The entire ship boiled with action around Qing. Commands were screamed as people sprinted to and fro, responding to the clang of the warning bell. Salty sea spray filled his nostrils, a constant reminder of the perilous situation they faced.

“We can’t let it reach the ship,” Qing said, his voice barely audible over the chaos. “It’ll rip it apart in moments.”

Cedric, standing nearby, asked, “What do you suggest?”

Qing’s mind raced through their limited options. “I have to take the fight to it.”

“If you get into the water with that thing, it’ll mash you,” Captain Thundershield interjected, his gruff voice jolly. “It’ll just play with you like a toy, or worse, ignore you completely.”

“It is the size of a damn ship, Qing. Even if somehow you defeat it, we cannot find you on these seas. The weather is too rough,” Cedric said.

Ghida, her face pale with worry, suggested, “Can you not tie a rope around him?”

Qing shook his head. “I can’t fight tied to a damn rope. Besides, no rope aboard will give me the distance I need.”

“Shoot it with arrows then,” Ghida snapped, her eyes flashing with determination.

“It’s bigger than the ship,” Qing replied. “What’s an arrow going to do?”

“We have the ballista,” Ghida countered. “Cast your spell on the bolts like you did with Knut’s arrows.”

Qing nodded. “That might sting. But we’d only get one attack, maybe two, before it hits the ship. I can’t gamble everything on that.” He shook his head, a plan forming in his mind. “It’s time I select my new spells.”

Ghida’s eyes narrowed. “Are you not waiting until we reach Hell and see what we face?”

“If I wait, we might not make it there.”

He turned to Cedric. “You work with Knut. Take the ballista, put bolts in the big bastard. I think I might have a plan.”

Suddenly, the ship hit an unusually enormous wave. Ghida shrieked, and Qing instinctively grabbed her around the waist, steadying her.

“Don’t worry, Princess. Everything will be all right,” he assured her.

Ghida’s eyes locked with his. “It better be,” she said, putting a hand behind his neck and kissing him fiercely. The kiss sent a bolt of lightning through Qing’s body, momentarily making him forget the danger they faced.

He tore his gaze away from her hazel eyes. “Give me a moment.” He stepped away from everyone to the aft corner of the ship.

The Kraken was a dark shadow in the murky water, zigging and zagging its way towards them like a monstrous octopus. Its massive tentacles spread out around it before collapsing, pushing it forward through the water with terrifying speed.

Damn, that’s gigantic.

He brought up his talent tree, knowing there were two particular skills he needed right now. Fortunately, they were both in the arcane skill tree. He had wanted to take them for days, to experiment with them in a safer environment, but he couldn’t afford such luxuries now.

Energy rose within Qing, and he had to fight to keep a smile off his face. The call for battle, the yearning for bloodshed, rose in his chest. His hands balled into tight fists, and he took a deep breath, recognizing the lingering influence of the blood-tied cleaver. Or maybe, he thought, this was just who he was now.

He’d heard about those who got addicted to the adrenaline of war, fighting, and combat, who would seek it out across the globe. Finally, Qing had a problem he could punch to make go away.

He selected the first spell.

Arcanist Spell: “Blink” (Teleportation)

Allows the caster to instantly teleport a short distance, evading enemy attacks or obstacles.

Cost: Medium Mana

Cooldown: Very Short

Tiny blue motes jumped across the page, flashing towards the icon and filling it up in a rapid firework of light blue and purple. Qing felt energy rushing from his brain to fill every cell in his body. It was like knowing not just where his hand was in relation to his mind or his other hand, but to everything around him in the cosmos. He now understood how to pull his entire being behind the curtain of the universe, just to reappear in another spot instantaneously.

“Oh yeah,” Qing said, a big smile spreading across his face. He turned to Cedric. “If we survive this, it’s going to be damn cool.”

Cedric’s expression remained grim. “‘If’ is the key word there. Focus, young one. Do not mess this up. My entire world rests on your weirdly strong shoulders.”

“Yes, yes,” Qing replied, his mind already racing ahead to the next step of his plan.

Ghida interrupted, “Can you not use your super beam or something on it? Drop some rocks on its head?”

“It is too far away, my dear girl,” Cedric said. “I’ll join the fight when it’s closer.”

