CHAPTER 62: FIRST KILL

She gathered all kinds of weapons just for this moment; there’s no need to hesitate in using them now!

"Give me the spear!" Ling Yu took out the spear from her inventory as she lunged forward without any hesitation, not minding how others saw her or any stares.

Ling Yu adjusted her stance, anchoring herself against the deck’s tilt. Her spear struck the first Gnasher’s exposed underbelly, piercing deep. The creature let out a high-pitched screech as it let go of the guy’s arm, a sound that reverberated across the water like a knife, and fell back into the waves.

She moved, silent, almost ghostlike, toward the center of the deck. Her presence was a counterweight to the chaos, and the students instinctively followed her lead.

"Everyone, back to the central deck and away from the rails!" Ling Yu shouted, her voice cutting across the screams. "Those who can fight come forward, and those who can’t stay inside the circle!"

"I’m sure all of you got the system window, so take out whatever free weapons you got in the inventory and fight!"

Even if some of them hesitated to think whether they should listen to her or not, looking at the guy who almost got his arm ripped off, and the monsters that were screeching and lounging at them, they couldn’t choose not to believe her.

As soon as they searched, they found out that there really was a thing called inventory. And without hesitation, they started to take out the weapons they got. Most of them were basic weapons like an axe, a knife, or similar.

The stronger students, like He Xun and his small group of confident fighters, didn’t even wait for instructions. Their eyes burned with determination, weapons already in hand as they rushed toward the ship’s edge. The splash of water, the snapping of jagged coral teeth, and the screeches of gnashers filled the air as they struck down the first few that dared leap aboard.

Blood sprayed across the deck, slick and hot, but the monsters didn’t retreat. Instead, the moment the scent of blood reached the swarm below, an eerie ripple spread across the surface of the water.

[System Alert]

[Blood Frenzy Activated.

Nearby Reef Gnashers have entered a berserk state.Attack speed and aggression increased by 30%]

Hundreds of dog-sized gnashers swam closer, ramming against the hull and snapping their coral fangs at anything that moved.

Some of the students were screaming while others hesitated on whether to even raise their weapons.

Ling Yu didn’t care whether they fought or not; her hands didn’t stop even once as she was repelling the monsters, attacking each one with more strength compared to the one before.

"Don’t panic!" He Xun’s voice rang in the ship this time as he tried to make them maintain order. "Axes and hammers to the sides! Knives, stay near the railings and strike when they jump! Spears, aim for their bellies! Their bodies are fragile, you can pierce them!"

His clear, tactical breakdown, which he got from observing Ling Yu’s fighting technique, steadied their hearts. Several of the more level-headed students obeyed immediately, forming ranks and tightening their grips. Even the hesitant ones gritted their teeth and forced themselves into place.

The first real wave hit soon.

Five gnashers leapt aboard at once, their sleek, fish-like bodies thrashing violently. One lunged at a boy holding a kitchen knife, its jagged fangs snapping at his thigh. He froze, terror locking his limbs as he couldn’t dare to move.

But before the bite landed, Ling Yu’s hand whipped out. With precision, she thrust a spear she had conjured from her own inventory, skewering the creature straight through the side. Its body twitched violently before collapsing with a wet thud, its coral scales scattering across the deck like broken glass.

[Monster Defeated]

[Loot Acquired: Coral Scale ×1]

"Move!" Ling Yu barked, yanking the boy backward and shoving him toward the circle of evacuees. "If you hesitate, you die. Don’t think if you cherish your life, just stab!"

The boy’s eyes widened, but her words shook something inside him. Trembling, he nodded and gripped his knife tighter.

Meanwhile, He Xun and his friends were already drenched in blood. One swung his axe down, splitting a gnashing fish in half, while another used a makeshift spear to skewer two at once, pinning them to the deck before kicking them off. Their movements were raw and unrefined but effective. They didn’t look like scared students; they looked like predators.

Ling Yu already knew they were experts, but she didn’t want to get entangled in something stupid.

"Young Master He! More from the left!" someone shouted.

He Xun whirled in time to see five more gnashers clambering over the railing.

"Frontline, push them back!" he commanded.

The ones with heavier weapons surged forward. As the ones with axes chopped down the monster fish, the ones with spears jabbed two or three of them in one go. The coral fangs shattered against wood and steel weapons one by one.

For a moment, they held their breaths.

But then the system’s cold chime returned.

[System Alert]

[Additional Rift Activity Detected.Monster numbers are increasing.Estimated Count: 200+]

The ship lurched violently, tilting as something massive rammed it from beneath. The weaker students shrieked as they toppled over, nearly sliding toward the gnashers snapping at their ankles.

"Keep the center tight!" He Xun snapped as he darted across the blood-slick deck, eyes scanning, calculating. The Rift hadn’t even stabilized yet, and they were drowning in numbers already.

Things were looking bad.

But when he saw the calm and expressionless face of Ling Yu, who was skewering the monsters, no one knew what he thought of.

"Don’t lose formation!" he yelled again, stabbing another gnasher through the eye. Its body writhed before falling limp. He kicked it aside and looked around. The deck was in chaos, blood, screams, steel, and splintered wood, but the line was holding up pretty well for now.