Chapter 58: What The Hell Is This?
That was purely an accident; Anse didn’t fully grasp polymorph, and he exerted too much force.
The core of polymorph is replacing Strength with the casting attribute. After transforming, his claws become natural weapons, and each attack is equivalent to a warrior with 19 Strength striking with full power. Its might is unquestionable.
Ragna ahead was also inwardly startled. Just now, she had noticed this person’s fundamental skills were very strong. His climbing and stealth were well-practiced, clearly indicating professional training. He just lacked melee experience, but casually crushing a person’s head was truly terrifying.
‘Could it be that sorcerer from earlier today?’
Just then, a scream came from ahead.
“Enemy attack—”
The scream broke the night’s silence, and chaos erupted on the ship. Cabin doors opened, lights flickered on, and figures moved everywhere.
“Assault!”
Ragna paused her steps, no longer hiding, and charged forward with great strides, knocking two crew members overboard with a single impact.
‘Wasteful.’
Anse lamented inwardly. He scanned his surroundings, not rushing in, and quickly cast Great Step and Jump on himself.
【 The Conch’s ship design resembles an early galleon, with two decks in the sterncastle. The stern is difficult to climb, so Ragna’s teammates are mostly located in the mid to aft sections of the ship.
Several of them were formidable fighters. Facing the panicked crew members who ran out, they were almost like door-guardians, taking them down with a few swift strikes.
One of them held a rapier, their movements as agile as a ballroom dance, with a faint magical aura surrounding them.
‘No wonder they dared to board with only four people.’
Anse didn’t look closely and headed straight for the sterncastle.
A crew member ran headlong into him and instinctively swung the longsword in his hand.
Anse stepped forward and swiped with his claws. With a clang, the longsword snapped into several pieces. The claws continued their trajectory, slicing across the man’s head, leaving half his face and skull missing, the jagged opening revealing bloody-white brain matter.
‘Exciting!’
The feeling of close combat was entirely different from ranged spellcasting, more thrilling and perilous. Every collision made his blood surge, a feeling that was intoxicating.
He ran a few quick steps, leaping two to three meters into the air, landing on the sterncastle deck. His claws swiped, disemboweling two musketeers.
Blood spattered, drenching him. Combined with the “wild and untamed” smile on his face, it terrified the other gunmen, making them retreat repeatedly.
Anse, oblivious, charged forward again but didn’t anticipate the gust of wind from behind. His muscles tensed, and as he twisted his waist, he swung his claw backward in a blind attack. A white-gold radiance suddenly flared on his claw.
*Clang*, the claw met some resistance, but its momentum was undiminished. With a *hiss*, liquid sprayed out, and his palm felt warm and sticky.
“Ah—” A suppressed cry of pain came from behind him.
【…The Conch’s captain was hit, taking 6 slashing damage and 11 radiant damage. Current HP: 26/43…】
Anse turned around. Several meters behind him stood a small figure clad in black leather armor, dual-wielding two short swords. A foot-long gash had opened across the leather armor on his chest, from which blood flowed incessantly.
“Hoo—”
The man retreated, taking a deep breath. A faint airflow enveloped him, and the wound instantly stopped bleeding and began to scab over, his complexion regaining some color.
“You’re not Ragna!” Ramas’s back was drenched in cold sweat, filled with lingering fear.
As soon as he emerged, he saw a powerfully built figure carrying a great axe. He had intended to sneak attack, but who would have expected the other party to counter with a claw strike, a “supercharged” Holy Slash!
If he hadn’t reacted quickly and taken a step back, that strike would have likely cost him several ribs.
Another Holy Slash, and claws, along with a magical aura on him. His eyes were filled with confusion. What in the world was this thing?!
Anse didn’t reply. This person could use Second Wind, but he dual-wielded short swords, and his fighting style was a bit strange.
The dice spun slightly and revealed the target’s information:
【The Conch’s captain, Human, Level 4 Rogue （Assassin）, Level 2 Warrior】
‘The main target has arrived.’ He grinned and charged forward again.
Ramas’s heart tightened, and he chose to evade the brunt of the attack, focusing on dodging.
Their figures intertwined, “fiercely battling” for dozens of seconds, his gaze growing increasingly strange.
‘Is that all?!’
Anse was also a little embarrassed. He felt like he was being toyed with. The opponent reacted too quickly, their footwork was exquisite, and they had extensive melee experience. He couldn’t even touch the hem of his opponent’s clothing.
Ramas’s eyes flashed with killing intent, wanting to end this “farce,” but a flash of silver mist appeared, and his opponent vanished into thin air, reappearing moments later atop the sterncastle several meters away.
He didn’t hesitate, pushing off with his legs, and shot forward. The space was narrow, and he was confident his opponent couldn’t cast another spell.
