Chapter 525 Behemoth

Perhaps due to the influence of media from his past life, Xia Nan had always harbored a deep reverence for the ocean.

That feeling remained even now, despite his having gained a Class Level and possessing tremendous strength beyond that of an ordinary human.

Whenever he stood on deck and looked out at the sea, catching glimpses of the lightless blackness beneath the waves, he instinctively imagined some colossal creature hiding within.

Thinking about it now, it was probably a combination of thalassophobia and megalophobia.

You never knew what might be lurking in the freezing abyssal depths.

Falling into the water meant being entirely enveloped by claustrophobic pressure, pitch-black darkness, and the strange sounds of churning currents. Primal fear would rush in to fill the void in the brain left by the loss of Perception.

At the same time, because of its unique, almost space-like environment, the ocean was often associated with creatures far exceeding normal size.

Buoyancy offset the effects of gravity on bones and muscles, eliminating the need to support a heavy frame and allowing aquatic life to expand indiscriminately. The ocean's rich and diverse ecosystem provided the necessary conditions for these behemoths to survive.

Especially in a fantasy world like this one, filled with magical particles, the fantastical creatures that had only existed in myths and legends in his past life were now a tangible reality.

Xia Nan had once asked the crew of the Blade of Vengeance Ship about this, and the answers he received were exactly as expected.

Captain Lorraine had personally steered the Blade of Vengeance Ship to escape a giant shark that could have swallowed the entire vessel in one bite. When the Barbarian, Aken, was a child, he had seen the corpse of a sea turtle larger than half his village wash ashore; its shell was later mass-produced into crude armor, giving everyone in the village a piece. The Druid, Hein, was even less surprised—it was said that the Coral Society's headquarters in the Southern Archipelagos was built on the back of a massive sea beast.

Because of this, despite his lingering apprehension, Xia Nan was somewhat mentally prepared.

However, perhaps his luck had simply held out.

Despite having been in the Southern Archipelagos for so long and killing countless enemies, he had never encountered one of such exaggerated proportions.

Until today. Until now.

As Xia Nan stood on the deck, using his [Tidal Stabilization] Feat to maintain his balance on the violently swaying ship amidst the crashing waves and driving rain, he looked past the towering crests and the pitch-black sky toward the source of the horn.

A scene that had previously existed only in movies and anime, requiring visual effects to be shown to the world, had become reality.

It was a classic small, single-masted sailing ship, clearly several sizes smaller than the Blade of Vengeance Ship and with a shallow draft. It was likely a merchant vessel running coastal trade.

Caught in the same storm, the canvas on its mast had been torn to shreds, leaving only a few strips whipping in the wind. The ship lurched and tilted violently, and ant-sized figures could be vaguely seen sprinting frantically across its deck.

In stark contrast to the vessel, a dark brown tentacle emerged from beneath the surface. It dripped with slime and was much thicker than the ship's mast.

The tentacle had already crossed the rail and wrapped itself over the deck.

Hooking it from the depths, the creature dragged the entire vessel downward. The ship's keel groaned under the unbearable weight, its bow pitching forward as cracks spread across the deck.

Then came the second tentacle.

It curled under the hull, broke the surface on the other side, and rose slowly until it was level with the mast. It paused briefly, then slammed down.

"Boom!"

The sound of the colossal impact was particularly clear between claps of thunder.

Wood splinters flew and the mast snapped, the rapid-fire sound of shattering planks blending into a continuous roar.

The two tentacles wrapped around the bow and stern of the ship, pulling simultaneously.

Clearly, the behemoth's strength wasn't enough to drag the entire merchant ship underwater at once, but it was enough to tear a visible crack down the middle of the deck amidst the terrified screams of the crew.

The ship was being torn apart.

"Hoist the sails! Retreat!!!"

Captain Lorraine's shout exploded in Xia Nan's ears.

Even though he had learned the monster's approximate size from Sarissa beforehand, seeing it snap a ship in half delivered a shock ordinary people could barely imagine.

Whether they could fight it was another matter, but no crew member with years of sailing experience would actively initiate an attack against such a behemoth under these conditions.

