After going into the sea, I met the witch.

Having collected his spoils, Ryan had no more worries.

Instead of running away, he stood still, ready to face the Rathalos leader.

Ryan planned to see how much of a power gap remained between himself and the Rathalos leader, who was at the "lower tier."

The Rathalos leader arrived even faster than Ryan had predicted; it was only eight or nine seconds before it reached the top of the short, thick tree.

The Rathalos leader was furious at not seeing the "prey" he had imagined.

With its majestic and savage eyes fixed on the "ants" below, the Rathalos leader opened its mouth and spewed down terrifying flames.

A tidal wave of fire surged in, and compared to it, even the fireballs spewed out by the Firebird in its "Crimson Frenzy" state seemed insignificant.

The moisture in the leaves evaporated rapidly, turning them yellow and withered. Within an area of ​​nearly 100 square meters, even the giant tree was scorched and carbonized in a very short time.

Ryan's expression was solemn as he shouldered the greatsword.

The surging sea of ​​fire swept in, and when it entered the "water vapor environment" more than three meters around him, it made a violent "sizzling" sound, and countless water vapors rose up.

The flames, now much paler in color, broke through the barrier of the "moisture environment" and landed on Ryan.

Pain was Ryan's first sensation.

Instead of being surprised, he was delighted.

If you feel pain, it means you can still bear it. If you don't even feel pain, it means your body was carbonized in an instant.

The "Fire Resistance +4" effect played a significant role at this moment. Although the pain persisted, Ryan did not lose his ability to resist as he had last time.

Thick steam obscured his vision, allowing him to vaguely make out the silhouette of the Rathalos leader above.

"Hula..."

A fierce wind swept through, and the giant shadow above fell rapidly.

"what!"

Ryan roared and slashed out with his greatsword, which he had charged to its limit.

"Ding--"

That was the sound of a greatsword colliding with a dragon claw.

Ryan could feel the descending dragon claw pause for a moment under the blow of the greatsword.

Then, an overwhelming force swept in and completely engulfed Ryan.

In the final moment before his vision faded into darkness, what Ryan saw reflected in the eyes of the Rathalos leader was a pair of dragon eyes filled with a hint of surprise.

……

Silver Moon Bay, at the port.

A fifth-class sailing cruiser bearing a naval flag slowly departed from the port.

On the deck, the sailors gazed at the three figures in black armor at the bow with awe in their eyes.

Black armor and a silver mask—those are the symbols of the Black Knight.

In the Kingdom of Augustus, the Black Knight signifies absolute violence.

Of the three black knights, the two who were half a step behind looked at the back of the person in front of them with respect on their faces.

The Black Knights are a strictly hierarchical organization, and these are just ordinary members. But the person in front of them has a pale gold number—12—on the center of his brow on his mask.

That is the symbol of a seated knight in the Black Knights.

There are thirteen Black Knights in total, each possessing immense martial prowess.

The Black Knight held a wanted poster in his hand, the portrait on which was none other than a beautiful figure wearing a witch's hat.

“Dark Moon Witch, Freyne… Heretic, we’ve finally found you…”

"This time, you will have absolutely no chance of escaping!"

The chilling, murderous intent in the Black Knight's voice was unmatched, even by the biting sea breeze.

Zhang's sword skills improved

"Wow..."

On the boundless sea, the waves keep rolling.

The soft sunlight fell, reflecting a shimmering light.

【Black Rose】.

After confirming the course, Ryan walked to the bow deck.

Along the way, the pirates and sailors who saw him instinctively shrank back half a step.

Ryan noticed this phenomenon. He sat cross-legged on the bow deck, listening to the waves and contemplating the origin of the phenomenon while also reflecting on his swordsmanship.

He could sense the fear these pirate sailors had of him.

This fear did not stem from the shadow of the previous battle between the two ships, but rather from the instinctive fear of a herbivore at the bottom of the food chain when encountering a carnivore.

This phenomenon had been brewing for a while, but he thought it was just his imagination and didn't pay much attention. Now that it's become more and more obvious, he can't ignore it anymore.

Is it my eyes? Or my demeanor?

After thinking for a while, Ryan guessed that it was most likely both.

As he traveled and fought against numerous monsters, his demeanor gradually acquired a touch of the monsters' spirit.

Well, how could someone who can fight and defeat a monster not have the aura to overwhelm it?

