Being ambushed at the campsite was a devastating blow to the Black Tiger Pirates' morale.
Of course, Steve still had some confidence in his subordinates. Those scoundrels were all scum and degenerates, but they had plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Though the situation looked dire, keeping themselves alive shouldn't be a problem.
Besides… they were pirates. Land warfare had never been their forte. Only bombardment, boarding actions, and close-quarters ship combat were their real specialties!
If they could get back to the ship, they could attack, defend, or even turn the tide!
"When I do, I'll twist the head off that bastard who dared to defy me!" Steve thought viciously.
With the captain's rallying cry, some of the crew who had lost their bearings began to regroup in his direction. But in the next instant, a searing wave of power made Steve's face drain of color. "No! Dodge! NOW!!!"
BOOM!!!
A blazing red fireball shot out from the enemy ranks and landed less than five meters in front of Steve, detonating with a massive explosion.
Waves of crimson flame immediately devoured everything in their path. Steve barely managed to escape with his life, but even his tiger-headed fishman second mate had half his body charred beyond recognition.
"Blazing Fireball! They have a mage on their side!"
This realization sent a chill down Steve's spine. His opponents this time were not only superbly equipped, but they were wealthy enough to have a mage among their ranks.
It was only then that he got a clear look at the enemy mage.
The mage was very young, with golden curly hair and deep blue pupils, and looked barely past the age of majority.
A mage this young? Steve furrowed his brow, especially when he noticed that the face seemed vaguely familiar.
"Wait! That's one of our mission targets! The young master of the Faolan Family!"
Steve suddenly remembered, and he had the urge to curse out whoever had provided the intelligence: "Didn't they say he was a fifth-level mage at most? But looking at this…"
"Kill him!"
But by now, Steve had no other option. He let out a savage roar, his muscles bulging one after another.
The guards' eyes went red with greed.
"That one's the pirate leader of this raid! Whoever kills him gets fifty gold coins! And three years of tax exemption!"
At the same moment Steve spotted him, Leilin also caught sight of his opponent. That powerful aura made him recognize Steve's identity immediately.
"Fifty gold coins??? And tax exemption? Let's get him!!!" The guards surged forward.
That bounty was enough to buy ten men's lives. Thinking about how much the target was worth, several guards exchanged glances and charged together.
"Endurance of the Bear! Strength of the Bull!"
Leilin naturally didn't hold back. Two enhancement spells immediately descended upon his allies, 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 magical attacks and buffs, with the support of the
Leilin certainly wouldn't completely dismiss the Weave system here. After all, for something to have persisted for so long, it must have its own unique advantages.
And in the midst of battle, Leilin also discovered that using his abilities as a mage to further bolster his guards often yielded even better results.
Moreover, that earlier Blazing Fireball had been like a missile. Any professional below a certain level caught in its blast would not have survived.
"With the convenient support of the Weave, if a mage had enough spell slots, wouldn't that make them a walking artillery platform?"
Leilin smiled. It seemed that if the power structure of this world was truly as he imagined, then the status of mages might be even higher than he had thought.
And at that moment, Steve also demonstrated the formidable power of a tenth-level warrior.
"Rapid Charge!"
Steve's entire body was enveloped in a hazy glow. After activating a warrior's specialized skill, he seemed to transform into a steel-armored tank, charging straight at the guards.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The tremendous kinetic force sent the guards flying like train wrecks, punctuated by the horrifying sounds of shattering bones.
But their spears and steel swords had also left quite a few marks on Steve's body, leaving several bloody wounds across his skin.
Such minor wounds were nothing to him, of course, but the continuously bleeding cuts were quite the hassle — especially with the surrounding pirates about to be wiped out and more guards converging on the area.
"Surrender! I swear on my honor as a noble — you'll be given the treatment befitting a prisoner of war!"
Leilin spoke directly. If they could capture Steve alive — even turn him into a witness — it would be hugely beneficial to the Faolan Family.
"Haha… surrender? Just because of a little brat like you???" Steve laughed uproariously, as if he had heard the most absurd thing in the world.
"Or perhaps… you think this is all I have?"
A savage grin suddenly appeared on Steve's face as his body was enveloped in a layer of holy light.
"Is that… divine magic?" Leilin retreated several steps. Though he had rarely encountered this kind of power before, it had left a very deep impression on him.
