Chapter 76: Submarine
Brest, France—
A French nuclear-powered submarine (SNLE) is docked at the naval base. Looks like we’re heading to Worthing, UK, to land by it.
Me, Wang, the Sanctuary Knights (Sanctuary Knights), and military personnel are all gathered here. We’re waiting at a military facility in Brest...
Yesterday, Freyja told me their weapons were originally Salman’s property—given to them with permission.
Freyja and the others seem to have no clue where Salman got his weapons and armor.
No leads... maybe I could find out by asking Salman directly. But getting in contact with that old geezer? Seems unlikely.
Just as Wang and I were talking in the control room, someone from the military came to call us. Looks like we’re about to depart.
Outside the facility, the Sanctuary Knights had gathered.
“Wang, Gojo! We’re setting off soon, but first, let me introduce our team members.”
Eight people stood there, including Leo.
“We have twelve official members, but four will stay behind for support. We also asked the Russian team to help with rear support. They agreed—no complaints.”
Leo grinned. Cut the chatter, huh...
“I’m a warrior. Freyja’s a dragon knight. Both of us fight in the front lines.”
Leo stepped aside, revealing a tall, handsome man.
“This is Carlo. He’s a demon summoner. He calls forth powerful monsters—our team’s backbone.”
Leo introduced the rest of the team. Elias, the holy warrior. Luca, the hunter. Alexander and Anna, the magic warriors.
"And then there's Grese. Grese isn’t a combat specialist—more of an explorer—but I decided to bring her along as support. That’s the whole of the Sanctuary Knights (Sanctuary Knights)."
Grese was at that farewell party, wasn’t she…? Looks like she’s not exactly thrilled about this…?
Wang stepped forward. Is he gonna introduce himself?
"I’m Wang! Leader of China’s ‘Vermilion Bird.’ I’m a ‘Monk.’ And the deputy commander standing there—Liu—is also a ‘Monk.’ And—"
Wang pointed straight at me. Dread kicks in…?
"Japan’s Gojo! The only man I recognize—and the strongest ‘Monk’ in history!!"
Every single member of the Sanctuary Knights, including Leo, just stares, slack-jawed.
"Wait… Gojo can use Martial Arts too?"
Fair question. What the hell do I say…?
"Yeah… uh… I mean, kind of. Just a little, you know…?"
"…Oh, whatever. Anyway, Wang, I’ve got something for you."
Leo gestured to the cart set to the side. On it: a black box and a pole about a meter long.
"I want you to use this. Can you just… take it?"
Leo handed the pole to Wang. The moment Wang gripped it, the rod pulsed with faint light and stretched to about two meters.
"What the—what is this?"
"This is the Ruyi Golden Cudgel. I brought it because I thought it might suit you."
I scanned it.
Ruyi Golden Cudgel (Nyoikinkobou) SSR
Can change length at will.
Grants the Monk class.
Bonus: Strength ×150%
Agility ×150%
Dexterity ×150%
Luck ×150%
The Wang's level, gripping the如意金箍棒 (Ruyi Jin Gu Bang), had dropped from "Monk 99" to "Monk 1."...Amazing weapon... Seriously boosting the Wang's strength cap.
"Also... one more thing."
Leo opened the black box and pulled out the contents. Looks like armor, greenish-blue in color.
"Dragonplate—armor made from dragon scales and hide. I think this’ll suit you too. Try it on, just once?"
Wang watched with interest as she put on the armor. It fit perfectly—strange, really. Starting with the gauntlets, then the leg guards, the belt, the chest plate... one piece after another.
I'll鉴定 this one too.
Dragon Armor SR
Defense Boost ×250%
Magic Defense ×200%
Gain fire resistance.
Wang looks surprisingly good in that.
...Are you sure this is actually okay to use?
Ah, just for the duration of this Dragon hunt, but permission’s been granted by the owner. Please, use it! I’m counting on you!
Seeing the Wang smiling, I thought maybe I had it too? But nothing at all. Just me and Sister Liu stuck with that awkward expression.
For now, we all pile into the submarine. Probably figured we’d avoid the Dragon if we set out in the evening and landed at night.
The inside of the submarine's tight, but somehow it fits a lot more people than you'd expect. Looks like this thing can hold up to eighty people.
"Submerge."
NATO soldiers are packed onto the ship. We gathered in the submarine's command center, getting briefed on submarine procedures and what to expect after we go ashore.
"Should reach Wargham in the UK in about seven hours. Until then, you're free to rest in your rooms."
Leo said that, but most of the crew didn’t head to their rooms. They stayed in the command center, talking. Room or not, it’s probably cramped—hardly a place to rest properly.
About three hours later...
“Huh? Something’s coming.”
“Something wrong, Gojo?”
I was talking with Wang and Liu in the mess hall when both “Hostility Detection” and “Spatial Scanning” lit up. The water’s muddying the signal a bit, but... I rushed to the command center and told Leo.
“Leo! You feel it too? Is a Dragon approaching?”
Leo looked startled, then turned to Lukka, the “Hunter.”
“Lukka, anything?”
“No... nothing at all…”
“Check the sonar. Anything showing?”
Leo asked a soldier, who shook his head. “Nothing.”
“You feel something, Gojo? Some kind of detection magic?”
“No... not exactly.”
I want to write it off as a mistake—but I can’t. It’s coming. Right then, the sonar operator yelled!
“Sonar’s picking something up! Something’s coming!!!”
The whole place went stiff with tension.