Chapter 33

Dafei took a deep breath and immediately adjusted his state from the shock he had just experienced.

Leadership is a skill that heroes must master, sooner or later. Even if I made a mistake, it's fine. After all, I still have plenty of skill points. Of course, I will continue to learn the Luck skill and must correct the Curse of Misfortune. The remaining sharks must not make any mistakes.

Dafei took out the skill book for the Luck skill, and a golden light flashed.

— System Notice: You have spent one skill point to learn the Basic Luck skill.

— Basic Luck skill: Increases the hero and the hero's troops by 1 point of luck. 1 point of luck has a 2% chance to deal a lucky strike that doubles the maximum damage.

Now Dafei could finally attack the sharks with peace of mind.

The crossbow cannons roared, and each roar took the life of a shark. The sea surface was stained red with blood, and dozens of dead sharks floated belly-up in the bloody waves. The sharks that couldn't reach the tuna began to gnaw on the bodies of their dead companions. For sharks, as long as there was flesh and blood, they didn't care if it was their own kind. Once sharks smelled blood, their damage and attack speed would greatly increase. This was the powerful special skill of sharks, Blood Frenzy. If it weren't for the negative effect of friendly fire, this skill could be considered a god-tier skill.

Finally, another golden light descended from the sky.

— System Notice: Congratulations! You have leveled up to level 18! You have gained 1 free attribute point, 1 skill point, +2 HP, and +1 Leadership.

Dafei let out a long sigh of relief. It was a good thing he had wisely preserved the crossbow cannons. They say that leveling up after level 10 is difficult, but Dafei didn't feel that way! He was an expert, and what was hell for the weak was paradise for the strong! Hahaha!

There were still a dozen left. I'll send you all on your way. It's a pity that I don't get any shark fins for killing so many sharks.

The crossbow cannon roared again, taking the life of another shark. At that moment, the shark pack scattered like birds startled by an arrow, disappearing without a trace.

Dafei was taken aback. Why did they suddenly run away? There were still tens of thousands of experience points to be had. Just as he was stunned,

— System Notice: Reconnaissance warning! A powerful enemy is approaching. Please remain vigilant.

The mini-map immediately flashed red! Damn, a boss! No wonder they ran so fast. It must be an enemy that even sharks fear! Dafei thought sharks were fearless after entering a blood frenzy.

Dafei immediately took out his telescope and looked in the direction indicated by the mini-map. Sure enough, he saw a huge fish spine breaking through the waves in the distance—Great White Shark! The king of the ocean, the ruler of the rulers! It is said that the speed of a great white shark in the ocean can match that of a car. Judging from its astonishing speed, this was indeed true!

Dafei was instantly stunned! Was it here to eat meat or to ram the ship? As long as it doesn't ram the ship, anything is fine. I absolutely won't attack you! No, no, no, there's absolutely no one here. Feel free to eat the meat!

Dafei was afraid of being seen and immediately ran to another closed cannon port in the gun deck, peeking out through the gap. After all, it is said that the great white shark is the only shark that can raise its head above the water. Its field of vision is far superior to that of ordinary sharks. If it discovered him, who knows what would happen.

The great white shark arrived in an instant, and its size was beyond Dafei's imagination! It was almost as long as half the ship! This was a prehistoric shark!

In this sea of blood and floating corpses, its first target was the tuna that had been gnawed to pieces and smelled delicious! Then it opened its massive mouth, like a garage door—Awooo!

— Bang! The ship shook violently! Dafei's heart was also shaken!

Am I fishing for a prehistoric shark? Am I courting death? No, no, no, after giving me Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea," now you're giving me Spielberg's "Jaws"? What's next? "Pacific Rim"? Do you want me to summon a Gundam?

The sea was roiled with giant waves, and the ship began to shake violently. The strength of the great shark was so powerful that it could stir the ocean!

Dafei's heart tightened. If this continues, it will be "Titanic"! I can't let it go wrong. I need to untie the rope quickly.

As Dafei ran to the deck, he felt the ship start to move, and it was moving fast! The great shark was dragging the ship!

Dafei was suddenly shocked! Why isn't the shark attacking my ship?

Is this still "The Old Man and the Sea"? In the story, the tuna dragged the old man's small boat for several days and nights until it was exhausted and bled to death. Does this mean the great shark has the same level of intelligence? Does it not know that the rope is tied to the ship?

If that's the case, should I bet on it?

As a lottery enthusiast and a speculator, this question is not a problem! However, Dafei suddenly realized that since he got the ship, he had started to worry about gains and losses. For example, he wouldn't have made such a low-level mistake before.

