Before long, another school of fish monsters began attacking the boat.
These fish had flat, elongated bodies, crimson red with scattered blue spots, each about half a meter long.
[Spotted Redfish (Green)]
Level: 5
STR: 18 | AGI: 19 | DEF: 15
Skill: Water Jet
Their stats were slightly high for Gu Ning, but for Winsor and Little Blue, they were no threat. In no time, the school was either slaughtered or fleeing.
Gu Ning noticed something new: killing a fish now granted 10 White Stones, and the fish didn't disappear—meaning he could still sell it.Essentially, each fish was now worth double the value.
This wave alone netted him 800+ White Stones—an absolute windfall.
The battle also dropped a [Commoner Summoning Card]and some food, which Gu Ning stashed away for later. Right now, grinding White Stones was the priority.
Unlike yesterday, when he had to hunt for monsters, today they came to him. Every so often, sea creatures—mostly White or Green tier, Levels 5-6—ambushed the boat.
Then, a Blue-tiermonster appeared.
It struck Little Blue first, gouging a wound in the whale's head. Blood oozed out, and the injury slowly blackened with poison.
[Sea Viper (Blue)]
Level: 7
STR: 36 | AGI: 37 | DEF: 34
Skills: Constrict, Venomous Arrow
Winsor immediately cast [Light Shield] on Gu Ning and herself, then healed Little Blue before launching attacks. Gu Ning fired [Water Jets], while Little Blue grappled with the viper—trading blows, but its massive size and Winsor's healing kept it alive.
The viper tried to flee, but Little Blue blocked its escape, buying time for Winsor to finish it off. Gu Ning's improvised strategy worked—no crowd control needed.
The viper vanished in a blue flash, leaving loot behind.
Gu Ning also received 210 White Stones—ten times more than Green/White monsters.
Another notification popped up:
[Congratulations! Obtained Skill Stone: Constrict.]
Constrict (Blue)]
Effect: +30% STR when active.
Requirement: Elementalist.
Gu Ning burst out laughing. Talk about perfect timing.
After some thought, he handed the stone to Winsor. As the team's strongest fighter, she'd make the best use of it. Besides, a Blue-tier skill wasn't rare enough to hoard—if it were Purple, he'd have kept it.
"Use this," he said.
"Thank you, my lord," Winsor replied, accepting it without hesitation.
[Notice: Winsor's Affinity +4.]
Just as expected—another affinity boost.
They set off again.
An hour later, they encountered new enemies—not monsters, but a novice lord from the Demon Realm.
The opposing boat was black and red, with a cabin—Level 2.
Besides the lord, there were three men aboard: one bailing water, the other two rowing. When they spotted Gu Ning, all four stood up, tense.
The Demon Realm lord's eyes darted over Gu Ning's far larger vessel. He'd heard Tianmu's announcement about slaying Spirit Realm lords for rewards, but he hadn't expected the first one he met to be this strong.
How is his boat moving? There's barely anyone on board… Did he unlock ship propulsion tech already? His face paled at the thought.
Gu Ning, however, didn't overthink it. He ordered Little Blue to charge.
As they closed in, the Demon lord finally saw the massive whale towing the boat—and pure terror twisted his features.
He activated [Demon Eye] to scout:
Gu Ning (Epic)]
Level: 3
[Winsor (Legendary Hero)]
Level: 4
Deepsea Whale (Blue)]
Level: 4
That was all he could see—stats were hidden by default, and Gu Ning had concealed Little Blue's details.
But it was enough. The lord's jaw dropped. An Epic-tier lord? And that stunning woman is a Legendary hero?
How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
Meanwhile, Gu Ning scanned him back:
Zixin (Excellent)]
Level: 3
So this guy had a talent too. The other three were just Level 2 Commoners
Instead of attacking immediately, Gu Ning called out, "Which country are you from?"
Zixin, hoping for mercy, answered quickly, "The Celestial Spirit Empire. And you, sir?"
Celestial Spirit Empire? Never heard of it.Definitely not from Earth.
So Demon Realm lords are from another planet.
With his curiosity satisfied, Gu Ning saw no further use for them. Time to cash in.
"Kill them," he ordered. "Winsor, leave the lord alive."
Little Blue rammed their boat while Winsor fired [Radiant Arrows].
Zixin was baffled—why attack after hearing my origin? He assumed Gu Ning was from a rival nation on his homeworld.
But he wouldn't go down without a fight. All four drew bows, firing at Gu Ning's group.
Zixin's arrows were wreathed in flames—his talent, [Flame Imbue].
Unfortunately, the att