The Fishman Leader standing before him raised its right arm high.

Colin knew the creature was about to bring its blade down on him, but he was bound by the Fishing Net and couldn’t dodge. It was stuffy inside his heavy Helmet, and he could only faintly hear the clamor nearby.

A moment later, an impact struck his left upper arm, as if he’d been smacked by an iron rod.

The spot that was hit then felt like it was being seared with a red-hot branding iron. A fiery pain pulsed through him, and a warm sensation spread throughout his body.

"ROAR!"

Kase charged out from the side like a wild beast. He thrust his Short Spear from behind his Shield, simultaneously shoving the Fishman Leader aside and buying his companion behind him precious space and time.

"O light of the Morninglord, I pray you heal this man’s wounds..."

A warm hand covered the wound. As Orelia’s prayer echoed, a gentle warmth replaced the searing pain. Accompanied by a faint, tingling itch, Colin felt the agony in his upper arm vanish completely.

He tilted his head and saw that the Fishman Leader’s strike had severed the Fishing Net on his shoulder.

Using the time Kase had bought him, Colin quickly drew his Dagger, slashed through the Fishing Net, and broke free.

Kase, who had charged forward with his Shield, was now surrounded by a group of Fishmen. Two new bloody holes had already appeared on his body. Colin rushed forward to support him, his sword forcing back a Fishman that was trying to ambush the Half-Orc.

Kase seized the opportunity to retreat and catch his breath. "Why do I get the feeling their eyes are turning red?"

"The smell of blood excites them, just like sharks! You know, sharks!"

Colin shouted, bringing his sword around in a backhand strike against a Fishman charging at him.

Kase, meanwhile, raised his Shield and readied his Short Spear, protecting Orelia behind him.

"This is the first time I’ve ever seen fish jump onto a deck and swing blades around. A while ago, we were getting ambushed by roadside weeds. This world is a pile of shit!"

"I think they’re like any other monster. If we kill their leader, it should all be over."

The Fishman Leader standing before them grinned, and a voice, thick and phlegmy, rasped from its mouth, "You... can... try!"

"Fish can talk?"

"I don’t know! This isn’t what the books said!"

As the Fishman Leader spoke, the other Fishmen suddenly stopped attacking the group. The excess ones all rushed toward the other sailors, probably because the sailors were putting too much pressure on other parts of the battlefield.

A sudden, ominous premonition washed over Colin.

"Be careful, Kase! This thing can summon shar—"

The next moment, a loud SPLASH erupted from the sea.

A massive gray figure leaped up from the side of the ship, sending a curtain of water everywhere as it landed heavily on the deck, making the planks creak and groan.

—It was a living shark!

The shark thrashed and flopped on the deck, lunging toward them.

"Holy shit!" Kase yelled and charged at the shark.

At this, Colin stopped hesitating. He reached for his components and quickly chanted the Spell for Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. A fluttering feather and a small sweet tart worked in concert, plucking at the invisible Magic Net.

The familiar sensation of grasping a spider’s silk thread flooded his mind.

The Magic was a success. The Fishman Leader’s tall frame hunched over as it trembled uncontrollably, letting out shrill noises that sounded like violent coughing.

At the same time, however, Colin could clearly feel his opponent’s will rapidly slipping from his grasp, like trying to catch a loach with his bare hands.

Without hesitation, he finished Casting Silver Light Sharp Words.

A silver light flashed across both the Fishman Leader’s forehead and Colin’s own—a silver light did indeed flash inside his Helmet—and his head, which had been dizzy from frequent Casting, quickly recovered somewhat.

This recovered energy was immediately spent on maintaining Tasha’s Hideous Laughter.

With one side weakened and the other strengthened, the Fishman Leader’s consciousness quickly gave way.

The shark’s struggles sent tremors through the deck beneath his feet. Fortunately, Colin’s coordination was far better than it used to be. He steadily charged forward, and the light of his Emerald Flame Sword flared once more.

The moment the Fishman Leader raised its head, he brought his sword down on its neck.

The blade was blocked by a hard spinal bone, and the resulting wound wasn’t very deep. At the same time, the Flame of the Emerald Flame Sword continued to cling to the blade.

Just then, a Fishman came from the side and stabbed Colin’s upper arm, viciously tearing at his flesh with its Short Spear.

The pain jolted the Fishman Leader’s mind, and it instantly broke free from the Magic. It dropped its Scimitar with one hand to grab its opponent’s sword blade, its flesh sizzling as it was burned by the Flame. The muscles in its other arm twitched, and it was about to strike.

’Block it with my Plate Armor, just don’t let my arm get hurt.’

As he thought this, Colin ignored the Fishman to his side and stared intently at the Fishman Leader’s arm, trying to predict its attack trajectory.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The sound of three projectiles slicing through the air zipped past Colin’s ear.

Two Crossbow Arrows suddenly sprouted from the Fishman Leader’s chest. The impacts seemed to deflate the creature like a punctured ball. The other Fishman was shot and knocked to the ground.

With a flick of his wrist, Colin’s Flaming Sword Blade severed all of the leader’s fingers.

He swung the blade again, and the fish head fell to the deck.

At that moment, a series of strange cries rose from all around, followed by the sound of SPLASHING water.

The Fishmen vanished as quickly as they had appeared, disappearing in a flash.

"Mr. Colin, are you all right?" Orelia’s panting voice came from behind him.

Colin turned to see a gash on the Tiefling’s head, which was slowly oozing blood. She had just been fighting off the frenzied shark with Kase.

And Kase, standing by the ship’s railing, was also panting as he stared at a splintered section of the bulwark.

He had several more bloody holes in his body, but his bulging muscles had already staunched the bleeding.

It was worth noting that Kase had once again taken on the appearance he had during the Skeleton encounter—that state where his muscles bulged and his veins swelled to an exaggerated, unhealthy degree. It was in this state that the Half-Orc had just managed to hold off that troublesome shark and finally drive it back into the sea.

In fact, after learning about the combat abilities of other Adventurers, Colin felt that this state seemed...

"My heavens, you all are truly a sight to behold!" The captain, wearing a greatcoat, walked over, waving his arms. He and the few sailors with him were each holding a Lever Crossbow.

"Your support came at the right time," Colin said. "This monster’s blood is somewhat useful to us. Could I borrow something to collect it in?"

"Of course, no problem! Oh, would you like to change rooms? I mean, you could move into the captain’s cabin. I can bunk with the first mate for now..." the captain babbled, his sycophantic attitude making him seem like a completely different person from when they first met.

"Let me take care of my wounds first," Colin said with a wave of his hand.

As the adrenaline faded, the various gashes on his body began to sting, which was quite unpleasant.

To be honest, he found the captain’s previous attitude easier to deal with. This was getting a little awkward.

"Then come to my cabin first," the captain said hastily.

Colin nodded.

Just as he was about to enter the ship’s cabin, he glanced back at the deck littered with rolling fish heads. A sense of unreality welled up from deep inside him.

’Even with Orelia’s support, was that really me, fighting with ease while surrounded by so many Fishmen?’

’According to the books, Sahuagin on land are even a little stronger than a normal Militia member. If that’s the case, how many of my past self—the me from just after I transmigrated—could I take on now?’

At that thought, Colin suddenly felt as if the fish heads rolling on the deck were his own. He shuddered and quickly walked into the captain’s cabin.