Witch, I'm really not an ancient god of the deep sea!

Chapter 17 Rift Tide
The wind grew stronger, and the sky gradually darkened.

Chen Qi lay alone on the small boat, staring blankly at the sky.

There are two most exciting moments in sailing: one is when you set sail, and the other is when you return.

He had just been thinking about the first-tier extraordinary profession in the Witch Sea when he suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

The wind was howling... Chen Qi decisively sat up from the boat and looked at the vast sea before him.

There was no trace of human presence; one could only occasionally see birds flying overhead and schools of fish leaping from the water.

The sky is high enough for birds to fly freely, and the sea is wide enough for fish to leap freely; this probably describes the scene before us.

There was an unprecedented sense of vastness, and also a faint sense of loneliness...

Although he escaped from the Sawshark, getting ashore alone was not an easy task.

If the steamboat were to have even the slightest problem, he might end up staging 'Aki's Wonderful Voyage' and going crazy on this wretched sea.

Chen Qi took out the nautical chart he had taken from the restaurant and, combining it with some knowledge, analyzed his current location.

The Witch Sea can be divided into three sections, with the section closest to the city being the nearshore area.

Near the outer sea lies the Rift Sea, a place rich in Rift instances and some strange terrain.

Upon reaching the Rift Sea, one encounters a host of indescribable and terrifying monsters flying in the sky and leaping across the sea.

At the edge of the rift sea, thick fog blankets the area, dimming the light, beyond which lies the Sea of ​​Fog.

Beyond the Sea of ​​Fog lies the Sea of ​​No Light, untouched by the light of day. This place no longer belongs to the 'New Sun World' and is off-limits to humankind.

He should be in the nearshore area now.

Of course, being near the coast doesn't mean being safe. Many merchant ships pass through the coastal waters, making it a place where pirates are most rampant.

In the Kingdom of Shells, going to sea depends on connections and reputation. A small boat like his without a flag might be extorted if it encounters a merchant ship.

As for encountering pirates, if you are not as strong as them, you can only pray.

Fortunately, the effects of the yellow needle haven't worn off yet, and he still has a gun, so he still has a little bit of self-defense capability.

"At this rate, we might be able to return to Maro Town in the Moonstone Islands tonight."

Maro Town is where the original owner was born. It's an island town with a pretty good location, making it a decent starting village.

Considering geographical location and household registration factors, his next stop is Maro Town.

Chen Qi put away the nautical chart, took a bite of bread, and gazed at the distant sea.

Traveling from the concrete jungle to this vast ocean is indeed a remarkable experience.

In this vast world, even if one shouts out one's shameful past and does things that are difficult to talk about, no one will know except the goddess of the sea.

The sea goddess will listen to and receive everything.

It's time to use those two things.

Chen Qi took out the Extraordinary Fishing Skill Card and the Hunter's Ember, which can enhance the profession, from his backpack.

Both of these extraordinary items can be used directly!

Let's do it now...

Hunter's Ember, an item of this caliber, requires fusion with blood to be used.

Chen Qi looked around, cut his index finger with the sharp part of the steamboat, and then touched the hunter's embers again.

"Burn, embers..."

Chen Qi thought to himself.

When the blood touched the amber-colored, gem-like Hunter's Ember, the Hunter's Ember ignited rapidly.

Flames ignited at his fingertips, followed by a scorching, extraordinary aura that permeated his blood, then seeped into his limbs, then into his heart, and finally surged into the depths of his soul!
It felt like molten lava was being forcibly poured into my mouth, then burning my whole body.

In addition, before his eyes appeared a large number of indescribable deep-sea monsters, which kept surging towards him!

In my mind, it seemed to be wielding a giant blade, its body engulfed in terrifying blue flames, slaying these monsters one by one!

This is the knowledge of the Deep Sea Hunter from Hunter's Ember.

A notification popped up in front of him.

You have digested the Hunter's Ember.

"Whoosh..."

