After going into the sea, I met the witch.

She knew very well that her choice was too risky.

But she had no other choice.

Freyne had made up her mind. After tonight, she would definitely start advancing to the second tier. So, even though the "detestable traveler" had tricked her last time, causing her to lose 700 spirit essences, she had no choice but to do it.

Only in this way can one have a more solid foundation before advancing to the second tier.

and so--

"Traveler, please do your best this time!"

The witch clasped her hands together in front of her and prayed silently.

……

In the present world, at the top of the central extinct volcano on Mingjin Island in the Whirlpool Islands.

The cool moonlight spread down, draping it in a layer of silver gauze.

The lone gray wolf sat there, gazing up at the crescent moon hanging silently in the high sky.

The last full moon night had just passed, and it would be at least two more weeks before another full moon would arrive—this was the consensus among the pirates on the Whirlpool Islands.

Logically speaking, this is not wrong, but often, common sense is broken unintentionally.

"An unexpected guest has arrived... but it doesn't matter."

"The audience is in place, and this grand performance is about to begin."

"I'm really looking forward to it..."

On the side shrouded by the gray wolf's shadow, a gentle female voice rang out, filled with intense anticipation.

As it murmured, a strange change occurred in the gray wolf.

Its fur, starting from its head, changed from gray to a light silver-white strand by strand. In the blink of an eye, the originally unremarkable gray wolf had transformed into an incomparably noble and elegant wolf under the moon.

It raised its head and let out a loud cry.

Intense silver light rose from its body, gradually forming a strange full moon with a silver body and blood-red edges.

Two moons hang in the sky, one waning and one full.

Such a bizarre sight immediately caught the attention of everyone on the island.

"How is this going?!"

"Two moons? A blood-red full moon?"

"Oh no! A sea monster has come ashore!"

Pirates discovered that, under the crimson moonlight, the sea monsters that had been lingering near the shore began to come ashore.

These sea monsters' eyes turned blood red, and they attacked any creatures they saw indiscriminately.

Before the pirates could react, "out-of-control individuals" began to emerge within the pirate group.

Their eyes turned bloodshot as they tore at their companions. In that moment, they lost all humanity and became like crazed beasts.

Those who were the first to "lose control" were all in poor physical condition, while the strong and healthy pirates, although they did not lose control, were also strongly affected, and annoying mutterings appeared in their ears and minds.

Even professionals, bathed in the crimson moonlight, were inevitably affected.

The closer to the center of Mingjin Island, the milder these "out-of-control" and "talking" phenomena become.

Driven by instinct, the pirates began to approach Mingjin Island.

The change came so suddenly, arriving before anyone could have predicted it.

Inside the strongholds of the three major second-tier pirate groups.

The Black Knight and two other Black Knights rushed out of the room.

The tranquil crimson moonlight fell upon them, but was blocked by the pale purple light that instinctively emanated from their bodies.

"Such powerful witch power?"

The eyes beneath the mask of the Black Knight on the seat narrowed slightly, and his tone was filled with barely suppressed shock.

"How can it be!"

The pale purple light originates from the power of the "Demon-Suppressing Stone," which only spontaneously resists when encountering strong witch power.

The facts are undeniable, and no matter how unbelievable the Black Knight may seem, they cannot be changed.

Taking a deep breath, the Black Knight ignored "Iron Eagle" Vladika who followed behind him and rushed towards the place where the blood moon rose.

Regardless, as one of the thirteen Black Knights, he could not possibly stand idly by when something related to witches came up.

As for the Dark Moon Witch... Faced with a witch of this caliber, the pursuit of the Dark Moon Witch Freyne can only be put on hold for now.

On Tidal Island (North 1 Island).

Watching the Black Knight's departing figure, "One-Eyed" Santas withdrew his gaze.

He hurried back to his room in the camp. Along the way, he saw many ordinary members of the "One-Eyed Pirate Gang" with red eyes, stumbling and staggering towards Mingjin Island.

Upon entering the room, Santas transmitted the information about the anomalies on the Whirlpool Islands to the Dark Moon Witch via a cursed seal.

This unique method of communication was taught to him by the Dark Moon Witch Freyne.

After finishing this, he patted his head, as if to shake off the subtle "murmurs" that had appeared within it.

