Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

The blood-red mist, illuminated by the Lighting Stone atop the mast, floated in the air. Droplets of blood sprinkled like raindrops all over the ground.

Along with bits of flesh, bone fragments, and skin, flying like bullets, they stuck firmly to the deck.

Instantly, a sickeningly sweet, bloody scent flooded Alka's nostrils, continuously assaulting his sense of smell.

Such a visceral, bloody scene made Alka freeze on the spot, his face spattered with gore.

He wasn't someone unaccustomed to such sights; after transmigrating to this world and understanding its brutal nature, he had mentally prepared himself.

During their sea voyage, he had fought in numerous battles, and even against fellow humans, he could deliver lethal blows without hesitation. He knew this was a violent and cruel world.

Yet, the death of strangers and enemies was one thing; watching acquaintances—friends—explode into a mist of blood and viscera before his very eyes was an entirely different concept. Alka experienced this feeling for the first time.

The true horror and cruelty of the sea—only now did it fully unveil itself before Alka's eyes.

"Alka! Alka!" Lucilia's voice continuously pierced his ears, accompanied by the cold sensation from the ring on his finger, a chill that seemed to press directly against his brain.

This finally jolted the dazed Alka from his reverie.

"Alka, get down! What are you doing?!" Jason shouted from behind him, simultaneously shrinking his body behind the main mast.

Hearing the shout, Alka snapped back to reality. Ignoring everything else, he rolled to the side.

Near the helm, a short staircase led down from the main deck; Alka quickly scrambled for cover beneath it.

WHOOSH!

The piercing sound of something tearing through the air echoed again.

The projectile that had obliterated Hammer into a bloody mist was a cannonball, moving at incredible speed.

Another one flew in, smashing into the sterncastle. It immediately tore a massive hole in the upper right corner of the structure, sending planks flying.

Andre, in the crow's nest, was roaring, "Gami, turn the ship! Full power!"

"I'm on it! I'm on it!" Gami's urgent voice came from somewhere on deck.

The attack had been too sudden; no one had been prepared.

While Gami wrestled with the controls, he also extinguished all the Lighting Stones on the ship.

At that moment, the gap in the clouds above closed again, plunging their surroundings into complete darkness.

Only then did Alka cautiously peek out. In the oppressive blackness, he could barely make out faint, flickering lights on the distant sea.

From the crow's nest, Andre continued to shout orders, "Secondary members, to the lower hold! Everyone else, find cover!"

SANG KAKA!

Before Andre finished shouting, the ship slowly began to turn sideways. The current beneath the hull swirled into a powerful spiral, wrenching the vessel around. Coupled with Gami's desperate maneuvers, it didn't take long for the ship to come about.

At this moment, the ship's Shield finally shimmered into existence. For some unknown reason, the automatic defensive measures hadn't triggered earlier; they had to be manually activated now.

A translucent, water-blue protective field enveloped the ship, followed by an intense concentration of blue light gathering at the stern. The seawater surged in layers, like powerful waves, propelling the ship rapidly into the darkness.

The brilliant blue light at the stern clearly drew the enemy's attention, provoking several more attacks that slammed into the Shield. The powerful impacts sent violent ripples across its surface. A few more hits, and the Shield would likely shatter; the enemy's cannonball strength far exceeded their expectations.

Fortunately, the gathered light at the stern acted like a thruster, propelling the Sea Fist forward at high speed. The sudden acceleration caused the enemy's subsequent attacks to miss, sending them crashing into the sea behind the fleeing ship, raising great geysers of water.

"Why are they attacking us?" Jason poked his head out from behind the main mast and yelled.

Everyone was now hiding in different spots, wary of being hit by enemy fire. Hammer's gruesome fate was a grim reminder of what awaited them if they were careless.

"Is it possible it's just a chance encounter?" someone ventured.

"Impossible!" Alka asserted from his hiding spot. "Do you remember the Holy Mother's prophecy for me?"

Aside from the first part of the prophecy, the other two parts were entirely linked to this pirate fleet. They were clearly targeting us. If it were just a chance encounter, the prophecy might have shown routes and times to help us avoid them. Moreover, and most importantly... Alka glanced at the broken chain tattoo on the inside of his left forearm. He recalled the warmth in his arm when he was steering earlier. The island those pirates had destroyed... that was the last place we stayed.

Chadite's voice came from above, "So, what exactly attracted them to chase us?"

No one could understand. No one on board, not even Andre, had any dealings with the Prayer for the Dead. To them, the Prayer for the Dead seemed to belong to a different world entirely. If not for newspapers and scattered information, they wouldn't even know who they were. If the Prayer for the Dead's plundering hadn't been aimed in their direction, they wouldn't have paid them any mind. After all, this Pirate Gang was known to operate frequently in areas quite distant from their current region.

Andre continued to scan the distant horizon with his spyglass, showing no intention of joining their speculation.

Suddenly, he lowered the spyglass, turned, and said grimly, "This is bad. I have a very bad feeling about this."

As he spoke, under the crew's watchful eyes, he reached into the metal box on his back and drew the Sword of Love. Holding the Sword of Love, he closed his eyes and began chanting scriptures praising the Holy Mother. He was seeking a revelation from the Holy Mother.