Xia Nan's reaction was incredibly fast.

Almost as soon as Lorraine finished speaking, he used his ability to move freely on the swaying deck, helping the sailors haul ropes and secure equipment like a firefighter.

"Boom!"

Overlapping with the thunder from the sky, a massive sound echoed in the distance.

Xia Nan instinctively turned to look.

Out on the sea, the merchant ship that had been somewhat intact just moments ago was now completely torn in half. The dark brown tentacles held the bow and stern up at a near ninety-degree angle.

Between the rolling waves, many blue-green figures darted through the water, slaughtering the sailors who had unfortunately fallen in.

Tracing the two thick, slime-covered tentacles down into the sea, fleeting flashes of lightning illuminated a massive, terrifying shadow lurking in the depths.

His acute Perception allowed Xia Nan to seemingly pierce the spatial barrier, meeting a gaze filled with monstrous, brutal cruelty.

Thud—

The tentacles wrapped around the merchant ship's deck violently retracted. The residual force caused the two halves of the ship to heave, shaking off even more sailors.

The sea was vast and unobstructed.

Ordinary humans might have their vision limited by the rolling waves and the leaden clouds blocking the sun.

But how could sea monsters and Sahuagin fail to notice the Blade of Vengeance Ship, which was caught in the same storm?

Beneath the surface, long before the merchant ship was completely torn apart, countless jagged figures had already begun swimming toward Xia Nan and the others.

It was true that the Blade of Vengeance Ship was a custom Adventurer vessel that Lorraine and her crew had spent a fortune to heavily modify.

It far exceeded ordinary ships in both speed and durability.

But against the raw power of nature, they still couldn't escape the reach of the storm.

And against a Wind-Seed Octopus whose size far exceeded its peers, having just watched it tear a merchant ship in half, no one could guarantee that the Blade of Vengeance Ship would survive a direct attack.

Realizing that the Sahuagin had already spotted them and locked onto their position, making escape impossible, Lorraine made a decisive choice.

"All hands, prepare for battle!!!"

Regardless, compared to the ruined merchant ship and the annihilated Black Tide Hunter Crew, the Blade of Vengeance Squad was much luckier.

At least they knew the identity and approximate numbers of their enemies. Having considered the worst-case scenario, they were prepared.

With a deep hum, the massive dark shadow that had been floating near the surface in the distance disappeared.

Replacing it was a bizarre horn call echoing from the seabed, one they were all too familiar with.

The air currents grew turbulent. This was the horn call emitted by the Wind-Seed Octopus.

Typically used for hunting, it stirred the magical particles in the air, manipulating the emotions and movements of its prey.

Thanks to Sarissa's warning, the crew of the Blade of Vengeance Ship had already taken the appropriate precautions.

Earplugs had already been firmly placed in their ears—this was only the first layer of defense.

Unlike the Black Tide Hunter Ship, which had specifically targeted the Wind-Seed Octopus, they hadn't prepared the corresponding Resistance Potions.

But on the other hand, unlike the Black Tide Hunter Squad, the Blade of Vengeance Ship had a proper Spellcaster.

Knowing what kind of enemy they might face, the versatility and utility of a Spellcaster were maximized.

"Hum—"

It was the high-frequency hum of magical particles coalescing.

An emerald glow bloomed at the tip of the [Practice Staff] gripped tightly in Hein's hand.

—2nd Circle, School of Abjuration: Mist Tide Barrier.

It was an exclusive spell of the Druids from the Coral Society.

The intelligent civilizations of the Aifala Continent had a long history, and the origins and development of magic could be traced back to a chaotic era before written records even existed.

Over such a vast expanse of time, with countless exceptional individuals contributing, the number of spells—including improvements, optimizations, and minor variations—surely numbered in the hundreds of millions.

Even the Legendary Rank Tier Grand Arcanists of the Academy Faction couldn't master them all, let alone ordinary Spellcasters.

Under these circumstances, the spell lists memorized by Spellcasters varied greatly depending on their environment and the enemies they expected to face.

