Chapter 7: The Emergence of a Rival

“Hand it over, give me the Secret Key to the City of Gold.”
Out on the sea, a fish-man sitting atop the back of a shark brandished a drumstick made of red coral and roared loudly. Yet to the sailors on the ship, his voice was little more than unintelligible gurgling...
Only Liu Zhi, who was locked in combat with a third Tide Warrior, understood the meaning behind those words. He couldn’t help but lift his head and gaze toward the direction the voice came from.
Just then, several lines of text appeared before him.

[Warning: Information related to the forced identity quest has changed. Retrieving identity quest information.]
[Hint: Forced Identity Quest—Curse of the City of Gold. Within thirty days, use the appropriate item to discover and master a necromancer skill. Evaluation will be adjusted according to skill level.]
[Warning: Novice quest inserted, identity quest altered.]
[Hint: Novice Quest—Survival Game. Survive for one hundred eighty days through your own efforts. Evaluation will be adjusted according to survival duration and learning ability.]
[Warning: Duration conflict between novice quest and identity quest. Identity quest duration adjusted to one hundred eighty days.]
[Warning: Identity quest difficulty reduced. According to supplementary rule DR-663, quest difficulty adjusted; rivals automatically generated.]
[Hint: Rivals—opponents or enemies with the same goal as the player, who will sabotage the player’s quest through their own actions. For this identity quest, a standard-level rival will appear. For the first thirty days, they will not interfere with the player. From thirty to ninety days, they will employ various methods to hinder the player. From ninety to one hundred eighty days, they will pursue the player.]

These messages clarified the situation for Liu Zhi. At that moment, his gaze met the shark-riding fish-man’s chilling, sinister eyes.

“So you’re here. Get him—bring him to me!”

A jolt of fear nearly sent Liu Zhi sprawling to the deck. Damn it, weren’t the hints supposed to say the rival wouldn’t affect the player’s actions? Why was he attacking now?

Under the fish-man’s command, most of the Tide Warriors surged toward the ship, startling the sailors. Their vessel was not a warship and had few weapons aboard. Now, seeing the fish-men focus their assault here, the ship’s defenses became tense and precarious.

The captain, realizing something was amiss, began signaling nearby warships while shouting orders.

“Everyone to the deck! Where’s the boatswain? Organize the crew to handle the sails—prepare for a forced charge. Notify the other warships to assist us!”

Obeying the captain’s commands, Liu Zhi witnessed a host of sailors rush up from below deck. Some were already wounded, clearly unfit for battle, yet under the boatswain’s guidance, each grasped a cable, pulling it with determined force.

Curiously, though the wind was not strong, as they hauled on the ropes, the ship’s speed visibly increased. If previously it sailed at ten knots, now, under their coordinated effort, its speed soared to about thirty knots.

This unexpected burst caught the fish-man off guard. The ship smashed aside the fish-men trying to board and broke through the circle of Tide Warriors.

Following the fish-man’s orders, the Tide Warriors ignored the other warships, chasing single-mindedly after Liu Zhi’s ship. The warships in the rear were stunned; since the Tide Warriors weren’t attacking them, they could safely launch ranged assaults from their decks. The sailors brought out muskets and ballistae, picking off the Tide Warriors trailing behind.

This was a harsh blow to the Tide Warriors. Their scales could deflect musket fire, but getting hit still hurt, and the ballistae—used for hunting sharks or whales—were deadly. A single strike spelled certain death.

The fish-man atop the shark grew frustrated. He tried several times to change his orders, but the Tide Warriors had swum too far for his commands to reach them, and fish-men weren’t clever enough to multitask. His initial command—to seize Liu Zhi—remained paramount until fulfilled, and other instructions had little effect.

After nearly an hour of pursuit, the fish-man abandoned the chase. He beat the heavy drum strapped to the shark’s back, signaling all fish-men to withdraw.

While pounding the drum, he stared at the disappearing sailboat, replaying the memory of those eyes. “I will find you. You cannot escape.”

Liu Zhi, meanwhile, knew nothing of this. He lay prone on the aft deck, watching the fish-men recede into the distance. A profound sense of crisis weighed on him. These two quests seemed utterly unreliable; the game kept patching bugs only to create new pitfalls. Who would want to play such a game?

Just then, the captain at the helm shouted, “Slowly furl the sails! All sailors follow the boatswain’s orders; don’t panic! We can’t halt the charge abruptly, or the ship will capsize. Remember, obey the boatswain!”

The sailors handling the sails gradually drew in the ropes and stepped aside. The ship slowed, settling back to a steady ten knots.

Those released from their duties didn’t leave right away. They slumped onto the deck, stretching their tired arms. Clearly, their exertion with the ropes had drained much of their strength.

As Liu Zhi descended, he saw the boatswain direct the last sailor to let go of the cable. He noticed the boatswain guiding the crew’s movements rather than simply ordering them to drop the ropes.

Was there something different about this?

Liu Zhi watched more closely.

Then, the familiar voice that often advised him sounded again.

“That’s the boatswain’s skill—coordinated control. Only when you know who goes first, who follows, and how the wind flows can you prevent chaos on the ship. Ordinary sailors know how to handle sails but lack the ability to coordinate. If they act carelessly, it often leads to balance issues, even capsizing.”

Liu Zhi nodded, half understanding.

At that moment, a line of text flashed before his eyes.

[Detected advancement criteria for the secondary profession Sailor: Sailor—Boatswain (Deck Officer, Navigator, Helmsman, etc.)—First Mate (Chief Mate, Second Mate, Chief of Staff, etc.)—Captain.]
[Note: Secondary professions, like main professions, offer corresponding abilities and stat increases, and even some combat capability, though they are not combat roles. There is no limit to the number learned; theoretically, with enough energy, one can learn infinitely. Secondary professions will influence main profession employment and transitions.]