"I have assigned a ship and it's crew to take to the Leviathan's location, so please wait here for a bit." Riccardio said after they reached the port.
"Was that how the previous mages went there?" Ben asked.
"Yes, a ship took them there and they fought as the ship backed off a good distance. The ship and it's crew are always in danger but that's the only way, and the crew members are all here to die for this mission. 2 ships have already been destroyed and people have died." Riccardio explained.
"Hmm, the only way, huh? Surely we'll need guidance to reach the location because we don't know where it is. But putting people at risk isn't something I like to do and I have a better and safer way to get there." Ben said.
"Safer?! How?" Riccardio immediately asked.
Ben took out Light Runner, surprising Riccardio who took a few steps back.
"Isn't it a magic vehicle? What do you want to plan to do with this? It is meant for land." Riccardio asked.
"About that." Ben said while activating Light Runner.
The car suddenly started to transform and turned into a boat. It's wheels became propellers that will push the boat and there are two long floats on the side. This is Light Runner's boat mode that was used prior to the S-Class exam.
"This is will be good enough to take us there. It can move well on the sea and it's also fast. It's also very safe with many defense mechanisms that can defend against attacks from high-ranked mages. But we don't know the location and can't navigate on the sea, so we will need a navigator." Ben informed him.
"Then I will assign someone to guide you there. I am very grateful that I don't need to send that many people and put them in unnecessary danger." Riccardio said before leaving.
Ben prepared Light Runner's boat mode while waiting for Riccardio. He taught Mira the boat mode's controls because she didn't know how to operate it. Mira will control the boat while Ben took the Shark Leviathan on.
He actually taught Mira how to drive the car and she mastered it rather quickly. It wasn't too difficult from the old magic vehicle model and she was already used to that. So she just needed to adapt a little to all the mechanisms that Ben installed.
His purpose for teaching Mira is because he will need Mira to drive in the future. They can switch when they go on a long journey and save their energy. They often travel together, so something like this is necessary.
"Sorry for the wait." Riccardio apologized while running.
After some time, he finally returned with a young man. He will be the one who guides Ben's group to the job's location. This young man is the ship's navigator, Ando.
They introduce each other briefly, then immediately leave the port. Ando sat in the back while Ben sat in the front passenger's seat with Bella. Mira was controlling the boat because Ben requested it.
The water near the port is calmer than the open sea. So it will be good for Mira to start driving from here. The waves will get bigger the further they go so she can adapt from the calmer water near shore.
They sail smoothly for a while. Mira got the grasp of handling the boat rather quickly so she can control it almost perfectly. It wasn't too different from the car with the exception of the terrain.
4 hours later, they finally reach the Shark Leviathan's location. At least that's what Ando told them, but the Leviathan wasn't there. Still, Ben and Mira kept their guard up because something dangerous could occur.
"Mira, drive the boat away from here and get ready to run at anytime. I will wait here and look for the Shark Leviathan." Ben ordered.
Mira nodded but Ando was surprised. "You're going to fight it alone?!"
"No need to worry. He won't fail. If even he failed, you would need the 4 Gods of Ishgar to complete this job." Mira commented.
Ando thought Mira was joking even though she was very serious. But he knew that Mira said that because Ben is really strong. He just hoped Ben was successful and they can return safely.
Ben put Bella on his seat as he jumped out of the boat. Ando was surprised to see him floating on the water. Then he saw steam around Ben so he looked at the water beneath his feet.
What Ando saw was bubbling red water that released a lot of steam. It's because Ben used his Heat Magic to heat the water up until it boils and releases steam. The force of boiling water will push him and helps him stay on the surface.
Furthermore, he uses reverse gravity to significantly reduce his weight. So with very low weight and a push from below, Ben can stand on the water. He just needs to keep his balance or he will fall because the water is not solid at all, making it hard to stand.
Well, Ben can levitate using his reverse gravity, but he chose to stand on the water. Standing on the water like this consumed less magic power than in the air. It's because he doesn't need to reduce his weight too much to stand on the water.
"Hmm, I can't feel magic power underwater really well. My range becomes shorter but it's fine as long as I can sense it when it gets closer. For now, I should bait it out." Ben said as he took out a big bag.
Ben opened the big bag and threw it's contents into the water.
"Fi-fish bait? Did he really just throw fish bait?" Ando asked in disbelief.
"I-I think he did." Mira said, surprised as well.
"Yummy?" Bella asked curiously.
"No Bella, it's only yummy for fish." Mira told her.
Bella felt dejected but Ando was still in disbelief.
"Why does he use fish bait? It's a Leviathan, not a random fish." Ando pointed out.
"Well, I think they aren't too different to Ben." Mira said while scratching her cheek.
"That's-" Ando was cut off when he saw a massive wave in the distance.
No, it wasn't a massive wave, it was the Shark Leviathan. The monster swam really fast, pushing the water. And it's massive body caused the waves to become massive.
"N-no way! The fish bait actually worked." Ando stated in shock.
"I guess it is still a fish in the end. Even if it's mutated, it's still a shark." Mira said.
"N-no wait! The fish bait worked on the fish and then baited the Shark Leviathan." Ando said as he looked at the school of small fish that ate the fish bait.
"But it still worked, didn't it?" Mira asked.
"We-well, it certainly did. But it's strange." Ando replied.
"Is it that unbelievable to you?" Mira asked, sighing.
"No, it's not the fish. It's the Leviathan. When we usually came here, the Shark Leviathan was already here like it never left. But now we needed to use bait because it wasn't here. This is the first time this has happened." Ando informed her.
"Maybe it looked for food somewhere else." Mira said.
"I hope so." Ando was still suspicious.
Ben grinned after finally seeing the Shark Leviathan. He can feel it's incredible magic power even though it was far away and also underwater. This Shark Leviathan's power is strong even for S-Class creatures.
He was also excited about something else. "MIRA! GET OUT OF HERE, THERE'S 2 OF THEM!"
"WHAT?!" Mira and Ando shout in surprise.
That's right, Ben sensed 2 Shark Leviathans and their strength was similar to each other.
He grinned as he mumbled. "2 high S-Class magic creatures. This job has gotten more interesting."