Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 64 - 62: The Mist Jellyfish’s Doomsday

Dinnertime.

After Old Yang’s patient handling, the jellyfish had been prepared into delicate, cloud-like threads. They lay on the plate like a piece of Cantonese dim sum, with aged vinegar and diced beef seeping into the gelatinous layers, releasing a tempting, sour aroma.

It was a plate of jellyfish salad with vinegar.

Vinegar was a rare commodity at sea.

The only bottle was a treasure of Chunyi’s, kept in the captain’s quarters. Shi Ming had now brought it out to dress this "jellyfish salad."

That was just like Chunyi, hoarding such a fine thing instead of enjoying it.

’Guess I’ll have to help him enjoy it now.’

People of the Wandering Era had no custom of using chopsticks. The pair in Shi Ming’s hands were ones he had carved himself from wood on the ship. He skillfully lifted a piece of the translucent jellyfish. The clear morsel quivered slightly, carrying the fresh flavor of the ocean, like a frozen sea wave.

He placed it in his mouth.

Sour, crisp, and refreshing.

"Awesome."

Anyone who had seen *Once Upon a Bite* knew that the ocean held the greatest delicacies.

But indulgence wasn’t the world’s prevailing theme—at least, not for most people. Before Shi Ming’s arrival, the crewmen on this ship considered simply filling their stomachs a luxury that slaves would envy. How could they possibly dare to hope for more?

Shi Ming was quite satisfied with his dinner.

He couldn’t finish the massive jellyfish by himself, so the rest was divided among the crew.

Of course, the crew didn’t get to use such fine seasoning.

It wasn’t as if they could appreciate the wonders of a condiment like vinegar anyway.

For them, simply mixing it with the broth from canned beef was a rare delicacy in itself.

After dinner, it was a little past six. Beyond the dense fog, the sun was setting. Shi Ming resumed his hunt, but after standing watch at the bow for a long time, he hadn’t seen a single D-rank or higher jellyfish.

’Are D-rank jellyfish only active at night?’

Shi Ming wondered.

He had been preparing for a while, wanting to hunt a D-rank or higher Mist Jellyfish. He needed his Black Tortoise Shield to devour another skill and add to his stats. Even just one point of Endurance would be worth it.

’Every little bit counts!’

But these D-rank jellyfish just wouldn’t show themselves during the day!

Only these Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals were circling the wandering ship.

"Yellow Cannon, prepare a few barrels of fermented sea fish. Bring them over to the port side."

"Right away, Captain."

’If they won’t come out, I’ll just have to lure them out.’

Barrel after barrel of fermented sea fish was dumped into the ocean. The stench, comparable to surströmming, was enough to make one’s head spin. Fortunately, Shi Ming’s tolerance was beyond that of a normal person. He readied his submachine gun and carefully observed the sea’s surface for any change.

Shi Ming stared intently at the fog-shrouded surface of the sea.

Like a Hunter waiting for his prey to take the bait!

He waited a long time.

"Captain, the Sea Patrol Radar has detected a powerful, unidentified creature approaching."

"Right on time."

Shi Ming held the submachine gun steady, feeling a rush of excitement.

Sure enough, drawn by the smell of the rotten fish, a translucent bell over three meters in diameter was rising from the depths.

BANG!

Before the jellyfish even fully broke the surface, Shi Ming had already pulled the trigger of the level-5 submachine gun!

The bullets tore through the water like thunderbolts, striking the jellyfish’s gelatinous body and heading straight for its central core—the weak point of a Mist Jellyfish.

A direct hit.

But that wasn’t enough.

Shi Ming didn’t hold back on the ammunition. The submachine gun roared to life, riddling the D-rank sea beast with holes before it could even fully surface.

On deck, Stone Pillar and Lin Hai were dumbfounded.

A D-rank sea beast, taken down just like that?

’That weapon is insane!’

"Haul it in!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

Looking at the jellyfish carcass they had hauled aboard, Shi Ming was a bit puzzled.

’Does this thing even have blood?’

It didn’t!

’Maybe its bodily fluids will work?’

He used the King Slayer Saber to slice open the jellyfish’s massive—though already slightly shrunken—body, and touched the soft, gelatinous flesh with his right hand.

For an imperceptible moment, a crimson pattern flashed.

Just like before, a powerful energy surged impatiently into his body.

It brought a massive dopamine rush, which was immediately followed by a moment of sharp clarity for Shi Ming.

He let out a long breath.

[Congratulations, you have slain the D-rank sea beast: Mist Jellyfish.]

[By bathing in its Beast Blood, you have obtained the D-rank skill "Mist." Due to its low rank, the skill "Mist" has been assimilated and devoured by the S-rank skill "Black Tortoise Shield," increasing the host’s Attack Power by 2.]

[Attack Power: 48]

[Physical Strength: 58]

[Endurance: 62]

[Defense Power: 108]

[Spiritual Power: Unknown]

’Not bad. It boosted my attack stat.’

It was a shame he could only get a stat boost from the same type of sea beast once. Otherwise, he could have grinded in these waters until he became the Ten-Mile Slope Sword God.

But that didn’t mean he was stopping.

He had seen several enormous Mist Jellyfish in the depths.

C-rank or higher, for sure.

Besides, he needed to test whether this submachine gun could even handle a C-rank sea beast.

A C-rank would certainly give him another stat boost.

...

Unfortunately, by seven o’clock, no C-rank giant jellyfish had appeared.

He did, however, manage to hunt a few more D-rank ones.

The wandering ship weighed anchor and, according to plan, began to return to a region with lower energy concentration. After reviewing the day’s harvest in the captain’s quarters, Shi Ming used the communicator to summon Stone Pillar and Lin Hai.

"Captain."

"Sit."

Shi Ming looked at his two exploration team leaders.

His own combat power was constantly increasing, but that of his crew had stagnated. This was in danger of becoming the wandering ship’s greatest weakness.

’How could a Gold-grade wandering ship have only one Awakened?’

Shi Ming stood up.

"You two are the strongest members of the exploration team, and you’re the leaders. That comes with great responsibility."

"Neither of you has the 100 contribution points required, but we have a surplus of D-rank sea beasts. I can make an exception and allow you to become Awakened now. You can make up the contribution points later."

"Are you willing?"

He didn’t beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.

Stone Pillar and Lin Hai, however, were stunned by the sudden, joyous news.

An Awakened?!

The two men stared at each other in disbelief.

Could they really become Awakened?

Although the captain had promised it was possible, they all knew how precious the blood of a sea beast was.

The first mate, Terim, had followed Chunyi for years, yet he was still just an ordinary man.

How could the two of them receive such a precious opportunity so easily?

It was beyond belief!

This was like a dream!

Shi Ming frowned.

"What? You don’t want to?"

"No, no, no! We want to, Captain! We’re willing!"

"You have two choices: a D-rank Mist Jellyfish or a D-rank Cuttlefish. The first grants a skill called [Mist], the second grants a skill called [Ink Wash]. It will cost you 100 contribution points. You can choose whichever you want."

"I don’t know the specifics of the skills, though. That will depend on your luck," Shi Ming added.

He truly had no idea what the effects of [Mist] and [Ink Wash] were.

After all, the moment those two skills had awakened in him, they had been instantly devoured for being too low-level.

Shi Ming never even had a chance to use them.