Chapter 459 Dilemma

"Crash..."

The gale howled like the shrill shriek of an invisible monster. Freezing, torrential rain seemed to seep into every gust of wind, making it hard to even breathe.

The world was swallowed by boundless darkness. Only the fleeting flash of roaring lightning illuminated the deck, briefly revealing the oppressive, leaden clouds churning in the sky and the pitch-black waves towering like mountains from every direction.

"Snick."

Sharp claws unsheathed from soft paw pads. With a slight push, they dug deep into the wooden deck, providing his body with precious leverage.

Sasha was a Tabaxi. He walked upright on two legs, possessed a humanoid frame, and was a fully sapient being who spoke Common more fluently than eighty percent of the adventurers on the docks.

But undeniably, the Tabaxi blood flowing in his veins—much like his furry, spotted coat—endowed him with a few distinct feline habits in his daily life.

When faced with danger, he would subconsciously arch his back and hiss. When happy and relaxed, he would let out a gentle purr...

He also harbored an instinctive aversion to random liquids, constantly worrying about getting his fur wet. Even when walking along the Wave-Breaking Wharf, he was always careful to avoid the puddles on the ground.

But this didn't mean a fear of water was his weakness.

It was like those humans who were terrified of bugs. Most of the time, an insect no bigger than a fingernail could make them scream and jump out of their skin. But when push came to shove, urgency and pressure could suppress their physical instincts. Once reason returned to their brains, crushing a small bug didn't take much effort—at most, they would just feel disgusted afterward.

The same held true for Sasha.

Just moments ago, he might have instinctively backed away from the water droplets on the Turf-Spine Fish, afraid it would splash him as it flopped and struggled.

But now, with the storm bearing down and the Blade of Vengeance Ship at risk of capsizing, the torrential rain had soaked his fur in an instant, burying his bloodline's natural aversion to water deep down inside.

"Whoosh—"

The Tabaxi's racial talent in Agility allowed Sasha to keep his balance even in the teeth of the raging storm. Moving like a nimble leopard, his long tail coiling and swinging, he darted between the masts to adjust the rigging, protecting the ship's most crucial source of propulsion.

"Buy me some time!"

Having started her preparations the moment she spotted the approaching storm, the Druid Hein now stood alone at the front of the deck near the figurehead.

She seemed to have reached a critical juncture. One hand gripped the [Practice Staff] tightly as an emerald glow swirled and condensed at its tip. Her other hand rested palm up, cradling a few seed-like objects. Bathed in the green light, they lay perfectly still in the center of her palm, completely unaffected by the howling wind.

The twin Warriors, Ryan and Gordon, acted as the commanders for the sailors and had fully taken over the crew's regular duties.

The horrific conditions had drastically reduced the crew's efficiency; only Class Holders like the twins possessed the ability to move freely in the storm.

Daggers clamped in their teeth, they scaled the slick, violently swaying masts barehanded to help the Tabaxi Sasha cut the ropes. They took the most dangerous and grueling tasks upon themselves while keeping a watchful eye over the entire deck, barking out short, powerful commands to direct the sailors to wherever hands were needed most.

The tattoo enthusiast Aken, whose class was [Barbarian], possessed outstanding Strength and a robust physique. Right now, he was proving his worth as the team's sturdy frontline.

Sprinting to the side of the deck, he reached out and firmly snatched a thick hemp rope that had snapped loose in the gale and was whipping through the air.

His arms, thicker than an ordinary man's thighs, bulged with power. Relying purely on his raw muscular Strength, he fought the storm to haul the rope back in, bracing it against his own body as he tied it back down.

Captain Lorraine stood at the ship's helm.

Although she didn't look particularly powerful, she was still a formidable adventurer with a Class Level of lv7, having already walked more than halfway down the path to the "Transcendent Tier."

All on her own, she kept a vice-like grip on the helm amidst the storm, firmly controlling the direction and center of gravity of the Blade of Vengeance Ship.

With her unparalleled sailing experience and unwavering focus, the woman—her fiery red hair plastered to her face by the rain and a dead cigarette butt clamped in her teeth—seemed capable of sensing every single wave in the surrounding sea that threatened the Blade of Vengeance Ship.

