Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 14 Awakening! S-Rank Reward

"Destined Death" is not a very powerful bomb; it is not powerful enough to collapse the crack, but it is definitely enough to wake up the hundreds of bloodthirsty moths resting inside.

A moment!

Sharp chirps rose and fell, hundreds of bloodthirsty moths emitting high-frequency cries that made Shi Ming's eardrums ring!

hiss!hiss!hiss!
They spewed out of the cracks in dense numbers, like a volcanic eruption. Their instincts made them want to leave this unstable, smoke-filled area as quickly as possible. At the same time, their extremely keen sense of smell allowed them to detect what seemed to be new prey on the island.

That's the smell of fresh blood and flesh!
……

The western side of the island.

The scarred man led the captain and his men to a treacherous place, a steep and overgrown area that was difficult to climb.

Are you sure the insect nest is up there?

The captain's face was quite grim. This lowly slave had led them around the western part of the island for nearly half an hour, like walking a dog, but they still hadn't reached their destination!

"Captain, I'm sure!"

The scarred man's face was already covered in beads of cold sweat.

"You climb up first."

"Yes……"

Suddenly, with a thud, the captain heard a deep and clear sound coming from afar.

His expression changed drastically.

Having spent so many years at sea, how could he not recognize that it was the sound of a bomb exploding?
In the island landing plan for this expedition, apart from the second exploration team being equipped with a small bomb, no other explosive weapons were involved in the plan.

Did the exploration team detonate the bomb, or did other forces also land on the island?
He did not receive any warning notification from the drifting boat.

"Climb up quickly! Find the insect hive!"

The captain was a decisive man. He understood that this was not the time to hesitate. The more important thing was to find the goal of the voyage and resolve it quickly.

Even if something changes, we'll deal with it later!
……

Large numbers of bloodthirsty moths, like a locust plague, poured out of the cracks, using their keen sense of smell to hunt for prey on the island.

Shi Ming hid silently in the hole below the crack, without making a sound. Through the gaps in the camouflage, he could see the huge ferocious moths flapping their wings in the low air, densely packed, and then gradually fading away into the distance.

"Luckily, the bald guy gave us some mimicry powder, which was enough to fool these bloodthirsty moths!"

After waiting in the cave for a few minutes, Shi Ming noticed that the bloodthirsty moths outside had mostly disappeared. He gripped his horizontal sword tightly and cautiously stepped out of the cave.

A thin layer of smoke and dust lingered over the crack, and the air still smelled strongly of gunpowder.

Several bloodthirsty moths still hovered low in the sky, ignoring Shi Ming. The mimicry dust on his body was effective for thirty minutes and was still working.

He came to the crack and looked down.

Apart from the densely packed hanging cocoons and the worms still wriggling in the crimson pool of blood, the ferocious bloodthirsty moths had all awakened and left the gunpowder-filled crevice.

I hope the captain and his crew like this gift.

Without further hesitation, Shi Ming, knife in hand, jumped into the crevice!
thump!
The worms lacked the means to attack, and even if they were aware of this alien species, they were helpless. Moreover, the mimicry dust was still effective—they even came over affectionately, wanting to rub against Shi Ming's skin.

Shi Ming did not kill them to avoid causing any further complications.

He quickly seeped into the bloodstream.

The moment his skin touched the pool of blood, he felt something subtle seeping into his body from the crimson liquid, gradually affecting his skin, muscles, and even his very essence.

At the same time, the red markings on his right arm began to glow faintly and gradually heat up!

The once affectionate, robust worms now fled as if they had encountered a natural enemy, leaving only Shi Ming in the middle of the vast pool of blood-red water!
Shi Ming has never experienced awakening.

But at this moment, there is no doubt that his body is changing. All the cells in his body seem to be activated by this crimson liquid and are slowly awakening!
He continued to dive deeper, and with each dive, he felt the surrounding energy becoming increasingly intense, and the blood vessels on his right arm grew hotter and hotter! Under normal water conditions, he could hold his breath for about three minutes.

But at this moment, he no longer needed to breathe!
Just like a fish in water, his skin absorbs the power of the blood and provides oxygen to his blood!
Slowly, he sank to the deepest part of the blood pool.

That was the area where the power was most concentrated.

Shi Ming's entire body was trembling, his vision was completely blood red, and visibility was almost zero. But Shi Ming could still clearly feel a powerful object constantly pulsating, luring every cell in his body closer!
He followed his instincts and extended his right hand.

bang——

bang——

It seemed to be a peculiar artery, with a rhythm like that of a heartbeat.

Shi Ming closed his eyes tightly, savoring this wondrous sensation.

This is a feeling I've never experienced before.
Burning, pain, pleasure, stimulation, revival, and explosion...

……

……

……

Wow...

Blood splattered everywhere, and Shi Ming emerged from the blood pool below the crack, creating ripples of crimson light.

call……

Breathing in the fresh air again, he felt an unprecedented sense of comfort. He could clearly feel the difference in his body, as if he had shed all the burdens of the past, and his soul was leaping with joy.

The captain said that the period before awakening and the period after awakening are two completely different concepts.

Now it seems that this was indeed the case.

Without relying on any point of leverage, he leaped lightly and jumped out of the crevice, leaving a trail of crimson smoke, as if he were wearing a red cloak.

"Is this what awakening is?"

"I feel incredibly strong!"

"When I awakened in my blood, I ignored the change of time. Judging from the current angle of the sun, only about fifteen minutes should have passed."

He was preparing to conduct an internal review of his own changes to see what skills he had awakened.
The familiar system subtitles reappeared before his eyes.

【drop. 】

Congratulations! You have successfully awakened and completed the beginner's quest, Awakening.

[Reward: Beginner's Supply Pack x1]

[Congratulations! Because your awakened bloodline comes from the rare and exotic beast Xuanwu, you have received an additional S-rank reward: "Gold-grade Drifting Ship Key"!]

The reward has been placed in the system repository; the host can retrieve it at any time.

Upon reading the system's prompt, Shi Ming's eyes lit up. He immediately opened the system's inventory and, sure enough, in one corner of the inventory, there was a shiny key and a square package.

Shi Ming bypassed the beginner's supply pack and focused his attention on the golden key!

This is an S-level reward!
It's extraordinary at first glance!

[Drifting Ship Key - Gold Grade]

Every drifting boat has its own owner, and it cannot set sail without the owner's intervention. However, the drifting boat key can brute-force its way through the monitoring system, allowing you to become its new owner! (Note: Gold-level keys are only valid for drifting boats of Gold level and below, and can only be used three times.)

……

(End of this chapter)