CHAPTER 253: CHAPTER 253: THE CURSE OF THE SEA GODDESS

As the wounded baleen whale continued to dive deeper, the reserve rope on the small boat rapidly unwound, and the crew grabbed their harpoons, waiting for the whale to resurface.

The experienced whalers didn’t need any instructions; they knew exactly what to do and when to do it.

Sure enough.

It wasn’t long before the rope stopped unwinding, indicating that the whale had reached the limits of its dive.

Bang—

It didn’t keep them waiting long. Like the other whales they had hunted before, this baleen whale resurfaced, exhausted and out of oxygen.

But with the rope guiding it, escape was impossible!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...

Harpoons flew and pierced down, blood dyeing a large area of the sea red. The baleen whale let out one last inaudible wail before drifting lifelessly on the water.

Having witnessed this scene countless times, the now merciless whalers burst into cheers.

The first triumph brought a sense of harvest that made them forget the strange local legends entirely.

"Hahaha, fantastic! Look at this whale’s size; it’s good for at least 28,000 pounds of whale oil (about 13 tons)!"

"Great! It won’t take long to head back! I wonder if little Jimmy will still recognize his dad?"

"Don’t worry, we’ll return home laden with the honor of whalers and countless riches! Hahaha...."

Before long, the large ship "Fish Spear" sailed over.

The crew had already set up large pots, and they began to dismantle the massive whale on site, sparing no valuable parts from its blubber, innards, and bones.

As the first barrel filled with pale yellow whale oil, a huge cheer erupted once again!

At this moment, everyone was full of vigor! They believed they would definitely return fully loaded!

"It won’t even take a week to fill the ’Fish Spear’!"

The First Mate returned to the ship to oversee the oil rendering, while the more seasoned captain led the hunters toward another whale.

Their eager demeanor seemed less like they were heading towards a whale, and more like they were chasing a gold mountain.

Meanwhile.

In the dark depths of this sea, about 1800 meters deep, a gigantic white figure, alerted by the dying whale’s call, twisted its streamlined body and raced through the icy currents towards the surface!

Swoosh—!

"Haha, great job, Sanders!"

The three small boats continued their hunt.

With the abundant whale resources, it didn’t take long for them to surround a new target, and a middle-aged whaler with three whale bones hanging from his neck successfully harpooned the tail of a whale.

As usual, the whale dove again to evade capture, while the whalers lifted their harpoons high, waiting for the chance to deliver a fatal blow once it resurfaced.

But before that could happen.

Moo—!

Amid the whale’s splashing dive, another sound, inaudible to human ears, spread across the area.

The enormous form ascending rapidly underwater flicked its tail and accelerated!

As it swam, the water above its head parted naturally, and the icy vortex behind it rotated rapidly, propelling it forward with tremendous power!

It charged madly!

On the surface.

The hunters on the small boats watched the ropes on their boat rapidly disappear, indicating that the whale’s dive depth was much deeper than the last one.

Time ticked by second by second.

Soon, even the makeshift additional rope was nearly used up...

The whalers wore anxious expressions, knowing that if the rope ran out and the whale escaped, it wouldn’t be the biggest issue. The most terrifying consequence would be the possibility of the small boat being dragged underwater by the whale’s infinite strength.

"Wait a little longer..."

The captain stopped the sailors who were about to cut the rope to prevent accidents, keeping his eyes fixed on the sea surface.

From his experience, even the best divers among whales would have reached their diving limit by now. If they gave up at this point, all their earlier effort would go to waste!

Soon enough.

Just as Arman predicted, the whale’s descent finally stopped, and the rope ceased to unwind. Everyone on the boat breathed a sigh of relief, secretly admiring the captain’s wisdom and decisiveness.

Now, they only needed to wait quietly...

For the ultimate harvest!

But as time continued to pass, the sea surface remained calm.

Arman’s arms started to ache from holding the harpoon, yet the wounded whale still didn’t appear above the water.

