Free Web NovelChapter 14: Chapter 14: Collecting the Barnacle
Kevin smiled and picked up a bottle of Holy Spring. Next, he extended his hand out the window again, tearing an Ocular Barnacle off the wall.
In front of Luna, Kevin skillfully plucked the Barnacle’s eye out, tossing the remaining flesh back overboard.
Then, to Luna’s stunned gaze, Kevin dropped that single eye straight into the Holy Spring.
Almost instantly, the milky-white liquid turned blood-red, shimmering with an Eldritch glow.
Kevin handed the crimson Holy Spring to Luna. "Try drinking it."
Luna wrinkled her nose, catching the bloody scent within. Her face immediately drained of color. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Still, she obediently took the bottle, brought it to her lips, and took a sip.
[Sanity -10]
Hearing the prompt, Luna’s eyes widened. "My sanity dropped by ten points."
Kevin nodded, satisfied. "Only ten. Amelia lost at least fifty."
After hearing Kevin’s explanation, Luna stared in shock.
But before she could say anything else, her pupils began to glow with Eldritch red light.
Like Amelia’s, clusters of blood-red filaments crawled out from the corners of her eyes.
Seeing this, Kevin immediately averted his gaze.
At the same time, he grabbed a teacup from the desk and tossed it toward her.
Before the cup could even touch her, an Eldritch force halted it, suspending it in mid-air.
After about seven or eight seconds, the cup crashed to the floor with a loud thud. The blood vessels in Luna’s eyes simultaneously retreated back into her pupils.
Staring at what had just happened, Luna’s face showed confusion and astonishment. "What just happened? Why can I do the same thing Amelia did?"
Kevin smiled and patted her shoulder. "This is your value. The Holy Spring you craft is the perfect cure for curses from Eldritch creatures."
"With this, when we face danger, we can ingest the eye to temporarily gain a target-immobilization ability without worrying about the resulting curse."
"In fact, soaking an Eldritch Core from an Eldritch Entity in Holy Spring can drastically reduce the side effects of consuming the core directly."
"Of course, the resulting immobilization ability will be weaker than eating a raw Eldritch Core. But trading a bit of raw power for the ability to stay calm and sane is an incredibly smart bargain, isn’t it?"
After hearing Kevin’s explanation, Luna’s face went pale, then flushed with ecstatic joy. "Does that mean my ability can be used by every Survivor on this ship?"
"Naturally." Kevin gently tapped her forehead. "That’s exactly why I said you’re the survivor with the greatest strategic value on this vessel."
Hearing Kevin’s praise, Luna nodded excitedly, skipped back to the sofa, and began humming a tune.
Meanwhile, Kevin silently opened his Talent panel.
Actually, the moment Luna drank the crimson Holy Spring, a prompt had already echoed in Kevin’s ears.
[Detected covenant-bearer 「Luna·Cassabreya」 has acquired temporary talent 「The Fixing Gaze」. Usage count: 1. Can be activated at will within 24 hours. Resets to zero upon expiration.]
[The return process has begun...]
[Return multiplier: 10x...]
[Congratulations! You have acquired the temporary talent 「The Fixing Gaze」. Usage count: 10 times. Can be activated at will within 24 hours. Resets to zero upon expiration.]
[The Fixing Gaze: Gazing at a target will temporarily immobilize it. Duration depends on the power gap between the user and the target.]
Seeing the prompt, a look of excitement spread across Kevin’s face.
As expected, any rewards his covenant-bearer received would trigger a return bonus for him.
Even though it was merely ten uses of 「The Fixing Gaze」 with a twenty-four-hour time limit, these restrictions weren’t a problem for Kevin.
Ocular Barnacles were abundant on this ship. Once the 24 hours expired, he could simply have Luna drink another bottle of Holy Spring soaked with Eldritch Eyes.
Compared to those minor limitations, the tactical value 「The Fixing Gaze」 brought to Kevin was immeasurable.
When facing Eldritch Entities, like that Grotesque from earlier, without Amelia’s enchantment bullets, standard modern gunpowder ammunition couldn’t deal fatal damage.
