Chapter 334
Chapter 334
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 334
Chapter Title: Compass of Desire (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Eek!”
“It’s a Kraken!”
“H-Hookton?”
“H-Honey!”
A terror even greater than facing the undead swept over the Black Pearl Pirates. They were confronting the very beings they feared most.
The undead swarming from all sides seemed like mere insects compared to this colossal horror that paralyzed their reason.
“R-Run!”
In that extreme situation, the Black Pearl Pirates made a quintessentially piratical decision.
Escape!
Ignoring comrades, captain, and all else, they bolted without looking back.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Thwack!
But Rokan wasn’t about to let them.
He hadn’t used Nightmare’s skill on them to make them flee, but to sow chaos.
Their bodies, now full of openings, were vulnerable to defense, and Rokan’s battle axe unleashed critical hits with every strike, tearing through them.
“Eek! Take it!”
“...!”
When it finally came to the captain’s turn, the man seemed to see Rokan overlapping with someone else and pulled something from his bosom, hurling it.
“A compass?”
The Compass of Desire. It seemed the being he feared was its original owner.
“A nice pickup, but...”
From Rokan’s perspective, it was a ‘nice pickup.’
However, it wasn’t all good. The moment he took it, every pirate undead’s gaze turned to him.
“What now.”
A decision was needed. Flee with it, or check what the Black Pearl Pirates had been after.
“As they say, even if you can’t eat it, it’s good to have it.”
Spin.
As Rokan made up his mind, the needle on the compass in his hand whirled. Then, ignoring directions, it pointed deep into the cave.
“Nightmare, return. Summon Unicorn!”
Flash.
Confirming the Black Pearl Pirates had fully retreated from the cave, Rokan immediately swapped summons.
Divine Beast Unicorn.
The moment it appeared, its mere presence dispersed the aura of resentment and instilled instinctive fear in the pirate undead.
“Grraaah!”
“I don’t want to die...!”
At the same time, the pirate undead’s priorities shifted.
Undead fundamentally moved by desire and instinct. Until moments ago, greed had driven them, but now a longing for life replaced it.
Though already dead, that very fact amplified their craving for life. Knowing that light would annihilate even their souls, they panicked and fled.
“Pirates, my ass—they’re total cowards.”
This left Rokan, who had summoned the Unicorn, feeling awkwardly embarrassed.
He’d considered using Unification Awakening to awaken the Heavenly Starlight Gauntlet if the Unicorn’s divinity failed, but now the whole island seemed ready to bolt.
Disappointing, but not bad. If he could snag whatever was inside for free, did it matter?
He lightly mounted the Unicorn and activated a movement skill.
Clutching the Compass of Desire tightly.
Kieeeh!
Everywhere they went, it was the same. As Rokan and the Unicorn approached, the undead retreated like shadows yielding to speed, clearing the path.
A bloodless entry.
It was so easy it felt like a trap, but with plenty of skills left to use, he pressed on without hesitation.
He charged onward, as if boring straight through the mountain to the other side.
“Hm?”
Perhaps because ghosts and undead were the main force, there were no special traps.
Even if there were, they’d likely trigger Rokan’s trap detection skills, and anything short of that wouldn’t inflict serious damage anyway. Thanks to this, he smoothly advanced deep inside.
Then, finally, a group blocked Rokan’s path.
[Great Pirate’s Spectral Crewmen][Lv 400]
The crewmen of the Great Pirate who had left everything here. Their lingering souls guarded this place.
At a whopping Lv 400, they didn’t yield even to the Unicorn’s divinity.
“Whole Body Charge, Blink!”
Boom!
They couldn’t withstand Rokan’s attack power, which dealt full damage even to soul-types, and burst apart quickly.
“Grand Masters in name only.”
As Rokan said, they were weak for their level.
They seemed to remember combat techniques from life, but with only resentment left, they couldn’t use creation skills or the full power of true Grand Masters.
Still, it was too early to let his guard down. These were mere ‘crewmen.’
The fact that even crewmen were Lv 400 was reason enough for caution.
“Good thing I saved it.”
That’s why Rokan held back Gale Incarnation.
Even if cooldowns and aftereffects had shortened, he couldn’t guarantee inner foes wouldn’t use creation skills.
An executive might retain enough will to threaten him with master or creation skills.
Picking skills to use on them, Rokan broke through the entrance.
[Great Pirate’s Spectral Bosun][Lv 410]
And finally, the executive ranks appeared.
He considered testing the waters, but Rokan immediately unleashed his power.
He’d even timed it from the entrance for potential Time Reversal, and a preemptive strike from them could spell trouble.
“Soul Domination.”
First, Soul Domination.
As the Demon God’s power spread, the charging spectral crewmen hesitated. Some flipped their eyes back and swung at comrades.
