Chapter 437 - 427: Sailing Carnival 29

After losing the food from Moira Lynch’s shop, the lives of those people, already stretched thin, instantly became even more difficult.

This was especially true when they discovered that none of the players had returned on time as they had before.

For one day, two, then three, they could still reassure themselves. After all, it wasn’t just a few players who hadn’t come back—it was all of them. But by the fourth, fifth, and sixth day, the panic in their hearts had magnified endlessly.

This was particularly true for the players’ families. Although their quality of life had plummeted since the apocalypse began, at least they didn’t have to suffer from hunger or cold.

Having witnessed the miserable lives of ordinary people, the prospect of losing family members who were players made them even more terrified.

In short, the situation on Caelus was terrible. It was like a balloon already inflated to its limit; just one more puff of air, and it would instantly explode.

"All we can do now is finish the game as quickly as possible," Hugh Finch said.

Even if they knew about the situation on Caelus, there was nothing they could do, so they might as well focus their attention on the game.

"Speaking of which, I have a bad feeling about this. I hope I’m just imagining things."

It wasn’t until the afternoon, watching the sky gradually darken outside and seeing that nothing had happened, that Moira Lynch finally breathed a sigh of relief. ’Looks like I was overthinking things.’

After drifting at sea for so long, everyone had grown much quieter.

Although the players had fresh fish to eat every day, their complexions weren’t very good due to a lack of vitamins.

Moira Lynch returned to her room. ’I don’t have much of an appetite today. I’ll just have some simple porridge.’

Making porridge was the simplest thing. All you needed was rice, water, and a pot to boil it in. While it was cooking, Moira Lynch added some shrimp, green vegetables, and some lean meat, then sprinkled in a little salt. Just from the aroma, she knew it would be delicious.

Just as she was about to eat, the ship’s hull was suddenly rocked by a violent jolt.

Moira Lynch was startled and immediately grabbed onto something nearby to steady herself. But before she could regain her balance, a second, even more violent lurch followed.

’What was that?!’

’Most importantly, why didn’t I sense it?’

She had been keeping her spiritual power extended this entire time, using it to scan for any hidden dangers.

It was safe to say that Moira Lynch’s contribution was indispensable to their smooth journey so far.

After the series of impacts ended, Moira Lynch went up to the deck. By now, her spiritual power had already pinpointed the location of the culprit attacking the cargo ship.

Moving as quickly as she could, she reached the deck at the ship’s bow, only to see a pair of enormous eyes emerge, staring fiercely at her. One of the monster’s legs had already climbed onto the deck.

Patience didn’t dawdle and immediately brought up the monster’s information.

[Gigas Crab: A species of giant crab that lives on the ocean floor. They possess massive pincers and a hard carapace, are warlike by nature, but rarely leave the seabed.]

’Rarely leave the seabed? Then what’s going on with this one?’

In that brief moment, the other players also began to arrive one after another.

When they saw the giant crab attacking the cargo ship, everyone gasped.

What a huge crab!!

Anyone who’s ever been pinched by a crab knows it’s an incredibly painful experience.

If a tiny crab had that much strength, what about the one in front of them?

At this point, some people already wanted to back out.

Of course, some mustered their courage and attacked the Gigas Crab, but the result was nothing more than a faint mark on its shell.

At this moment, however, Moira Lynch noticed something: the Gigas Crab’s limbs seemed uncoordinated.

It had clearly gotten a grip on the deck, but it was taking forever to pull itself up.

Suddenly, Moira Lynch noticed something perched on the crab’s head, right between its eyes.

Although the creature was camouflaged, it couldn’t escape the probe of Moira Lynch’s spiritual power.

"Patience, what is that thing on the Gigas Crab’s head?"

「A moment later.」

[Smart Octopus: True to its name, this is a species of octopus with extremely high intelligence. Research has shown that a Smart Octopus’s IQ can even exceed that of most ordinary humans.

The Smart Octopus has a soft body and a small stature, but they are experts at using their tentacles to control other creatures. Once a being is controlled by a Smart Octopus, it becomes a mere puppet.

While being controlled, the host’s body is also slowly eaten by the Smart Octopus, bit by bit. Only after every last bit of value has been extracted will the Smart Octopus seek its next host.]

"Isn’t that just a parasite?"

Moira Lynch commented dryly, then asked, "Patience, is the Smart Octopus edible?"

It had become a conditioned reflex for her now. Her first reaction upon seeing an unfamiliar creature was to wonder if it was edible.

Then again, she had been at sea for so long and had caught all sorts of fish, but this was her first time encountering an octopus.

However, even if this Smart Octopus was edible, she would never introduce it to her Cloudsea Planet.

She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation.

[Edible. The preparation methods are similar to those on Caelus. However, to enjoy the freshest texture, the optimal window for consuming a Smart Octopus is within thirty minutes of capture.

After thirty minutes, the Smart Octopus’s body will decompose, turning into a pile of rotten flesh.]

Just then, Shane Rhodes also rushed over. Seeing the Gigas Crab pressing closer and closer, he instantly condensed a bolt of purple lightning in his hand.

"Wait!"

Moira Lynch suddenly grabbed Shane Rhodes, who was about to attack.

"What is it?" Shane Rhodes asked, turning his head, the lightning bolt still clutched tightly in his hand.

Moira Lynch whispered a few words in Shane Rhodes’s ear.

After hearing Moira Lynch’s words, Shane Rhodes was startled. Following her instructions, he stared intently and, sure enough, spotted something strange on the Gigas Crab’s head.

The creature had almost blended in with the Gigas Crab’s shell. If not for Moira Lynch’s warning, an ordinary person would never have noticed it.

Shane Rhodes condensed a bolt of purple lightning in his hand and hurled it between the Gigas Crab’s eyes.

Shane Rhodes’s aim was impeccable, but the creature seemed to have been prepared. It raised a huge pincer to block the lightning bolt, then began to shake the ship even more frantically.

Everyone on the ship was thrown about, completely unable to keep their footing.

Shane Rhodes tried a few more times but couldn’t land a hit.

Moira Lynch also tried to pull the Smart Octopus into her space, but she found she couldn’t do it because she was unable to get a lock on it.

[This is the Ghost Trait. All creatures controlled by a Smart Octopus are essentially dead and will possess the Ghost Trait, which prevents others from noticing their presence.]

This explained why Moira Lynch hadn’t sensed the Gigas Crab’s approach.

She had been scanning for living things, so a creature that was already dead would naturally not have caught her attention.