Let's do the trial together after Chapter 89.
Shen Dixin was so at ease, not because Zhu Sha's strength was comparable to hers—it was far inferior! Her reliance was on the new tool given to her by Tao Ling.
【Item Name: Bone Flute】
Item Quality: Blue
[Item Description: Remaining uses: 1. Blow the bone flute to recall the bound pet back to the ship.]
The bone flute and the bone whistle made by the lamp spirits are very similar, like a shared item model used to save costs, except that the bone flute is a bit longer.
Chen Dixin hung it around his neck, and strung the lighter bone whistle on his left hand so that he wouldn't have to worry about making a mistake in a moment of panic.
The sea monster's attack would only deal a few dozen points of damage at most; as long as Shen Dixin kept a close eye on it, there wouldn't be any problems. Besides, this was Zhu Sha's request, and she confirmed with the little jellyfish again.
"Zhu Sha, are you sure you've thought this through? I won't make a move until your life is in danger."
Zhu Sha patted Chen Dixin's hand soothingly; this was the first time it had shown such composure in front of its master.
Shen Dixin smiled gently and loosened her grip on his hand. "Go ahead, I believe in you."
Yesterday morning, Zhu Sha excitedly came to report the good news: it had leveled up to level seven and its three-dimensional attributes were as follows: Constitution 7 (1), Strength 14 (1), Agility 16 (1). Its base stats had caught up with the majority of players.
It claims to have fully mastered the release of its aura and is just waiting for an equally matched opponent to test its abilities!
The child is ambitious, and Chen Dixin naturally won't stop her. She also wants to know what Zhu Sha can achieve. Even with the advantages of physical agility and aura, the difference in attributes between the sea monster and Zhu Sha is too great.
In addition to inherent defense values, damage is also reduced when there is a significant attribute advantage. The greater the difference, the more damage is reduced when hitting the opponent.
Simply put, if cinnabar's attack has ten points, it might only have three or four points left when it hits a sea monster.
After Zhu Sha's agility improved, his movements were indeed not as slow as before; he looked two or three times faster than the sea monster.
This sea monster looks like the same kind as the one we fought before—a big, clumsy creature that got easily outmaneuvered.
Out of caution, Shen Dixin attacked the sea monster with a hidden weapon after entering the water, so as not to encounter a tough opponent when she was caught off guard.
[The player dealt 27 damage to the "Sea Monster".]
Shen Dixin's normal attack can deal 36 points, so the enemy is neither too strong nor too weak. After reminding Zhu Sha, she went to the side to observe the battle.
With its body scratched, the sea monster angrily searched for enemies, its first target naturally being the player who dared to attack it. However, it couldn't stand the annoying little bugs that kept biting it, which didn't hurt but were just scratching. It had no choice but to turn its head and drive them away.
The sticky tentacles were surprisingly powerful. Even though they were submerged in water, their strength was like whipping through the air, as if the seawater itself was being cleaved in two.
Shen Dixin couldn't help but feel her heart pounding. She certainly wouldn't be afraid of such an attack, but when the tentacles rushed towards the cinnabar, she was more nervous than anyone else.
The little jellyfish doted on her and treated her like her everything, and she did not betray that affection.
Fortunately, Zhu Sha did not cause its master any more worry. Its small body flashed red as it weaved through the chaotic tentacles. Whenever a tentacle was about to strike it, the sea monster would inexplicably pause for a moment, allowing Zhu Sha to escape the attack range.
At the same time, small wounds appeared on the sea monster's body, and dark green blood flowed out.
The visual impact was so strong that Shen Dixin's heart was racing, and her hand holding the bone whistle was slightly hot. While keeping an eye on Zhu Sha out of the corner of her eye, she opened the system panel.
[The pet "Vermilion" deals 4 damage to the "Sea Monster".]
[The pet "Vermilion" inflicts the [Intimidate] effect on the "Sea Monster".]
[The pet "Vermilion" triggered a critical strike, dealing 8 damage to the Elite Shark Monster.]
Almost every message of harm was interspersed with a warning of additional intimidation, making Shen Dixin worry that the frequent release of pressure by Zhu Sha might affect him.
