Chapter 159: Chapter 158 Pirate’s Desperate Attack
The situation on the deck gradually tilted in favor of the students as pirates were surrounded and killed one by one, their bodies thrown overboard, staining the sea red. Even the fierce, pain-immune Red-eyed Pirates had most of them killed, with only a few still holding on.
On the pirate ship’s deck, the Pirate Captain grimaced as he watched, muttering to himself after a long pause, “I actually misjudged the situation.”
“Captain…” One-eyed wisely suggested in a low voice next to the Pirate Captain, “Why don’t we… retreat…”
“Retreat,” the Pirate Captain said, having no choice but to retreat. He bowed his head, pulled out a whistle from his bosom, and just as he was about to blow it, suddenly a column of water several meters high burst open, and a man dressed in a Black Robe standing on the column appeared in front of the Pirate Captain and One-eyed.
The Pirate Captain was startled and instinctively reached for the longsword at his waist, but then he thought better of it and let go.
“You are very smart,” the Black Robed Wizard said with a smile to the Pirate Captain, “unlike him, who will die.”
Following the Black Robed Wizard’s gesture, the Pirate Captain looked toward One-eyed only to see him with a flickering gaze, reaching inside his coat for something. Suddenly, a “whoosh” sound, and an invisible force burst forth, piercing through One-eyed’s brow. One-eyed instantly became a dead body, falling stiffly onto the deck.
With a “thud,” the Pirate Captain, very sensibly, knelt down, trembling as he looked toward the Black Robed Wizard, “I… I didn’t know the great ship was yours, I… I will have my men retreat right now, I…”
“No,” the Black Robed Wizard said, looking at the Pirate Captain and shaking his head, “The great ship isn’t mine, it belongs to my enemy.”
“You give the order, let all your men attack. If you can take down the great ship, you can live; otherwise… your fate will be the same as the person next to you.”
“This!” The Pirate Captain was shocked but dared not resist, quickly blowing the whistle in a specific rhythm, giving the fatal order for all his men to attack.
After doing all this, the Pirate Captain anxiously looked to the Black Robed Wizard, “My lord, you see…”
“You’ve done very well,” the Black Robed Wizard nodded, “I should reward you.”
“Reward?” The Pirate Captain was stunned.
The Black Robed Wizard extended a hand and then spread it open, showing an empty palm.
“This is…” The Pirate Captain was puzzled.
The next moment, the air in the palm of the Black Robed Wizard surged and solidified into an Air Arrow, directly piercing through the Pirate Captain’s brow.
The Pirate Captain’s body swayed, and like One-eyed before him, he fell stiffly onto the deck.
The Black Robed Wizard turned his head to look at the great ship, his eyes flickering.
On the deck of the great ship, everyone had just seen a glimpse of victory, but suddenly, more pirates crazily climbed onto the deck and launched an attack.
The pirates had heard the captain’s whistle command, which signaled a do-or-die attack—either take the target or all die. Such orders aren’t given lightly by a captain, but once given, they are followed with full force. There must be something very valuable to be gained by taking the great ship.
Under the dual influence of the captain’s authority and the promise of imagined profits, the pirates formed a new offensive, attacking the students on the deck. The students were caught off guard and beat back step by step. Although the casualties among the pirates continued to rise, the students suffered increasingly great losses.
Richard helped kill an Iron Hook Pirate, then turned to look at the main battle on the deck, frowning deeply.
Just when victory seemed certain, how did another twist arise? Is this an artificial increase in difficulty?
Richard’s eyebrows inevitably rose.
From the beginning, Richard had his suspicions. The appearance of pirates and the disappearance of Wizard’s apprentices were certainly not coincidental but deliberately orchestrated. The pirate attack was likely a clichéd test from the Wizard to the students.
Is this kind of test really useful? What can it truly reveal?
Richard held a negative attitude. He truly didn’t think this kind of test could assess everyone effectively; it merely made a few already prominent individuals stand out even more, like Nancy.
Besides that, it might just be a way to reduce the number of students.
Could it be that the enrollment numbers exceeded expectations, and they planned to reduce them artificially?
Using the pirates indeed seemed like a good idea, but pirates might not be completely controllable.
Pirates typically exhibit two characteristics—fierceness and cunning, with cunning often prevailing over fierceness. After all, only the smart pirates survive longer.
Facing a large ship, the pirates might initially think of making a big score, but after their attack was thwarted, as long as the Pirate Captain wasn’t foolish, they would choose to retreat. After all, robbery is about picking on the weak and avoiding the strong, not direct confrontation.
Choosing a head-on collision is indeed passionate and can secure significant booty, but it also leads to a rapid depletion of pirates, especially the loss of elite pirates, which is fatal.
The prestige of the Pirate Captain is supported by a cadre of elite pirates; if this foundation suffers severe losses, the rest of the pirates facing numerous spoils might begin to harbor other ideas.
Being a pirate seldom involves true loyalty; it is more about greed. A high casualty rate could also increase discontent among pirates, and unless the circumstances are truly exceptional, medieval pirates would retreat once losses reach a predetermined critical point, preserving strength to find the next target.
Yet, the current situation blatantly defied common sense.
Had the Pirate Captain gone mad, or had the testing Wizard intervened, artificially complicating the test to make it more challenging?
Richard pondered, squinting his eyes, one hand holding a scalpel and the other an Iron Axe, as he approached the battlefield.
No matter what, the battle still had to be fought. If it really was the Wizard’s test, then the opponent should appear after the battle ends, and then… perhaps conduct some critique and education?
The battle on the deck grew fiercer, Nancy leading three firefighting teams, desperately supporting various areas.
After killing a Red-eyed Pirate and several ordinary pirates, Nancy scanned the deck, pointed towards a distant spot to Tyson, who was acting as the team leader, and commanded, “Tyson, take your team to support over there; I’ll go support the other side.”
The place Nancy asked Tyson to support was exactly where Richard was.
Tyson followed Nancy’s pointed direction, his pupils uncontrollably shrinking as he saw Richard. Whether out of fear or revenge, he led his team towards the area Nancy said she would support herself.
Nancy was startled, her eyebrows raised in anger. But she was powerless against Tyson’s blatant disobedience. After all, technically, she didn’t have the authority to order Tyson.
Seeing Tyson leading people away, Nancy bit her lip slightly, somewhat helplessly, and with the remaining people by her side, charged toward Richard.