"Hmm? Strange! Why hasn’t it surfaced yet...."

Boom——!!!

A loud explosion.

It was as if a depth charge exploded underfoot, blocking his remaining words in his mouth... forever!

In the instant Arman’s small boat was lifted into the air, it shattered into pieces mid-air.

The ten whalers on the small boat were, of course, not spared either, with splintered wood, twisted bodies, and hot blood flying in all directions.

In the sunlight.

A giant white whale, over thirty-five meters long, leapt entirely out of the water.

Its type was indistinguishable, just half of its tail fin was almost as large as a small boat, longer than the nearby whaling ship, nearly comparable to a Sea Monster of the Small Species!

Bellow——!!!

In mid-air, the white giant whale emitted a horn-like loud bellow that was discernible to human ears, allowing the survivors to clearly recognize the anger and murderous intent in its heart!

Then it crashed heavily into the water, and with a weight of over 200 tons, it smashed another small boat, which had no time to dodge, into fragments.

"Ah—, run, to the ’Fish Spear’!"

"Don’t kill me!"

The survivors on the last boat finally came to their senses from the sudden shock, babbling in terror, dropped their harpoons, and desperately rowed with the oars.

Flapping——

But out at sea, no matter how skilled the sailors were, how could they outrun a whale?

Slam!

A snow-white whale tail, much larger than the small boat, emerged from the water, and with just a gentle flick, shattered the last small boat and the whalers on it.

Then, it charged straight towards the whaling ship "Fish Spear."

Obviously.

This white giant whale did not plan on letting any of them go!

The sailors on the large ship, who were originally boiling whale oil, all gaped; even for those who chased whales year-round at sea, when had they ever seen such a large whale?

Moreover, its huge body was agile and swift, without any of the bulk or clumsiness of other whales, as if it were flying in the sea!

"It’s coming! The Sea Goddess’s curse has truly come! I didn’t mean to, please forgive me!"

The gambler, whose face was already ghastly pale, now had no trace of blood left, kneeling on the deck, desperately bowing towards the giant whale, pleading for mercy.

In the face of imminent disaster, the resolve that once challenged ancient legends, to succeed or die trying, instantly became a joke.

Returning later and dying was still better than dying now!

But at this moment, the whalers no longer had time to pay attention to him, and just as many sailors were preparing to set sail and try to flee...

"Roar, Captain Arman! Revenge! Damn it, die for me!"

The First Mate Fisher roared, took a few strides on the deck, and fiercely hurled his harpoon at the giant whale charging straight at them!

From his first time at sea, he followed Captain Arman, learning and growing along the way, advancing from the most ordinary sailor to becoming the First Mate on the "Fish Spear." Naturally, their deep friendship was beyond words.

At this moment, how could he possibly watch the other die tragically without doing anything?

The sharp harpoon flew with all his fury towards the giant whale’s body, gracefully aimed with precision, the most perfect strike of his whaling career!

Splash——

Blood splattered, as the sharp harpoon pierced through the back of the white giant whale, embedding deeply.

Bellow roar!

Fisher’s blow not only wounded the white killer demon but also served as a powerful stimulant for the sailors; although enormous in size, it was, after all, just a whale.

If it’s a whale, it can be hunted!

In an instant.

The desire to hunt this giant whale and gain fame replaced the fear in their hearts.

"Brave whalers! Take up your harpoons! We can defeat it!"

However.

Boom!

Creak——

The next loud boom, and the teeth-gritting creak that followed, pulled their newly gathered courage back down to the bottom.

The white giant whale, instead of diving to evade the attack like its kind would when attacked, accelerated towards the "Fish Spear" for collision.

The ship’s planks below the waterline were directly smashed into a large crack by the terrifying force, and seawater had already started "rushing" into the hold.

Clearly, the wise white whale understood very well who the real culprits were!

Angrily, it issued a verdict from the sea against those executioners who slaughtered its kind!