Night fell completely.

Kevin and the others quickly grabbed the railing to steady themselves.

When Kevin looked up at the sea again, the whole area was covered in thick, blood-red fog.

"They’re here," Kevin warned, his voice low.

Luna and Amelia both nodded, instinctively gripping the pistols at their waists.

Splashes flew as dark shapes shot out of the water, speeding straight for Leo, who was hanging in midair.

Kevin snorted. "Want to snatch the bait without even boarding? Not a chance."

He drew his short knife and slashed hard at the rope beside him.

With the sound of pulleys rolling, Leo dropped quickly from the air and landed on the deck.

The dark shapes that charged at Leo missed. They let out angry roars and fell back into the sea.

Luna and Amelia frowned. "What exactly were those things? They looked like fish, but also like... humans?"

Kevin tossed each of them a bottle of Holy Spring soaked in Eldritch Eyes. "Wait for them to jump out again. Use The Fixing Gaze to lock them down, and you’ll see clearly."

They both drank the blood-red Holy Spring. Thin red veins spread across their pupils, and a red Eldritch glow flickered in their eyes, held back but ready.

After using Eldritch Eyes several times, they had slowly learned how to control The Fixing Gaze.

Rumble! 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Kevin stared at the horizon and shouted, "Here they come!"

Splashes flew as three dark shapes shot onto the deck from three different directions at once.

At the last second, the red light in Luna and Amelia’s eyes shot out, locking onto two of the dark shapes.

Only then did they finally see what the monsters looked like: fish heads, human bodies, dark green scales, dorsal fins like blades, and sharp claws like wild beasts. They looked exactly like the Grotesques that had stormed the deck the day before.

Before the two girls could react, the third dark shape rushed straight to Leo’s side.

"Oh no!" Amelia pulled her gun and fired right away.

The Fireball rounds hit the monster’s body. Flames burst out, flipping it straight over so it landed right at Kevin’s feet.

The sharp pain completely enraged the monster. It let out a harsh roar and tried to get up.

Right then, a long spear shot out from its chest, piercing straight through its whole body.

Next, its body melted and broke down fast, like butter hitting a hot pan. Before it could even struggle, it turned into glowing light particles and faded away on the deck.

Kevin shook the Lance of Longinus in his hand and looked up at the two girls. "What are you staring at? There are still two more."

Luna and Amelia snapped out of it and raised their guns, firing at the same time.

Under the bursting flames, the two monsters locked in midair by The Fixing Gaze were swallowed by the Fireball rounds. They fell to the deck as two piles of charred remains.

Kevin glanced at the bodies of the three monsters and shook his head. "None of them are even two meters tall. Looks like these Fish Fiends aren’t old yet."

Luna was still recovering from the shock of killing Eldritch Entities. She looked at Kevin and asked, "What exactly are these three monsters? They’re so strong. Way stronger than yesterday’s skeletons."

Amelia leaned down to look at the Fish Fiend corpse and frowned. "The strength and speed of these monsters aren’t something a normal human could have. If it weren’t for The Fixing Gaze, we’d be just prey to them."

Kevin nodded and explained. "These three Fish Fiends aren’t the same species as yesterday’s Grotesques. Even though they’re both Eldritch Entities, the gap between their levels is huge."

"Grotesques are living things twisted by Eldritch influence. They’ve gone mad, lost their sanity, and only have a drive to destroy and kill. They belong to the lowest tier of Eldritch Entities."

"These three Fish Fiends are a level higher. They have intelligence, sanity, and even their own independent language and culture."

"But their language and civilization are poison to normal humans. If you talk to them, every word you hear can damage your sanity."

Luna was shocked. "They actually have intelligence? Does that mean a group of these monsters could easily wipe out an entire ship of Survivors?"

Kevin nodded. "Exactly. Their physical structure isn’t anything humans can match. In both strength and speed, humans are no match for them."

"But under normal conditions, if we don’t provoke them, only two or three Fish Fiends will actually board tonight. That number might cause some casualties, but it won’t wipe out the whole team."

