The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 232
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 232
Chapter 232
Thirty pirate ships.
Or rather, twenty-eight pirate ships remaining after two had been sunk by the Black Dragon Ship’s magical weapons and the Astrafer I had thrown.
To deal with them, the next item I drew was not a powerful mythic-grade weapon like Astrafer.
[ Triton’s Conch ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Instrument
Grade: Mythic
Restrictions: Level 800 or higher, Musical Mastery Lv 80 or higher, Wisdom 2,000 or higher
Description: An instrument said to have been used by Triton, the god of the Sea, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite and Poseidon’s only legitimate heir, when commanding the waves.
Triton’s Conch.
Normally, using it would require the bard’s mastery skill ‘Musical Mastery,’ but I possessed All Mastery.
Moreover, even back in First, I had been studying various musical scores to use items like this.
Pwooooooo—!
I immediately brought the conch to my lips and blew.
– You use the unique skill ‘Wrath of the Sea God’ from ‘Triton’s Conch’.
I activated the unique skill.
Surge!
“Ahhhhh!”
“The waves are rising!”
“What’s happening all of a sudden!”
“There’s no storm, yet the coastal waves have suddenly become this fierce?”
“Everyone, hold on tight!”
“Holding on isn’t the problem! If we’re not careful, the ship will capsize!”
The sea began to churn.
Triton, the god of the Sea, said to have been the trumpet player of the ocean.
His power took effect, and massive waves surged upward.
The strange thing was that the waves weren’t rushing from the sea toward the land, but rather surging toward the pirate ships centered on me.
Because of this, the pirate ships lost their balance and swayed.
In such circumstances, it naturally became difficult to aim at the Harbor and fire their cannons.
Still, as seasoned pirates and sailors, they were managing to steer their ships so they wouldn’t capsize.
In that gap, I immediately prepared my next attack.
And this item I drew was also not a weapon, but an ‘instrument’.
[ Siren’s Harp ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Instrument
Grade: Legendary
Restrictions: Level 900 or higher, Musical Mastery Lv 90 or higher
Description: An instrument of the Siren, a mythical being with a woman’s face and a bird’s body who lured and shipwrecked the sailors of passing vessels through sweet song.
Siren.
A mythic-grade monster I had witnessed even in the Age of Fallen Mythology.
Through the harp that monster wielded.
– I activate the unique skill of the ‘Siren’s Harp’: ‘Melody of Self-Destruction’.
I used the unique skill.
Siren—the mythic monster said to lure sailors through the harp’s melodies and songs, sinking their ships.
True to such a Siren’s instrument, the harp’s unique skill was.
“Ah, ahhh. How beautiful….”
“Such an enchanting sound….”
“I want to hear it closer. Closer. Just a little closer….”
It inflicted the ‘Enchantment’ status ailment on pirates with low resistance.
Not all the pirates were affected, but truthfully, how high could pirate levels possibly be?
There weren’t many pirates capable of resisting a unique skill manifested through a legendary-grade instrument with a level cap of 900.
The ship was already swaying from the waves, and as the pirates fell into enchantment.
“What, what is this! Everyone, snap out of it! Get a hold of yourselves!”
“We’re tilting!”
The enchanted pirates were swept away by the waves and vanished, or.
The pirate ship, now lacking enough hands to maintain it, finally couldn’t endure and tilted, beginning to sink, and so on.
It was utter chaos.
We hadn’t even launched a proper attack since Astrape, yet ships were already beginning to sink in succession.
However, this was merely preparation up to this point.
Now came the real thing.
“Luke, get me a bow.”
– Which type would you prefer, sir?
“A great bow. I need to snipe the captains and punch holes through the hulls.”
– I shall retrieve it at once.
It was time to annihilate the pirate ships that dared attack the Kalbera Territory.
* * *
Triton’s conch and Siren’s harp.
As the two melodies echoed across the waters before the Kalbera Territory.
“Song. I must go hear the song. Closer….”
“Snap out of it! Damn it, grab him before he gets away!”
“I have to go! I have to! Ah, yes! I can swim there! Ahahaha!”
Splash!
“This is madness….”
Employed by Duke Winchilsey.
Or rather, the mercenaries and pirates who didn’t even know they were employed by Duke Winchilsey were plunged into absolute pandemonium.
Towering waves driven from the land, defying natural phenomena.
This alone was maddening, but when the next melody sounded, their comrades were thrashing about as if under hypnosis.
Some suddenly seized the helm and tried to charge toward the lighthouse, while others threw themselves naked into the churning sea.
Because of this, they couldn’t even attempt to counterattack, and ships were beginning to sink, unable to withstand the waves any longer.
Still, I thought if we could just hold on a bit longer, somehow we’d manage.
“Hold on just a little longer! Tie up those under the enchantment with ropes, and if we can just endure a bit more without the ship capsizing….”
Thunk!
“Gahhh!”
An arrow that came from nowhere pierced through the Captain’s head.
That wasn’t all.
A massive iron arrow the size of a wooden post flew in and tore a hole through the hull, and seawater rushed in, causing the already unbalanced ship to tilt beyond recovery.
“The Lighthouse! The attacks are coming from the Lighthouse!”
“It’s sniper fire, take cover!”
“But, but if we hide, who will steer the ship….”
“It’s tilting!”
“Ahhhhh! Jump into the sea now!”
“Jump into the sea when the waves are raging like that? Even we can’t survive out there! It’s suicide!”
“We have no choice!”
Splash!
The situation was already chaotic enough.
This was beyond endurance now.
And worse.
Boom!
The residents of Kalbera Territory, who had momentarily held back from the pirates’ assault, were now launching their attacks again.
