Chapter 160 - - 160 Harmful to others, not beneficial to oneself_1

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The ferocious pirates, like wooden stakes under the slaughter blade of Black Magic Hand, had their throats chopped without even knowing how to block; some were flailing their swords wildly, even though Black Magic Hand was still more than ten meters away from them.

A miss is as good as a mile.

The perception of distance and misalignment was a lethal weapon for a massacre, which even the martial arts world might hardly withstand, not to mention a world of pirates without martial arts or inner strength.

Without ceaselessly swinging their swords to form an absolute defense around their bodies, they stood no chance at all.

Duge had gone through three simulation fields, each featuring the keyword of slaughter.

In the first field, a guy with an advancement skill like that of purgatory’s aura was interrupted by Wang San’s shout and met his demise;

In the second simulation field, Duge boosted his attributes sky-high and, with a group of loyal bodyguards and various skill suppressions, the guy with the slaughter keyword didn’t even get a chance to jump before he was suppressed;

This was the third and the most dangerous one. Had it not been for a stroke of luck, banging his head on the bow and triggering the skill of joyful fountain, he would have been eliminated already…

…

Slaughter is truly an excellent keyword!

However.

Duge also recognized his own weakness.

His heart was too soft.

If he happened to get a keyword like slaughter, it was highly likely that he wouldn’t bear to massacre a bunch of strangers like Black Magic Hand did.

This was a deep-seated idea from living in Earth’s peaceful environment for a long time, not something that could be overturned in a short while.

Duge slightly furrowed his brows; he had too much to grow.

…

“Black Magic Hand, it’s Black Magic Hand!”

“Paul, kill him.”

The rest of the pirates on other ships finally reacted, realizing who Paul had been chasing all this time; any sympathy for him vanished in an instant. Black Magic Hand was ruthless, liking to chop people to pieces, and no pirate liked having such a sword dangling over their head.

“Paul is a candidate, you bunch of idiots. Are you just going to watch him grow stronger? Attack together, kill him while he’s weak!” As the Sea Beast drew nearer, Black Magic Hand was driven to a dead end. Standing on the deck, he shouted desperately at those around him.

He launched an attack on Paul first, as his rank and attributes were higher. He could find no reason why Paul would spare him.

The more candidates that stood up, the greater his chances of survival would be.

No one responded to him.

Including the gingerbread vendor, no one believed Paul was a candidate.

Not only did he practice witchcraft, but he could also control the Sea Beast; it was impossible for a candidate to possess so many attributes…

It was more believable that he had made a deal with Selma than that he was a candidate.

Besides.

Even if he truly was a candidate, who would step out to seek death at this time?

Not half a month into the competition, whose attributes were high enough to take on the Sea Beast alone?

It’s your own fault for being too conspicuous!

Die!

With you alive, you are always a threat to everyone…

The candidates on the scene saw the speed at which Black Magic Hand swam in the sea and the scene of his relentless massacre on the ship; no one wanted such a terrifying opponent to remain alive…

“A bunch of fools.” Black Magic Hand cursed angrily, then looked toward the approaching Duge, “Paul, let’s cooperate. I’m the fourth in the simulation field; you know what I can do. Together, plus the Sea Beast, we can slaughter everyone in the simulation field. I won’t compete with you for first place…”

Elite candidates wouldn’t pass up any chance to survive.

…

“Black Magic Hand, I may be a pirate, but I like to sing and dance, spreading joy across the sea. Do you think I would take in a demon who likes to kill and dismember as my subordinate?” Duge retorted with a sneer, decisively rejecting him.

What a joke!

His keywords were joy and slacking off…

In full view of everyone, if he took in Black Magic Hand, whoever saw him would feel a chill down their neck, unlikely to find joy!

Besides, if I let you out to chop people up, would it be your attributes rising, or mine?

…

Whew!

The gingerbread vendor and others heaved a sigh of relief.

Although they didn’t believe Paul was a candidate, there’s always a what if.

If the two of them teamed up, who could stand against them?

Thankfully, he was rejected.

The Sea God is dead, and Paul has tamed his pet.

Perhaps, Paul is the ultimate BOSS of the simulation field!

At this moment.

The gingerbread vendor and the others shared the same thought as Vito, without any prior agreement.

…

“Really no chance?” Black Magic Hand asked.

“A murderous demon, everyone’s target.” Duge declared righteously.

