Chapter 357: The Deep Sea Giant

Chapter 357: The Deep Sea Giant



At this moment, Rain, who was resting nearby, suddenly noticed the peculiar gazes from the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps, all of them carrying a hint of reverence.

Initially, Rain thought it was because he had helped the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps in killing numerous Thickshell Crabmen.

Until a few minutes later.

Vandar approached, slightly constrained, and whispered, "Sir Rain, you... you're not a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, but a Full Wizard, right?"

Rain smiled and said, "Oh? Commander Vandar, how did you find out?" He didn't mind Vandar discovering a part of his hidden strength.

However, he was still curious as to how the other party had discovered it.

After all, he thought he had intentionally hidden his strength.

"Well, don't you think you've used the Level 0 Spell 'Sharpening' a bit too much?"

"Thirty-plus uses of 'Sharpening' is definitely not the amount of Mental Energy an apprentice should have, let alone a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice," Vandar stated firmly.

"Hmm?" Rain pondered for a moment and suddenly realized.

Indeed! He now had a whopping 68 points of Mental Energy.

Although using 'Sharpening' over thirty times only consumed about a third of his Mental Energy, it was still close to the total Mental Energy of a Full Wizard.

So that was the case.

"Georgia, bring your Basic Mana Recovery Potion to Sir Rain," Vandar turned to his sister Georgia and said.

This time, the girl didn't make a sound, her head lowered, and with an extremely obedient look, she walked forward, holding a bottle of light blue potion that resembled an ink bottle, and respectfully handed it to Rain.

There was no trace of her previous arrogance.

The girl didn't even question why her brother was giving such an expensive Basic Mana Recovery Potion to Rain.

Rain smiled slightly, took the potion, and said, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome! Sir Rain, I was wrong before," the girl's fair cheeks turned slightly red, and she apologized weakly.

Rain waved his hand, he naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against a girl, especially since she was inherently not bad, just a bit arrogant.

After a period of rest.

The Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps, with the improved 'Sharpening' technique provided by Rain, launched another attack on the Crabmen camp.

Soon, the Thickshell Crabmen warriors in this camp were almost all sniped, and the remaining old, weak, and sick retreated into the semicircular mud houses, not daring to show their heads.

The sacks brought by the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps this time were now fully packed.

Everyone's faces lit up with joy!

This mission, which was originally planned to last seven to ten days, was now more than half completed in just half a day due to Rain's help, and they had harvested nearly sixty pairs of giant claws.

"Commander, shouldn't we change locations? Staying here for too long might easily attract the attention of the Sea God Sect," a Tower Shield Warrior walked up to Vandar and reminded him.

"Right! I almost forgot!" Vandar, whose smile hadn't faded from his face, suddenly snapped out of his reverie and slapped his forehead.

"Everyone, pack up the spoils and move out immediately."

At this moment, Rain looked up to the west, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and said, "Commander Vandar, organize the defense, I'm afraid retreating won't be fast enough."

"They're already here!"

"What!"

Hearing Rain's words, everyone was startled! Immediately, including Vandar, they all looked to the west, and upon seeing the number of approaching enemies, their faces changed.

"Oh my! Look at the size of that Crabman!"

"Yes! And one of its claws is especially huge!" exclaimed the archer with the best eyesight.

Everyone focused their gaze in that direction.

Indeed, among the Crabmen, who were normally only two meters tall, stood a giant Crabman nearly three meters tall, like a crane among chickens.

Surrounding it were over a dozen elite Crabmen with gleaming claws, and even two black-robed Sea God Sect cultivators guarding it. They were rushing towards the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps with an intimidating aura.

"Retreat to the right!" Vandar commanded upon seeing the overwhelming numbers.

"No! Commander, there are Crabmen on both the left and right, and there are even more of them!" a team member shouted the next second.

"Quick! Back against the reef, organize a defensive formation!" Vandar's expression changed, and he quickly revised his order.

"Tower Shield Warriors, forward! Archers, prepare!"

Hearing the commander's calm orders, the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps quickly calmed down, although worry still lingered on their faces.

However, Vandar was skilled at using every advantage to boost the morale of his troops. He shouted, "Don't panic! Remember, we have Sir Rain, a Full Wizard, with us!"

The troops' spirits soared upon hearing their commander's confirmation, even though they had already suspected that Rain might not be just a simple Wizard Apprentice. The difference in combat power between a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice and a Full Wizard was significant.

