Chapter 7: Intermediate Skills

She was young, but she understood reason. The explanations from Tang Shen were invaluable to any swordsman. At her most confused moment, fate had sent her such a person; from the bottom of her heart, she respected Tang Shen, whether he was just an ordinary man or a powerful swordsman.

Moreover, didn’t Tang Shen himself say that his goal was to become the world’s strongest? At present, he was just an ordinary person, yet he dared to dream so far beyond reach. In comparison, aiming to become the world's greatest swordswoman didn’t seem so extraordinary after all. They were the same kind of people.

“Very well!” Tang Shen did not hesitate any longer. He knew that by saying those words, he might lose a great deal, but he said them all the same. That was who he was. He gently patted Kuina’s head and said solemnly, “From this day forth, Kuina, you are my apprentice—under me, Monkey D. Roger.”

As soon as his words fell, a system prompt rang out in his mind.

[Ding~ Congratulations, player Monkey D. Roger, you have accepted a disciple with SSS-level swordsmanship talent. Swordsmanship talent +20.]

A small light screen appeared simultaneously, displaying a miniature silhouette of Kuina, with her profile beneath.

NPC: Kuina
Relation: Apprentice of player Monkey D. Roger
Age: 11
Talent: SSS-level
Health: 100
Dao Power: 25
Affection: 80
Respect: 50
Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, One-Heart Swordsmanship, Draw-and-Slash

Seeing Kuina’s stats, Tang Shen clicked his tongue. He knew what Dao Power represented—a measure of personal combat strength in the Pirate World. While it couldn’t fully determine one’s true power, it served as an apt reference, especially for those without special abilities.

A regular marine soldier had a Dao Power of 10. In other words, Kuina, at just eleven years old, already possessed 2.5 times the strength of an average marine—far surpassing the norm.

Tang Shen did not consider regular marine soldiers weak. As he grew more familiar with this world, he instinctively treated it as real. A regular marine soldier represented an adult in this world, trained and disciplined, possessing the minimum combat capabilities of a marine, able to battle fierce pirates.

He still hadn’t fully grasped the physicality of people in the Pirate World, but it certainly couldn’t be weaker than that of real-life special forces who had undergone long-term training.

[You may directly extract one of Kuina’s three skills without training, raising it to the basic proficiency level.]

Another system prompt flashed, making Tang Shen’s eyes light up. This was the greatest reward of all; extracting a skill like this could save a huge amount of effort, putting him ahead of other players.

But which should he choose? Basic Swordsmanship, One-Heart Swordsmanship, or the deadly Draw-and-Slash? Tang Shen hesitated.

From this prompt, Tang Shen gained more than just information. The phrase “without training, directly acquire” suggested that in this fully immersive game, aside from obtaining skill books, one had to train in person to gain abilities. That made skill books highly precious indeed.

Tang Shen decided to check the official website after logging off to see if there was any useful information.

He didn’t make a choice immediately. Instead, he glanced at Kuina’s stats page and, in his mind, called up his own status. The blue screen shifted, revealing his own identity information.

He hadn’t had time to check his status since entering the game.

Player: Monkey D. Roger
Age: 18
Starting Point: Frostmoon Novice Village
Level: 0 (0%)
Swordsmanship Talent: +20
Health: 100
Constitution: 10
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Spirit: 1
Skills: None
System Inventory: Gift Pack x1, Novice Wooden Sword x1
...

Looking at his own stats, Tang Shen found himself pathetically weak. Other than constitution, his strength, agility, and spirit were all at 1. He guessed this was the default setting—everyone started the same.

But seeing the Swordsmanship Talent +20, he couldn’t help but feel delighted. He hadn’t even started playing and already had a bonus. It sounded glorious.

He noticed a gift pack in his system inventory, but didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just a standard newbie pack from the system. He focused his intent and opened the backpack.

Silently, he thought, “Open the gift pack!”

[You have received an Intermediate Skill Book: Draw-and-Slash.]
[You have received a set of adjustable weighted wristbands and a set of adjustable weighted ankle bands.]
[You have received a refined steel sword.]
[You have learned the auxiliary skill: Scouting.]

The four prompts left Tang Shen dumbfounded.

This gift pack is amazing! Four rewards at once.

But people are never satisfied. Tang Shen thought to himself, “If only I could get dozens more.”

Of course, that was just wishful thinking. He directly clicked on the Intermediate Skill Book, and a window popped up: “Learn this skill?”

Without hesitation, he clicked “yes.”

However, he didn’t instantly learn the skill as he imagined. Instead, the system sent him a caring message.

[Ding~ To learn Intermediate Draw-and-Slash, you must first master Basic Draw-and-Slash. Player Monkey D. Roger does not yet meet the requirements. Please don’t try to run before you can walk, lest you pull a muscle.]

Tang Shen: “...”

A prompt is just a prompt; what was with that last sentence?

What’s more, it made perfect sense, and he was left speechless.

He had to admit, the system’s final line left him completely dumbfounded.

But this was no obstacle for him. He had just acquired an apprentice with SSS-level talent and the option to select a skill, among which was Draw-and-Slash.

If he was hesitant before, now he had no doubts at all.

He was increasingly convinced that the Pirate World was not as simple as it seemed. For a game that could synchronize abilities to reality, growing stronger would not be easy. Everything convinced Tang Shen he needed to become powerful as quickly as possible—to at least have the ability to defend himself, even if it was just a single lethal strike.

He immediately chose Kuina’s Draw-and-Slash skill to learn.

Then, he directly used the Intermediate Skill Book.

[Player has learned Draw-and-Slash, now at Basic proficiency.]
[Player has used the Intermediate Skill Book; Basic Draw-and-Slash has been upgraded to Intermediate Draw-and-Slash.]

Two prompts sounded in quick succession, and a flood of knowledge and insight about the Draw-and-Slash skill appeared in his mind, making his head throb. From gripping the sword, drawing, slashing, to sheathing, it was as if Tang Shen had undergone hundreds of thousands of training sessions; everything was deeply imprinted in his mind, including the most effective ways to exert strength, stances, and more.

“Amazing! Absolutely amazing!” Tang Shen’s eyes shone.

Though his head still ached, excitement over mastering Draw-and-Slash more than made up for it. This was nothing like acquiring a skill in a video game—it felt as if he had achieved it through real, rigorous training.

Tang Shen had no doubt that even in reality, outside the game, he could still perform the technique, because all that knowledge was now engraved in his mind.

As for the extent of its power, he would have to try it to find out.