There was no time to think further; more spider crabs were already crawling up onto the ship.
At first glance, the deck seemed covered in a dense swarm, like a black tide surging across, their crimson eyes gleaming with greed and brutality, as though they had found a delicious feast.
Isaac, Gavin, and the others were armed and fighting off the creatures.
The spider crabs appeared small in size, but their defense and agility were far beyond what ordinary sailors could handle. In the blink of an eye, soldiers and sailors alike were suffering casualties.
And from the sea, more and more spider crabs were climbing onto the deck. At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
Luca didn’t hesitate. A black whirlwind swirled around him, and his speed suddenly erupted. His body moved like a hurricane, sweeping across the Windrunner Ship.
At the same time, the previously calm sea was stirred by a fierce wind. The spider crabs clung onto the deck with the barbed hooks on their legs, trying to resist being blown away. But as the whirlwind grew stronger, they began to lose their grip. Like pieces of paper, they were torn away from the ship and carried into the air by the black wind.
After clearing the Windrunner Ship, Luca didn’t stop. A pair of jet-black wings appeared behind him, and he shot like lightning toward the Black Thorn. He repeated the same method with the other ship.
Before long, a massive, dark sphere appeared in the sky.
Isaac, Gavin, and the others were stunned as they watched. The efficiency was astonishing. By the time they had processed what was happening, all the spider crabs had already been dealt with.
Meanwhile, after confirming that there were no stragglers left on the ship, Luca raised his hand. A flash of silver light shot from his palm. In the next moment, thunder rumbled across the sky, and before everyone’s astonished eyes, a blinding silver lightning bolt shot down like a spear, crashing into the sphere formed by the spider crabs.
Boom! The black sphere in midair exploded with a deafening roar. The surrounding mist was instantly cleared away, and the dismembered limbs and severed appendages of the spider crabs soared through the sky like flaming meteors, shooting off in all directions.
[Ding! You have killed a “Lv48 Spider Crab (Normal),” gaining 46,000 experience!]
[Ding! You have killed a “Lv52 Spider Crab (Rare),” gaining 569,000 experience!]
[Ding! You have killed a “Lv58 Spider Crab (Commander),” gaining 78,000 experience!]
…
Thousands of spider crabs were instantly slain, their black, filthy blood raining down from the sky like a torrential downpour, splattering onto the protective shields of the Black Thorn and Windrunner Ship.
The surge of experience poured into Luca’s body like a tidal wave. In the blink of an eye, several golden lights flickered around him, signaling the increase in his level.
[Ding! Your level has reached 5, gaining 20 free attribute points!]
[Ding! Your level has reached 52, gaining 20 free attribute points!]
…
With the influx of experience, Luca’s level skyrocketed. In just a short time, he had reached level 57, only a little bit away from reaching level 58. His eyes couldn’t help but shine. He hadn’t expected to encounter such a big reward so soon in the Sea of Mist. It was indeed a great place for leveling up.
Allocating all his attribute points to Spirit, Luca checked his stats. He was surprised to see that his Spirit attribute had broken the 0,000 mark, and his HP had reached 500,000.
With this amount of health, he could easily withstand a full-strength blow from a Sky-level powerhouse. Even players of the same level would probably be unable to break his defense.
Thinking about this, Luca couldn’t help but smile. In the battlefield, being able to deal damage was important, but the ability to withstand attacks from King-level monsters was what truly set someone apart. After all, only by staying alive could one deal damage.
After dealing with the monsters, he scanned the surrounding sea. He noticed that the creatures that had been quietly approaching earlier were now nowhere to be seen, having vanished without a trace after the spider crabs had been killed.
It was a shame, but there was nothing to be done. Higher-level monsters were increasingly intelligent. The moment they sensed danger, they would flee. The higher the level of the creature, the harder it was to catch.
With his wings flapping behind him, Luca returned to the deck. Isaac, Ellie, and the others quickly approached, their eyes fixed on him as if they were staring at a monster.
Luca was already accustomed to such reactions. He turned to the first mate, Keik Ford, and asked, “What’s the casualty count?”
First mate Keik Ford sighed and replied, “We lost a dozen sailors and a few soldiers. This is my fault. I should have warned them to stay alert…”
After hearing Keik’s words, Luca understood how the spider crabs managed to board the ship. Some creatures in the Sea of Mist were particularly unique. In this sea, certain monsters could bypass the defensive magic arrays and enter even the most powerful ones, like the Superclass defensive formations. The spider crabs were one of these creatures. Keik had forgotten to warn the sailors to be cautious, leading to this unfortunate incident.
Luca knew it wasn’t his fault—after all, no one would have expected an attack as soon as they entered the Sea of Mist.