Indeed, when he was an expert, the reason he could outperform so-called experts wasn't because his skills were higher. Dafei knew this much. It was because he didn't take the game seriously and could act without restraint, which led to his success.

In the end, what I need is to surpass myself!

I'm betting! I've already obtained a treasure map and information about the super crossbow cannon. The epic captain has already gained a lot. It's just a ship in the game, and I can afford to play.

Now, "The Old Man and the Sea" is playing again, but the protagonist is Dafei, the supporting role is the great white shark, and the small boat has become a large ship. Under the astonishing strength of the great white shark, the Flying Ship plowed through the waves in the sea.

What lies ahead? It doesn't matter. I'll see it through to the end!

However, although he said that, Dafei's mood was far from calm. He crouched on the ship, not daring to move, for fear of making a sound that might alert the shark and make it realize the situation.

Suddenly, Dafei felt a strong sense of unease. Why isn't the shark attacking my ship? If it attacks, I'm doomed. This feeling is like when the monsters only attacked the captain and ignored me during the captain's trial mission. Does this mean the system is artificially reducing the difficulty?

Upon careful consideration, as soon as he fixed the ship, a storm came. Yes, the plot mission is advancing, no doubt about it.

Then, because I had no food, I went fishing. Yes, that's reasonable.

After that, the tuna, the shark pack, and the great white shark, which are rare in the ocean and hard for many players to encounter during the beta test, all appeared in this area one after another. This seems too deliberate and forced, doesn't it? Normally, each boss-level creature in the game dominates its own territory and rarely meets. This is clearly a system-generated monster, just like how the system continuously spawns monsters to attack the island in the Undead Realm.

Could it be that my new player trial is not over yet? But on the island, it clearly said that the "Assist the Captain in Battle" mission was completed. I even received a sword and a ship, and an epic hero is not far off. For a new player, this reward is already overflowing. How can it not be over?

Wait! The "Assist the Captain in Battle" mission, which is so difficult, is unlikely to be assigned to a player like me who is clearly not a combat hero. Isn't that forcing someone to do the impossible? Although the system can be frustrating, it would never send an admiral to the mountains. Similarly, it would never assign a combat mission to me, who started with navigation skills.

Could it be that after I displaced Blood Sea Frenzy, I took over his trial mission, and what I completed was actually his trial mission, while my own trial mission has just begun?

In that instant, Dafei suddenly realized!

Possible! Everything is possible! His specialty, although strong, is only for fighting people and monsters. My specialty, however, is for fighting nature and the sea. This is a different level! Only the sky and the sea are qualified to test me!

Yes, my trial has just begun! Hahaha—Oops! Dafei immediately covered his mouth after letting out a long laugh, so the shark wouldn't hear. If the ship is destroyed, the trial will be over before it even begins.

As the saying goes, once one understands one thing, one understands many. Dafei suddenly had a vague idea about something he had been puzzled about. If the ship, the sword, and the epic hero were actually prepared for the admiral, a god-tier hero, what reward would I get for just starting my trial? What kind of reward would be worthy of me, who fights nature and the sea?

A divine artifact? A thunderbolt from the sky, with a Titan's sword embedded in the lightning?

Makal? He is already an NPC in an epic quest.

A god-tier skill? Without any information or clues, the system would not award it. In this money-making game, it's more reliable to believe that you can buy it from the system.

A hidden class?

Dafei's eyebrows twitched. Is there a new player village where you can't change your class? No! I'm already level 18, and I still can't change my class. Isn't that strange? It's very strange!

So...

In that instant, the words "Navigator" popped into Dafei's mind!

In the captain's diary, there are phrases like "how the navigator does this" and "how the navigator does that," and even the first sentence of the strange skill book is about the navigator, as if to make sure I know he is a navigator. So, what exactly is a navigator?

A navigator is, of course, a class! However, miners, doctors, chefs, fishermen, dancers, and even my pikemen are all classes. There are so many classes in the game, so the key question is whether the navigator is a hero class. At least, the official website doesn't mention it.

On the official website, the human hero classes are knights and priests, the elf classes are rangers and druids, the undead classes are death knights and necromancers, and the orc classes are shamans and barbarians. In short, they are all warrior-type and spellcaster-type classes that can lead troops and enhance the entire team's capabilities. This is not the same level as miners and chefs!

If the navigator is a hidden hero class, then my trial reward is very likely to be it!

Navigators lead the most dangerous job in the world. Could it not be a hero class? I've already worked under him as a henchman! What are the conditions for becoming a navigator?

— "An excellent navigator is not just someone who masters all combat and exploration skills. The ocean is an unknown realm for humans, and we are so small in front of it. Our knowledge and skills are never enough."

Dafei opened the first page of Renoir's special skill book again and suddenly understood!

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