Thunder boomed, a chaotic dance of light and shadow.

In a mere ten minutes, one of the three Awakened who had invaded the *Grand Fortune* was dead, and another was grievously wounded.

The only Awakened left at full fighting strength glanced at his companion’s body floating on the sea, then at his other comrade, who was severely wounded and struggling to dodge. He knew it was time to retreat.

The three of them were a perfectly coordinated team. Together, they had fought A-rank sea beasts and hunted A-rank Awakened. They had even held their own in friendly spars with S-rank Awakened from the Lighthouse, never once at a disadvantage. They had even infiltrated the King-level Wandering Ship, the *Fire Seed*, assassinated a high-ranking official within, and retreated unscathed.

This had always made them extremely confident.

Who would have thought they’d now be facing complete annihilation!

Before undertaking the mission, they had assessed the risk as medium.

Some difficulty was expected, but not much.

True, the navigator from Michael was likely killed by their target, but some Awakened, like Edward, had skills with a huge gap between their best and worst-case scenarios. How could an Awakened who relied on reserves, one-shot abilities, and was spent after emptying their skill arsenal possibly compare to them? With the three of them working together in a three-on-one fight, they wouldn’t have been so thoroughly routed even by an S-rank Awakened.

Besides, how formidable could the captain of a mere Silver-level Wandering Ship be?

That was why Captain Robert had been so confident in entrusting the mission to them. He had even specifically reminded them to kill everyone on the target ship, leaving no survivors.

Bring all the bodies back!

There was an unknown secret treasure involved; letting even one person escape could mean mission failure.

They hadn’t even begun the slaughter before the tables were turned on them...

Who could have known? The man’s skills were strange and powerful, his combat ability astounding. He was, without a doubt, a top-tier S-rank Awakened! Figures like him were few and far between even in a first-rate power like the Lighthouse. What was he doing on a measly Silver-level ship?

And to make matters worse, that damn captain of the *Centaurea Cyanus*, Reinhardt, had started up his Wandering Ship a minute ago. Seeing that the situation was turning ugly, he was trying to abandon them and escape by himself!

’Bastard!’

Things had come to this; a strategic retreat was the only option.

The Awakened had lost all will to fight.

But he forgot that in a duel between experts, losing one’s fighting spirit is a fatal mistake.

CRACK!

The Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Prison entered a frenzied state, the frequency of lightning strikes increasing explosively.

The thunder was like a sledgehammer pounding on the stagnant air. In a daze, the only Awakened still in fighting shape felt a sudden paralysis seize his body. He convulsed violently, and in that instant, a gleaming fist appeared right before his eyes...

A piercing ring vibrated his eardrums, and then his body was sent flying backward. He crashed against the railing on the bow, a mouthful of blood spilling from his lips.

’Run!’

The Awakened used the momentum to vault over the railing, hoping to find a sliver of a chance for survival by jumping into the sea.

But there was no way Shi Ming would give him that chance!

’How could I let a tiger return to the mountains?’

Besides, Shi Ming had a sinking feeling that his bounty—his Pure Dome Crystals—and Reinhardt’s *Centaurea Cyanus* were about to get away!

’A fish I worked so hard to hook is trying to escape?’

That was something he could not tolerate!

A terrifying, dazzling bolt of lightning tore through the air. Shi Ming’s full-force punch shattered the sturdy railing of the *Grand Fortune*—a Golden Ship—to pieces. Under such horrifying pressure, the Awakened who had been trying to jump into the sea fainted dead away.

"So weak."

When it came to dealing with enemies, Shi Ming showed no mercy.

Every assassin should be prepared to be killed.

Besides, in the world of Awakened, filled with all manner of bizarre treasures and unpredictable skills, a lack of decisiveness meant danger. Sometimes, a single oversight could allow an enemy to launch a desperate counterattack, pull out some secret treasure, or unleash a powerful skill they had been charging. Victories could turn into defeats, and ships could capsize in the calmest of waters.

Mercy toward the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

Having swiftly dealt with the three invaders, Shi Ming paid no mind to the *Thunder God*, which had emerged from beneath the waves. He couldn’t detect any other life or Awakened within it, so it wasn’t a concern for now. The urgent matter was to quickly catch up to the *Centaurea Cyanus*.

Reinhardt truly was a slick Awakened. After sensing the crisis, he had managed to flee several nautical miles in just a few minutes, leaving the Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Prison far behind.

But it didn’t matter. He would catch them. He would take back his Pure Dome Crystals!

’This is my bounty, after all! It’s only natural that my own bounty should belong to me, right?’

...

...

...

Having sailed out of the lightning-filled area, Reinhardt breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fuck, what kind of skill was that! It was fucking terrifying."

"Full speed back to the Twelve Stars!"

"Our ship is a Golden Ship, and that kid’s is only a Silver-level ship. He can’t catch us!"

Once he returned to the waters under the jurisdiction of the Twelve Stars, he would be completely safe.

Phew~

Fortune favors the bold. He had netted five hundred Pure Dome Crystals from this operation and escaped with his life. A thrilling but ultimately safe venture. It was just a shame about those Awakened from the Gold Tower; they probably weren’t so lucky.

’If they all died, I’m afraid I’ll have to face questioning from the Gold Tower...’

Hmph.

’Those mission-running Awakened were just too weak. How is that my fault?’

’The intel I provided was completely accurate. Those incompetents just failed to properly anticipate the danger.’

’Questioning from the Gold Tower? Big deal. I’ll just stay within the Twelve Stars’ territory from now on! Five hundred Pure Dome Crystals... that’s a fortune I could never have earned in my entire life. It’s more than enough for me to retire for good.’

’It’s just a shame about all the other girls, each with their own unique style, drifting on the sea.’

Sigh.

Reinhardt poured himself a glass of sparkling water, ready to calm his nerves and celebrate surviving the ordeal.

Suddenly, he felt it. Dark clouds were beginning to gather in the sky above!

Tiny threads of electricity suddenly appeared in the air.

His expression turned grim.

"Full speed ahead, whatever the cost! Full speed ahead!"

He dropped his sparkling water and rushed to the deck, looking far off in the direction of the battle.

No Wandering Ship was following them.

Everything was normal.

’Could it be... I’m just being paranoid?’

While Reinhardt was still wondering, he felt a powerful energy. Before he could react, a bolt of lightning as thick as an adult’s torso descended from the heavens, striking the steel-forged mast of the *Centaurea Cyanus* with explosive force!

The thick mast, engraved with a Centaurea Cyanus, instantly shattered into countless pieces.

But that wasn’t all. The terrifying lightning bolt pierced straight through the Wandering Ship’s sturdy deck. Beneath the deck of the *Centaurea Cyanus*, six entire layers of steel formed an impregnable shelter, yet the bolt sliced through them all as if they were tofu meeting a sharp blade, punching straight through to the very bottom!

A crewman on the lowest deck watched in horror as a gaping hole was torn open in the Gold-level Wandering Ship.

Seawater gushed into the hull like a fountain.

Looking up, he could see the dark, overcast sky through the massive hole in the ceiling.

"Captain, this is bad! The *Centaurea Cyanus* is taking on water!"

...

"Damn! I used too much force."

"This ship is too flimsy!"

Shi Ming—who had descended from above the *Centaurea Cyanus* and pierced through the entire Wandering Ship with his Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Body—climbed out of the gushing seawater and leaped back onto the deck.

"Captain Reinhardt," he said, "running off in such a hurry. Are you trying to get out of paying the rest of your commission?"

Crackling lightning enveloped his entire body, adding a magnetic quality to Shi Ming’s voice.