I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

The sea was calm and the sky clear near the coast.

The azure sea was gently rippled, looking exceptionally beautiful in the afternoon sunlight.

However, the atmosphere on the scene was somewhat serious.

A two-masted sailing ship had lowered its sails and was waiting in place for another smaller ship that was approaching from not far away.

Woo~

The smaller ship, with many sails, was very fast, cutting through the sea with its curved hull and raising white foam as it quickly approached the [Mermaid].

Everyone on the [Mermaid] gripped their weapons, holding their breath in anticipation of the enemy's approach.

At this moment, were they about to engage in their first battle against the infamous pirates they had only heard about from other places?

Many sailors who were on a ship for the first time clenched their jaws tightly, sweat starting to seep through their tightly grasped hands.

"Brothers, prepare for battle!"

Captain Loren shouted loudly, boosting everyone's morale:

"Mr. Lis said that they are much weaker than us, don't be cowardly, hit them back."

"Kill an enemy, reward one Gold Coin! The stronger the enemy, the bigger the reward! If we win, everyone gets five Gold Coins!"

"Get ready, all of you! If anyone drags us down at this time, don't blame me for not showing mercy!"

With Loren's assurance, and perhaps spurred by the confidence brought by the mysterious Mage Lis or by the prospects of generous rewards, the atmosphere aboard the ship suddenly became a lot more stable and solemn.

Standing at a high point, Lis lightly tapped the ship's hull with his Magic Wand.

A faint blue light enveloped the entire ship and then disappeared from sight.

Lis had temporarily strengthened the ship's defenses with a Water Element Protection Magic, before turning his gaze back to the approaching pirate ship.

Whoo~

Ding! Ding! Ding...

As the two ships passed each other, it seemed as if a starting pistol had been fired, and countless grappling hooks were thrown from both ships, trying to catch on to the other side, with the crisp sounds ringing continuously.

The sailors grabbed the ropes attached to the grappling hooks and pulled hard, and the ships, under the force of the joint effort, tilted slightly and kept inching closer to each other.

At the same time, arrows and Long Spears flew towards the other side, wounding many in an instant.

"Ah~"

"Kill!"

"Board them!"

"Get them!"

...

At this moment, everyone on the ship unleashed the emotions that had built up during the wait and roared as they attacked the enemy.

It was the pirates on the other ship who took the initiative, with many of them jumping directly onto the [Mermaid] using the hooks and locks.

"Rookie pirates~"

Lis watched the pirate ship, which was about to stick to the [Mermaid], and the pirates charging over, remarking somewhat sentimentally.

This was truly a bunch of rash youngsters; Lis had hardly seen such reckless boarding tactics in his past life.

After all, pirates had a method for choosing their targets.

Although pirates were desperadoes, with their heads virtually tied to their trousers, they didn't fancy dying pointlessly.

Normally, once a target merchant ship was selected, the pirates would rely on their superior maneuverability to approach it, carry out a few mid-range probing attacks, and gauge the merchant ship's resistance.

If the resistance wasn't fierce and was within the capability of the pirate ship, only then would they choose to board the ship; otherwise, they would decisively turn and leave.

Otherwise, blindly rushing in might lead to an awkward situation if they couldn't overpower the other ship.

If a pirate ship gave up the attack, the merchant ship wouldn't give chase and would just watch the other leave.

For a merchant ship, there's no benefit in engaging with pirates—it's better to avoid trouble if possible.

Of course, there are those dark merchants who would take the opportunity to "devour" other merchant ships; that's another story.

What? You're asking what to do if they fail to catch up in the first step?
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Chill and give up, what else?

Since most pirate ships sacrifice stability for speed and still can't catch up, it means the ship is much inferior and would likely lose even if they did catch up, better to just go to sleep.

There aren't many madmen who would abandon their ship and pursue alone on the open sea.

Looking at the person leading the charge, he seemed to be a Silver Level fighter, probably the leader of the other side.

Loren and Evar also left Lis's side and quickly charged toward the Silver Level Professional below.

Lis watched the chaos below, where many were already wounded or killed, blood spattering through the air.

Though he had no intention of intervening, Lis didn't plan to just watch.

He cast the [Spirit Armor Technique] on his crew, significantly increasing the chances for those Bronze Level and ordinary sailors to survive.

Lis wasn't a nanny, and although there were mission requirements, this was enough.

Battles always involved bloodshed and injury; surviving was already an accomplishment.

After this naval battle, these men would surely handle similar pirate encounters much better.

If it weren't for the fact that the opposing pirates were also rookies, Lis wouldn't be so reassured.

Truth be told, Lis had already seen quite a few people tripping and falling due to the rocking of the ships— it was an eye-sore.

As for those Silver Level pirates on the other side, each surrounded by two of their own Silver Level Professionals, they had no chance to turn the tide.

Only the pirate captain was stronger, managing to hold his own against Loren and Evar's assault, while the rest were in grave danger.

What a stomping!

Lis shook his head, murmuring to himself.

...

Dammit!

How can they be so strong!

Jackson exerted himself, his Longsword crashing down hard against Loren's Longsword, forcing him back two steps.

Feeling the soreness in his arm, Jackson realized that today he might be done for.