Chapter 180 - - 180 I am the number one in the simulation field_1

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With Vito as the mole, Duge no longer needed to spend effort finding people.

The first to die was Vaden Bus, ranked sixth.

He had rapidly transported the royal navy and boosted his attributes, but on the sea, no matter how fast he was, he couldn’t outrun a ship, nor could he swim faster than Duge if he jumped into the sea.

Seeing no way to escape, Vaden chose to surrender and even expressed a willingness to join the Sea Fish Pirate Group, but Duge did not agree. Instead, he kept his promise and allowed Vito to take his life.

Once Vaden was dead, the morale of the royal navy plummeted, and facing the powerful and odd exam takers, they all laid down their weapons, with no heart left to fight.

If they wouldn’t fight, the pirates naturally didn’t bother to fight to the death either.

The sea surface became temporarily quiet.

When Vito’s rank and attributes jumped to sixth, his heart filled with joy, and the grudge against Paul disappeared. The fake promises of Gaul paled in comparison to the tangible rewards from Duge.

Another ally, Mans, also enjoyed the benefits of being Duge’s teammate. His rank was tenth, and Duge handed him the heads of the exam takers with the keyword “peace” to help him solidify his rank.

The keyword unsuited for battle, Mans was naturally devoted to Duge, adding the Sea Fish name back behind his own, having been won back by Duge.

But when they found the remaining exam takers, they saw only corpses.

Clearly, Gaul had gotten there before them, reaping the attributes for himself.

…

“Paul, Gaul is ranked second. If he doesn’t care about being first, he could just hold onto the Divine Compass and drag this out until time runs out. Unless we can push him out of the top ten ranking, we have no way to deal with him,” Vito said.

“That works for me!” Mans said, “After all, we’re all in the top ten, and Paul is the simulation’s first. Dragging it out to the end benefits us. It’s even risky to kill him—we might face unexpected outcomes.”

Drag it out to the end?

Don’t you have any ambition at all!

Duge looked at his personal panel, with 138 examinees remaining in the simulation.

Apart from Gaul and Vito, the ranks in the top ten had not changed much.

Jannie was with him, and indeed, as long as he stayed put on Ergale Island, he could possibly drag out the current ranking until the end…

But what would be the point of that?

He wanted to get out early and see if he could enter the next simulation, earning a couple more skills!

Duge was silent for a moment, then leaped onto the mast, “Gaul, I know you can hear me. Let’s cooperate! I’m first, you’re second, and there are over 130 people left in the simulation. Dragging this out is meaningless for you. What if someone else finds the Sea God Scepter first?

The longer you drag things out, the more complications arise. If someone else rises in some other way, you could still potentially drop out of the top ten.

If we work together, use the Compass to find the Sea God Scepter, and hand it to Jannie, ending the simulation now with our current ranks, that’s the best outcome for everyone.

There must be a way to counter the concealment if it exists. With so many people in the simulation, are you really sure you can keep your second place until the end?”

Gaul did not respond.

Duge wanted to speak again, but as he turned his head, he saw on the distant sea, hundreds of warships with people running back and forth on deck, and the ships, as if fused into one, sped towards them.

Well done!

Duge, with a line of frustration, thought, I told people to dance on deck, and you’re running on deck. What is this about?

Is your keyword also ‘joy’?

…

The pirates and navies outside Ergale Island became restless, but facing the incoming enemy, nobody had the heart to fight, all looking bewilderedly in Duge’s direction.

These inexplicable battles, too damaging.

During this time, they even felt as if they were neither pirates nor navy anymore!

…

Antonio?

Duge recognized his fleet at a glance, calling to Vito and Mans to adjust the sails and headed towards it. After all, Antonio was another fish in his net!

Approaching Ergale, the running people immediately stopped and returned to their posts.

“Antonio, let’s cooperate!” Duge couldn’t be bothered to direct the pirate group to dance anymore. He looked across at the pirate ship, yelled to project his voice, “The Compass is in Gaul’s hands, with his keyword being ‘concealment.’ He has hidden away and doesn’t want to cooperate with me. So how about we team up, find him, and find the Sea God Scepter to conclude this simulation with our current ranks? I can give you his head, making you the second in the simulation.”

