Chapter 822
Dawn of War
‘My spiritual force has reached another bottleneck. I might be able to break through after this battle.’ A month had yet to pass since Leylin broke through to rank 7 as a wizard.
This frightening pace of advancement was something even your average genius wouldn’t be able to match. His speed was absolutely monstrous.
Naturally, Leylin could only advance so quickly because of the Devilblood Dagger’s work, and even more so because of his strong foundation. It was because of his foundation that he could control the explosive increase in his life force and stats. In his situation, Isabel would long since have gone insane or become a devil.
“There’s a fleet ahead!” The pirate in the loft called out suddenly.
“I see the flag of the Merfolk Pirates, it’s their battleship!” Leylin did not feel particularly alarmed by this news. This sort of sneak attack couldn't be successful over and over again.
The Merfolk Pirates would have long made preparations around their lair, and it wouldn't have been difficult for them to spot him.
“Call the sailors out, prepare for battle!” The most important thing about naval warfare was long-distance ranged attacks and boarding. Under Robin Hood’s roar, tens of pirates and sailors stood out, their hands suffused in the blue light of weapons slicked with poison.
The Black Tigers who went up against the Merfolk Pirates had a look of great apprehension in their eyes. Only the weapons in their hands and Leylin’s presence could calm them down slightly.
“These pirates need to undergo a longer period of training...” Isabel and Robin Hood came to Leylin with worried expressions.
“Don’t worry, the battleground is the best teacher. Death will help weed out the trash. After all, if they still lose to the enemy even with the weapons I provided, then I won’t care even if they die,” Leylin’s expression was completely cool.
“This type of weapon…” Robin Hood raised up the longsword in his hand. The edge of the blade was suffused with a blue glow, which was clearly a powerful toxin. He had personally tested this poison, and discovered it had a powerful paralytic effect. Even a shark could not endure it for more than a few breaths.
‘This sort of poisonous weapon could fetch a price of more than ten gold coins in the black market…’ Robin Hood unconsciously licked his lips. He had a quiver of poison arrows on his back, which when combined with his archery skills gave him the confidence to challenge a rank 5 fighter.
‘I didn't expect the boss to have mastered alchemy as well…’ Robin Hood glanced at Leylin with eyes full of respect. Such an achievement made him feel even more fearful. If he ever offended his boss, he probably wouldn’t even realise how he died.
In reality, those poisonous reagents were a result of Leylin’s boredom. He was already a grandmaster in the field, and after familiarising himself with the flora and fauna of the World of Gods over a few years, his experience naturally translated into results.
The raw material of these poisonous reagents was the juice of the most commonly seen pike fish on the Faulen Island. No matter who looked at it, they wouldn’t associate that fish with deadly poison.
Even cousin Isabel envied Leylin’s poison, and although she did not apply it to her own longsword, she still asked him for a small bottle.
“Isabel, Faulen guards!” Leylin commanded.
“Boss!” This group of people were small in number, but they had the highest loyalty towards Leylin. Once they heard his command, they immediately assembled by his side.
“Pick up your weapons!” Once Leylin issued his command, the guards brought out their longswords. The icy blue glow they emitted filled many pirates with fear.
“Although I've already boosted their damage once, it’s better to have more insurance,” Leylin pointed his finger, and a shining spell entered Isabel’s black longsword.
This was Enchant Item, a rank 1 spell which could boost weapon damage as well as defence. Although Isabel had not soaked her own sword in poison, seeing her sword immersed in a layer of magical light caused a joyous expression to appear on her face.
After a weapon had been enchanted, even temporarily, its power far surpassed that of poisoned weapons. Of course, enchantments were more expensive as well.
However, Leylin’s act did not stop there.
Enchant Item was cast again and again and again as Leylin added a layer of enchantment to the weapons of all his own guards.
“Cousin,will you have enough spells after this? Don't tell me you’ve used up all your spell slots to enchant weapons?” Isabel stood at the side as she watched the guards, and even the pirates, receive the same magical light to their swords. Her eyes were full of envy and she almost even drooled.
Enchanted equipment would increase an individual’s battle strength by leaps and bounds. Imagine if you struck someone, and your opponent’s weapon snapped in half, and even their armour would not be able to stop your sword. How would that make you feel?
