novelraw Chapter 318: An's Distortion
Chapter 318: An's Distortion
In the gray sky, mist gradually coalesced, and within the mist, a not-too-dazzling white light, like the eyes of a hunter, looked down upon them.
Everyone on the ship stepped back.
In that instant, they were like rabbits hiding in the thick grass, and the hunter tracking them had pulled back the grass, looking down at them.
"Loren, what... is that?"
Dya's voice was halting.
The hunter condensed from black mist was not in the intelligence reports!
The unknown is the greatest fear!
They saw the giant condensed from black mist slowly raise the hunting rifle at its waist, aim it at their three-masted sailing ship, and pull the trigger.
Bang!
Everyone heard a soundless 'gunshot'.They stood frozen in place, like puppets, completely stunned for a full three seconds.
It wasn't until three seconds later that the hunter condensed in the air gently dissipated with the sea breeze, vanishing into the sea.
"What exactly happened? Doesn't anyone have a clue!?
International student from the White Tower Federation, do you know?"
Dya roared, nearly frantic, hoping for an answer.
An clenched her fist:
"That mist shadow closely resembles the legendary Deep Sea Hunter."
"Deep Sea Hunter?"
The outsider Nancy stepped forward.
"Yes, according to legend, the Deep Sea Hunter doesn't use a hunting rifle as a weapon; he fires it only to mark his enemies. Once hit by his bullet, it means you have been marked by him, becoming his prey..."
"Those marked by the Deep Sea Hunter will live in fear until they die a miserable death on this great sea, and only then will the fear disappear."
Loren added for An; the Deep Sea Hunter was a legend he had grown up hearing.
Once marked, it meant death.
So that's how it is... Everyone nodded, then they all turned in unison to look at An, who had answered the question.
What's wrong? An raised her head, her blue eyes widening instantly. She took out a small mirror.
In the mirror, beneath her white hair, a marked "X" had appeared on her forehead—a mark of the hunted!
"I've been hunted..."
Even the usually calm and expressionless An could no longer suppress her emotions.
Seeing this, the team leader, Uncle Loren, comforted her:
"Who knows which bastard is imitating the Deep Sea Hunter, playing these boring games."
After the Deep Sea Hunter's death, the era saw a flood of uninspired imitators.
"..."
An put away the mirror, straightened her posture, maintained her stance, and tried hard to keep her composure.
As one of the most famous Supernova hunters, she had actually been hunted.
Don't panic!
She quickly calmed down, took out her staff, and did her best to maintain her poise.
The Black Hunter? Could it be the monster in the mist before us... Thoughts raced through An's mind as she aimed her staff at the sea.
Gambler Loren stepped forward and shouted loudly:
"Don't worry, everyone. My luck is very good today. After we return fully loaded with spoils, I'll take you to my house to eat the rose cakes my wife makes."
"Oh, you haven't met my wife yet, right? Well, she really doesn't like people in the same profession as me, but the rose cakes she makes are truly delicious."
Why do I have such a strong sense of foreboding... Spirit Hunter Nancy wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled wryly:
"When we get back, I'll take you to experience the pleasures of our Goldenfinch Kingdom."
We'll pass on those kinds of pleasures... An, Dya, and the others shook their heads.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone focused their full attention on the mist ahead.
They saw a small wooden boat slowly emerging from within the mist.
On the wooden boat, there was no person, only a twisted monster with the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a toad.
"Ribbit!"
The golden toad croaked loudly, then an arm reached out from within the toad. Slowly, a person completely covered in mucus fully emerged from the toad.
"Mist Merchant!"
Loren's eyes turned cold; the monster before them was indeed the Mist Merchant from the intelligence reports!
However, the Mist Merchant's current condition was much more wretched than he had imagined. His body had multiple injuries, and clear knife wounds and burn marks were visible on his skin.
"He's seriously wounded!"
Gambler Loren emphasized.
At that moment, the Mist Merchant's eyes fixed on him, and he murmured:
"Five hundred."
Five hundred, is that my value? Just as the rumors say, this merchant has no eye for quality... Gambler Loren aimed his revolver at the Mist Merchant.
Bang!
A violent burst of flame shot from the gun barrel, directed at the Mist Merchant.
The firearm in his hand was the Lucky Gun!
And this shot had very good luck!
Accompanied by a blinding flash of fire, a large hole opened in the Mist Merchant's chest.
Dark red blood continuously flowed from his chest.
"That really hurts..."
The Mist Merchant tilted his head, his lips murmuring. According to orders, he needed to kill everyone who entered the shallow waters of the Fog Sea.
However, his body had been severely damaged during the fight with Chen Qi.
"Fortunately, there seems to be a suitable candidate for madness here..."
The Mist Merchant twisted his neck, slowly turning his gaze towards An standing at the ship's bow.
His intuition told him that her loss of control was only moments away!
With the aid of the mist and a little inducement, he could incite chaos, just as he had done to the Flower Witch earlier!