Once the crew’s emotions had settled, Luca instructed them to take care of the bodies of the fallen soldiers.
When they returned to Seaway City, Luca would ensure that the families of the soldiers and sailors received a pension large enough to support them for the rest of their lives. It was a promise he had made before setting out.
After calming down the frightened and pale-faced Ellie, Luca returned to his captain’s quarters. To his surprise, Sophia was there, seemingly unaware of the earlier events. She was studying the nautical map on the desk. It was possible she assumed Luca could handle everything on his own.
Noticing Luca’s arrival, Sophia turned and said, “Zenobia is awake. She must have perceived us entering the Sea of Mist, but she’s refusing to communicate with me.”
“Then leave her be,” Luca replied without surprise. They had planned to use Zenobia to pinpoint the exact location of the Celestial Pearl, and Zenobia, too, likely intended to use them to get closer to it.
From their standpoint, there was little possibility for mutual cooperation. When the time came, it would all come down to who had the better methods. There was no need to dwell too much on it.
After Sophia left, Luca pondered for a moment and then woke Solar Divine Spear and Jormungandr.
After explaining the situation, he asked, “Do you two have any good ideas?”
The golden-haired youth and the black-dressed little girl exchanged a look before shaking their heads.
“You think too highly of us,” Jormungandr said with a roll of her eyes. “She’s the Goddess of Sinful Desires—even the God-Emperor couldn’t deal with her. Even if her powers are sealed now, she’s still far beyond our abilities.”
After some thought, Solar Divine Spear spoke up, “I do have an idea, though I can’t guarantee it will succeed. But if anyone can make it work, it’s you.”
Luca’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected there to be a real possibility after all.
Solar Divine Spear didn’t keep him in suspense. He slowly spoke two words: “Divine Spell.”
Divine Spell? Luca froze for a moment. His mind immediately flashed back to the terrifying seal that had been placed on Solar Divine Spear for a hundred thousand years. It was precisely because Solar Divine Spear had broken that seal that his strength had yet to fully recover.
A Divine Spell was a God’s secret technique. If Luca could learn it, it could certainly help Sophia suppress Zenobia. But could he really learn it? Even Luca wasn’t sure of his own abilities.
“Stop joking, a divine spell is something only gods can learn,” Jormungandr found it somewhat absurd. A divine spell was a power that only gods could wield. How could someone like Luca, a mere mortal, possibly learn it?
Solar Divine Spear, however, shook his head and replied, “Why can’t he? I’ve been with my master for hundreds of thousands of years. The divine spells he used are all imprinted in my mind. Luca possesses the Solar Divine Rank and has been refined by the gods into a divine body. As long as his divine soul is elevated, even if he hasn’t reached the Divine level, he might still be able to learn divine spells, although their effectiveness might be weaker.”
Luca couldn’t help but feel intrigued after hearing this. Solar Divine Spear made a valid point. If an ordinary practitioner wanted to learn a divine spell, it would certainly be impossible, but Luca was no ordinary practitioner.
Not only did he have the divine rank, but he also possessed a divine body. As long as he could elevate his divine soul, even if his strength and level didn’t reach the Divine tier, he could still manifest a partial effect of the divine spells. That would be enough to suppress Zenobia, who was already bound by a seal.
“How can I raise my divine soul?” Luca, having made up his mind, looked toward Solar Divine Spear. This was the key problem at the moment.
If he couldn’t raise his divine soul, then there was no way to learn the divine spell. Even if he found a way to deal with Zenobia, it would all be in vain.
Solar Divine Spear remained silent for a couple of seconds before slowly saying, “I don’t know.”
“Huh?” Luca froze in place. So the other party didn’t have a way to raise his divine soul? He thought Solar Divine Spear had already come up with a solution.
Jormungandr couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “So, if you can’t raise his divine soul, then didn’t all that you said just now become nonsense?”
Solar Divine Spear, looking helpless, spread his hands and said, “The difficulty of forging a divine soul for a mere mortal is no less than creating a legitimate god with a divine rank.
“I’m just a weapon spirit. Even though I’ve lived a long time, I’m still just a weapon spirit that’s lived longer than most. You can’t expect me to have the solution to everything.”
Luca realized he had been overly idealistic. “Thank you, Senior. I’ll figure out how to raise my divine soul myself.”
The fact that Solar Divine Spear had already helped him come up with a possible solution, and was even willing to impart the knowledge of divine spells, was already a huge help. He couldn’t ask for more.
After Solar Divine Spear and Jormungandr disappeared, Luca sank into deep thought.
How could he raise his strength? It seemed like it was up to him to figure it out on his own…
The common methods for quickly boosting one’s soul were upgrading, sacrifices, or using potions.