She spun the wheel, keeping the bow facing directly into the surging waves. The ship rose and fell, vaulting over the turbulent swells and minimizing any risk of capsizing.

Meanwhile, Xia Nan and his companion, acting as temporary additions to the crew, were pulling their weight as well.

"Strum..."

An impassioned, high-pitched chord suddenly rang in the ears of everyone on the deck.

There seemed to be no real melody to speak of, yet it perfectly matched the rhythm of the storm. Bass chords exploded right as the bow plunged into a trough, and rapid notes poured down in tandem with the torrential rain.

And yet, it was precisely these chaotic notes that seemed to dispel the oppressive gloom hanging in the air.

An invisible power was quietly gathering.

Sailors exhausted from battling the storm found their spirits rekindled. Crewmen with mangled palms tightly gripping the rigging subconsciously gritted their teeth, squeezing the last ounce of stamina from deep within their muscles.

The Halfling Alton sat near the cabin, a hemp rope wrapped tightly around his waist to secure his short body to the nearby railing.

He wasn't partaking in any of the deck work. He just sat there on his own, his expression focused as he played the Lute in his arms.

This was what the little guy excelled at, and not a single soul on board would fault him for it.

In a crisis like this, the morale-boosting effects this Bard provided through his impassioned notes were far more valuable than anything he could achieve by dragging his pint-sized body around to carry supplies.

Not to mention, the notes flowing from his strings seemed to carry an invisible energy; aside from inspiring the crew, it actively restored their stamina.

The adventurers forming the core of the team all carried out their respective duties. For a time, they operated with exceptional synergy, even without exchanging a word.

Unfortunately, their capabilities had limits. There were no "Transcendent Tier" or "Legendary rank" powerhouses on board; the highest Class Level was only lv7.

In the face of such a natural disaster, they could barely protect themselves. They simply didn't have the leeway to look out for the ordinary, unpowered sailors on the deck.

"Damn it!"

A tall, skinny sailor with a slightly youthful face practically crawled across the deck, pushing against the gale and torrential rain as he struggled toward the rigging ahead.

Despite his youth, he was a seasoned veteran with three years of sailing experience under his belt. He had lived through plenty of crises and had brushed shoulders with death no less than five times.

But he had never regretted it.

He had mentally prepared himself for all of this the very first time he stepped onto the deck of the Blade of Vengeance Ship.

Captain Lorraine's generous wages had pulled him out of the massive debt his fisherman family had accumulated, allowing them to finally live in a clean, decent home.

He was willing to give everything for the crew that had completely transformed his life, bringing light into an otherwise bleak existence.

Ultimately, though, he was just an ordinary sailor.

Against a natural disaster of this magnitude, willpower meant nothing. A single person's effort was pathetically insignificant.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp, cold glint suddenly flashed in the corner of his eye.

Blown loose from some unknown sailor, a sharp Short Dagger was swept up in the gale, rocketing straight toward where he crawled.

His pupils constricted, and he instinctively threw himself to the side.

The next second.

A thin slice opened up on his cheek, but he narrowly dodged the fatal blow.

But before he had time to breathe a sigh of relief.

The sharp snap of a fraying rope from behind caused his entire body to stiffen.

Though he had barely dodged the flying dagger, the blade had sliced clean through the hemp safety rope tied around his waist.

Boom—

The Blade of Vengeance Ship crested another massive swell, plunging sharply down the other side.

The sudden loss of balance, combined with the sickening weightlessness of the plummeting ship, sent sheer terror coursing through the sailor's veins.

He dug his fingers into the gaps between the floorboards so hard his nails bent backward.

But he couldn't even hold on for two seconds. When the ship crashed back down onto the sea, the massive impact launched him right off the deck.

His crewmates rapidly shrank in his vision. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the pitch-black, abyssal sea rushing up to meet him. Despair flooded the sailor's eyes.

But right at that moment, an invisible hand seemed to grab him mid-air, yanking him violently downward!

"Thud!"

His body froze in mid-air before snapping down like a magnet to the wood below, slamming heavily against the deck.

The massive force left him dizzy and on the verge of blacking out, but it had saved him from falling off the deck to be swallowed by the sea.

