The first thing Adam noticed about Titania’s song was that while it didn’t do much damage, it did far more damage to these [zombie pirates] than it healed. He assumed that was because healing attacks were something they were weak against. Now that he saw the damage the attack did, he remembered their stats said they had a -12,000% resistance, meaning it did 120 times more damage than it recovered on a normal person.

  We should have done this at the beginning.

  Adam could only put his mistake up to inexperience. He always used to play games solo, and he’d never been a healer. There also weren’t any members among his assassins who had healing ESP powers. Of course, those were all just excuses. The truth was he simply didn’t think about how this could turn the tide of battle.

  With the constant damage Titania dealt to the [zombie pirates], they were able to make quick work of them. Adam noticed immediately that zombies who died did not get back up. Since they were undead, they should have risen again. He could only assume Titania’s healing spell had somehow severed the connection between the [zombie pirates] and the woman controlling them.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations. You have defeated 150 [zombie pirates] and one 2-star [zombie pirate lieutenant]. Items dropped: x260 [dull cutlass], [jagged cutlass], [pirate boots], [pirate pants], [pirate coat], and 1,500,000 gold coins. +22,000,000 experience points. +2,000,000 ability points. +1,500,000 reputation.]

  “Looks like that’s the end of them,” Aris said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

  “Seems so.” Adam finished reading the announcement, which said they had earned quite a lot of experience points but sadly not enough for Aris to level up, then turned to Captain Raiker. “How many people have we lost?”

  Captain Raiker grimaced but answered him. “Half our forces were decimated during the surprise attack.”

  Adam nodded. He had expected as much.

  “Aris, Kureha, Titania, and myself are going to continue on alone. I think you should get your men back to Watershore.”

  “Now hold on just a—”

  “You do not have any right to argue.” Adam cut off coldly. “You’ve lost half your forces, our boats are all destroyed, and the survivors are too exhausted to continue. Just look around if you don’t believe me.”

  Captain Raiker looked around at his men, most of whom were lying on the ground, groaning in pain or completely still. The few who were strong enough to move were limping in exhaustion as they tried to help their comrades. More than their exhausted bodies, however, it was their spirits that had taken the greatest beating. Adam could see it in their worn, haggard faces. These people had fallen into despair.

  “I… concede that you are right,” Captain Raiker said at last.

  “In that case, you should do what’s best for your men. We’ll complete this quest on our own,” Adam said. Captain Raiker glared at him, but it was the glare of a man who knew he could offer no rebuttal. Adam paid it no mind as he turned toward the shore and began walking. They would need to cobble together a vessel if they were going to keep going.

  The Asura

  After creating a raft from broken parts of the various boats they had used to reach Angel Isle, Adam, Aris, Kureha, and Titania traveled back to the ship where Davy Jones was waiting. He had been surprised to see them appear in such a roughshod vessel. It seemed the [zombie pirates] had not attacked the vessel, and so they hadn’t known about what happened.

  The first thing Adam and Aris did was have him travel back to Watershore with them. Once there, they informed Mayor Waterton about what happened and requested he send a rescue force to pick up the soldiers that had gone with them. The mayor had, of course, said they would gather a rescue force immediately.

  It was late by the time they had finished, so Adam and Aris logged off after reaching an inn, slept until morning, then logged back on after breakfast. They met up with Davy Jones again. The former pirate turned trader had already prepared the essentials they would need, and so they boarded his ship and set sail for Devil’s Horn.

  Unlike Angel Isle, which looked like an island with a pair of angel wings in the very center, Devil’s Horn was a small island surrounded by a crown of horns that rose from the water’s surface like an abominable horror from the deep. The waters were treacherous with coral reefs and dangerous monsters. Adam was unable to see them because he got motion sickness whenever he was on a ship, but Aris said she had spotted several large shadows swimming underneath the boat.

  “We be here. The question is where should we go now? Have ye any idea where that Asura woman is hidin’?” Davy Jones asked them.

  They were inside of the captain’s cabin, graciously provided by Davy Jones himself. Adam was lying on the bed. Aris was sitting and letting him rest his head on her thighs. Meanwhile, Kureha was curled up on his chest, which felt quite different now that she had a human form. Adam wouldn’t lie. He felt slightly uncomfortable with this little girl lying on him like this, but he didn’t push her away either.

  “Urb… are there any… caves?” asked Adam, trying his hardest not to vomit. Even talking made him feel woozy.

  Davy Jones nodded. “Aye. There be several caves in Devil’s Horn. The biggest of ’em used to be a well-known pirate hideout, but it’s since been deserted.”

  “Go, ugh… go there.”

  Davy Jones looked at Aris, who merely nodded, then said “aye” and left. Once he was gone, Aris went back to stroking Adam’s face. He sighed and closed his eyes. Her actions didn’t help his motion sickness recede, but he felt slightly better for it anyway.

