I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[003] First Blood
I quickly assessed my opponent’s specifications in detail.
‘…Tyrosh’s level was definitely around 24.’
The rune I had equipped was [Inferior Merfolk Archer’s Rune].
The Inferior Merfolk Archer’s Rune was reasonably effective when drawing a bow, but in a situation like this, it might as well not exist.
Though the level gap was severe, I had the added stats from [Antagon’s Rune] applied to me.
Moreover, accounting for my opponent’s physical deterioration, the actual difference in our specs wouldn’t be as vast as heaven and earth.
Most importantly, the fact that I was barely—just barely—managing to evade Tyrosh’s attacks proved this point.
‘At least our agility stats are comparable…!’
Most sailors tend to develop their strength through growth methods specialized in physical labor, which certainly played a role.
So if I could only land a single blow by leveraging our comparable agility.
If I struck precisely at ‘one specific point’, I could escape this crisis.
Having quickly finished my calculations, I snatched up a wooden plank that lay scattered on the floor.
Simultaneously, the acrid laughter of an old man reached my ears.
“Tch tch… do you truly believe you can defeat me with nothing but a wooden board? How unfortunate that all your scheming has yielded such a pathetic result.”
“….”
“I’m tired of playing along with your little dance. Now be a good child and become a burnt offering to please the Sea God.”
Tyrosh closed the distance in an instant, unleashing a curved blade strike at my torso.
I bent my waist to its limit to evade the blade while simultaneously swinging the plank with all my strength.
Tyrosh effortlessly leaned back to dodge and sneered—but.
“It’s… not over yet…!!”
I planted my feet firmly and swung the plank again.
A clean upward strike.
It was a blow infused with all the experience I’d accumulated in Belheim, but due to my lacking strength, Tyrosh easily evaded this attack as well.
But that was precisely what I’d aimed for.
Crash—!!
“…!!”
In an instant, the lantern struck by the wooden plank shattered, and pale yellow flames transferred onto Tyrosh.
From the very beginning, my true target had been that lantern.
The fire consumed oil and flesh, spreading uncontrollably in mere moments.
“Gaaaaaahhhhh—!!! F, fire—!!!”
“….”
I watched the old man writhe in terror, his pupils trembling with fear.
So this is how horrifying the screams of someone burning in agony truly are.
Would I have cried out like that if I were the one aflame?
“…I know that pain well.”
Even as a flicker of pity stirred within me, my body moved forward.
I knew this opportunity would never come again if I let it slip away.
“Die!!”
“Krraaahhh!!! Guk—?!”
I lunged at Tyrosh and drove shards of glass deep into his neck.
As the burning form clung to me, searing heat scorched my skin, and desperation flooded through my mind in dizzying waves.
With each downward strike of the glass shards, his convulsing body strangled my throat, spewing curses from his lips.
“Die…! Please, die—!!”
Locking eyes with the gaze that burned through the flames, I drove my hands down again and again.
I had no time to feel the pain tearing through my palms.
Blood splattered across my cheeks, mingling with tears, and with each sway of the ship’s hull, the crimson liquid spread across the deck in chaotic patterns.
It was then that I noticed a new notification had appeared in my vision.
「You have achieved your first murder!」
「Your level has increased!」
「Your level has increased!」
“….”
Murder.
The weight of it could not be captured by mere letters on a page.
There was something peculiarly light about reducing someone’s entire existence to a single line.
Yet I felt neither joy nor sorrow.
Belheim was not a world where one could survive with naive sentimentality.
In this life, at least, I swore I would survive—even if it meant trampling others beneath my feet.
I left Tyrosh’s corpse behind and climbed onto the Deck, cutlass in hand.
There, a fierce tempest raged.
“Furl the sails, all of you!!!”
“S-sir, it’s impossible!! The wind is too strong to lower the sails!!”
“Then slash them down with your blades!! Do you want to watch this ship capsize?! What’s the helmsman doing—why isn’t he holding the wheel?!!”
“First mate!!! Water is pooling in the Ship’s Hold!!”
“Then get down there and bail it out!!! What are you doing standing there like an idiot?! If we sink here, we’re all finished!!”
“Oh, the Sea god’s wrath…! We’re all going to die….”
Scattered screams, faces contorted in desperation as lightning flashed, and beyond the towering waves, the Pirate Fleet tossed and swayed precariously, colliding with one another….
