CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 142: SINGLE-HANDEDLY SINKING THE SHIP

On the pitch-black sea, a faint glow slowly moved through the dark environment. Upon closer inspection, it was an ordinary three-masted sailing ship moving across the water. The raised black sails and the flag atop them indicated that this was a Pirate Ship. Many scruffy pirates were climbing up and down the ropes, controlling the sails.

If the pirates on the ship had possessed Dark Vision at that moment, they could have seen a strange current in the water not far below the ship. A shark’s fin and half its back were visible above the surface, swiftly swimming toward the Pirate Ship.

Alka sat on the shark’s back, watching the Pirate Ship not far away in the darkness. This was yet another Prayer for the Dead Pirate Ship. This time, it was no accidental encounter; Alka had intentionally lingered in a certain area, waiting for the enemy. Seizing the opportunity, as the enemy had not yet discovered them, Alka struck first.

Pororo carried Alka beneath the Pirate Ship, and Alka reached out, grabbing onto the ship’s edge. The Dreamcatcher Crystal Ball was at his waist. Under his control, it released a pink mist that enveloped him entirely. Reality and the Dream Realm swapped places, and Alka’s figure vanished into the darkness.

Then Alka climbed upward silently, vaulting over the railing onto the deck. He leaned against the ship’s railing, watching the pirates on deck as they walked about, each attending to their own tasks. He took in the surrounding din and the ship’s unavoidable stench.

Fortunately, this was just an ordinary Pirate Ship. A few Lighting Stones were scattered about, making the vessel appear rather dim. Only a few key areas were clearly illuminated; the rest were only discernible by the faint glow of these weak lights.

Alka roamed freely about the entire Pirate Ship, observing its structure and the placement of various items. He then observed pirates in different attire, seemingly searching for a target. However, the pirates on the ship remained oblivious to Alka boldly walking around, even when he passed right in front of them. The invisibility of his figure, coupled with the dim surroundings, created a perfect environment for Alka.

THUD!

Suddenly, a heavy object fell from above, slamming onto the deck so hard that it dented a wooden plank. Alka turned to see a figure lying on the deck, wailing. The man’s eyes were shut tight, and his whole body twitched incessantly.

In Alka’s eyes, countless amounts of Dark Element had already accumulated around this pirate, as if wrapping him in a black cloak. This man was completely permeated by Dark Element, almost beyond rescue.An ordinary person, and who knows how long he had stayed in this central area.To be corrupted to such an extent, he must have been here for more than two months.

Many pirates gathered around, watching their twitching comrade helplessly.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! What’s so interesting to see?" An average-looking pirate, dressed in significantly better clothes than the ordinary crewmen, came over. He dispersed the surrounding pirates and looked at the man still twitching continuously on the deck. Shaking his head helplessly, he sighed.

"Alas, my brother, I’m sorry," he said, squatting down. A dagger appeared in his hand, and he gently covered the convulsing pirate’s mouth before swiftly slashing his throat. The dagger glowed with a faint red light. With that swift slash, a thin, long wound appeared on the pirate’s neck. Yet, no blood flowed out. He died quietly, just like that. Death was quick, likely due to the effect of the Spell on the dagger.

The pirate Spell-caster who had delivered the blow put away the dagger, looking at his dead companion. Another pirate Spell-caster came over. Squatting down, he extended a finger and lightly touched the wound on his deceased companion’s neck. The gash immediately sealed. But that was all it did; it just made the dead pirate look a bit more presentable.

The pirate Spell-caster who had personally finished off his comrade picked up the corpse, carried it to the ship’s edge, and threw it directly into the sea. With a SPLASH, the body disappeared into the waves. No trace of him remained.

The pirate Spell-caster sighed, shaking his head helplessly as he turned to see many of the other pirates staring at the spot. He barked, "What are you all looking at? Get back to work! And someone, repair this deck. Engrave the dead man’s name on the replaced plank and throw it overboard!" With that, he turned and walked away.

"Perhaps we should leave..." one of the pirates said quietly as he headed below to fetch tools for repairing the deck.

The pirate beside him glanced over. "Don’t you want to become like them, wielding those amazing powers?"

"But... if we stay here like this, we’ll die."

"We’re pirates. We could lose our lives out there anyway. It’s just a matter of when."

His companion fell silent.

Most of the pirates on board seemed rather numb to their comrade’s death. Such occurrences had long since become commonplace. Every day, one or two more would lose their minds, succumbing to madness. The whispers and songs in the dark became the stuff of their Nightmares.

Alka watched this scene unfold. A red card appeared in his hand, and he tossed it toward the base of the mainmast.