MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

[Gained 468 943 Fishing XP!] [You've caught a BIG Fish!] Wait, wasn't this a little too much XP?! That's when the entire ship rocked, hard! It was as if they had suddenly hit a wall right in the middle of the sea! "What in the seven seas's happening?! We should be miles away from any land! Who's in the crow nest right now?! What do you see up there?!" the Captain loudly shouted. "M-monster! R-runnn!!!" Run? Bloody where?! This was a ship, aka a literal floating coffin! No one had time anymore to bother about Jack's dubious teachings. But now, even he was getting slightly uneasy. That's when it happened. — WHOOSH! — A gigantic appendage appeared at the ship's side! The thing was slimy yet scaly and powerful-looking. Its touch ruptured part of the deck, sending splinters flying. "Nooo! T-this can't be!" Then a monstrous head appeared, one full of barbs and spiky teeth. Two large pearl-looking beady eyes finally settled on them, the monster's antennas joyfully wriggling…it would eat! < Ancestral Blue Draconic Sea Slug! Lv 99! > Damn Mirage! How did this make any sense?! The ship's food was salty for preservation. How had it attracted a snail?! And one so huge at that! — ROAR! — The creature swung its large mouth at them, eager to snack! Seeing such an enemy, the Berserk sailors couldn't hold it anymore. Filled with blood lust, they charged at the monster! An unbelievable battle instantly began! Crazed Sailors VS Giant Slug! Fearless Humans VS Nightmarish Creature! But it quickly became evident that the entire scene wasn't as much a fight as an all-you-can-eat slug buffet! The Captain's horrified shrieks weren't enough to stop it either. "Stop fighting! You're just throwing your lives away!" "So what?! We'll puncture its stomach from the inside!!" Another dumbass valiantly shouted before disappearing in the thing's gaping maw. — RIP! Rest in tiny pieces! — "Woo!" (Master, how do we kill this thing?!) Kill? As if that was possible! The sailors were probably level 60 or something, but they weren't enough to beat this monstrous creature. Salt wasn't effective either… Would this hybrid monstrosity have a dragon's heart? If they could dislodge it from its chest, they might actually survive this. But only its head was sticking out of the water, its body was hidden under the red sea surface. Fighting that thing in its natural habitat was suicide! As for destroying its scales… "FIRE!!!" A few sailors had brought a giant cannon, aiming straight at the monster. — BOOM! — The cannonball powerfully flew toward the enemy, finally colliding with its sturdy scales, and… CRACK! But it wasn't the scales that had broken, but the metallic projectile!

Was this thing invincible?! Meanwhile, the crazed rowers were still committing suicide as they fearlessly confronted the creature. Everything was going to shit…

"YOU! It's all your fault! You made them go crazy, do something!" The Captain screamed as he grabbed Jack by the collar. "Me?! No way! They're just very valiant! I don't have half their courage myself!" He lied through his teeth. "But, I might have a way to deal with this enemy…." "You do?!" Jack began whispering his plan in the man's ear. The more he did and the redder the Captain's face became. It even reached new shades of purple, fury overcoming him. "Are you crazy?! This is a death sentence!" "Also our only choice…." Jack shrugged. "ARGG! Fine! Men, listen up!…." Things quickly went in motion. The more the sailors worked and the more worried they seemed. Perhaps getting eaten would be better than that crazy man's plan! But they obeyed their Captain nevertheless, quickly assembling everything they needed. It was finally show time! "We need to bait the creature…." "Woo!" (I'm on it! Hey, you dumb slimy Slug! Come and catch me!) The little wolf howled at the creature, disdain apparent in its tone. It even stood on a pile of crates to look taller than it really was, as it hurled "insults" at the behemoth. At first, the Slug ignored the provocation. After all, why would it interrupt its delicious human meal to chase after such a tiny wolf? But then came the fireballs. — Whoosh! Whoosh! — Moon Moon kept bombarding the monster with fire. It wasn't strong enough to harm it, but it was perfect for annoying it. That's when it finally locked unto it. — ROAR!!! — "Woo!" (You can scream? So can I! Humph!) The gaping maw went straight for the unfortunate wolf. The motion was unbelievably fast given the creature's size and didn't let any room for dodging. — GULP! — Just like that, Moon Moon was gone… "Nice! Great job!" Jack cheered up on the side, the sailors giving him dark looks. What kind of heartless bastard was he?! But a second later, another wolf appeared, quickly taking place beside Jack. The confused sailors glanced between it and the monster's jaw. Hadn't it just been eaten?! "Hehe, quiz time. What happens when you mix gunpowder and a fire clone inside a giant slug's stomach?" — KABOOM! — They could hear, feel, and even see the explosion from the outside as the creature's stomach expended many times over! It looked like a balloon that was ready to burst!

