“Activate the barriers with all your mana, hold nothing back this time. Rotate and recover your MP so that we can last till sunrise.”

  It was the first time when players were hearing such an order. No matter how strong the monster was, deep down in their hearts they believed that Zyrus could defeat it somehow.

  However, even he was forced to defend this time. They didn’t dare to imagine how strong their foe was this time.

  *Guuuugugugu*

  Just as the players activated the barriers at full power, the ocean beneath the fleet started churning with gurgling sounds.

  “Don’t look at the sea, close all your senses and only focus on the defense. Nuckelavee can’t hurt you as long as you follow my instructions.”

  Even as the players were frightened out of their wits, they still followed his orders. It was a result of Zyrus’s invincible status in their minds.

  “I see now… what a troublesome enemy,” Franken spoke after he landed beside Zyrus. Beneath the entire fleet was a gigantic mouth that stretched for miles.

  Even under the night sky, one could make out the white teeth that were bigger than the longboats. It almost looked like the entire fleet would be swallowed in the next instance.

  ‘The scary part is, as long as players think of such a possibility, it would indeed become a reality,’

  Zyrus’s mind was calm even under such a scenario. He knew that the giant maw beneath the fleet wasn’t an illusion. It was the manifestation of people’s deepest fears related to the sea. Only those who have sailed the ocean at night knew how scary it could be. Such fears had accumulated for eons and became the cradle for Nuckelavee.

  *Shhaaaaa*

  Black tides rose from the faraway horizon, hiding the shining stars behind the turbid water. The ocean became pitch black after the sole source of light was snuffed out.

  “Tch.. just how high is it?”

  “High enough to drown us ten times over,” Zyrus took a deep breath. Just like the giant mouth beneath the ocean, the waves were also real.

  The current scene was dreadful enough to haunt one’s dreams for decades. A dark, silent night on the ocean, a gigantic mouth beneath their ships, and black tides that seemed to engulf the entire horizon.

  “It’s good that you used the night’s blessing beforehand.”

  The ominous shroud of dark mana guarded the players from their deepest fears. Nuckelavee had the power to manifest their worst nightmares into reality.

  What would happen when thousands of such ‘fears’ were combined into one? It resulted in a monstrosity that was nigh invincible.

  It was for this reason that the deep ocean remained a forbidden territory. One’s fears also became stronger with their power; the more they knew the more they would fear.

  “Sometimes ignorance really is bliss,” Zyrus chuckled despite the grim situation. Players would at most think that something like a large whale or a megalodon was attacking their fleet. It was indeed scary, but even their wildest imagination wouldn’t come close to the current scenario.

  “This ‘bliss’ is still too much to handle though. What’s your plan?”

  “Nothing. Just like we can't attack Nuckelavee, it can't attack us either. It can only deal mental attacks in the first phase.”

  “Didn’t you say those are real?”

  “They are, but they won’t be when we come into contact with them.”

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  Although it sounded simple, how many could truly keep their sanity under such a pressure? Even after knowing that they wouldn’t be harmed, it wasn’t easy to suppress the body’s instincts.

  And Nuckelavee was an existence that fed on that very primal fear.

  *Grrrrrr*

  Zyrus and Franken were the only ones who were outside of the protective barriers. They could feel the foul breath and the humidity from the giant maw.

  “This is quite a horror show,” Franken uttered as Nuckelavee made its next move.

  The giant maw closed around the fleet. The night sky was completely hidden as the waves also fell down from above.

  Time itself seemed to stop at this moment. Neither Zyrus nor Franken knew how long they were trapped. It was a true test of their willpower.

  *kiiiiekeiek*

  A piercing shriek jolted them back from the never-ending nightmare. The shroud of dark mana was torn to shreds under the soundwaves.

  ‘Phew.. it’s finally over.’

  Zyrus sighed in relief despite taking the attack head-on. It wasn’t because he was a moron that he stood alone in the sky.

  Nuckelavee would go into its second form if no one was killed by the mental attack. And the first person it would target was the one with the highest willpower.

