Being ambushed at their campsite dealt a devastating blow to the Black Tiger Pirates' morale.
Of course, Steve still had some confidence in his men. Those bastards were all scum and degenerates, but they had不少 tricks up their sleeves. Though the situation looked dire, keeping their own lives shouldn't be a problem.
And besides—they were pirates. Land battles had never been their forte. Only bombardment, boarding actions, and close-quarters combat on deck were their true specialties!
If they could get back to the ships, they could attack or retreat at will, and even turn the tide entirely!
"When that happens, I'll twist the head right off whoever dared to offend me!" Steve thought viciously.
With their captain's rallying cry, some of the scattered crew began to converge toward him. But then, a surge of scorching power made Steve's face contort in alarm: "No! Get out of the way!!!"
BOOM!!!
A blazing red fireball shot out from the enemy formation, landing less than five meters in front of Steve before detonating violently.
A wave of crimson flame swallowed everything. Even Steve's tiger-headed fish-man first mate had half his body scorched to a crisp—only Steve himself had managed to flee in time.
"A blazing fireball! There's a mage on their side!"
This discovery sent a chill down Steve's spine. His opponents this time weren't just well-equipped—they were wealthy enough to field a mage.
And that was when he finally got a look at the other side's mage.
The young man had golden curly hair and deep blue eyes, but looked as though he had barely reached adulthood.
A mage at that age? Steve's brows furrowed, especially when he realized the young man's face looked faintly familiar.
"No! He's one of the mission targets! That young master from the Faolan family!"
Steve remembered in an instant, and simultaneously felt the urge to curse whoever had provided the intelligence: "They said he was at most a fifth-level mage! But now it looks like—"
"Kill him!"
But at this point, Steve had no other path to choose. He let out a roar, his muscles bulging one by one.
"That one is the ringleader of this pirate band. Whoever kills him, I'll reward with fifty gold coins and three years of tax exemption!"
At the same moment the enemy spotted Leilin, Leilin also saw Steve. That powerful aura immediately told Leilin who he was dealing with.
"Fifty gold coins??? And tax exemption? Charge!!!" The guards surged forward in a frenzy.
That price was enough to buy ten men's lives. The thought of someone being worth that much, several guards exchanged glances and rushed in together.
"【Bear's Endurance】! 【Bull's Strength】!"
Leilin certainly wasn't stingy at a time like this. Two buff spells descended upon his own forces, making them feel revitalized and granting them a temporary boost in strength.
"Mages in this world are perhaps more like all-rounders. When it comes to providing offensive spells and buffs, the support of the Weave makes it incredibly swift…"
Leilin certainly wouldn't dismiss this world's Weave system entirely. After all, the fact that it had endured for so long meant it must possess unique advantages.
And in the heat of battle, Leilin had discovered that using his own mage abilities to bolster his guards often yielded even better results.
Moreover, that blazing fireball earlier had struck like a missile—anyone below a certain level who got caught in the blast had no chance of survival.
"With the convenient support of the Weave, if a mage has enough spell slots, wouldn't they essentially be a humanoid walking turret?"
Leilin smiled. It seemed that if this world's power structure truly worked as he imagined, a mage's status might be even higher than he'd thought.
And Steve, at that very moment, also displayed the formidable power of a tenth-level warrior.
"Haah! 【Swift Charge】!"
Steve's entire body was enveloped in a hazy glow. After activating a warrior-exclusive skill, he transformed into what looked like a steel-armored tank, charging straight at the guards.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The immense momentum sent the guards flying as though struck by a locomotive, accompanied by the horrifying sounds of bones shattering.
But their spears and steel swords also left quite a few marks on Steve's body, leaving several bloody trails across his skin.
Wounds of this degree were nothing to him, but the continuously bleeding gashes were a different matter—especially with the surrounding pirates being mopped up and more guards converging on the area.
"Surrender! I swear on the honor of the nobility that you'll receive the treatment due to a prisoner of war!"
Leilin spoke directly. If he could capture this man alive—and even turn him into a witness—it would be immensely beneficial for the Faolan family.
"Surrender? Ha… surrender? To a little brat like you???" Steve laughed uproariously, as though he'd witnessed something utterly preposterous.
"Or perhaps… you think these are the only abilities I have?"
A savage grin suddenly appeared on Steve's face as a layer of sacred light enveloped his body.
"Is that… divine power?" Leilin retreated several steps. He had only encountered this kind of power a few times before, but each encounter had left a deeply ingrained impression.