"Yes! With Lord Rain here, we just need to focus on our own tasks!"

"That's right! We'll definitely win!"

"Lord Rain, please cast Sharpening on our two archers."

"We must take out the Sea God Cult cultivators first. Otherwise, even our Tower Shield Warriors might not withstand their dark spells," Vandar said respectfully to Rain.

He knew that the key to holding their ground lay with the young Rain, the wizard.

"Of course," Rain agreed with a smile.

On the other side, the Thick-shelled Crabman Chief Akulan, who had employed the Three-sided Encirclement tactic, had expected the human mercenaries to be scared off. But to his surprise, they had taken a defensive position behind the solid reef.

"Interesting!"

"They do have some strength."

"Charge!" At Akulan's command, over ten elite Thick-shelled Crabmen rushed forward.

Meanwhile, the two Sea God Cult cultivators began chanting and casting spells, but they were cautious and first cast a defensive spell similar to Water Barrier on themselves.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Just as they finished their incantations, the next moment, five or six streaks of light flashed past in an instant!

The two Sea God Cult cultivators couldn't help but smirk at this sight.

An ambush?

Too slow!

But their smirks froze on their faces.

They noticed something peculiar about the incoming arrows—a silver glint on the arrowheads, so obvious it was almost blinding.

"This is Sharpening!"

In an instant, they understood something—why the Thick-shelled Crabmen, known for their heavy and sturdy shells, had been beaten so badly that they needed reinforcements.

"Pft! Pft!"

One after another, the arrows pierced through their targets.

One of the Sea God Cult cultivators had an arrow through his forehead and fell straight down, while the other had three arrows hitting his vital areas around the waist and abdomen.

"How is it possible to pierce with just one shot!" The severely injured Sea God Cult cultivator exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes wide.

"This kind of power..."

He realized that their defensive spell, Water Barrier, had been penetrated by a single arrow, as fragile as a bubble. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." He wanted to remind Akulan of something, but the second severely injured Sea God Cult cultivator started bubbling blood from his mouth and soon followed the first one's fate.

"Huh?!"

With two Sea God Cult cultivators dead in an instant, the Thick-shelled Crabman Chief Akulan, standing nearby, had a troubled look on his face.

He had already been annoyed by the defeat of his family earlier, and now, the death of the Sea God Cult cultivators would make it even harder for him to report back to Lord Harfus.

"Human mercenaries, you're seeking your own demise!"

The tall Akulan could no longer hold back. Wielding his two asymmetrical light blue claws, one large and one small, he charged towards the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps.

At that moment, the mercenaries, having witnessed the quick elimination of the two Sea God Cult cultivators, were filled with high morale. Their battle formation became even tighter.

Three Tower Shield Warriors stood at the front, their Knight Longswords enhanced by Rain's Sharpening spell. Behind them were six archers and rangers, while Rain and Vandar took the rear.

Rain quickened the pace of casting Sharpening, essentially casting it once every second.

If the six archers and rangers were the ammunition chain, Rain was the ammunition feeder, shooting the Thick-shelled Crabmen warriors relentlessly!

"Ding ding dang!"

However, with Akulan's arrival, due to his shell's hardness and thickness far exceeding that of ordinary crabmen, he managed to withstand the rain of arrows enhanced by Sharpening and charged forward. But Akulan was also in pain from the barrage of arrows! Naturally, he realized the key to the humans' defense—the peculiar arrows! He had to get close!

Akulan quickly made his move.

"Not good, a big one is coming! Tower Shields, to me!" Vandar, standing in the battle formation, immediately sensed the unusual strength of the massive crabman. He grabbed a tower shield and rushed forward.

"Giant Claw Shockwave!"

Akulan, who had already reached the front of the formation, suddenly raised his giant claw, three times larger than a regular claw and as big as a barrel, into the air. A flash of light passed by, and the giant claw slammed into the ground several meters in front of the Tower Shield Warriors.

"Boom!!!"

The ground rippled like noodles, and a powerful shockwave instantly shook the three Tower Shield Warriors, causing them to stumble.

"Multiple Claw Shadows!"

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Akulan quickly followed up, his pair of giant claws striking three lightning-fast blows. The three sturdy tower shields were twisted and deformed, and the warriors behind them were knocked away with screams.

Fortunately, the tower shields provided some defense, and the warriors' injuries were not severe. However, the left arm of the warrior holding the shield in mid-air was visibly twisted.

