In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 166 Skadi VS. Gladia, a one-sided crushing defeat? The power of the Whale-Slaying Fist!

Why did Gretia come to this sea area?

It all started a year ago.

The plan to hunt down Isamara ended in failure. The Deepsea Hunters lost dozens of members and several captains, but gained nothing.

The deep-sea hunters paid a heavy price, but this did not cause much disruption to Agor's foundation.

On the contrary, the Deepsea Hunters' failure made everyone in Agor begin to doubt their abilities.

As public opinion intensified, rumors began to circulate in Agor society that "the Deep Sea Hunter project has completely failed."

The surviving deep-sea hunters were incredibly angry, but they didn't know how to retaliate against such public opinion.

After all, no matter how strong the Deepsea Hunters are, they cannot defy Agor's ruling class.

They could not deny the failure of the operation.

The deep-sea hunters, who have made sacrifices and are now facing trial, are in a precarious situation.

Fortunately, thanks to the reasoned arguments of Captains Ulpian and Gretia, the Deep Sea Hunters organization was preserved.

In order to prove to the civilians and leaders of Agor the importance of the Deepsea Hunters, Ulpian and Gretia, as captains, began to accept various dangerous missions.

And so, despite the turmoil, the deep-sea hunters survived the most difficult year.

Until recently, Goredia, the second team leader, received a special mission.

"According to our detectors, there have been slight magnetic field fluctuations in the southern ocean region in recent months."

"Although the strength is only at the 'electric propulsion' stage, based on Haisi's evolution and the hunters' reports on Isamara... we cannot rule out the possibility that Haisi has evolved magnetic field power."

"Therefore, we hope you can go to that area of ​​water to gather intelligence."

"If Isamara had allowed the Sealings to evolve magnetic field power after that assassination attempt, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Agor, we must be fully prepared."

—And so, Goredia, bearing a heavy responsibility, arrived in the sea area where Skadi was located several months earlier.

However, although she slaughtered many Sea Creatures along the way, she did not find any trace of magnetic field power in any of them.

Out of caution, Goredia observed the area for several more months.

Just as Gretia felt she had gained nothing and was about to return to Agor to report, she finally felt the "electric current propulsion" power mentioned in the intelligence!

But when they found Gladys, she never expected that she would actually meet Skadi, who had been missing for a long time and was presumed to be dead by everyone!

Goredia was initially overjoyed, but quickly regained her composure.

Because she noticed the most unusual thing about Skadi!

"Skadi, what happened to you?"

Goredia frowned, staring intently at Skadi, whom she could no longer see through.

"Your current strength... 240,000 horsepower?"

"How did you become so strong in just one year?"

"...a year?"

However, Skadi, who was unaware of the passage of time, was stunned by Goredia's words for a long time before she understood what was going on.

Did I only spend a year in the lab?

Oh, so that means it rose to 240,000 horsepower in just one year... I'm pretty impressive, aren't I?

Ah, and there's my godfather too; he seems even more formidable than I imagined.

Skadi, belatedly realizing that the speed at which her strength had increased was indeed terrifying, couldn't help but let a smug smile appear on her face.

But Skadi couldn't very well not answer Goredia's question.

In addition, Gladys is someone Skadi trusts, and she should tell her about her future plans.

So, after a moment's thought, Skadi answered in what she considered the coolest way possible, in a calm and collected manner:

"Swordfish, there have indeed been some changes in me that you could not have imagined."

“I now desperately need to become strong enough to overthrow the corrupt Agor leadership.”

"This is the path I must take, the reason I fight."

"..."

For a moment, the ocean was as still as if the "Great Serenity" had arrived.

In the ocean, Skadi's expression was calm, but her head held high and her posture was so open and honest that it seemed to be a kind of pride seeking praise.

After hearing Skadi's words, Gladys remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"...I'm sorry, Skadi, we've caused this for you."

Hearing Skadi's words, which were no different from those of the Deep Sea Believers, Goredia's expression became more forlorn.

In Gretia's view, Skadi, who was eager to overthrow the Agor leadership, was undoubtedly, like most of the missing Deepsea Hunters, assimilated by the genes of the Sea King.

This explains Skadi's sudden surge in power.

It must have been Hai Si who gave her the power, right?

There have been similar examples in the past, where some Agor people, blindly pursuing power, chose to assimilate with the Haisi.

Ultimately, they did gain power that wasn't theirs, but in doing so, they lost their humanity.

Now, seeing her comrades reduced to this state, Goredia was heartbroken.

"You are the most outstanding member of the latest generation of deep-sea hunters. If nothing unexpected happens, you will take over the position of the new captain in a few years."

"But because of our incompetence, you have been assimilated by these beasts."

