Chapter 539 Ambush

Armed with clues, Xia Nan and the others sprang into action.

Time was limited, after all. The midnight event deadline was approaching, leaving them with less than ten hours.

It seemed like plenty of time, but there were only one hundred Deep-Sea Resonance Stones in total—ninety-nine, to be exact—hidden randomly across the massive island. While not exactly a needle in a haystack, finding one would be far from easy.

To maximize their search efficiency and increase the chances of everyone completing the task, their four-person team split into two groups.

Xia Nan headed to the southern shore of Stodd Island with Alton, who had already completed his event task, to search for the resonance stone hidden among the reefs mentioned by the local resident.

Meanwhile, Sasha and Ellison went to search other locations.

Once Xia Nan found the quest item or confirmed the intel was fake, he would regroup with them.

The journey went smoothly.

Even though it was their first time on Stodd, the Isle of a Thousand Piles, and they weren't familiar with the layout, they managed to reach their destination by stopping pedestrians to ask for directions whenever they hit a confusing intersection.

Along the way, they saw plenty of adventurers who were clearly participating in the event or just joining in the excitement.

Some were climbing onto roofs to check every chimney, while others were carefully questioning shop owners for clues.

Adventurers acting bizarrely could be seen everywhere.

Evidently, the combat techniques and enchanted gear Flynn had promised for the raffle were too tempting for ordinary adventurers to resist.

Even those who hadn't participated in the first round and couldn't actually enter the raffle were determined to find the rocks known as "Deep-Sea Resonance Stones," hoping to sell them to wealthy participants for a hefty sum.

Not much time had passed since Flynn announced the start of the event in the central square, so most of the participating and spectating adventurers were still gathered in the blocks near the square.

Only a small minority had a clear destination like Xia Nan and Alton.

Because of this, the southern shore of the island was exceptionally quiet when the two arrived, with hardly anyone in sight.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but snow-white waves crashing against the reefs, soft tawny sand, sprawling waterfront platforms in the distance, and a forest of Water-Iron Wood stretching from the heart of the island all the way to the beach.

Xia Nan and Alton walked side by side along the tide line, their eyes carefully scanning the reefs jutting out of the water.

Although the resident had provided a clue, the exact hiding spot of the Deep-Sea Resonance Stone remained vague.

They only knew roughly that it was hidden between two reefs on the southern shore, placed at a medium depth—neither too shallow nor too deep. It was usually submerged, only revealing itself at low tide.

Xia Nan planned to take a quick walk along the shore to identify potential reef clusters before diving into the water for a closer look.

As he pondered this, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Alton up ahead. The halfling was crouched enthusiastically on the beach, poking at a washed-up starfish with a random stick he had found.

Come to think of it, given the halfling's status as the Goddess of Luck's favored and their relationship, Xia Nan wouldn't even need to prepare if he truly wanted to save effort. He could just ask Alton to pick a random spot, and they'd probably find the resonance stone right away.

But having spent so much time together, Xia Nan had managed to glean a bit about the Goddess of Luck Tymora's personality and preferences just by observing the little guy's behavior.

Simply put, it boiled down to a single phrase Alton had once told him: "Luck is conserved."

It was exactly like how the halfling could rake in massive winnings at the casino with a jaw-dropping win rate, only to lose it all in a single all-in bet.

Xia Nan could probably use his help to effortlessly find the Deep-Sea Resonance Stone hidden in the reef crevices, but the price—

It might be a terrible bowl of cream of mushroom soup cooked on an off day, or it could be a fatal misstep during combat.

Xia Nan hated that feeling of losing control.

That was exactly why, when spending time with Alton, he did his best to avoid exploiting the halfling's status as Tymora's favored for specific, utilitarian gains.

Of course, if they were just fishing together or something similar, it didn't really matter.

Just as he was wondering if Ellison and Sasha were having any luck, a sudden commotion drifted over from further down the beach.

Looking over, he saw several men who looked like adventurers.