In the shallow waters of the Fog Sea, he was the embodiment of chaos.
He didn't need to defeat everyone; one person's chaos would lead to two people's chaos, two people's chaos would lead to four people's chaos...
"Desire Mist..."
The Mist Merchant whispered. The golden toad on his shoulder once again spewed thick, pitch-black mist.
Silently, a small tendril of desire-laden black mist once again spread towards An's face, covering it.
An blinked, raising her hand to block the thick mist on her face.
"Careful, attention, don't leave the range of the lantern!"
Gambler Loren commanded.
However, the next second, the Mist Merchant violently climbed onto the ship and charged towards them!
These third-tier Transcendents, like always, in the mist, only needed one strike to kill!
Bang! Yet, contrary to his expectations, An stood in front of him, spotting him with ease.
Then, she concentrated her spiritual energy to a point on her staff.
Even within the mist, her spiritual energy detection maintained an extremely high level!
"Cannon!"
An said coldly.
A dazzling white light struck the Mist Merchant's chest, the scorching energy cannon utterly destroying his body!
Why... The Mist Merchant staggered, falling to his knees.
Today's enemies were each stronger than the last! Whether it was the Black Hunter or this An before him, both exceeded his understanding!
These two people were simply not at the third-tier level!
How could anyone maintain such high perception within the mist...
"Goodbye."
An gritted her teeth, gripping her smoking staff tightly.
However, a clear fissure of light had already appeared on her right hand.
Such powerful spiritual energy... Gambler Loren couldn't help but marvel.
The Mist Merchant leaned back, laughing maniacally:
"Hahaha!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The piercing laughter echoed across the sea. As a monster of the Fog Sea, he had actually been pushed to such a desperate situation in such a short time!
And as someone living in the Fog Sea, he himself mastered more than one Release!
He used a long knife to cut open the pocket of his clothes, causing a continuous stream of blood coins to fall out.
Time to spend some money!
"Release. One Thousand Flesh and Blood Coins. Golden Toad Transformation!"
With a loud cry, the Mist Merchant felt a warm current surge from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His skin began to burn as if scorched by invisible flames.
Then, one small golden hand after another emerged from his body, taking away all the gold coins, Ancient Currency, and items on him.
Immediately after, an indescribable sense of swelling and pain spread throughout his body. Every inch of his skin rapidly expanded, becoming abnormally hard, while simultaneously being covered in a layer of moist, rough golden scales, like a king's golden armor!
His limbs elongated at an astonishing rate, his fingers and toes gradually merging into broad, powerful webbed feet. His head began to twist and distort, his facial features blurring, ultimately transforming into a wide, flat golden frog mouth.
Finally, countless coins condensed and concentrated, forming two enormous coin-shaped eyes and a golden long spear!
In an instant, the Mist Merchant revealed his final form: a ten-meter-tall golden toad. Holding the golden spear, he looked down upon everyone on the ship from a height.
"It's been a long time since I used this form. I wonder how many people I'll have to sell to use this power again..."
The Golden Toad Merchant savored the power of money!
One thousand Flesh and Blood Coins... Loren looked up at the golden toad before him, lost in thought.
Flesh and Blood Coins are legendary currency obtained by some corrupt merchants through certain special, bloody means.
Under normal circumstances, one hundred Flesh and Blood Coins are enough to use one third-tier Release!
But the golden toad before them had used ten times that amount!
Loren took a step back. In that moment, he seemed to see a legendary body built from gold coins and flesh!
Golden blood continuously dripped from the massive golden toad, melting the ship before them!
"Release. Wheel of the Goddess of Fortune!"
Gambler Loren didn't hesitate. He immediately drew his gun and aimed it at the enormous toad.
As a leading practitioner of the Dice affinity, his Release required only an instant!
The Wheel of the Goddess of Fortune has a one-in-ten chance of firing a Goddess Bullet, a bullet even legends fear!
It has a one-in-a-thousand chance of firing an Apocalypse Bullet that can instantly kill even a legend!
Before this, Gambler Loren had already fired five consecutive shots, each with a one-in-two chance of being an Explosive Bullet!
No gambler loses every day!
"Goddess of Fortune, favor us!"
Loren roared, fiercely pulling the trigger. In that instant, he seemed to see the swirling hem of the Goddess of Fortune's skirt!
Bang!
With the sound of a gunshot, a splash of water shot from the bullet.
Loren's pupils dilated instantly.
Today, he had hit the one-in-ten-thousand probability: the Lucky Splash of the Goddess of Fortune, whose effect is for party performances.
"You're worth a thousand too!"
Boom! The Golden Toad Merchant, wielding the golden spear, gave a mighty swipe at the Loren before him!
The power of gold coins!
This single swipe smashed Loren directly into the ship's hold below!
"Loren!"
Dya exclaimed in shock. Their team leader had been defeated so easily!
A terrifying monster not inferior to the Black Hunter! Dya turned around and immediately rushed towards the ship's bottom.