He raised an eyebrow at Luna and Amelia and smiled. "Didn’t you two each kill one just now? As long as the other Survivors cooperate, they can handle it too. It just won’t be as easy for them as it was for you."

The two girls looked at Kevin with gratitude. They felt lucky to have the weapons and ammo Kevin gave them, and even luckier to have his guidance nearby to avoid so much danger.

Amelia asked worriedly, "So what’s the plan for the rest of the night? We do it like yesterday?"

Kevin nodded. "Of course. There’s no way either of you is getting out of it tonight. You each need to kill at least five Fish Fiends. If you want to survive better in the future, you need to get stronger fast."

The two girls exchanged a look and nodded at the same time.

After the first round of fighting, they were used to the Fish Fiends’ movements. They found their positions and gave Kevin an OK sign.

Kevin picked up the Fish Fiend corpse at his feet and walked back to the bow.

Just like last night, the number of Fish Fiends that would normally board isn’t high.

This is the only chance for survival the cursed sea gives to every Survivor fleet, and they rarely break it.

But once someone provokes them, the surrounding Eldritch Entities are no longer bound by the rules.

Kevin kicked the Fish Fiend corpse into the sea.

It was followed by a rush of incomprehensible curses. The voice was Eldritch and noisy, carrying through the water and ringing clearly in everyone’s ears.

[Sanity -1]

[Sanity -1]

[Sanity -1]

The prompts kept ringing in Luna and Amelia’s ears, making them both cover their ears in shock.

But Kevin acted like nothing was wrong, standing at the bow and staring hard at the sea. With his [Lance of Condemnation] Talent, he wasn’t afraid at all of the Whispering Curse’s effect.

Three more Fish Fiends leapt out of the water. Before they could hit the deck, Kevin shot three Fixing Gaze effects. The three monsters froze, hanging in mid-air.

"Now! Open fire!" Kevin roared.

Luna and Amelia raised their guns and fired at the same time. A heavy stream of Fireball rounds rained down, turning the three Fish Fiends into three piles of char.

Kevin dropped the Fixing Gaze hold. The three corpses dropped fast and splashed into the sea.

The sounds under the water got even louder and more chaotic.

Luna and Amelia covered their ears, frowning hard. They were clearly getting annoyed as their Sanity dropped.

Kevin tossed them two bottles of Holy Spring and warned, "Keep an eye on your Sanity. Don’t let it drop below 70."

Before he could finish, another splash erupted. This time, nine Fish Fiends shot out of the water, charging at the deck from different directions.

Kevin didn’t have time to lock them all. He managed to freeze six of them right before they landed.

The other three made it to the deck and rushed straight for Luna and Amelia, aiming to take out the two weakest fighters first.

At the last second, Kevin yelled, "Iron blocks!"

He materialized iron blocks from his system bag, placing them between the three monsters and the girls.

The Fish Fiends smashed into the steel, their bodies warping instantly with a loud bang.

Luna and Amelia took advantage of the broken momentum, quickly drawing their guns and dumping the last dozen Fireball rounds into them.

Flames erupted everywhere, scorching the deck to a blackened mess.

The two girls escaped with their lives, hands on their knees, gasping for air.

Meanwhile, after placing the iron blocks, Kevin turned to face the six Fish Fiends still hanging in the air.

He didn’t hold back, pulling out his Wraith Revolver right away.

The cylinder spun, the bullets fired, and they pierced straight through the foreheads of the six monsters.

Six fireballs exploded in their heads at once, blowing the front halves of their bodies to pieces. The debris fell into the water, drawing a school of fish to tear at them, bite them, and fight over the scraps.

Just then, a terrifying sound echoed out.

A massive shadow suddenly broke across the horizon.

As the shadow broke the surface, a serious look crossed Kevin’s face. "I knew it. Fish Fiends showing up this early means there’s definitely a commander behind this."

Looking at the emerging Fish Fiend commander, Kevin ordered behind him, "Take Leo to a higher spot. The big fish is hooked tonight."

The two girls followed his gaze to the sea. Seeing the dorsal fin taller than a person, their hairs stood on end.

"Kevin... that huge thing isn’t coming aboard, is it?" Luna’s voice trembled.