581. Captain Hook (5)
Wendy Ho, who maintains her original form while burning brightly.
Wendy Ho’s powerful heat was difficult to achieve with any other magic or black magic.
The evidence is the sea water boiling like lava centered around Lake Wendy.
The intense heat caused the fish in the vicinity to be cooked alive, and steam so hot it felt like you would get burned if you touched it was generated.
In the midst of that terrible fire, Oliver spoke.
“Uh······. I’m embarrassed?”
It wasn’t a joke, nor was it a consideration for Hook. I was genuinely embarrassed.
This firepower would be dangerous even for Oliver if he were to be hit with his bare body. But for some reason, Oliver only felt like he was showering with warm water.
Honest feelings without a hint of pretense.
Since returning from the New World, there have been a few times when I felt the fire wasn’t hot enough while cooking, but I thought it was because I had become accustomed to the act of cooking itself.
But it seemed like that wasn’t the case.
That wasn’t the only thing that was confusing.
‘I’m fine······.’
As soon as he was engulfed in the massive flames, Oliver instinctively touched his face.
Because the fierce flames that had engulfed Wendy’s body instantly turned her clothes, shoes, and even the pouch vest she was holding in her hand to ashes.
Of course, the ‘fake face’ worn on the face would not be safe either.
This was a pretty big deal. While working as Dave, not showing his bare face was still one of Oliver’s taboos.
But somehow, the fake face was still attached properly. Without any damage.
It was clearly an ordinary black magic item. At the moment when he wondered what kind of harmony this was, Oliver realized that in addition to the fake face covering his face, there was something else intact.
Now it was the quarterstaff and the big mouth in the leather case that were like a part of Oliver’s body.
Oliver was surprised to see the intact quarterstaff, but at the same time he thought, “That’s right.”
That’s understandable, since the quarterstaff he received as a gift from Kent was a sturdy item that could withstand not only the attacks of a paladin, but also the cleaver of a flesh-cook, the Book of Merlin, and the attacks of the Burned One.
Then Oliver was faced with the obvious question he should have been asking a long time ago.
The question was how an ordinary quarterstaff could have such high durability.
Certainly, the quarterstaff was a precious object to Oliver, but there was no denying that it was also an ordinary object.
Although the fake face and big mouth were black magic items, they did not stray far from the relatively ordinary category.
But in the midst of this intense flame, it still maintained its original shape.
It was an understandable phenomenon.
Why these three items······. They are just things that Oliver has used and maintained for a long time.
Shudder.
At that moment, Oliver’s body stiffened.
Bad memories, bad thoughts, etc. As if we were accidentally faced with a fact that we instinctively want to avoid.
Oliver was now faced with something unpleasant, ominous, and unsettling, and then Hook came to his aid.
“As I live, I see such absurd sights again······.”
Hook said, kneeling on one knee in the middle of the burning Wendy with Oliver.
He was shocked by the sight before his eyes, but at the same time accepted it as it was.
“ah······.”
Oliver, who returned to reality thanks to Hook, stopped and noticed a bandage wrapped around his right arm.
With Merlin and the spirit’s help, the bandages did not burn, along with the quarterstaff, the fake face, and the big mouth.
Only then did Oliver come to his senses and regain his composure, calming his slightly shaken heart.
“that is······.”
Oliver opens his mouth, looking at Hook, who is waiting for an answer. For some reason, a slight sense of relief appears on Oliver’s face.
“······It seems to be a gift from someone I met in the New World.”
Oliver offered a reasonable argument.
A power that is difficult to understand from a human perspective, a burned right arm, a time when the fire felt less hot, etc.
It seemed reasonable to assume that Oliver’s resistance to fire was due to his being burned.
Oliver is still alive in the fire, his fake face isn’t burning, and the quarterstaff too······.
‘······It must be thanks to the Burned One. Okay, let’s do that.’
There was something that didn’t quite add up, but Oliver decided to leave such minor issues aside.
Hook asked back.
“Huh······. What does that mean? Cool.”
Hook, who had been asking questions calmly, coughed as if he had difficulty breathing. When he looked closely, he saw that he was not only coughing, but also sweating profusely.
It seems that the wizard is not immune to Fireship either.
The only thing that was gained was strong resistance from the red powder sprinkled by the fairy before she ignited, but it seemed to have some limitations.