In the ship's bottom was his new steam mecha! As long as he could pilot the mecha, everything would be fine!
However, the next second, the golden toad brandished its spear and leaped violently!
Thud! Like skewering an insect with a steel spike, Dya was firmly pinned to the ground.
"You're quite valuable, also worth a thousand, can be sold for a good price..."
The Golden Toad Merchant licked its long tongue, turned its head, and looked at the others behind it.
I hate toads... Spirit Hunter Nancy stepped back, using a reinforcement spell to enhance An's strength.
The Golden Toad Merchant looked at An, its coin eyes shining with an unprecedented light.
In this moment, it saw money, supreme money made of flesh and blood!
The Golden Toad Merchant said, nearly insane:
"Ten thousand! Ten thousand! Woman, my sense of smell is telling me! You're worth ten thousand!"
An held her staff horizontally across her chest and took a deep breath.
Gray Mouse and Silver Mask aren't on this ship, Loren is temporarily out of action... An's eyes turned cold as she looked at her own palm.
The fissure on her palm seemed to curl into a slight smile.
At this point in time, she needed spiritual energy, an endless supply of spiritual energy.
A massive spiritual energy field instantly enveloped the entire sailing ship!
Spiritual Detonation... The Golden Toad Merchant smiled. It charged forward almost without any hesitation.
On this great sea, no third-tier could be its match!
It thrust out with its spear!
Amid the surging waves of spiritual energy, An also raised her staff with one hand, aiming it at the Golden Toad Merchant.
"Cannon!"
"Come on! Head-on collision!"
The Golden Toad Merchant's golden coin spear and An's basic spiritual energy cannon collided with each other!
The other hunters on the ship hid in corners, their hair dancing in the shockwave.
BOOM—
As the shockwave dissipated, under a dazzling white light, the Golden Toad Merchant continuously retreated. The golden scales on its body shattered remarkably, turning into fragments!
No, no, the damage the Black Hunter inflicted on me is too great. The decline in my physical strength has caused the power of my Release to drop as well... The Golden Toad Merchant thought in terror.
He never imagined that on this ordinary day, he would encounter two monsters simultaneously!
The immense spiritual energy directly shattered the golden toad's scales. Under the overwhelming impact, the golden toad was pushed against the ship's bottom, bleeding profusely.
"How is this possible..."
The Golden Toad Merchant spat out a mouthful of blood. His body had reached its limit.
If not for the wounds inflicted by the Black Hunter, perhaps he could have taught this person before him a lesson.
But now, he only felt fear...
"Well done, An! Should big sister give you a reward?"
Spirit Hunter Nancy cheered, running to An's side to celebrate.
As expected, their professional team was stronger! To capture the Black Hunter, An had taken the 'Spiritual Energy Liberation' medicine from the White Tower Federation in advance.
But this time, An did not respond to her words with her usual light voice and disdainful look, as she always did.
She looked An up and down, only to find that the other showed no joy of victory. Her face was expressionless, her entire person like a machine.
At the same time, fissure after fissure appeared on her body. Her whole person seemed like a white container constantly shattering!
Shattering...
An's lips moved slightly, as if she was resisting something with great effort.
Nancy's eyes widened. The domain they were in was completely occupied by spiritual energy.
"An, don't..."
Spirit Hunter Nancy's pupils contracted sharply. She raised her hands and took a step back.
Bang! An casually raised her staff. A spiral of spiritual energy shot from the staff, blasting Nancy away!
You have gone mad... The Golden Toad Merchant smiled, gripped his own neck, coughed up blood, smiled again, then used his long tongue to lick up the unconscious Dya and other hunters, preparing to escape from this place.
"Goodbye. Tonight, I will return to collect your corpses!"
The Golden Toad Merchant laughed. The condition of this powerful mage's body was even more severe than he had imagined!
It bent its limbs, preparing for a powerful frog leap!
However, a huge shadow fell over it!
It looked up. Above its head, a ferocious dragon head covered in black scales was looking down at it.
On that dragon head, the scales were scalding hot, emitting crimson thick smoke!
The ten-meter-tall toad was like a tiny mouse before this sea dragon.
The Black Hunter's pursuit!
"Sea Dragon..."
The Golden Toad Merchant froze, his whole body as if pressed down by a mountain.
The scales on the black sea dragon's body continuously stood up, emitting scalding blood mist. Simultaneously, all the power in its body gathered in its mouth, concentrated to a point, and burst forth!
BOOM!
Accompanied by a tremendous dragon roar, a dazzling red light completely enveloped the golden toad merchant. The scales on his body completely melted, turning into powder.
The overwhelming energy directly blasted the transcendent ship before them into two halves.
As the shockwave passed over, everyone looked up in unison. This sea dragon had once appeared in the newspaper of the White Pigeon Times.
An also slowly raised her head. Her spiritual energy, at this moment, could pierce through the mist, allowing her to sense everything around her.
Similarly, she could sense, within the mist atop the dragon's head, the Black Hunter looking down at her!