Take Hein's Coral Society, for example.

As the name of this Druidic tradition suggested, it was an organization active around the ocean. The spells passed down within the society were mostly suited for sea voyages or dealing with extreme weather and dangerous sea beasts.

At the same time, the society's focus on maintaining the ocean's ecological balance meant its Druids generally held peaceful views, unlike the aggressive and radical Wildfire Society.

This philosophy extended to the spells they mastered. Very few were offensive spells that caused severe damage to the environment; most focused on balance and stability.

"Mist Tide Barrier" was one such spell.

As a 2nd Circle School of Abjuration spell, it didn't possess any offensive capabilities, but it effectively defended against mental attacks encountered during voyages, such as the songs of sirens or the illusions of sea mirages.

This was the second layer of defense prepared by the Blade of Vengeance Squad.

As for the third layer, it came from the Adventurers themselves.

It was the mental resistance provided by Xia Nan's [Gaze into the Abyss], the burning fury of Lorraine's [Scale-Fire Scimitar], and the glowing totem tattoos on the Barbarian Aken's body—

They were all experienced, professional Adventurers with a certain level of accumulation. Knowing that the enemy's mental attacks were strong enough that even Resistance Potions might be useless, they naturally had their own countermeasures.

In fact, the situation hadn't even developed to that point before the special power hidden within the horn call was completely blocked by the silver-white mist of the "Mist Tide Barrier" surrounding the deck of the Blade of Vengeance Ship.

Like a sea breeze blowing through, the dense silver mist churned and swirled, purifying the magical particles carried by the horn call into a stream of pure, dissipating magic.

By the time the sound reached the ears of the crew on deck, it was nothing more than a pure hum with no additional effects.

This allowed everyone on the Blade of Vengeance Ship, unlike the annihilated Black Tide Hunter Crew, to think calmly in the face of the crisis, unaffected by the mind control of the horn call.

"Stick to the original plan!"

Seeing the enemy's first wave of attacks blocked, Lorraine's face didn't show any relief. Instead, she looked even more serious.

She exchanged glances with Xia Nan and the others.

"Be careful."

Then, under Sarissa's complex gaze, she stepped to the railing at the edge of the deck.

She bent her legs and pushed off.

"Splash, splash—"

Five successive splashes of people entering the water rang out.

Knowing the enemy's approximate numbers and identity, the crew of the Blade of Vengeance Ship had fully discussed how to handle the situation.

The appearance of a Wind-Seed Octopus was always accompanied by a storm, and the raging winds and waves would greatly reduce the ship's sailing speed.

If they were targeted by the Sahuagin in the storm, there was absolutely no chance of escape.

Based on this premise, combat was inevitable.

This meant the Blade of Vengeance Ship would have to face the combined assault of the Sahuagin and the Wind-Seed Octopus simultaneously.

Setting aside the Sahuagin, the Wind-Seed Octopus—with its massive size and strength capable of tearing ship planks—was already incredibly troublesome.

The Blade of Vengeance Ship was the core of the entire team's ability to sail the seas, and there were no islands nearby. If anything happened to the vessel, the crew would probably have to swim to the Lunar Tide Banquet.

Under these circumstances, they had to do everything in their power to stop the Wind-Seed Octopus from getting close.

It would be best to kill or repel the monster before it even reached the ship.

The Blade of Vengeance Squad had no choice but to enter the dangerous waters and engage the enemy.

To this end, they planned to send the four crew members most skilled in underwater combat to intercept the monster and buy time for their teammates holding the deck.

These four were the twin Warriors Ryan and Gordon, the Barbarian Aken, and Captain Lorraine, who possessed the highest Class Level in the squad.

Meanwhile, the Tabaxi Sasha, the Druid Hein, Alton, and the newly recruited Sarissa would remain on deck, leading the crew to protect the ship from the Sahuagin's attacks.

As for Xia Nan, who had already developed a new way to use "Fang Hunt" underwater and still possessed absurd speed and mobility in an aquatic environment—

His target was the two Sahuagin Priests Sarissa had mentioned.