Chapter 582 Slow

Dodd's death caught everyone on the battlefield completely off guard.

The thirty-odd professional adventurers gathered on the coast had originally come to seek revenge against "Algae Scale" Dodd and find a possible way off Stodd Island.

On the way here, they had mentally prepared themselves for a decisive battle against the great pirate and his forces.

But—

He had really just died like that?

Besieged by fishmen, he had blown himself up right in front of everyone.

If his highly recognizable dragonborn corpse wasn't lying right there, some might have suspected he had found a body double to fake his death and escape.

Among the adventurers, Tieg had one of the strongest reactions to Dodd's death.

His thick, hammer-wielding arms, crossed in front of him to block, were slightly flushed from the burns of the white-gold energy shockwave. His wide eyes stared intently at the mangled corpse, which had completely lost all signs of life after the self-destruction, confirming that Dodd was truly dead.

Making no attempt to hide his feelings, the braided, burly man with Barbarian and dwarf blood grinned widely and let out a hearty, immensely satisfying laugh.

"Hahahaha! You damn green-scaled scum, you deserve this! Hahaha!"

He didn't feel any appreciation or mutual respect for Dodd just because the man had shown some backbone before he died.

His opinion of "Algae Scale" had hit rock bottom the moment he realized the pirate had used him as a stepping stone, forcefully dragging him into the Secret Realm.

To witness the death of this great pirate, who in his eyes was worse than livestock, brought Tieg unparalleled joy.

The only pity was that he hadn't been able to smash the man's skull himself, missing out on a bit of personal involvement.

But this ending wasn't unacceptable.

Compared to Tieg's unbridled display, Zephyr, the captain of the Windforged team, was noticeably more restrained in his demeanor.

Though he didn't kick Dodd while he was down or spit out any vicious words, the heavy gloom and depression that had hung over him like a dark cloud since the Secret Realm ended dissipated significantly the moment Dodd died.

A hint of relief quietly surfaced on his tight, gloomy face.

Among the entire adventurer group, the ones with the most complex feelings about "Algae Scale" Dodd's death were Lorraine, captain of the Blade of Vengeance, and her brother, Ellison.

To some extent, not even Dodd's biological daughter, the dragonborn Sarissa, felt it as deeply as those two.

After all, while she shared a bloodline with Dodd, they had barely met. She had practically fled from the "Algae Scale" faction and had done everything possible to avoid any contact with them afterward.

As for the siblings, though they might have chosen different paths, they had never let go of their desire for revenge against the man who had murdered their father, Lyle Morton.

According to their original plan, after a brutal and tragic battle, they would have been burning with hatred and reveling in the thrill of vengeance. They would have poured out years of suffering to a fatally wounded "Algae Scale" Dodd, threatened him with death to demand the truth about Lyle Morton's fate, spat a few final curses, and ended his sinful life with their own hands.

They had never expected the plan to reach its end before it had even truly begun.

Ellison handled it a bit better, given the different path he had taken.

But for someone who had set out to sea solely for revenge, who had even named her fleet the Blade of Vengeance, watching the enemy she had been prepared to trade her life to kill die so completely in this manner...

It was hard to put Lorraine's current emotions into words.

But she was a seasoned adventurer who had navigated the Southern Archipelagos for years and built her own faction. She was no longer that silly little girl who waited all day at the docks just to be the first to see her father.

After a brief moment of daze, Lorraine quickly adjusted her emotions, forcefully suppressing the inexplicable turmoil in her heart.

Gripping her [Scale-Fire Scimitar] tightly in her right hand, she turned her head and ordered her teammates to prepare for battle.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out. Amidst the surging waves, the fishmen roared as they charged ashore toward the adventurers.

The adventurers didn't scatter and flee; instead, they formed a defensive line right where they stood, ready to meet the attack.

None of the people who had followed the main group here were fools. Even though their original target, "Algae Scale" Dodd, was dead, the predicament the adventurers faced remained unsolved.

The massive number of Sahuagin lurking in the waters around the island made it nearly impossible for them to leave by ship.

And the key to breaking this deadlock was right in front of them!

Up ahead, the elderly Sahuagin priest, protected by several fishman commanders, was clearly a high-ranking figure in this large force. They might even be the leader of this entire fishman tribe.

