The side of Saltwind City near the coast was usually as still as stagnant water.
But today, it was much livelier.
By the time Goki and Skadi interrupted their conversation with Researcher Miss and walked out of the laboratory, the sky had grown considerably darker than it was a short while ago.
The thick morning fog had not yet dispersed, but within it, many sounds that made one's scalp tingle could be heard.
As a child who grew up by the sea and an Old Hunter who had been repeatedly beaten to death by the Twin Princes in the well of Yharnam's small fishing village, Goki was familiar with these sounds.
It was the crisp clicking of countless crabs scrambling over rocks, the splashing of beached fish struggling in small sand pits, the scraping of octopuses wriggling on flat ground... If it were his childhood self, foraging on the beach, Goki might have thought today was a big harvest.
But unfortunately, the only 'seafood' to be found on the coast of Iberia was the Little Orca carrying a greatsword beside him.
"Gah—"
Accompanied by a grotesque, low growl, deformed Terrorfish gradually emerged from the thick fog, their pulsating wrist-like limbs scraping against the ground, emitting an eerie red glow.
This time, besides the bottom-dwelling sliders that resembled sea anemones and the shell-dwelling dashers that looked like dogs, there were also the primordial piercers that had begun to develop solid organs and thorns within their "stamens," as well as the ridge-dwelling spitters that could spray acid, and some other monsters that made Goki frown just by looking at them.
"Ga da da da da—"
Emitting a sharp sound, two massive blue-white flowers were slowly advancing towards the research institute.
Following behind them were several half-human-tall, columnar creatures resembling gas tanks, covered in thorns, moving on crab-like arthropod legs.
"Good heavens, they look disgusting—"
As soon as he saw these two enemies, Goki's expression contorted—the level of repulsiveness of these two brothers was on par with the Twin Princes in the well of the small fishing village.
To this day, Goki maintained a record of defeating enemies without taking damage; facing the Seaborn, whether it was corrosive spray, slimy tentacles, or sharp spikes, none had ever successfully injured Goki, at most just grazing his skin.
As for mental damage, although every visceral attack resulted in him being splattered with the enemy's bodily fluids, Goki was completely unaware of any mental damage to himself.
There was no other way; in Yharnam, even with maximum defense, facing those monstrous creatures, Goki would basically be killed by them in two or three hits, so dodging without taking damage was a necessary action.
Upon arriving in Terra, the most severe injury Goki had sustained was that slap from Skadi during her sleep-talking this morning; Goki conservatively estimated it would have drained at least half his health.
However, facing these two orphaned enemies before him, Goki knew that as soon as he attacked them, he would be indiscriminately harmed.
"Sack Crawlers, Bowl Harvesters... In the past, their numbers weren't many. The Seaborn are already trying to adapt to the land environment."
With her greatsword resting on her shoulder, Skadi faced these enemies with no pressure at all.
The "big guys" that roamed the sea, not needing to consider the problems of gravity on land, were the truly troublesome ones.
"Also, that woman... Do you know her? Her name is Kal'tsit—she actually has ears on top of her head? She has four ears?"
But more vigilant than the Seaborn, Skadi was wary of the woman named Kal'tsit.
"Yes, I know her, but she doesn't know me—as for the ears, that's not very strange. You'll see people with horns later on."
Most of Iberia's residents are Liberi, and Anita, who left not long ago, was also a cute little bird. Goki could completely understand Skadi not having seen a beast-eared girl.
Goki had seen many in Yharnam; beast-eared men with werewolf heads were not uncommon, and there were even brain monsters with octopus tentacles and brain-shaped heads.
[However, beast-eared girls really do have four channels.]
Turning his head, Goki looked at the cat-eared girl who had stepped out the door. She claimed to be an ordinary researcher, but faced with nearly a hundred Seaborn, she showed no panic and remained composed.
She leaned against the door, quietly observing Goki and Skadi, with several vials of injectables prepared in her hand.
This kind of composure could only be displayed without any pretense by someone who had truly experienced countless battles.
"Emergency systems activated. Please be careful during combat."
As soon as Kal'tsit finished speaking, a faint yellow medicinal mist diffused throughout the room.
Although it had a strange smell, Goki indeed felt much more comfortable.
"Thank you, Researcher Miss."
With a hunter's standard gesture of gratitude, Goki bowed slightly to Kal'tsit, then turned to face the Seaborn climbing onto the mobile city.
