Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 467: Naval Warfare (Top)

If Korea had Know-it-all Dictionary as their best BJ, then Japan had ‘Mankai’, well-known and loved by the Japanese for his varied content, funny way of speaking, excellent hosting skills, and his depth of knowledge. Right now, the place where Mankai was located was none other than the ship of Ever Seas Pirate King and Captain, Pirate Lundnu.

Lundnu’s class was ‘Great Pirate’s Descendant’. That was why everything was already prepared for Lundnu when he became a pirate. Because of his special abilities and high level, Lundnu was recognized for his strength in the entirety of Japan. In fact, if one looked at the rankings, there was not much difference between him and Kentaro. This meant that he would be as powerful as Kentaro when at sea. Of course, this was only true if they were ‘at sea’, and it was also the main reason why he could not participate in Athenae: World War.

Inside the Ever Seas, all pirates were under Lundnu’s command. The reason for that was because they would receive a significant increase in the effect of their training if they trained under Lundnu. They can even learn various skills from him. But the most important part was the fact that they would become far more superior in a ‘battle at sea’. That was why all of the pirate guilds wanted to forge a relationship with Lundnu and gain the help of the number one pirate guild in Japan, to the point that they would claim that they were under his command.

Mankai came on board Lundnu’s pirate ship after receiving a call from him. He recalled the words that Lundnu told him, ‘Mankai. We have the opportunity to strike at and kill a Korean. From what I heard, he locked up the Three Pirates of Despair inside the Pirate’s Grave.’

‘The Three Pirates of Despair?!’

The trio that made up the Pirates of Despair were notorious around the Ever Seas. They were so vicious that no one could ignore their existence at all.

‘But the three of them had been locked up in the Pirate’s Grave?!’

Hearing this, Mankai immediately boarded Lundnu’s ship. However, he was very disappointed to see the warship sinking easily under the bombardment of cannonballs from Lundnu’s ship.

‘It only took one round of bombing…’

It only took a few hits from the cannonballs that they launched and the warship immediately sank. However, Mankai was a professional. Despite the disappointing display, he still shouted to the point that his veins popped up on his neck at his viewers, “Sugoi~!?The firepower of Lundnu’s ‘Gorfido’s Pirate Ship’ is truly superior to any other pirate ship in existence! The ship carrying a Korean man could not withstand its might and sank after only receiving a few hits!”

Perhaps the man could not avoid being forced to log out after this bombing.

‘Sigh. I should have gone to shoot Kentaro’s Fitness Report.’

Kentaro’s Fitness Report was a broadcast that encouraged and showed people how to become strong. It was not in Athenae but in reality! And Kentaro’s famous tagline was… ‘As long as you eat well, exercise diligently and sleep early, you will become strong!’?

It was a very unique tagline! And this tagline had a deep meaning behind it! After all, most Athenae players had irregular lifestyles. But by resetting their lifestyle and living a healthy and regular life, they could hone their bodies and sharpen their minds, and in turn, become stronger in Athenae too. Because of that, Kentaro’s Fitness Report had amassed a massive and steady following and rating.

Just when Mankai was about to wallow in self-pity, hundreds of dolphins began to surface around the sunken ship. The sight of hundreds of dolphins twinkling under the glare of the sun was spectacular. And the shocking part?

‘Aren’t they the Diamond Dolphins?’

Diamond Dolphins were a rare species of monster with skin that glittered like diamonds. They were known for their speed that far surpassed ordinary dolphins. And on the dolphin leading the pod…

Shwaaaaaaa—

…stood a man.

“…Wow! Can you see this shocking and spectacular view in front of us?! The Korean player is riding on top of a dolphin!!!”

Diamond Dolphins were also known for their high intelligence and intense dislike for humans. So, how come?! How come the man stood among them?! The pod of dolphins swam swiftly across the waters as Lundnu pulled his sword out and pointed in front while shouting, “Fire! Fire at them!!!”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Dozens of cannons open fired at the Diamond Dolphins. However, shockingly enough, the Diamond Dolphins had already gone back underneath the water before the cannonballs could touch them. Even if the ships were lucky enough to hit them, the Diamond Dolphins’ defenses, which were higher than a turtle dragon, could easily offset the damage.

“How did the Diamond Dolphins…” Lundnu mumbled in disbelief. Then, he saw…

“What, what the hell…”

…hundreds of underwater creatures breaking through the surface of the waters. There were mermaids and a mermaid warrior surrounding a gigantic Savage Halibut the size of a sailing boat. There were also thousands of monsters, like the swordfish with its sharp snout. All of these monsters floated and stared eerily at Lundnu’s pirate ship.

