The cultivation master

People believed in luck, but luck was nothing more than a product of desperate minds. If someone was struck by lightning while walking, they were considered unlucky, and if they found money, they were deemed lucky.

When these events happened several times and people couldn't find a reason, they began to wonder. They questioned themselves, but their minds had no answers. In such circumstances, it was natural for creative thoughts to emerge from bewildered minds, and an answer from nowhere appeared before everyone: luck.

Now, in the situation where the pirates had appeared, everyone was thinking about how bad luck had befallen them, but Cyrus wanted to know how the traitor had guided the pirates to them. This difference in perspective meant that while everyone panicked and ran around the ship, he watched everything intently.

[Theodor was the only traitor I knew. Of course, it was possible he had accomplices, but during my time here, I kept an eye on them. Theodor was a solitary sailor, and anyone who interacted with him did so only for the ship's daily tasks.]

Cyrus immediately deduced: [So that traitor boarded the ship later. On the other hand, that imprisoned sailor had been released from his cell without explanation. This indicates that the traitor was not among the sailors, but among the villagers.]

Cyrus swiftly used wind magic to reinforce the front of the ship. He turned to the helmsman, who gripped the helm tightly, and ordered him, "Follow the flames." Then he went to the back of the ship and executed an offensive spell. "Blade of Wind!"

The wind condensed in his hand, taking the form of a crescent blade. Cyrus aimed at the pirates' sails. The intensity of the compressed wind tousled his hair and clothes.

Whoosh!!!

The blade of wind sliced through the air and tore the black sail of the ship. The shredded fabric flapped wildly, slowing the pirates' vessel.

Immediately after casting that spell, Cyrus cast another. "Protective Barrier!!!"

A blue barrier formed behind the ship, shielding it from cannon fire from the attacking vessel. Cyrus, having to stay at the back of the ship to maintain that barrier, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Explosive Barrels!!!!"

Three barrels filled with explosives were hurled down from a window. These barrels contained magic that caused explosions upon contact with objects, functioning like naval mines.

Cyrus called out to Julian, saying, "Hurry, go to the lower deck and see what the villagers are doing. Be careful; there might be a traitor among us!"

"A traitor?!"

"Yes, a traitor! When the pirates found us without hesitation, I can't think of any other explanation. Someone has betrayed us. Go below and see if anyone among the villagers seems suspicious."

Julian frowned. He hadn't had a good feeling about the new crew from the start, and now that suspicion had arisen, he immediately set out to find the infiltrator.

However, Cyrus had another thought. He knew that if there was no infiltrator, then only one thing remained: a tracking spell.

[Yeah, that's a possibility. Theodor might have equipped this ship with a magical item that can track it at any moment. But finding that item... a magical item?]

Cyrus suddenly remembered. "Damn it!!!! There's a magical item here! That spyglass!!! Why didn't I think of it sooner!"

Somewhere outside the Misty territory, a brigantine had anchored near the wall of mist. The sailors, all with rough and ugly faces, scurried about like pests, preparing for battle. The black flag, emblazoned with a skull, flapped in the wind.

On the deck, a man with a wooden leg limped toward the helm. Both his wooden leg and the cane under his arm clicked with each step. However, due to the commotion and excitement of the sailors, his voice could barely be heard.

He had dark skin and several old scars on different parts of his body. His gray beard brushed against his tattooed chest. With every step he took, he cursed, and when he finally reached the helm, he stood beside the pirate king.

In a hoarse voice, he said, "Sir, we've found them."

He handed a spyglass to him. The pirate king nodded and smirked. He had been watching them all along through this very spyglass, which he had given to Theodor long ago, and Theodor had used it for years.

He looked at the golden casing of the spyglass, which gleamed in the sunlight. "They're almost here. Arm the cannons and prepare for battle."

"Yes, sir!"

He then turned to the crew, striking his cane against the ground.

As soon as it hit, a wave of energy was released that made everyone alert. The sailors, who had been restless just moments ago, stood still like obedient lambs, waiting for new orders.

"Listen up, sea dogs! It's time to hunt!!! Sharpen your teeth, shout, the hunting season has begun! Release the wild beast!!!!"

All the pirates shouted. "Release the wild beast!!!!!"

Swords were drawn, weapons were readied, cannons were armed, the anchor was pulled up, the sails were unfurled, and the ship began to move.

The pirate king grinned maliciously and muttered, "That's right, the hunting season has arrived. It's time to unleash the dogs."