novelraw Chapter 1176: The Recruits and the Island
Chapter 1176: The Recruits and the Island
As the young dragon calmed down while observing the situation, Silver, his metal slime companion, bounced forward, while making curious noises...
The dragon tilted its head, watching the little creature. Then, to everyone’s surprise, it let out a short huff... almost amused.
The crew erupted in whispers.
"A dragon... on our side..."
"We’re unstoppable now..."
Shane raised a hand, silencing them. "Don’t get careless. This is only the beginning... I heard from Raze how the Dragons are proud. If we fail to respect it, it will turn on us. Probably..."
Anyway, he turned back to the dragon...
"You’re not owned by anyone but I’d like to name you..." Shane muttered as he didn’t want to just address this young dragon with ’dragon’.
Looking at its shiny green or emerald scales, Shane had various ideas...
"Emerald... How about Emy? Wait? Are you male?" Shane muttered.
This time, Tundra chimed in. "I think it’s male, Shane... Tris mentioned that if there’s no horn, it should be a male one. Horned dragons are females."
"R-right..." Shane nodded as it certainly checks out, considering how Roan didn’t have any horns."
After a pause, Shane tried again.
"Alright... How about Emer?" As he said this, Shane heard some sighs behind him. Even the dragon looked at him dismissively...
Still, Shane tried for fifteen more minutes before landing a good one... Well, he heard it from Lysandra, who was watching from the back.
"Hunter..."
As he suggested this name, the dragon’s eyes finally lit up... Soon, it let out a roar that echoed across the sea.
Roooaaar!
The sound carried far, startling flocks of seabirds and sending ripples across the waves.
Shane felt the resonance deep in his chest. This wasn’t just another ally.
This was truly proof that the apocalypse had shifted into something far greater. Zombies, vampires, dragons... the world was evolving into an Apocalypse that his previous life’s memories had never seen before.
And he planned to be at the center of it.
As the roar faded, Shane looked at his inventory...
He still had 9 Uncommon-Grade Dragon Recruitment Stones, 50 Normal Vampire Recruitment Stones, and 100 Rare Zombie Recruitment Stones.
Aside from that, he had 25 Draconic Gene Serum and 10 Vampiric Blood Serum...
In the end, he decided to summon another Uncommon Dragon in his other ship. Thanks to that, both Excellence and Providence had obtained dragon protectors...
As for the name of the other Dragon, Shane chose Winter because of its blue scales.
Of course, the others also had Dragon Recruitment Stones, but they were only Common Grades. Because of that, it was decided that Shane would be the one using the stones. As for the others, they could just summon one if truly necessary.
For now, they decided not to be too aggressive with the summoning since the weight of the ship was also a concern.
Having one in each ship would be more than enough.
Just like that, the Providence and Excellence surged forward with their sails catching the wind.
Above, the two young dragons circled a few times before landing back on the deck, folding their wings neatly.
The crew stared in awe... They had never expected something like this when they left the mainland.
Now, they already had flying creatures protecting them... In this current cross-apocalypse, where Wyverns and Vampires could appear in the sky, it was definitely a great addition to their forces.
It was simply too incredible...
***
Just like that, the twin ships Providence and Excellence moved ahead with their sails stretched against the wind.
The sea wasn’t calm at all...
However, they continued travelling without any issues thanks to assistance of Akame and his navigator...
They ignored the waves slapping against their hulls... that was probably a warning to them of what lay ahead.
At this time, Shane stood on the deck of the Providence as he scanned the horizon.
The dragons, Hunter and Winter, circled above with their cries echoing across the waters.
It didn’t take long before the ocean itself turned hostile.
From beneath the waves, several figures began to rise... Shane recognized them immediately. They were silhouettes of Zombie Murlocks, their scaled bodies covered in rot, with their eyes glowing faintly with red.
As expected, it didn’t take that long before they clambered onto the sides of the ships with their claws scraping against the wood, trying to tear holes into the hull.
"Open fire!" Shane commanded.
