I Hate Systems

The Captain was alarmed at the sudden appearance of the mist that blanked his senses, reflexively bringing out his Invoked Spirit to guard himself.

His hands let go of their hold over Pilkan's, intending to first take a defensive stance and protect himself. After all, based on his expression, Pilkan was definitely the cause of the mist.

Therefore, being in contact with the other party was risky. Even though he wasn't aware of the other party's intentions, being a Captain of a merchant ship for years meant he had his fair share of experiences.

Unfortunately, even in his wildest dreams, he would have never expected his Invoked Spirit to be stuck in the mist the moment it was brought out. The suddenness of the situation caught him off guard, during which a spear pierced his throat, ending his life.

Compass Carburettor began to absorb the Mental Fragments generated by the Captain upon death. Following that, he began to absorb the Captain's Invoked Spirit, a creature resembling a walrus.

"Emergency! Emergency! All hands on deck!" A sailor shouted in alarm, ringing the bell on the mast, alerting everyone on the ship.

The one that arrived stared at the mist in shock, wondering why something like this had appeared when the skies were clear. Moreover, the mist only occupied a portion of the deck, confusing them further.

Swoosh!

Right as they were about to take action, arrows flew out of the mist, slamming into them one after another. Some that were quick on the uptake reacted promptly, bringing out their Invoked Spirits to defend against the arrows.

As for the rest, they collapsed to the floor, bleeding profusely, with some of them dying instantly.

The Captain was the strongest here, being a Superior Invoker. The Vice-Captain was a Common Invoker while the rest were only Inferior Invokers. There were six Inferior Invokers in total while the remaining sailors were only grunt workers.

The arrows took down three Inferior Invokers in a matter of seconds as Duketace's metallic eagle fought against the Vice-Captain's Invoked Spirit.

The two seemed to be evenly matched for the moment but it didn't matter as all Duketace had to do was wait until Compass Carburettor finished up his opponents one after another.

"Can you handle the rest?" He stared at Kowla after clearing out part of the mist, "There are three Inferior Invokers."

"I'll…do it." Kowla hesitated for a brief moment before bringing out her eagle to target her enemies. In the meantime, Compass Carburettor worked on absorbing the Superior Invoked Spirit, watching the battle span a good few minutes as both sides were in an impasse.

Kowla wasn't just facing three Inferior Invoked Spirits but also the arrows unleashed by the rest of the sailors and their spear charges. So, things were taking time.

"Go!" A sailor tied a chit to the claws of a pigeon before sending it flying away, intending to inform their trading company about the situation at hand.

Though, the pigeon had barely taken flight when an arrow slammed into it, killing it on the spot.

"Ensure no information leaks out. I don't wish to summon my Invoked Spirit while absorbing the Mental Fragments." Compass Carburettor said to Kowla. Every time he attacked, he had to stop absorbing Mental Fragments and bring out his Invoked Spirit.

This time wasted meant a minor reduction in the quality of the Mental Fragments obtained. That was why he was being strict with time.

"…Yes," Kowla was conflicted, unable to understand just why the heck was she helping them in the first place. But here she was, actually fighting alongside her father under the orders of Pilkan, someone she didn't even bat an eye towards until today.

A few more minutes later, Compass Carburettor was done absorbing the Superior Invoked Spirit, using the cover of the mist to make his Invoked Spirit target the Vice-Captain.

Swoosh!

The Walrus whacked its tail, leaping into the sea from which it surfaced to spit out a mouthful of water blob at the flying metallic eagle. The water blob didn't contain too much power, but it still felt like a stone being pelted.

And unlike a human throwing stone, the water blobs were accurate, striking at the targeted spots with startling speed. The metallic eagle swerved in the air, barely dodging the attacks but failed to close in on its opponent.

The Vice-Captain brandished a sword, dashing towards Duketace as he tried to hack the opponent. Duketace put up a shield given to him by Compass Carburettor, using it to defend against the sword hacks.

He was playing defensive, buying time when a sword popped out of the mist and slammed into the Vice-Captain, stabbing his thigh.

"Gah!" The Vice-Captain kneeled under the force, hurriedly bringing the walrus next to him when he was alarmed to see the mist swerve in his direction, trapping his Invoked Spirit.

The abruptness of the unexpected situation caught him off guard. And as with the Captain, his life ended as a spear pierced through his neck. Compass Carburettor arrived before him, beginning to absorb his Mental Fragments as he commanded Duketace, "Take care of the rest of the sailors."

"Yes, my Lord." Duketace nodded and joined hands with his daughter, killing their enemies one after another.

The father and daughter pair felt strange to join hands with one another but were rather harmonious in action as they jointly dealt with their opponents.

Blood covered the ship deck as the two eagles made rounds in the ship, rounding up anyone that had been in hiding.

Bang!

Duketace slammed the four surviving sailors on the deck, asking Compass Carburettor, "My Lord, they surrendered. What should I do with them?"

"Clean the ship," Compass Carburettor gave a command to them, ignoring them after that. They were normal humans anyway. And it was impossible for them to go anywhere without help from the ship.

It was also easier to manage the ship with some extra hands. He had plenty of tasks left to give to the father and daughter pair, so Compass Carburettor didn't wish for them to waste their energy maintaining the ship.

"T-Thank you." One of the sailors bowed in response to being spared, hurriedly taking on the task to clean all the blood and filth on the deck.

In the meantime, Compass Carburettor beckoned for Duketace and Kowla to the Captain's cabin, staring at the ambitious girl as he extended his hand, "The Ascender Scroll…"

"Give it to me."