The northern ocean remained vast and endless.
Cold winds rolled across dark waters.
The ship Sea Wanderer continued cutting through waves like a blade splitting silk.
Yet nobody aboard paid attention to the ocean anymore.
Because a far greater mystery had appeared.
A mystery currently standing near the ship's railing.
The man called...
Nameless.
Or so he claimed.
The giant shark still floated in the distance.
Its massive body rose and fell with the waves.
A single silver hairpin remained embedded through its skull.
Proof.
Undeniable proof.
That what everyone had witnessed was real.
The deck remained strangely silent.
Then slowly.
Very slowly.
The silence broke.
And chaos began.
POV: Raven
Raven stood motionless.
Her dark hair danced in the ocean wind.
Her eyes remained fixed on Kel.
No.
Nameless.
The mysterious traveler.
The strange man who had somehow turned a casual conversation into a demonstration of absurd skill.
She replayed the entire interaction.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The more she thought about it.
The stranger it became.
He never introduced himself.
He never bragged.
He never challenged anyone.
He simply sat there.
Watching the ocean.
Then somehow she ended up arguing with him.
And somehow he ended up proving his skill.
Without ever agreeing to prove it.
Raven rubbed her forehead.
"How did this happen?"
She genuinely wanted an answer.
Kel looked at her.
"It began when you approached me."
The woman stared.
Then pointed toward him.
"You know exactly what I mean."
Kel nodded.
"Also true."
The explorer woman nearly groaned.
Why was every answer somehow irritating?
And why did every answer somehow make sense?
Around them.
More and more explorers gathered.
Curiosity spread faster than wildfire.
Everyone wanted to see the man who killed a giant shark with a hairpin.
One adventurer suddenly spoke.
"Wait."
Another.
"Did anyone actually see him throw it?"
Silence.
Everyone thought.
Then.
One after another.
"No."
"I didn't."
"Neither did I."
"Me too."
Raven blinked.
Because they were right.
Nobody actually saw the attack happen.
The hairpin vanished.
Then the shark died.
That was it.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Her eyes narrowed.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
That was her conclusion.
Not because of strength.
Because strength could be measured.
This?
This could not.
POV: The Bald Sailor
Near the mast stood a massive bald sailor named Bruno.
Bruno had spent twenty years at sea.
Twenty years.
Storms.
Sea monsters.
Pirates.
Naval battles.
He had seen almost everything.
Almost.
The bald sailor continued staring at the distant shark.
Then slowly looked toward Kel.
Then toward the shark again.
Then back toward Kel.
His brain refused cooperation.
Finally.
He approached another sailor.
"Martin."
"Yes?"
"Did you see him throw it?"
"No."
"Did you see mana?"
"No."
"Aura?"
"No."
"Magic?"
"No."
Bruno looked disturbed.
Deeply disturbed.
"Then how is the shark dead?"
Martin answered honestly.
"I don't know."
The bald sailor nodded.
"Good."
Another.
"At least I'm not the only one."
The two men stared at Kel.
As sailors.
Their instincts screamed warnings.
Not because he appeared threatening.
Because he appeared calm.
Too calm.
The ocean respected dangerous things.
And truly dangerous things rarely looked dangerous.
They looked ordinary.
That realization somehow made Bruno even more nervous.
POV: The Young Adventurer
A young explorer named Finn nearly exploded from excitement.
He was twenty years old.
His first expedition.
His first exploration voyage.
His first opportunity for glory.
And now.
He had found a legend.
At least.
That was what he thought.
Finn rushed toward his friends.
"Did you see that?!"
One friend nodded.
The second nodded.
The third nodded.
The fourth looked pale.
Finn grabbed all of them.
"We need him."
"What?"
"We need him in our team."
Silence.
His friends stared.
Then one asked.
"Why would he join us?"
Finn froze.
A fair question.
Very fair.
The young adventurer immediately lost confidence.
His shoulders dropped.
"...Good point."
The group collectively sighed.
Then continued staring at Kel.
Like hungry wolves looking at a legendary steak.
POV: The Scholar
A scholar stood near the ship's library compartment.
Unlike adventurers.
He wasn't interested in treasure.
He was interested in answers.
Which unfortunately.
Made Kel far more terrifying.
The old scholar adjusted his glasses.
Then started analyzing.
The trajectory.
The distance.
The angle.
The wind resistance.
The shark's movement.
After several minutes.
He arrived at a conclusion.
Impossible.
The old man frowned.
Then recalculated.
Still impossible.
Again.
Impossible.
Again.
Impossible.
Finally.
