Roseus held his weapon tight in his hand as he watched the ghoul-like creatures approach.

Each of them would be taller than him, if not for the fact that their heads were being dragged down towards the ground due to the weight of the chains.

He twirled the blade in his hand and let out a laugh.

"That looks painful. Should I put you out of your misery?" he taunted.

At that exact moment, one of the ghouls suddenly snapped his head forward. The chains attached to its skull flew forwards like a whip, catching Roseus on his shoulder and sending him stumbling backwards.

Blood immediately welled from the wound, and Roseus cursed at himself.

They’re much faster than I was expecting. Heh, I guess this is what I get for being cocky.

At that moment, Roseus felt awfully glad that his currently injured hand was not his dominant hand. Otherwise, he would not be able to wield his blade at all.

Holding the weapon in a tight grip, he dashed forwards.

His speed had been severely amplified, not only by his skill Goldrush, but also because he was now a Deckhand.

The ghoul furthest to his left was his target, as he was still retracting the chains from his head.

As he approached, the two ghouls on the right snapped their heads forwards, sending the whips towards him.

Expecting the strike, Roseus managed to roll, ducking beneath them both.

Although the initial strikes were fast, it took them a while to retract their chains and position them before striking again.

This meant that he was given an opening to take them down before they did.

After standing back up from his roll, Roseus stabbed his weapon into the ghoul, then dragged it upwards. The point of his blade opened up the ghoul from hip to chest, causing its entrails to immediately spill from its torso.

The ghoul immediately let out a shriek, as the surrounding flesh of the wound suddenly froze up.

This was because Roseus had used his elemental skill, Frostbite Thrust.

He had once heard from Blodwen that the undead were weak to the four main elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.

Being a different form of water, ice was extremely effective against ghouls.

The ice slowly spread throughout its body, causing it to freeze up and eventually fall still onto the sand.

As it did, the seas spoke to Roseus.

[You have defeated, Chained.]

[Common Soul Absorbed +1]

[The Ocean Beckons You...]

Chained. So that’s what they’re called...

Do they come directly from the gate to the Third Sea? If so, this is good preparation.

Captain Roseus turned his attention towards the other two Chained, who were still retracting their chains.

Instead of charging, he rolled backwards twice, finding that the agility given to him as a Deckhand made the manoeuvre feel much smoother and more natural.

Once back on his feet, he threw his father’s cutlass towards the closest enemy and watched it fly through the air with speed.

Once it crashed into the Chained’s chest, it hit with such force that it became lodged up to the hilt, then eventually pierced through its back like a bullet and came out the other side.

The reason he did this was to test his new skill, Distance Multiplier.

The increase that it gave to ranged strikes was impressive, and it even applied to melee weapons that were thrown.

[You have defeated, Chained.]

[Common Soul Absorbed +1]

[The Ocean Beckons You...]

With that Chained taken down, Roseus was left facing off against the final one. This Chained had already prepared itself for its next strike and snapped its head forwards.

Its ’hair’ whipped forwards with great force, and Roseus found himself momentarily caught off guard. He was prepared to take the attack head-on, as the previous one had only hurt but wasn’t fatal.

He tensed his body, preparing for the strike, but before the chains could reach him, he watched as they were suddenly severed in half.

The chains were sent flying off into the distance, and the creature let out a cry as though its most sensitive spots had been attacked.

Following that, a blur whipped past the creature.

Everything was silent for a few moments, and then the creature’s head fell from its shoulders.

Roseus found himself blinking a few times in confusion. Then, he saw who was responsible for the creature’s death.

Suddenly standing over its corpse was a man. His skin was dark, but most of his face was covered by a cloth wrapped around it, revealing only his eyes.

He was dressed in loose navy-blue robes with a dark leather vest worn over the top. Shells and bronze trinkets hung from belts across his chest, rattling softly as he moved.

At his waist rested a curved sword with a orange blade, alongside several throwing knives.

A black cloak draped over one shoulder, and his sharp brown eyes were the only part of his face left visible. Despite his simple appearance, there was something dangerous about the way he carried himself.

Roseus instinctively raised his weapon, not sure whether this man was an ally or foe.

However, the masked man raised two friendly hands.

"I come in peace." His voice carried a heavy accent.

Roseus lowered his blade slightly, but never let his guard down. He knew better than to trust a stranger. Not to mention one that had stolen his kill.

The stranger walked to the edge of the beach until his sandalled feet rested in the water.

"I thought I was the only one who enjoyed hunting during the gate opening, or are you perhaps new here?" he asked.

Roseus remained where he stood and spoke from across the sands.

"Yeah, I arrived a few days ago. I’m waiting for my crew."

"Ah, you are a captain?" the man responded.

"Aye. Captain of the Redflowers."

Roseus noticed the man’s body twitch slightly as though he had recognised the name.

This was no surprise. Their name had appeared in the Fresh Bounty Weekly quite frequently.

Just as Roseus was about to ask for the man’s name, he spoke first.

"Are you accepting new crew members?"