  “For such a strong human, you certainly are weak against the strangest things,” Titania said.

  The tiny fairy was sitting on a pillow, her legs stretched out in front of her, arms behind her back to hold up her torso. She stared at Adam with an amused smile.

  “Everyone—urb!—everyone’s got a weakness or two. Don’t judge me for mine.”

  “I am not. Do not misunderstand me. I’m just saying this makes you more human.”

  “I’m not sure I… like what you are implying.”

  “She’s just saying you’re so amazing you sometimes don’t seem human.” Aris looked at Titania and raised an eyebrow. “Right?”

  “Just so,” Titania said with a nod.

  Adam wasn’t sure he believed them. In either event, they reached the hideout that Davy Jones spoke of after a few more hours inside the ship.

  The hideout was located between the two largest horns, which reminded Adam of the horns found on the classical appearance of the Devil of Biblical literature, on a small island with a high cliff. There was a cave located in a corner of the cliff face. A cavernous space lay inside the cave. Located there was a tiny dock made of wood planks, which connected to a rock surface that had several tunnels leading deeper into the island.

  Even though it had been a long time since the pirates had been using it, there was evidence that someone had been there recently. Boxes sat stacked together. When Adam peered inside, he found food and wine. Someone was using this place. The Asura woman? He didn’t know, but he was determined to find out.

  “I guess we’ll begin searching the cave,” Adam said.

  “What should we do?” asked Davy Jones.

  “You guys stay here,” said Aris. “We’ll need you to return to Watershore.”

  “Aye. We can do that.”

  Sniff. Sniff. Kureha raised her head and sniffed the air. She then grabbed Adam’s sleeve and tugged on it.

  “Big Brother, Kureha smells something coming from over that way,” she said, pointing toward one of several tunnels.

  “What does it smell like?” asked Adam.

  “Miasma.”

  “Miasma?” asked Aris, tilting her head.

  “Miasma is a type of vapor released by undead and magicians connected to it,” Titania explained. “If she’s saying there is miasma coming from that tunnel, it means the Asura woman and her undead army are likely there.”

  Adam cupped his chin. “We don’t know how large her army is or how powerful this woman is. Let’s do some reconnaissance first.”

  Leading the way, Adam traveled into the cave Kureha had indicated. They moved in a basic formation with him in front, Kureha and Titania in the center, and Aris acting as their rearguard. Adam would have preferred to have Aris up front with him and Lilith behind them, but she was on a quest with Fayte and Susan.

  The tunnel had an uneven floor that made travel difficult for the average person. It also sloped, curved, and branched into more tunnels. Were it not for Kureha and her incredible nose, they would have never been able to find their way, but they soon reached the end. The tunnel widened into a large room that looked like a gigantic conch shell. A spiral along the wall traveled upward to create a walkway. They ended up close to the middle.

  Noise from below caught their attention. Adam and Aris crouched low and crawled toward the ledge. They looked down. What they saw stunned them.

  “It really is an army,” Aris whispered in shock.

  “I count at least one thousand [zombie pirates],” Adam muttered incredulously.

  “That woman sitting on the throne must be the Asura.”

  “Titania.” Adam turned to the fairy.

  He didn’t need to tell her what he wanted. Titania cast [Scan] on the woman.

  Name: Astarte

  Description: A duke under the War Demon’s command. Astarte is one of demonkind’s most powerful sorceresses. She seduces men with false promises and drives women into despair by stealing their lovers and turning them into slaves.

  Class: 4-Star

  Lvl: 60

  Health: 5,000,000/5,000,000

  MP: 50,000,000/50,000,000

  Strength: +400

  Constitution: +2,000

  Dexterity: +200

  Intelligence: +15,000

  Speed: +500

  Skills:

  Skill Name: Turn Undead

  Description: Turns a corpse into an undead monster

  Corpse remains undead indefinitely or until Astarte runs out of mana or is killed

  MP Cost: 50,000 MP

  Costs 1,000 MP to revive corpse whenever it is killed

  Cooldown Time: 0-seconds

  Skill Name: Command Undead

  Description: Astarte can issue orders to her undead legions.

  MP Cost: 0

  Cooldown Time: 0-seconds

  Skill Name: Cloud of Calamity

  Description: Creates a cloud of poisonous miasma

  Miasma covers a 40-meter radius around Astarte

  100% chance of causing poison status effect

  Damage = player’s Constitution * 2 per every 10 seconds

  Skill lasts for 30 seconds

  MP Cost: 10,500

  Cooldown Time: 60-seconds

  Skill Name: Underworld Gate

  Description: Gathers mana to form a gate that leads to the underworld

  Skeletons burst from the gate and drag whoever is caught in their grip into the Underworld

  This attack does no damage, but players caught within it are forever trapped with no way to return