Chen Qi was panting heavily. Unlike the game, the feeling of using high-level extraordinary items was incredibly exciting.

The embers of fire forge the soul—this is the legendary item…

Fortunately, the burning sensation didn't last long.

Chen Qi closed his eyes and felt a certain power being strengthened deep within his soul.

At the same time, he also possessed a great deal of knowledge about deep-sea monsters, as well as knowledge about fighting these giant monsters.

The scalding heat slowly dissipated and a notification appeared, signifying that he had completely digested the remaining embers.

Now, if he has a special profession, he will receive a boost.

Unfortunately, he has not yet officially embarked on the path of the extraordinary and cannot enjoy the bonus brought by the residual fire.

"A advancement to the extraordinary realm..."

Chen Qi already had some plans in mind.

Under normal circumstances, extraordinary professional cards are not easy to obtain.

Most new players who have a bad start have to wait a long time for spiritual awakening.

Even a Tier 1 Extraordinary Class Card requires considerable effort.

The professional cards circulating in the market are first purchased by noble families and big merchants. Ordinary people who want to buy them have to pay more, and they often end up buying some low-quality professional cards.

However, according to the timeline, the rift tide that will soon affect the entire Witch Sea is about to arrive.

The large number of cracks will lead to a significant increase in the number of extraordinary professional cards!

Therefore, with enough information, he could even carefully select a first-tier extraordinary profession.

Once ashore, the first thing to do is to investigate information about the Extraordinary Professional Cards and the Rift.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Qi took out the second item he obtained from the treasure chest, the skill card 'Fishing in the Storm'.

Using skill cards is very simple. Once the conditions are met, you only need to hold them in your hand and use them with a single thought.

"use."

The azure professional card turned into ink on my fingertips, then into bubbles, and disappeared.

At this moment, the skill "Super Fishing Lv1" also appeared on his panel.

His Deep Sea Affinity cannot be upgraded, and Extraordinary Fishing is currently the only skill he can use by consuming Spirit Points.

Morning Start uses 50 Spirit Points earned from the Sea Beast Cave Rift to upgrade from Lv1 to Lv2.

Chen Qi looked at the skill and was slightly surprised. This ordinary life skill could actually be upgraded to level 3, and he didn't have enough spiritual points.

With the use of the skill cards, he suddenly gained a strange sense of confidence!

That is, even if he lies down and fishes, he can still catch fish in a storm!
"How about... we give it a try?" Chen Qi picked up the fishing rod, cast it gently, and the hook fell into the sea.

What he learned was not ordinary fishing, but extraordinary fishing!

The biggest difference lies in the bait.

The bait used for ordinary fishing is food.

Extraordinary fishing involves transferring one's spiritual energy to the fishing hook and using the essence of one's spiritual energy to make bait.

His current spiritual energy capacity is slightly higher than that of an ordinary person.

After mastering this skill, from now on he will become a fisherman that everyone envies, who will never be out of the game.

You can catch any fish you want here.

Chen Qi conjured a spiral-shaped bait at the fishing hook.

In an instant, he felt a lot of his spiritual energy being drained from his body.

This skill consumes so much energy... Chen Qi held the fishing rod, waiting for a fish to bite.

Fishing while boating should be fine, right...?

"..."

Five minutes later, Chen Qi blinked, wondering if he could really catch fish like this.

However, before he could catch the fish, something even more terrifying happened!
The next instant, a fierce sea breeze blew by, and a huge shadow began to loom over the area.

With a loud clap of thunder, raindrops began to fall on him!
A harbinger of a storm!

While steam-powered boats are excellent for escaping, they are generally not very effective against ocean waves.

It was perfectly sunny just a moment ago...

"What on earth is this..."

Suddenly, the wind whistled past his ears, and in that instant, he seemed to hear the roar of a monster.

Suddenly, Chen Qi remembered the promotional video for the Witch Sea section.

On a sunny day, the sky suddenly changed color, dark clouds gathered, and a strong wind howled.

