Chapter 156: Order’s Assault! (I)
Kai could see men running around like ants on the incoming galley; the enemy was so close.
Meg was standing near him, to his right, and looking out into the sea using the far-eye. She took the cylindrical bronze tube, tapering towards one end, off her eye, and took a deep breath. Like him, she too licked her lips as if the tastiest dish was coming to her in not but a few moments.
"What do you think?" Kai asked, a gentle breeze playing with his white hair. "They have brandished the Baratheon flag on their foremast, true. But their zeal surpasses common bounty hunters and freeriders. A few Contestants might have slipped themselves onto the ship, but..." He couldn't complete his words, as Meg was already shaking her head.
"No, it's not that, master," she said, dropping a few paper fish into the sea. "You are right, I think. The entire crew is made of Contestants. You are rising on Order's kill list. An undeniably good thing, of course. It means you are advancing at a rate that even the Systems are thinking of you as a monster. Not to mention an even greater monstrosity that hides within you."
Kai snapped his head towards her. "Are you talking about Selene?"
Meg nodded, a solemn gaze flicking across her old eyes. "I have already told you about the uncharacteristic advantage of graded Magical Beast," she said, reminding him of a discussion they already had gone through once. "A magical beast, more often than not, has the capabilities matching many grades higher than itself compared to Contestants. That's why when your serpent was an E+ magical beast, it could handle itself against Contestants from the 4th floor, which is equivalent to D- grade.
"These gaps keep on decreasing as one climbs up the ladder of grades, though. It's also the reason for the rarity of magical beasts above C+ grades. They are not only hard to find but also harder to get."
Kai remembered the Eon Pokemon, and what she had told him about their grades, but didn't interrupt.
"With the Ghost Basilisk's current grade," Morning Mist continued, after taking a brief pause, "I am sure she can make quick work of any 4th-floor Contestant on her own. And if I am not wrong about it, then she can even inflict mortal damage to 5th-floor Contestants. The only area where these magical beasts lack is intelligence. They are still beasts, after all. Add me to your power, master, and I wouldn't question if Order were to even send a 5th-floor Contestant after us."