As its life gradually ebbed away, the sea monster finally abandoned its contempt, stopped its growling, and began to cautiously launch attacks. Zhu Sha's movements became difficult, and it even took a hit from one of the sea monster's tentacles. Its constitution was not strong, and it lost a quarter of its health in one hit.
Instead of panicking, Zhu Sha inherited Shen Dixin's calmness and confidence in battle, always releasing its pressure just before the tentacles touched it, and it was not hit a second time until the sea monster showed signs of fatigue.
The jellyfish's high agility doesn't translate into fast movement; instead, it manifests in its exceptional attack speed. Cinnabar can unleash several attacks per second, and given its tiny size, it's like a cockroach to the sea monster—extremely difficult to catch.
So it stuck to the sea monster like a leech, and even though its attack power was lower than Chen Dixin's, its output was not much inferior.
Chen Dixin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally put down, and her face was full of relief. She was already capable of handling things on her own.
The sea monster was on its last breath, having proven itself. Zhu Sha was satisfied and let Chen Dixin finish the job.
This experience shouldn't be wasted. If the pet eats it, it'll be good if the excess experience is returned by 5%!
[The player defeated the level 18 "Sea Monster" and was rewarded with 1223 experience points.]
Night fell over the sea, and no light could penetrate except for the lamp brought down by Chen Dixin; the place seemed to be immersed in ink.
Shen Dixin, accustomed to darkness, did not find it awkward. On the contrary, Zhu Sha, from the later stages of the battle, was restless and conveyed her emotions to her master, urging her to leave quickly.
She hugged Zhu Sha tightly and swam upstream, gently stroking its umbrella-like canopy, thinking the little guy was afraid of the dark or taking the opportunity to act cute.
Until... that chill crept up my neck.
Shen Dixin vaguely recalled a saying that had circulated about sea survival: do not go into the sea after midnight.
People just passed it around like that, and when asked why, no one could give a clear explanation. Moreover, it was no longer mentioned after less than half a month, and she simply regarded it as an urban legend.
Even if she knew the truth now, it wouldn't help Shen Dixin much. Fortunately, she hadn't planned to stay underwater for long, and she decided to finish things up when it was almost time. It was just two minutes past midnight.
Waves crashed against my back; the ocean came alive, or something was stirring it.
Shen Dixin fled for her life, the icy coldness of the seawater or the cold sweat pouring down her body mingling together.
The ships moored above were getting farther and farther away. The similar situation instantly reminded her of the "chasing and playing" with Hunter Blade every night. As if possessed, she turned around and glanced back.
She could never forget those eyes that met hers, at least not during her time surviving at sea.
Hunter's Blade!
Her eyes widened, and she fainted the next second. The giant sea beast stopped in its tracks when it saw Shen Dixin, then turned and left abruptly.
Shen Dixin lost consciousness, and Zhu Sha was extremely anxious, trying to drag her back to the boat.
But it wasn't very strong, and after a fierce battle, it was exhausted. It was already difficult enough to bring Shen Dixin to the side of the boat, let alone get her onto the boat.
This is no raft. With the hull side obstructing the way, it would be difficult to transport the cinnabar. It is even more afraid that the bumps and knocks along the way will damage Chen Dixin.
Fortunately, its hardworking owner would not give up any opportunity to catch fish. He would set the nets at night and haul them in at dawn, and there were quite a few fishing nets left by the side of the boat.
Zhu Sha pulled the two fishing nets back and tied them together to prevent Chen Dixin's head from suffocating in the water. Then she hurriedly got on the boat and pulled Lu Mingang's trouser leg to the side of the boat.
"Bang--"
The pot lid in his hand fell to the ground. Without hesitation, Lu Mingang pulled her up, even though he got himself all wet. He reached out with trembling hands to check her breath, and only felt a little relieved when he felt her warm, moist breath.
He was so frightened that he didn't react in time. If a player dies, their body will be collected by the system in the next second, and you won't be able to see it anymore.
The harsh sound of metal falling to the ground startled Shen Dixin, and she frowned.
"Dixin? Dixin, how are you?!"