Their gear was uniform and of Fine quality, and their movements were sharper and more powerful than an ordinary person's. Even if they weren't Class Holders, they were definitely experienced veterans among adventurers.

From a distance, Xia Nan found them somewhat familiar.

And he had just seen the one who looked like their leader.

It was none other than the Windforged fleet member with the prominent neck tattoos who had been bullying the civilians earlier!

'What a coincidence.'

A strange expression appeared on Xia Nan's face.

More importantly, the lead adventurer seemed to have found something. He was lying flat, carefully inching his way across the sharp, wet rocks.

He crawled all the way to the outermost edge of the reef, pressing his entire body against the rock as he strained to reach his right hand down into a crevice.

Then, under Xia Nan's watchful gaze, the adventurer withdrew his hand. Resting in his palm was a fist-sized, translucent, dark blue crystalline rock.

"That old guy's intel was pretty good. It was exactly where he said it would be."

"Hahaha! I actually found it!"

Clearly, his source of information was the very same civilian family he had been trying to torment earlier.

It wasn't hard to figure out.

Initially, this adventurer from the Windforged fleet probably hadn't known about the intel and had just barged into their home to satisfy his own vile urges.

To save his own life and protect his daughter, the haggard, downtrodden middle-aged man must have immediately offered up what he had discovered on the southern shore.

Given how adventurers operated in this world, however, the man had merely treated the intel as a bonus. It wouldn't have stopped him from continuing his assault.

He had only fled in a panic because the dwarves from the Raging Tide Warband showed up, leaving him hopelessly outnumbered.

And now, he had beaten Xia Nan to the punch, retrieving the Deep-Sea Resonance Stone from the reef first.

Seeing his intended target snatched out from under him, Xia Nan found the situation bothersome.

However, he didn't approach. He simply stood in place, sizing up the three Windforged adventurers from a distance.

First, based on the buckler on his back and the one-handed sword at his waist, the leader with the squad tattoo on his neck was likely a [Warrior].

The two companions trailing behind him were probably a [Ranger] and a [Rogue], judging by the longbow on one's back and the twin dagger sheaths at the other's waist.

Judging by the auras they gave off, all three had a Class Level around Lv1—they had just barely set foot on the path of Class Holders.

This was clearly something Xia Nan could handle on his own.

To be frank, Xia Nan had never considered himself a good person, and he mostly acted in his own self-interest.

If the adventurer was holding the encryption key to the [Dream Weaving Corridor], a Rare enchanted item, or high-quality forging materials, Xia Nan wouldn't feel the slightest guilt about taking it by force.

But it was just one of a hundred Deep-Sea Resonance Stones scattered across the island, and the deadline was still far off.

There was no need to make enemies over something so trivial, especially when it might impact his plans for the upcoming Lunar Tide Banquet.

He had already made up his mind to let this one go for now.

Meanwhile, since there was no real cover on the beach and Xia Nan and Alton made no effort to hide, the Windforged adventurers spotted them in the distance.

The trio's reaction was quite interesting.

Without a moment to celebrate, the tattooed adventurer immediately shoved the resonance stone into his shirt, drew his sword, and raised his shield the second he saw Xia Nan.

His two companions also dropped into defensive combat stances.

This was perfectly understandable. The event on Stodd Island was still ongoing, making all the adventurers competitors.

It was only natural to be on high alert after being spotted by strangers right after finding a resonance stone.

But soon enough, the tattooed leader seemed to recognize Xia Nan, and his expression shifted to one of hesitation.

He had been at the Glass Oar tavern earlier, so he had naturally seen Xia Nan chatting with the boss of the Raging Tide Warband.

Through later introductions, he had managed to put a face to the name of Sea Fang, the figure currently making waves in the Southern Archipelagos.

That was exactly why he looked so conflicted now.

He had no real grudge against the Blade of Vengeance—or Sea Fang himself—and he knew full well that the man's strength far exceeded his own. Even if all three of them attacked together, they wouldn't stand a chance.