Blessing! Light Wounds! Night Shield!
In the blink of an eye, Steve had cast three first-level divine spells on himself. Watching the wounds on his body heal rapidly under the glow of divine magic, Leilin's brow furrowed slightly.
"Divine magic really is troublesome. This instant-casting technique — and they only need to pray each day to recover their spells. Even with a daily limit, it's practically cheating…"
Bolstered by divine magic, Steve not only healed his wounds but seemed to have returned to his peak condition.
"Kill!"
He charged ferociously toward Leilin, the enormous scimitar in his hand shimmering with an eerie glow, carrying terrifying force.
"Devastating Slash!"
Battle qi — a power only fifth-level warriors and above could muster — surged into his hand, forming a radiant phantom of his curved blade before slamming downward with tremendous force.
Crack! Crack!
Several guards standing in front of Leilin were cleaved clean in half, blood and viscera spraying everywhere.
"A bit troublesome…"
Leilin sighed, lightly pressing his index finger to his temple.
[Data collection complete! Target database forming!] The Chip reported faithfully, quickly projecting the target's detailed data before Leilin's eyes.
[Name: Steve. Gender: Male. Estimated Strength: 10+. Estimated Agility: 7. Estimated Constitution: 6. Estimated Spirit: 4. Overall Assessment: Tenth-level Warrior, Third-level Cleric! Rating: Extremely Dangerous! Unknown energy fluctuation detected in right hand!]
"The right hand?"
Leilin looked at the iron hook on Steve's right hand. Its dark, leaden color had long since been stained red with blood, and bits of flesh still clung to it, making it look truly terrifying.
"I'll go hold him off! You find an opening to cast your spells!"
Seeing that Steve had already charged to within striking distance of Leilin, Isabelle drew her long black sword and positioned herself in front of him.
"Where'd this stinking woman come from? Get out of my way!"
Steve's eyes were bloodshot as he brought the scimitar in his left hand crashing down, carrying a vicious wind with no intention of showing any mercy.
Clang!!! The scimitar was blocked by the long black sword, producing a deep, resonant ring.
"The blood debt of my family begins to be repaid — starting with you!" Isabelle's expression was as cold as a block of ice.
"I've killed plenty of people — how the hell should I know which one you are?" Though he said that, Steve had already begun to take Isabelle seriously.
After all, anyone who could withstand the full-force attack of a tenth-level warrior was clearly no simple opponent.
Bang! Steve's iron hook shot out like a venomous snake, only to be deflected by Isabelle, sending a shower of sparks flying from the black sword.
The fierce battle between the two was on the verge of erupting. The other guards and pirates instinctively backed away, none daring to approach the fighting circle.
"To surround and kill a tenth-level professional — it looks like I don't have enough men!"
Leilin watched the two fight while his mind had the leisure to wander.
"According to his data profile, to kill him, I'd need at least two hundred fully armed elite soldiers, willing to fight to the death and pay a terrible price, for the encirclement to have any chance of success! Of course, if there were professionals of similar level among them, the casualty ratio would drop significantly. But either way, my current force isn't quite enough…"
"And Isabelle — though she had enhanced her strength through a demon sacrifice, she's clearly still no match for a tenth-level professional…"
Professional growth was not so simple a matter. And Leilin certainly didn't believe those demons would be kind enough to help Isabelle without expecting anything in return.
"Mm…"
At that moment, a faint grunt came from the fighting circle — it was Isabelle's voice.
One of her arms had suffered a visible fracture and she had to tuck it back into her sleeve, though the expression on her face remained utterly resolute.
Pain that would have brought an ordinary girl to tears in agony could not so much as make her furrow her brow.
"Like this, I won't hold out much longer. I'll have to 'unseal'! But…"
Isabelle glanced at the crowd outside, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face.
"That's enough! Cousin, fall back!"
Just as Isabelle was about to risk everything to finish off her opponent, Leilin's voice reached her ears. Trusting in him, she abandoned her plan and rapidly retreated.
"Think you can leave?"
Steve's expression was utterly savage, but a crossbow bolt forced him back.
Whizz! The crossbow bolt flew like a venomous snake at a cunningly sharp angle, forcing Steve to jerk his head aside to dodge it.
Thud! The bolt embedded itself directly in the ground behind him, only the fletching at its tail still trembling — like a small snake endlessly boring into the earth.