Chapter 446 Sea Fang

"Damn it..."

"I knew it! I knew it!"

The messy, filthy streetscape blurred past on both sides. The air grew thick and stagnant, pressing against his face along with the cold, hard rain.

"Broken Brow" Batti sprinted away from the shack without looking back.

He moved fast. With every step, his shadow rippled across the ground like the surface of a lake, trailing faint silver specks of magical particles that rapidly dissipated in his wake.

Just as he had suspected, the "signals" and "safe routes" were utter bullshit.

Those noble lords in the White Cliff District never intended to leave them a way out!

The Horned Shark Gang had been completely abandoned!

A drowning man caught in a whirlpool could never see a way out.

Only now, having fled the battle and stripped away his identity as the Horned Shark Gang's second-in-command to view things from the outside, did his mind finally clear.

What was it that he—or rather, his boss, "Horned Shark" Riley—had wanted?

Resources and backing from the White Cliff District, to lift the Horned Shark Gang out of its stunted growth and expand their power.

And the nobles who handed down the quest?

They only wanted to teach Baron Farrow a lesson, forcing him to turn a blind eye during future approvals so they could seize more profits.

Kidnapping the baron's daughter was merely a means to that end.

Putting himself in their shoes, if he were one of those bay nobles holding massive resources, how could he possibly entrust such a crucial matter to a third-rate faction like the Horned Shark Gang, who couldn't even throw their weight around in the Saltwater District?

Even if it cost more money, they would have sought out far more reliable partners.

The only reason the gang had been chosen was because they were small—easy to clean up and casually discard once their usefulness ran out.

Though those nobles had explicitly demanded the baron's daughter be kept safe during the kidnapping, on some level, they hadn't actually cared if she lived or died.

The moment they snatched the girl from her carriage, the nobles' goal was achieved.

Yet his boss had genuinely fantasized that those profit-driven nobles—who seemed to have filthy gold coins running through their veins—would honor their promises and secure a retreat for them.

Batti suspected that even if the operation had concluded perfectly and the baron recovered his daughter, they still would have been silenced.

Of course, he had to admit that no matter how thoroughly he analyzed it now, back when he accepted the quest alongside Riley, hadn't he too dreamed of the bright future their boss described?

"Damn it... damn it all..."

Batti gasped for breath, ignoring the bewildered stares of pedestrians as he sprinted toward the southwest of the Saltwater District.

His mind involuntarily replayed the scene that had just unfolded before his eyes.

A Spellcaster, two human Warriors, a Bard, and a powerful adventurer whose class he couldn't even gauge.

Without a doubt, their attackers were a professional team of Class Holders.

They coordinated flawlessly and had clearly possessed specific intelligence on the gang beforehand.

Even now, Batti could still picture that ferocious wolf beast lunging into the shack through the rain, and hear the bone-chilling, abyssal howl that echoed in its wake.

They had been extremely clear about the Horned Shark Gang's overall strength.

The instant those adventurers smashed through the shack's door, rationality had taken over, and Batti made the wisest decision possible.

First, he used his class traits as a [Rogue] to manipulate shadow energy, minimizing his presence to the absolute limit.

Then, seizing the moment when their attention was diverted, he slipped into a corner and tore the magic scroll he had kept as a trump card for years—one that contained the 2nd Circle conjuration spell, [Misty Step].

It instantly teleported him to the street outside.

At this point, neither the Horned Shark Gang nor the baron's daughter mattered anymore.

He just wanted to survive.

Fortunately, thanks to his ever-cautious nature, he had prepared an escape route years ago when he first decided to stay in Barracuda Bay long-term to run the gang.

It was a small boat hidden in a coastal cave southwest of Barracuda Bay.

The wooden boat wasn't large, only big enough to seat three or four people.

Aside from himself, no one knew about it—not even "Horned Shark" Riley.

As his final safety net, it was the exact reason he had been able to suggest to Riley that they hand the baron's daughter over to the pirates roaming the archipelagos.

However, since it wasn't an official port in Barracuda Bay, the cave where the boat was hidden faced the open ocean, and the nearby waters were riddled with hidden reefs and dangerous whirlpools.

The Governor's Mansion had deliberately left those hazards uncleared to prevent illegal trade, forcing all passing ships to route through Wave-Breaking Wharf.

Sailing out recklessly was incredibly dangerous; it was practically leaving his life entirely in the hands of fleeting luck.

But precisely because of that, his small boat had remained undiscovered all this time, serving as his ultimate trump card.