A foreign girl on a ship had her flower wreath washed into the sea by the waves. As she reached out to retrieve it, a huge black shadow slowly emerged from the seabed, like a black mountain, engulfing the entire ship...

The camera then pans upwards, revealing that the entire Witch's Sea is now shrouded in a massive storm!

This is a far-reaching storm, and also the first appearance of the main protagonist of the Witch Sea storyline, the foreign girl Flower Witch.

This unusual weather pattern is also known as crack tide because it causes a large number of cracks to form.

After this storm, cracks will appear in the Witch Sea like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, thus marking the arrival of the Great Crack Era in the Witch Sea.

Previously, Chenqi could only determine the timeline through the little crow.

And now, he is certain that the storm he is facing is very likely the beginning of the Crack Tide!
The cracks reopen, the great whale breathes, and the once peaceful sea is now filled with storms. Monsters that once lived in the deep sea will also surface.

This will be a terrifying, sleepless day.

"Rift Tide, what a nuisance..."

Under normal circumstances, he would have popped a champagne glass to celebrate this storm!
After all, more cracks mean more opportunities to improve one's strength, which is undoubtedly a good thing!
The problem is, he's now on a small steamship.

"May the goddess of the sea be more reserved and not stir up too much of a storm..." Chen Qi thought to himself.

However, he is quite good at swimming, and with the effects of the Yellow Needle still active and the knowledge of Hunter's Ember, he has a certain ability to withstand storms.

With the storm approaching, Chen Qi decisively took out bandages from his backpack and secured the black knife, backpack, and other items to prevent them from falling into the sea.

He then secured the fishing rod to the boat with bandages.

His fishing skill is called "Fishing in the Storm".

In other words, there's a chance of catching a fish even in a storm!

Fishing skills are quite useful in the ocean.

Those who wish take the bait!
"That should work..."

After finishing some tasks, Chen Qi rubbed his hands together and then looked into the distance.

In less than three minutes, the entire sea was shrouded in the dark sky.

Suddenly, Chen Qi's pupils contracted slightly.

At the edge of that gray horizon, a faint glimmer of light appeared.

Light? Ship lights? Is there a ship?
At this point, did they encounter a ship?
Chen Qi gripped the black knife.

Moreover, the light grew brighter and brighter, constantly rushing towards him!

Chen Qi stared wide-eyed. From a distance, it was a small, pitch-black boat with a lantern hanging on it.

Many terrifying legends circulate on the high seas.

Among them are many legends about black ships.

If you encounter a small, dark boat on a cloudy day or at night, with a lantern lit on it.

Do not try to get close, and do not hesitate at all.

Run away immediately, or the ship will take people to another world.

Chen Qi stared intently at the boat.

He did not flee; the black ship was far faster than the steamboat.

In other words, he simply couldn't outrun his opponent.

Moreover, judging from the route, they were undoubtedly coming for him.

Upon closer inspection, one will find that the 'black hull' is more like sharp, black scales than a ship, and the ship's lamp is more like a lantern.

This is a deep-sea monster!?
"and many more!"

Chen Qi suddenly realized something.

The other party wasn't just after him, but also after his bait!

Chen Qi quickly picked up the fishing rod and then swung it sharply upwards!
As he cast the pole, the dark boat began to reveal its true form.

boom!
Amidst the massive waves, a deep-sea monster resembling a dragon leaped from the seabed, baring three rows of bloody fangs as it lunged at the bait suspended in mid-air.

It leaped over the dawn like the long body of a giant serpent.

That wasn't a dark ship at all, but a deep-sea monster with half its head sticking out!

boom!
"Hahaha--"

The giant serpent-like monster bit into the bait and plunged back into the sea, its sharp, steel tail thrashing violently as it breathed heavily.

Chen Qi turned around, stroked his chin, and looked thoughtfully at the sea beast's strange movements.

"What the hell did I catch?"

(End of this chapter)