Watching the mountain-like Gray Ridge Whale dive beneath the surface, its massive shadow parting the waves as it rushed toward him!
Luo Qingjun finally snapped out of it, regaining a sliver of his decisiveness.
"Quick, help me turn the Whale Hunting Crossbow!" Luo Qingjun yelled frantically.
VMM!
The Whale Hunting Crossbow was loaded, drawn, and aimed.
FWOOSH!
With a piercing whistle, the second Crossbow Arrow buried itself deep in the Gray Ridge Whale's back, and the bleeding worsened!
But… Luo Qingjun's face paled as he cursed his luck internally.
'Damn it, the shot went wide! I was aiming for its head!'
Its back wasn't a vital area.
Despite the hit, this Crossbow Arrow failed to deal the decisive damage he'd anticipated.
The Gray Ridge Whale was covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, but spurred on by the Bloodthirst Skill, its fighting spirit remained unbroken!
"WHUUUU—"
CRASH!
Amidst a hoarse whale song, Luo Qingjun's command ship was also struck, sent flying, and capsized by the Gray Ridge Whale!
Captain Luo Qingjun's fate was unknown!
The Gray Ridge Whale remained where it was and began to thrash its tail, hunting the crew members in the water!
"That idiot!"
On another Spiritual Boat, the first mate, Luo Jing, gritted his teeth and couldn't help but curse.
Then, he took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn.
"Row, move in closer!"
"Give me the largest harpoon!"
Despite his conflicts with Captain Luo Qingjun, as the first mate, he couldn't just stand by and let him die!
…
'The captain can't be dead, can he?'
The dizzying turn of events made Su Ye's eye twitch.
The perils of hunting demons were once again laid bare before him in a bloody display.
Just then, First Mate Luo Jing's calm and clear commands rang out from nearby.
"Boat Three, support our attack! Harass the Gray Ridge Whale from the flank!"
"It's taken two shots from the Whale Hunting Crossbow. It's at the end of its rope now!"
Hearing this, Su Ye focused his attention and gazed into the distance.
The Gray Ridge Whale was still thrashing its massive body, slapping the water and stirring up great waves.
However, the two Crossbow Arrows buried deep in its body,
along with the wounds from the crew's many harpoon strikes, were causing it to bleed uncontrollably!
The vast amount of blood had already stained the surface of the sea a vivid red!
PFFT.
The blowhole on the Gray Ridge Whale's back erupted, spouting a column of air more than ten meters high.
But unlike before, this column was not white. It was blood-red.
As the spout rained down from the sky, it was as if a bloody shower had fallen!
Its internal organs were injured!
The very air the Gray Ridge Whale exhaled was tinged with blood!
'It's on its last legs…' Su Ye thought, his heart stirring.
The Gray Ridge Whale was now grievously wounded and nearly out of stamina. It was a far cry from its peak condition.
'Even if I use [Whale-Hunting Spear], as long as I'm subtle about it, it shouldn't seem too shocking.'
'In that case, there's no harm in adding a little icing on the cake.'
'Besides, I'm eager to test the power of the [Whale-Hunting Spear] myself…' A flicker of anticipation crossed Su Ye's eyes.
Just like the other crewmen, Su Ye assumed an attack stance.
He gripped his Blood-Drinking Spear, raised it, took aim, and gathered his strength!
FWOOSH!
The scarlet array patterns on the Blood-Drinking Spear flared. With a whistle, it shot through the air!
To conceal his true strength, Su Ye didn't imbue this attack with any extra damaging attributes. He simply used the Blood-Drinking Spear to execute his [Whale-Hunting Spear] skill!
Even so, the power was still astonishing!
THUNK!
The Gray Ridge Whale's thick hide was instantly torn and pierced as if it were made of paper!
A spray of blood erupted!
Thanks to the Blood-Drinking Spear's special design and its [Bloodletting] array pattern, a massive amount of the beast's blood gushed out like a fountain!
The bleeding was incessant!
"WHUUUU—"
The Gray Ridge Whale cried out in pain.
It stopped hunting the crew in the water, its body trembling in agony!
'So strong…'
A sharp glint flashed in Su Ye's eyes.
Even though he'd held back, he was immensely satisfied with the strike!
'If I had gone all out and added damaging attributes, the power would have been nine, or even ten times stronger than an ordinary crewman's harpoon attack!'
'As expected of a unique skill!'
Su Ye's eyes flickered as he scanned the other crewmen's expressions.
Because he had deliberately held back, they showed no signs of shock at his attack.
In their inexperienced eyes, the spear's power was simply due to it being a Magical Artifact.
And that was precisely the effect Su Ye had been hoping for.
'Hah… This is good enough.'
'This strike does justice to the Magical Artifact the first mate gave me…'
…
'Is that… the Blood-Drinking Spear? Su Ye?'
First Mate Luo Jing watched the battle, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
The young man's performance was far better than he had anticipated.
'To wield the Blood-Drinking Spear with such power, he must have put a great deal of effort into practicing with the Magical Artifact.'
'Giving him that Magical Artifact wasn't a waste. He's worth training…' Luo Jing thought.
However, the thought quickly vanished.
Because there was something more important to do.
Just as Boat Three, where Su Ye was, launched its attack and drew the Gray Ridge Whale's attention,
Luo Jing's Spiritual Boat was already closing in on the massive creature!
They were only a few dozen meters apart!
They were practically on top of it!
Luo Jing stared intently at the Gray Ridge Whale, a massive harpoon in his grip!
WHOOSH!
He took a deep breath, forcefully drawing the surrounding air into his lungs.
Then, with a shift of his feet, Luo Jing leaped directly off the Spiritual Boat!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
He strode forward, walking upon the surface of the sea. He wasn't sinking?
Walking on water?!
On the contrary, he was able to use the water's surface to push off, accelerating with each step!
'What is that…' Su Ye watched the scene, astonished.
His eyes narrowed. On First Mate Luo Jing's feet, a pair of short boots pulsed with a blue spiritual light.
'Is it because of Magical Artifact boots?' Su Ye guessed.
While Su Ye was lost in thought, First Mate Luo Jing, harpoon in hand, was rapidly closing in on the Gray Ridge Whale.
Compared to the massive, forty-meter-plus whale demon, his figure was as insignificant as an ant.
At first, the Gray Ridge Whale didn't notice him.
Soon, Luo Jing bent his knees slightly and leaped effortlessly onto the whale's back.
He gripped the harpoon with both hands, his eyes resolute. Magical Power surged through his body, creating waves of spiritual light that he poured entirely into the Magical Artifact harpoon.
VMM! VMM! VMM!
The spiritual light condensed until it was almost solid, extending the original harpoon by another ten feet!
It formed a brilliant, radiant Spiritual Light Golden Spear!
"RA! DI! ANT! SPIRIT! SPEAR!"
The Gray Ridge Whale began to twist its body violently. It sensed mortal danger!
"You beast… DIE!" Luo Jing roared.
SHIIINK!
Wielding the Radiant Spirit Spear, Luo Jing plunged it straight into the Gray Ridge Whale's blowhole!
"WHUUUUU!!!!!!"
The Gray Ridge Whale suddenly went rigid. Then it began to struggle with unprecedented force, rolling and twisting madly!
CRASH! CRASH!
The massive whale's body sent waves crashing, forcing the Spiritual Boats to retreat!
However… this was merely its swan song!
SPLASH.
After a moment, the waves subsided. The Gray Ridge Whale's body went limp, all movement ceased, and it floated lifelessly on the surface…
The whale hunt was a success!
[Whale Demon Hunted. [Tide Hunter] Experience +35]