There was something else on the ship! Yang Yi realized too late. A fishing rod stabbed into his left shoulder, piercing deep into the flesh. He staggered forward, spinning to clutch the wound with his right hand.
Before him stood a skeleton, half its skull missing, a sickly green spectral flame flickering within. It was the captain's skeleton—animated, wielding a fishing rod now stained with Yang Yi's blood. Its jaw clattered open and shut, as if mocking him.
"Damn you, you sneaky bastard!" Yang Yi snarled, rage clouding his vision.
[Ambushed by the deceased. Sanity decreases by 10.]
[Sanity below 50. Entering delirium state. Immune to most mental debuffs. +2 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Constitution, -2 Spirit. Pain ignored. Tirelessness. Fearlessness until sanity recovers.]
Mental debuffs: charm, mental control, fear, despair, etc.
PS: When Stamina reaches 0, HP is consumed instead. Delirium's attribute cap is 10—cannot exceed mortal limits.
Yang Yi raised his pistol and fired. Click. The gun misfired. The skeleton charged, wielding the rod like a spear. Though Yang Yi felt no pain, his wounded foot hindered his movement. Circling the skeleton while injured was too risky—one slip, and the two-meter rod would pierce him.
After a split-second decision, Yang Yi abandoned retreat and charged forward. He hurled his spear, striking the skeleton dead center. The weapon lodged in its ribs, stunning it briefly. Seizing the opportunity, Yang Yi closed the gap, engaging in close combat.
He still had a weapon—a bludgeon. Gripping the flintlock by its barrel, he transformed it into a short mace, ideal for smashing bones. He swung at the skeleton's skull crack, aiming for the spectral flame within. But the skeleton reacted swiftly, raising its hands to block. It seemed terrified of the gun, even dropping the fishing rod to grab for it.
Yang Yi refused to let go. They wrestled for the pistol. The skeleton's strength was slightly lower than Yang Yi's delirious state—likely 4 vs. 5—but the grapple made effective strikes impossible. One accidental discharge could kill me.
He needed a plan. It wants the gun? Fine. Yang Yi feigned a struggle, then intentionally pulled the trigger at a safe angle. Click. Another misfire. He released the pistol abruptly. The skeleton's focus locked onto the weapon, allowing Yang Yi to break free and bolt for the cabin.
By the time the skeleton entered, Yang Yi was already in the shadows, clutching a pile of unknown flesh and stuffing it into his mouth. The skeleton pulled the trigger again—still no fire. The pistol was still cooling from the earlier shot. A useless gun is just a hammer.
Yang Yi lunged, lips coated in black slime, eyes bloodshot.
[You consumed Human-Headed Octopus meat. +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, -1 Spirit, -20 Sanity (duration: 1 minute).]
His Strength surged from 5 to 7 (+2 from delirium). And he noticed—Strength wasn't linear. Every point above an opponent's meant exponential dominance.
The skeleton hadn't reacted, still fumbling with the pistol. In an instant, Yang Yi tackled it to the deck, wrenching off both arm bones and hurling them aside. He pressed the attack, shoving his hand through the skull's crack to grab the spectral flame. The skeleton shuddered, now pleading with clattering jaws—but it was too late.
The flame felt warm, not hot. The skeleton collapsed into a pile of inert bones, the flame extinguished. But is it truly dead? Remembering the drowned corpse's trick, Yang Yi stayed cautious. He grabbed the skull, retrieved his pistol, and placed the skull on the ship's railing.
Sure enough, two minutes later, the green flame reignited. Yang Yi didn't hesitate.
BOOM!
The skull exploded into fragments.
[Strange gunshot. Sanity decreases by 1.]
"Seems defeating or subduing monsters reveals their info," Yang Yi concluded. But "Monster Gachapon"? What was that? He'd never seen such a thing on the ship.
To be safe, he stored the remains in the cabin and took the skeleton's arm and leg bones. Headless skeletons might still exist—he'd seen them in games. Better to deprive it of parts.
After bandaging his wounds with cloth, he returned to the captain's quarters to check his status:
Yang Yi
Status: Injured [Yellow highlights on left shoulder, left foot, and right foot on the humanoid diagram.]
Sanity: 24/100
Stamina: 21/100
HP: 82/100
No wonder I'm exhausted... He opened the World Chat and typed:
"Lock your doors when sleeping at night!"
Replies came quickly:
"Boss, what did you encounter? A siren?"
"Holy shit, did you kill it?!"
"Hard to fight? Does it drop gear?"
Yang Yi snapped back:
"No. Just pure torture."
Ignoring further messages, he closed the chat, lay down, and slid a leg bone under his pillow as a makeshift weapon, keeping the pistol within arm's reach. Tonight was too dangerous.
Tomorrow, he'd set up noise traps for early warning. Many dangers could be avoided with advance notice.
He tried to sleep, but dawn came before he managed a wink.