We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 44 [Deep-Sea Fishman]

A salty sea breeze blew in my face, and the bright golden sunlight shone down, bringing a warm and gentle touch.

All the senses felt incredibly real and clear.

If it weren't for the fact that the sky around him was still pitch black a second ago, Xia En probably wouldn't have realized that he had entered the [Promotion Ritual].

"What a wonderful feeling..."

Xia En looked at his body and found that it was no different from his real body.

Aside from his clothes, he only had an ordinary iron sword for self-defense.

Extraordinary items such as the Blackstone Short Sword and the Radiant Amulet have all disappeared.

That makes sense; if one could carry extraordinary items during advancement, the difficulty would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

After confirming his own condition, Shane looked around.

Beneath my feet was a slightly swaying wooden deck.

Beside me were tall masts and billowing sails.

These scenes are so familiar that they cannot even be described as "déjà vu".

Especially when Shane saw the black swan statue on the prow, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"Isn't this the Black Swan?"

Xia En felt a little strange.

Why does the Black Swan appear in the [Promotion Ritual]?

Or is this a unique characteristic of the Captain's Secret Path?

As a captain, it's normal for me to carry a ship with me, right?

However, after observing for a while, Shane also noticed that although the ship looked exactly the same as the Black Swan, it was missing one of the most important things.

—The Soul of the Ship!
This ship is merely a soulless shell.

If I had to put it in a way, it's more like a projection of the Black Swan in this mysterious space.

Even so, it still has a very close connection with Shane.

With a single thought, Shane can steer the entire ship.

Immediately afterwards, Shane looked into the distance.

All that could be seen outside the ship's side was a boundless expanse of gently rippling sea.

However, this sea was different from the sea that Xia En was familiar with.

The seawater here is pure black.

Although it is liquid seawater, it has an indescribable sense of clarity and ethereal purity, like the pitch-black night sky on a clear summer night.

Beneath the surface of the sea, faint lights seemed to flicker, and grayish-white cracks were expanding intermittently.

The eerie light and shadow shrouded the depths of the sea, making the ocean appear even more mysterious.

It's as if... this ship is sailing through the stars!
"This is the legendary [Secret Sea]."

"No wonder some people say it's the reflection of the vast ocean of the present world in the starry sky..."

Xia En gazed quietly at the mysterious ocean, forcing himself to calm down.

"So what should I do now?"

Having traversed such a long period of time, Xia En is no longer the clueless novice captain he once was.

Through information gathered from Duke Island and Ann's personal experience, he has gained a general understanding of the specific procedures of the [Promotion Ritual].

In fact, the key to promotion lies in gaining the approval of the [Secret Sea].

The word "recognition" sounds a bit abstract.

To put it simply, it's about going through some kind of trial.

Take An's advancement to the first rank of [Knight] as an example. His trial was to defeat the giant beasts he encountered, thus proving his strength.

Of course, the trials on each secret path are not all the same.

However, generally speaking, the trial missions from level zero to level one are not too difficult, and they usually involve defeating an enemy of moderate strength.

The difficulty of subsequent advancement trials will gradually increase, and there may even be online trials where several Secret Path seekers advance together.

Xia En was quite confident about this.

He's a master at completing tasks!

Wow!

Just then, the sound of splashing water came from the sea.

Xia En glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a dark figure quickly climbing up the side of the ship's side.

In the blink of an eye, the dark shadow landed on the deck. After seeing its appearance clearly, Xia En couldn't help but frown slightly.

This is a strangely shaped fish-man.

Its skin was smooth and damp, its hands and feet were webbed, and its huge, bulging fish eyes, which never closed, were staring at Shane with hostility.

"A small, exquisite piece that's truly remarkable."

Just as Xia En had this thought, several lines of information appeared on the panel.

[Trial Mission:]

Eliminate all deep-sea fishmen climbing onto the ship!

The mission is considered a failure if the participant dies or the ship's durability drops to 50/100.

"Ok?"

Xia En was somewhat surprised.

Is this a notification that other Secret Path users would see, or is it a privilege granted by the [Eye of the Secret Sea]?

Before he could think, the deep-sea fish-man let out a hoarse hiss and pounced at superhuman speed!

A cold glint flashed in Xia En's eyes as he drew his longsword and took a step forward.

laugh!
The sword light flashed!

The sword pierced the deep-sea fishman's chest at just the right moment.

Dark purple blood splattered out.

After acquiring the Shadow Sword Technique from the prince's close attendant, his swordsmanship improved dramatically.

Even with just an ordinary iron sword, killing such a deep-sea fish-man would be a piece of cake.

However, even after being stabbed in the heart, the merman struggled for a long time, its large mouth full of sharp teeth opening and closing repeatedly, trying to bite off a piece of flesh from Shane's body.

Slay the Deep-Sea Fishman!

[“Filthy Secret Sea Crystal” detected inside the corpse. Store it?]

【The Filthy Crystal of the Secret Sea】

[Quality: Rare]

[Type: Material]

[Description: Crystallized sea crystals contaminated by a strange power. They cannot be absorbed directly, but can be stored in the "Eye of the Sea" to strengthen the core components of ships.]

This material can only be obtained in specific scenarios.

Pollution, engulfment, evolution...

[Note: Enhancement will cause irreversible changes to the components; please use with caution.]

"……what?"

Xia En was stunned when he saw these few lines of text.

It's normal for deep-sea fish-men, being mutated marine creatures, to have [Secret Sea Crystals] inside their bodies.

But what does this prefix "filthy" mean?
What contaminated them?

Unable to find the answers to these questions, Shaen simply put them aside for the time being and chose to store the filth crystals.

Immediately, a dark black crystal precipitated from the fishman's body and entered Shane's body.

【Filth Crystallization: 1】

Since he was still in the process of advancing to the next level, Xia En did not continue to study the use of this new material, but instead carefully observed the body of the deep-sea fish-man.

Even then, its limbs were still twitching and writhing, unwilling to rest in peace.

"What an abnormal vitality!"

Xia En was secretly surprised: "Speed ​​and strength like this... is it really possible for an ordinary person who hasn't advanced to deal with it?"

If the trial ends here, its difficulty is still within a reasonable range.

But don't forget, the mission description on the panel is "All Deep-Sea Fishmen!"

This means that there are definitely more than one of them!
Blah, blah, blah...

As if to confirm Shane's conjecture, a continuous sound of water came from both sides of the ship.

At the same time, a frenzied, shrill guttural sound rang out.

One after another, deep-sea fishmen climbed onto the deck like a tide!

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(End of this chapter)