Chapter 22: What the Hell is Going On?

Steven glanced at the minimap in the top right corner of his vision, but he didn't see the small green dot that represented Gladiia. 

That meant she had likely already moved far away from him.

Luckily, the Minimap Mod wasn't limited to just a minimap. With a simple thought, a full-scale map of all the areas he had explored so far appeared before him.

On the map, Gladiia's icon was moving rapidly, chasing after a strange red dot. 

What caught Steven's attention the most was that she wasn't heading toward the ocean, as he had originally predicted.

Was she chasing after someone important to her, even in her amnesiac state? Or… had she already regained her memories?

With a face full of confusion, Steven stared in the direction Gladiia had gone.

Of course, he had to go after her. 

He had promised to take responsibility for her, and she was the first person he had met in this world. 

There was no doubt he cared about her.

The problem was that he couldn't exactly leave right now.

Just as he had suspected, after wiping out the Sea Terror that had served as the vanguard, a much more intense feeling of being watched had surrounded him.

Clearly, the ones that had surfaced weren't the only threats. 

Something even more dangerous was lurking in the shadows behind them.

Now that Steven had taken care of the small fry, he should have been preparing to deal with the real threats waiting in the background.

But frankly, he wasn't in the mood.

He had only fought the monsters to prove to Irene that he was, in fact, a decent person. But not only had they dropped nothing of value, his daughter had gone missing in the process.

Who the hell still had the patience to fight at a time like this?

"Hey, how about you stall these annoying things while I go look for my daughter? Once I find her, I'll come back and turn myself in, deal?"

Steven nudged the tiny Inquisitor beside him with his elbow, casually discussing his next move with her.

"Are you serious?"

Irene had long since stopped expecting logic from Steven, but even for him, this was a bit much.

Just earlier, he was boasting about how strong he was and telling her to leave everything to him. And now, he wanted to dump this mess back on her?

The hidden danger in their surroundings was something she could already sense. Unlike the brainless monsters that had only acted on instinct, these unseen threats were clearly much more dangerous.

Steven was basically acting like a player who wiped out all the small mobs, only to suddenly request to leave the party right before the boss fight. 

She had no idea what went on inside his head.

"Come on, this just means I trust you. You did say you'd hold them off for me earlier, right? They're just some stronger mobs—if things get too rough, you can always run. Or actually, why not just run away now?"

Steven stroked his chin. 

He still remembered that Irene had claimed she'd cover their retreat. 

Well, now was the perfect time for her to prove herself.

"Hah—then why don't we just run together? I could even help you find your so-called daughter."

Irene sucked in a sharp breath. 

She really, really couldn't figure out how Steven's mind worked.

"No, that's not going to work."

Steven shook his head, even lifting a finger and wagging it for emphasis.

"You can't keep up with my speed."

Steven wasn't looking down on Irene—she was definitely superhuman compared to regular people. 

But compared to him? That was a different story. 

He wasn't even sure if Gladiia could catch up to his speed, let alone her.

To prove his point, Steven suddenly dashed forward. 

In an instant, his figure blurred, leaving behind a fading afterimage. 

By the time Irene blinked, he was already at the edge of her vision.

"I'll leave the rest to you! I'll be back later to turn myself in~"

His voice echoed in the air, but the person himself was long gone.

Irene just stood there, staring blankly at the now-empty space where Steven had been. The corners of her mouth twitched.

Sure, he was right—she definitely couldn't keep up with that speed. But did he really just ditch her like that?

What the hell is going on?!

She wanted to rant about Steven's ridiculous thought process a little longer, but her instincts quickly snapped her back to reality.

Steven might have left, but the monsters were still here.

She could feel it—those hidden creatures had been wary of Steven's presence. But now that he was gone, they were starting to stir.

Irene didn't waste a single second. 

The moment she realized the creatures were getting restless, she made the most logical decision available.

Without a shred of hesitation, the petite Inquisitor turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction of Steven.

She wasn't some brain-dead idiot like him. 

There was no one here she needed to protect, so why would she stay and fight these dangerous creatures?

Her priority now was to find the missing Penal Army forces and regroup with her superiors.

As for taking Steven back to the Inquisition? Yeah, she had completely given up on that idea. 

That guy's combat ability was clearly way beyond what a few Inquisitors could handle. 

If he didn't want to come along, it would take way too much effort to capture him—not to mention, it probably wasn't even worth it.

Besides, Steven did say he'd turn himself in after finding that Ægir girl.

Irene could only choose to trust his words.

As for the sea monsters?

Well… whoever wanted to deal with them could go right ahead. Not her problem.

Shaking her head, she forced Steven's absurd image out of her mind.

That guy is ridiculously strong… so why is his brain so completely out of whack?

As Irene vanished into the distance, the battlefield fell silent.

The only things left were the scorched earth, the remains of the Sea Terror, and the lingering scent of cooked seafood.

Finally, the hidden creatures lurking in the shadows began to emerge.

They were the same type of monsters Steven had encountered when he first arrived at the shore.

After exchanging a few guttural growls among themselves, the creatures suddenly parted, making way for something behind them.

A figure stepped forward.

It was humanoid in shape, but its body seemed to be an eerie fusion of fish mucus, tattered cloth, and broken bones.

The black humanoid creature turned its head in the direction Steven had disappeared, its voice a low, thoughtful murmur.

"A powerful being… we must remain vigilant."

If Irene had been here to witness this, she would have been too stunned to speak.

Because this bizarre, nightmarish creature…

Was speaking in perfect Terran common language.