We can never be sure that what we are doing is right, that we don't know what the future holds, or even when we will die. But the universe will give us desires, give us instincts. So we have to believe in them.

She climbed the stairs from the courtyard to the interior of the temple, the idol resting on her shoulder. It's a heavy burden, but Aloy doesn't mind it.

Instead, she felt like she couldn't let go.

As a young man, Pike, like most Bilgewaters, started his mess up at the slaughterhouse. Every day, monsters caught from the deep sea are stacked on the shore, waiting to be sent to the slaughterhouse for dismantling, and all day long. The place where he works is called Blood Harbor, because even the waves can't wash away the endless supply of greasy blood between the wooden slats.

He became more and more aware of what kind of trade it was—a stinking job for a pittance. Time and time again, Pike watched as the captain and crew collected bags of heavy gold coins as he and his men cut the monstrous sea monster carcasses into pieces of meat that could be easily sold. No longer satisfied with the few copper plates in his pocket, he managed to convince the crew to take him aboard. Few would dare to hunt in the traditional way from the Python Islands: flying to the prey, stabbing the tow hook into the monster's body with bare hands, and then dissecting it alive. Pike is not afraid of death and is very skilled, so the value of this harpooner has risen rapidly, and there is no golden siren to talk about at all. He knew very well that the flesh and blood of the sea monster were actually of average price, and that the real value was some of the organs of the larger, more dangerous monsters...... Certain organs that need to be harvested alive.

Depending on the difficulty of the hunt, each type of sea monster has its own price, and the most popular among the merchants of Bilgewater is the Tur Fish. The green sac taken from its saber-toothed mouth can be refined into different magical essences, so no one in the land of runeter can covet it, and a small bottle of glowing green oil is more than enough to buy ten large ships and crew. However, when Pike goes out to sea with an inexperienced captain to hunt, he learns what it means to live a flesh-and-blood life.

A few days after sailing, they came across a huge skull, with rows of green sacs peeking out of its gaping bloody mouth. Although the Chor was much larger and older than Pike had ever seen, Pike jumped into the mouth of the beast without hesitation as soon as a few harpoons with ropes caught hold of it.

Just as he was about to get to work, there was a low tremor at the end of the monster's deep throat. Then, foam churned on the surface of the sea, and a large group of Gur appeared, rushing to and fro into the hull. The captain freaked out and cut Pike's lifeline. The last thing the harpooner saw before the monster closed his jaw was the horrified expressions of the crew—they just watched him being swallowed alive by the monster.

But Pike's story doesn't end there.

In the deepest part of the unknowable ocean, with a thousand pounds of water pressure on his head, his body still trapped in Joel's mouth, but he opened his eyes again. Everywhere there were blue spots of light, thousands in the thousands, which seemed to be watching him. A long, mysterious echo trembled in his mind, squeezing his consciousness and showing him the picture of what he once had, but gradually being crowded out and lost by something else.

A new hunger takes Pike's mind, and he is desperate for revenge and punishment. He will fill the deepest trenches with the corpses of those who betrayed him.

Back in Bilgewater, at first no one cared about the murders – the occasional bloody spot in such a dangerous place was not unusual. But weeks passed, months passed, and people began to find some kind of pattern. The bodies of many captains were found at dawn with wounds all over their bodies. The tavern's regulars whispered the story of a ghost slayer who had been abandoned at sea and had returned to kill the crew of the Fear. What was once a greeting of respect and fame – "Captain?" has now become a warning.

Soon it was the turn of the shipmen, then the first mate, the trade officer, the money lender...... In fact, anyone who has anything to do with the bloody business of the slaughterhouse can't run away. A new name has appeared on the bounty board: the infamous Ghost of Bloodport, a thousand Siren Coins.

Twisted by the abyss, Pike's memory has been torn by the abyss to do what many have failed to do - piercing fear deep into the hearts of profiteers, killers, and scoundrels, though no one has ever found a record of a ship called the Horror ever docking in Bilgewater. A city that prides itself on hunting monsters now finds itself a target for hunting, and Pike seems to have no intention of stopping.

Machiye lay on a rotten plank, spread out on all fours. Waves crash against the reef below. Her heart slowed down, and the blood pumped out flowed into the sea. She stared, unblinking, at the shacks high up, and at the distant stars.

Parker surveyed her face again. Macchiye's godless eyes pierced his mind.

A beast trap. A four-masted ship with ragged sails. The waves rise like mountains.

Long hair in the winds of the open sea. There were about a dozen people on deck. Look. Blue eyes. Macchie's blue eyes widened in disbelief.

Then, the teeth.

It's not Macchie's pearl-like white fangs. Sticky, blade-sized teeth. Staggered across the hull. The light fades. Dissipation. Behemoth's mouth. The lifeline was loosened. Broken.

The tongue is too slippery. Sweat stung eyes. Fingers can't catch anything. To go back to the sea. Swim, swim......

The behemoth's teeth tightened. Then there's the pain. And then darkness.

The ship is gone. Eyes too.

Macchier's eyes.

A boatman. That's right. She was there. She cut my ropes.

Pike kicked the corpse with his foot, his eyes fixed on his feet. He kicked her all the way to the edge of the dock. With another kick, Macchiye fell into the water. The sharks arrived immediately. Hovering, biting. The ocean never wastes time.

The sea breeze brings the high-pitched cry of gulls. Pike finds Macchie, the boatman, on the list. Bright red ink crossed her name out of the parchment.

Also the last crew member of the Horror.

It's done. Not a single name on the list was gone, only a bunch of red crosses remained. Where did I get all this ink......

Pike felt a rush of mania, impulsiveness, and dissatisfaction. Evil is churning in the belly. He couldn't stop. There were many, many people on deck. He may have taken the wrong list. Or maybe it doesn't matter at all.

They let me die. So many people. So much time.

Another voice. It's not a birdsong. Not waves. Not the gnawing of teeth. Not the "You can't stop!" he screamed over and over in his head, not the music he heard in Wandering City many years ago. Take a hundred plating to read the latest chapter of "The Strongest Scholar Corpse Kun System Claw Book House" for free for the first time.