The siren's heart leapt with excitement as his grip tightened on the trident.
Once he took care of the guards escorting the human, everything would belong to him.
All of it.
Or so he thought.
However, there was no one there.
The siren's eyes darted nervously, his sensory organs on high alert. But try as he might, he couldn't sense anything.
The realization crept slowly into his mind.
There was only the human.
What was going on?
His eyes narrowed, and his movements became more cautious. He lowered the point of his trident, shifting into a stance that would allow him to strike at a moment's notice, his body coiling like a spring.
"Quite a ruckus," he muttered under his breath, trying to gather information before launching an attack. He didn't want to strike too soon and scare off whatever was happening.
"Making such a fuss... even if you're worth a lot, it's not going to end well for you," he continued, his words carrying a mixture of contempt and curiosity.
But the real trouble was the captain.
The siren had no stake in this mess.
He moved carefully, scanning the cargo hold while running through possible scenarios in his mind.
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Could the human be the one who caused the disturbance? No, that didn't make sense. He should still be locked up, his hands and feet bound.
But then, if someone else had started the ruckus, where were they? The cargo hold was supposed to be guarded. Had even the guards been taken out?
"..."
There was no answer.
The human simply stared at him with cold, unwavering eyes, not saying a word.
Didn't understand? Oh.
The siren finally recalled the one crucial fact: humans didn't speak their language.
Looks like he'd have to figure this out the hard way.
Shaking his trident, he was about to charge forward when—
"Just one?"
The siren froze, his entire body stiffening, as if frozen in ice.
"Is that really all you've got?," came the voice again, cutting through the silence.
It wasn't common speech.
But somehow, the words clearly reached the siren's ears, sending shockwaves through his mind.
The human... could speak our language?
The siren's heart raced. This was impossible. It shouldn't be possible.
His mind scrambled, searching for an explanation.
For centuries, chaos had raged across the Kaos world. Conflicts never ceased, and the wars were endless.
And of all the creatures, humans were the most terrifying.
Their strength was one reason, but it was their cruelty that truly set them apart. Their methods, brutal and unforgiving.
The human standing before him was no ordinary one. They had come from the Mist Sea.
The siren's grip on his trident tightened further as he swallowed nervously.
There was no way a human could learn their language in such a short time. It was simply impossible.
That thought quickly crumbled, and another theory surfaced in his mind:
What if this human could... absorb the powers of those they killed?
The siren recalled the painful battle where, if not for the captain and the squad leader, he would have been consumed himself.
No, no, no!
Shaking his head violently to clear the thought, he gripped the trident tightly and pointed it directly at the human.
"Don't try to scare me with cheap tricks!"
His words were meant as a warning, but they rang more like a desperate attempt to reassure himself.
The human in front of him was worth a fortune. If he missed this chance, he might never get another like it.
He couldn't afford to let this slip away. He had to capture the human, alive, no matter what.
His desire for wealth outweighed his fear of death.
With a furious roar, the siren shouted, "I'm in a bad mood today. Come here on your own, or I'll rip your arms and legs off!"