With this support, those guards now had a lower chance of dying. This was Leylin’s goal, as these talented people were his true capital and the core of his strength. Family was still family, and they would receive differential treatment right from the beginning. Leylin surveyed his surroundings and was very satisfied with the result.
“Did you see that? Demonstrate your loyalty to me in the future, and you shall have whatever you want!” Leylin shouted. Paired with his earlier use of magic, his voice was full of persuasive power.
At this moment, a small fleet appeared in the waters. It was a group made up of a battleship as large as the Black Tiger and two smaller boats, advancing in a threatening manner as they surrounded Leylin’s ship.
One could even see numerous pirates on the decks, as well as a pirate flag of a merfolk skeleton on their flagpole.
“Welcome them on board. Prepare for a battle on the sea!” Robin Hood shouted. Many sailors could not help but firmly grasp their weapons, the only thing they could rely on to make themselves feel safe.
‘The Merfolk Pirates are close to the Black Tigers in strength. However, they have nearly 200 sailors, including merfolk, shark people, and even other marine tribes…’ Leylin’s keen eyes allowed him to see farther than others, distinguishing the characteristics of the opposing marine tribes. His eyes glowed with interest.
‘I wonder… What is the difference between the marine tribes here and the ones from the Magus World?’ Leylin knew that this question would soon be answered. Because after this battle, he would have an enormous number of test subjects to experiment on.
*Bang!* As soon as both sides were within a mile of each other, the opposing battleship let out a massive explosive sound. An enormously long harpoon was shot out towards them.
*Shua!* The terrifyingly fast harpoon had immense kinetic energy, and only Leylin was able to see its orbit through the air.
Fresh blood flew into the air, and a great number of pained cries immediately rang out. The harpoon penetrated several of the less able pirates who didn't duck in time. It pierced through the Pirates, stringing them together like an iced candy haw on a stick[1. Red hawthorn fruit covered in liquid sugary syrup, with a stick piercing through the middle of 6-7 fruits. Street snack]. It even pierced through the floor of the deck and embedded itself there.
Fresh blood flowed from the harpoon, and the more tenacious pirates still managed to issue cries of pain as they attempted to struggle. This made the other pirates retreat, their eyes filled with fear.
‘These bastards! Luckily I never thought of depending on them!’ The dismal performance of the pirates made Leylin shake his head. He then winked at Isabel, and used a Flight spell to soar into the sky.
Once Leylin got closer, he could hear the commotion on the opposing ship. “Wizard! The enemy has a wizard!” “Prepare your bows and arrows!”
Powerful spell casters had a strong reputation that spread throughout the continents of the World of Gods. Why a respected wizard would join the pirates and suddenly attack was something the Merfolk Pirates could not understand. However, the fear had already taken root, leaving them bewildered and open to attack.
The fluttering arrows soared into the sky, but lost their energy mid-air like kites with their strings cut. They swayed here and there as they fell.
At Leylin’s height, if they wanted to really threaten him, they had to have a Professional who used bows, such as a Ranger or an Archer. However, it was obvious that the opposing group would have a limited number of these talents. The few times they tried to attack him, Leylin easily dodged them.
Once a wizard could fearlessly shoot his spells from the air, calamity would begin.
Fireball! Gust!
A massive fireball flashed in Leylin's hand, and immediately exploded on one of the smaller ships’ sails. Magic fuelled its flames, and the Gust spell caused it to spread. The entire ship went up in fire.
*Splash! Splash!* The sailors who had been set on fire jumped off the ship one by one, and were struggling in the middle of the ocean.
By the time the other small pirate ship faced the same fate, some of the men on the main battleship had gone mad.
“Damn it! Where is this damn wizard from?” The Merfolk Pirates’ leader was a strong man. Only the two faint traces of scales on both sides of his cheeks hinted that this person had once won the blessing of a devil, and possessed the power of a demon.
Currently, the pirate captain looked at how half of his force had been destroyed, and almost went mad. He would never have thought that he would clash against such a mighty wizard. Seeing that the wizard was able to fly and skilfully cast spells in mid-air, he had to be at least rank 7. He could even be a powerful rank 8 or 9 wizard!
With this sort of strength, he could become a noble on the continent. So why was this wizard coming here especially to bother him?