Chapter 1237 608: Fear 2

But...

Saying it like this might sound like a stereotype.

But adventurers are just like that.

You earn one Gold Coin, and you'll want to earn another ten; you earn ten Gold Coins, and you'll grit your teeth and aim for earning a hundred.

And the risks you might encounter along the way... anyone who works as an adventurer understands the unwritten rule that Gold Coin rewards are equivalent to the risks.

Entered the trade at sixteen, now thirty-nine.

Twenty-three years tied to the identity of an adventurer.

Caught in the low end, York Shaw has long been marinated by the twisted culture of this profession.

"Bring the ship closer, but don't get too close yet; let me see what's going on."

He licked his somewhat dry lips and called out to the crew beside him.

Somewhat rational, not going all-in.

York Shaw took confidence in the remarkable performance of this pirate ship, bought with the sweat and blood of half his life.

He planned to edge closer and take a look at the situation on the opposite deck.

If it was a fully armed adventurer team, he would immediately turn the rudder to leave, as normally they wouldn't be able to catch up.

But if he encountered some easy prey, as a professional warrior posing as an adventurer but actually engaged in piracy, he wouldn't mind speeding up his retirement plan.

They are experienced, seasoned sailors who've worked together for years.

On command, the whole ship swiftly headed towards the distant unfamiliar vessel.

Something strange.

Initially, the ship York Shaw was on seemed to have the advantage in speed, rapidly closing the distance between the two.

But as the gap narrowed to a rather ambiguous number, no matter how they tried to adjust sails and accelerate, they couldn't close in any further.

This made York Shaw feel a bizarre intuition that the other side was deliberately maintaining a distance during this time, watching him across the sea.

Luckily, it's likely just a misconception.

As the sea wind gradually shifted, the sails inflated high, instantly speeding their ship even further ahead.

The gap between the two vessels swiftly closed.

And York Shaw finally got a detailed look at the situation on the opposing ship.

The most eye-catching aspect, of course, was the wolf beast ship head sculpture at the bow, poised as if to strike.

Clearly, it's not ordinary.

The delicate and unique material quality, along with the lifelike carving technique... if it had two additional special abilities, just this ship head sculpture might be worth more than an entire ship to others.

A slight unease arose in his heart.

Then, there was the black-haired young man standing in front of the crowd, wearing reddish metal armor.

If you replaced York Shaw with any adventurer from Suo Yu Bay who has a habit of gathering information, they might instantly recognize Xia Nan's "Haiya" identity upon seeing that wolf beast ship head sculpture, combined with the adventurer's youth, black hair, and dual swords.

But Salt Rock Port is quite far from Suo Yu Bay, one located on the southern continent, the other on the kingdom's east shore.

The nearly twenty-day one-way voyage distance allows for some flow of information between port cities.

To the adventurers from Salt Rock Port, they might have just heard the name "Haiya" and some rumors of extraordinary feats after many retellings, but few know the physical characteristics of Xia Nan.

York Shaw definitely couldn't recognize this "Haiya," who was having a moment of fame in the Southern Islands.

But considering his years at sea, he still had some ability to recognize people.

York Shaw could discern that, on the deck of the ship opposite, there was only one adventurer, far fewer in number than his side.

Yet, just a few quick glances, he almost immediately sensed the dangerous aura the young adventurer exuded, merely from the customized forging of his equipment and the stable, concentrated atmosphere he projected.

His heart skipped a beat.

York Shaw immediately turned back and shouted to the crew responsible for steering the ship and controlling the sails:

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The reaction of this adventurer-part-time-pirate was remarkably quick.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

With superior Perception Attributes and better vision.

Long before York Shaw approached and started observing the Wave Chasing Sea Teeth, Xia Nan had already assessed the overall strength of the enemy ship's personnel.

In terms of speed, the Wave Chasing Sea Teeth was modified from the pirate ship Flying Fish Oil Barrel, a type pursuing agility and nimbleness.

After refurbishment and repair, it was additionally fitted with the Sword of Vengeance's farewell gift, the Wave Chasing Sea Teeth ship head sculpture, which provides a 15% sailing speed enhancement.

This was exactly why York Shaw felt he couldn't catch up earlier.

And now, when the predator becomes the prey that flees in panic, the Wave Chasing Sea Teeth features an extra up to 20% speed boost during pursuits, which has been triggered.

Boom—

Raging waves were shattered by the rapidly moving ship bow, turning into sparkling sprays of water.

The same fierce wind squeezed through the Wolf Mouth gap of the Wave Chasing Sea Teeth ship head sculpture, compressed into a sound akin to a wolf's howl, invisibly affecting the enemy's morale.

"No, Boss!"

"They... they're too fast, can't pull away at all!"

An indescribable pressure of suffocation seemed to solidify the air on the deck.

Some crew members with weaker mental fortitude had their morale plummet to rock bottom under the psychological influence of the howls, even speaking in a tearful tone.

Knowing they had likely stirred up big trouble, York Shaw felt tremendous psychological pressure.

When he heard such demoralizing words, he glared with eyes ablaze, ready to scold them.

But just as his mouth opened.

Accompanied by a sudden distorted dark shadow, the slender figure he was fixated on, standing afar on the opposing deck, abruptly vanished.

"What is that?"

"Where is it!?"

The next second, a deeper howl far exceeding the wind sound from the ship head sculpture, sounding as if it came from Hell, wrapped with chilling murderous intent exploded on the deck.

Despite still being some distance away, not yet at the grappling stage.

The adventurer, transformed into a black wolf shadow, had already landed on the enemy ship.

With Professional Level reaching Level 4, and actual physical attributes under various enhancements far exceeding those of ordinary adventurers.

Though the level seems only one less than Xia Nan, the actual difference was far more drastic than between ordinary and professional adventurers.

Facing Xia Nan's onslaught, York Shaw couldn't react at all, even struggling to capture his movement path, only catching a fleeting dark tail shadow in the air.

When he subconsciously turned to look due to the panicked calls, cries of pain, and horrifying wails coming from behind him.

Originally positioned and armed for battle, the crew members were already defeated.

The group chilling effect from Night Mother's Gaze, maximized with the auxiliary setup of the Wave Chasing Sea Teeth ship head sculpture, was fully leveraged.

On the entire pirate ship, apart from the three professionals including York Shaw, all other pirates had their mental defenses completely collapsed.

"Ah!!!"

"Urgh!"

The meat scraps, internal organs, and fragmented limbs torn apart by the gales carried by Teeth Hunting scattered on the blood-stained deck.

Sailors threw down their weapons, uttering absurd screams like a rooster crow.

Some disregarded all and directly leapt into the sea over the edge of the deck; some, like scared little animals, instinctively sought the narrow, dark corners for safety, flocking into the cabin.

And in the center of the deck, the black-haired man clad in reddish metal armor hadn't even drawn the twin longswords at his back.

With fear-inducing cold and emotionless black eyes slightly moving, sweeping over the three professionals around.

Eager to test newly acquired abilities in combat, his sharp Perception allowed a final check to ensure no danger.

Then he slightly raised his right hand, brushing it against his waist.

Named Miju, the pink crystalline short dagger was slowly drawn from its sheath.