The battle between the merchants and the pirates began.
A loud crash was heard when the two ships scraped against each other due to the waves. The sound of clashing swords mixed with the screams of men attacking each other. The first arrows shot out from the merchant ship, striking several pirates who were trying to climb the ropes. Blood splattered into the sea, yet the remaining pirates only laughed even more wildly.
"Don't let them board! Push them back!" shouted one of Krasu's guards while cutting down a grappling rope.
A thin but agile pirate managed to leap onto the merchant ship's deck. His rusty sword swung toward one of the crewmen, but the slash was blocked by a shield. Instantly, two other sailors tried to stab him from the side, but thanks to his experience, the pirate managed to evade and retreat from them.
On the other side of the deck, the tall and muscular pirate captain jumped ten meters from his ship, landing with a heavy thud. He carried a large axe stained with old blood. A single swing was enough to send an opponent flying after clashing with their shield.
Krasu, holding a bow, shouted to all the sailors, "Archers, target their leader!"
The battle raged on for tens of minutes.
The clanging of steel, angry shouts, and the smell of blood mixed with the salty scent of the sea breeze. The deck of the ship was in ruins due to the strength of the fighters, especially the pirate captain and Krasu's head guard, whose duel destroyed much of the deck. The sea around the ship began to turn red, not only from the evening sun but also from the blood dripping and flowing into the water.
Meanwhile, atop the mast, a young archer from Krasu's side had been hiding all this time, aiming his bow at the pirate captain. The bowstring was drawn, his breath held… waiting for the moment to end the fight…
…
At the same time as the battle at sea began…
On the island, Rudy, who had been asleep, suddenly twitched his nose. His eyes opened instantly, and he looked in one direction.
"Wooof… woooff!!!" Rudy barked loudly toward Reyhan, who was still sleeping.
"Huaaam…"
No one knew when Reyhan had fallen asleep. But he woke up to Rudy's loud barking.
Looking to the side, Liora also seemed to have just woken up.
"Hey… what's wrong with Rudy?" Liora asked curiously.
Reyhan slowly got up. "He was just like this when we found you," Reyhan replied, making a guess.
Rudy, listening, also barked, "Woof."
"Is there someone else coming?" Reyhan asked Rudy.
Rudy nodded and barked, "Woof."
But then his expression turned fierce, his fangs showing like an angry dog.
Seeing Rudy's change of expression, Reyhan guessed, "So what now? Is a criminal coming here?"
"Woof." Rudy shook his head.
"There's someone nearby… not a criminal… but you're making that expression… hmm…" Reyhan muttered, thinking.
Suddenly, he guessed something. "Do you mean there's someone fighting a criminal right now?"
"Woof." This time, Rudy nodded.
Seeing his guess was right, Reyhan was torn on whether to check it out. After all, there might be danger there. But he also needed people to spread information about the island.
While Reyhan was still thinking, the system issued a mission unlike any before.
\[Ding… Limited Mission has been issued. The host is to go and check the situation of the potential guests. If the host brings those guests to the island, the mission will be considered a success.
Reward: +0.5 Strength
Penalty for failure: -0.5 Strength]
Reyhan was stunned when he read the notification.
"Half a strength…?! If I fail, my strength will also be reduced…" he muttered, frowning. This was the first time the system had given him a mission with a penalty.
His eyes glanced toward the open sea. He could ignore it and stay safe on the island, but if it was a merchant ship being attacked, the people there might not have much time left.
The system chimed again, as if knowing he was still hesitant.
\[Warning: Mission time limit, 30 minutes remaining before mission automatically fails.]
"Damn… this is really both an opportunity and a trap." Reyhan sighed, then turned to Rudy, who was watching him.
"Rudy! Follow me and be ready to fight at any moment," he called. Then he jumped into the boat and prepared to row.
Rudy instantly looked serious. "Woof!" Then he leapt into the boat.
"This time I can only rely on Rudy. The enemy shouldn't be stronger than him, right?" Reyhan muttered as he rowed.
But seeing the speed of the boat, they definitely wouldn't make it in half an hour. Then he glanced at Rudy. After thinking for a moment, he took a rope and tied it to the dog's body.
"Rudy, we can only count on you. I'll make you five ribs later," Reyhan promised.
"Woofff!!!" The titanium dog's eyes shone. Rudy jumped into the sea and swam, pulling the boat. His speed was like riding a speedboat—if not for the risk of capsizing, it could have been even faster.
…
Fifteen minutes later, Reyhan arrived at a spot where two ships—a large one and a small one—were locked together. The small ship was empty, while the large one looked battered.
As Reyhan arrived, the people on the ship noticed him.
But seeing only one person, they weren't too wary. When Reyhan got closer, Krasu, the ship's leader, stood and asked loudly, "Friend over there, what are you doing here?"
"My dog smelled blood here, so we came to check," Reyhan answered calmly, pointing at Rudy.
Hearing that, Krasu glanced at Rudy and thought, *Smelled blood… but the wind is blowing in the opposite direction from where he came… In that case, he's either lying or his dog isn't ordinary.*
"As you can see, we were attacked by pirates, but it's been dealt with," Krasu replied, still watching Reyhan and the dog closely.
While Krasu weighed the truth of Reyhan's words, Reyhan was observing the sailors. Even though his boat was lower, the curious sailors stood near the deck to see him.
Most of them were injured, some even missing arms or legs.
Seeing this, Reyhan already had a way to bring them to the island and complete the mission.
"If you're short on medical supplies, come to the island where I live. We have complete medical equipment, alcohol for wounds, and bandages," Reyhan said to Krasu.
"Why are you helping us? Sorry if I sound rude, but the situation makes us wary," Krasu replied reasonably.
Reyhan raised his hand slightly and explained, "Actually, I run a kind of resort there. But no one has come yet, so I want you to come and spread word about my resort. Of course, you'll have to pay for anything you use there."
Hearing Reyhan's reasonable explanation, Krasu lowered his guard slightly. Especially since they truly needed a place to treat their wounds. So they followed Reyhan toward the island.