Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Little rats. Find them quickly!”

As I was heading towards the mast, I released the grappling hook I had set, causing my body to float in mid-air. I fired an arrow, enlarged with Concentration, onto the deck.

Boom!

The sailors, unaware I had crossed over, scattered in panic. But the chaos was short-lived. As soon as the conch shell sound signaling an enemy presence rang out, the sailors quickly formed ranks and surveyed their surroundings.

Large illumination magical tools cast light across the night sky.

Before landing, I drew the bowstring once more. My targets were the gunners aiming their cannons at the cliff. The arrow, slicing through the rain, hit a gunner’s shoulder.

“Release!”

[Special effect of Slot 5, ‘Chain’ activates!]

The arrow that hit pierced through the man’s shoulder, then zigzagged to attack three nearby gunners in succession. Before my position could be discovered, I moved to a secluded corner of the deck.

“Is it not time yet?”

I looked towards the cliff. As time passed, the wind and rain grew fiercer, making it hard to see ahead. I bit my lip anxiously. It felt like less than five minutes had passed, but half of the memorized formulas were already used up.

“Yun Su-ho, hurry up and come.”

For the first time in a while, I found myself waiting for Yun Su-ho.

I gulped down a mana potion and tossed the empty bottle on the floor. More than anything, mana consumption was the problem. Using skills recklessly had quickly depleted my mana. I wished I could hook up potions like an IV drip.

“It’s not really appropriate to use Rising Moon either…”

The mana of these sailors, with no magical aptitude, was barely a handful.

The mana cost of using the skill was higher, making it inefficient in this situation. It was better to spend that time drinking potions. Moreover, I had long since used up all the auxiliary items on the Kraken.

‘Well, I’ll just have to tough it out physically.’

Fortunately, amidst the storm, their attention was divided as they tried to avoid the reefs. The ships kept tilting, making their magical tool aiming terrible.

If it weren’t for this rough weather, I might have been shot full of holes by now.

“Time to move again.”

I fired an arrow imbued with the Scatter formula towards the sky, causing a magic circle to appear above the ship to my left. With a snap of my fingers, arrows rained down.

“Let’s keep this up till the end.”

Just as I was about to move, a sailor rounding the corner spotted me.

“…!”

Before the man could raise his voice, I quickly approached and covered his mouth. I knocked him out with a strong blow to the back of the neck and pushed him into a corner.

Despite everything, I’m still a player. Subduing one ordinary NPC was no big deal. The problem was that there wasn’t just one.

“I’ll have to hold out for now.”

Creeak-

As I climbed onto a nearby mast, I saw sailors dragging something out with a chilling sound.

“What’s that?”

Eventually, a man wearing a hat emerged from the cabin and pulled off the wet cloth covering the object. A glass cannon, more akin to a work of art than a weapon, was revealed.

“Infuse it with magical power!”

“But Viscount, that’s…”

“One big hit and those rats will surrender. You sluggards! Move faster!”

As the man opened the lid of the glass cannon, another sailor beside him opened a sack and poured its contents into the cannon.

A faint vibration sounded as red light filled the cannon.

“That looks like magic stones… Are they pouring in that many?”

I activated Explorer’s Eye, which I had turned off to conserve mana. As expected, they were magic stones. The sailor, who had stuffed in so many magic stones that the lid could barely close, turned the cannon towards the cliff.

“They’re out of their minds.”

If they fired that thing, it would harm not only those near the cliff but also the children who had entered the sea. The sailors seemed to share this thought, hesitating and delaying the firing.

“Why are you dawdling?”

“Viscount Bisque, are we really allowed to fire?”

The hat-wearing man, Bisque, kicked the shin of the sailor who questioned him. As the sailor bent over, clutching his leg, Bisque promptly stomped on his face.

“How dare you question my orders. You worms!”

“Ugh, but, but Lord Gorgon said absolutely no damage to the merchandise…”

“Your superior is me, not Gorgon. Me!”

While Bisque was beating the man, I analyzed the cannon’s structure. It was a simple design with several basic formulas layered, but that concentration of power made it a formidable magical tool.

I needed to sabotage that magical tool while everyone was distracted by the sailor being beaten to a pulp. I focused the mana in my eyes.

[Grasping the essence of the target with exceptional insight.]

Explorer’s Eye, reading the caster’s intent, indicated the correct spot. A part of the formula composing the cannon glowed dark red.

“Apply Concentration to Slot 1.”

[Skill ‘Enchant (S)’ activates.

– Slot 1: Concentration (Remaining uses 0)]

An arrow made of magical power appeared in my hand. I drew the bowstring with all my might, shaking my head to clear the bangs obstructing my vision.

“There, look over there!”

A sailor screamed as he noticed the light emanating from the arrow.

“Too late!”

“Everyone, take cover!”

The arrow flew as the sailor shouted.

“It’s just one arrow! What are you afraid of?”

Bisque sneered, chin raised. But soon he screamed and moved away from the cannon.