This was the first time Alka had ever seen Andre behave like a true Saint.

After about ten seconds, he opened his eyes. He immediately looked at Gami and said, "Gami, quickly, back to the church! Get us out of—"

His words were cut short as the entire ship suddenly lurched to a halt, frozen on the sea surface, unable to move forward at all. It was as if an invisible giant hand had firmly grasped it.

Andre's eyes bulged. He quickly shoved the Sword of Love back into the metal box on his back. Grabbing Chadite, who was beside him, he leaped down using the rigging, shouting loudly, "Everyone, abandon ship! Quick! Abandon ship!"

His voice held not a hint of hesitation.

The moment he jumped, he threw the iron box and Chadite towards Alka. Chadite landed steadily beside Alka, who dazedly caught the metal box.

At this moment, a dazzling light flared on deck, incredibly conspicuous in the darkness. Now that the ship was immobilized, the Lighting Stones on board flared back to life. A figure emerged from the glare.

Before anyone could clearly see the newcomer, Andre sent them flying with a punch to the head. The figure went airborne. Andre immediately rushed forward, then whirled and roared, "What the hell are you all standing around for?! Run!"

Hearing this shout, clearly infused with Magic Power, everyone instantly snapped to their senses.

Gami waved his hands. The lifeboats suspended on both sides of the ship dropped, landing steadily on the sea surface.

"Quick, there are two boats!" he yelled. With that, he used two tentacles to lift Jason and leaped towards one of the boats below.

WHOOSH!

Another sharp, piercing sound. The ship's Shield, already shattered at some unknown point, offered no protection. This time, the enemy's attack directly hit the ship, its destructive power even greater than previously witnessed. It pierced straight through the hull.

An explosion ripped through the vessel, splitting the deck and blasting away planks from both sides of the hull. Massive holes now gaped in the bow, sides, and deck of the ship.

Alka dodged the explosion, unhesitatingly slung the metal box onto his back, grabbed Chadite, and jumped. However, he jumped into the lifeboat on the port side, which was closer to them.

"But, Dad!" Chadite cried.

"He told us to run! Right now, we can't do anything. Only running gives us a chance!" Alka said urgently.

Alka's mind, initially somewhat flustered and tense, grew calm thanks to the Magician's Ring. A Pirate Gang possessing a Treasure was right in front of them. His own resistance would be powerless, meaningless. Only escaping offered a glimmer of hope.

At this moment, on the deck of the dying Sea Fist, several strands of shimmering thread shot out, entangling the enemy who had teleported onto the ship through the glare. Only then did they get a clear look at the enemy's face. It was a man in leather armor, his face covered with hideous burn scars. He wielded a scimitar and clutched a round wooden tablet inscribed with unknown symbols. He had just blocked another of Andre's attacks when the threads suddenly ensnared him, and he took another punch. However, while Andre's attacks could suppress the man, they weren't enough to incapacitate him.

This time, Andre didn't continue his assault. Instead, he turned to Vanessa, who had approached him. He glanced at her, said nothing, then grabbed her and forcefully threw her towards the boat Gami and the others were on.

"Andre!" Vanessa cried out.

"Run! The Holy Mother said I'll survive! Trust me, leave now!"

Having said his piece, Andre turned, his fists gleaming with blue light.

By now, the Prayer for the Dead fleet had drawn near. The clouds above parted again, and cool moonlight poured down.

A figure wearing a captain's hat and a leather jacket appeared on the forecastle of the enemy flagship. He stood atop the wolf-head figurehead at the ship's prow.

Under the moonlight, half of his face was revealed. He had short, dark hair and brown eyes. A faint scar marked the visible right side of his face. His beard, though somewhat thick, was kept short and meticulously groomed, looking very neat.

His gaze was fixed intently on the lifeboat from the Sea Fist to starboard, the one carrying Alka and Chadite, as it headed into the darkness.

At this moment, Alka, aided by the moonlight, also looked towards the Pirate Ship, now not far away.

Their eyes met.

Alka's eyes widened, a surge of shock and anger overwhelming the calm instilled by the Magician's Ring. Memories churned within him.

WHOOSH!

A sharp, piercing sound tore through the air. The lifeboat carrying Alka and Chadite was instantly blown to smithereens. Alka and Chadite were violently thrown into the dark seawater.

As soon as he hit the water, Alka saw a corpse drift past him. A large wooden plank was embedded in the corpse's chest. It was Liboka, one of the ship's secondary crew members. The quiet girl who rarely interacted with him, the one who always sat at the reception desk in front of the library. Now, her body was drifting down, carried away by the ocean current.

Alka struggled towards the surface. He felt someone supporting the box on his back; it was Chadite, who had fallen into the water with him.

As soon as they broke the surface, they saw a fast pirate cutter from the fleet speeding towards them, less than fifty meters away.

The Sea Fist was already a wreck; its hull had broken in the middle, and both ends were now sinking towards the seabed.

And that Pirate Captain, at some point, had appeared on the deck of the sinking Sea Fist.