A crowd of people danced and laughed beneath the glow of several bonfires.
"It’s a feast, I tell ya!"
"Drink up! Keep that ale flowing!"
"We’ve got shark sashimi right here! The stew’s got a right proper flavor to it, too!"
The banquet continued well into the night.
The only difference from the previous evening was the venue; instead of the inn, the celebration had moved to the beach.
The entire village had gathered on the sand where bonfires blazed brightly, lost in a boisterous revelry of drinking and song.
The centerpiece of the feast was the One-horned Shark Rest had caught. Butchered by the villagers' own hands, the meat had been transformed into sashimi and hot pots, much to the delight of the hungry locals.
"Come on now, everyone dance!"
"Sing out! If you’re gonna catch a fish—!"
"Heave-ho, heave-ho!"
The festivities were even more spirited than the night before.
The villagers sang, danced, drank, and ate upon the shore. The beach was so brilliantly illuminated that it was hard to believe the sun had set hours ago, and the air was filled with the sound of happy laughter.
『…………』
Yet, there was one who watched the celebration in secret.
Peering out from the dark waves with only his eyes above the surface, he glared at the villagers with pure, unadulterated spite.
"Gyaa...!"
The creature growling in frustration was the very monster that had been terrorizing the fishing village. The eyes he fixed upon the human settlement were clouded with resentment.
He liked humans. To be more precise... he delighted in tormenting them and drawing out their screams.
That was the sole reason he attacked this village.
He didn't kill them outright; he preferred to toy with them, bullying and causing them just enough suffering to keep his "toys" interesting.
But his fun had been spoiled by a strange human who had appeared out of nowhere.
That human had actually dared to fight back. He had been struck by a searing bolt of thunder, an experience that had been quite painful.
While such a bolt wasn't enough to inflict a fatal wound on a creature of his stature, it was comparable to being bitten by a rat. It wasn't life-threatening, but it was incredibly irritating.
More than the physical pain, it was the humiliation of being struck by a lowly, fragile human that stung the most.
"Gyaa, gyaa."
Out of spite, he had destroyed that strange facility the humans seemed to cherish—the oyster farm. Yet, despite having their precious property wrecked, the humans were making merry and laughing.
It was absolutely loathsome.
"Gya..."
He wanted to fall upon the humans and turn those cheers of joy into screams of agony.
However... he considered the possibility that the human who could wield thunder might still be there. He loved bullying humans, but he had no stomach for pain.
"Gyaa...!"
With a huff, he averted his gaze from the beach and looked elsewhere.
He swam slowly through the dark sea, heading toward another facility the humans valued: the pearl farm.
He would destroy this one instead. This time, he would make them despair. He would make them suffer.
Distorting his jagged maw into a hideous grin, he thrashed his long tail, preparing to smash the farm to splinters.
"Alright, got him!"
In the darkness, the sharp whistle of cutting air rang out.
An instant later, a dull thud was followed by a flash of agonizing pain in his tail.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"
"Direct hit! That’s the second one!"
Stunned by the unexpected agony, he tried to yank his tail back.
However, his tail wouldn't move. Upon closer inspection, he saw a long, black rope pinning his tail to the land.
A split second later, another surge of intense pain erupted.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"I thought you might show up... It's easy to read the movements of a petty-minded coward."
"Gya!?"
An orange flame flared to life, casting light upon a silhouette.
A young man stood there. Though the monster couldn't distinguish one human from another, he knew instinctively that this was the same person who had struck him with lightning before.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"And that’s number three."
As the creature screamed in a mix of pain and rage, the youth—Rest Clover—fired another metal harpoon directly into the beast.