This was Batti's last resort.

If he wasn't mistaken, that little fleshy octopus that had squeezed through the door had to be some sort of tracking spell.

Continuing to hide in Barracuda Bay would only lead to a dead end.

Only by leaving the island and heading for the open sea could he carve out a path to survival!

"Arooo..."

The chilling wolf howl echoed from behind him once again.

Batti subconsciously threw a glance over his shoulder.

In that instant, a chill surged through him, making him feel as though he had plunged into an icy cavern.

At some point, the pitch-black wolf beast with its swaying mane had already stepped onto the roof of the shack.

Its ferocious head, seemingly condensed from shadowy phantoms, tilted upward slightly. Its nostrils flared as if it were sniffing something.

Then...

Hum—

A pair of cold, dark eyes, as if sensing some invisible aura across the spatial divide, violently snapped in his direction.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Batti didn't dare look any longer and sprinted madly toward the location in his memory.

...

...

Xia Nan, of course, had noticed the Rogue who vanished right at the start of the battle.

With a Perception attribute of "12" points, even if the enemy used shadow energy to suppress his presence as much as possible, Xia Nan could still faintly track that obscure aura.

Xia Nan had even prepared a corresponding counter-strategy in his mind.

He would first feign ignorance of the man's presence, pretending to be completely focused on clearing out the lackeys and fighting "Horned Shark" Riley.

In reality, he maintained constant vigilance, holding back a fraction of his strength even when swinging his sword.

The moment the Rogue dared to strike, the invisible shackles of [Gravity Control] would lock onto him instantly. Using the "Deflection Field" of the [Deathline] ring as a failsafe, Xia Nan was confident he could seize the opening to inflict severe damage.

That was until a sudden burst of silver magical light erupted in the corner of the room, followed by a magic scroll dropping to the floor.

The faint aura abruptly vanished, only to flash past outside the shack dozens of feet away, making Xia Nan realize—

This Rogue... had run away?

He felt a subtle sense of irony, realizing he had overestimated this gang member.

However, even if the enemy had fled the battlefield, there was no way Xia Nan would simply let him go.

He had always adhered to the principle of "pulling weeds out by the roots."

Especially when the enemy was a Rogue skilled in stealth.

He didn't want a dagger inexplicably jutting out of a shadow on the wall while he was eating a meal someday in the future.

Thus, the moment his sword severed "Horned Shark" Riley's head—before the skull even hit the floor—he was already manipulating [Fang Hunt] to charge out of the shack.

His pitch-black eyes flashed black and white in an instant.

[Heart-Guided Vision] activated and deactivated in the blink of an eye.

His brain experienced a slight bout of dizziness, but in less than half a second, within a world filled with gravitational lines, he pinpointed the direction of the figure's lingering shadow energy.

He called out to his teammates behind him, and in the next second, vanished from the spot amid the howl of a wolf.

They were all experienced adventurers; everyone present knew exactly how dangerous a professional Rogue hiding in the shadows could be.

Therefore, after confirming that the Horned Shark Gang's leader, Riley, was undoubtedly dead, and that the baron's daughter, Ellie, was merely unconscious from a sleeping potion with no threat to her life, Hein decisively ordered Ryan—who had made outstanding contributions in the battle—to stay behind and protect the girl while waiting for the guards from the Governor's Mansion.

Meanwhile, she took his twin brother Gordon, along with the halfling Alton, and followed Xia Nan in pursuit of the fleeing enemy.

...

The straight-line speed of [Fang Hunt] was undeniable.

Bolstered by "Strength" and "Agility" attributes that far exceeded those of ordinary men, Xia Nan's instantaneous burst power had even surpassed that of the vast majority of Level 5 Class Holders.

But the current environment wasn't the empty, uninhabited Wilderness; it was the densely populated Saltwater District of Barracuda Bay, packed full of corners and alleyways.

He could have easily rampaged through the streets like the protagonist of a sci-fi hero movie from his past life, using the fierce gales wrapped around [Fang Hunt] to sweep away all obstacles in his path.

However, his own moral bottom line made it difficult for him to ignore the pedestrians and buildings on the road, frequently forcing him to slow down and dodge.

Coupled with his unfamiliarity with the surroundings, Xia Nan's speed never quite peaked, remaining only fast enough to barely avoid losing the trail.

It wasn't until he neared the edge of town, where the number of pedestrians dwindled and the surrounding buildings grew sparse, that he was finally able to accelerate his pursuit.

But ultimately, he was too late.

