Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 41 - 39: Hunting a D-Rank Sea Beast

Shi Ming came up with over a dozen names, but he wasn’t satisfied with any of them.

Naming things, whether people or ships, is a difficult task. A good name, one that carries vision and ideals, is often a matter of serendipity. Sometimes inspiration strikes and you happen upon the perfect one, while other times you can rack your brain and still be unable to make a decision.

And the more you try to force it, the more you end up going in the opposite direction.

’Forget it. This isn’t urgent anyway. The priority now is to head to the location marked on the map and confirm if there’s really a D-class sea beast there. If so, I can try to hunt it. An S-class Awakened bathing in the blood of a D-class Sea Beast again won’t have a great effect, but it’s still worth a try.’

’If that doesn’t work, I can always store some Sea Beast Blood so Stone Pillar and the others can become Awakened in the future.’

On the Endless Ocean, it was hard to truly thrive by going it alone.

The best path forward was to establish his own faction.

After the upgrade, the drifting ship’s speed had increased. Its machinery roared at high speed, leaving a snow-white wake on the sea.

...

"Captain, we’re approaching the coordinates of the sea area you specified. Should we reduce speed and find a suitable place to drop anchor?"

The helmsman asked for Shi Ming’s opinion over the intercom.

"Slow us down, but make our approach as loud and imposing as possible."

The ocean was the domain of the sea beasts. Most powerful sea beasts had no fear of the steel contraptions drifting on the water. They ran rampant and would often pick fights with low-level drifting ships and wild boats. In the early years of the Wandering Era, countless wild boats were destroyed and their crews killed in sea beast attacks.

Shi Ming took off his cumbersome captain’s uniform and went out onto the deck. A saber hung from his waist, and at his side was the level 4 pistol.

The captain’s uniform provided insufficient Defense Power, and it was a hindrance in a fight.

It had been a long time since he’d had a real, proper fight.

But the sea here was placid; it didn’t look like a place where a powerful sea beast would be lurking.

"Throw the fermented fish into the sea..."

Shi Ming gave the order from the command console.

"Roger, Captain. Are we going fishing today?"

"That’s right."

Shi Ming smiled, wiping his saber.

"And today, we’re fishing for a big one."

The ship dropped anchor in a random spot, and the crew got to work.

High-end chumming often requires special ingredients. The fermented fish had a foul, nauseating stench, but it was excellent for attracting powerful sea beasts. Covering their noses, the crew members lifted bucket after bucket of fish and dumped them over the edge of the ship.

PLOP. PLOP.

One by one, the rotten fish were tossed into the sea, where they floated beside the ship. The stench was so foul that even Shi Ming couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

Fortunately, the human sense of smell adapts quickly. After a few moments, he grew accustomed to the stench.

He stood in the most conspicuous spot on the edge of the deck. His gaze was sharp, his muscles were loose, and his right hand rested on the hilt of his saber as he waited patiently.

Today, he was a Hunter, and the most important virtue for a Hunter is patience.

A dozen minutes passed.

SPLASH. CHURN.

Ripples spread across the surface of the sea, and huge bubbles began to rise from the depths. A massive dark shadow loomed, faintly visible beneath the waves.

’It’s here?’

The Hunter was the bait.

Shi Ming held his breath, readying himself for battle.

He was also ready to activate his S-class skill, Black Tortoise Shield, at a moment’s notice.

He hadn’t asked the other crew members to provide firearm support. D-class sea beasts were relatively easy to handle, making this a rare opportunity to practice with his blade. Thanks to his Awakening and having eaten the blue trout, his eyesight was also far superior to a normal person’s.

The slightest movements beneath the surface did not escape his notice.

Here it comes!

It was a monstrous, bizarre-looking fish. Its body was a mass of sharp, exaggerated angles, and it was covered in razor-sharp scales. Barbed spikes, clearly visible at the tip of each scale, jutted out. The creature’s mouth looked like a gleaming dagger, and a row of massive fangs glinted menacingly beneath the surface.

’Quite a unique design.’