Qing blanketed them out and selected his next skill, using the skillpoint he’d gotten when captain Thundershield had arrived with the pirateship, completing a small quest Qing had received.

Arcanist Spell: “Chrono Shift” (Time Manipulation)

Temporarily slows time in an area, reducing enemy movement and attack speed while increasing the Arcanist’s.

Cost: High Mana

Cooldown: Medium

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For a moment, Qing’s mind went blank, as if he’d been staring out a school bus window, lost in thought, and suddenly snapped back to reality. He found himself on his knees, forehead leaned against the wooden railing.

Ghida rushed over, Cedric right behind her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Qing said, holding up a hand. “That was just... unexpected.”

“What did you do?” Cedric demanded.

“Just had my first encounter with time magic, I think,” Qing replied, his voice a mix of awe and uncertainty.

Ghida’s face paled. “God, Qing. That’s the type of magic to make your mind melt and run out your ears.”

Qing stood up, shaking off the disorientation. “No headache, no discomfort. I’m fine. Just took a bit of a hit during the... loading or uploading or whatever the hell I just did. But I’m fine, and I think this is going to be fun.”

“Fun?” Ghida said, putting one arm on her hip while clutching the railing with the other. “You think this will be fun? A behemoth of a monster is coming to kill us all, sink the boat, and doom the world to an ongoing and eternal apocalypse, and you think this is fun?”

Qing grinned, the thrill of new power coursing through him. “Imagine unlocking level four spells. Wouldn’t that be fun? Don’t you yearn to feel such power, even in a life-or-death situation?”

“I would rather not be in a life-or-death situation, thank you very much,” Ghida said.

Qing chuckled, but their conversation was interrupted by Rowan clamoring up the stairs, shield in hand and mace on his belt. “What’s all this blasted noise?”

“Massive demonic monster coming to destroy our ship,” Qing said.

Rowan’s face lit up with a fierce grin. “About time! All that peace and quiet was starting to itch. I knew something would go wrong, and it’s better to have the damn hammer drop than keep waiting.”

“Not you too,” Ghida said, groaning.

Jenny, clanking up in her armor, joined in. “We’re finally fighting?”

“Fools, the whole lot of you,” Ghida said, stomping away. But before her head disappeared below deck, she turned and fixed Qing with an intense stare. “If you do something foolish, like get yourself killed, I will find you, and I will hurt you. So make it back safe.” Then she was gone.

Jenny turned to Qing. “What’s do we do?”

“I’ll go fight it in the water,” Qing said, his mind racing through possibilities.

Jenny winced. “Won’t you just sink?”

“I’ve got a plan,” Qing assured her, though he could see the doubt in her eyes. “It’s a good one.”

“Fine. We’ll be here backing you up.”

“Excellent,” Qing said, and turned to the captain. “Keep the ship steady. Don’t let the enemy get within range.”

Thundershield bristled. “You do not give orders on my ship.”

For a moment, Qing hesitated.

Do I take the fight now, or gamble that he’ll do the right thing?

Qing chose the third option.

“Jenny.”

“Yes, boss.”

“If he does anything to jeopardize the ship or our team, give him the royal treatment.”

She hoisted her two axes, scraping them together with a metallic shriek. “With pleasure, boss.” She stalked over to loom over the captain.

The two sailors drew their scimitars, but she just grinned at them and said, “Cute cutlery.”

They froze and stared at Thundershield.

“Out of pure curiosity, what exactly is the royal treatment?” the captain asked.

“She cuts your junk off, and you pray I get back in time to heal you.”

As the blood drained from the captain’s face, Qing hopped up on the railing, balancing as the wind tore at him. The white tipped sea extended as far as his eyes could see.

He glanced around, nodded at his friends, and dove off the back of the ship. Qing grinned as gravity caught hold. He unequipped his metal armor, leaving him with only his jewelry, circlet, and underwear. Ice-cold water enveloped his entire body, and he kicked for the surface.

“Fuck, that’s cold,” he muttered, turning to look at the ship. Rowan stood at the railing, pointing at him and then in a different direction. Qing gave a thumbs up. Then he pulled in mana, suffusing his entire being. After closing his eyes briefly and setting a destination in mind, he pulled himself towards it.

