Survival: Ocean (Playwright) Chapter 110: The Gambling Dog Has Nothing Left

Wang Xiaodie’s final attempt finally yielded something worthwhile.

A stone tablet appeared at their feet.

It was the Engraved Seal Stone, inscribed with three seals.

“Lightning + Minion + Burst. Lightning Weapon Seal,” Wu Hui glanced down. “Perfect, I have all of these.”

In his hands were two weapons: a crossbow confiscated from a previous assassin, and a flintlock pistol. However, the flintlock pistol seemed incompatible with this seal, leaving Wu Hui with no other choice.

“Emmm,” Wang Xiaodie examined the tablet. “Ghost Blade, Growth Armor… I can’t manage any of these.”

The seals were all beyond Wang Xiaodie’s reach, or at least she couldn’t assemble them. Watching Wu Hui apply the seal to his crossbow, she felt a fresh wave of frustration, almost nauseous.

All her hard work was just serving Wu Hui.

It seemed that ever since meeting Wu Hui, she had been nothing but a diligent servant.

Nonsense! She didn’t want to be a slave—being his girlfriend was acceptable. Wang Xiaodie squatted nearby, mood sinking as she began to absentmindedly draw circles.

Wu Hui had no idea what was running through her mind. He simply held the gold coin and stepped forward: “Hmm…”

Although Wang Xiaodie’s five attempts at the lottery had yielded mediocre results, she had encountered no great danger. This made Wu Hui hesitate.

A playwright wouldn’t let them pass so uneventfully. Greater dangers and rewards surely awaited. A more rational course would be to wait for Gray Bear and Beetle to return, adjust his own condition to peak form, then act.

Wang Xiaodie was already used to Wu Hui’s preparation rituals. She took soap and a change of clothes to the nearby river to bathe, asking Wu Hui if he wanted to watch.

Wu Hui replied, “Not for now.”

He had other matters to attend to; such leisurely distractions could wait.

Wang Xiaodie scoffed, clearly having predicted his response. Never mind, his absence was his own loss.

Well, as his slave, she supposed Wu Hui could watch whenever he wished. No loss at all.

Gray Bear returned to the island, fully fed and satisfied. So did Beetle. It seemed there were no boss-level creatures here; with no equal foes, they roamed freely.

Wang Xiaodie finished bathing and washed both their dirty clothes. She approached Wu Hui: “Seriously? You need this long just to play the slot machine?”

Wu Hui was undeniably powerful, yet overly cautious.

Alright, his caution was somewhat restrained—he prepared more than necessary only when he sensed danger. Still, he was quite a gambler at heart.

If he were overly cautious, he would have given up on the slot machine already.

Risks had to be taken, but the ratio of risk to reward needed to be minimized. Often, this wasn’t difficult; most simply lacked the patience to prepare and think it through.

Everyone was ready, weapons in hand. Wu Hui tossed in a coin; the slot machine quickly spat out ten coins. Wang Xiaodie watched enviously. Wu Hui swiftly gathered the coins and inserted a second.

A piercing, indescribable shriek echoed.

The beach began to ripple like the surface of water.

A massive tentacle emerged, sand swirling around like waves.

The glasses’ scanning results appeared.

“The Thousand-Tentacled King of the Ocean, Kelash’s Tentacle.”

Its attributes were a complete mystery.

“Just one tentacle?” Wu Hui stepped back. “But its strength is absurdly high, isn’t it?”

He thought of octopuses—each tentacle had its own neural system, effectively tiny brains. Perhaps this creature functioned similarly.

For invertebrates, an octopus might represent the pinnacle of intelligence.

An arrow charged with lightning shot forth, landing on the tentacle, appearing minuscule—like a wooden splinter against a finger.

But it was an electrified splinter.

The tentacle twitched as if stung, searching rapidly.

Gray Bear charged, clutching a tentacle twice his height, but was swiftly thrown off. He landed on the sand with a heavy splash.

“Everyone, engage,” Wu Hui commanded. “Xiaodie, hold back a moment.”

Wang Xiaodie had no intention of leading the charge anyway. The hellhounds, beetles, and water spiders swarmed forward, their limbs and fangs attacking relentlessly. Wounded ones retreated to Wu Hui’s side, benefiting from the Book of Life’s protection.

This tentacle was roughly the strength of a level-three player. Wu Hui analyzed: if Kelash truly had a thousand such tentacles, its core combat power would rival that of a high-level player.

Was it also a seal beast? Its potential ceiling likely matched that of a nightmare piece.

While pondering these, Wu Hui never ceased his assault. Crossbow bolts and flintlock shots flew in rapid succession; when arrows ran out, he conjured ice, combining lightning and frost to assault the enemy, blood trickling out.

Such a tactic drained Wu Hui greatly; his spirit soon began to wane.

It was time for Wang Xiaodie to act.

Though she appeared to idle these days, Wang Xiaodie had quietly improved.

She hadn’t told Wu Hui that the Hundred Insect Codex naturally produced several seals daily, which she could now use to summon insect seal beasts.

Often she struggled to keep secrets, but to prevent her master from stealing the seals, she stifled her urge to boast.

Thus, no matter how long she served Wu Hui or how much unpaid labor she endured, as long as the book remained, Wang Xiaodie’s current game was not a loss. With it, ascending to high-level player status was straightforward.

The only problem, as Wu Hui said: fate’s gifts always carried a hidden price; such immense benefits could not come without cost.

The mantis and spider circled in from all sides.

The beetle had been smashed by the tentacle. Wang Xiaodie sliced her palm with an extraordinary blade, blood forming the blade’s edge.

Though her physical condition limited her full use of the blade’s power, partial use was possible. Activating it now was meant to be decisive.

Agility Seal activated.

She stepped forward; several insect seal beasts gripped the tentacle. A blood-red blade slashed and twirled along its supple flesh.

Wang Xiaodie quickly withdrew to Wu Hui’s side.

Wu Hui’s crossbow bolt struck the wound; ice and lightning spread rapidly, enlarging and freezing the tentacle’s blood.

Soft things could be hard to destroy—like water; cutting it just made it flow more. Hard things, like ice, shattered easily.

Frozen enemies were brittle and vulnerable.

Gray Bear rolled forward, crashing into the tentacle with a crisp crack.

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