Cannonballs whistling through the air.
The protective barrier that had been shielding them was now torn to shreds and no longer served its purpose.
“Gaaahhh!”
They could only endure helplessly.
Where did it all go wrong?
When they received all manner of magical cannons and equipment before their first sortie, they were brimming with confidence.
When the barrier deployed by the leading mage-ship protected them, it seemed they could never lose.
When they fired their first volley at Kalbera Territory, they were certain of victory.
“It’s the Lord of Kalbera Territory! The rumors that he’s a sea dragon were true!”
“Save us!”
Would it have been different if the first attack had succeeded?
Would it have been fine if the waves hadn’t been like this?
Would we have endured if we hadn’t heard the enchanting song?
Regardless of the reason, it was all meaningless now.
Though the battle had only just begun, the pirates’ defeat was already certain.
Moreover, most of them were merely hired hands.
The pirates held a grudge against Kalbera Territory and its Lord, but not enough to stake their lives on it.
Therefore.
“R, run away!”
“Turn the ship around, now!”
“We have to escape from here!”
They naturally chose to flee.
“Retreat is not an option. Attack without hesitation. Ram the harbor with the hull if you must—inflict damage by any means necessary.”
Of course, their employer would not permit it.
But the mercenaries and pirates no longer heeded their employer’s words.
Better to live in a dung heap than die in glory, as the saying goes.
What mattered to them was not loyalty, but their lives.
Watching those who ignored orders and fled,
the Valencia Knight issued a command.
“Detonate every ship attempting to escape.”
“…Yes, sir.”
In that instant.
Boom!!
The vessels that had turned their bows exploded in unison.
From the start, their ships had been equipped with self-destruct explosive mana stones.
In truth, even if the mission had succeeded, the mana stones would have detonated.
Duke Winchilsey had never intended to let these people live—they could become a liability to the Emperor.
“W-what are you doing!”
“Every ship that turns will be destroyed. Your only path to survival is to attack.”
“What’s the point of attacking in this situation! You’re just telling us to die!”
“To sacrifice our worthless lives in service to him would be the greatest honor imaginable.”
“That’s—!”
“No more talk. Detonate that one too.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Wait, wait just a moment!!”
Boom!
Another ship exploded.
The mercenaries and pirates, terrified, had no choice but to obey the Valencia Knight’s orders.
But even if they wanted to, they could not.
The surging waves blocked their path forward, and to the Captain barking orders to charge or the Navigator gripping the helm,
Thunk!
arrows flew without fail.
As the ships sank helplessly one after another,
Whoosh!
an arrow flew toward the Valencia Knight as well.
Until now, not a single mercenary or pirate had managed to evade or block this arrow.
Clang!
But he was different.
Among the nobility, the Valencia Knight was renowned as a powerhouse comparable to the Imperial Knights themselves.
He sliced through the incoming arrows with such effortless grace.
“Surely it couldn’t be this weak.”
The plan had completely fallen apart.
Originally, I intended to use only mercenaries and pirates to destroy the Dock and the ships, then rain bombardment upon the Territory’s interior.
After that, I would detonate all the pirate vessels to leave no evidence behind, then vanish without revealing myself.
Yet I had failed to bombard the Territory, and couldn’t even sink a single ship moored before the Dock.
A pathetic mission completion rate.
The Valencia Knight, who had always successfully completed every mission handed down by Duke Winchilsey until now, regardless of its nature.
This was the first time a mission had been so thoroughly ruined.
Given this, I had no intention of returning to my liege, Duke Winchilsey, with no achievements whatsoever.
“You will now burn all the fuel in the mage-ship and ram it into the Dock.”
“Ram it, my lord means….”
“Are you pretending not to understand? I mean detonate yourself at the Dock. With the mana stones in this vessel, we should be able to obliterate part of the Dock and several ships.”
“Then, I would….”
“This is your chance to prove your loyalty to the Duke. What greater honor could there be?”
“Such….”
“Or.”
The blade sang through the air.
The Valencia Knight’s sword touched the man’s throat.
“Would you prefer to die by my hand here?”
The man’s body trembled uncontrollably.
The Valencia Knight’s blade remained perfectly steady, yet the man shook violently, blood trickling down from the wound forming at his throat.
“No, I….”
“If you succeed in this mission, the Duke will recognize your loyalty and bestow appropriate rewards upon your family back home. Should it be otherwise… you understand.”
“Yes, yes….”
An order to commandeer the ship, ram it into enemy lines, and detonate.
It was an utterly absurd order, yet the man had no choice but to obey.
If he failed to properly execute the mission now, his family left behind in his homeland would surely face retaliation.
His limbs trembled and tears flowed, but all he could do was follow the Valencia Knight’s commands.
“Sir Knight….”
“Though this differs from my previous mission, I too must meet the Duke’s expectations.”
The Valencia Knight’s gaze turned toward the Lighthouse atop Kalbera Territory.
The one who had obstructed my mission.
Likely the lord of Kalbera Territory.
The one tracked as Baron Mir.
“If I bring back that insolent wretch’s head.”
The Valencia Knight leaped from the ship.
Other vessels were sinking all around, yet he refused to yield to the churning waves.
Having reached the true pinnacle of knighthood, he pushed off the water’s surface, sprinting toward the Lighthouse.
Having reached the pinnacle of a true knight, he kicked off the water’s surface and was rushing toward the Lighthouse.
“The Duke will be satisfied with this much, at least.”
Indeed.
He planned to return to his lord with Mir’s head in hand, compensating for his failed mission.
And the man atop the Lighthouse.
My gaze met that of the Valencia Knight racing across the sea.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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