If Xia Nan demanded the resonance stone, he would have no choice but to hand it over.

Otherwise—they could only hope that the reputation of Zephyr, the captain of the Windforged Squad, would be enough to deter him.

A direct fight was undoubtedly a death sentence.

Now he was debating whether to offer the resonance stone up before Xia Nan even asked.

That way, he might even be able to curry a little favor.

Quietly relaxing his combat stance, the tattooed adventurer made up his mind and pulled the Deep-Sea Resonance Stone back out of his shirt.

He took a few steps forward, breaking away from his squad's triangular formation, and held out his open palm with the stone in a submissive gesture.

Xia Nan noticed the shift in his posture and attitude, instantly understanding the man's intentions.

There was no reason to refuse. He opened his mouth to speak.

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

His acute Perception caused his body to react faster than his mind, his eyes instinctively darting toward the water beneath the reef right beside the adventurers.

There, he caught a faint glimpse of a dark silhouette silently closing in like a crocodile.

"Left!"

Just as Xia Nan's shout reached the tattooed adventurer's ears, the seawater beside him erupted with an explosive roar and the tearing screech of rushing air.

With his attention entirely focused on Xia Nan in the distance, the tattooed adventurer didn't even have time to dodge.

He instinctively turned his head to the left, only to be met with a gaping, bloodred maw that filled his entire vision. It was lined with razor-sharp teeth, the pink flesh of its throat pulsing in the back.

"Crunch!"

The sickening sound of snapping bones and tearing flesh drifted through the air.

A moment ago, the tattooed adventurer had been walking toward Xia Nan with the Deep-Sea Resonance Stone in hand.

Now, his entire upper body, from the abdomen up, was completely gone.

In his place stood a terrifying monster Xia Nan was all too familiar with—a Shark Beast with rough, grayish-blue skin that stood nearly nine chi tall.

"Ahhh!!!"

Seeing his companion brutally ambushed and killed right before his eyes, the Rogue from the Windforged Squad didn't lose his nerve and flee. Instead, he fiercely charged the Shark Beast.

Wielding his twin daggers, he lunged at the monster.

His courage was commendable, but sheer mental fortitude clearly couldn't bridge the massive gap in combat power.

In less than two exchanges, the terrifyingly explosive Shark Beast snatched his arm with its claw.

Black, razor-sharp talons dug deep into flesh. With a slight pull and a brutal twist, the Shark Beast ripped the Rogue's entire right arm clean off his torso.

Paralyzed by the agonizing pain, the normally agile Rogue lost all ability to dodge and had half his body—head included—bitten off in a single chomp.

"Awooo—"

The wolf howl had just barely rung out before it came to an abrupt halt.

Although Xia Nan despised the way these men bullied civilians, he hadn't minded putting aside his grievances to temporarily cooperate against a common enemy like the Shark Beast.

That was exactly why the wolf howl of [Fang Hunt] had sounded.

The reason it cut off so abruptly was because of what he saw.

With one of the three adventurers killed instantly in the ambush and another falling just as quickly to the Shark Beast...

The sole surviving Ranger had neither turned to flee nor drawn his bow to help his teammates.

Instead, he had completely bypassed the fight and sprinted frantically toward Xia Nan.

His intentions couldn't have been clearer.

He was trying to lure the enemy over, forcing Sea Fang to take the brunt of the Shark Beast's aggression.

Xia Nan was no bleeding heart who repaid malice with kindness. Since the man had made his choice, Xia Nan immediately scrapped his plan to help.

To be frank, a Ranger with a Class Level of just Lv1 would be utterly useless in a battle between him and the Shark Beast anyway.

"Argh!!!"

The scream was silenced instantly.

The Ranger, having exposed his defenseless back to the Shark Beast in his mad dash toward Xia Nan, couldn't put up a shred of resistance. Four talons pierced straight through his chest from behind, pinning him brutally to the sand.

Blood sprayed across the beach.