To take down such entities, Kevin would have to rely on his talent to summon his Sacred Lance and engage them in close combat.
Although in his past life he possessed decent close-combat skills, his physical stats in this life were still far from his former peak.
To securely defeat Eldritch Entities, he needed ample margin for error.
And 「The Fixing Gaze」 was precisely the support ability tailored for him.
With it, he gained another measure of confidence and certainty for surviving on this terrifying ocean.
With that in mind, Kevin glanced out the window. "It’s getting dark. Time to prepare for battle."
Luna was humming a tune nearby. Hearing his words, her eyelid twitched. "Battle again?"
Kevin nodded. "Did you forget? Right after we arrived, the prompt in our heads warned us to be vigilant at night and in the fog."
Hearing this, the previously relaxed Luna instantly tensed up. "Then what do we need to do?"
Kevin turned his gaze outside, looking at the piles of Ocular Barnacles on the deck, and smiled. "Makes perfect timing. Stephanie and Leo have helped us collect plenty of Barnacles. Pluck out their eyes and soak them in Holy Spring."
Upon hearing this, Luna shivered with dread.
Although she knew that soaking Ocular Barnacle eyes in Holy Spring could brew a potion granting temporary superhuman abilities, plucking out the eyes of those Eldritch Entities with bare hands made her extremely uncomfortable and frightened.
Seeing her hesitation, Kevin handed her a dagger. "Relax. Just treat it like prepping ingredients."
Luna’s face went pale again, but she ultimately took the knife, turned around, and headed out to the deck.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the moment, Kevin pulled out his Glock and loaded it with his five enchanted bullets.
Just as Kevin and Luna prepared for the incoming battle, Stephanie and Leo remained huddled together in their quarters, comforting each other.
"Leo, you’re so strong... Oh, fuck... Oh, fuck..."
"Stephanie, you’re so beautiful..."
Overcome by intense fear and dread, along with their still-unrestored sanity, the two frantically tore at each other’s clothes.
But just as their emotions peaked, ready to take things further, Stephanie felt a sudden chill spread across her stomach.
Dripping wet...
Sticky...
Immediately after, a foul, fishy stench invaded her nostrils.
She frowned in confusion for a moment.
Then, she noticed a flush of redness mixed with embarrassment on Leo’s face.
In an instant, goosebumps rose on Stephanie’s scalp, and her clarity snapped back. "Are you serious? We haven’t even started, and you’re already done?"
Facing Stephanie’s question, Leo was drenched in sweat and stammered, "I... I think I was just too nervous."
Hearing this, Stephanie gave Leo a light, comforting hug. "It’s okay. You’re just terrified. That monster earlier clearly threw you off. It’s alright."
Moved, Leo clung to Stephanie tightly.
However, he failed to notice the faint trace of disgust in Stephanie’s eyes.
As dusk gradually approached, the entire sea was dyed a dark, blood-red hue.
Luna crouched on the deck, dagger in hand, silently gathering the eyes of the Ocular Barnacles.
Beside her, the mangled remains of the shark-headed Grotesque, blown to pieces, still lay sprawled on the deck, reeking of burnt flesh and decay.
Leaning against a splintered mast, Amelia watched both the Grotesque’s corpse and Luna, who was busy collecting the eyes.
Pushing herself up with effort, she moved her lips. "Luna, what are you doing?"
Luna glanced at her and murmured, "If you don’t want to die, you’d better collect some yourself."
At Luna’s reminder, Amelia jolted awake. She instantly grasped the implication, frowning. "You mean... monsters like the one earlier will show up again? Did Kevin tell you?"
"What else do you think?" Luna didn’t look up, continuing to pluck the Barnacle eyes. freewebnσvel.cøm
Amelia bit her lip.
She had just devoured a whole Ocular Barnacle raw, and the lingering fishy stench in her mouth continued to churn, bringing on waves of nausea.
But remembering the imminent danger ahead, Amelia quickly drew her pistol and pulled back the slide to check the magazine.
Seeing the empty chamber, she sighed. "Luna, save some Barnacle eyes for me."
...