Suddenly, he appeared in the air, forty feet away and fifteen feet above the water. Unlike when he flashed with his sandals, there was no momentum or feeling of movement. He simply materialized as if he’d been standing in the water, and now suspended in the air.

Qing flailed as he plummeted towards the waves. But as he did, he tore his gaze upward, searching for the beast. A massive tentacle slapped through the air not far away. Qing cast Blink again, appearing closer this time and keeping his mouth shut. If it didn’t see him approach, maybe he could get in a surprise strike.

One more Blink and he appeared above it. By the gods, it was massive—like two buses side by side and three in a row. It was easily three times the size of the largest creature Qing had ever seen. As he fell, he opened his inventory and equipped his glaive, chest piece, pants, boots, and gloves. His strength was five times what it was on Earth, and he cast Smite on his weapon.

A stench of rotting fish assaulted his senses as the kraken swam beneath him, spreading its tentacles to propel itself forward through the water. Its giant orangy-red eye twisted. Its pupil shrank as it zeroed in on him. The tiny figure bringing doom from above. One clean strike into its brain should kill it instantly.

But, faster than he could react, lightning charged up around the kraken’s tentacles and zapped up to strike him in the chest. It flung him through the air as if he’d poked a transistor with a hayfork. For a moment, Qing went limp, his brain resetting. The glaive unequipped as his hand released its grip.

He blinked, seeing gray skies above him, wind rushing in his ears. Then he remembered—he was falling. Qing clenched his teeth for impact, twisting to look behind him. The sea was rising fast to meet him. Too fast.

This is going to suck.

Right before hitting the water—as hard as concrete—stones appeared across his skin, enveloping him in Earth Armour. He must have been close to the ship.

The spell tanked most of the blow as he smashed against the water, protecting his neck. But while it had softened the impact, it was also a suit of stone, worn atop metal armor.

Qing sank like a rock.

The impact had knocked the air out of his lungs. Panic flooded his mind as the surface disappeared rapidly. He clawed at the stone armor, ripping off pieces, but underneath was metal. He opened his inventory and unequipped his plate mail.

I can’t breathe!

His lungs were on fire.

He couldn’t think. His heart beat loudly in his ears and he clenched his teeth together, fighting the urge to take a lungful of seawater.

Then it struck him.

He pulled in magic and cast Blink, discovering it was a line-sight-spell.

He appeared at the water’s surface, the furthest he could see, but it got his head above water just for a moment and he inhaled a beautiful breath of air, filling his lungs before getting pulled underneath once again.

This time, he calmed down and unequipped the remaining heavy items before kicking his way back up.

The kraken’s a damn elementalist. That’s just unfair.

As his head popped out of the water, Qing knew he’d have to play this differently. Tactical, calm, and—

A tentacle the size of a seventy-year-old birch tree that had been allowed to grow unopposed in a public park slammed towards him. Its suction cups were larger than tires. On reflex, Qing cast Blink again, appearing forty feet away and twisting in the air as water geyser’d up from where he’d just been.

Another three tentacles rose from the water, looking deceptively slow due to their size.

How to turn this fight around?

As the tentacles rose, he activated Magic Shield, and the familiar light drain settled on him.

Qing pulled in the electricity around him and cast Chain Lightning, marveling at the ease with which it flowed through him now thanks to his elemental mastery—painless and more powerful than ever before. It zapped into one tentacle before leaping between the two others. They jerked straight like meerkats seeing movement in the grass before toppling backward.

A deep scream assaulted his ears as the kraken bellowed in pain.

“Yeah, I bet you didn’t like that,” Qing said, and Blinked into the air above it, equipping his glaive.

The kraken sent another tentacle flying to intercept him, but before it struck, a glowing ballista bolt hit it straight on, blasting the limb into two. Deep neon orange blood and ink as black as night fountained out of its end, drenching Qing as he fell past.

Glaive angled down like a spear, Qing hit the kraken’s massive body straight on. His weapon plunged in deep, up to his fists. As he kneeled on the slick skin of the demon, it rolled, sending him towards the water. But before he was plunged in, Qing twisted the glaive, locking it inside the kraken’s flesh.

Cold water tore at him as the kraken propelled itself through the water, straight at the ship, but Qing held on, fists tight around the weapon and breath held deep.

He had to stop it before it could reach his friends.