Of course, whether it was magic or black magic, the sorcerer could only control the damage by using delicate techniques, and was not immune to his own techniques. Especially with such high-powered flames, it was rather natural.
Oliver explained, looking at Hook, whose stamina was rapidly declining.
“I can’t explain in detail since it’s work-related, but I think I’ve somehow developed some resistance to flames.”
“I didn’t know. How can someone be immune to fire? Are you, by any chance, a descendant of a dragon?”
Hook is dumbfounded by Oliver’s answer and makes a guess.
Oliver looked at Hook like that and said firmly.
“No, that’s absolutely not true. I’m just······. a lucky person with some talent.”
“······.”
A remark that is far from convincing for a man standing naked in flames.
But Hook read some intention into the remark, which oddly contrasted with the fan’s.
A fan who claims to be special by demonstrating special powers.
Dave, who displays special powers but still claims to be a lucky person.
It was clearly different, but at the same time, there were similarities. The two ends of the knitting needle were in different directions, but as they continued to grow, they seemed to touch.
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I wondered if it was some kind of revelation, but perhaps because of that, Hook’s state of mind changed slightly.
A hopeful expectation, yet a doubt that cannot be abandoned.
Oliver, who had read the emotion, looked at Hook and asked.
“The test······. is continuing?”
Oliver, standing on the fire ship, politely asks questions. Hook, who has been gathering his thoughts while watching Oliver like that, shows a belligerent smile.
It was a look of burning passion, yet also one that seemed to be expecting something.
“Of course······. It’s unexpected that you’re still fine in the midst of the flames, but even so, you’re just a bare body with a quarterstaff. I have the advantage.”
That was true. When the ship caught fire, the intense firepower carbonized the clothes, the test tubes inside the clothes, and the emotions, magic, natural forces, and minions inside the test tubes all at once.
Now it would be safe to say that Oliver was naked.
Of course, even though he was naked, his bare body itself was no different from a weapon thanks to the flesh from the palm of the cannibal chef, but Oliver didn’t want to end it like that.
The current match is not simply about winning or losing, but about getting help from Hook.
So it was right to show him what he deserved.
Oliver nodded after thinking about it.
“Okay, then let’s continue.”
“It’s nice and cool······. Huh?”
Hook, who was about to attack by pulling out his rapier and manipulating the ropes, grappling hook, and cannon of the burning Wendy, hesitated.
“I will continue.”? The sentence was in the present progressive tense. It was hard to understand what he was saying, but fortunately, the question didn’t take too long.
Hook was also a warlock of considerable skill, so he quickly noticed the sense of unease he felt in the sky above.
When Hook raised his head, he could see.
The intense heat of the fireship caused the seawater to boil, creating a large amount of steam, and the steam gathered into one spot to form a boulder-sized chunk of ice.
“Oh.”
With a complex spell that mixed the emotions of magic, obsession, and patience, Hook was amazed at the lump of ice that suddenly appeared in mid-air.
But strictly speaking, the iceberg did not appear suddenly.
When Oliver’s clothes and the contents of the test tube were set ablaze by the fireship that Hook had activated, Oliver reflexively sent his burning emotions and magical power into the sky like steam, building it up little by little over time.
Well, that doesn’t mean I was aiming for it from the beginning.
Rather than saying that it was something he had planned on doing, it was more like a natural way of responding that he had learned through countless battles. A response ability that could even take advantage of unfavorable situations.
Still, the effect was not much different from that of a thoroughly planned one.
As if to prove this, the ice chunk that had been floating in the air using magic power and absorbing the evaporated seawater fell straight from the sky, crashing down onto the burning Wendy.
“This much!”
Hook takes control of the burning Wendy, undeterred by the giant iceberg.
The deck split open on both sides, and a blazing cannon burst out from between.
With the cannon he first fired at Oliver, Hook intended to use its overwhelming firepower to destroy the falling chunk of ice.
At that moment, Oliver cried out.
[Ice Blast Stone]
A huge chunk of ice, the size of a boulder, exploded in midair just before the blazing cannon fired a shot, sending a spine-chilling plume of smoke down its spine and engulfing the burning Wendy.
As the smoke reached the water vapor, it cooled and disappeared, and the sea water that had been boiling until just now not only cooled but froze.
“Thank goodness. I was embarrassed to be naked.”
Oliver, who was having trouble using his magic spells due to the flames that were burning away his magic and emotions, spoke on top of the Wendy, which was now covered in a hazy haze after the flames had gone out.
