This is well made, Hikaru thought. The s.h.i.+ps anch.o.r.ed in Vireocean were packed with some sort of magic items which he could sense with Mana Detection.

But this s.h.i.+p was different. Despite its huge size, it barely used any magic items. The light inside utilized fuel to burn, and the crew used voice pipes to communicate. There was an exception, however: in the middle lower part of the s.h.i.+p, Hikaru could sense enormous mana, possibly a magic item and the vessel's source of power.

Probably around here.

Not a lot of people roamed the bridge out front, which meant they were in the lowest level of alert status. The commander's office didn't seem far; Hikaru could sense two people inside.

I can't hear…

With the door closed shut, Hikaru couldn't find out what was going on inside. He concluded that this was the commander's office as it was bigger than the rest, and he could sense magic items inside the room.

Should I open the door a little? It's not really that bright out here…

Hikaru's Instinct said it was a bad idea. Unfortunately the people inside were more than five meters away, so he couldn't check their Soul Boards either. He listened carefully to one of the pipes, and heard conversation, although faint.

Come on. Read this one more time.

W-We… are people… of… Grand Dream…

You've studied this a number of times already.

They used their own language halfway. It sounded like they were studying this continent's language. Hikaru couldn't hear the rest.

The language barrier is really huge, huh. There's no point in eavesdropping or reading doc.u.ments when I can't even understand a word.

Even if he didn't discover what the situation was internally, finding out what equipment they possessed, the troops' composition, how advanced their civilization was, and their objective, would be more than enough.

Hikaru jumped at the sounds of footsteps coming from up ahead. He'd let his guard down. The pa.s.sage he was on was dimly-lit to save fuel. But it was too narrow for two people to walk abreast, and no place to hide either. Hikaru thought his only option was to stick to the ceiling.

A man knocked at the commander's office's door, saying something in an annoyed tone. Hearing a faint answer from inside, he opened the door.

What now? Should I go in with him? It's too dangerous when I don't know the situation inside.

The man stepped inside.

It's much brighter inside than I expected. I should at least take a peek.

Silently, Hikaru moved towards the office. Suddenly a man appeared from inside, checking left and right of the corridor. He didn't notice Hikaru crouching down. On the man's chest was the mark of a sword and a bird, the same symbol on the room. So this is the commander.

【Soul Board】Grucel

Age: 30 Rank: 149

86

【Vitality】

..【Natural Recovery】12

..【Stamina】9

..【Immunity】

….【Disease Immunity】3

….【Toxic Immunity】2

..【Perception】

….【Sight】3

….【Hearing】2

….【Smell】2

【Physical Strength】

..【Strength】12

..【Weapon Mastery】

….【Sword】2

….【Short Spear】4

….【Long Spear】6

……【Heaven Spear】1

….【Bow】2

….【Armor】5

【Agility】

..【Power Burst】3

..【Flexibility】3

..【Balance】2

【Willpower】

..【Mental Strength】5

【Intuition】

..【Instinct】4

..【Intelligence】

….【Arithmetic】2

Four points on Instinct would make an individual feel something was off, though they wouldn't be able to tell what exactly. Hikaru barely managed to get down on the spot.

He's too strong.

Long Spear 6 and Heaven Spear 1 drew his attention. The commander was just as strong as Lawrence. While the captain relied on brute strength, Grucel appeared to be the fast and smart type.

Out of all the Soul Boards Hikaru checked on this s.h.i.+p, the commander's stood out by a lot among the rest. He had long, silver hair tied in a ponytail. His features gave him an air of intelligence, though a deep scar on his check marred his face. Reaching all the way to his sideburn, it appeared as though his mouth was torn open.

A different group appeared from the other direction. Grucel, who was about to close the door, grimaced, eyeing them. It was a group of five with a plump man leading them. As soon as he saw Grucel, the plump man directed a harsh and sour gaze at him. Not a trace of respect for the commander could be seen from him.

「Deena.」Grucel called to someone inside in a low voice.

A young woman came, and the commander hid her behind him before letting her out of the room. Deena scuttled towards the opposite direction from where the group came, in other words, to where Hikaru was. Hikaru quickly climbed the walls and stuck to the ceiling, watching the woman pa.s.s by below him.

Judging by her stats, she was a civilian. The only thing that stood out was her two points on both Language Comprehension and Language Output. Like everyone else, she hadn't unlocked the Magical Power board.

Grucel faced the plump man before entering the office together. One man who remained outside.

Smiling obscenely, the man disappeared into the direction Deena went.

I smell trouble.

Hikaru checked the Soul Boards of the plump man and his company to find nothing noteworthy. They were just as strong as the soldiers...o...b..ard. Even if they attacked the commander together, they wouldn't win.

Hikaru was torn between following Deena or eavesdropping on the men inside the commander's office, and eventually decided on the former. He wouldn't understand a word anyway.

Where is she?

While he knew where she was with Mana Detection, the complex routes inside the s.h.i.+p prevented him from getting to her quickly. Hikaru went outside and found Deena on the lower level deck.

Her attire—a pale yellow suit and pants—was clearly different from the crews and soldiers. Her Soul Board indicated she was twenty-years old, but her baby face made her look like a teenager. Just like the others, she had silver hair and purple skin. Her hair was cut in a short bob style with a small cap on top of her head.

Deena proceeded onward, worriedly looking over her shoulder every few seconds.

Her pursuer, who went around, appeared before her. A heated argument broke out between the two. Patrols arrived, hearing the disturbance, but a few words from the condescending man made them leave in disgust. Deena turned pale as she watched them go.

The man grabbed Deena's wrist, and she slapped him on the face. A dull sound rang out.

Uh, oh. Wrong move.

The man, his face red, swung a fist towards Deena. She closed her eyes, preparing herself.

Then all of a sudden, her body flung backwards like an arrow. The man who missed his swing had no idea what just happened. And neither did Deena. She felt someone catch her. She turned her face to see a figure wearing a silver mask.

「You can't hit a guy like that. You should pretend to obey him to buy time and ask for help from someone more powerful.」

Hikaru was on the same floor as Deena. He hurled the grappling hook he had and pulled her back with all his strength. Unfortunately the back of her collar was ripped by the hook.

「That language… Are you from Primeval?!」

Oh, so that's what they call our place.

「That I am. By the way…」Hikaru grinned behind his mask.「You'll scream if you jump down from a high place, right?」

「…What?」

「I sure hope you do.」

「Whaaaaaaaaat?!」

Deena had no way of knowing, but Hikaru had Group Obfuscation activated at this point. All she knew was the masked figure dashed at a great speed towards the edge of the deck, carrying her, and they threw themselves in the air.

She screamed. The moment they were in the air, Group Obfuscation's effect switched off, and the patrols heard her cries.