warrior who had spent a lifetime on the battlefield, this child was nothing more than a fledgling.
A flicker of surprise crossed Gidan’s face at the unexpected movement.
Unparalleled speed and fluidity, paired with the sheer destructive power of the greatsword—Biat was invincible!
Unless Gidan had reaction speed beyond Malikian’s own and a movement skill capable of perfectly evading his attacks, he was bound to be overwhelmed.
Malikian was already convinced of his victory.
But then—
Gidan bared his teeth in a grin.
Gidan only had two core skills.
He hadn’t even been awakened for a full year—his experience was pitifully shallow.
And yet, the reason he had shot up to Korea’s rank #5 within just a few months—
Gidan twisted midair, executing a half-turn to dodge.
An overwhelming level of physical stats.
An innate battle sense gifted from birth.
And the berserk buff that amplified all of it to a monstrous degree.
Before his mind could even process it, his body was already reacting.
With razor-sharp instincts, Gidan stepped onto the very tip of the greatsword and shot forward with terrifying speed.
Malikian instinctively leaned back to dodge.
At that moment, Gidan’s sword—Biat’s Aspiration—pierced straight toward Malikian’s solar plexus.
The relentless assault left Malikian’s back slamming into the ship’s outer wall.
Thud!
And then—
Thwack.
[Skill ‘Blood’s Submission’ has been activated.]
[Resisting debuff.]
It was... a tiny snow duck.
A pathetic little thing, breaking apart uselessly over Malikian’s head.
—Hah!
Malikian let out a low chuckle.
—So this is all you had planned?
How ridiculous.
The brat may have possessed the power of a Sovereign, but if he couldn’t wield it, then it was nothing more than pearls before swine.
—Your only trump card has failed. What now?
But Gidan simply looked up at Malikian with a blank expression.
His three pupils swirled mockingly.
—You won’t be getting Biat’s Aspiration back.
And in that moment—
Flap.
—What?
Malikian lifted his head.
Snowflakes.
A heavy, relentless snowfall poured from above.
"No... those aren’t snowflakes...."
Above Malikian’s head—
Perched atop the ship’s railing—
Hanguru bared his teeth in a mischievous grin.
Complete Command: Has a low chance of ignoring the target's resistance.
After confirming the functionality of the Duck Tongs, Gidan let out a deep sigh.
“Hmmm... If it’s a low chance, maybe around 8%?”
“What's 8%?”
“Have you ever tried a gacha?”
Gidan nodded.
“Out of 100, 92 are trash, and 8 are sweets—like a gacha machine. It might be lower though...”
In reality, the system hadn’t explicitly stated the chance. It was merely an estimate derived from data collected by researchers on hunters.
Moreover, the caster had to be Guru.
“Instead of hoping for that 8%, it might just be better to run away...”
“So, if we throw 100 at once, what happens?”
Gidan blinked in surprise at the unexpected suggestion.
“Ah... no, unlike a gacha, the chance doesn’t decrease. So, you’d need to keep pulling from a machine where only 8 out of 100 are sweets...”
“Ah! So, more?”
Guru casually asked as he pulled a mana syrup bottle from his bag and set it up in a long line.
Before Gidan could say anything, Guru began drinking syrup ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) while shaping snow ducks.
The snow ducks started piling up one by one.
The Duck Tongs were a bound item. The debuff activation condition was for Guru’s snow ducks to hit Malikian.
If that was the condition for victory...
“Then, just wait a little. I’ll prepare it up front.”
And now.
Gidan had definitely brought Malikian into Guru’s range.
Guru, cradling the snow ducks in his arms, hurled them with all his might.
There was always anxiety.
How many snow ducks would be needed for that low chance? Would Guru’s mana run out before then? Even if everything succeeded, would they make it out alive?
Amidst the countless uncertainties, there was only one thing he could be certain of.
As the attempts increased—
Countless snow ducks poured down like a heavy snowfall.
—The chance for the debuff to work grew.
[Resisting debuff.]
[Resisting debuff.]
[Resisting debuff.]
[Resisting debuff.]
'I need to avoid this.'
Malikian’s movements were driven by instinct. Though he couldn’t be sure, it was his only means of escaping the impending doom that felt like a tidal wave.
But what blocked his path was Biat’s Aspiration.
Whooooosh—
Gidan’s Biat’s Aspiration resonated ominously as it thrust toward Malikian’s neck.
As a result, Malikian was unable to avoid the final snow duck in time.
From the child’s small hand on the ship, the snow duck fell slowly.
Thud!
It shattered into pieces from the blackened fingertips.
[Skill ‘Blood’s Submission’ has been activated.]
In that moment, the Sovereign opened his eyes.
The vision of the Sovereign that appeared before Malikian overwhelmed him.
In an instant, Malikian gasped in pure terror.
The Sovereign’s face broke into a deep smile.
[The Sovereign revokes the rights of the minions.]
[Minion’s defense is ignored.]
Ugh...!
The black hood, which had surrounded him like armor, began to melt away like snow.
Aaahhhhhh!
Malikian frantically tried to pull his hood up. But it slipped through his fingers.
No, no!
From under the hood, Malikian’s frail, emaciated body was revealed. His skin was covered in sickly black stains, cursed as if it had been infected. The sight was grotesque.

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