The arrow, already quite large when summoned, grew in size as it cut through the wind. By the time it neared the deck, it had grown to the size of a harpoon used for whaling.

The people standing around the cannon scattered in panic. Those who couldn’t get far enough away flattened themselves on the deck, bracing for the impending explosion.

“…What?”

“Nothing happened!”

But contrary to their expectations, there was no explosion.

The arrow that hit the cannon barrel made a chink! sound like glass hitting glass, then melted away.

The men who had fled in premature fear began to murmur. To the naked eye, the cannon seemed unharmed. Only the light that had been condensing inside the cannon had gone out.

Bisque, who had fled faster than anyone, put his hands on his hips and boasted loudly.

“I knew this would happen!”

But to my Explorer’s Eye, it was clearly visible. That single shot had destroyed the core of the circuit. The cannon would no longer function.

I raised the corner of my mouth in a smirk.

“What’s wrong with this thing?”

Bisque, noticing something amiss with the cannon, pounded the barrel with his fist.

‘No amount of that will make a magical tool with a broken circuit work.’

Right on cue, a message arrived from Yun Su-ho saying the entry into the water was complete.

“Time for me to go too.”

To meet Yun Su-ho a bit faster, I aimed my grappling hook at the mast closest to the cliff.

Or rather, I tried to.

I squinted at the light that suddenly poured down, precisely targeting me. I shaded my eyes with my hand and looked down.

Illumination magical tools had been placed on each mast of the ship, shining light on the area above.

“You dare break my glass cannon? Do you know how much that cost… I’ll make fish food out of you! Everyone, fire!”

It seemed my recent attack had given away my method of moving using the masts.

“I guess even a rotten carp has enough brains to be appointed commander.”

What followed was a series of acrobatics left to chance.

Not only from the ship I was on, but even from the neighboring ships, they fired at me. A brief moment, not even 30 seconds, felt like an eon.

“You said you were ready. Why aren’t you coming?”

There wasn’t even time to drink a potion. I fired my grappling hook while doing a somersault. My body was pulled towards the mast I had originally targeted.

If I could make it over just one more time from here, I’d barely reach the cliff where Cha Taeyang was. It seemed better for me to move rather than just waiting.

‘If I can just make it over…’

I released the grappling hook near the mast and threw it towards the cliff.

“Ugh!”

“Direct hit, sir!”

Just when I thought I was almost there, a bullet lodged itself in my forearm.

My vision went white from the first major injury in a while. Judging by the intense burning sensation, it seemed to be a bullet imbued with a fire attribute formula.

The pain tearing through my flesh broke my concentration, canceling the skill, and I fell straight towards the dark sea.

Even as my consciousness faded, I could see Yun Su-ho flying towards me in the distance. He looked furious even at a glance.

“Yun Gaho!”

“You’re too late.”

Just before I hit the water, a blue tail made of water caught me.

And then a solemn voice resonated in my head. Before I could identify the owner of the voice, I lost consciousness.

– I’m sorry for being late.

The sea spirit, who had endured in the Cradle for so long, so very long, finally raised his body.

Astrona appeared, leading a waterspout, with soldiers lined up in formation around him. The soldiers, blue enough to dazzle the eyes, shone like stars amidst the storm.

The soldiers standing in the dark sky all rushed towards the ships at once. Blue trajectories like comet tails split the dense night.

– Now, I pass judgment upon you.

The sea spirit, leaping into the air, drew power from the depths of the sea. A whirlpool began to form, centered on where the ships were positioned.

“That, that is…”

“The Avenger, is it the return of the Avenger!”

“No! The Avenger didn’t look like that!”

The sailors on the wildly tilting ships cried out. Hearing their pleas for divine mercy, the sea spirit scoffed.

– How foolish, how utterly foolish. Because of these wretches…

The sea spirit closed his eyes.

Multiple layers of magic circles surrounded him. Then, transformed into human form, the sea spirit swung his arm. Following the sea spirit’s chant, dozens, hundreds of weapons materialized, slaughtering the sailors on the deck.

A blood mist rose through the heavy rain. No matter how much they were cut, the weapons and soldiers made of water did not disappear. The sailors, fallen into despair, cried out the names of their gods.

– Arrogant land-dwellers, this is our cradle, our source.

The land-dwellers belatedly remembered.

Why they had kidnapped children. Why they had no choice but to take hostages. The fear and awe they had forgotten overwhelmed them.

The sea was not their domain.

– This is the end, forever.

The sea spirit muttered, turning away indifferently.

As if on cue, a wave rose up and swallowed the sailing ships whole. The waterspout that had been circling the sea spirit followed in pursuit.

Some sailors struggled to survive until the end, but the enraged sea blocked their path. The sailors trapped below the surface sank one by one.

– Media… please forgive me this once.

The sea spirit vanished quietly, leaving only the sound of waves.

The storm that had seemed endless gradually subsided. By dawn, all that remained was an awkwardly risen sun and an empty horizon.

Thus passed the shortest night of the year.