"As expected, my premonition was right. Something terrible has happened on the Whirlpool Islands..."

Santas's voice was filled with fear and trembling.

Even he, a dignified second-tier elite professional, could not avoid being affected. Even after hiding in a room where the blood-red moonlight could not reach, he still could not completely block it.

……

Ancient forest.

Birds scattered and fled in all directions.

Ryan's gaze was serious as he walked step by step toward the female Rathalos.

Neither the person nor the dragon ran; they simply walked towards each other.

He appeared calm, but in reality, a strong killing intent had already permeated the entire scene.

When the distance was thirty meters, the female Rathalos moved.

It made a clear "inhaling and charging" motion, and a second later, a huge fireball, even larger than a Ryan, burst out.

The rolling fireball, gleaming with a crimson luster, turned the grass and leaves yellow and then charred in its wake, the temperature terrifyingly high.

Ryan was able to dodge, but he didn't dodge; instead, he drew his greatsword and held it in front of him.

He wanted to test how much resistance he now had to fire attacks.

The moment the greatsword was drawn, a magical power surged within him—that was the effect of [Sword Drawing Technique - Power]: for 20 seconds, the damage he dealt with the greatsword would be increased by 5%, and attacks to the head would more easily cause enemies to faint.

Dense water vapor permeates the surroundings, creating a "water vapor environment".

【Umbrella Fire Scale Armor Set】+【Fire Resistance Lv.1】+【Elemental Resistance Lv.1】=9 points of fire resistance!

The combination of [Pure Water Crystal] and [Ring of Energy Resistance] significantly reduces fire damage.

What a "fire-fighting" tactic!

"boom!"

The enormous fireball hurtled towards them, exploding with a deafening roar the instant it made contact with the Greatsword - Ferocious Ice. The blast of flames instantly engulfed Ryan's body, forming a "torch" several meters tall.

But this is only a superficial phenomenon.

The presence of the first line of defense, the "moisture environment," weakened the flames before they even reached Ryan, reducing their power to less than a third of their full strength by the time they touched his body.

Next is the second line of defense, the Ring of Energy Resistance, which reduces the amount of energy attacks received by 10%.

Of course, this damage reduction effect has a tier-based determination: Tier 1 energy attacks are fully effective, Tier 2 attacks are only 50% effective, and Tier 3 attacks are completely ineffective.

Ryan couldn't accurately compare the levels of the monsters he encountered to the ranks of the professionals. In fact, having never seen a professional above the second rank, he lacked sufficient knowledge of the damage that professionals of that level could cause.

But without a doubt, a female Rathalos in its prime would be far stronger than a Tier 2 elite professional.

His sheer physical strength and size alone are enough to overwhelm a second-tier professional.

Therefore, there is not much of a problem in equating female Rathalos with third-tier professionals.

Normally, the [Ring of Energy Resistance] should be completely ineffective against a fireball from a female Rathalos that is equivalent to a Tier 3 professional. However, the problem is that after being weakened by the "water vapor environment," the fireball, which is now less than one-third as powerful, no longer falls into the Tier 3 category.

In this situation, the Ring of Energy Resistance can still exert some of its effect.

After being weakened by the Ring of Energy Resistance, the flames, whose power was further reduced, finally landed on Ryan.

The [Fire Umbrella Scale Armor Set], forged from Fire Umbrella Bird materials, has a natural and powerful resistance to fire attacks.

What does 9 points of fire resistance mean?

Without a comparison, Ryan wasn't entirely sure either.

But he was certain of one thing: before the female Rathian's flames were weakened by the layers of heat, he only felt a slight warmth on his skin and didn't even get burned!

"call……"

He swept his greatsword across his body, dispersing the surrounding flames. Amidst the sparks flying everywhere, Ryan looked up and gazed at the female Rathalos, whose eyes showed obvious surprise. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Let's begin our real battle!"

"Boom--!"

The ground shook, and fine cracks spread out. In the blink of an eye, Ryan had already rushed forward more than ten meters.

The rapidly approaching figure caused the female Rathian to react.

Stepping forward, then drifting.

Chapter 87 The Intertwining of Poison and Fire, the Rebirth of Azure Scales

"boom!"

The air vibrated as the thorny dragon tail lashed out in a crescent shape, forming a dark green whip-like shadow.

That drift was incredibly fast and urgent.