Cannons roared, blasting chunks of the sea zombies into the water. Rifles were also fired from the upper decks, and bombs were thrown into the swarms, detonating with thunderous force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The crew moved swiftly as they had already done this before.
Soon, their weapons started cutting down the attackers before they could overwhelm the defenses.
But the Murlocks were cunning.
Several dove beneath the waves, striking from below!
Their claws were gouging into the hull.
The Providence shuddered as one managed to pierce through, water spraying into the lower deck.
Shane frowned as he realized that their barrier was pierced through...
It was probably a Zombie King Tier of Murloc Zombies!
Soon, he raised his hand and lightning started sparking across his fingers.
"Lightning Surge..."
Just like that, bolts of electricity arced into the water!
In just a few moments, it coursed through the hull and into the creatures clinging beneath. The sea lit up with snapping energy, and the Murlocks shrieked as their bodies convulsed and just like that, they were charred by the surge.
[ You have eliminated a Murloc Zombie. ]
[ You have eliminated a Murloc Zombie. ]
...
[ You have eliminated a Murloc Zombie. ]
The notifications continued as he used his Spirit Points to attack...
With this attack, even if they didn’t die, they would release their grip on their ship and soon, many of them floated lifelessly to the surface.
At the same time, Shane’s Aura Suppression, now at Level 10, burst outward.
The debuff was immense!
The zombies slowed, their strikes weakened, and their coordination was basically dismantled!
It was as if the very air around the ships crushed their will to fight.
"Keep firing!" Tundra shouted from the Excellence. Cannons thundered again, shredding another wave of sea zombies that tried to climb aboard.
Soon, even the dragons started making their moves!
Hunter swooped down, unleashing a blast of flame across the water!
It actually incinerated dozens of Murlocks in a single sweep.
Winter followed, releasing a chilling breath that froze the surface, trapping several zombies in ice before they were shattered by cannon fire.
"What? They can actually use dragon’s breath?"
"Hunter... I thought you will be using some kind of grass-type attacks. Why fire breath?"
"Hey! That’s a dragon! Don’t underestimate them. Their scales don’t dictate their element."
"B-but Roan is red and he’s a flame dragon."
"It’s a bit complicated. I think it’s about their owners... Depending on what their masters want, that would be their element."
"What? I don’t think so... That’s not how it works."
Just like that, the crews started arguing as none of them foresaw Hunter’s fire breath.
In any case, the battle raged for nearly an hour, but the combined might of guns, bombs, cannons, Shane’s elemental power, and the dragons proved overwhelming.
The sea was littered with corpses, drifting aimlessly as the waves carried them away.
Finally, silence returned.
The crew cheered as relief started washing over them. They had faced the sea’s horrors and emerged unscathed once again.
They couldn’t help but feel confident now...
Shane lowered his hand as his suppression aura also faded.
"Haa~"
He exhaled slowly as he looked around.
"Don’t relax. This was just one swarm. I think that more Zombies will come after us once we get closer to Eden Island..."
The crew nodded grimly. They knew the dangers of the ocean. But with Shane at the helm, their confidence wouldn’t budge at all...
Hours passed as the ships pressed onward, avoiding known hotspots where the Sea Zombie Kings lurked. The dragons kept watch from above, using their cries to warn them of distant threats.
The crew remained vigilant as they continued to scan the waves for any sign of movement as well.
Then, as dawn broke, a shape appeared on the horizon.
An island!
It was lush, green, and untouched by decay.
Its forests stretched high, and its beaches looked really clean...
The crew gathered at the rails, pointing at the island...
"Beautiful... Is that... Eden Island?"
Shane’s gaze hardened.
"Not sure... But, I hope it is."
Sofia, the first patient immune to the zombie virus, should be there...
Well, if she were truly there, this island could hold answers that no shelter or fortress had yet uncovered.
"Prepare to dock," Shane ordered.
At this time his voice carried both caution and hope.
"We’ll soon find out if this is Eden... and if Sofia still lives"
The Providence and Excellence adjusted their sails, steering toward the island.
The crew braced themselves. They had survived the ocean’s horrors, but what awaited them on Eden Island could change everything.