Days passed aboard the Skull Chomper, a pirate ship led by the infamous Captain Grorax.

For two months, the Skull Chomper had been doing what it does best: plundering civilian ships and stripping them clean, all while Grorax focused on retraining himself for future battles.

Elazul, however, found it hard to fully commit to the pirate lifestyle. Coming from a peaceful planet, he just couldn’t bring himself to embrace the brutality of piracy. Every time they raided another ship, Elazul acted with extreme caution, determined not to kill anyone.

Usually, Elazul and Kirix would be the first to board the target ship. Their job was to neutralize the guards and create a safe entry point for the main crew.

Elazul always made sure to knock out the guards without killing them. Kirix, on the other hand, wasn’t so kind and often went straight for the kill, even when it wasn’t necessary.

Grorax often scolded Elazul for his lenient approach. But Elazul would argue that he joined the crew for protection, not to kill innocent people. They butted heads about it frequently, but somehow, Elazul always managed to win these debates.

When they weren’t raiding, Elazul spent most of his time retraining. He somewhat regretted his past decision not to undergo brain enhancement—not that it had been entirely his choice, but he regretted it all the same.

He still remembered the combat moves he used regularly and practiced them to keep his body in shape. Elazul could tell something felt different during his training, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what had changed or when it had happened.

*****

Alarms blared, and the hiss of broken pipes created an irritating background noise as Elazul found himself battling several guards at once.

These guards were also fish-like creatures with mechanical bodies, though far weaker than Grorax's kind. They swung their heated metal blades, trying to slice Elazul in half. But Elazul took his time, carefully wearing down their energy while analyzing their movements.

Finally, Elazul spotted an opening. He dove in swiftly, striking the leg of one guard’s mechanical body and completely dismembering it.

"One down, three to go," he muttered.

As he readied himself for the remaining three, their bodies suddenly exploded. Someone had shot them with explosive rounds, blowing them apart.

“Kirix…” Elazul hissed.

“Too slow, human!” Kirix replied, transforming his cannon arm back into a pincer claw.

Kirix then signaled the rest of the team, and soon they stormed the ship, looting it after killing several civilian passengers. Grorax always tried to avoid unnecessary slaughter, knowing there was always a chance royalty might be hiding among the passengers.

It took a few hours for Grorax and his crew to rob the ship. After killing one of the fish-like creatures to instill fear, they left the survivors stranded in space. Grorax believed sparing them without supplies was an act of mercy. Elazul, on the other hand, saw it as slow torture.

As they left the ship behind, hoping someone might find and rescue the passengers, Elazul met with Grorax and the crew.

“Alright, kids! I think we’ve got enough. Time to head home and cash in!” Grorax shouted, to the cheers of his crew.

Elazul, as usual, had no idea where this “home” was. Lizard, ever the kind one, explained it to him once they were back in their quarters.

“The home Grorax talks about is one of the strongest pirate strongholds ever built. It was created by the first Sea-Tech, who also used it as his cultivation home,” Lizard explained.

“Sea-Tech? What’s that?”

“Oh, that’s what Grorax and his race call themselves. They’re sea creatures that have developed advanced technology as their primary path. The owner of this home mastered tech, magic, and cultivation, making him one of the rarest beings in the entire galaxy,” Lizard added, with a dramatic gesture.

Elazul’s mind wandered, imagining such a powerful being who could lead an entire race of troublemakers and command their loyalty. For a brief moment, he felt a small push inside him to one day become that kind of person.

Days flowed by like a river until the Skull Chomper finally neared their destination—home. Elazul rushed to the cockpit, eager to see this amazing place, only to nearly have his eyes pop out of his head in shock and disbelief.

The Sea-Tech home was shaped like a massive jellyfish, with a clear glass dome at the top and thousands of glistening tentacles trailing beneath. Underneath the dome, clusters of buildings and objects were mashed together, forming the jellyfish’s long body.

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The Sea-Tech called this place, in Elazul’s translated version, the Void Jellyfish. It was the heart of the Sea-Tech galactic society, ruled by their first and most powerful pirate king, Master End Whale.

Master End Whale was the only Sea-Tech to reach the highest level of power in the intergalactic community. His body was a combination of bleeding-edge tech, and he had mastered five out of the Seven Star Levels of Magic and five out of the Seven Stages of the Dao Path. Only those beyond the Five Star Magic and Five Stage Dao would dare challenge him, as fights at that level always meant life or death, and no one wanted to risk dying in vain.

*****

The spaceship Skull Chomper edged closer to the city of Void Jellyfish. As they approached, Elazul could see thousands of spaceships of varying shapes and sizes firmly attached to the floating city’s tentacles, gently drifting along as the city moved through space.

Grorax piloted the Skull Chomper toward one of the nearest tentacles, which was as thick as the ship itself. The tentacle connected to the spaceship's exit door, sealing it with some sort of magical membrane.

