novelraw Chapter 206-1: Tisi Island, Heartless Ninja Dojo (1)
Chapter 206-1: Tisi Island, Heartless Ninja Dojo (1)
[You remain in a stealth state, quietly sneaking into the ship’s hold…]
[Inside the hold of the three-masted warship are nearly ten cramped cabins, lined up along both sides of the corridor. The broken wooden doors hang half open, and through the gaps you can observe the Fire-Worshipping Heartless Thieves standing motionless inside.]
[At the end of the hold is a separate large cabin. Judging by its entrance, it is clearly the quarters of the most distinguished person on board.]
[Will you infiltrate the cramped cabins, or head straight for the end of the corridor?]
[You move noiselessly, arriving outside the large cabin. Peering through the gap in the door, you quietly observe the scene within.]
[You see a burly thief kneeling on both knees, reporting the events just witnessed to the person before him.]
[It is a figure wearing a mask, clad in a black, sleeveless leather bodysuit, with a long scarf of the same color tied at the neck and draping down the back. Several shuriken are secured on the outer sides of its thighs, and a ninja sword is strapped to its back.]
[You have discovered a Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja!]
[You remain hidden outside the door, eavesdropping on their conversation…]
[The ninja seems very disappointed by the report, and a hoarse voice drifts out…][The Vermilion Empire is sending fewer and fewer envoys. This time, they dispatched only a single person, who was torn apart by sea monsters before they even spotted the ship…]
[Not a single piece of military equipment was found aboard, and even the Vermilion Ceremonial Scepter ordered by the General is nowhere to be seen.]
[The Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja grew increasingly enraged as it spoke. It slowly drew the ninja sword from its back. The blade was peculiar: shaped like a katana, yet longer than a typical katana, lacking the pronounced curve of a tachi, and strapped across the back in the manner of a ninja sword.]
[The thief, prostrated on the ground, began to tremble uncontrollably but dared not resist. Until a flash of cold steel crossed, a wisp of black flame flickered and vanished, and with a dull thud, his severed head fell to the floor. Only then did his body convulse and collapse.]
[The Fire-Worshipping Heartless Thief Leader has died. You gained no experience.]
[The black-clad ninja ignored the headless corpse, instead sitting cross-legged on the floor to meditate silently…]
[…]
[Will you infiltrate the cabin to kill the ninja?]
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow.
He wasn’t sure if the ninja was an elite monster or a mini-boss, but it was definitely the commander aboard. If he killed it and possessed the body, he could fulfill his goal.
[You silently push the door open without making a sound, creeping up behind the cross-legged figure. The blade in your gauntlet snaps out, thrusting straight for the ninja’s back…]
[The ninja suddenly whirls around, that katana already in hand. Cold steel collides, and black flame flickers again. It deflects your full-force strike, retreating several steps.]
[The ninja glares coldly at you, now visible because you failed to land the blow. Twisting its body, a purple smoke engulfs the air…]
[You launch another attack, your blade stabbing into the smoke, but failing to pierce the enemy… When the smoke clears, the ninja’s figure is gone!]
[You look around. The cabin is empty, only you remain.]
[You realize the ninja has fled. Your assassination attempt has failed!]
[Will you leave the ship’s hold or search the area further?]
Lin Xun, having failed to slay the creature, was not disappointed. In fact, he was secretly overjoyed.
“This ninja also has a stealth skill, and it looks fairly strong… Hm. Your body will be mine soon enough!”
“Dancer, it’s not that I’m fickle, but the waves behind drive the waves ahead.”
He ignored the options the Hell Difficulty game presented.
The ninja most likely hadn’t truly left, but was lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The Hell Difficulty game still had a long way to go if it wanted to mislead him.
[You possess the shell of the Knowledge-Seeking Primordial Hermit!]
[You whirl in place, lashing out with your chain blade. The charred bone-and-flesh chain, wreathed in black flames, sweeps across everything in the cabin!]
[A transparent figure entangled by the chain materializes behind you. It is none other than the vanished Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja!]
[You yank hard, and the ninja is hoisted off the ground, flying toward you…]
[The ninja lets out a startled cry. “Your karmic fire, why is it so… Mercy, lord!”]
[Before it can finish, a blade wreathed in searing black dragonflame drives through its heart!]
[You have defeated the Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja. Experience increased slightly.]
[You obtained Poisoned Ninja Shuriken *1 (Throwing Item)]
[You gaze at the corpse before you, its face blackened…]
[Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja’s Shell: Among the Heartless Ninja, this was the lowest-rank Genin, only slightly stronger than a ninja dog. But even so, it was a true member of the Heartless, far beyond the likes of wilderness thieves. It died from a heart-piercing wound and severe poisoning. Compatibility: 127% (+55%)]
[Would you like to possess this shell?]
He immediately possessed the ninja and opened the shell panel to inspect it.
[Shell – Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja]
[True Name: Yamashita Hayabusa]
[Compatibility: 127% (+55%). Compatibility has surpassed the critical threshold. Shell quality has improved!]
[Shell Quality: Rare]
[Shell Level: 57 (+12)]
[Shell Equipment: Heartless Ninja Garb (Fine): …]
[Shell Equipment: Heartless Custom Ninja Sword (Fine): A standard ninja sword fashioned in the likeness of the famed Dragonblade Masamune. However, it possesses only the form, not the essence.]
[Shell Skill: Purple Mist Escape Art (Rare): A ninja evasion art not yet mastered. The invisibility effect is imperfect and requires a special item called Purple Mist Pellet to activate successfully.]
[This skill requires a specific item to release. Once used, you can enter stealth, but will become visible upon attacking.]
Lin Xun studied the ninja’s attributes and frowned.
The ninja shell was not as powerful as he had imagined. Although the shell’s quality and skill grade were decent, its level and equipment still fell short compared to the Dancer.
It was understandable that the ninja’s traits allowed it to detect the Dancer’s stealth attacks, but the fact that it could withstand the Dancer’s full-force strike didn’t quite match the panel attributes.
He had noticed that whenever the ninja attacked, the game text always described black flames appearing.
“Is this due to the attribute bonus called Karmic Fire?”
He himself possessed the Karmic Fire attribute, but when he used the Dancer’s shell, the black flames hadn’t triggered. Instead, when he used the Primordial Hermit’s Dark Dragonflame, it had been mistaken for Karmic Fire.
He tried using the newly acquired ninja shell to launch an attack.
But this time, while swinging the blade, the black Karmic Fire that should have appeared no longer manifested.
Lin Xun thought for a moment and suspected it was because his own Karmic Fire stacks were too low, preventing the shell from reproducing the attack trait.
He soon put the matter aside.
The ninja shell’s description stated that this ninja was the lowest-ranked Genin. That meant there must be higher-ranking ninja shells above it…
“I have to find a way to get a higher-level ninja shell!”