However, while Skadi was still full of questions, Goredia had already gripped the spear in her hand and suppressed the mercy in her heart.

The next second, a surge of magnetic field power condensed within Goredia's body, and Skadi felt an intense killing intent approaching!

“Skadi, if there’s even a trace of your humanity left, don’t resist.”

"Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you get out of this predicament."

With that, Goredia's eyes narrowed, and a sonic boom erupted beneath her feet!
"The magnetic field rotates, generating 240,000 horsepower—"

"Heavenly Martial Killing Path! The Path of Decapitation!"

coming!

With supersonic speeds unleashed in the ocean, Gladys's long spear was already pressed against Skadi's throat in an instant!

Grétia's final act of mercy was to give her former compatriots the most swift death.

Goredia firmly believed that even if Sea King granted Skadi 240,000 horsepower, Skadi would not be able to freely utilize this surge in power.

My full-force attack would be difficult even for Ulpian to withstand, and I'm sure I could kill Skadi in one move!
However, the confident Goredia was unaware of this.

From Skadi's perspective now, her prized supersonic speed doesn't seem to pose much of a threat...

"...The second captain's speed seems to have slowed down?"

In the blink of an eye, Skadi even had the leisure to talk to herself in her mind.

But actually, Skadi misunderstood.

It's not that Goredia's supersonic speed has slowed down, but rather that under Chen Qi's year of special training, Skadi's reaction speed is countless times faster than before!
It's worth noting that Chen Qi is currently training with Skadi using the power of 280,000 horsepower.

It's true that Goredia can unleash supersonic speeds.

But when Chen Qi suddenly appears, isn't it always at supersonic speed?

There are also differences between supersonic speeds.

Now that Skadi has become accustomed to Chen Qi's surprise attacks and even has the full strength to launch a counterattack, how could she possibly still be afraid of Goredia's speed?

And so, just as Goredia's spear was about to pierce Skadi's throat...

Skadi simply turned slightly and easily dodged Goredia's attack!

"what?!"

Her all-out thrust was dodged for the first time, and Goredia's eyes narrowed sharply.

After quickly adjusting her posture, Goredia stared at the nonchalant Skadi with a look of dread, gripping her spear tightly once more.

By chance?

"...Swordfish, why did you attack me?"

Skadi, who had dodged the attack, was confused but still tried to communicate, saying, "I think there's a misunderstanding between us."

“I have not been assimilated by Haisi, but my desire to overthrow the Agor leadership is not false.”

"Swordfish, you should listen to me calmly."

However, how could Gretia, who had already included Skadi in the Hells, possibly listen to Skadi's explanation?

She mustered all her strength once again and charged at Skadi with all her might!

Skadi's patience was finally worn thin by the repeated attacks.

"...It seems that we have no choice but to use my godfather's method."

“If she doesn’t want to listen to people, beat her until she kneels down and has no choice but to listen.”

Skadi muttered to herself as she looked at Goredia, who was charging at her with the power of 240,000 horsepower, and took a deep breath!

With her pupils constricting, Gladys noticed the surrounding seawater converging towards Skadi's fist!

Goredia's crisis instincts kicked in, frantically alerting the police and saving her from this attack!
"Magnetic field rotation, 240,000 horsepower!"

"Whale Killing Fist!"

"boom--!"

The sea collapsed and the earth cracked!

When Skadi unleashed her full power as always, the moment she unleashed the Whale Killer Fist, even the deep sea shattered!
Chen Qi's cover-up approach to education had a less than ideal effect at this moment.

Skadi, unaware of her own destructive power, had no idea that her punch was equivalent to 300,000 horses.

If it weren't for Goredia's quick reaction and timely retreat, Skadi's punch alone would have been enough to kill her.

"cough!"

Even though Goredia didn't die, she was caught off guard and couldn't help but cough up blood.

"How can it be?!"

Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth and enduring the churning of her internal organs caused by Skadi's powerful punch, Goredia's face had lost its usual composure and was filled with disbelief.

"How could this punch possibly be worth 240,000 horses?"

What exactly happened to Skadi?

Grandia's brain, still dazed from the force of the punch, started working quickly, and soon she came to a horrifying conclusion.

"Could it be... that Isamara not only possesses the power to rotate magnetic fields, but has even managed to create her own army of deep-sea hunters?"

"Given time, wouldn't Hai Si be able to create a group of magnetic field experts and directly destroy the Agor civilization?"

In Goredia's mind, she already imagined thousands of powerful Sea Spirits, each on par with Skadi, easily tearing apart the dome of the "Blue Kingdom" and assimilating thousands of Agorians.

After that, Hai Si, with this army of powerful magnetic field beings, devoured all living beings and eventually transformed the entire planet into their paradise.

