Pushing open the thick wooden board leading to the deck with effort, droplets as large as beans instantly slanted down through the cracks. Climbing out of the cabin in the pouring rain, the group was already completely soaked.
The wind howled and whistled, wet and cold clothes clinging to the skin. Looking out through the heavy curtain of rain, only dense fog and smoke were visible.
In that instant, the ship suddenly tilted to one side. Nelly almost lost her balance but was pulled steady by Melissa.
“Melissa, I think a sea monster will appear soon,” Nelly warned.
The other nodded seriously, one hand embracing the mast, the other drawing her sword, ready at any moment.
Another large wave hit, and the Siren ship trembled and dove from the wave’s peak, seawater flowing wildly across the tilting deck.
The fog gradually dispersed ahead, revealing a massive and ugly form: a sea monster five times the size of the Siren, spewing water columns and blocking their path, extending long and powerful tentacles to strike.
A thunderous roar erupted as the bow shattered under the attack, the foremost mast collapsing, destroying everything in its path.
Melissa reacted quickly, pulling Nelly and Carl out of the way of falling debris, shouting, “Is the captain alright?”
No response.
Her words were drowned out by the sound of splintering wood and sailors’ wails.
Tentacles covered in suckers skillfully wrapped around innocent prey, lifting them high and bringing them to a gaping mouth. The victim first screamed, the cry becoming higher and more urgent, then suddenly suppressed, as if choking, before the struggle ceased, everything falling silent.
Then, the sound of bones being crushed and slimy liquid moving, every detail unnervingly clear.
Melissa’s face turned slightly pale, but she gripped her sword. Before she could rush to fight the monster, it attacked the ship again.
The Siren was like a paper model, utterly defenseless. Already taking on water, the ship split apart, seawater quickly rushing in and swirling around.
“Whirlpool!” Gerard shouted in a low voice, clinging to a mast.
Carl expressionlessly raised his quill pen, waving it several times. The floating wooden boards in the increasingly deep water suddenly closed together, forming a makeshift raft. Carl, Nelly, and Melissa struggled to maintain balance on the raft.
There was still a chance before the whirlpool fully formed!
Carl coughed and waved his quill pen again, and the obstructing tattered sail instantly vanished.
Nelly called out worriedly to the wizard, “Are you okay?”
His expression was indiscernible in the storm. He seemed to smile slightly: “I’m fine.”
He pointed behind the raft teetering on the wave’s crest, and a gentle wind immediately pushed them forward smoothly, until…
The sea monster’s tentacle accurately struck down toward the raft.
Melissa shouted and stood to meet the attack with her best technique.
Sensing the killing intent, the monster quickly altered its trajectory, temporarily halting the strike.
Her swift movement destabilized the raft. Carl, hunched over, lost his balance and was about to fall overboard. Nelly reached out to grasp his arm, her other hand gripping the raft’s edge, rough wooden splinters piercing her palm, but she felt no pain.
Carl bit back a gasp, one hand grabbing the wet wooden crevice, disregarding the blood from his torn fingertips, coughing as he climbed back beside Nelly. He opened his mouth to reveal a pool of crimson. Nelly offered a healing potion, which he drank in one gulp, turning to her: “Help me maintain balance.”
Before she could react, the boy’s cold, wet hand covered hers, their fingers intertwining. He didn’t look at her, maintaining a proud posture while casting magic, two light spheres quickly striking the sea monster.
But one light arrow was faster than Carl’s, swiftly and elegantly hitting the monster. The sea monster let out a long screech, temporarily stopping its attack as it slapped the water.
Looking back, Gerard was struggling to cling to a wooden board, his amber eyes focusing intently through the fog.
Carl’s grip on Nelly’s fingers seemed to tighten as he suppressed a cough and waved his quill pen again, three light spheres simultaneously flying out.
Melissa seized the moment, striking down hard on a floating tentacle.
The sea monster became enraged, disregarding its wounds and attacking the raft with full force, trapping Melissa and the others at the whirlpool’s edge. A great force pulled the hard-won raft back.
Time was critical. Light arrows and spheres danced, illuminating the black fog; sword sounds rang out, and the sea monster roared sharply.
Nelly turned back, crying out, “The whirlpool is forming!”
Before her words finished, the water’s massive force destabilized the raft, pulling it toward the rapidly turning center.
Carl urgently chanted a spell, a red light enveloping the three on the raft, surrounding scenery gradually distorting. Nelly’s eyes widened, seeing Gerard swimming toward them with all his might, yet always just short…
Without hesitation, she reached out her left hand and grabbed him.
Carl’s intertwined fingers suddenly tightened, the surrounding scenery spinning faster until everything disappeared.
They seemed to ascend into the sky, then suddenly plunge into the water. Bubbles rose, blurring the vision, and a salty taste rushed into the mouth. Naily belatedly realized: This is different from the agreed-upon game plot! The waves crashed, extinguishing all willpower.
Naily awoke in an unusually standard shipwreck survivor mode. Waves crashed against her, jolting her awake. She lay on her back on a shallow beach, unsure of her location. It was near dusk, the sky red as if carelessly smeared by the most inept painter. Naily turned with difficulty and noticed another person beside her. The pure white hair, even when wet and clinging to her cheeks, remained inexplicably clean and dazzling. Karl’s eyes were tightly closed, his face extremely pale, lips slightly blue. Naily immediately sat up, looking around, with no sign of Melissa. She could only first administer a high-level healing potion. Before the potion bottle was empty, Karl’s eyelashes trembled, and he coughed up seawater mixed with blood. Naily clumsily took out a handkerchief from her storage space, wiping his face and feeding him more potion. After the third healing potion, Karl finally opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused for a while.
Naily couldn’t help but wave her hand in front of his eyes, but he suddenly grabbed her hand with unexpected strength. His fingers were icy, yet tightly pressed against hers.
Naily softened her tone: “Karl?” The red eyes finally focused on her face. Karl’s voice was hoarse: “Naily.”
Naily trembled slightly, lowering her eyes: “I’m here.” “Thank goodness,” Karl murmured and closed his eyes.
Naily panicked, checking his forehead temperature, which was indeed alarmingly hot. This heat seemed impossible to repel with medicine. Naily decided to drag Karl away from the beach. But as she tried to stand, she discovered her legs were painfully injured, looking down to see cuts from sharp rocks.
Naily took a breath and stood up. Feeling slightly dizzy, she took deep breaths, supporting Karl’s head and neck, dragging him towards the beach’s end. After just a few steps, Naily was already out of breath. She temporarily put Karl down and opened the system interface, which was filled with connection interruption messages. Looking at the unconscious wizard, Naily bit her lip, hesitating for a moment.
