The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 31 The Horror of the Ocean

More than ten minutes passed.

The terrible storm showed no signs of abating; on the contrary, it seemed to be intensifying.

But I must say...

Barzel's ability to successfully usurp the throne demonstrates his genuine skill.

Under his command and direction, the Golden Sun, though seemingly in grave danger, maintained its stability and prevented it from actually capsizing.

Just then.

Mike staggered through the heavy rain to the stern and the helm, and loudly reported to the leader.

"Captain! There's a strange noise coming from the bow. What should we do?"

The rain and wind were so loud that the crew could only communicate by shouting.

What's that strange noise?

"It looks like something's stuck to the hull!"

Upon hearing this, Bazel immediately took it seriously.

The danger of storms lies not only in the raging winds and torrential rains on the sea surface, but also in what lies beneath the surface.

During heavy rains, the monsters in the sea become unusually restless.

It would be terrible if some monster damaged the ship!

Bazel immediately ordered, "Hansen, you and Mike go to the bow and inspect the ship thoroughly. Make sure to eliminate any potential hazards!"

First Mate Hansen had already taken off his shirt and was pulling the cable shirtless.

Upon hearing the captain's command, he quickly replied.

"Yes, Captain!"

Under the raging rain, Mike and Hansen walked one after the other toward the bow of the ship.

Looking at Mike's back in front of him, Hansen's eyes lit up and he suddenly realized that this seemed to be a perfect opportunity.

He'd disliked Mike for a long time.

He especially disliked the way the kid looked when he was being beaten.

If it weren't for the other people on the ship watching over him, Hansen would have beaten him to death long ago.

Right now, amidst such a fierce storm, no one will notice what's happening in this corner.

Even Little Mike's cries for help would be quickly drowned out by the wind.

Just a gentle push...

pat!

What is that?

Hansen's thoughts were interrupted by a slippery touch on his back, and he reached out to touch it.

It is a black mushroom.

It felt like a strong wind had hit him.

Hansen didn't think much of it, casually tossed the mushroom into the sea, and prepared to continue with his previous plan.

But in that brief moment of distraction...

Mike is missing!

"You just... tried to push me down, didn't you?"

Mike's cold voice came from behind me.

"You found out?"

Hansen turned to the side, grinning, and said, "So what if I am? Do you dare lay a hand on me?"

Hansen was absolutely confident that, as a fourth-tier transcendent being from the Berserker Path, even ten Mikes would be no match for him.

But suddenly, Hansen frowned.

A slight tingling sensation came from my back and hands, and quickly spread throughout my body.

This feeling...

Is it poison?!

When did I get poisoned?

Immediately afterwards, the familiar slippery sensation crept up to my ankle.

Hansen looked down and saw several thick, dark tentacles.

Monsters... Oh no!?

Was it Mike's doing?

Hansen knew something was wrong and was about to use brute force to break free of the tentacles when suddenly a huge wave crashed in his face, causing the entire ship to tilt violently to one side.

With a forceful tug from the tentacles, Hansen lost his balance and was swept off the ship by the waves.

Whoosh!

Hansen fell into the sea, but managed to remain calm.

He is a secret traveler with a vitality far greater than that of ordinary people. As long as he doesn't stray too far from the ship, he can survive until the storm ends or the captain comes to rescue him!

As long as we can hold out until then...

However, when he turned his head, Hansen felt his hair stand on end.

Below, indistinct black shadows appeared and rapidly approached him!

"Help...help me!"

……

……

"What's that noise?"

Bazel frowned.

There seemed to be some strange noises in the wind and waves.

That wave was so powerful that even he couldn't avoid it in time.

By the way, has Hansen been gone for too long?

Does it really take this long to inspect the bow?

Just as Bazel was about to send someone to check on the situation, he saw Little Mike running over in a hurry.

"Captain, something terrible has happened! The first mate has fallen into the sea!"

"Um?"

Bazel immediately went to the edge of the deck, looking for Hansen.

He might not care about ordinary crew members, but Hansen was his right-hand man and had to be saved!

"There it is!"

Second Officer Paul quickly located Hansen's position.

However, following the direction Paul was pointing, Bazel couldn't help but shrink his pupils.

Amidst the giant waves whipped up by the raging winds, Hansen's bare-chested body bobbed up and down.

Beneath the deep, dark sea, layers upon layers of shadows had already surrounded him.

The shadow resembled a swelling and contracting mass of flesh, with numerous tentacled-like things extending from its edges, like hundreds of arms waving in the sea.

Hansen tried desperately to surface, but he sank deeper and deeper into the shadows.

"What is that...?"

Paul's voice was dry: "A monster? Or something else?"

The other sailors were also pale.

This ocean hides too much terror.

And today, they encountered one of them.

Barzel fell silent.

With his abilities, there's a good chance he could successfully rescue Hansen by going into the sea.

But this also means...

He was asked to risk his life!

What if there are even more powerful monsters in the sea?

Greedy people are afraid of death.

Bazel wouldn't even waste a single [Spirit Awakening Potion], so why would he risk his life to save someone?

But at that moment, Hansen, who was struggling in the seawater, saw the people on the deck.

It was like a final burst of energy before death.

He struggled violently, shouting as he ignored the seawater that had choked him.

"Captain...cough cough...help, help me! Help me!!"

"Please! I...don't want...to die!"

However, Bazel remained silent in the face of Hansen's pleas for help.

That indifferent attitude not only extinguished the light in Hansen's eyes, but also sent a chill down the spines of the other crew members.

"Mike...uh!"

Hansen wanted to say something more, but the surrounding tentacles wouldn't give him the chance and directly shut his mouth.

Ultimately, his voice was swallowed by the waves and the gale, and those on deck could not hear him at all.

Until Hansen's body was completely dragged into the deep, boundless sea.

Bazel then spoke again, "It's not that I didn't want to save him."

"But... Hansen has angered a terrifying being in the sea, and only by using him as a sacrifice can this anger be appeased."

"The storm isn't over yet, everyone, get back to your posts!"

The crew members responded in unison, "Yes, Captain!"

Everyone's expressions remained normal, but only they themselves knew what they were thinking.

……

……

Under the sea.

Surrounded by numerous jellyfish, Hansen's body was dragged to the lower deck, his face still bearing traces of fear, anger, and resentment.

I wonder what he felt when he was abandoned by Bazel?

Anyway, a huge weight has been lifted off Horn's shoulders.

After all, this operation still carries considerable risks.

Hansen's resistance, in particular, was slightly beyond his expectations.

It turns out that the Secret Pathfinders do indeed have some resistance to [biotoxins].

Even with the poison, it still took Horn considerable effort to completely incapacitate Hansen in the seawater.

Another risk is whether Bazel will go into the sea to rescue people.

If he were to take action personally, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Fortunately, just as Horn had guessed, this greedy and stingy captain would never risk his life for someone else.

That said, Hansen was the first Tier 4 Mystic he killed.

They're probably going to drop some good stuff, right?