On the deck of Rhodes Island, everything looked familiar. The ship sped along, showing no signs of slowing down. The snow-covered land below had long since been replaced with firm, packed dirt. Standing at the edge of the deck, Steven had already said his goodbyes to his friends and now leaned slightly over, cautiously peering down.
Back when the ground was blanketed in snow, he hadn't thought much of the height. But now that he was looking at the solid earth beneath him…
"Yeah," he muttered to himself. "This is kind of absurdly high."
No wonder he'd left such a massive crater the first ti he jumped.
But this ti wasn't like before—he wasn't alone.
Right beside him stood a white-haired girl clad in her usual Abyssal Hunter outfit, long sword in her arms. Mimicking his movents, she peeked over the edge with a calm, calculating expression.
"You're not going to wait until we reach the city? Jumping from this height onto solid ground is… dangerous," she said, her tone flat but clearly concerned.
Her instincts were sharp—beneath them wasn't the sea, but hard earth. Even as an Abyssal Hunter, she couldn't confidently say she could survive a drop like that without so kind of preparation.
Steven, however, looked completely unfazed.
"I always do this," he replied casually. "Waiting until we dock just takes the fun out of it. Random air-drops are part of the adventure, you know? You have to savor the chaos."
He glanced at her, a playful smirk on his face.
"Of course, if you don't think you can handle it, no one's forcing you. You can always wait for Rhodes Island to stop. Just don't expect to catch up with later—we might not be headed in the sa direction, after all."
He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly teasing.
Didn't she say Rhodes Island's operators couldn't keep up with her?
And yet here she was, struggling at the very first hurdle.
Truth be told, Steven relished this kind of reckless thrill. There weren't many chances in life to experience a leap of faith like this.
"I'm only concerned for your safety," Skadi replied calmly, shaking her head. "Kal'tsit told that aside from my main mission, my orders are to stick with you. If you think you can shake off that easily, think again."
If Steven insisted, then she had no choice but to go along with him. Jumping wasn't sothing she couldn't do, it was just a bit of a hassle.
"But before that, I really think you should change clothes," Steven said, giving her an up-and-down look. "At the very least, lose that ridiculous hat."
He pointed at the strange accessory perched on her head, then gestured to her outfit.
While his own black denim jacket—custom-made by Alina—was flashy enough, Skadi's outfit was on another level entirely.
Weapons were fine. In Terra, almost everyone carried so kind of weapon. It wasn't unusual. But her Abyssal Hunter uniform?
That was fashion way ahead of its ti. No matter where they went, she'd stick out like a walking neon sign.
And the hat? Definitely the worst offender.
"Huh? But this is what I always wear," Skadi said, genuinely puzzled as she removed the hat. "Even when I was bounty hunting, this was my standard gear. Is it really that strange?"
"It's not about strange, it's about being way too noticeable," Steven replied, waving a hand. "We're not going undercover or anything, but still… losing the hat will help a lot. Just trust on this one, okay?"
Steven let out a long sigh, too lazy to explain the obvious to this well-aning airhead. The environnt Skadi was used to was worlds apart from the high-spec urban area they were heading into now. It didn't take a genius to see the difference.
Still, Skadi gave a small, obedient nod. That was one of her better traits—once a mission began, she rarely questioned the details. If Steven said jump, she jumped. Unlike Talulah, who clung to him like a walking, talking version of "Fifty Thousand Whys."
"Alright, then. Are you sure you're ready to go down?" Steven asked, shooting a glance at the massive backpack Skadi had slung beside her. "And what about that little psycho shark of yours? What are you gonna do if she goes off the rails again?"
His gaze lingered on the overstuffed pack.
Who knew what she had cramd in there? Still, compared to him—completely empty-handed—she definitely looked better prepared.
But honestly, Steven was more curious about how she managed to deal with Specter. That lunatic wasn't exactly the kind you could reason with, and with both Abyssal Hunters about to leave the island, keeping her in check was bound to be a nightmare.
"I already left compensation for the damages she caused in the dical bay," Skadi replied calmly. "Now they just need to neutralize her before she causes any more damage. As long as the elite operators work fast, they should be able to contain her."
Steven froze, then sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth.
'So that's her brilliant plan, huh?'