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The thing opened its mouth, a mighty gale escaping it. "Hold on to something!" It swept through them all. As for the berserk sailors, they were way too busy glaring at the monster and were instantly swept off, falling into the sea.

The gale finally receded, and yet the creature was still standing. That's when the sailors were finally overwhelmed with despair. They were utterly doomed! Yet one amongst them actually heaved a sigh of relief. It was the first time Jack saw this specific monster, but the way its appendage were turned told him a lot about its mood. The Slug was feeling doubtful… Without hesitating, he walked forward, adopting the same playful attitude Moon Moon had before, nailing both the verbal and non-verbal tells perfectly! "Hey, you dumb slimy Slug! Come and catch me!" He taunted the creature without a care in the world. The Draconic Slug suddenly froze. What was up with this little creature?! It clearly remembered what had happened after it had eaten the wolf. Even now, its stomach was still pulsating with unending pain. It quickly reviewed the possibilities in its mind. Could it be yet another trap? What if he was bluffing? Should it just attack the ship itself? But would Jack let it think? Nope! "If you ain't coming, then I'll go to you! Hehehe." He powerfully declared as he stepped forward. The Slug's thoughts were a mess. What was up with that guy?! His laugh was so creepy and foreboding. Should it even fight this madman? Win —> A few more tiny snacks. Lose —> A severe stomachache, one that could even be deadly. That's when the creature met Jack's eyes. Nope! Nope! Nope! A second later, it turned tail, disappearing in the red sea. At the end of the day, it had chosen the safer bet. The crew couldn't help but glance at the sight with bulging eyes. Were they dreaming? That horror had left just like that?! A few rounds of pinching later… "We survived! We really did!" "I bet it ran because of your ugly mug!" "Stop bullshitting. It was obviously thanks to the new guy!"

They all turned toward the human and wolf duo with awe. As for the little incident with the Berserk sailors (now dead), they had forgotten all about it after surviving. [Drove The Giant Sea Slug Away!] [Completed Phase 2 of the Mirage!] [Congratulations! Unlocked Partial Inventory!] Everything seemed to be going well, but the Captain poured cold water over their enthusiasm. "We're still screwed. All the salt and gunpowder we had went into that explosion. How are we even supposed to survive now?!" — Gasps! — That's what it was back then?! Their shoulders slumped, fear overwhelming them. Didn't this mean that they'd starve to death?! Being eaten didn't seem as scary anymore… [The Crew Lost All Morale!] [Despair is Rampant!] "Woo?!" (No food?! What a crisis!) The little wolf hurriedly went around the place, and it wasn't long before it grabbed a rope. They just had to do like that one piranha fisherman from back then, right? "Don't even think about it! The creatures in the ocean are all unbelievably vicious! Don't you dare try to attract any of them!" The Captain warned. Things were looking grim: 1. No rations 2. No land in sight 3. No possibility of fishing "Woo!" (It's fine! Master will find a solution!) The little wolf waved a paw full of confidence toward Jack. He'd obviously find a way to solve their plight! 'Just you watch! Master's amazing!' "Scoff! He's no magical genie! Or are you telling me he's just gonna make food appear by waving his hand?! Ridiculous that's imposs—"

"C-captain…?!" A shellshocked sailor was pointing to the side. "What is it?!" The Captain looked over, only to freeze. Jack waved his hand, the motion generating rations out of thin air. This had to be an illusion, right?! "Woo!" (Nice! Meat!) The little wolf came wagging its tail and salivating. Meat was the best on a boat trip! Meanwhile, the spectators were rubbing their eyes in disbelief. "W-what?! H-how?!" "That? It's a reward from the gods for successfully driving away the evil sea slug. I heard a weird voice in my head after the battle, calling this power inventory…." Jack shrugged. "T-that….how unbelievable! This might just save us, but there's still an issue…." That's when the Captain glanced at the state of the ship. Under the battering of the waves, the wood was loudly creaking, water slowly infiltrating it. The vessel had been damaged in the previous fight. "We'll have to land for repair." That's when a few older sailors suddenly began shaking…

"But Captain, we're still in the Belt of Doom!" "Yet we'll have to land either way…."