The scholar lowered his notebook.
"...I hate mysteries."
He truly did.
Yet somehow.
He also loved them.
Which was why he slowly began approaching Kel.
POV: The Ship Captain
Captain Roland observed everything from the quarterdeck.
Unlike everyone else.
He wasn't excited.
He wasn't confused.
He wasn't impressed.
He was worried.
Very worried.
Because his experience told him something important.
Power attracted trouble.
And absurd power attracted absurd trouble.
The captain stared at Kel.
The young man simply stood there.
Speaking casually with Raven.
Laughing occasionally.
Looking harmless.
The captain sighed.
Because that appearance fooled absolutely nobody.
His first officer approached.
"Captain."
"Yes?"
"What do you think?"
Roland answered immediately.
"Monster."
The first officer blinked.
"What?"
The captain corrected himself.
"Not literally."
Another.
"I think he's a monster disguised as a person."
The first officer slowly nodded.
"That sounds reasonable."
Both men continued watching.
Like sailors monitoring an approaching storm.
Telepathic Conversation
Far away beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren had learned something wonderful.
Something truly wonderful.
Kel had no idea.
The Guardian's laughter echoed through his mind.
"You're becoming famous again."
Kel sighed internally.
"I killed one shark."
"With a hairpin."
"Correct."
"Normal people don't do that."
"Normal sharks don't attack ships."
Silence.
Then Seiren laughed harder.
"That's not how logic works."
"It worked."
"One day someone is going to write stories about you."
Kel looked genuinely confused.
"Why?"
Seiren almost choked.
"Because you're ridiculous."
Kel ignored her.
As usual.
The Rumor Begins
The problem with ships was simple.
There was nowhere for rumors to go.
Meaning.
They stayed onboard.
And multiplied.
Rapidly.
Within one hour.
The story changed.
The first version:
"A traveler killed a shark."
The second version:
"A traveler killed a giant shark."
The third version:
"A traveler killed a giant shark with a hairpin."
The fourth version:
"A traveler killed a giant shark without looking."
The fifth version:
"A traveler killed a giant shark while insulting someone."
The sixth version:
"A traveler killed a giant shark accidentally."
The seventh version:
"A traveler killed a sea monster."
The eighth version:
"A traveler killed a legendary sea beast."
The ninth version:
"A traveler killed an ancient ocean guardian."
The tenth version:
"A traveler challenged the ocean itself and won."
Kel learned about this approximately two hours later.
A sailor approached.
Eyes shining.
"Sir Nameless."
Kel looked up.
"Yes?"
The sailor hesitated.
Then asked.
"Is it true you once defeated an ocean god?"
Silence.
Kel stared.
The sailor stared.
Nearby adventurers listened eagerly.
Then Kel slowly asked.
"How long has it been since the shark incident?"
The sailor thought.
"Two hours."
Kel nodded.
That explained everything.
The Gathering
By evening.
Half the ship gathered near Kel.
Some wanted stories.
Some wanted advice.
Some wanted recruitment.
Some simply wanted to stare.
The situation became absurd.
One adventurer stepped forward.
"Sir Nameless."
Kel sighed.
"Yes?"
"Would you join my team?"
"No."
Another immediately stepped forward.
"How about mine?"
"No."
Another.
"Mine?"
"No."
Another.
"Mine?"
"No."
The process continued.
Raven watched.
Trying very hard not to laugh.
Because the mysterious traveler looked increasingly tired.
Not physically.
Socially.
A rare phenomenon.
Then one adventurer asked.
"Why not?"
Kel answered honestly.
"I joined this expedition to explore."
Another.
"Not babysit."
The entire deck exploded into laughter.
Even Raven laughed.
The rejected adventurers looked wounded.
Deeply wounded.
Emotionally wounded.
Kel ignored them.
Returning his attention toward the ocean.
The horizon remained endless.
Unknown lands waited beyond it.
Unknown civilizations.
Unknown ruins.
Unknown dangers.
That was why he came.
Not fame.
Not recognition.
Discovery.
Yet somehow.
Within a single day.
He had already attracted attention.
Again.
The Count sighed.
Sometimes.
He genuinely believed trouble followed him.
Not the other way around.
And somewhere beneath the moonlit sea.
The dead shark continued floating.
A silver hairpin still embedded in its skull.
A silent monument.
To the moment an unknown traveler named Nameless accidentally became the most discussed person aboard the Sea Wanderer.
A legend born not through speeches.
Not through glory.
Not through titles.
But through a single casually thrown hairpin.
And unfortunately for Kel.
The voyage had only just begun.