The Penitent Armour grasped the end of the Salt Wedge and yanked it out with force.

Unlike the first time, the Salt Wedge was noticeably shorter. Previously, it could still be called a short spear, but then it became at most a short stake, its length nearly halved. After all, it was a consumable item with a usage limit of three.

During the extraction process, Yang Yi felt an intense urge to stop the armour, as though what was being pulled out wasn't just a Salt Wedge, but a priceless treasure.

The king’s crown was being torn away, yet in the end, Yang Yi did not resist.

What little reason remained in him made it clear it was not his own thought, rather an effect caused by the memories of the Salt King! Had it gone on any longer, the influence might have deepened, possibly even merging with his own consciousness.

However, as he was standing on the edge of life and death, Yang Yi cared nothing for the king's crown, let alone felt reluctant to part with it — killing the Rotwhale was his top priority!

The Salt Wedge was successfully extracted, the crown above Yang Yi’s head shattered instantly, his royal robes dissolved into sea salt and scattered. Gone along with them were the memories he had gained as the Salt King, as well as the loyal Salt Knights.

【Salt Wedge extracted. HP -100. You resist death.】

As the memories were torn away, Yang Yi forgot many things, but his mental state quickly improved. After all, they had never belonged to him in the first place. Their presence only disrupted his cognition. In severe cases, even his sense of self, his very name, could be lost, his consciousness fully overwritten by the Salt King.

He moved swiftly to save himself, drinking a regeneration potion he had long prepared. His HP rose slightly, then fell again to just 1.

“This won’t work. At this rate, I’m going to die!”

His thoughts raced. The werewolf’s regenerative abilities simply couldn’t keep up with his withered body. Once the death-resistance duration ended, he would die immediately. He looked at the pale, luscious flesh spreading rapidly towards him, its sweet aroma flooding his nostrils.

“Got it!”

Suna was just about to hurl the Salt Wedge, barely twenty centimetres long and riddled with cracks, but Yang Yi shouted to stop her, because he had an idea — take a bite of the Fruit of Bounty.

It was the only chance he had to survive, and to digest the Fruit of Bounty without being torn apart from within, he would need to enhance his digestive abilities.

An orange-hued potion appeared in his hand.

It was a potion Yang Yi had never dared to drink before, made from the digestive fluids of the Glutton Fiend, but he had no other choice.

The next second, both Yang Yi and the Penitent Armour were swallowed by the spreading mass of flesh...

【You drank an unknown potion.】

【You temporarily gain the Glutton Fiend’s digestive ability. You can digest most substances to restore yourself.】【Extreme Hunger: Sanity -40. You will attempt to eat anything, including yourself, and will not stop until sated.】

Faced with the oncoming Fruit of Bounty, Yang Yi opened his mouth to the limit. His dried-out cheeks split apart as he bit down with parched gums.

Sweet juice burst forth, and a large chunk of pale, luscious flesh filled his mouth.

How delicious was it? Yang Yi’s eyes lit up in astonishment. He couldn’t believe he was eating something this heavenly!

‘More! I need more!’

As the juicy meat entered his stomach, his withered body, like parched earth receiving long-awaited rain, was rapidly replenished by fresh flesh and blood.

‘Another bite!’

His newly regenerated cheek tore open again as he opened wide for a second helping, only to find his mouth filled with bitter sea salt.

‘What happened?’

Refusing to believe it, Yang Yi kept eating, yet every bite was sea salt. Since the Penitent Armour had already driven the Salt Wedge into the Rotwhale’s core. Its flesh began to wither and turn to salt, at an astonishing speed. So, Yang Yi took several more bites, but it was all just sea salt.

“No!!! I want that tasty stuff from before!!”

His mind was consumed by hunger as he gnawed wildly.

The loose sea salt beneath his feet couldn’t support the weight of either him or the Penitent Armour, so it collapsed, and both sank into the sea.

Man and armour fell into the ocean.

However, Yang Yi’s crazed behavior didn’t stop there!

If you live by the mountains, eat from the mountains. If you live by the sea, eat from the sea. He embodied that philosophy to the extreme.

Now that he’d fallen into the sea, he began chugging seawater like a man possessed, salt and all...

【Name: Gluttony Potion】

【Type: Consumable / Potion / Unique】【Quality: Rare】【Description: An original creation by the witch Suna, brewed primarily from the stomach acid of the Glutton Fiend. Upon consumption, temporarily grants the Glutton Fiend’s digestive ability, allowing digestion of most substances to restore oneself. Causes extreme hunger, inflating appetite to its absolute limit. You will not stop eating until you are full and may even consume yourself. Frequent use may result in permanent loss of satiety. Higher mental attributes offer better resistance.】

Just before his mind was completely devoured by hunger, Yang Yi managed to send the potion’s details to Suna. That way, when the Nightmare Star arrived, it didn’t attempt to rescue Yang Yi. Instead, it fished out the Penitent Armour, which had kept its distance from him.

Using both hands and feet, and thanks to the buoyancy of the saline water, it hadn’t sunk. And Yang Yi, of course, floated even better.

Several minutes later...

Yang Yi finally drank his fill and regained consciousness.

He found himself drifting on the sea, but something felt... off about his body.

【HP: 100/100】

He had actually fully recovered! His stamina was full too, and his sanity was rapidly stabilising.

Due to the weakened state, all his attributes were down by two points, but judging by his experience bar, his base Constitution had likely increased by one. His experience had jumped to 1194/8000.

But wait, wasn’t his Agility a little too low?

“Obese and bloated... Agility -3?”

Yang Yi quickly opened his status screen, and his expression changed instantly.

(The upgraded interface now includes height and weight, viewable as needed.)

Status: Obese & Bloated (A bloated, round humanoid icon in pale yellow.)

Height: 311.5 cmWeight: 675.6 kg

【Note: Obese & Bloated, even pigs would bow before you! Your body fat is dangerously excessive, severely hindering mobility. Energy consumption increases dramatically. Agility -3, stamina consumption +200%.】

That’s when Yang Yi finally realised where the strange sensation was coming from. The thing obstructing his vision... was his own belly! It was just so enormous that it felt unfamiliar, he didn’t even recognise it as part of himself.

“Holy crap!” Yang Yi finally spoke, his voice deep and buzzing.

“You full yet?” Suna’s voice called out from nearby.

Yang Yi looked up. Just over ten metres away, the Nightmare Star was anchored. Suna stood at the bow, arms crossed, wearing a silver beaked mask, looking at him with what could only be described as weary resignation.

“Uh... yeah, I’m full... maybe even a bit too full. Hic~” Yang Yi replied, suddenly realising that his stomach felt painfully swollen, which was understandable, considering the absurd amount of seawater he’d consumed.

His earlier memories were also beginning to return.

He’d eaten a piece of the Fruit of Bounty, then drank his fill of seawater. His body had fully recovered, only to inflate like a balloon, practically bursting through his captain’s uniform, and he floated on the sea like some overgrown beach ball.

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