He had expected so kind of genius strategy. But nope—classic Skadi. Since she couldn't solve the problem, she just left a big ol' pile of money behind to pay for the fallout.
It was such a hilariously tragic solution that Steven couldn't help but grin.
"I an… I wanna feel bad for you, but this is too funny."
Still smiling, he turned back toward the edge and added, "Alright then. Once we're down, just focus on what you need to do. I won't be back anyti soon, so move fast."
He had ti to spare, but clearly, Skadi didn't.
"Even if you didn't say anything, I'd still do that," she replied matter-of-factly.
Not even bothering to look at the smirk tugging at Steven's lips, Skadi double-checked her pack one last ti. Once she was sure everything was in place, she gave him a steady nod—ready to go.
"Then," Steven said, stepping up to the edge of the deck, "You jump, I jump."
He couldn't help but quote the iconic line. But unfortunately, Skadi only frowned at him in mild confusion, clearly missing the reference.
So naturally, she didn't stretch out her arms in that classic pose, either.
"Sigh… you really have no sense of timing," Steven groaned. "I ant—are you jumping first, or am I?"
Honestly, the joke was pretty old—Skadi not getting the reference was totally normal.
Rubbing his hands together, he looked over at her with that familiar glint in his eyes, clearly itching to leap.
But Skadi tilted her head, giving him a curious once-over before speaking up.
"…Aren't you going to pack anything?"
He had told her to prepare earlier, so why did it seem like he was the one completely empty-handed?
"Huh? I've got all my stuff on already," Steven replied without missing a beat. "What else would I need to get ready for?"
He waved her off and grinned. "Anyway, if you're not in a rush, I'll go ahead."
What was there to prepare, really? Steven traveled light—all his essentials were already on him. Even without a crafting table, he could survive just fine. He'd made it through sky island survival, after all. Dropping into so random wilderness? Easy.
With a deep breath, he leaned forward—arms spread wide—and without waiting for Skadi's response, he threw himself off the moving Rhodes Island like a stone dropped into the wind.
The gusts scread past his ears, the sudden weightlessness sending a long-forgotten thrill coursing through his body.
He didn't even bother pulling out a water bucket for a landing. Instead, he reached into his internal inventory and grabbed sothing a little more… exotic.
At this height, wasn't it a waste not to have so fun?
With a snap, a pair of insect-like elytra wings flared open behind him. His rapid descent slowed instantly. Now gliding smoothly through the air like a majestic bird, Steven couldn't help but spiral and weave midair, playing around like he was back in so high-stakes aerial stunt show.
'Flying's still flying,' he thought with a grin. For soone bound to the ground, this was as close to freedom as you could get.
Sure, back in the day he had all kinds of mods that let him fly. But now? Until he crafted a full Red Matter Armor set, gliding was the best he could manage—and he wasn't complaining.
But just as he was really starting to enjoy himself, a shadow suddenly blasted past him—like an actual missile.
BOOM!
The ground below exploded with a thunderous crash.
Steven's face twitched. "…No way."
She really did it. That idiot actually jumped too.
Looking down, he saw Skadi climbing out of a freshly ford crater, dust and dirt clinging to her outfit. His mouth twitched again.
'So that's what I looked like from the outside…?'
He winced. That kind of landing was brutal. Sure, it was flashy—and sure, it looked strong—but if you didn't stick to the pose, all the cool factor vanished instantly.
If you were gonna crash into the ground like a superhero, at least land in style—with one knee and one hand down, cape flapping dramatically behind you.
Not like… that. Clawing your way out of the dirt? Yeah. Kinda ruins the vibe.
Still chuckling to himself, Steven was about to call out to her when suddenly, he felt it.
A strange pressure from above.
He glanced up, already suspecting the worst.
And sure enough, standing on the edge of the deck was another figure—a white-haired, red-eyed girl wearing a strange nun-like outfit.
"…You've got to be kidding ."
He sighed.
"I told her to deal with that lunatic first, didn't I?"
Before he could even react, the girl—Specter—launched herself off the edge without a second thought.
A full-on cannonball.
Steven pald his face. "Please… please let Skadi be able to handle her."
Because if not—
They were in deep trouble.
< >
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