Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 68 - 66: Bait, Hunter

[BEEP]

[Congratulations. You have slain the D-rank Sea Beast: Large-Scale Swordfish.]

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

[Attack Power: 50]

[Physical Strength: 58]

[Endurance: 62]

[Defense Power: 108]

[Spiritual Power: Unknown]

SHING—

The King Slayer returned to its sheath.

He hauled the Large-Scale Swordfish, now split in two, onto the skiff and began the heavy journey back.

This hunt made him realize that a nautical chart capable of locating Sea Beasts was truly a rare treasure. It was no wonder the Black Society pursued it relentlessly, even paying a huge price and hiring powerful outside help to get it back.

Unfortunately, for now, he could only farm D-rank Sea Beasts near the Lost Sea.

Theoretically, C-rank would be a better choice, but he currently lacked the C-rank Sea Beast Blood needed to activate the nautical chart.

He did have B-rank Sea Beast Blood and could give that a try, but the only B-rank Sea Beast nearby was the Eight-armed Hunter from before.

In their brief battle, Shi Ming had severed one of its tentacles.

After being severely injured, the Eight-armed Hunter had retreated into the deep sea, becoming difficult to find again. Besides, Shi Ming had already absorbed its blood. Even if he went to the trouble of killing it, he wouldn’t gain any improvements.

And to be honest, humans had a fatal, unavoidable weakness when fighting such colossal Sea Beasts—their bodies were simply too small. Even if they possessed immense power, being grabbed by one of these beasts, swallowed whole, and dragged into the deep sea would put them in an extremely passive position.

’If I want a more satisfying battle, the C-rank Mist Jellyfish underwater is a good choice for now.’

’I wonder what method I could use to lure them to the surface.’

Shi Ming steered the ordinary skiff, relying on his upgraded navigation device to pass through the mist and return to the Silver ship stationed in the Lost Sea.

The crew carried the Large-Scale Swordfish into the kitchen.

Ever since Shi Ming became captain, Old Yang’s workload in the kitchen had doubled. Previously, even Chunyi’s meals had come from the ship’s food fabricator. Only when they had a good catch would Old Yang be asked to cook personally.

But now, high-end ingredients were coming in one after another.

Of course, Old Yang had no complaints.

On the contrary, he was enjoying it and felt honored to be a part of it all.

’What were D-rank Sea Beasts? B-rank Sea Beasts? Those once-invincible hunters, the ocean overlords that other ships feared on sight... weren’t they all just lying on his cutting board now, about to become a meal?’

He had seen it long ago: this new captain was young and daring, with formidable strength. Following him, their standard of living had jumped more than just a single notch.

’Maybe in the future, I could even become an Awakened myself.’

...

Before long, Old Yang arrived at Shi Ming’s captain’s quarters, carrying today’s lunch.

"Captain, Beer-Braised Swordfish, beef soup, and seafood rice."

This was today’s lunch.

Beer-Braised Swordfish was a delicacy from Yangshuo. After coming to this world, Shi Ming found himself missing it terribly. Coincidentally, they had a beer-making machine on board, salvaged from the *Sakura*, so he dictated the recipe to Old Yang.

The aroma of malt enveloped the savory swordfish meat, and the taste was already about seventy percent similar to what he remembered.

Unfortunately, without a bean paste reduction to thicken the sauce, it lacked its soul.

Shi Ming had a simple meal. He planned to throw the other half of the Large-Scale Swordfish into the sea later to see if he could lure out a C-rank Mist Jellyfish.

If he could obtain the blood or bodily fluids of a C-rank jellyfish, he would have the catalyst needed to activate the C-rank Sea Beast coordinates on the nautical chart. Then, he could specifically target and hunt C-rank Sea Beasts.

’Since I’ve obtained this treasure, one that might even be recorded in the *Compendium of the Endless Ocean’s Wonders*, I have to make good use of it. C-rank Sea Beasts should grant more stat points than D-rank ones, so this is a decent way to increase my strength.’

...

He wasted no time putting his plan into action.

On deck, after setting up his submachine gun and adjusting the angle of the ship’s close-in weapon system, Shi Ming scored the half-swordfish with his knife and tossed it into the mist-shrouded sea.

Perhaps because he had hunted so many Mist Jellyfish the day before, far fewer of them were swarming beneath the ship today. Without their interference, the drifting vessel could carry out its Sea Crystal Stone extraction work more efficiently.

Jellyfish are carnivorous. The remains of a D-rank Sea Beast held a considerable allure for higher-level Mist Jellyfish.

With the bait set, Shi Ming had a crewman keep a close eye on the Sea Patrol Radar’s real-time feed.

He was to be alerted immediately if any powerful creatures approached.

Patience, focus, decisiveness, and a constant sense of crisis were the basic qualities of an excellent Hunter.

This was true for dealing with Sea Beasts, and even more so for dealing with human aggressors.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"Captain, there’s movement at a depth of fifty meters," Yellow Cannon reported quietly from the side.

"Hm?"

Shi Ming looked down at the water’s surface; he could indeed feel a slight disturbance.

The Sea Patrol Radar also showed a large life form, exceeding the standard limits, drawing near.

Shi Ming was instantly energized.

He waved his hand.

The black muzzles of the close-in weapon system swiveled to aim at the corresponding area.

He didn’t really want to engage the Mist Jellyfish in close combat. The creatures were slimy and massive. Slashing them gave no satisfying feedback, like striking cotton, and would only drench him in sticky bodily fluids.

GLUG—

A stream of bubbles rose from beneath the water, accompanied by a subtle sound.

’Is it here?’

SPLASH!!!

A huge wave erupted from underwater like a volcano, shooting up a massive column of water three to four meters thick and seven to eight meters high. The column then fell back down like rain from the heavens, creating a downpour that obscured vision even more than the mist.

The downpour swept away the half-swordfish, dragging it rapidly into the depths of the sea!

???

Shi Ming stared, dumbfounded.

From beginning to end, the creature—suspected to be a C-rank Mist Jellyfish—had never even entered the firing range of the close-in weapon system!

’I’ve never seen such a cowardly Sea Beast!’

He decided to change tactics.

’No creature gets to steal half my swordfish without a scratch!’

...

It wasn’t Shi Ming’s fault; this particular C-rank Mist Jellyfish was indeed very cowardly.

When it was still small, it had witnessed its clan’s king—a creature more than thirty times its current size—fall alongside a steel warship under the suppressive fire of its cannons and the attacks of an Awakened. Several other powerful members of its kind had also died early on at the hands of Hunters.

After scavenging and eating a part of its king’s core, it had developed a sliver of intelligence.

An aversion to giant steel ships was now imprinted in its very genes, impossible to shake.

Furthermore, with its newfound intelligence, it felt an instinctual fear toward the man standing at the ship’s bow.

It was like the bloodline suppression a lower-ranking being feels when facing a superior one—a terrifying sense of unease.