"Ring of the Ram?!"
The name of the magic ring and the knowledge associated with it instantly surfaced in Raymond's mind. His eyes filled with extreme surprise and vigilance.
At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that he had not acted rashly.
Otherwise, if he had taken a hit head-on, the other side could have turned the tables immediately.
The Ring of the Ram was also known as the Ring of Impact, or the Castle Breaker's Ring.
Just as it had demonstrated moments ago, it could create a phantom ram's head and violently slam into any target within roughly eighteen meters, affecting any creatures or objects caught along its straight path as well.
Its power was enough to easily break down a locked door or a less sturdy wall.
In short, because it was simple and convenient to activate and left opponents almost no time to react, this thing could often have a staggering effect in battle.
Clearly, Harlett had most likely prepared this Ring of the Ram for naval combat.
When two ships drew close and prepared to board one another, he only needed to activate the spell stored in the ring to instantly knock a large number of people from the deck into the sea.
Or he could simply blast a hole through an enemy ship's hull and let the entire vessel slowly sink beneath the waves.
Likewise, the Ring of the Ram posed an enormous threat to any spellcaster.
Especially when casting professions such as wizards and Clerics began chanting spells and entered a state of concentration, a single impact could not only inflict massive damage but also interrupt their casting.
Raymond could be certain that, with his current frail little body, getting hit by the Ring of the Ram would most likely shatter all his bones and internal organs, killing him on the spot without even a chance at rescue.
Fortunately!
Under the frenzied assault of the undead, Harlett no longer had the luxury of holding back his trump cards.
In the blink of an eye, he exhausted the ring's charges, taking out a huge swarm of advancing Zombies.
His pirates also seized the chance while the undead were being knocked down in droves by the Ring of the Ram and rushed forward to hack them apart.
At this point, fewer than twenty Zombies remained on the beach.
More importantly, after using up the Ring of the Ram's charges, the pirate captain had not used a single other magic item.
Even as his subordinates were grievously wounded and killed one after another, several more wounds had appeared on his own body.
Had he reached the end of the road?
Watching the undead he had transformed get taken out one after another, while the pirates had dwindled to only six men, Raymond finally could no longer sit still.
If he did not make a move now, then once all the Zombies were dead, the enemy could simply jump aboard their small boat and flee.
"Come on, Reed. It's our turn."
Raymond patted the big cat's head beside him, left their hiding place, and walked straight toward the beach. Before long, he entered the enemy's field of vision.
"What the hell is that?!"
Covered in blood, Harlett cut down the last Zombie with one stroke. Narrowing his eyes, he stared fixedly at the two blurry figures in the distance.
Since he was human, he did not possess the ability to see in darkness like Hobgoblins and Half-Orcs.
"Captain! It's a thin, small humanoid creature and a feline!"
The Hobgoblin, with only one arm still able to move, endured the agonizing pain and described what he saw.
"A small humanoid creature and a feline? Could that be the master that suicide warrior kept mentioning?"
Harlett's expression immediately turned exceptionally grim.
He could already more or less guess that the enemy had appeared now because they had seen him exhaust nearly all his men and magic items fighting the undead creatures.
As for the description "thin and small," the pirate captain concluded that the enemy was a Gnome or a Halfling.
On Faerun, both races were roughly the height of human children.
And both were intelligent enough to become spellcasters.
Especially wizards and Sorcerers who wielded Arcane Magic.
Soon, as the distance between the two sides steadily closed, the pirates finally saw the newcomers clearly.
It was not some Gnome or Halfling as Harlett had assumed, but a human boy who looked to be under ten years old.
At the boy's side followed a powerfully built panther, its eyes gleaming with a horrifying ghostly light.
Such a bizarre combination stunned not only the surviving pirates present, but even their captain wore an expression of disbelief.
Harlett simply could not believe that a child who looked completely harmless could be a terrifying necromancer—and that he had been toyed with in the palm of the boy's hand.
From obtaining intelligence through an ambush on the scouting party that had initially been overlooked, to poisoning the soup after nightfall, then using his own subordinate to mislead and deceive them in the name of negotiations, successfully rescuing the prisoners aboard the merchant ship, making him personally pour an unknown liquid called an "antidote" into the poisoned men's mouths and turn them completely from living beings into undead, and finally activating a magical ritual through sacrifice and commanding the undead to attack...
This entire series of utterly deranged maneuvers looked like master-level methods that could only be learned after decades spent struggling through schemes and intrigue.
What was more, the entire process had connected seamlessly, each link locking into the next. Even as an enemy, Harlett could not help wanting to cheer aloud.
The treachery, coldness, and calculating nature that had been revealed unintentionally stood in enormous contrast to the person now before his eyes, making him wonder whether he was trapped in a terrible nightmare.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Are you satisfied with the grand welcome ceremony I so carefully prepared for you?" Raymond was the first to greet them in a deliberately provocative tone.
There was no need to ask; he was trying to anger them this way and make them completely lose what little reason they had left.
An enemy who lost his reason was always easier to deal with than one who remained calm.
This was also a valuable lesson he had learned while living in the Floating City Tower.
Unfortunately, Harlett had already suffered enough stimulation tonight, and the rage in his heart had cooled along with the pain radiating from his wounds.
He fell silent for several seconds before questioning in an exceedingly calm tone, "Why did you do this? Do we have some grievance between us?"
Raymond gently shook his head. "No, there is no grievance between us. I wanted to kill you because you and your men coming ashore threatened my personal safety. To remove that threat, I had no choice but to strike first. Besides, I happened to need a ship."
"You killed nearly all my men just because you thought we were a threat?!"
Harlett's voice abruptly rose several pitches, and he looked at Raymond as though he were a deranged lunatic.
After all, most people would not slaughter more than two hundred people with such brutal and extreme methods merely because they felt threatened, even if those people were pirates.
"Sorry! It's because I'm too weak.
"I had no way to contact or negotiate with you while ensuring my own safety.
"So I could only choose to strike first and wipe you all out.
"Besides, you are all pirates who have committed every kind of evil. Every one of your hands is stained with innocent blood. You deserve to die.
"Lastly, let me correct you. My goal was not merely to eliminate all your subordinates. It included you as well.
"Pulling up the roots is a good habit. It ensures no future trouble is left behind."
After saying this, Raymond slowly raised his arm and revealed the ruby ring on his finger.
After recovering for a full day and night, the Ring of Chained Fireballs could now be activated once again and unleash devastating fire magic from the Evocation School.
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