Chapter 311: Chapter 270 Sea Hunter: The Unerring Spear Gungnir!
The May Wind, which had already been tattered and had ceased all movement, suddenly shuddered. Its six blood-red eyes relit. The remaining few tentacles sharply drilled into the bodies of the surrounding, dying Escort Ships, SLURP—SLURP— rapidly sucking dry their bodily fluids. Its own wounds healed swiftly, as if time were rewinding. The wooden parts of the ship regrew, filling the holes, while fresh flesh replenished the interior, and the remnants of the barnacle shells layered and spread. The charred stump of a tentacle sprouted anew, even thicker than before. In just a few breaths, it had recovered to its original state and even evolved a "biomass armor" against shelling based on its original form. The barnacle shells densely covered the ship’s hull, resembling smooth, spiraling scales, and covered most of the May Wind’s body. They even took on a slightly metallic, iron-like sheen, clearly much sturdier than the original shells. From afar, it somewhat resembled another ancient marine creature—Orthoceras.
"Is this the hero Adventurer Balboa’s... Adaptive Evolution?"
"Isn’t this ability a bit too overpowered? It gets stronger if it’s not instantly killed?!"
Both the fleet and countless people on the shore couldn’t help but let out a series of exclamations.
Unlike those petty figures who only possess Low Sequences and generally can’t accomplish much, once a Transcendent reaches the Middle Sequence, with increasing legend, various title effects are no longer surprising. These effects are often linked to the owner’s deeds; the more astounding their deeds or contributions, the more powerful the abilities they gain. The initiation ceremony "Limit Eight Items" of the Wilderness Sequence Adventurer is known to have an extremely high death rate, named as one of the most horrifying rites. During the mortal phase, completing just one trial allows a smooth promotion to Adventurer. If one can survive against all odds and pass all eight, they break physical human limitations and achieve rebirth. They then ascend to the Second Order in one step, acquiring core skills far surpassing their peers.
Ability [Adaptive Evolution]: Survive a great calamity, and good fortune is sure to follow. This allows them to transform step by step amidst tribulations, eventually becoming non-human entities in both will and body. This is the profession closest to the Wilderness and Beastliness, without equal. It is also one of the very few Ladder of Glory professions that allow humans to break beyond their racial limits, tracing back to human ancestors based on their bloodline. They gain the eyes of an eagle, the speed of a leopard, the strength of a bear. Naturally, the likelihood of going out of control far exceeds other professions.
Infinite Evolver Balboa was already one of the rare Tier 4 Hero Adventurers worldwide who had passed all of the Limit Eight Items. He already possessed the most potent adaptive evolutionary abilities, and his title, "Infinite Evolver," starkly displayed the might of his evolutionary power. It is now uncertain to what extent his combination with the warship has developed. However, it was clearly a terrifying creature. Not only was it impossible to kill by ordinary means, but it also continued to evolve in response to the characteristics of the attacks it received. It’s very likely that after being contaminated, it inadvertently traced too far back to its ancestors, devolving into a marine lifeform.
NYEH—!
No sooner had the May Wind recovered than it immediately let out a sharp cry, waving its tentacles and charging towards the fleet. It began its charge while also firing, launching Barnacle Cannonballs. The range of its cannons had also significantly increased. Had the pirates not been immune to the coral disease, even a single hit could have wrought severe damage.
"I have Weather Intuition, and I sense that this rain should continue for another half an hour," Byron said. "Don’t call the troops back just yet. It’s best to keep retreating deeper into the island to prevent that monster from swinging back."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Having arranged for his remnant forces, Byron soared into the air, unfurled his Storm Wings, and dashed towards the Golden Deer. At the same time, he sent a message to Andrew: "Uncle, implement Plan Two. Initiate Deep Sea Leap. Privateer Fleet to fully retreat. While the hatred is stable, the Golden Deer and I will take responsibility for drawing it away."
One must plan for failure before considering success; mobilizing troops to hunt such a ghastly foe without a retreat planned would be irresponsible to one’s own life. Although the cooldown for the Barnacle Crabs wasn’t up yet—it was less than an hour—the three contract conches that had been in Blue Hair’s hands were now all within his grasp, ensuring an unobstructed escape.
"Understood. Be careful yourself," Andrew replied. He immediately activated the contract conch in his hand, opened a Blue Hole, and, before the May Wind could strike, timely transported the entire fleet.
In the heavy downpour, the pirates responsible for steering the ships hadn’t even been able to see clearly. They didn’t realize the May Wind they focused fire on was actually backed by Gornaf Island, which they had almost breached. This minimized the risk of information leaks. The York Family was still a massive entity, far from the time when they could act openly and without reservation. Only by continuing to hide could they give Royal Harbor and the York Family a big "surprise."