Oliver manipulated some of the surrounding castles with his magic, shaped them into clothes, and wrapped them around his body.
Although it was cold because it was ice, it was okay for a little while because I could block the cold with my magic.
“From the beginning······. Was that what you were aiming for?”
Hook, whose entire body was covered in frost due to the Ice Blast Stone, asked while shivering from the cold.
As the environment changed from a fierce sea of fire to a field of ice in an instant, Hook’s skin cracked as if his body could not withstand the temperature difference, and his vitality also greatly decreased.
A situation where victory or defeat is decided.
Oliver answered.
“Rather than aiming for it······. I just happened to think that this would work out. I was lucky.”
“······Hahahahahahaha!!”
Hook laughed at that ridiculous answer.
Wendy Ho, who had been raised with great care for decades since she ran away from Neverland and became an independent pirate, was subdued in a way that seemed to be a no-brainer.
The difference in skill is so overwhelming.
Hook was shocked by the huge difference in skill, but at the same time, he accepted it and was happy about it.
This level of skill gap has already been experienced countless times in the past. Rather, the goal that had been blurred and faded over time has become much clearer.
Hook was amazed at the mysterious emotion that seemed both sad and happy.
“You. You are really amazing.”
“Captain Hook is also great. Watching the Wendy gave me a new perspective on the dark magic of the creative order.”
Oliver was serious. Using precious objects as a medium to rework them with creative black magic.
This method is more fitting for the name of the creative series than simply creating monsters. It felt like the true essence.
I’ve seen cases like this before, like Sleeping Forest, but this one felt a little more relatable.
“But you neutralized it with a random response. A creature I raised throughout my life.”
“Um······. How about we compromise and make something great for both of us? And-”
“-Maybe he’s more special than that fan.”
Hook muttered, cutting off Oliver as he tried to ask if he had passed the test.
Whether it was because he lost control due to the sudden drop in body temperature or because something was wrong with his head, he started to speak unilaterally.
“A special being, different from ordinary humans······. Fans always said that they were special. Like a prince, or a troublemaker. But why is that? In my eyes, you seem to be a troublemaker even more?”
Hook, his mind in disarray, thought of Oliver standing naked in the middle of the fireship.
The sight of him overwhelming people just by standing there was so inhuman. It was as if it was so natural.
However, Oliver, who had already come to his own conclusion about this, approached Hook without feeling any particular emotion, scratching his cheek.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Hook continued to babble about his honest feelings.
“But I’m worried······. With that flabby personality that stops at this point, I wonder if I can deal with that strong guy, Fan. If I make a mistake-”
-Thud.
As Hook spoke, Oliver grabbed him by the collar.
“······?”
Hook stopped talking at the sudden outburst, and Oliver tried to ease Hook’s worries without any selfish intentions.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it for you.”
After speaking, Oliver, without a trace of selfishness, lifted the frozen hook and threw it on the deck covered with jagged ice.
KWAAANG━!!
The deck shook. But that wasn’t the end of it. Oliver continued to beat Hook.
Even though Hook’s back was bleeding, his limbs were broken, and his clothes were torn, leaving him with nowhere to grab onto, Oliver’s unwavering determination continued, grabbing onto his ankles, arms, collar, and back, and beating Hook wherever he could, from the deck, mast, railing, stairs, and door.
To reassure Hook purely and without any selfish motives.
“Oh······. Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Stop, stop······. He’s already dead.”
“Oh, sh*t! Ow······!”
Hook bounced off the ground and fell. The citizens of Bin City and the pirates on the Giant’s Skull Rock, who were watching from afar as Oliver grabbed Hook’s ankle and threw him back, covered their mouths in shock.
Watching Hook and Oliver fight made me forget about betting and drinking for a moment.
Oliver, who had been beating Hook for nearly 30 minutes, looked at the bloodied Hook and asked.
“Are you worried now?”
······Nod.
The bloodied Hook nodded.
Oliver was wondering if Hook was a little selfish as he looked at him, when Hook asked with his mouth wide open.
“But······. Do you believe it?”
“Yes? What?”
“Your friend······. Will she be okay? Wendy······. Not everyone is safe. She could be in more danger.”
A voice that seemed to come from experience. Oliver answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Yes, Miss Jane will be fine. She is stronger than I am······. So, please show me the way.”
Hook lifted his dangling arm and placed it against his forehead.
“Old story.”