If they could kill or even capture the priest, the current stalemate would be broken.

Under the tight deployments of their respective captains, the adventurers urgently communicated their thoughts and confirmed their targets while arranging their formations based on their class roles and combat styles, ready for battle.

Xia Nan felt nothing in particular about "Algae Scale" Dodd's death.

After all, leaving aside his experiences in the Secret Realm, this was actually the first time he had met Dodd in the real world.

Right now, his only goal was the key around the corpse's neck—the one causing the [Dream Weaving Corridor] ring to vibrate violently.

Realizing that the priest was using "Algae Scale" Dodd's corpse for a ritual, Xia Nan didn't hesitate. With a wolf-like howl, he charged straight toward the Sahuagin priest.

"Swish!"

"Splash!!"

They were all veteran adventurers with extensive combat experience; how could they not know the "target the Spellcaster first" principle?

The moment everyone realized that the battle was inevitable—that they had to crush the fishman army before them to find a way out—and prepared to fight...

The ranged shooters among the adventurers, along with the very few Spellcasters, had already aimed their firepower at the distant Sahuagin priest.

From force missiles condensed with magic particles to spinning wooden arrows wrapped in spiraling winds.

The adventurers' ranged attacks poured out from afar, hurtling toward the fishman priest.

In response, the elderly priest named Urk remained exceptionally calm.

Urk didn't even need to cast a spell; the two towering fishman commanders guarding their sides had already stepped in to protect the priest.

Gripping their tridents with both hands, they spun them like propellers. The resulting gales whipped up the sand on the ground. Layers of faint blue light rippled from the rapidly spinning weapons, which blurred into circular afterimages. The light gradually expanded outward, ultimately forming a translucent, defensive energy shield.

"Bang!"

"Rumble!"

Arrows pelted the shield's surface like rain, their kinetic energy fully absorbed through the vibrations. A few special arrows carrying unique energy sent ripples across the barrier, eventually perishing together with three successively arriving Magic Missiles, shattering into motes of light.

This cooperative defense clearly took a significant toll even on the physically robust fishman commanders. They panted heavily, the gills on the backs of their necks flaring unnaturally.

But at the same time, it solidly blocked the adventurers' first round of concentrated ranged attacks against Urk.

As for a second round—

These temporarily cobbled-together adventurers simply didn't have the time.

Because the fishmen had already used this opportunity to completely surround the adventurers on the coast.

"Ahhh!!!"

His body coated in a faint red fiery glow, his muscles expanding as if inflated with air, Tieg alone led the members of the Raging Tide Warband at the very front of the formation. Every swing of his massive iron hammer kicked up bursts of blood mist among the fishman grunts ahead.

Zephyr, the pure-blood Elf, received a buff from a member of the Windforged team who possessed limited spellcasting abilities. As he moved, he left fleeting afterimages in his wake. With his Agility and speed attributes vastly increased, he incapacitated fishman after fishman, inflicting heavy injuries.

The Blade of Vengeance coordinated even more seamlessly. Given the chaotic situation, as a precaution, the Druid Hein had already transformed into an albatross under her captain's orders, taking to the sky to provide timely support to her teammates using her aerial advantage.

The Tabaxi Sasha and the Barbarian Aken worked in tandem. The former was agile and swift, while the latter was fierce and powerful. One spearheaded the assault while the other roamed the perimeter, inflicting massive casualties among the fishmen.

Lorraine's position was a bit more isolated, situated slightly further away on the flank of the formation.

This wasn't because she favored a lone-wolf combat style like Xia Nan.

It was due to the combat technique she had mastered. The scorching air currents radiating from her [Scorching Heat Domain] continuously baked any enemy daring to approach her. Her scimitar left trails of fire in the air, turning the fishmen into corpses one by one.

The Halfling Alton stood toward the rear of the battlefield as usual. The melodious tunes of his lute rippled out, restoring stamina and boosting the morale of all the adventurers on the field.

Ellison, gripping his twin short blades, stood guard beside the small figure, protecting the buffer who played a crucial role in the group battle.

The Sahuagin obviously had a massive numerical advantage, but there was still a decent number of adventurers—over thirty seasoned veterans who had sailed the seas for years. Even if they were somewhat weakened, they managed to withstand the fishmen's siege, and even showed faint signs of gaining the upper hand.

