CHAPTER 70: SHIP’S KEY

Shaan tried to move his body, but sadly, his body had difficulty moving. He couldn’t even stand for long and quickly fell. To make matters worse, Zerawulf slowly walked toward Shaan and bared his sharp fangs, ready to tear Shaan’s body apart.

"This is bad. How can I escape this situation?"

As Zerawulf tried to pounce on Shaan, a sudden blast of fire shot through the air and forced Zerawulf to back off. Shaan quickly turned his head and saw that the flames came from Satan.

"Sa-Satan? That means—"

Nalira swiftly lunged forward, trying to launch a counterattack at Zerawulf. However, despite Zerawulf’s body being severely wounded from Shaan’s attack, the creature managed to dodge Nalira’s strike swiftly. Damn. This thing was stronger and faster than any creature they had fought before.

"Na-Nalira, listen to me," Shaan said breathlessly. "Be careful... th-this Zerawulf has mutated. It moves faster and hits harder than the others."

Nalira gave a slow nod after hearing Shaan’s short explanation. "...Alright. I understand."

Instantly, Nalira focused her mana on her legs and dashed forward, attacking Zerawulf with incredible speed. She launched a swift counterattack, weakening it even further.

"Good, now it’s my turn." Nalira slashed at Zerawulf’s leg, sending the creature crashing to the ground. "Satan, use the Flame Vortex skill and don’t let the Zerawulf escape."

[Alright, little Princess. I’ll do it. Flame Vortex.]

Instantly, a fiery vortex erupted from Satan’s palm, burning Zerawulf’s body to ashes. It... It was terrifying. Satan’s power was indeed no joke.

"... Shaan, are you okay?" Nalira walked toward Shaan and slowly reached out her hand. "Let me help you stand up."

"Oh, no, don’t worry. Calm down, I can do it." Shaan mustered all his strength to stand up. "Look, I can-"

Unfortunately, his legs could only hold him up for a few seconds before he fell back down, making it even harder for him to move. Nalira quickly stepped in and supported him, helping him walk back to the ship.

"Hang in there... I’ll take you to meet the others soon."

"Robin... Robin Hood... how is he?"

"Calm down, Robin Hood will be fine. He just disappeared for a while and will reappear when his condition improves," Nalira explained briefly. "As long as you don’t die, Robin Hood will be fine." Nalira pulled out a Red Moon Berry from her pocket. "Here, eat this. It will restore some of your strength."

"O-okay."

Shaan ate the Red Moon Berry and continued walking with Nalira. Eventually, they reached the ship’s main door. Slowly, Nalira opened the door, causing everyone inside the room to immediately turn their gaze toward them.

"Oh my God, what happened to him?" Chelsie, seeing Shaan’s condition, immediately approached him. "Lira, please lean Shaan here. I’ll heal him right away."

".... Alright"

" Chelsie cast her healing ability, and gradually, the wounds covering Shaan’s body began to fade. Luckily, thanks to Chelsie’s ability, Shaan could finally move his body normally again."

"You’re amazing, Chelsie." Shaan smiled. "Thank you—again."

His words made Chelsie look away as her face flushed. "Uhm... I-it’s nothing. I just do what I can."

"What’s going on?" Mr. Courier furrowed his brow. "I have no idea why Shaan is like this."

"The mutated Zerawulf. That creature attacked me when I found this," Shaan stood up and took something out of his pants pocket. "I managed to find the key to start this ship’s engine."

"A mutated... Zerawulf?" Chelsie’s face immediately stiffened at Shaan’s words. "B-but how is that even possible?"

"... I also have no idea where the mutated Zerawulf came from. However, if that creature is here, it means..."

"Doppleshade must be nearby too," Chelsie said, swallowing hard. "Oh no. This is bad. We need to get out of this place as fast as we can."

Mr. Courier grabbed the key from Shaan and quickly moved to start the engine. Just seconds later, the sound of the ship’s engine filled the air. Good. At least they didn’t have to stay here any longer than necessary.

"Thank goodness." Chelsie let out a long breath. "At least now we can—"

However, a few minutes later, the ship’s engine suddenly shut off. The courier tried turning the key again, but the result was the same. Strange. What was happening? Why couldn’t the ship move at all?

"Uhm... Mr. Courier, what’s going on? Why won’t the ship move at all?"

"I think something’s wrong with the engine." Mr. Courier slowly opened the engine compartment and inspected it. "The wiring. Some of the connections came loose, and I need to reattach them," he said while reaching into his bag and pulling out a small toolkit. "This will take some time. I need you all to keep watch outside the ship while I work on these cables."

"...Alright. We understand."

***

Shaan scanned the area around the ship, but nothing suspicious caught his eye. Everything seemed calm—no sign of Zerawulf or any other dark creature. Good. It looked like Nalira had taken care of every Zerawulf nearby, and for now, the situation remained stable.

"Honestly, this is maybe a good time to learn how to use the Dash ability like Nalira," Shaan muttered, glancing at Nalira, who was seen talking to Chelsie. "But... but would she even want to teach me?’

Doubt flashed through Shaan’s mind that Nalira likely wouldn’t want to teach him how to use the Dash skill. Although they had gotten to know each other fairly well, he still felt hesitant to ask her about it.

"No, no. I have to try." Shaan tapped his cheek repeatedly. "I have to go over there and ask her directly."

Shaan pushed aside his doubts and walked toward the two of them. Chelsie, who happened to see Shaan, immediately called him over to sit with them while they waited for the courier’s signal.

"Hey, Shaan, why do you look so awkward?" Chelsie smiled. "Do you wanna ask something?"

"Yes. Uhm... actually, I want to ask Nalira for help."

"Help? What kind of help?"

"You know... this is probably going to sound weird to you, but can you... Can you teach me how to use Dash like you do?" said Shaan, scratching his head. "At least if I can use Dash, I can be much stronger than before."

"...No."