Thinking of this, Kevin grinned. "Everyone has secrets, right?"

Amelia sighed. "But right now, you’ve let me see your secret. What are you planning to do to me?"

Kevin shook his head. "I trust Officer Amelia’s professionalism. As partners on the same ship, you wouldn’t betray me. It doesn’t matter if you know."

Amelia didn’t expect Kevin to accept this so calmly. A warm feeling rose in her chest, and her affection for Kevin went up again. "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Kevin. From now on, you’re my captain. I will do everything I can to support you."

[Affection +20]

Seeing Amelia’s affection rise to 70, Kevin felt a huge sense of satisfaction.

As expected, giving Amelia just the right amount of trust could really improve her opinion of him.

With this thought, Kevin decided to push it a little further. He turned toward the bridge and reminded her. "Eldritch Entities will show up on the deck again soon. You go to the bridge to cover me. If any Eldritch ambush me from behind, you shoot to warn me. As for eliminating them, leave it to me."

Hearing this, Amelia’s shoulders trembled.

Is he... giving me his back?

This means he’s entrusting his life to me too.

How did I ever get so lucky to be valued and trusted by him like this?

Thinking of this, a strong sense of responsibility surged in Amelia’s heart. "Captain, don’t worry. I will definitely watch your back and never let any Eldritch Entities sneak attack you. I swear on my life."

[Affection +10]

Seeing that Amelia’s affection had gone up again, Kevin was practically bursting with joy.

It seemed he had found a shortcut, a shortcut to raising Amelia’s affection.

So this girl just craved to be recognized.

With that in mind, Kevin gently patted Amelia’s shoulder, took a box of bullets out of his pocket, and handed it to her. "Don’t worry about saving bullets. If anything happens later, just shoot."

Saying that, Kevin turned around and walked toward the bow.

Amelia watched Kevin’s retreating back, her gaze turning firm. "I will definitely complete the mission."

Kevin walked farther away with his back to Amelia, but no more affection prompts rang in his ears.

Obviously, grinding affection by making her feel recognized had a limit. To push it up to 100, he would need to use other methods.

Kevin wasn’t in a rush about this.

Now that he had found the right direction, he wasn’t worried about failing to win over Amelia.

For Kevin, what was more important right now was killing as many Eldritch Entities as possible.

He clearly remembered that in his past life, one Survivor had killed nine Eldritch Entities on the first night. Because of that, he got tons of rewards and became a well-known powerhouse.

Since he was reborn now, he of course couldn’t let such a good thing slip by.

"I’ve already decided to take the top spot in this life’s first night trial," Kevin said as he lifted up a charred skeleton and walked to the bow.

Under the pitch-black night sky, the waves churned, constantly crashing against the hull.

Beneath the waves were pairs of glowing red eyes. Skeletons floated in the water, appearing and disappearing in the red glow as they drifted with the current.

Kevin could even catch the growls of these skeletons over the sound of the waves.

"Is it because of some kind of rule that stops them from climbing onto the ship all at once?" Kevin wondered aloud.

Kevin tossed the skeleton from his hands into the sea without a second thought.

Splash...

A bloody mist rose from the water, and a flood of bubbles broke the surface, releasing a chilling vibe.

The skeletons’ growls grew more and more frantic.

Long, thin skeletal arms poked out from the water, starting to crawl toward Kevin’s direction.

Kevin turned on his flashlight and scanned the area.

Only then did he realize that the second wave of skeletons crawling onto the ship was still thirteen.

The numbers for both waves were exactly the same.

"Guess this is the rule for the first trial. Not a bad thing for me, though," Kevin said. As he spoke, red light flared in his eyes.

Three beams of The Fixing Gaze shot out straight, pinning the three closest skeletons to the ship’s railing.

Immediately, Kevin rushed forward, thrust his gun three times in quick succession, and instantly pierced the skulls of the three skeletons, turning them into fading light.

Kevin didn’t stick around to fight more. He grabbed his gun, dashed backward, and quickly returned to the safe zone.

He picked up his walkie-talkie and shouted toward the bridge. "Luna, drink a potion. In ten seconds, aim your sight at the bow."

On the bridge, Luna heard Kevin’s order, quickly grabbed a vial of Holy Spring potion soaked with a ghost eye, and downed it in one gulp.

Soon, thick veins of blood spread across her pupils.

Luna adjusted her focus, locking her gaze firmly on the bow.

Ten...

Nine...

Eight...

Luna silently counted down in her head. Soon, a skeleton appeared on the ship.

Without hesitation, Luna released the power she had held back in her eyes.

The Fixing Gaze!

A blinding red light shot toward the bow, instantly freezing the just-appearing skeleton.

Seizing the chance, Kevin thrust his gun forward and pierced the skeleton completely through.

At the same time, a prompt sounded in his ear.

[Detected that covenant-bearer "Luna Cassabreya" has obtained the temporary talent "The Fixing Gaze". Usage count: 1. Can be used independently within 24 hours. Unused count resets after expiration.]

[Beginning reimbursement...]

[Reimbursement rate: 10x...]

[Congratulations on obtaining the temporary talent "The Fixing Gaze". Usage count: 10. Can be used independently within 24 hours. Unused count resets after expiration.]

After the usage count for The Fixing Gaze was replenished, Kevin backed away again.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and encouraged her. "Good job. Follow my instructions and keep cooperating. Amelia is already on her way to support you. She’ll watch your back."

On the bridge, Luna pinched the bridge of her nose, her voice slightly tired. "Don’t worry, leave it to me. Amelia is already at the bridge."

Hearing this, Kevin nodded silently and continued his ambush.

As long as a skeleton poked its head over the railing, Kevin would immediately use The Fixing Gaze, then sprint forward and burst its skull with a single thrust.

The whole process was smooth and fluid, without a single wasted move.

He moved like a battle-hardened veteran among a group of rookie recruits, handling everything with ease.

On the bridge, Amelia watched Kevin’s movements, her eyes shining with amazement. "I never expected Mr. Kevin’s combat skills to be this strong. Even without that freezing ability, he could still survive this terrifying attack."

Saying this, Amelia turned to look at Luna and gasped in surprise. "And you, Ms. Luna, you really shocked me. I ate that disgusting eye too, but I couldn’t control the power. You, however, can release it so precisely. Clearly, you both have the talent needed to survive in this terrifying sea."

On the deck, Kevin heard the prompt in his ear and immediately turned his head.

From tens of meters away, he could still see the affection number just finishing its bounce above Amelia’s head: 95.

He was close to the 100 cap now.

Thinking this, Kevin picked up his walkie-talkie. "Luna, drink another Eldritch Eyes Holy Spring and get ready to cover me."

After saying that, Kevin walked back to where he had just parted with Amelia. He picked up another charred skeleton, carried it to the bow, and threw it into the sea.

Soon, the fog on the sea grew thicker. Another wave of thirteen skeletons burst from the water and started climbing toward the deck.