  Just the aftershock of this attack was strong enough to break numerous ships. There was no way that the dragon of war could bear such an attack.

  “Motherfucker! Was that a fixed debuff?” Franken spewed out curses as the attack made his ears bleed. As the one closest to Zyrus, he was also affected by the terrible shriek.

  “Indeed. All targets are frozen while the Nuckelavee changes its form. There is no other option besides tanking its first attack,” Zyrus chugged down a vitality potion and readied his mana. Unlike the fixed recovery potion, vitality recovery potions recovered HP based on the consumer’s stats. It was a much-preferred option for someone who was a Sylvarix.

  *Neeeeiiighhh*

  A horse’s neigh echoed from the depths of the sea. With the night’s blessing being rendered useless, the players also saw the grotesque form emerge from the ocean.

  It was a gigantic creature resembling a centaur. Its hooves were merged with fins, with a face containing an enormous gaping mouth with a giant eye.

  The humanoid part connected to its back was holding a whip made up of seawater. The most horrifying thing about its hundred-foot body was that it didn’t have any skin.

  Everyone could see a tar-like blood coursing through Nuckelavee’s yellow veins. The monster’s pale sinews and taut muscles were pulsing in an eerie rhythm.

  “Recover your mana and prepare to reactivate the night’s blessing. Observe the upcoming fight and memorize Nuckelavee’s attack patterns, I’ll need your help later on.” Zyrus spoke the last sentence while looking at Ria.

  Although dealing with the monster’s second form was easier, it was comparative. They weren’t a group of lv 45+ players who were attacking the sea’s warden this time.

  Nonetheless, a drawn-out fight was the last thing Zyrus was afraid of. Just his recovery rate and high HP made him a cockroach-like existence among players. Even against powerful boss monsters he wasn’t lacking in terms of combat abilities.

  ‘I’m practically a mini field boss at this point.’

  *Neeeeiiighhh*

  Nuckelavee also sensed the threat Zyrus possessed. But this was just the beginning.

  [Avatar (A-): Draw upon the world’s mana to execute your will.]

  [You have learned to integrate yourself with the surrounding mana. The greater your fusion, the more power you can wield]

  [Effects: All recovery rate +10%, further enhancements will depend on the environment and rate of fusion.]

  The faint mirage of a flood dragon formed behind Zyrus. The mana roiled on the ocean and formed a vortex behind him, connecting the mirage with the endless waters.

  *ROOOOAR*

  The azure dragon coiled around Zyrus and roared at the hideous monster.

  Despite it being a mirage formed by the resonance of Zyrus’s bloodline and the world’s mana, the flood dragon was the nemesis of someone like Nuckelavee.

  “Form,”

  Clear water surged from the black ocean. Under the influence of the flood dragon, Nuckelavee was unable to interfere with the conjuring magic.

  “Surge,”

  Azure tides surged with a wave of Zyrus’s hand. He was like a god of ocean after fusing with the world's mana. He wasn’t using mana to manipulate seawater; it was the sea itself that executed his will. Such was the power of Avatar.

  “Expand,”

  A giant vortex formed at the center of the fleet, separating the two behemoths from the fleet.

  The true battle was just beginning. Zyrus pushed his palm forward and sent the vortex towards Nuckelavee.

  -1256

  It was the highest damage that he had dealt so far; however, there wasn’t a trace of a smile on his face after looking at the red damage number. It was overlapped right after with another number.

  +1256

  ‘As I thought, Nuckelavee is practically immortal on the sea.’

  “Expand,”

  Zyrus once again attacked with the vortex, and the result remained the same. Nuckelavee had 100K Hp. Ignoring its instant recovery rate, Zyrus couldn’t finish it off even if it stood still.

  *Shaaaa*

  Nuckelavee tapped its hooves and black water bullets shot towards Zyrus and the flood dragon. Even with the augmentation of Avatar, his armor, and the Sylvarix scales, he was forced to retreat several steps.

  “Keep an eye on others,” Zyrus stopped Franken who was about to join the battle and lunged at Nuckelavee once again. While the fight was tough, it was also an opportunity to improve his skills.