Chapter 1239 - 609: Review and Gains (Part 2)

Yorkshaw’s expression froze for a moment.

It didn’t crumble as he had imagined.

The black-haired young man before him, who possessed combat abilities that defied his youthful appearance, seemed not to have used his full strength.

And was deliberately controlling the force of his sword swings within a range Yorkshaw could handle.

Why?

There was no time to think.

The crystal dagger fell once again.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed continuously on the deck.

The battle itself had been entirely dominated by the opponent, turning Yorkshaw into a training dummy, with no opportunity to counterattack under the barrage of attacks and intense psychological pressure, only able to passively block.

He even vaguely felt that every block and movement he made was under the opponent’s control, like a puppet on strings.

Meanwhile, being fully immersed in the battle, he could also clearly feel that as the sword clashed more, each strike from the opponent fell faster and stronger.

The initial manageable assault gradually became overwhelming.

And it was at this moment.

Seemingly realizing Yorkshaw was nearing his limit.

The dagger, which was falling at a predetermined frequency and gradually accelerating, suddenly paused!

In just a split second, it completed the transition from fast to slow.

Ugh—

With his attention highly concentrated and fully engaged in the battle, Yorkshaw was so nauseated by this change in pace that it felt like seasickness on his first voyage, with an indescribable dizziness erupting in his mind.

He actually started retching during the battle.

The hand holding the sword hilt lost its strength, and the blade was knocked flying by the falling dagger.

Realizing the pirate in front of him was no longer capable of fighting.

The dagger, which had maintained a constant force, no longer restrained itself.

Exerting force, Vortex Slash!

Slash—

A pink sharp arc vanished in the air in an instant.

A blood-spattered head spun off the shoulder, rolling across the ground.

...

Standing in place, Xia Nan wiped the [Miju] dagger in his hand with gauze.

The [Red Thorn] armor he wore emitted a faint red glow due to the blood stained during the battle, with its defense capabilities enhanced by its enchantment effect.

However, before he could test its specific defensive performance, the battle had ended.

Aside from the three adventurers Xia Nan killed, the other pirates who either jumped into the sea or hid in the cabin were all chased down and killed by the crew of the "Chasing Waves Sea Teeth" ship.

There was no need to leave any survivors.

Since they dared to hoist the pirate flag and approach to plunder, they must bear the consequences.

It should be noted that from Suo Yu Bay to Salt Rock Port, Xia Nan did not hire professional-level adventurers to accompany him.

On one hand, he was simply on a journey, not undertaking a high-difficulty combat mission, so experienced ordinary sailors were entirely sufficient.

On the other hand, considering Xia Nan’s reputation in Suo Yu Bay at that time, if he openly recruited people, he would certainly receive responses from many professionals, but...

The cost-effectiveness was indeed not high.

Ordinary adventurer teams, he could solo clear himself; hiring them onboard was a complete waste of money.

And elite teams like "Sword of Vengeance" with members exceeding Level 5 were too expensive; merely traveling, not to mention fighting, with no valuable cargo to escort, it was completely unnecessary.

Therefore, the crew on the "Chasing Waves Sea Teeth" currently had no personnel of professional level.

This was why Xia Nan entered the fight alone to preemptively minimize any losses on his ship.

Reflecting on the battle earlier on the deck, Xia Nan could have ended the fight more quickly.

Simply using [Teeth Hunting] to charge back and forth, adding [Heavy Tide] to [Vortex Slash], without even needing to use [Gravity Etching], most of the professionals, including the pirate captain, would have been dead.

The total battle duration wouldn’t exceed ten seconds.

His deliberate restraint, not even unsheathing his main weapon and instead using the [Miju] dagger as a substitute, was mainly to test in battle the upgrades he got from his journey to the Southern Islands.

The results were within expectation.

Perhaps due to the three points of luck provided by the [Micro Light] dice, the barbarian charging at him initially almost slipped and fell even before swinging his axe.

This allowed Xia Nan to test the kick damage bonus provided by the [Shattered Tide Anchor Shin] leg guards.

The effect seemed decent, bursting the opponent’s head with one kick.

However, from Xia Nan’s perspective, who was not accustomed to fighting with kicks, it felt somewhat strange and uncomfortable.

Its damage bonus wasn’t enough to change Xia Nan’s combat habits.

This ability is likely to sit on the bench for a long time, only to be used in very special circumstances.

In contrast, the Level 2 [Gravity Control] was much more useful.

Even against these adventurers with professional-level bodies, it could restrict them and even interrupt their actions to some extent.

And being formless and colorless by nature, gravity is difficult to resist or react to.

In the future, he could further increase its regular training ratio within the limits of his spiritual power.

The [Heavy Tide] needs no further explanation, with its damage bonus and imbalance effect, it has long been one of the most frequently used battle skills, with significant improvements in all aspects after reaching full level.

The most crucial part of the entire battle was testing [Stacked Waves] and [Hunting Arc].

Although the unknown pirate leader didn’t seem to have a low professional level, he clearly wasn’t someone Xia Nan could trust for a full-scale test.

Even with reduced force, it was difficult for the opponent to keep pace with Xia Nan’s assault.

Yet, as the rounds of combat increased, his attack speed and power also increased under the guidance of [Stacked Waves], and the opponent ultimately failed to endure.

[Hunting Arc] needs even less explanation.

This combat formation requires alternating use of [Vortex Slash] and [Teeth Hunting] to display its full power.

With the pirate’s performance earlier, if Xia Nan had actually used this mainstay battle skill combo, the opponent likely wouldn’t have withstood even one round.

Thus, Xia Nan only slightly tested the special rhythm changes of [Hunting Arc] with the so-called "Fast and Slow Blade."

The results were excellent, both from the enemy’s reaction and personal experience of using it.

He was quite satisfied with it.

If he were to face the Blood Skin Shark Beast again, he estimated that although he would still need to enter the second stage of [Embers Resonance], he likely wouldn’t fall into the dire situation of being forced to exhaust all means and ultimately having to crush it with his fists.

As the battle concluded, it naturally moved into the classic loot settlement phase.

For adventurers, the enemy’s strength often corresponded to the value of the loot found on them.

Enemies like "Algae Scale" Dodd and the Blood Skin Shark Beast provided blue rare quality equipment and forging materials.

Enemies like the ones earlier, defeated in a single round, naturally yielded only white board equipment.

Fortunately, it seemed the pirates had just completed a plundering, as their ship held several crates of goods inconsistent with their usual style.

Estimating altogether, they might fetch a three-digit sum of gold coins.

It’s no small amount, but since Xia Nan’s assets now exceed five figures, and he needs to rendezvous with Barbarian Fugang urgently, time is tight.

He’s considering that if he can’t process it in three days, he’ll leave this loot with the crew he brought along as a bonus for the trip, while hiring them to guard his ship.

Planning his next steps internally.

Suddenly, accompanied by hurried footsteps, a young-faced sailor rushed out from the cabin, speaking quickly:

"Mr. Xia Nan, there’s a discovery!"

"It might be necessary for you to take a look yourself."