I crouched low to avoid being swept away by the gale and surveyed the Deck, but the crew was too desperate in their struggle against the storm to spare me any attention.
Pirates straining with all their might to escape the violent waves.
But….
“…the tempest isn’t the real problem.”
I stared beyond the darkened Sea with eyes filled with dread.
Something far more terrifying was coming.
The reason this tutorial was named the “Assault” on the Mary Celeste.
The reason this tutorial was labeled “Survival Impossible.”
As I turned my trembling gaze around, I witnessed a phenomenon of impossible proportions.
From the rain-soaked night sky, a sour and putrid stench wafted down.
Fish that had been flopping across the Deck decayed in an instant.
Dried meat and fruit rolling across the wooden floor rotted away in moments.
A scene so surreal, as if a videotape were being played at high speed.
I know what this means.
The moment I squeezed my eyes shut against the horrific spectacle about to unfold, colossal forms rose from the depths of the Sea.
｢The phantom ship Mary Celeste has appeared!!｣
｢We have encountered the malevolent Lich! Magical power is drastically reduced!｣
｢We face the despair of sailors. All status values plummet significantly.｣
｢You have witnessed the monstrosities of the great ocean! Should you survive and return to recount this encounter, you will earn favor in the Tavern.｣
｢You have heard the Banshee’s wail! Luck stat drops sharply….｣
The worst nightmare of any sailor was about to manifest before my very eyes.
* * *
A massive silhouette rose from the heart of the Sea.
A colossal phantom ship of brigantine design, so decrepit it seemed untouched by human hands for centuries.
Grotesque undead giants emerged in its wake to escort the vessel, while Banshees wailed miserably as they circled through the tempest.
Throughout the waters, ships that had fallen victim to the Mary Celeste lurched and surfaced upon the waves.
A sight so bizarre and terrifying that merely witnessing it made one’s head spin.
The Mary Celeste.
During my ranker days, I had formed parties and conquered it several times, but now it was an event I couldn’t even attempt.
Just as I was mentally cursing the Goddess, a desperate voice erupted from one of the Pirates.
“Sk-skeletons!! Skeletons are crawling up the hull!!”
“Th-that’s impossible?! The phantom ship is so far away—how are skeletons already here…!”
“The Sea….”
“What…?”
“They’re running across the water!! Look over there!!”
In the direction the Pirate frantically pointed, a horde of skeletons equipped with sea serpent scales on their feet glided across the surface like water skiers, drawing ever closer.
An overwhelming skeleton army advanced, filling the Sea with their numbers.
Several had already climbed onto the Deck.
“Damn it…! Everyone, prepare for battle!!”
“Fight with courage!! Never surrender the ship to the undead!!”
“It’s not too late yet! If we hold this ship, we can survive!!”
The Pirates on the Deck drew their blades and began engaging the skeletons.
With each clash of steel came metallic clangs from all directions, sparks scattered wildly, and the lantern flames flickered dimly through the rain and wind.
As I surveyed my surroundings searching for an escape route, two skeletons approached me.
“Damn….”
Realizing I had nowhere to flee, I drew my blade and faced the skeletons.
‘Can I win this…?’
I calmly assessed the skeletons before me.
Monsters in Belheim vary slightly in combat strength even within the same species.
Skeletons in particular have significant individual power disparities.
A skeleton cobbled together from a farmer’s bones could never match an undead knight.
Judging by their crude posture and brittle bones, fortunately these skeletons were not the remains of seasoned swordsmen or mercenaries.
Crack!!!
The moment I judged it worth attempting, I brought my cutlass down upon the approaching skeleton.
The blade itself had been swung countless times while playing Belheim through the capsule device, so the strike came off with decent speed, but the skeleton merely stumbled backward with a slight crack.
When I clicked my tongue openly and struck again with force, I succeeded in shattering one of its ribs, yet the skeleton advanced without hesitation.
As it swung a rusted scimitar toward me, I leaned back to evade.
‘Slow.’
Thanks to my natural reflexes, dodging the sluggish skeleton’s attacks posed no difficulty.
Rather, maintaining balance on the rain-soaked deck without slipping proved the greater challenge.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
Clang!!
As the skeleton advanced with its blade, I seized the opening and executed a slash.
But once again, the cutlass failed to inflict proper damage and merely glanced off.