Antonio stood at the bow, looking out to sea at Duge.

“Since you have already cooperated with Mahamadu, why can’t you cooperate with me as well?” Duge said with a smile, “Your team has five places in the top ten, and we have three on our side. Ending now benefits everyone, right? We just need to force Gaul out and take the Compass from him…”

…

“Antonio, fight! A true man should strive to be first; what’s the point of being second?”

“Mahamadu, Paul promised the second place to Antonio without considering your feelings as the third! Since that’s the case, why work with him?”

“Mahamadu, go ahead, with our help, Paul can’t be trusted…”

…

Antonio was about to respond to Duge.

Suddenly, several voices arose almost simultaneously from the ships behind him.

The look in Antonio’s eyes, which had been calming down, instantly changed.

The fleet behind him suddenly turned, swinging their cannons around to aim at the Avenger beneath Duge’s feet.

The next moment.

The roar of gunfire.

Hundreds of cannonballs soared into the sky at once, half smashing toward the Avenger, the other half aiming at the Sea Beast Enke, their precision akin to modern artillery.

The ships’ maneuvers were so uniform that the officers signaling with flags appeared to be superfluous.

The crew aboard the Avenger had never seen such a dense barrage targeting one location, and in a panic, they leaped into the sea; even the Sea Beast Enke was frightened by the barrage and plunged into the depths.

…

Just as I thought.

There were other examinees on his ship!

They wouldn’t stand by and watch the top ten collaborate…

Those three voices must have been about instigation, encouragement, and incitement!

Duge curled his lips, grabbed Jannie beside him, and leapt into the water.

Mans and Vito were just as quick to react, jumping into the sea. No matter how powerful one was, they couldn’t withstand so many cannonballs!

…

Just as Duge and his two companions hit the water.

Duge flung Jannie behind his neck with a flick of his hand.

At the same time.

He swept the Sword of the Giant Dragon, in the widest arc possible, behind him.

Pff!

Jannie, who completely failed to understand what was happening, cried out in pain as a deep gash was slashed across her chest and abdomen, and blood, along with her intestines, gushed out immediately.

Her eyes bulged in disbelief, unable to comprehend that Paul had used her as a shield…

Simultaneously.

Another short cry of pain revealed Gaul’s figure in the water, his entire arm chopped off, blood prolifically gushing out, quickly staining the sea red. He too exhibited a look of shock: “How could you possibly…”

“Because I am you, I would choose the same moment to assassinate,” Duge said mockingly, laughing as the Sword of the Giant Dragon made another slash, decapitating Gaul and eliminating him from the game.

“You used me as a shield?” Jannie’s voice was faint, her gaze resentful as she looked at Duge. “Don’t you want to complete the mission?”

“The Sea God wouldn’t be so foolish as to completely seal off his own daughter’s Divine Power!” Duge laughed and drew out the golden Compass from Gaul’s embrace, “As a god, how could she possibly be so easily killed?”

“You deliberately held me when you jumped into the water just now?” Jannie grew weaker, yet she seemed altogether unconcerned about the gash across her chest and abdomen.

“Right,” Duge nodded, “Maybe this could also break your seal? It’s worth a try. I’ve never believed that the Sea God would do something so foolish as to require the Sea God Scepter to break your seal…”

“I have to say, your way of thinking is indeed unique…” Jannie laughed miserably and closed her eyes.

Watching what seemed like the lifeless Jannie, Duge frowned.

The next second.

Duge’s eyes suddenly widened.

Right before him, Jannie didn’t transform into the daughter of the Sea God, but into his own likeness, and her wounds miraculously healed in an instant.

Duge froze.

The person opposite, wearing a witch’s dress, who was Paul, gave him a slight smile: “You’ve won the bet, yet at the same time you’ve lost. I am the one who’s first in the simulation, and it’s impossible for a man to defeat himself, especially when I am also bolstered by the Sea God’s Power…”

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