Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Sickle-blade General!
The earth trembled violently beneath Ryan’s feet, splitting with a formidable crack that propelled him towards a gathering of large crabs on the shore. The sudden cacophony drew the attention of these formidable creatures, but their response was slow, their movements languid from surprise. Ryan, seizing the moment, closed the distance swiftly. With a deft unsheathing of his great sword, he swept through the dazed crustaceans. Three sickle crabs were sent sprawling across the sandy shore, limbs askew, knocked into unconsciousness by the force of his strike.

Ryan allowed himself a satisfied smile as the panel flickered to life, identifying the creatures as [Sickle Crabs]. The descriptor on the panel intrigued him further; it wasn’t often that it praised a creature’s culinary value, noting the sickle crab’s meat as particularly tender and delicious, a true rarity.

As Ryan bent to collect his downed quarry, a sudden peril halted him. Instinctively, he threw himself backwards.

“Clang!”

A massive sickle blade, gleaming with deadly intent and spanning several meters, sliced through the air where his face had been mere moments ago. The blade passed so close that Ryan could see the intricate details of its surface, tiny, menacing notches that seemed to thirst for contact.

The blade carved a graceful, menacing arc through the air, splitting the quiet night with its sheer force.

Ryan executed a series of nimble backflips to regain his footing and create distance, his eyes then quickly seeking the origin of this unexpected attack. What he saw was a behemoth unlike the sickle crabs he had just incapacitated, a Sickle-blade General. This colossal crab dwarfed its kin, its dark blue chelicerae and light brown carapace shimmering under the moonlight. Its claws were not claws at all, but rather enormous sickles, gleaming and deadly.

The giant crab’s sickles grated against each other in a chilling prelude, sharpening in anticipation of a strike.

——

[Sickle-blade General: Sickle crabs grow and molt repeatedly, enlarging with each shed of their shell. The largest reach the size of the Sickle-blade General. Unlike the choosy dragon-headed crabs, these generals are less discerning in their choice of armor, donning anything from a large discarded shell to the skull of a deceased fire dragon.

Despite appearing slender, the chelicerae and limbs of a Sickle-blade General are incredibly adapted for digging and climbing, capable of explosive leaps and even shooting streams of water. Their meat is even more succulent than that of their smaller counterparts, making them a prized but perilous target for hunters.]

——

As Ryan read the prompt on his panel, his gaze sharpened. The attack from the Sickle-blade General was sudden and fierce, but it lacked the oppressive aura typically exuded by “superior monsters.” This observation didn’t diminish the threat it posed but hinted at a vulnerability. Ryan’s lips curled into a wry smile, his grip tightening around his sword’s hilt, ready to engage this formidable yet perhaps beatable foe.

The Sickle General before Ryan was indeed a formidable specimen, the pinnacle of its kind within the lower tiers. Observing the immense body of the sickle-blade general, Ryan couldn’t help but lick his lips, envisioning the abundant tender meat housed within the beast’s shell. His hungry gaze seemed to enrage the creature, its sickles grinding faster, sparks flying wildly, a clear message: you dare challenge me after threatening my kin?

The tension in the air thickened as the General launched into action. It maneuvered its massive body sideways, dark blue claws scuttling furiously across the sand as it charged towards Ryan. One sickle blade was hoisted aloft, glinting coldly in the moonlight like a guillotine poised to strike.

Ryan watched calmly, an almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. The once daunting monster now seemed to lumber towards him in slow motion, its menacing sickle less threatening, more an interesting challenge. The creature’s attacks, once feared, now appeared almost feeble in comparison to his enhanced abilities.

As the sickle descended sharply towards him, Ryan moved with precision. His greatsword met the sickle in mid-air with a resonant “clang,” sending vibrations through both weapons. The sickle was deflected upwards, and confusion flashed through the creature’s eyes, how could such a small adversary wield such power?

But the General was quick to recover, its other sickle sweeping in a wide arc towards Ryan. Without even a glance, Ryan parried with his sword, the impact sending tremors along the blade. He steadied the vibrating greatsword on his shoulder, readying for a more decisive strike.

The General Kamablade, momentarily hindered by the thwarted double sickle attack, resorted to another tactic. Its mouth opened wide, unleashing a torrent of high-speed water, sharp as a blade and devastating in its force. Such a water jet could slice through flesh and bone with ease.

Yet just as the deadly stream neared, a faint bloody glow enveloped Ryan. His body was shielded by a special sword skill [Attack Collision]. The water jet, formidable though it was, couldn’t penetrate the protective blood membrane, rendering the attack futile against Ryan’s charged stance.

“Thump—thump—thump!” Ryan’s footsteps thundered on the sand as he completed his three-stage charge, each step echoing with gathering power.

“Die!” Ryan’s shout rang out, a spiritual sonic boom spreading from him, its force striking the General Kamablade with unexpected intensity. The creature, caught mid-retreat, staggered, its eyes rolling back as it succumbed to a forced fainting state. Ryan’s sword, now shrouded in a thick aura of white spirituality, swung down with unstoppable force, targeting the vulnerable giant before him.

“Boom!”

The lakeshore trembled as Ryan’s three-stage power accumulation strike sent the Sickle-blade General crashing into the earth. The ground fractured under the force, a spiderweb of cracks spreading out as the general’s carapace shattered, spilling blue blood into a growing puddle around the deep pit where the creature lay defeated.

After a few weak tremors, the Sickle-blade General lay still. Lifeless.

The once formidable predator of the oasis was now just another conquest under Ryan’s belt. His greatsword, crafted from exceptional materials, had sliced through the general’s shell as if it were mere paper, leaving its internal organs a mangled heap within moments.

—

[Level]: 13 (75% → 88%)

[Spiritual Value]: 242,635 → 272,635

—

With a practiced flick, Ryan cleared his sword of the viscous blue blood. He glanced down at the fallen general, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. His recent encounters with superior monsters had led him to reflexively utilize his full power, a realization that dawned on him as he considered the overkill. His blade, coupled with his own burgeoning strength, had proven too much for the lower-tier general, who couldn’t withstand a single blow.

“Good thing the sickle blades are intact,” Ryan mused, already picturing them sizzling over a fire. “They’ll make a fine sight on the grill.”

He bent down to retrieve a trophy that had materialized beside the carcass.

—

[Trophies: General’s Scythe]: Bronze-level trophy, twin sickles of exceptional sharpness, a prized possession frequently honed by the Sickle-blade General. Attached special skill [Polishing Skill·Sharpness]: Increases the weapon’s sharpness by 1 for 60 seconds after grinding.

—

The find brought a gleam to Ryan’s eyes, the new loot and special skills momentarily lifting his spirits, which had dipped at the thought of the wasted potential of the meat.