Rain-drenched bone was impossibly slick.
It mirrored the principle medieval armorers employed—crafting grooves into armor surfaces and coating them with oil to deflect blades.
‘Damn it…!’
Slashing at the skeleton with a blade proved woefully inefficient.
At this rate, disaster would strike before I could dispatch them all.
I needed another means to counter them.
What about blunt force instead of cutting?
Crack!!
When I swung the scabbard in my left hand with all my strength at its skull, the skeleton that had been cackling flew backward violently.
It sprawled across the deck, looking up with bewildered eyes.
‘Indeed, blunt force proves far more effective against bone…!’
I immediately invested all the stat points I’d gained from killing Tyrosh into strength.
Then I sheathed the blade, gripped the sword belt with my teeth to secure it, and swung with all my might.
As the cutlass—now transformed into a crude club—struck the skeleton’s joints, it staggered and was driven back forcefully.
―Crack! Crack! Crunch…!
“Yes… it works!”
The cutlass itself was designed not merely for combat but for shipboard versatility—cutting rope, carving wood, and countless other purposes.
Its construction was inherently thick and sturdy, meaning that with a scabbard, it could function as a makeshift bludgeon.
And benefits emerged from an entirely unexpected source.
｢The sailors have fallen into terror at the encounter with undead. Your passive skill [Chaos] grants stat enhancement.｣
｢To obtain stronger effects, plunge your surroundings into greater confusion!｣
[Chaos]
A skill from Antagon’s rune that temporarily boosts abilities whenever people are frightened.
This reflected the fact that the Goddess Antagon was a deadly prankster and jester.
In my memory, it had been a nearly useless skill, but with the pirates gathered in numbers, the stat increase became impossible to ignore.
The reason I, barely level three, could stand against skeletons.
Crunch!
“Begone!!!”
｢You have defeated the skeleton.｣
“Your level has increased.”
“[Junior Sailor Skeleton] has been added to your transformation list!”
The skeleton’s skull flew clean off from the sword hilt’s impact, and it crumpled like a marionette with its strings cut.
It would reassemble and attack again soon enough, but at least I’d bought myself time to scout an escape route.
I fought against the ever-multiplying undead while desperately searching for a way out.
‘I need to find that lifeboat for escape, fast…!’
If my memory served, there was one lifeboat aboard this ship.
Trying to navigate this tempest in a tiny rowboat would be suicide, but it was far more realistic than standing against an endless horde of undead regenerating through the Lich’s mana.
It was my best chance of survival.
As I continued smashing skeletons and carving a path forward―
Crack…!
“…!!”
A sinister sound suddenly emanated from the blade in my grip.
I glanced down in alarm to find a massive fracture spreading across the sword hilt.
I’d been so focused on eliminating enemies that I’d overlooked the hilt’s durability.
A wooden hilt merely reinforced with metal bands couldn’t possibly withstand such brutal punishment.
As the hilt shattered and scattered across the deck, the skeletons I’d been pummeling froze and stared at me.
The atmosphere turned awkward, as if time itself had stopped in this moment.
“Haha… everyone doing well…?”
―Clack clack…!
―Clack clack clack clack clack!!!!
“Damn it!!”
The enraged skeletons surged forward, and I fled in panic, desperately seeking a way to survive.
But what the hell was I supposed to do?
Right after my reincarnation, all I had was my body and a single worn cutlass.
The holy power contained in the Goddess’s pendant was too weak to be of much help.
The only tool I could actually use right now was the [Antagon Rune]….
‘If only it were a combat-related rune, I could try something immediately.’
If I had to describe the Antagon Rune in one word, it would be “jester.”
Like Loki from Norse Mythology, it excels through polymorphism, eloquence, gambling, and various utility skills to constantly create chaos, and uses stats amplified by [Chaos] to defeat enemies.
In other words, at level 4, my only way to increase my survival odds in this mess was to create pandemonium and secure stats however I could.
Coincidentally, an idea had been forming in my mind for a while now.
The problem was that the method was unconventional. Extremely unconventional.
‘Is there really no other way?’
Hell, even I think this is absolutely insane.
“Screw it.”
Act first, think later.
Thrust—!
“Ugh!”
I suddenly drove my blade into the thigh of the Pirate beside me, and the skeletons stared at me as if I were a madman.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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