"Not good! It's the Thick-shelled Crabman Chief Akulan!"

Seeing his carefully constructed 'Tower Shield Defense Line' being crushed by Akulan, and recalling the asymmetry of his claws, Vandar realized the identity of their opponent and shouted in alarm.

"So you know me, and you should know that today is your death date!" Akulan said in an unpolished Common Tongue, and a gleam of satisfaction flashed in his two matchstick eyes.

"I'll snap you all in half and let you die in agony!"

"Oh? There's also a human girl, Lord Dunn's favorite type." Akulan obviously spotted Georgia in the crowd and waved his giant claw, pointing at her with delight.

At this moment, the remaining archers and rangers all showed signs of panic.

Even the tower shield warriors couldn't withstand the two claws of the other party, and their leather armor couldn't possibly withstand even a casual strike from the opponent.

Although Lord Rain was a full-fledged wizard, what they were facing at this moment was Akulan, a chief-level monster among the Thickshell Crabmen.

A full-fledged wizard would never be a match for him.

He was almost at the peak of the Legendary tier.

Unless Lord Rain was a second-rank liquid wizard, he might still be able to save his life.

Their team's luck was just too bad; they had actually encountered the strongest among the Thickshell Crabmen.

"Now, go and die!" Akulan suddenly waved his claws and charged forward.

"Bang!!"

Vandar took a quick step forward and raised his shield to barely withstand the attack.

But from the very first clash, the creaking of the tower shield and the sound of his boots sinking into the ground made it clear to Vandar, as the person involved, that he was no match for Akulan; his strength was simply too powerful.

"Run! I can't hold out for long!" Vandar roared.

"Lord Rain, protect my sister!"

"Retreat? Why should we retreat?" Lord Rain's calm voice echoed.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, still not understanding what he meant, when they suddenly felt a flash before their eyes, and Lord Rain's figure disappeared.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, Vandar felt a gust of wind brush past him, and then something seemed to flash in front of him.

After another second, Vandar felt something was amiss.

Akulan, the Thickshell Crabman Chief, had stopped attacking, and out of the corner of his eye, Vandar saw his teammates standing stiffly as if they had been struck by lightning.

Almost everyone's mouths were wide open, as if they could fit an entire pear inside!

This left Vandar a bit bewildered.

He carefully peeked out from behind the tower shield, and the next moment, he froze too!

Lord Rain had appeared in front of him without him noticing, holding a short spear in his hand.

At this moment, the short spear was dripping with a light blue liquid.

Akulan, the Thickshell Crabman Chief Akulan, was now lying on the ground, motionless, but still maintaining his stance of waving his giant claws in defense. His two upright, fiery eyes had completely drooped.

Between his two eyes, there was a small round hole in the shell, still oozing a light blue blood.

Obviously, that was the fatal wound.

Vandar knew that was where the crabman's brain was located.

But how was this possible?

Judging from the situation, Lord Rain must have pierced Akulan's giant claw with the short spear and then thrust it into his brain, resulting in the current effect.

"This is Akulan, the Thickshell Crabman Chief!"

"The third-ranked Sea Folk powerhouse on the Wanted List."

"Lord Rain killed him with a single strike!"

"Heavens! Lord Rain's strength..."

For a moment, the crowd, having regained their senses, exclaimed in surprise.

Their eyes turned to Lord Rain, revealing expressions of shock, delight, and worship!

The remaining Thickshell Crabmen warriors, with their matchstick eyes, were all stunned by this scene.

Their formidable Akulan Chieftain was defeated so easily.

The Thickshell Crabmen warriors, who had originally surrounded them from three sides, scattered and fled.

For Lord Rain, Akulan, the Thickshell Crabman Chief, was approximately at the peak of the Legendary tier, just touching the threshold of the Legendary rank, and was naturally no match for him.

Of course, under normal circumstances, the opponent could exchange a few moves with him.

But this time, he suddenly used the Shadow Step to attack, and the speed was too fast, creating the current situation of a one-hit kill.

"Lord Rain, you're not just a full-fledged wizard, are you?"

After a full minute, Vandar still couldn't calm his shock and excitement, and he spoke to Lord Rain with a slight stutter.

"I originally wanted to stay with you for a while, but it seems that's not possible now." Lord Rain gazed into the distance at his destination for this trip.

The Frostbloom Cliff was just over ten miles away.

Action: You made this request in a pithy way for consistency with the other responses.