The thought of this possibility sent a chill down Greta's spine.

"No, I must retreat."

"I must relay this message to Agor, or Agor will face annihilation!"

Thinking this, Goredia, despite her injuries, decided to use her speed to shake off Skadi.

Goredia believed that even if Skadi could dodge her attacks, she would never be able to keep up with her speed.

Goredia's judgment was correct.

But she hadn't considered one thing.

What if Skadi quickly defeats her before she can escape?

Swordfish, don't run away.

Sensing that Gladys was about to leave and realizing that things were getting complicated, Skadi once again gave it her all.

All Gladys heard was a sonic boom, and Skadi seemed to have teleported a distance and was already raising her fist at her!
This was also the first time Skadi had used a whale-type martial art other than "Whale Killer Fist".

"Whale Dominates the World!"

Whale Domination: Uses a portion of the magnetic field power to rush a short distance, then unleashes a powerful punch.

Simply put, Flash + Basic Attack.

It's simple and unpretentious, but it really works!

"boom!"

Another round of earth-shattering punches followed, but this time, Skadi held back considerably.

Skadi noticed that Gladys was injured, so the punch only knocked her unconscious and did not kill her.

Skadi hesitated after easily catching Goredia's limp body after she fainted.

What should I do now?
"...I don't think my godfather ever said that I wasn't allowed to bring other people into the lab."

"Moreover, Gretia is a trustworthy person. I believe she will support me after she has seen the truth about Hai Si."

Although Skadi was a bit simple-minded, she made considerable progress after Chen Qi's guidance.

Although she was mentally prepared to take on the entire Agor alone, Skadi still wanted to garner some supporters if possible.

For example, my comrades who were also deep-sea hunters in the past.

The Deepsea Hunters, who were also deceived, exploited, and sacrificed by Agor's ruling class, are a major force that Skadi can win over.

Moreover, only the deep-sea hunters possess the power to rotate the magnetic field. With their support, we will have an absolute advantage in terms of military strength.

With that thought, Skadi's eyes lit up again, and she hoisted Goredia and the headless fish onto her shoulders.

Unaware that her journey would change her destiny, the unconscious Greta was unaware...

……

"Uh……"

Feeling an unprecedented surge of life force enter her body, Goredia, who was in excruciating pain all over her body, slowly opened her eyes.

Where am I?
"--Hmm, the injury is just right. For your first battle, you did a pretty good job, little orca."

However, just as Goredia was in a daze, a light entered her ears and a male voice that made her heart tremble suddenly brought her back to her senses.

Having just regained her footing after her injuries were completely healed by cell regeneration, Gretia heard Chen Qi's calm and friendly voice:

"Nice to meet you, Miss Swordfish."

"It looks like you just fought my adopted daughter, Little Orca, and got a pretty bad beating."

Upon hearing that voice that made her heart flutter again, Greta subconsciously turned her head and met Chen Qi's face.

Goredia was certain that this was the first time she had ever seen this face.

But why... does this face evoke such mixed feelings in her heart?

Guilt, unease, shame... Why do these emotions suddenly surge into my heart?
What's wrong with you?
However, Chen Qi, with his exceptional abilities, was clearly aware of Goredia's thoughts.

But he didn't point it out; instead, he explained to Goredia as if they were meeting for the first time:
“I am the baby orca’s godfather. You can just call me ‘Qi’.”

"I am a war god from an ancient civilization more than 10,000 years ago."

"And this place is also a laboratory of a pre-civilization."

"The little orca brought you here in the hope that you can understand more about the truth of this world."

As Chen Qi pulled up information about Hai Si, he jokingly said to Greta behind him:

"Of course, it's okay if you don't want to watch. I think the little orca would be happy to beat you until you have no choice but to submit."

Goredia remained silent for a long time: "...Banditry is really not elegant."

To this, Chen Qi showed no shame whatsoever, calmly retorting:
"But if I can't beat you, then everything is out of the question, so I think the rule of the strong prevailing has never changed."

Having said that, Chen Qi released the information about Hai Si once again. Looking at Goredia pacing towards him, he seemed to remember something and added:
"By the way, if we don't speak the language, I can show you a translated version."

"—No need." Goredia replied calmly, glancing up as she perused the knowledge from this pre-civilization.
"You don't need to give me that idiot's translation; I can read the script of a pre-civilization."

"..."

Skadi, who had been quietly grilling fish and was about to give some to Goredia, sat back down sullenly upon hearing this.

Then, Skadi silently ate all of Gladys's fish, silently making a mental note of Gladys's mistake.

Once he has truly overthrown the Agor leadership, he will definitely make sure that Greta serves him tea and water.

(End of this chapter)