“Alright, kids! Same drill as always! You stay here till I’m back. I’ll give you your share of the loot and let you know when we’re heading out next. Until then, feel free to spend your money until your body malfunctions,” Grorax said, heading quickly toward the exit.

He opened the door for a split second, slipped out, and it immediately closed behind him. Elazul watched as Grorax was swiftly sucked into the tentacle, speeding toward the main dome of the city. Within a minute, Grorax had disappeared from sight.

“So, what do we do now?” Elazul asked the remaining crew members.

“Wanna play some games? Real games this time,” Kirix said with a mischievous grin.

******

A bit bruised, but grinning triumphantly, Elazul sat atop Kirix's back when Grorax finally returned, about an hour later. The pirate captain, with his octopus-like face beaming, held a hefty stack of papers in his tentacled hands, a gleam of satisfaction clear in his many eyes.

"Get up, kid! No time for lounging around! We've got work to do—start unloading the cargo. We made a killing tonight!" Grorax bellowed, his voice echoing through the room, quickly followed by enthusiastic cheers from the rest of the crew.

The crew wasted no time, immediately getting busy with their tasks. They hurried to unlock bolts, unfasten cages, and move boxes, crates, and all sorts of plundered goods. Elazul pitched in as well, leveraging his incredible strength to haul heavy loads that would be difficult for the weaker crew members. His efforts significantly lightened their burdens, making the task go much faster.

Once everything was ready, they pushed the items to the exit where the magical tentacles latched onto the goods, sucking them up into the dome-like structure above with an eerie yet efficient precision.

After the bulk of the cargo was sent up, Elazul and the rest of the crew prepared to follow. Elazul, however, hesitated at the threshold, feeling an odd sense of unease as he stared at the thinly membraned tentacles. It felt as though something was telling him to reconsider stepping forward.

"Elazul! Hold up! You can’t just walk into the tentacles like that!" Lizard called out, grabbing Elazul’s arm and pulling him back just in time.

"Here, use this Rune Plate on your neck," Lizard said, handing him a slim metal strip inscribed with glowing runes. Under Lizard’s guidance, Elazul fastened the strip to the side of his neck. He waited, expecting something dramatic, but when nothing seemed to happen, doubt crept into his mind.

"Is this thing even working?" he asked, skepticism clear in his voice.

"Of course it is! Just step into the tentacle and you'll see," Lizard replied confidently before stepping into the tentacle tube himself.

Trusting Lizard’s knowledge of magic and technology, Elazul took a deep breath and stepped into the tentacle. Instantly, he was sucked up, the force pulling him in so quickly that he had no time to second-guess.

The sensation was bizarre but strangely familiar. It felt like riding a water slide back on Earth, except this time he was ascending rather than descending. Through the semi-transparent membrane of the tentacle, Elazul could see the vast, empty expanse of outer space stretching out endlessly around him. Stars twinkled in the distance, while vibrant lights from the Void Jellyfish city sparkled like gemstones, casting an otherworldly glow across the scene.

For several minutes, Elazul floated upwards through the liquid-filled tube, marveling at the sights around him. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the journey ended, and he was ejected into what felt like a large body of water. It was only now that he realized he had been moving through water all along, and yet he could breathe just fine. Elazul touched the rune on his neck and felt it warm against his skin, clearly doing its job.

Curious, he inhaled deeply, feeling the water pass through his nose and somehow disappear just before it reached his lungs. When he exhaled, water shot from his mouth in a stream. "Magic sure is confusing sometimes," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

Looking around, Elazul spotted Lizard waving at him from a distance. Elazul tried to walk toward him but quickly realized that, being underwater, walking wasn’t exactly an option. He attempted to swim instead, moving slowly and awkwardly through the water. Embarrassment washed over him as he noticed that everyone else seemed to be gliding effortlessly while he floundered.

"Why are you so slow? Is that how humans move in water?" Lizard asked with an amused tone.

"What else am I supposed to do? I’m not a fish," Elazul grumbled, clearly frustrated.

"Well, don't compare yourself to the fish here. They're the dominant race," Lizard said, chuckling. "And actually, you can command the rune to help you move. That’s my fault for assuming you already knew that."

Lizard proceeded to give Elazul a quick tutorial on how to use the rune properly. With each explanation, Elazul’s movements became smoother and more controlled. Soon, he was gliding through the water, his awkwardness fading as he blended in with the bustling city around him, despite his starkly different appearance.

They swam for a while until they reached a large building, ominously decorated with black pearls and the skulls of various creatures. Strange writing, shaped like pipe holes, adorned the entrance, but Elazul couldn’t make any sense of it.

Inside, they found Grorax and the crew already gathered. Grorax was busy distributing something by touching the mechanical hands of his crewmates. When he spotted Elazul and Lizard, he walked over, holding out a small ring.

"Here’s your wallet. A little gift from me to my newest recruit. Of course, I bought it using your share of the loot, but it’s still a gift," Grorax said with a mischievous grin, clearly pleased with himself.

"Stingy," Elazul muttered under his breath, though he accepted the ring nonetheless.