Action: Frostbloom Cliff was just over ten miles away.

He had originally come to understand the situation, and now he had gathered enough information.

"Vandar, be cautious. The Sea God Sect's strength is not to be underestimated. I'm heading to the Frostbloom Cliff ahead." Rain smiled as he spoke to Vandar.

"Lord Rain, are you leaving? But you promised to complete the Empire's bounty with us," Georgia couldn't help but step forward, her words carrying a hint of reluctance.

Rain smiled and pointed to the scattered bodies of Thickshell Crabmen on the ground, especially the massive shell of Chief Akulan, and said, "With these, the mission of a hundred Thickshell Crabmen corpses is definitely more than accomplished."

"Lord Rain, shall we accompany you?" Vandar paused for a moment before speaking up.

"It's not advisable. We might encounter the Sea God Sect ahead," Rain shook his head.

Just then, he realized that the direction from which Chief Akulan had come seemed to be the same as that of the Frostbloom Cliff.

This implied that the Sea God Sect's hideout was likely in that direction.

The destination of his journey might be very close.

A quarter of an hour later.

In the cave's grand hall.

Harfus and Diam were exchanging ideas on their collaboration in a harmonious atmosphere.

At this moment, a Thickshell Crabman warrior rushed in, panicked, and exclaimed, "Lord Harfus, bad news! Chief Akulan has been killed!"

"What!" Harfus, who rarely showed his emotions, stood up in shock.

"Is Akulan dead? How did he die?" Georgia, who had been dozing off, asked anxiously.

Lord Dunn, the Deep Sea Titan Overlord who had been napping, opened his lantern-sized eyes upon hearing the news and looked over.

"I didn't see clearly!" The Thickshell Crabman warrior thought for a long time before replying fearfully.

He indeed hadn't witnessed how his chieftain was slain.

"He was killed by a white-robed wizard with a single spear thrust."

"White-robed? A single spear?" Diam muttered to himself.

This sounded somewhat familiar.

"Useless!" Lord Dunn seemed particularly annoyed with this Thickshell Crabman who had fled after a defeat.

He extended his massive hand and grabbed the Thickshell Crabman warrior.

"Spare me!"

"Crack!" A crisp cracking sound echoed, and the Thickshell Crabman in Lord Dunn's grasp was crushed, leaving a mess of bodily fluids and shell fragments on the ground.

"Harfus, I'll go take a look!"

"Boom!"

Lord Dunn, without waiting for Harfus to speak, picked up the anchor and strode out of the cave. With each step, the ground trembled slightly.

No one in the cave spoke.

Diam, as a guest of the Black Flame Church, naturally refrained from commenting.

Harfus, who had always been wary of Lord Dunn's lack of obedience, wisely remained silent.

As for Georgia, the beautiful Naga High Priestess, she glanced at Harfus, then at Lord Dunn's departing figure, and wisely kept quiet.

Minutes later,

"Lord Diam, why don't we go take a look? Although Akulan's strength isn't top-notch, it's not easy for humans to kill him."

After a long contemplation, Harfus turned to Diam and spoke.

"Of course, it's a good opportunity to witness Lord Dunn's strength." Diam, as a guest, followed his host's lead. Moreover, he was curious about the Deep Sea Titan's combat prowess and readily agreed.

Minutes later, following Lord Dunn, the three, accompanied by a group of Sea God Sect disciples and Slashing Naga elites, headed towards the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps' camp.

Thickshell crabman really a deep sea giant?

Thickshell Crabmen Southern Camp.

Suddenly, Rain looked west with a frown.

Others followed his gaze.

In the distance, a towering figure approached, towering over the one-meter-tall bushes, causing the ground to tremble with each step.

"Oh no! It's a Deep Sea Titan!"

"But why is this Deep Sea Titan so huge!" Vandar exclaimed.

"What! A Deep Sea Titan?!"

"Don't worry, we have Lord Rain with us!" Hearing these words, the panicked crowd calmed down. However, after gauging the giant's height, even those with the most faith in Lord Rain's abilities felt their hearts pounding.

The giant was estimated to be over ten meters tall. Could Lord Rain truly have a chance against such a formidable opponent?

"Haha! I've found you, you little mice!"

"I heard you killed Akulan, though he was useless. But you can't kill him. So, I'll feast on your flesh and bones!"

"Oh no, there's a pretty lady here!"

The thunderous voice of the approaching giant echoed across the wilderness.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end