The dugout canoes humans used were only about three or four meters long, and this sea fish was comparable in size to a slightly larger one.

"I’ll call you the Scale Armor Fish! You will be the first sea beast I hunt."

Shi Ming looked at the Scale Armor Fish, giving it a name on the whim.

His naming skills weren’t great, but he figured the Scale Armor Fish wouldn’t mind.

A D-class sea beast’s combat power generally surpassed that of an ordinary D-class Awakened, but it lacked the cunning and strategy of an intelligent creature. As an S-class Awakened, if Shi Ming lacked the confidence to kill it, it would be a personal failure.

WHOOSH—

The Scale Armor Fish cruised beneath the surface, letting out a series of bizarre calls. It smelled prey, and the creature standing on the ship staring down at it held an even more inexplicable allure.

This was food it had never eaten before!

SWOOSH!

It was pure predatory instinct.

The Scale Armor Fish’s massive body launched straight out of the water, shooting toward Shi Ming like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Its pointed snout was like a rapier, thrusting forward at incredible speed. Stranger still, four bizarre claws grew from its scale-armored belly.

’Amphibious?’

"It’s a Sharp-beaked Flying Fish! They’re tough! Captain, watch out!"

The moment the Scale Armor Fish leaped from the sea to ram him, Shi Ming dodged with lightning speed, moving to its flank. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he unleashed the full power of his body, channeling it into his arm.

’A surprise attack?’

The red marking on his right arm glowed almost imperceptibly.

A silver light flashed like lightning. Shi Ming’s blade rose and fell in a single, merciless motion—a swift downward chop. The saber’s edge met the Scale Armor Fish’s neck. SLICE! With a single blow, he cut straight down through its tough scales and severed its head!

CRUNCH—

The Scale Armor Fish’s head, sharp snout and all, flew from its body. Blood erupted like a fountain, drenching Shi Ming. The tank top he wore was soaked through, and the scalding, briny blood ran down his skin and pooled on the deck.

The massive head slammed onto the deck with a THUD. It hadn’t lost its life immediately; its sharp teeth continued to snap at the air.

As for the rest of the Scale Armor Fish’s body, it slid off the edge of the ship and plunged back into the sea.

Headless, it continued to thrash on the surface of the water.

"Exhilarating!"

The fight was short, but the dopamine rush was intense!

Shi Ming took a couple of deep breaths. The hot blood had given him a shower from head to toe, and the sight of the sea beast gushing blood sent a thrill through him.

Covered in blood, Shi Ming walked over to the still-snapping head. He aimed his saber at the center of its skull and thrust down hard before quickly pulling it out. The Scale Armor Fish’s Defense Power was formidable, but enhanced by the strength in his right arm, Shi Ming’s blade slid in with ease.

The murky black eye finally went dull. Its sharp teeth snapped a few more times, then fell still.

The crew members who had been watching from the sidelines were stunned.

Their captain had killed a sea beast in mere seconds?

The very same Sharp-beaked Flying Fish they had struggled so hard to fight under Chunyi, the kind whose defenses couldn’t be pierced by any type of bullet, had just been decapitated with ease?

"What are you gawking at? Get moving and retrieve the beast’s carcass!"

Shi Ming shouted, sheathing his saber.

Having been bathed in the beast’s blood during the kill, Shi Ming could feel the scalding liquid seeping through his skin and into his muscles, carrying a strange power with it. Unfortunately, compared to the power he’d absorbed in the Xuanwu Blood Pool, this was nothing—a puddle next to an ocean.

[BEEP!]

[Congratulations, you have slain the D-class sea beast: Scolding Scale Flying Fish.]

[Upon being bathed in Beast Blood, you have acquired the D-class skill: Flying Assault. Due to its low level, the skill Flying Assault has been assimilated and devoured by the S-class skill "Black Tortoise Shield," slightly increasing the host’s speed and Physical Strength.]

???

’Seriously?’

’Every little bit counts! No matter how small the skill, it’s still a skill. I wouldn’t have been picky!’

’But this Black Tortoise Shield is too damn tyrannical. Why’d it have to go and devour my skill?’