Anse looked down at him from above, his magic surging around him, his expression calm. Even as the opponent leaped onto the sterncastle within a few steps, even as that short sword rapidly enlarged in his vision.
“
「Metamagic」 + 「Quicken Spell」 + 「Hold Person」!
A nearly imperceptible wave of magic descended instantly. The short man’s body stiffened, veins bulging in his eyes, but it was useless.
With a *thump*, the man fell at Anse’s feet, his face hitting the deck, prostrate.
【…The Conch’s captain was hit, failed saving throw for spell】
Anse didn’t hesitate. He gently touched the Spell Storing Ring, the wand almost touching the back of the man’s head. Scorching Ray erupted at point-blank range.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
Amidst shuddering muffled sounds, three consecutive fire rays exploded at the back of the man’s head. There was no blood, only charred wounds emitting a pungent black smoke that forced Anse to hold his breath.
【…The Conch’s captain was hit, taking 37 points of （Critical Hit） Fire damage. Current HP: 1/43…】
‘He’s not dead yet?’
However, before the combat log popped up, the second spell had already activated. After a brief pause, Scorching Ray erupted again.
The short man suddenly rolled, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow at the critical moment. Three fire rays grazed his head and face, landing on the deck and burning three black holes, their edges glowing red.
Anse took a step back, guarding against his death throes.
But the man’s eyes were unfocused; it was purely survival instinct. He stumbled a few steps, raised his hand, and fired a flare into the air before collapsing onto the deck again.
Anse frowned and, not daring to approach, cast Magic Missile from a distance.
“Bang, bang, bang.”
【…The Conch’s captain was hit, taking 11 Force damage, Critical Hit. Target Death. Gained 560 Combat Experience…】
‘A distress signal?’
Anse let out a long sigh of relief. He had thought the opponent had some trump card. If the duck he had caught had flown away, he probably wouldn’t have slept tonight.
Fortunately, the outcome was good. The opponent didn’t have any magic items to resist spell damage; a point-blank Scorching Ray had severely wounded him.
Battles between professionals are like this. Unless it’s a chase, there’s almost no situation where it lasts for tens of minutes; life and death can be decided in tens of seconds.
This is because everyone is fragile, with little room for error. A small difference can mean a lot.
Fortunately, he had Misty Step and Quicken Spell, otherwise, it would have been difficult to escape the assassin’s close-range pursuit, and at that time, he wouldn’t have been in control.
Addendum:
1. Damage Types
Acid: Corrosive liquid, digestive enzymes
Blunt Attack: Bludgeoning weapons, crushing, falling
Cold: Ice water, frigid wind
Fire: Blazing flames, unbearable high temperatures
Force: Pure magical energy
Lightning: High-voltage electricity
Necrotic: Life-draining energy
Piercing Attack: Fangs, piercing implements
Poison: Toxic gas, snake venom
Psychic: Mind-shattering energy
Radiant: Divine energy, intense radiation
Slashing: Claws, cutting implements
Thunder: Sound powerful enough to create a shockwave
2. Magic and Science
When discussing attack damage, the dialectic between magic and science is often encountered.
For example, in reality, a critical hit to the back of the head, neck, or vital organs like the heart is almost always fatal.
However, D&D has professionals and magic, with wondrous spells, feats, and various magic items. One cannot entirely apply real-world logic.
For instance, the third-ring spell Resurrection, mastered by 5th-level spellcasters like Priests, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, etc., can revive a recently deceased creature with 1 hit point, but it cannot restore lost body parts.
What is its principle? It should be “restoring fatal damage and activating the spiritual light,” but it’s not enough for regenerating severed limbs.
There’s also the fourth-circle spell Death Ward, with numerous acquisition channels: Priests, Paladins, Sorcerers (Rune, Moon Magic), Warlocks, Mechanists… When the target’s hit points first drop to 0, their hit points instead drop to 1.
This is harder to understand （After all, I’m just a Sorcerer）. It seems to only protect against excess （fatal, instant-death） damage, but it doesn’t change severe injuries. It appears to be a niche effect, but death and being alive are not the same concept.
For example, the third-ring spell Resurrection, which a 5th-level spellcaster （ Priest, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, etc. ） can learn, revives a recently deceased creature with 1 hit point but cannot restore lost body parts.
What is its principle? It should be “restore fatal damage, activate spiritual light,” but it can’t regenerate severed limbs.
There are also fourth-circle spells like Death Ward, with many acquisition channels: Priests, Paladins, Sorcerers （ Runes, Moon Arts ）, Warlocks, Mechanists… When the target’s life value first drops to 0, that target’s life value is changed to 1.
This is harder to understand （ After all, I’m just a Sorcerer ）. It seems to only protect against excessive （ lethal and instant death ） damage, but it doesn’t prevent grievous wounds. It seems like a weak ability, but death and life are not the same concept.