Seeing other crewmen quickly rush over to tie a new safety rope to the man, Xia Nan finally released the invisible [Gravity Control] he had placed on him.

He lacked the rich sailing experience of the other crewmen on the Blade of Vengeance, and he couldn't boost morale with music like Alton.

On the other hand, a combination of his attributes, combat techniques, and Feats made him the fastest, most agile person on the deck.

He moved as though he were walking on solid ground—a level of balance not even the mast-scaling Tabaxi could match.

And so, mirroring his combat role in the team.

Xia Nan once again became the team's floater.

He used [Gravity Control] to stabilize fallen crewmen, helped bail water, tied ropes, and pulled halyards tight...

Wherever an extra pair of hands was needed, he would be there.

It was as if he had cloned himself; his figure could be seen at every corner of the deck.

For a while, with everyone working together, it really seemed like the Blade of Vengeance Ship surviving the storm was only a matter of time.

But as the dark clouds overhead spread rapidly, the ship plunged deeper into the heart of the storm.

The shadows lurking beneath the waves finally swam alongside the hull.

Splash—

A gray-brown Scorch-Neck Whorl-Tooth Shark surged out of the surf, taking a vicious bite out of the hull and leaving a hole the size of an adult's fist.

Compared to the massive hull of the Blade of Vengeance Ship, this bite didn't even count as a minor injury. It was barely a scratch on the skin.

But what if there were hundreds, or even thousands, of them?

Thousands of small holes combined would deal fatal damage to the ship.

If that happened, even if they survived this sudden storm, the ship sinking into the boundless sea would spell a total wipeout for the crew.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Knowing the gravity of the situation, the crewmen armed with crossbows—already stationed on deck by Lorraine's prior orders—fired furiously into the water the moment they spotted the school approaching.

They were well-trained, and their accuracy was nothing to scoff at.

But on a violently swaying deck, in pitch-black visibility, against fast-moving underwater targets, how could they possibly aim?

Relying purely on luck, the first volley did minimal damage.

Things only improved slightly on the second volley, when the team's adventurers joined the fray.

Thanks to his well-rounded physical attributes, Xia Nan maintained a fair degree of accuracy despite his lack of experience with ranged attacks.

He wasn't hitting bullseyes with every shot, but he could reliably land three out of five, or two out of three.

Wielding a hand crossbow in each hand, he fired continuously. The moment he emptied his weapons, he would hand them off, and a sailor would immediately swap them for loaded ones.

His efficiency was incredibly high!

Even so, Xia Nan's heart continued to sink as he realized just how dire the situation was becoming.

His sharp Perception allowed him to clearly detect the movements beneath the surface.

He might have been able to handle the sharks gnawing at his side of the hull, but what about the rest of the ship? What about the bottom?

There were likely over a thousand Scorch-Neck Whorl-Tooth Sharks already gouging holes into the ship's hull.

How much longer could the Blade of Vengeance Ship hold on?

Xia Nan didn't know.

Limited by his combat style, he couldn't do much else.

To a certain extent, the passive Feat of his [Fang Hunt]—[Night Mother's Gaze]—would actually be quite effective against swarms of weak individuals like this.

But given the mountainous swells currently thrashing the sea, there was no way he could replicate the wave-treading maneuver he had pulled off back in Barracuda Bay.

And if he slipped up, lost his momentum, and fell into the sea...

He wasn't cut out for underwater combat in the first place. How was he supposed to survive a frenzy of crazed sharks lunging at him from all sides?

Even the time-limited [Ember Echoes] would be utterly useless.

Right now, their only hope of breaking this deadlock was probably...

"Hum!"

Out of the corner of his eye, a bright, warm emerald glow pierced through the darkness like a lighthouse.

Chaotic magic particles rapidly gathered in the air, emitting the restless hum of volatile energy.

Xia Nan turned to look at the source of the commotion.

Hein the Druid, who had been sitting with her eyes closed in deep concentration just moments ago, was now standing at the very top of the figurehead, completely ignoring the raging storm.

Along with the wooden carving of the siren embracing the ocean, she was completely enveloped in an emerald light overflowing with the aura of life.