The May Wind, having lost its primary target, immediately vented its full fury on the only vessel still lingering here: the Golden Deer. It immediately chased after, its tentacles flailing.
Unfortunately, even though it had grown tentacles and its power source was no longer wind but water currents, the May Wind’s true form was still that of an adventure ship. It instantly triggered the Golden Deer’s Ability One: "See Ship Fast." No matter how desperately it pursued, it couldn’t catch up with the golden warship. Instead, the Golden Deer turned about and opened fire with its two 32-pounders, causing the May Wind’s facade to burst into blossoms of damage, only angering it further into a fit of shrill screaming.
As Byron soared over it, he also picked up on some of the surface information about it. The ship’s body was covered in barnacles. Three pairs of six blood-red giant eyes adorned both sides of the hull. At the stern grew eight huge octopus tentacles with suction cups bristling with ring-shaped vampiric fangs.
The known abilities so far:
[Barnacle Parasitism]: It carries an entire nearshore ecosystem of barnacles. These can parasitize not only humans but also ships, transforming them into its own Guardsmen and Escort Ships.
[Bloodsucking]: It repairs itself by consuming the flesh and blood of Escort Ships or other creatures, even achieving some sort of targeted evolution.
[Underwater Navigation]: The octopus warship can sail at 16 nautical miles (29 kilometers per hour) on the surface. Underwater, it sails at 10 knots (18 kilometers per hour), regardless of weather conditions.
Especially its speed is the most lethal; there are few ships in these seas that could escape its pursuit. Even the Golden Deer, the fastest ship, can only go 14 knots and cannot maintain it all day without the aid of a suitable wind system. If a regular warship were trapped in the Doldrums with it, the chances were high it would be annihilated on the spot.
At this moment, the two seemed like opposing magnets. No matter how the octopus warship accelerated, there was an invisible force keeping the Golden Deer always one step ahead. Even the barnacle cannonballs, which landed with a thunderous BOOM, failed to cause their intended damage.
Byron quickly caught up with his flagship and landed on the aft deck, taking hold of the glittering golden helm.
Riding activated: man and ship as one!
"Byron."
Violet immediately came forward. Apart from her, there was no one else on the Golden Deer. The pirate officers were either supporting the Lancaster Remnant or staying with the Privateer Fleet, each responsible for commanding parts of the local battlefields, and had not had the chance to return yet. Previously, it had actually been Violet alone sailing the ship using Alchemy.
As Byron took over the Golden Deer again, sail and rigging adjustments and cannon coordination became more responsive, and the speed increased further. Of course, this was just a temporary measure. Unless they acquired a Ghost Ship or a Legendary Warship with a Ship Spirit in the future, having him sail the ship alone would surely exhaust him to death.
Just as the two of them thought they could lead the May Wind away, allowing the Lancaster Remnant to move safely to secure ground, the octopus warship suddenly stopped its pursuit, twisted around, and dived underwater, disappearing without a trace.
"Why did it suddenly run away? Or is it preparing to attack from underwater?" Byron turned his head to look at Violet, the human radar.
The reserve Witch immediately concentrated to sense the enemy’s location.
"Not good, it’s heading back to Gornaf Island! We had no way to force it up from underwater during the chase, and now the Golden Deer severely lacks underwater offensive capabilities. If we send the Man-Eater Shark after it, there’s an eighty percent chance it will become easy prey, allowing it to feast and evolve even stronger."
The first principle of kiting isn’t speed, but the ability to firmly hold the enemy’s aggro. This tactic works best on brainless Bizarre or Demon Monsters, as once they lock onto a target, they usually won’t switch targets mid-chase. But Balboa clearly retained some intelligence, or rather, an extremely powerful hunting instinct. Perhaps it had forgotten what it means to attack the enemy’s critical point, but instinctively knew this was the most effective way to act.
Although the remnants had already started a full retreat, and it wouldn’t matter if the town took a few more Barnacle Cannonballs, Byron was most worried. He feared this "Infinite Evolver" would take this opportunity to re-enact a miraculous evolutionary history from fish to amphibian to reptile, and henceforth embark on a murderous rampage on land.
"Since the Man-Eater Shark won’t do, what about other underwater offensive measures..."
Byron looked towards the Sailing Logbook.
The Sea Hunter’s legend status had just reached 20 points, finally granting him a new title ability. It was the perfect complement to Mad Hunt, also from the Wild Hunt King—Gungnir, the Sure-Hit Spear!
To Tame and to Hunt, a guaranteed hit with every shot!