CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 67: POSSESSING SHARP WEAPONS

But he’s fast, and Aiven is faster! In the instant he turns to flee, Aiven launches "Sword Style: Floating Boat," turning into a puff of smoke, already darting to his rear, stabbing him in the thigh with a sword.

"Ah——!"

The captain of the "Sawfish" instantly loses balance and tumbles away.

Aiven swiftly runs several steps, just about to seize the opportunity to kill him, when a furious voice rings out behind him.

"Roar——!!! Damn kid, I want to eat you alive!"

Although crazed, "White Shark" Sku never vents his murderous desires on his subordinates among the Extraordinary. Despite losing his mind, he knows his strength and the power at his fingertips are his ticket to survival.

As long as he remains around, ordinary pirates are abundant, but even the most compromised Official Knights cannot be recruited so easily.

While relentlessly pursuing Gel, Skuk is also attentive to the happenings on the ship. The moment Aiven beheaded the old pirate, he sensed it, and after stabbing the "Sawfish" captain, Skuk abandons Gel like a raging white shark, mouth wide open, charging at Aiven.

With power up to 6 points unleashed under Skuk’s feet, it blows a large hole through the deck of the Silver Wings.

Boom——

"Aiven, be careful!"

At this moment, Aiven, fully focused and determinedly pursuing the Sawfish captain, only belatedly realizes he’s been marked by the White Shark, hastily retracting his sword to defend.

Clang——!!!

Boom——!!!

Two consecutive loud crashes.

The first one sounds like a hammer striking an anvil, but it’s Gel using his speed advantage to reach Aiven first. Using the textbook high position defense of the advanced Phaletis Saber Technique, he negates seventy percent of "White Shark" Skuk’s rabid blow.

But as a result of clashing with raw power, Gel is sent flying uncontrollably, plunging into the sea, even skidding a few skips across the water’s surface.

Pathetic in the extreme.

The second sound is much more subdued, yet the severely reduced blow still lands on Aiven’s sword strengthened hands. The huge disparity in strength was still something Aiven couldn’t withstand at that moment.

He spits out a mouthful of fresh blood, the deck beneath him shattering, sending Aiven and his sword crashing directly into the lower cabin.

"Whew...don’t...pant...let me down again." White Shark glances at the pitch-dark cabin, showing no inclination to go down personally.

Merely instructs the limping "Sawfish" captain with a phrase before plunging into the sea to continue hunting Gel.

"Yes, yes, captain, I’ll definitely bring you this kid’s head!" The Sawfish’s captain shouts towards the sea, then jumps overboard himself, ignoring his painful thigh.

...

Aiven crashes through the deck and falls into the lower cabin.

Bam——

His back hitting the ship’s bottom, Aiven feels like his bones are about to scatter, with a metallic taste in his mouth, suggesting his internal organs are certainly not lightly injured.

"Still too weak! All the same Official Knight Tier, am I really so different from such experts?" Having sparred with Gel previously, Aiven believed he could at least exchange a few moves with seasoned Knight powerhouses, but he didn’t expect he couldn’t even withstand a single strike from Skuk.

Coughing a few times, Aiven leans on the now slightly bent half-handed sword, managing to stand up again, aiming to return to the deck. Every bit of strength at this crucial moment affects the battle, and he dares not delay, unclear about the ongoing deck situation.

Rustle——

His steps not so nimble, Aiven kicks over something unknowingly, and the faint light streaming from the hole above lets him see it clearly, lighting up his face.

Is it the previously sealed box of contraband ship loot?

Joy akin to finding salvation from utter despair surges from his heart: "Saved!"

He slashes open this sealed treasure box; the item inside is the smuggling ship’s tax-deducted Alchemy Firearm—Thorned Gold Rose!

Although Aiven had never handled an Alchemy Firearm before, thanks to Gel’s naval status, he had long studied many of this world’s magical advanced equipment, understanding their usage.

This includes Alchemy Bombs, Sea Monster Compass, and Alchemy Firearms.

Both in his previous life and in the otherworld, the more advanced the item, the user-friendly it tends to be. Despite the Alchemy Firearm being the pinnacle of single-person weapons of this era, its operation is much simpler than ordinary front-loaded guns or even modern firearms.

The combination of witchcraft and technology gives it the nascent shape of a previous life "Gauss Weapon," with the driving force being not electromagnetic power but the miraculous Philosopher’s Stone.

Using the method he once saw in disturbing materials, Aiven fiddles for a moment, and as the patterns on Thorned Gold Rose’s barrel loom dimly, the Alchemy Firearm is adjusted to activation state.

Buzz——

Holding such a formidable weapon, Aiven’s murderous spirit arises, even contemplating confronting Skuk: "White Shark Skuk! Is an Official Knight stronger, or the Alchemy Firearm fiercer? I’m very curi... wait, someone’s coming."

Aiven shoulders Thorned Gold Rose, swiftly darting into the shadows.

After waiting a while, he spots the Sawfish’s captain, his movements slightly impeded by his injured thigh, slowly sliding down a rope he somehow obtained, holding a torch.

Though the Silver Wings is only a Level 5 Battleship, it has two cabin levels under the deck, and Aiven had plummeted directly through the opening used for lighting to the lowest level.

On reaching the first level, the Sawfish captain spends some time finding the rope and torch, descending into the perpetually dark and cold lower cabin.

Only a thigh piercing, an extremely light external wound for a Knight, will heal automatically if left alone for a few days. Compared to Aiven potentially injured from being struck directly from the upper deck down two levels, the Sawfish captain is not at all worried about being a match for Aiven.

"Kid, stop hiding. It hurts to be slashed by Skuk, right? Let me give you a release."

Clack——

Feet land, Sawfish captain cursing and taunting aloud.

"Hmm?"

Turning around, he’s surprised to find Aiven standing not far behind him, without hiding like imagined.

"Haha, you’re sensible, kid, knowing not to trouble others. Come over, let uncle whack you."

Seeing Aiven’s face slightly pale and noticing blood stains not yet wiped from the corner of his lips, he assumes Aiven already gave up on escaping due to severe injury, harboring no doubt.

Laughing heartily, the Sawfish’s captain swings his saber toward Aiven, fantasizing already about receiving rewards for taking down today’s first Extraordinary from the leader.

"Stop!"

Seeing the youth lift a delicately stunning firearm, the Sawfish captain chuckles disdainfully.

"A firearm? Looks like you’re planning to struggle till the end, kid, have you ever seen an Extraordinary shot dead by a gun? Hahaha..."

But even as he speaks, he does indeed halt.

An Extraordinary wielding a firearm still holds some deterrence, even if only a little.

If the shot misses, he wouldn’t even have the chance to draw his sword, leading to imminent defeat!