Chapter 62: Another Server-wide Announcement

The next moment, a sudden chill swept across his throat, followed by a spreading warmth. Clutching his neck with both hands, he recognized the sensation instantly—so familiar, so unmistakable. Every time before, he had led his gang, laughing wildly amid the stench of blood, swaggering away with triumph. But this time, it was his own blood.

“Huh? That body looks familiar. Where’s the head?”

That was his final thought before he was swallowed by endless darkness.

[Ding~ You have hunted a bounty-carrying pirate, gained 40 experience points.]

Hearing the system notification, Tang Shen’s eyes lit up with delight—forty points! Not a bad haul at all. For such a worthless little underling to yield forty experience points—what a pleasant surprise.

He seized the pirate’s head, hoisting it up. Tang Shen thought he’d heard the fellow mumbling about being a “great pirate” worth two hundred thousand in bounty.

To Tang Shen, that so-called “great pirate” was laughable. Two hundred thousand, and he calls himself great? Clearly, the man was ignorant and lacking in experience. But the bounty was real, and it meant another windfall—delightful.

Offhandedly, Tang Shen cast a gathering skill on the headless corpse aboard the pirate ship. It had become a habit—after all, it cost him nothing to try.

[Ding~ Gathered 30,000 Berries.]

Tang Shen’s grin grew even brighter. Another unexpected bonus! Plucking feathers from a passing goose, as the saying goes—what is his, he claims, and what isn’t, he’ll find a way to make his. He leaves nothing behind.

He stowed the head in his backpack, then leapt into the sea, swimming swiftly for the shore. This trip had turned out to be more than worthwhile! He’d better hurry back—perhaps Kuina had left him a couple to finish off.

Like a torpedo, he shot across the water toward land.

When he reached the shore, he spotted Kuina crouched to the side, retching, while the ground was strewn with pirate corpses and the rocks by the sea were stained crimson.

They had killed with abandon—but the aftermath was no small matter; she was still retching.

After all, it was Kuina’s first time taking a life. She’d slain many beasts before, but this was different. The act left her feeling nauseated, and she promptly bent over to vomit.

“Kuina, didn’t I ask you to leave me two?” Tang Shen said irritably.

He immediately crouched down, rummaging among the bodies, iron sword in hand, delivering finishing blows. He was just ten experience points away from reaching level ten—one more underling would do.

Player: Monkey D. Roger
Age: 18
Starting Point: Shimotsuki Novice Village
Level: 9, 90%
Achievement Points: 1
Swordsmanship Talent: +20
Health: 300
Constitution: 30
Strength: 15
Agility: 11
Spirit: 15
Skills: Intermediate Iaido, Advanced Basic Swordsmanship, Scout, Gather
System Backpack: Novice Wooden Sword ×1, Adjustable Hand and Leg Weights

Tang Shen’s stats had changed dramatically with continuous training. Upon breaking through to thirty constitution, his health increased by another hundred points. Both strength and spirit had reached fifteen, with only agility still at eleven. But he was no longer a novice as he had been two months prior.

Hearing Tang Shen’s voice, Kuina weakly lifted her head, glancing over to see her teacher rummaging through corpses and finishing off the dying—rolling her eyes in exasperation.

He was being far too cautious!

Koshiro, who had been watching the whole time, couldn’t help but twitch at the sight of Tang Shen’s actions. At first, he’d worried the two wouldn’t dare to fight. After all, it was their first time killing—inevitably, there’d be hesitation or fear, resulting in less than their full strength.

Such cases were common. Many a talented swordsman, lacking killing experience, had met their end in pirate ambushes. Combat and duels were routine, but taking a life was another barrier altogether. Hesitation or a change of heart could mean the difference between life and death—regret comes too late.

He hadn’t expected Tang Shen to display not a hint of psychological burden. On the contrary, he had started out by cutting off five pirate heads in quick succession. The look in his eyes was no longer the sunny smile he usually wore, but the ferocity of a beast unleashed.

The change in demeanor was so stark, Koshiro could hardly believe this was the same cunning youth he knew.

Ruthless! Savage! Utterly merciless!

He had even reminded Kuina several times to strike to kill, to spare no mercy. And now, there Tang Shen was, methodically finishing off the fallen, stabbing each in the chest. The sight sent a chill down Koshiro’s spine.

When he’d taken a life for the first time, he’d been no better than Kuina—perhaps even worse. Compared to Tang Shen, he was far inferior.

“Is this boy a monster? Or is this not his first time killing?” Koshiro was dumbfounded.

Yet, at the same time, he approved of Tang Shen’s approach. These pirates were clearly scum. Since Gol D. Roger had ushered in the Age of Exploration, the world had grown ever more chaotic, pirates rampant, and death a daily occurrence.

If you’re not ruthless, you might be the one to die.

Still, the finishing blows seemed excessive—almost deranged. Killing is one thing, but to deny them even a few more minutes of life—Tang Shen wouldn’t give them even that.

As Tang Shen delivered his finishing strikes in all seriousness, the system chimed once more in his mind.

[Ding~ You have hunted an ordinary pirate, gained 10 experience points.]

He was overjoyed—he’d found just what he needed. He’d nearly given up and was about to head into the forest to hunt beasts instead.

[Ding~ Player has reached level 10, awarded four free attribute points.]

That level-up notification was the sweetest sound in the world—pure elation. His face beamed with satisfaction, which made Kuina and Koshiro, who were both watching, shudder inwardly. How could someone smile while stabbing corpses?

Tang Shen continued to finish off the remaining bodies, even finding one last survivor to dispatch, pocketing the reward with a clear conscience. When he was done, he cast his gathering skill on each corpse in turn.

The system’s feedback rang out in his mind:

[Ding~ Gathered 100 Berries.]
[Ding~ Gathered 3,000 Berries.]
[Ding~ Gathered 5 Berries.]
[Ding~ Gathered 10,000 Berries.] …

Sometimes he muttered about paupers, other times he wore a look of bliss—each time, a tidy sum was collected.

To Koshiro and Kuina, Tang Shen seemed almost deranged—now laughing, now sneering, his moods shifting in an instant.

No sooner had they thought this than Tang Shen darted back to the pirate ship. A couple of screams rang out, and soon he was tossing crates and barrels about. Moments later, he emerged, grinning from ear to ear, carrying a chest brimming with Berries.

Koshiro and Kuina’s faces darkened—so he’d gone back for loot. What a money-grubber.

Just then, Tang Shen heard another system notification—three in quick succession.

[System Announcement: Player Monkey D. Roger has reached level 10, awarded the First Title. Tonight at midnight, the system will update server-wide for a day. Special announcement made in recognition!]
[System Announcement: Player Monkey D. Roger has reached level 10, awarded the First Title. Tonight at midnight, the system will update server-wide for a day. Special announcement made in recognition!]
[System Announcement: Player Monkey D. Roger has reached level 10, awarded the First Title. Tonight at midnight, the system will update server-wide for a day. Special announcement made in recognition!]

In that instant, every player who heard the announcement looked up at the sky, mouths agape, utterly stunned. This would be a day they would never forget.

The gap between people could be vast indeed!

On this day, Tang Shen made it abundantly clear to all players through the global announcement.