  MP Cost: 15,000

  Cooldown Time: 24-hours

  Skill Name: Hypnosis

  Description: Astarte can cast this spell by looking at someone

  Spell can be resisted if player’s Intelligence is over +500

  Hypnosis lasts for 60 seconds or until spell is disrupted

  MP Cost: 5,600

  Cooldown Time: 30 seconds

  Four Arm Sword Stance: Astarte uses four swords to attack when players get close

  Damage = Strength * 2

  MP Cost: 0

  Cooldown Time: 0-seconds

  It looked like she was something of a glass cannon… at least compared to demons like [Andras], who was physically powerful and possessed a large amount of HP. But it wasn’t like she needed a lot of health since she had an army of undead at her command. Adam assumed her army was her main weapon. If her army was ever wiped out, she would rely on [Cloud of Calamity] and [Hypnosis] to defeat her enemies. In the event they somehow managed to get close, she had [Four Arm Sword Stance] to defend herself with, though it didn’t do much damage. And finally, there was her trump card.

  Adam didn’t know if [Underworld Gate] really kept players from ever returning or if that was just how the description depicted it. He didn’t want to find out either. Even if it didn’t drag them into the Underworld and keep them there for the rest of time, it would still remove them from battle.

  “There’s no way we can beat her in an even fight. Let’s return to Davy Jones and come up with a plan,” Adam said quietly.

  No one disagreed, and yet, just before they could move back, [Astarte] looked up at them and smiled.

  “The rodents who are hiding up there. Come down here before I get my beloved army to drag you down.”

  Everyone froze. A chill ran down Adam’s spine. Had they not been quiet enough? No, they had been so silent there was no way their voices could have reached the bottom of this cavern, which meant this woman just had really good perceptions. He thought fast.

  “Titania, hurry to Davy Jones. Tell him to grab all the explosives he can, set them up inside this cave, and detonate them,” Adam said as he stood up.

  “What about you?” asked Titania.

  Adam forced a smile. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”

  “Hurry up before I lose my patience,” called [Astarte].

  There was no more time. Titania flew off as Adam, Aris, and Kureha walked down the spiral walkway until they reached the bottom. The [zombie pirates] moved out of the way as they walked, parting like the Red Sea. Now they were surrounded. Adam held off his grimace at the stench of rotting flesh, but Aris and Kureha didn’t bother hiding it. They covered their noses in disgust.

  “How curious.” [Astarte] rested her elbow on her throne made of human bones and placed her chin against her knuckles, observing them with a collected smile. “A pair of otherworlders and a young fox yokai. You must be the ones who caused me so much trouble recently.”

  “We might have been,” Adam allowed.

  [Astarte’s] bewitching smile widened. “In that case, I hope you don’t mind if I take my revenge on you. Don’t worry. I just plan to make you my slaves. Mmhmhmhm. Though I might just make you my pet. You’re quite handsome and it has been so long since I laid with a man.”

  “Sorry, but you’re not my type,” Adam said.

  “You say that like it matters,” [Astarte] fired back.

  Adam, Aris, and Kureha closed ranks as the [zombie pirates] became restless. Knowing battle would be upon them soon, he decided to see if he could at least get some information out of this woman.

  “Tell me what the War Demon is planning,” he demanded. “We already discovered that [Andras] was mining [magicore] in a dungeon and now you’re creating an army of undead. Your leader must be planning something big. Am I wrong?”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything. If you want that information, why don’t you try prying it from me?” [Astarte] pointed her free hand at the group. “Kill them.”

  Just as Adam expected, the army of [zombie pirates] descended upon them like a tidal wave. Fortunately, they were limited in this small space. As the first group moved upon them, Kureha unleashed [Firestorm] to devastating effect.

  -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288; -14,288!

  The flames swept over all the [zombie pirates] and lit them ablaze. Despite having become human bonfires, they continued to move forward even as the burn damage ate into their health. However, Kureha unleashed her next two attacks in quick succession: [Overflowing Cascade] and [Thunder Storm].

  -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280; -11,280!

  The first attack, [Overflowing Cascade], creating an incredible downpour of water that descended on the group of undead from above, slamming into them and sweeping many of them away. Adam, Aris, and Kureha were safe in the center. To them, it was like standing in the middle of a vortex and watching as all their enemies were crushed between the water and the wall.

  [Astarte] was quick to realize what was happening and leapt off her throne. She had enough power in her legs to jump all the way to what could have been considered the second floor. She watched dispassionately as the wave spread out from the center and engulfed her army of one thousand.

  -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616; -43,616!

  Immediately after her second attack, Kureha unleashed her last attack. Storm clouds gathered overhead. Flashes of lightning appeared within them. The storm clouds built up within less than a second, then all that power rained down as several dozen lightning bolts struck the [zombie pirate] horde.

  Thunder crackled. Adam felt his ears burst. He would have covered them, but he couldn’t afford to in case one of their enemies attacked.