Danger!
Su Ye's expression changed as he watched the Long-beaked Swordfish charge toward them.
He scrambled to the edge of the Spiritual Boat, grabbing a spare harpoon and holding it defensively across his chest.
But that was all he could do.
The enraged Long-beaked Swordfish was simply too fast!
BOOM!
A world-shaking crash!
Its beak, as sharp and hard as a spear, pierced straight through the hull of the Spiritual Boat!
And!
It didn't stop there!
SCHLICK!
One of the crewmen couldn't dodge in time. The fist-thick beak of the swordfish ran him straight through the chest.
In an instant, blood soaked his clothes.
"Help… help…" He opened his mouth, but only a faint whisper escaped.
A moment later, his head lolled to the side, and he stopped breathing.
"Ah…" Zhao Li collapsed to the deck, drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for air.
He had been right behind the crewman who had just been killed!
If Zhao Li hadn't lost his footing and fallen, he would have been skewered right along with him, like a candied haw on a stick!
"Mr. Su… save me!" Zhao Li trembled like a leaf, his mind a complete blank.
He was lying right under the swordfish's beak, splattered with the warm bits of flesh and blood from its tip.
The Long-beaked Swordfish thrashed, twisting its body as if trying to rip the Spiritual Boat in two!
Just then!
SCHLICK!
A harpoon, glinting with a cold light, shot in from the side and stabbed viciously into the Long-beaked Swordfish's eye!
It was Su Ye!
"Die!" A vicious gleam shone in Su Ye's eyes as he gripped the harpoon with both hands and thrust with all his might!
SHLICK! SHLICK! SHLICK!
Inch by inch, the harpoon sank deeper. Bolstered by his Lethality attribute, its advance was slow but unstoppable as it tore through flesh.
"HIIISSS!!!" The Long-beaked Swordfish thrashed wildly. The entire Spiritual Boat groaned and creaked, on the verge of breaking apart.
But this desperate situation only intensified Su Ye's killing intent.
Naval combat wasn't like fighting on land; there was no retreat.
If he couldn't kill this demon fish and it shattered the Spiritual Boat, everyone on board would be as good as dead.
HUFF… Su Ye took a deep breath, his expression savage as he threw his entire body weight onto the harpoon.
SHUNK!
The steel harpoon sank another difficult inch.
And that, it seemed, was the breaking point.
The Long-beaked Swordfish's massive body suddenly shuddered, went rigid, and then stopped moving…
[Demon Fish Hunted. [Seaman] EXP +30]
[Class: Seaman Lv. 2 (30/300)]
His experience bar shot up!
"Phew…"
Only when he saw the notification pop up on his panel, confirming the Long-beaked Swordfish's death, did Su Ye finally relax.
It was only then that he noticed his face and hands were covered in the warm, foul-smelling blood of the demon fish.
"Mr. Su, we survived!" Zhao Li wailed, his voice choked with emotion.
"Yeah…"
We survived.
Su Ye let out a long breath.
Not far away, First Mate Luo Jing watched this unfold and gave a slight nod.
An almost imperceptible flicker of satisfaction passed through his eyes.
…
With the hunt over, the crew dragged the Long-beaked Swordfish's carcass back to the Flying Serpent.
"Excellent. This beak can be refined into at least four or five flying swords…" Miss Luo beamed.
"Good work, everyone."
"You can all return to your cabins to rest," Miss Luo said gently to Su Ye and the others.
Crewmen who had just participated in a dangerous demon hunt were afforded certain privileges.
For instance, they didn't have to do the laborious processing work.
For Su Ye, however, this was a bit of a shame.
'My experience points…' Su Ye thought, a look of regret on his face.
However, he had no intention of trying to stay behind to help with the processing.
'The essence of playing it safe is to conform to normal behavioral logic and avoid doing anything out of the ordinary.'
Unleashing his potential under the threat of death and killing the Long-beaked Swordfish by striking a vital point might surprise people, but it wouldn't seem strange.
Showing a bit of value wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Su Ye.
But after a life-or-death battle, volunteering to stay and work instead of resting and relaxing in his cabin would be abnormal.
'It's fine to stand out a little, but I can't become an anomaly,' Su Ye told himself.
'I'm just starting out and my ability to handle risks is low. I have to be extremely cautious!'
Besides, the 30 experience points he'd gained from killing the Long-beaked Swordfish were already more than enough to satisfy him.
…
However, just as Su Ye was about to follow the crowd back to his cabin to rest, Miss Luo suddenly spoke up, stopping him.
"Su Ye, come with me."
Su Ye turned, a confused look on his face. "Miss Luo, I don't…"
"Don't worry, it's a good thing." Miss Luo smiled kindly and led Su Ye toward the upper-deck cabins.
This was the first time Su Ye had ever set foot in the upper-deck cabins.
The cabin was spacious and covered with a fine carpet. A bright, odorless whale oil lamp shone brilliantly.
Compared to the damp, cramped crew quarters, the luxury of the upper-deck cabins was like the difference between a nobleman and a beggar.
In the center of the cabin, a man dressed in black was studying a large nautical chart pinned to the wall.
First Mate Luo Jing!
"Greetings, First Mate!" Upon seeing him, Su Ye's expression turned serious, and he bowed respectfully without any prompting from Miss Luo.
The Demon Hunting Ship sailed the Outer Sea, far from civilization, making it almost an independent kingdom.
And in this kingdom at sea, the first mate held immense power, second only to the captain. He held the power of life and death over the ordinary crew.
Before such a powerful figure who could decide his fate, Su Ye was deferential, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
'A wise man knows when to yield. With my panel ability, why squabble over a moment's pride?'
After a long moment, Luo Jing finally turned around, sized up Su Ye, and gave a faint nod.
"You performed quite well during the hunt today."
Su Ye's eyelashes fluttered. He knew his performance today had caught the first mate's attention.
"Therefore, from now on, you are an official crewman of the Flying Serpent. I award you one Magical Artifact," Luo Jing continued.
Huh?
Hearing this, Su Ye's heart leaped with joy.
At his side, Miss Luo promptly handed over a harpoon-spear.
Its tip was split into four barbed prongs, each one sharpened to a point and glinting with a sharp, cold light.
A spear of this design could inflict four wounds at once, tearing deep into its target's flesh. It was a truly vicious weapon.
Most importantly, it was engraved with a layer of crimson array patterns that were faintly glowing.
A Magical Artifact!
"The Blood-Drinking Spear, a tier-one, low-grade Magical Artifact. It's inscribed with a [Bleed] array that causes a target's wounds to bleed endlessly," Miss Luo explained.
Su Ye took the Blood-Drinking Spear. He caressed its shaft, unable to put it down, loving the cool feel of the spiritual iron.
"Thank you for this treasure, First Mate!" Su Ye said, bowing solemnly to Luo Jing.
Luo Jing nodded and gave a cool, dismissive wave, clearly having no intention of saying more.
"You are dismissed."
…
After leaving the upper-deck cabin, Miss Luo looked Su Ye over. "You're a lucky one, kid."
"I don't know what I've done to deserve such favor from the first mate…" Su Ye said with a look of humble apprehension.
"No need to be so modest. Although you have a different surname, you are, after all, a native of our Donglong Island…" Miss Luo explained with a smile.
"Keep up the good work, and you'll have a bright future."
"Your words are too kind, Miss Luo."
"By the way, since you're an official crewman now, why don't you move into the mid-deck cabins?" Miss Luo asked.