“…?!”

Lundnu felt his breath stagnate at the sight. In a blink, the pod of dolphins that rushed fiercely earlier had already disappeared, leaving behind an unknown player hanging by a rope in Gorfido’s Pirate Ship.

“Fireeeeeeeeeeee!!!”

Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping—

Hundreds of arrows fired at the player but…

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab—

“Keuhaaaaaack!”

“Aaaaaaaaack?!”

…instead of the man screaming, the ones that sent the arrows were the ones that screamed. This was because of Minhyuk's passive skill ‘Physical Damage Reflection’ that was attached to his ‘Monarch’s Armor’. On top of that, the Monarch’s Armor was had an extremely high defense and a 300% evasion rate. In other words, most players would have a hard time dealing damage to Minhyuk with just their basic attacks alone.

“What the hell is that bastard going to do with this ship?!”

When this question rang, Minhyuk, who had been dangling on the rope, suddenly hacked at Gorfido’s Pirate Ship with his sword.

Baaaaang! Baaaaaaang!

Lundnu looked at Minhyuk incredulously when he saw him hacking away at the ship. Gorfido’s Pirate Ship was a ship that boasted high defenses! There would be no mark or scratch on Gorfido’s Pirate Ship, even if it was fighting against hundreds of pirate ships. In fact, Lundnu considered Gorfido’s Pirate Ship as his strongest and greatest force.

‘Does he actually think he can do something to this ship?’

An ordinary ship’s cannonball could not even leave a scratch on this ship. But suddenly…

Baaaaaaaaaaaaang—

…a shocking, huge explosion burst out the moment the man’s sword made contact with Gorfido’s Pirate Ship. The ship even shook fiercely.

“…?!”

[Gorfido’s Pirate Ship’s durability has slightly decreased.]

Gorfido’s Pirate Ship could not even be scratched by a cannonball, but a basic attack from the man’s sword had damaged the ship and decreased its durability by a bit?! Lundnu immediately noticed their unusual situation.

Alas, the man jumped again before settling down on top of one of the dolphins. Then, the pod of dolphins swam away as swiftly as they appeared.

“Chase, chase after him…!”

Gorfido’s Pirate Ship was three times faster than a regular ship. But…

“Heok?! The sea monsters are blocking the ship’s route! We can’t advance!”

“I can’t take control of the ship!!!”

“Advance!”

Crack, crack, crack, crack—

The sea monsters and underwater creatures sacrificed themselves to stop the ship! They stuck to the ship to push it backwards. However, as the pirate ship sped up, they ended up being swept away and allowing the ship to give chase. Thankfully, the monsters were able to slow down the ship which helped Minhyuk and the pod of dolphins to swim far away. Despite the ship’s fast speed, they still missed their chance and let Minhyuk get away.

‘Unbelievable. How can he damage this ship with just a basic attack…’

Lundnu had completely realized that the situation was unusual.

[Party Chat | Lundnu: Pirates! Gather!]

***

Minhyuk, who was riding on top of the rushing dolphin pod, also knew about Lundnu. He was the Japanese Server’s Seas’ Great Pirate! He also knew that he was on par with Kentaro in terms of power when at sea. And Gorfido’s Pirate Ship, the ship that he assumed Lundnu was riding on, was the strongest pirate ship in existence. It has never been scratched let alone destroyed.

‘It will be dangerous if I go head to head against that.’

No matter how strong Minhyuk was, it would still be hard for him to handle more than a thousand people on Gorfido’s Pirate Ship or whatever ship it was.

‘I don’t know if it’s another ship but…’

At first, Minhyuk was not sure if it was really Gorfido’s Pirate Ship, but now, he was certain. After all, he approached them to swing his sword and test its defense. After learning that he only dealt some minor damage against it, he immediately retreated with the pod of dolphins.

“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiik!”

“Kieeeeeeeeek!”

Minhyuk smiled bitterly as he looked at the dolphins that jumped around the blue sea.

‘Thank you.’

The only reason why the Diamond Dolphins helped him was because of Sukhoe. Sukhoe, the ruler of the sea, governed over all of life at sea. And since Minhyuk was friends with Sukhoe, the smart and clever creatures of the sea immediately recognized him and came to his help.

‘I’ll just have to lure them in one by one before destroying them.’

But the truth was, it was something that was almost impossible to accomplish alone.

