Goblin Dependency

Among the surging waves, countless blue-green figures could be seen weaving through the water, attacking crew members who accidentally fell into the sea.

And following those two thick, mucus-covered tentacles deep into the sea surface, accompanied by fleeting flashes of lightning, a massive, dark, and terrifying shadow lurked in the depths of the water.

Xia Nan’s keen perception made it seem as if he could penetrate spatial barriers and lock eyes with those fierce, demonically violent eyes.

Thump—

The tentacles originally wrapped around the merchant ship’s deck suddenly retracted, causing the ship to rock violently, knocking over more crew members.

The sea was vast, unobstructed in view.

Ordinary humans might still be visually limited by the leaden clouds obscuring the sun and the rolling waves.

But how could the sea beast demons and Sha Hua Fishmen fail to notice the Blade of Vengeance also engulfed by the storm?

Beneath the water’s surface, even before the merchant ship was completely torn apart, numerous jagged figures were already swimming towards Xia Nan and his team.

The Blade of Vengeance was indeed a custom-made adventurer ship that Lorin and her team spent a large amount of gold coins to specially modify.

In terms of speed and sturdiness, it far surpassed ordinary ships.

Yet, against the force of nature, they still could not escape the storm’s reach.

And watching that gigantic Windkind Octopus tear a merchant ship in two, no one could guarantee that the Blade of Vengeance could withstand such an attack.

After a brief effort, realizing the Sha Hua Fishmen had discovered their presence and locked onto their position, and knowing retreat was impossible,

Lorin made a decisive choice.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!!!"

No matter what, compared to the already shattered merchant ship, and the tragically annihilated Black Tide Hunter, the Vengeance Blade adventurer team was far more fortunate.

At least they knew the enemy’s identity and approximate number, and, anticipating the worst-case scenario, they prepared ahead for battle.

Buzz—

The large shadow originally floating near the sea surface disappeared.

In its place was a familiar and peculiar horn sound emanating from the ocean floor.

The air was chaotic; this was the horn blown by the Windkind Octopus.

Normally used for hunting, it stirred the magical particles in the air, influencing the prey’s emotions and actions.

Thanks to Sarisa’s warning, the crew on the Blade of Vengeance had long been prepared.

Their ears were already stuffed with earplugs, which was just the first layer of protection.

Unlike the Black Tide Hunter which had targeted the Windkind Octopus, their ship was not equipped with the corresponding resistance potions.

However, unlike the Black Tide Hunter team, the Blade of Vengeance had a legitimate spellcaster on board.

Knowing the potential enemies they faced, the spellcaster’s versatility and functionality were fully utilized.

"Vvvv..."

It was the high-frequency hum of magic particles concentrating.

A green magic radiance blossomed at the top of the Practice Staff gripped in Hai Yin’s hand.

— 2nd Ring·Defense System·Fog Tide Barrier

This was a special spell exclusive to Druids from the Coral Association.

On the Aifala Continent, the history of intelligent life and magic dates back beyond recorded words in the chaotic periods.

In such a long span of time arose countless talents, and the number of spells, including improved versions and various categories, exceeded millions.

Even those Legendary Level scholarly Great Arcanists couldn’t master them all, let alone ordinary spellcasters.

In this scenario, the magic table remembered by spellcasters also varied greatly, influenced by factors like their environment and possible enemies.

Take the Coral Association to which Lorin belongs as an example.

From this Druid lineage’s name, it’s evident that it’s an organization active around ocean regions, thus, the spells passed down within the association are suited for sea travel and handling extreme weather and dangerous sea beasts.

Meanwhile, the association’s concept of emphasizing the balance of marine ecology also makes the Druids’ approach relatively peaceful, unlike the aggressive Wildfire Society.

This belief extends to the manifestation of the spells they possess, seldom causing severe environmental harm; mostly focusing on stability.

"Fog Tide Barrier" is one such spell.

As a 2nd Ring Defense spell, it doesn’t possess offensive capabilities but effectively defends against mental attacks encountered during voyages, like siren songs or sea mirage illusions.

This was the Blade of Vengeance team’s second layer of defense.

The third layer came from the adventurers themselves on the ship.

It was the Spirit Resistance brought by Xia Nan’s Gaze into the Abyss, the burning Anger of Lorin’s Scale Fire Saber, the glowing totem tattoos on Barbarian Akken’s skin...

As experienced professional adventurers, knowing that the enemy’s spiritual attacks might surpass resistance potions, they all naturally had appropriate defense measures.

In fact, the situation hadn’t even progressed to that point yet, the special power contained in the horn sound from the ocean depths was completely dissipated by the Fog Tide Barrier on the Vengeance Blade’s deck.

As if blown by sea breezes, the gathered silver mist stayed firm, purifying the magic particles wrapped in the horn’s sound into a pure, dissipating magic flow.

When the sound reached the crew’s ears, it was just a harmless hum, not affecting them.

This allowed the crew on the Blade of Vengeance, unlike the annihilated Black Tide Hunter fleet, to calmly think and not be influenced by the horn’s spiritual control.

"Proceed according to the original plan!"

Seeing the enemy’s first wave of attack blocked, Lorin’s expression did not lighten but grew more serious.

Exchanging glances with Xia Nan and others.

"Be careful."

Then, with Sarisa’s complex gaze, she approached the rail at the edge of the deck.

Bending her knees, she pushed off.

"Splash, splash..."

Were the sounds of five consecutive splashes.

Already aware of the enemy’s approximate numbers and identities, the crew of the Blade of Vengeance had thoroughly discussed the possible scenarios they might encounter.

Knowing that the appearance of Windkind Octopus must be accompanied by a storm, and that the turbulent sea winds and waves would greatly slow down the ship’s navigation.

If targeted by fishmen in the storm, escape was impossible.

On this premise, the battle was inevitable.

This meant that if a fight occurred, the Blade of Vengeance had to deal with both the Sha Hua Fishmen and the Windkind Octopus.

Not mentioning the former, just the strength and huge size of the Windkind Octopus, which could tear through ship boards, was immensely troublesome.

The Blade of Vengeance was the core of the entire team’s voyage on the sea, and with no islands nearby, if anything went wrong, the crew would have to swim aimlessly amid the Moon Tide Banquet.

Under these circumstances, they needed to do everything they could to prevent the Windkind Octopus from approaching.

Ideally, they needed to kill or repel this creature before it reached the ship.

The Vengeance Blade team had to enter the perilous waters to combat the enemy.

For this, they planned to send four crew members most proficient in underwater combat to intercept the creature, buying time for the teammates remaining on deck.

These four crew members were the twin warriors Rein and Gordon, Barbarian Akken, and the team’s captain, Lorin, with the highest professional level.

Meanwhile, Spotted Cat race Sasha, Druid Hai Yin, Alton, and the new crew member Sarisa stayed on deck to lead the crew in protecting the ship against the fishmen’s attacks.

As for Xia Nan, who had developed a new underwater use for "Teeth Hunting" and still possessed remarkable speed and mobility in aquatic environments...

His target was the two Sha Hua Fishman Priests that Sarisa spoke of.