By the time Hein and the other two followed the wolf howls all the way to the coast, the small wooden boat carrying "Broken Brow" Batti was already drifting away on the ocean currents.

The man seemed to have luckily navigated past the hidden reefs and whirlpools near Barracuda Bay and successfully escaped.

Xia Nan stood quietly on the shore, his dark eyes staring at the wooden boat slowly retreating across the distant sea. His facial expression showed little change, but his eyes carried a thoughtful look, as if he were contemplating something.

Several adventurers who had already been active in the vicinity had been drawn over by the sounds of the chase. They seemed to recognize "Broken Brow" Batti and were whispering among themselves in discussion.

"It's no good, he's too far. Even my spell with the longest casting range can't reach him," Hein said, frowning deeply as she estimated the distance between the small boat and the shore.

"Don't worry. Ellie is in the shack's storage room. The Horned Shark Gang's kidnapping of the baron's daughter is already a proven fact, and the Governor's Mansion will quickly place a bounty on this 'Broken Brow.' Maybe in a few days, someone will come to claim the reward with his head in tow," Hein offered, stepping closer to comfort Xia Nan, likely assuming he was worried about retaliation.

"Besides, he's just one man, and not a high-level Class Holder either. He won't be able to stir up any waves in the Southern Archipelagos," she added. "Once we get back, I'll ask the captain to keep an eye out. We might be able to pick up some news about him when we go out to sea for quests."

Xia Nan didn't reply. His eyes remained fixed on the wooden boat drifting further away into the distance.

His feet, however, abruptly took a few steps back.

Hein hadn't tried to conceal her volume, so the adventurers gathered along the coast naturally overheard her words.

"The baron's daughter was found?"

"The Horned Shark Gang? They did it!?"

"Let's make a deal. How about you let me claim the intelligence reward first before you hand her over? We'll split it thirty-seventy!"

In just half a day, Baron Farrow's commission had become a massive sensation among the adventurers in Barracuda Bay due to its exorbitant reward.

Hearing Hein's words now, the surrounding adventurers quickly crowded closer.

Although they didn't dare approach too closely out of wariness for Gordon—the obvious Warrior standing beside the Druid—the shoreline instantly erupted into a chaotic clamor.

This noisy commotion made Hein, who had just watched their enemy slip away with her own eyes, feel an involuntary surge of irritation.

She waved her hand, just about to say something.

Arooo—

Fierce winds swept across the shore.

The sudden, explosive wolf howl made their eardrums throb with pain.

Turning their heads subconsciously, they saw that Xia Nan, who had just been standing at the edge of the coast, had retreated far to the back.

The loose hair on his forehead whipped wildly in the wind. Pitch-black energy, like materialized shadow, spread and diffused through the air around his body. As the howling grew louder and higher, the energy outlined and took shape, manifesting into a profound, fear-inducing wolf beast.

In a flash of intuition, as if suddenly realizing something...

Hein's pupils shrank to pinpricks!

She stared at Xia Nan in a daze, her lips trembling:

"No way..."

...

...

In Barracuda Bay, a title could be born for many reasons.

Sometimes it stemmed from physical appearance, like "Broken Brow" and "Bloody-Nosed Rat"—one with an eyebrow severed by a scar, and the other with a crooked, bleeding nose;

Other times, it originated from the organization they belonged to, such as Captain "Oily Hand" Bourne of the Flying Fish Oil Barrel, and "Horned Shark" Riley of the Horned Shark Gang.

These titles weren't necessarily pleasant to the ear; some could even be considered vulgar and crude.

But they were all inextricably tied to their owners, reflecting their image among the surrounding people like a mirror.

Today, November 9, Year 1020 of the Arcane Calendar.

As that black wolf stepped onto the surface of the sea and sprinted along the surging ridges of the waves, it galloped across the vast ocean with a light and fluid grace. Its four paws rose and fell, leaping amid the sea spray, relying on the invisible upward thrust of gravity to shred the wave peaks with biting gales amid a deafening roar. Its illusory black mane danced like thick fog, binding the beast's form and trailing pitch-black afterimages during its high-speed maneuvers.

When its dark-grey wolf fangs, flickering with a reddish-brown glow, crossed the ocean barrier to crush the cowardly escapee's skull alongside his fragile wooden boat...

The "Greysword" from Rivervale Town, nearly two years after his transmigration, earned his second title on the Aifala Continent:

—"Sea Fang."

Thanks to the patron "Anchovy" for the tip! (End of Chapter)