‘I need the help of my guild members and the Named NPCs.’

Even if he was strong, Minhyuk knew that it was foolish to fight alone against a group of pirates at sea. After making this decision, Minhyuk immediately turned his guild chat on.

[Guild Master Minhyuk: This is Guild Master Minhyuk. I am now being attacked by Pirate Lundnu in the Japanese Server’s Ever Seas. I request all Named NPCs and guild members that are free to join me.]

Minhyuk had already finished the deal with the Red Goblin about his friends and colleagues passing through the passageway.

‘We need a strategy.’

Minhyuk pondered for a moment until…

‘There’s that, right?’?Minhyuk thought as a small smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

***

The Japanese game broadcasting stations’ commentators have started their spiel.

[Right now, a lot of pirate ships have set sail.]

[An estimate of the number of ships that have left the port numbered at 300. From what we can tell, we can expect more than 6,000 pirates.]

[The Great Pirate’s Descendant, Lundnu, has issued an order to gather all of the pirates around thirty minutes ago.]

[As you can see, even the Red Skull Pirates have started to set sail.]

[The Black Skull Pirates have also started to make their move.]

[The pirates of the Black Skull Pirates and Red Skull Pirates are all rankers. From what I heard, each and every one of them are as powerful as a kingdom’s NPC knight.]

[They’re a cut above the ordinary pirates. The Black Skull Pirates and Red Skull Pirates are famous for destroying an entire kingdom in an isolated battle.]

The pirates were all setting sail to kill one player alone! There were only two reasons why the effect would be this tremendous. One, Lundnu had used the ‘Summoning Order’. And two, it was because the pirates were having a party today. Unfortunately, their opponent had picked the wrong date to provoke them.

Three hundred pirate ships set sail until they finally arrived and faced Lundnu, who was aboard Gorfido’s Pirate Ship. Gorfido’s Pirate Ship stood face to face against the 300 pirate ships, a scene that showed Lundnu’s majesty and dignity.

“The bastard is still lurking around the Ever Seas. Kill him as soon as you find him! The one that is able to kill the bastard will receive great rewards!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes, sir!”

The pirates answered vigorously. Especially the captains of the Red and Black Skull Pirates, who were Lundnu’s left and right hands. These two were players that had completed their transfer to high class. On top of that, their ability to operate and manage their ships were top notch.

Everyone aboard these ships were among the best of the best. All 300 ships that appeared immediately started to roam the seas to search. There were only 300 ships right now, but they expected another 300 to come later.

After giving his orders, Lundnu logged out for a while to have some lunch and wash up. Unbeknownst to all, was a huge follower of Kentaro’s Fitness Report! That was why he logged out in time for lunch! He was also someone that ate well, exercised diligently, and slept on time. He constantly received reports from the pirates in his mobile phone as he ate and washed up.

[Party Chat | Ruby: We have spotted the ‘enemy’ at Ever Seas’ Northern Point. Thirty ships, including Ruby Pirates, are already in pursuit of the enemy.]

[Party Chat | Red Hawk: This is Black Skull’s Red Hawk. Our third attack ship has already joined forces with the Ruby Pirates and are fiercely chasing after the ‘enemy’. We’ll be able to catch up soon.]

The messages were sent around fifteen minutes ago. Lundnu, or Ichiro in reality, chuckled at the message, ‘He’s probably dead by now, right?’?Fifteen minutes had already passed since the message had been sent. On top of that, Black Skull Pirates’ third attack ship had also joined the chase. Although the third attack ship was only one of the nine ships owned by the Black Skull Pirates, it was their third strongest ship. They were also rankers that were comparable to decent NPC knights.

Ichiro kept on scrolling through his phone. From what he read, there were around forty ships chasing after the man. But just when he was about to type a reply to their location reports, a message suddenly popped out that made his eyes widen in shock.

[Party Chat | Ruby: We’re sinking!!! Our ship’s sinking!!! Ruby Pirates’ Fifth Attack Ship is sinking!!!]

[Party Chat | Beinen: Rukai Pirates Fourth Attack Ship, Sixth Defense Ship, Sixth Attack Ship and 7th Attack Ship are all sinking!]

[Party Chat | Red Hawk: Black Skull Pirates’ Third Attack Ship is sinking!!! All forty of the chasing ships are sinking!!! Everyone’s sinking…!!!]

And the final message left by Red Hawk was…

[Party Chat | Red Hawk: All forty ships have been wiped out…!!!]

“What, what the hell? How…?” Ichiro mumbled in shock.