If this aura were in a place of travel, it could help the travel clone reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble, but if it were on the main body... then it would be somewhat inappropriate.

Therefore, he needs to learn to restrain his gaze and demeanor.

It won't be easy to do this, but Ryan has to.

Fortunately, the daily practice of understanding Storm Sword Techniques is a process of tempering one's temperament and honing one's body and mind.

……

Time for spiritual practice always flies by.

Ryan was awakened by the sound of approaching, light footsteps.

He turned his head and saw Freya leaning against the gunwale, the girl's fluffy white and blue gradient hat slightly deformed in the sea breeze.

"Lady Freyne."

Ryan stood up and bowed.

"Did I disturb you?" The girl's voice was as melodious as a mountain spring, but for some reason, Ryan felt that Freyne's tone was not so happy today, and there was no smile on her lips.

Thinking of Cecilia's situation, Ryan also felt somewhat down, sharing her feelings.

"No, I've been cultivating for a while, so I'm just taking a break." He shook his head.

At the bulwark, Frey raised her fair hand, her fingers slightly spread, letting the sea breeze flow through the gaps between them: "Mr. Ryan, the wind seems to be picking up lately?"

“Yes.” Ryan nodded. “The northwest monsoon is coming in autumn, and under its influence, the speed of the Black Rose will increase further. The journey that originally took a week may be shortened by more than a third.”

“That’s good news.” A smile appeared on Freyne’s face.

At this moment, Ryan remembered something, and his spatial ring flashed, revealing three lustrous white pearls in his hand: "Lady Freyne, these are rare treasures I obtained by chance, called Abundance Pearls. When crushed and swallowed, they can restore strength and heal injuries. I wonder if they will be of any use to Miss Cecilia?"

Frey took the pearl, examined it carefully, and sensed the extraordinary spiritual energy emanating from it. A look of surprise appeared in her eyes: "What a treasure..."

She gave the young man a deep look but didn't ask about the origin of the object, which relieved Ryan.

Of course, it was precisely because of their time together that Ryan had come to understand Freyne's character, which is why he decided to bring this out, and it was not unexpected.

After studying her for a while, Freya sighed softly, "Mr. Ryan, you've put your heart into this."

"This pearl does indeed have the effect of replenishing life force, but..."

“Cecilia’s condition cannot be resolved by simply replenishing her life force.”

The girl's hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and her voice carried a hint of remoteness: "Even if you glue a broken container back together, every time a drop of water spills out, the burden on the old container will increase."

“Right now, Cecilia is not lacking a replenishment of her life force, but rather the credentials to reshape her vessel. And to reshape her vessel, only a true advancement in rank, coupled with the baptism of life essence, will make success possible.”

"Take it back."

“Is that so…” Ryan shook his head: “Lady Freyne, please accept this. Although it can’t help Miss Cecilia, there are still many fierce battles waiting for us after we arrive at the Whirlpool Islands to find and hunt the Moon Wolves. You are the strongest among us. With this, you can recover quickly after you are injured.”

“…Then I will accept it.” Frey hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to accept it.

She had long since exhausted all the magical artifacts and potions she possessed for healing injuries during her years of escape, and with this "Abundant Pearl," she would have more options.

Unconsciously, Frey recalled the "Viewing Grounds" she had entered last night through the family's secret treasure—the [Nameless Ship's Proboscis], and the various "precious resources" on the exchange list.

Next time, I will never fail at investing!

The girl silently cheered herself on.

……

After their conversation, Freyne returned to the captain's cabin, leaving Ryan alone, still sitting cross-legged on the bow deck, listening to the rhythm of the sea.

The sunset arrived quietly.

Ryan spent a rare peaceful day in meditation.

After correcting his course again, he took a quick shower and changed his clothes before returning to his room.

Lying on the wooden bed, enjoying an indescribable peace, Ryan's thoughts drifted away.

He gained a lot from a day of practice.

Leaving aside vague and ethereal insights, his biggest gain was the reduction in the charging time of the [Storm Sword Skill - Wave Breaker].

The base time for half-charge has been reduced from 1 second to about 0.9 seconds.

Don't underestimate that mere 0.1 seconds; it's already a remarkable improvement.

If you add the "5% reduction in greatsword charge time" effect from [Concentration Lv.1], he only needs 0.85 seconds to complete a charge!

In a real battle, 0.15 seconds can be the difference between life and death!

Ryan was pleased with his improved skills.