ushernet Chapter 52
Chapter 52
White Bone Pirate Crew
The pirate crew that has lasted for a remarkable 100 years on the 3rd floor.
However, none of the original members who formed the crew remain. Most of them either reached Treasure Island and ascended to the 4th floor, or perished in the seas of the 3rd floor, disintegrating into nothing.
Miles joined the White Bone Pirate Crew about ten years ago. While peacefully gathering resources, he was ambushed and enslaved. However, he proved his worth and was able to join as a crew member.
What he demonstrated was Cannon Fire.
[Cannon Fire][D]
Fires a cannonball, dealing fixed damage of 50 to a ship.
If the target is not a ship, it deals 100 physical damage.
Cooldown: 1 minute
Mana Cost: 100
It was a D rank ranged skill.
Especially effective on the 3rd floor.
From the perspective of the White Bone Pirate Crew, it was a waste to let him rot as a slave.
His performance was that impressive.
‘Soul System skills are adjusted for accuracy,’ he thought.
There was no need to formally train in gunnery.
When the skill was activated, the cannonball would automatically fly toward the enemy.@@@@
Miles' Cannon Fire skill was particularly powerful in naval combat.
Using it twice would almost guarantee victory.
Of course, it wasn't easy.
Before being summoned to the Tower of Struggle, Miles had been an ordinary serf.
He struggled to handle the 100 mana cost.
Even so, his value was high.
A skill that could consistently reduce a ship's durability by 50.
Just firing once per battle was enough to ensure a significant win rate for the White Bone Pirate Crew.
"Kill them!"
Miles commanded his subordinates and used Cannon Fire.
The summoned cannon fired a cannonball toward the enemy.
Boom—!
The enemy summoned an ice wall to block the cannonball.
This was expected.
‘You must have a trump card as well,’ he thought.
There was no way they would recklessly charge with just a raft.
‘Neither would I.’
The White Bone Pirate Crew members aimed their bows.
Some readied their ranged skills.
The moment the ice wall shattered, they would unleash attacks that could rival cannon fire.
Only the strongest could endure it.
A thick, black smoke rose.
Through it, the ice wall advanced.
The enemy withstood the Cannon Fire and tried to land on the shore.
For Miles, there was no advantage to letting them stand on solid ground.
"Stop them!"
They would kill them while they were still at sea.
Just sinking the raft would give them a significant advantage, so they didn't hesitate to unleash their ranged attacks.
Boom!
A flash of light!
Boom!
A lightning strike.
"Aaaahhh!"
"You idiot!"
"Arrgh!"
The electric energy spread through the sea, reaching a wide area.
The White Bone Pirate Crew members, who had been barely holding on, were mostly killed.
It was a mistake, but it was an absurd situation.
However, Miles didn't scold his foolish subordinates.
‘I need to make sure they don’t get close at all.’
Skills that deal electric-type elemental damage often come with status effects like Paralysis or Stun.
Due to the special terrain of the sea, the skill’s power was enhanced.
"Fire. All of you who have lightning magic, don’t hold back, use it all!"
Indeed, the enemy seemed to hesitate.
They couldn’t miss this opportunity.
Sizzling—!
The human wizard cast lightning magic.
Bright yellow sparks surged against the waves.
Just after unleashing all their skills, a brief silence fell.
‘Did we take care of it?’
In that moment, Miles felt a chill run down his spine.
He felt a murderous intent from behind.
Miles couldn't move a muscle.
"We need to be more careful next time. One wrong combo, and you’ll be finished."
Thud—!
A golden dagger pierced Miles' chest.
"Ugh...!"
Miles shouted in desperation.
"How exciting it was when you were firing skills. What’s this now?"
It was the first time he had ever been Paralyzed and unable to do anything.
Because of that, he realized something.
The danger of crowd control skills.
He had been using the Soul System’s battle structure to defeat stronger opponents by reducing their health to zero.
But now, experiencing it firsthand, he painfully understood that the reverse was possible too.
‘A cheap lesson. Damn you guys.’
At least now he understood.
The Error Player charged toward the pirates.
He fervently hoped the Soul System would succeed in materializing their souls.
The pirates were all killed.
There were so many of them, his stats increased considerably.
"Ugh."
He frowned at the scattered corpses.
The sight of the blood-red sand was mentally disturbing.
There was no good news to distract him, which made it worse.
‘At least I should be thankful for the hat.’
A pirate hat with a horrible visual and an awful smell, which he didn’t want to wear.
[Error Player’s Pirate Hat][E]
Type: Progress Artifact
Stats▼
【Luck: +1】
【Durability: ∞ (Indestructible)】
Options▼
【Pirate Crew Lv.2】
【Captain Lv.1】
The important option was Captain.
【Captain Lv.1】
Can imprint ownership on C-rank or lower ships. (0/1)
The Pirate Crew option grouped players on board the ship.
It wasn’t particularly useful.
"...Wait a minute..."
As he read the pirate hat’s description, he became wary of the Illusory Tome.
The information in the Category section was clearly labeled.
Artifact.
[Error Player’s Pirate Hat][E]
Type: Progress Artifact
Stats▼
【Luck: +1】
【Durability: ∞ (Indestructible)】
Options▼
【Pirate Crew Lv.2】
【Captain Lv.1】
The important option was Captain.
[Captain Lv.1]
Can imprint ownership on C-rank or lower ships. (0/1)
The Pirate Crew option groups players aboard the ship.
It wasn't particularly useful.
"...Wait a minute..."
As he read the pirate hat's description, he became suspicious of the Illusory Tome.
The information clearly labeled in the Category section.
Artifact.
‘Does this not work?’
What was this?
He had immediately consumed the White Dragon Heart, so why was this being held back?
‘Because it smells?’
The Illusory Tome probably didn’t have a sense of smell, so what was the difference?
‘...Could it be the rank?’
Was it because the rank was too low to consume?
‘If that’s the case, this is a bit frustrating, huh?’
He laughed wryly at the thought of becoming picky with his consumption.
"..."
In the distance, he could see the pirate ships.
They weren’t approaching the island but began fleeing.
The news of Captain Miles' death must have reached them.
But was he really a captain after all?
‘No loyalty.’
That’s how pirates were, right?
They had planned to seize the ship, but they hadn’t managed to get it.
After the battle ended, he couldn’t find a single intact ship.
‘Not bad.’
There was quite a bit of progress.
‘Thanks to these bastards, the dungeon must be cleared too.’
He had managed to avoid conflict with the Blanco team, who had treated him kindly.
That alone was already a gain.
He immediately headed toward the temple.
Since the Blanco team might return soon, he wanted to scout ahead before they did.