“You’re asking for this. If you won’t let me off easy, I won’t make it easy for you either.” Black Magic Hand snarled with a hysterical shout, “Paul’s keywords are related to joy; remember when you kill him, don’t smile, or you’ll be out of luck.”

The gingerbread vendors and the others were stunned as they recalled what had happened before. It seemed that his explanation was indeed logical; however, dark magic and control over Sea Beasts still remained unexplained.

But the words of the dying are often true.

This was the final advice from Black Magic Hand; it’s better to trust that it might be true than to dismiss it as false.

In future battles against Paul, just don’t smile, that’s all.

Caution never led to big mistakes.

…

Duge was indifferent. He only cared about spreading joy. As long as one person felt happy, bad luck would spread. Can you control yourself, let alone others?

Besides,

the trend has been set.

You really think I’d give you guys a chance for a one-on-one duel?

“Come on, kill me, take away my attributes.” Watching the nearby Sea Beast and Duge, Black Magic Hand laughed, suddenly dropped the knife he was holding, stood at the prow of the ship, and closed his eyes. He mocked, “I don’t mind adding a bit of difficulty to the game for those who deserted me. I want to see who will have the last laugh…”

Ha!

You’ve exposed my weakness!

And by giving up resistance, you’ve increased my attributes!

This is causing trouble for both sides!

A real talent!

You manage to grow with a keyword that harms yourself but benefits no one else.

Duge immediately understood Black Magic Hand’s intention.

But,

he didn’t show any courtesy to Black Magic Hand either, commanding Enke to wrap him up with tentacles, beheaded him with a single slash, and sent him out of the simulation arena.

Having slain the fourth-ranked in the simulation arena, his attributes shot up significantly once again.

…

Watching Black Magic Hand who had sent himself out, the gingerbread vendors and others had mixed feelings.

But they didn’t show much of it.

Idiot!

What can you accomplish by giving yourself up to Paul?

The contest has only been going for half a month; how high can your attributes be?

Given some time, when everyone else grows stronger, surpassing your current self in minutes…

…

Black Magic Hand is dead.

Yet, his last words were heard by many, and the natives of the pirate world did not understand what ‘candidates’ or ‘attributes’ meant. But that didn’t stop them from remembering these events, including the fact that you shouldn’t smile during battles against Paul.

The war continues.

Laurent Swann’s pirate crew fiercely attacked the outlying navy in an attempt to take back the Sea Beast controlled by Paul.

The navy, having lost the will to fight, retreated at every turn, no match for them at all, and had to adjust their sails to flee towards Herd Island.

Duge looked towards Antonio’s command ship with a faint smile, patted Enke on the head. The giant octopus turned and went straight towards Laurent Swann, still remembering the task of retrieving the Ocean Horn.

Laurent Swann brought out nearly a hundred pirate ships this time. With the help of the Sea Beast, he felt that he didn’t need too many pirate ships to conquer Herd Island.

Seeing the Sea Beast charging at them,

nearly a hundred warships turned their cannons at once, directing their fire at the Sea Beast Enke.

The Sea Beast Enke wasn’t that easy to kill; their goal was to take down Paul on Enke’s head.

A barrage of gunfire surged toward them.

“Dive,” Duge commanded, patting the octopus on the head.

The smart octopus, firm in its belief that the man on its back was the reincarnation of the Sea God, did not hesitate to dive into the sea, continuing towards Laurent Swann’s Avenger.

Once submerged, all the cannon fire became ineffective.

With significantly enhanced attributes, Duge could hold his breath under water for at least twenty minutes.

Three minutes later, the giant octopus had covered the distance.

An octopus moves much faster underwater than on the surface.

Moreover,

the Ocean Horn was the best locator; it didn’t even need to deliberately search for the Avenger, having no chance of losing direction.

Whoosh!

Gigantic waves surged up.

The huge Sea Beast Enke emerged beside the Avenger, its tentacles curling around the colossal ship.

“Enke, leave the ship intact,” Duge commanded, leaping from the octopus’s head straight towards Laurent Swann at the ship’s bow.

The flash of a blade passed.

A look of astonishment on Laurent Swann’s face froze, and the next instant, his head soared into the air. Duge deftly took the Ocean Horn from his hands.

No increase in attributes.

Laurent Swann had not been possessed by a candidate.

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