Chapter 135: Items Should Be Treasured With Great Care Part 1

Aside from the shorts that were probably there for the ease of movement, his whole attire looked just like that of a stereotypical pirate. His hair was short but messy, really in need of a cut. There was a plaster on his cheek for some reason, and his whole expression was seeping self-confidence that only a complete moron would dare to project. His ego must have been really bloated at this point, for he was also looking at us from above like the true sh*thead he probably was.

Amazing! No matter how hard I try, I can’t possibly picture a more poster example of a true and utter sh*thead. It’s really…… I’m starting to think that even Sh*t Chronicles Online couldn’t possibly hold the candle to that guy……

「Arg, for a moment there I thought you would run away, but I see that you at least have SOME guts in you!」

「…… And color me surprised, he even says the lines that are just reeking of sh*t.」

「What did you just say!?」

We all managed to keep our cool, but Rust…… Oh, Rust just went straight for the sh*thead’s provocation. But it’s actually kind of amazing just how much resistance I’ve managed to build for silly things like that.

「I see you’re still as ill-mannered as before!」

「Hahaha…… Call it my art if you want……」

「Oh, it’s an art alright, but pissing people off!」

I don’t know about others, but all of a sudden I started to grow hungry. Maybe it’s the fault of all those meaty curses? Do you have some meat on you, guys? Even a dried up jerky would suffice for now. Just then Strude must have grown tired of shouting at Rust and Mold, for he looked straight at me as if he wanted to say something.

「Why are you looking away?」

「Ugh……」

Strude was doing everything he could to avoid having to look me in the eyes, but after a moment our gazes collided again. And he averted his eyes once more, even faster than before. Looking closely, it wasn’t just him, but other NPCs that suddenly started to pop up were doing the same.

「Hmm……?」

Could it be that for some reason this pirate outlaw couldn’t stand looking directly at me? The sh*thead finally speaks up…… but it sounded as if he was putting a piece of meat into a cage with a hungry lion inside of it, trying not to get eaten while he was at it.

「Y, you there…… Umm, let’s hear your name, laddie!」

「It’s Sanraku. And just so you know, I’m currently helping those two with the quest you’re supposedly giving here. My special skills include beating the sh*t out of Night Prowler Luukan.」

「I………… I see! Yeah, umm, you surely look like a tough guy! If, if that’s how you put it, I’ll graciously allow you to work for me as well…… Haha…… ha……」

「Reward?」

「Yes! I’ll pay you! I’ll surely pay you!」

I mentioned Luukan here because I was getting tired of this little charade of his. And what do you know? It was super effective! Not only Strude was shaking like a little puppy right now, but all of the surrounding NPC’s seemed to be terrified of me as well, even backing away considerably.

「Also, I should probably mention that a show-off pirate and a group of his rag-tag colleagues are not intimidating for me. Like, at all.」

「Then do you have what it takes to face a certain death with courage and guts and…… Fungyah!?」

The muffler around my neck wanted to say something, but as soon as I heard it I flicked it in place where its head should be and coughed a few times to mask the noise. The muffler shook ever so slightly, but it was probably only the result of being flicked so suddenly like that.

「I would like to talk about the details of the job right now. No need for introductions, since I’ve heard everything from them already. …… But I want to hear all the details directly from you.」

「Is, is that so……? You see, we would like you all to board on my ship and assist us in hunting down and bringing down the “Ghost Ship”.」

「Ghost Ship?」

「Yeah, Ghost Ship…… “Crying Innsman”, it… my papa…… I mean, it killed my dear Father……!」

「DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT THE UNIQUE QUEST “PUNCHING THE APOSTLE OF THE ABYSS”?」

Oh, it’s so cute that he calls his Father “Papa”…… But I guess that Strude’s story, told with anger and sadness, matched what Rust and Mold told me thus far.

Ghost Ship Crying Innsman…… A cursed phantom ship that appears in the middle of the storm and drags the living creatures to the bottom of the ocean where the Abyss lies. Once brought there, they would become twisted monsters and abominations that would join the crew and hunt down the living aboard the ghost ship itself. They were the servants of the entity known as “Lords of the Abyss”.

Once Strude’s father and his crew encountered the ghost ship, he alone remained on board and ordered his crew to make a run for it. He had no chance of getting out of it alive and the story was that Strude became a new captain in his place, pledging to hunt down the ghost ship and avenge his father.

「I see…… Incidentally, what are the monsters aboard the Crying Innsman?」