Shen Dixin wiped the water from her face, feeling a little dazed when she first opened her eyes. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Zhu Sha just brought you back from the sea." Lu Mingang was shocked. Could Di Xin have lost her memory?
Shen Dixin did not lose her memory; she just felt that she had gone through a very long period of time. After a while, she was back to normal.
Lu Mingang asked them what was wrong. He had never seen Dixin so disheveled before. Her gaze was deep. "Don't go into the sea after midnight."
The owner is alright!
Zhu Sha rushed into Chen Di's arms, feeling an unprecedented fear and a strong desire to become stronger. If she were a little stronger, she might be able to help her master block that monster, just like she did today when she killed the sea monster.
Yuanbao, who had been resting in the corner, also came over. It seemed to sense that Zhusha and its master were not in a good mood, and quietly stayed by their side.
Shen Dixin's head was still throbbing with pain, as if he had just fought another elite sea monster. The Hunter Blade was definitely a mental attack weapon.
She tried to investigate, but couldn't find a single specific image of the Hunter Blade; even the eyes had disappeared.
If she couldn't figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it; she's always been a very open-minded person.
Shen Dixin hugged Zhu Sha. Not knowing how to comfort her, she changed the subject and praised its performance that day.
"Zhu Sha was great today! She beat the sea monster to a pulp with just one jellyfish! Will using the pressure so frequently affect your health? Don't overwork yourself."
Yes, but not many.
As expected, Zhu Sha's attention was diverted. It told Shen Dixin that releasing pressure was like lifting dumbbells. As long as you pull it back quickly, it won't take too much effort, and it can do it many more times!
With continued practice, Zhu Sha believes that one day she will be able to release her aura as naturally as a mermaid, just like breathing!
Shen Dixin smiled and nodded, then put it in the small water tank to rest. The pet calmed down, but the person was still there.
Turning her head, she saw Lu Mingang squatting silently next door, staring intently at her, as if afraid that she might accidentally turn into that dying look again.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back down. She saw the fear and sadness in the man's eyes.
After a long silence, just as Shen Dixin was feeling extremely uneasy and racking his brains to break the deadlock, he said, "...I'm very worried about you."
"It was just an accident. I'm perfectly fine. I'll just carry more self-defense items with me next time."
As she spoke, Chen Dixin stood up and spun around without falling.
Lu Mingang looked at her, his eyes seeming to hold a thousand words.
He said earnestly, "Take me with you next time. I can swim, and I've learned a lot about fighting techniques from Teacher Yuebai. If we really can't beat each other... I'm strong, I'll carry you and bring you back."
His heart nearly stopped when he saw Shen Dixin hanging in the fishing net!
Before this, Lu Mingang didn't know that he couldn't live without her. Perhaps it was the dependence that had developed during this time when they could be described as depending on each other for survival.
Seemingly realizing the atmosphere was too strange, he twitched the corners of his mouth and quickly smiled as usual, his tone becoming relaxed.
“We’re buddies, we’ll share the burden. Even if I can’t be of much help, I can at least carry your things and keep watch for you. I won’t hold you back. I’m also good at lighting, it’s so dark down there…”
As he spoke, his tone momentarily fell.
"I have to keep a close eye on you, Dixin, you're my bread and butter! I'm just a small cook, I don't know what I would do without you. Since you saved me, please help me to the end, don't abandon me halfway."
Lu Mingang was almost incoherent, rambling on and on. Shen Dixin's gaze gradually softened; he was genuinely worried about her, afraid that she would be gone.
Having been given a second chance at life, the people I cherish most after a period of reflection are my true friends. How fortunate I am!
Especially this not-so-bright guy in front of him. The other friends only chose each other after testing each other multiple times on the premise of exchanging benefits, and started to cooperate and acquire resources, thus gradually becoming trusted partners.
Lu Mingang was different; he had a look on his face that said, "I'll sell you out and you'll still help me count the money," showing no wariness towards people.
Therefore, he was willing to help Shen Dixin who had saved him without reservation, because he was deeply moved by her kindness. He believed that he would work hard to repay her without needing to give her much.
"Let's do it together from now on."
Shen Dixin couldn't help but ruffle his fluffy head, since he looked so pitiful and in need of comfort.
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