At Lv 400, full domination was tough—they were still confused—but regular crewmen began succumbing to the power.
Even simpler if hit by allies, damaging their souls.
“Ugh... This place... I...”
Soul Domination’s effect kept spreading. Even affecting the executives to some degree.
No matter their equal class, Rokan’s stats vastly outstripped theirs, infused with Demon God’s power.
While cutting down hesitating spectral crewmen, the executives’ eyes glazed over, guards dropping.
“Massacre!”
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
As soul-bodies, no criticals, sadly. Be it neck, arms, or legs—only soul damage.
But overwhelming attack power shook their souls like candles in wind.
“Snap out of it, all of you!”
Then, a roar shook the cave.
[Great Pirate’s Lingering Soul][Lv 449]
The master of this land, the soul of the one called Great Pirate, appeared.
His bellow snapped the reason-lost spectral crewmen awake.
Exposed to Demon God’s power, but a captain’s command was divine to crewmen.
His lifetime charisma awakened them with fierce momentum.
“Eek!”
But it hadn’t fully dispelled the Demon God’s power. Just a momentary snap-back.
Thus, they glanced around, assessed, then scattered like smoke behind the captain.
Given the situation, even the captain showed no reaction to their flight, stepping forward to face Rokan himself.
“Mortal, do you seek my treasure? Prove your worth!”
The captain immediately unleashed power. Multiplying his soul, he gripped weapons in both hands and rallied executives.
‘A gun?’
But the weapons surprised. Scimitar in one hand, pistol in the other.
He knew mechanical engineering could craft gun-like weapons, but their power was pitiful, right? Yet a Lv 449 using one?
No, though displayed as 449, Rokan could guess: in life, he’d reached Lv 450.
Otherwise, he couldn’t have dominated seas and become pirate legend.
Such thoughts made Rokan cautious. It wouldn’t pack ordinary power.
Protecting head and heart from piercing shots or blasts, he hurled himself at the foe.
“Gale Incarnation, Whole Body Peerless, Blood Awakening, Unification... Awakening!”
Drawing maximum power, he clashed with the Great Pirate and his minions.
‘This choice better be right.’
He’d hesitated briefly. He couldn’t yet awaken Heavenly God and Demon God gear simultaneously.
Had to pick one.
Against ghostly forms, Heavenly power was superior, but hadn’t Soul Domination confirmed Demon power worked too?
After deliberation, Rokan chose certainty: Heavenly power.
Since the captain shook off Soul Domination, he trusted his own abilities over gambling.
Ruuuumble.
In that instant, immense power surged into Rokan.
Already boosted by Blood Awakening’s Demon power, now Heavenly power amplified to extremes.
This should let him tangle even with Lv 450. Lion King hadn’t revealed their authorities, though.
“Let’s clash!”
The true King of Violence confronted the Great Pirate—no, Pirate King.
“Whole Body Charge!”
“Cannon Defense!”
But he wasn’t alone. An executive blocked Rokan, deploying a creation skill.
Boom!
A defensive creation skill shielding ships from cannonballs and external attacks.
Shaken by power gap, body flung back, but it halted the charge.
“Tidal Wave!”
A barrage of creation skills followed. But one key difference here.
This wasn’t the sea.
Pirate creations specialized in naval combat.
Take Tidal Wave.
The massive wave that swept foes ship-and-all crashed on Rokan, but he still wore Sea Prince’s Cape.
He cleaved the wave’s physics with battle axe, dispersed water aura with item power. Bursting through the secondary surge bodily, he re-charged.
Bang!
Then, a massive gunshot rang.
The captain pulled his pistol’s trigger.
“Guh!”
Rokan hastily braced battle axe for defense, but the impact above was no joke.
Charge halted, body shaken—minimum Legend-grade weapon, or like that mortar, a created one.
Executives lunged in the gap, weapons drawn—but that’s what he wanted.
“True Gale Slash!”
A skill rivaling Massacre in AoE, perhaps surpassing, swept the area.
They desperately tried retreating, but escaping the vortex was impossible. Three caught souls shattered and purified by divinity.
“Gaaah!”
“Fleet Summon!”
But this pinned Rokan too.
Seizing the moment, captain activated skill.
Woooom!
“...!”
Retreated spectral crewmen dissolved. Particles merged into small pirate ships.
Crewmen became vessels themselves.
He didn’t stop, chaining skills.
“Cannon Barrage! Full Salvo!”
Boom-boom-boom!
Cannonades poured from each ship.
Spectral fodder couldn’t harm Rokan much, but fused with captain’s skill, they carried Grand Master class.
[Title Unyielding Will effect: All stats +100%.]
Damage piled on Rokan, unable to fully dodge.
HP plummeted instantly; no space to evade.
Anyone else, any without immortality, would die to this alone.
But Rokan endured steadfastly. Taking all damage bodily, awaiting one chance.