Chapter Nineteen: The Enchantress of the Sea (Part 2)

Splash! Splash! Something in the water began surging toward the ship. As the creatures landed, everyone aboard finally saw their true forms. Each one was a terrifying monster, their upper bodies almost human-like, but their lower halves grotesquely abnormal. Some had the bodies of fish, others of serpents, their skin covered in bizarre colors, intricate patterns, and scales. Their faces were even more grotesque, sheathed entirely in tiny scales, and their amber, slit-pupiled eyes sent chills down the spine of any who met their gaze. Lightning flickered across their faces, making their already ashen features appear even more horrifying.

Hughes was startled by the sudden appearance of these beings. Gazing at their strange forms, he was reminded, just fleetingly, of mermaids from his previous life, but a glance at their terrifying faces banished any such comparison.

"Chip, can you scan their physical data?"

"Beep! Unnamed lifeform: Strength 2.6, Agility 2.1, Constitution 2.3, Mental Power 1.4. Status: Hostile threat detected."

"Beep! Unnamed lifeform: Strength 2.0, Agility 1.8, Constitution 1.7, Mental Power 1.2. Status: Hostile threat detected."

"Beep! Unnamed lifeform: Strength 2.1, Agility 2.1, Constitution 2.2, Mental Power 1.1. Status: Hostile threat detected."

"Beep! Unnamed lifeform: Strength 2.7, Agility 2.1, Constitution 2.4, Mental Power 1.8. Status: Hostile threat detected."

"..."

Hughes was shocked by the wave of data. He hadn't expected these creatures, which could only be described as sea demons, to possess such formidable strength.

His gaze sharpened. "Chip, those singers earlier—they were these sea demons, using their mental power, weren’t they?"

"Beep! Preliminary analysis: yes. Furthermore, to hypnotize a host with 2.9 mental power, they must have used a special method or combined their abilities."

"I see." Hughes was already considering collecting some of the sea demons’ blood for experimentation. He wanted to know exactly what these things were—and how such monstrous beings could produce such enchanting songs.

The crew and the sea demons now stood face to face on the deck. The trainees were pale with shock—none had ever seen such creatures before. To them, these were things out of storybooks, not nightmares to confront in reality.

Hughes stood at the back and quickly counted—fourteen sea demons in total. If they fought together, they still had a chance. After all, there were so many of them.

None of the trainees tried to flee. They all understood that in this situation, running alone meant certain death; these abominations would never let anyone escape. Sticking together offered their only hope of survival.

The sea demons regarded the humans with ravenous hunger. For them, humans were the most exquisite food. It had been a long time since a ship had passed by, and they were determined not to let a single one escape the depths this time.

"They’re coming!" Hughes warned. As soon as he spoke, the sea demons leapt forward, wielding spears honed from stone, charging at the group.

The trainees snatched up their weapons, clashing with the invaders in a desperate melee.

Hughes found himself facing a sea demon unlike the others—this one bore blood-red markings down its spine.

"Beep! Unnamed lifeform: Strength 2.8, Agility 2.0, Constitution 2.5, Mental Power 1.8. Status: Hostile threat detected."

Sizing up the creature, Hughes guessed it must be the strongest among them.

"So, you sense the threat I pose, and came to eliminate me first?" He had already guessed the sea demon’s intent.

"Too bad for you, you picked the wrong target," Hughes sneered. The sea demon was indeed formidable, but unfortunately, it had met him.

"Die, you disgusting thing!" Hughes unleashed his full power, shattering the sea demon’s weapon with a single blow and slashing at its neck.

A wet sound of steel biting flesh—though the scales on the sea demon’s face offered some protection, they were as fragile as paper against Hughes’s strength.

As its head fell, the sea demon’s eyes were wide with disbelief and terror—it could not comprehend being killed, or that it hadn’t even blocked a single strike.

Hughes was just about to examine the corpse—he suspected that, given their mental powers, these were extraordinary beings and might possess something useful—when a shout pulled his attention.

“Hughes!” Bolles’s cry stopped him mid-motion.

Turning, Hughes saw Bolles teaming up with Norman Cohen and another trainee, besieging a sea demon.

He assumed Bolles needed help, but before he could move, Bolles pointed urgently in a different direction.

Hughes followed his gesture and his heart dropped—another sea demon was sniffing the air, making its way up to the second deck.

“That’s Leah’s room!” Seeing the sea demon nearing the door, Hughes dashed after it.

The sea demon reached Leah’s room and, a twisted smile on its face, slashed the door open with its claws. Leah and Laura were terrified by the sudden attack—they had never imagined encountering such a creature.

Laura gritted her teeth and charged at the sea demon, Zoe following suit. Laura’s thoughts were simple: if she didn’t go, she might survive by running, but she couldn’t bear to leave Leah alone. Even if she did survive, would that man truly let her go? The memory of his gaze sent a chill down her spine.

He’d said he would keep an eye on them. If he cared about Leah, he wouldn’t just stand by.

But Laura was quickly dismayed—her dagger barely scratched the sea demon’s scales. Even working together, the sisters were quickly overpowered.

A flash of silver—Hughes’s sword pierced the sea demon, which convulsed and died, filling the room with the stench of blood.

Laura let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Hughes. She knew she’d made the right choice to fight; that single strike, though a surprise attack, proved his strength.

Screams echoed from the deck. “Ah!” “No, stay away!” “Please, someone save me! I’ll pay, I’ll pay…!”

Hearing the desperate cries, Hughes rushed back outside.

The smell of blood hung thick on the rain-soaked deck. Even the downpour couldn’t wash away the stench. The entire deck was stained crimson, rainwater mingling with blood.

Nearly half the people aboard were dead. Hughes wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out. He’d only struck twice, but each blow had drained him, his mind taut with focus, not daring a single mistake.

"Beep! Hughes Brook: Strength 3.0 (3.8), Agility 3.5 (4.1), Constitution 3.6 (4.0), Mental Power 1.0 (2.9), Status: Weak."

"Why is my mental power so low? The other attributes have dropped, but not as drastically as this..."

"Beep! Host’s mental power has been depleting since the song-induced hypnosis."

Reviewing his stats, Hughes saw that all his attributes had fallen, but his mental power was down to just one. He had no doubt that if it dropped any further, he’d pass out.

The slaughter continued. Hughes realized that the song’s power was not only to induce sleep but to sap their ability to fight. If even he was affected, how could the others withstand it?

"Are those sorcerers really going to let us all die here?" Hughes glanced toward their rooms, hesitating.

"Enough. That’s enough," a distinctive voice rang out—it was Sorcerer Charlie.