Multitasking, Urk's lips moved silently as they softly chanted the prayers of the Sacrificial Ritual, while simultaneously keeping a close eye on the battlefield.

Realizing the situation was turning disadvantageous, Urk pondered countermeasures.

Suddenly, a faint sense of danger welled up in their heart.

Instinctively turning their head, Urk looked toward the rear flank—an area previously in their blind spot.

A wolf-like black shadow had somehow slipped behind them.

Its trajectory was erratic; it seemed intent on attacking Urk, but it was also possible it was heading toward "Algae Scale" Dodd's corpse.

Initially, Urk didn't take it seriously, assuming it was just a reasonably skilled Rogue among the adventurers.

Until two spells—cast by two fishman priests hiding deep beneath the ocean's surface—landed squarely on the adventurer.

The pink spell was likely [Hold Person]. It was resisted almost instantly, with such exaggerated speed that the man didn't even stiffen.

The other, a green flash of light that struck him, manifested as emerald vines wrapping around his body. The vines slowed the adventurer's movement for a split second before being effortlessly torn apart.

Undeniably possessing combat experience and capabilities far beyond a regular adventurer, the black-haired young man, wreathed in the phantom of a black wolf, had simultaneously shaken off two spells and used his explosive burst speed and mobility to completely bypass the elite guards stationed in front of him.

'Outstanding speed, with a certain amount of resistance against control-type spells.'

Considering the different effects the two spells had on him, this black-haired adventurer's resistance was highly likely tilted toward mental attacks.

Over the course of their long life, Urk had accumulated countless experiences battling adventurers.

Without even crossing blows, simply by observing their fishman subordinates' probing attacks, Urk had roughly deduced the combat style of this adventurer who evoked a vague sense of danger.

Urk's mind never stopped churning. Factoring in the battlefield's current state, Urk determined the optimal solution.

"Hum—"

Magical light flashed at the tip of their Bone-White Staff. Guided by their solidified spiritual energy, an incredibly complex spell model took shape in an instant.

Surges of magic power flooded into it, ultimately transforming into a pale pink energy light that stood out glaringly on the battlefield.

—3rd-Circle · Transmutation · Slow!

The effects of this spell were not complex; they were even straightforward and clear.

For those hit by the spell who failed their Saving Throw, their personal flow of time would be slowed to a certain extent. Their movements would turn sluggish and their reactions delayed, as if someone had hit a 0.5x speed button.

The spell itself dealt no lethal damage, but its crowd-control effect—even without being upcast to a higher circle—could simultaneously target six individuals. This made the spell the fishman priest's top choice for dealing with the current situation.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

The pale pink light gathered at the tip of the staff locked onto its targets under Urk's mental control. It split into six comets trailing long tails, drifting through the air at a speed that appeared deceptively slow but was actually nearly impossible to dodge.

They drifted down squarely onto the six adventurers Urk had pre-selected while observing the battlefield.

They were Lorraine, Tieg, Zephyr, Sasha, Xia Nan, and a gloomy adventurer who had previously tried to leave the island alone with his crew at the docks, only to be forced to stay with the group because his ship was damaged.

Naturally, Urk didn't pick these six at random.

Urk's selection criteria factored in their respective roles and performance in the battle, the potential impact of the spell taking effect, and the likelihood of each adventurer passing the Saving Throw.

Lorraine, Tieg, and Zephyr, for instance. Even without being explicitly told, one could easily deduce from the surrounding adventurers' behavior that they were the cores of their respective teams. Striking a heavy blow against such pivotal figures would clearly decimate the adventurers' overall morale.

The Tabaxi Sasha and Xia Nan might not hold the same core status among the adventurers, but their individual combat performances were among the most outstanding, making them worthy targets.

More importantly, both of their combat styles leaned heavily toward Agility and finesse.

If [Slow] took effect on them, it would obviously cripple them far more than it would other equally capable adventurers.

As for that final, gloomy-faced middle-aged man—

It was quite unfortunate.

Not only was he the captain of a reasonably strong adventurer squad, holding a core position, but he also possessed an agile style similar to a Rogue, prioritizing mobility and evasion in combat.

He had become Urk's ideal breakthrough point to turn the tide of the battle.