Goki was not surprised that Kal'tsit would come to Saltwind City.
To be precise, Goki wouldn't be surprised to encounter this Feline woman anywhere.
For her grand goal, she traveled across Terra, intervening in countless political disputes and major events.
She had served as a security consultant for Columbia Company, a Cultivator in Laterano, a chief scientist researching super-ancient civilization relics in Ursus, and even a somewhat attractive female caregiver in an Ursus sanatorium who had poisoned a Grand Duke.
Now appearing in Saltwind City, Goki was surprised, but upon careful thought, it was quite reasonable.
[Could it be that Skadi's final battle caused some effects, prompting Kal'tsit to come here specifically for research? Or is she trying to understand the truth of The Great Silence?]
However, regardless of Kal'tsit's reason for being here, Goki could be certain of one thing.
Kal'tsit's ultimate goal must be for the peace and tranquility of the entire continent of Terra.
After all... just these twisted Seaborn alone were enough to make people lose their sanity.
And around Terra, there were more than just Seaborn monsters.
Therefore, Goki believed Kal'tsit could be trusted, and thus called out her name.
Since this Old Lynx liked to act mysterious, Goki might as well reveal a bit of his "omniscience."
After all, for him, the former Doctor, Kal'tsit was also a former wife!
"Skadi, there's no need to fully trust her, but at least for now—perhaps a doctor would be more useful to us?"
Compared to the naive Little Orca, Goki trusted this future head of Rhodes Island's medical department, who possessed machines capable of analyzing blood.
Moreover, in a sense, Kal'tsit was indeed omniscient.
By all accounts, she was worth befriending.
"Yes, I don't trust her. I'll keep an eye on her."
Watching her friend suddenly smile at another woman she had never met, who looked extremely dangerous, Skadi felt a little annoyed for some reason.
But she also felt that she had no right to stop Goki.
"Hmm... Humph!"
After some internal struggle, Skadi could only let out a cold snort and brandish the heavy greatsword in her hand.
"Gah—"
Finally, the Seaborn swarmed onto the deck, roaring at the Abyssal Hunter before them, also giving Skadi an opportunity to vent her dissatisfaction.
"Shut up! Prey!"
Bang!
Stomping heavily on the mobile city's deck, cracking the sturdy surface, Skadi lifted her smooth, long leg from beneath her red dress and kicked a lurking large flower into the air.
The Bowl Harvester was severely stimulated and immediately opened its petals, emitting a terrifying scream towards its surroundings, but the immense force sent it arcing through the air, and with a splash, it fell directly into the sea.
"I said, shut up!"
Skadi, today—was not happy!
Her red skirt fluttered up and down as Skadi transformed into a storm of slaughter, sweeping through the entire Seaborn horde.
"Yes, yes, you be careful too—"
And Goki could only smile apologetically at Skadi, shaking the retractable staff in his hand, which had transformed into a long whip, and sharply cutting at the Seaborn lunging at him.
Hiss—
The long whip, bristling with countless sharp blades, easily tore a Terrorfish in half after coiling around it.
Unlike the broad swings of the Saw Cleaver, wielding a long whip relied on skill rather than brute force. The optimal angle of swing would allow the metal blades to penetrate the Seaborn's flesh, connecting countless small wounds into a continuous gash.
Bang!
Then, there was a loud bang. Another Bowl Harvester, at the moment of "opening," was hit by Goki's Gun Counter in its stamen, stifling its shriek.
Clatter—Clang!
After the Gun Counter, Goki did not hesitate. With a gentle flick, he retracted the long whip, returning it to its original staff form.
Pfft—
Immediately following, the sharpest tip of the staff plunged directly into the core of this eerie monster.
Visceral Attack!
The softest core was crushed, and dark green bodily fluids splattered, falling onto the hunter's black trench coat, emitting a sizzling corrosive sound.
Without any further delay, after confirming the death of this Advanced Seaborn, Goki stepped forward, continuing his hunt.
Behind the two, Kal'tsit squinted, her ears on top of her head twitching as she vigilantly scanned her surroundings, observing the two hunters who embodied death.
However, compared to Skadi, her gaze was more focused on Goki.
Kal'tsit had seen the combat techniques of Abyssal Hunters like Skadi before.
But the other person... "Who is he...?"
A rare hint of confusion appeared on Kal'tsit's face.
On this continent, which she knew inside and out, Kal'tsit rarely... encountered the unknown.
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