chapter 59
59 – 3rd Floor, Formation of the Navy.
The main base of the White Skull Pirates was located on Island 8.
In terms of coordinates, it was 8-152.
Finding the same coordinates required a stroke of luck.
It was practically impossible.
Therefore, it was extremely rare for the main base to be attacked.
Except for the time when the pirate group was just formed, they had never experienced anything like a war.
They only oppressed those weaker than themselves.
When a strong person appeared, they immediately groveled.
They would personally take them on board and send them up to the 4th floor.
The strong ones didn’t particularly antagonize them either.
Sometimes, those driven by a sense of justice would attack, but they were dealt with at the cost of a few sacrifices.
‘Thinking they would be the strongest even in the Tower of Struggle is honestly arrogance.’
What if they had met on the 1st floor, knowing nothing?
If they had encountered a Sword Master without even properly acquiring skills, they would have hesitated and had their throats slit.
But it was different on the 3rd floor.
Players who had experienced the Tower of Struggle had at least a minimum plan to deal with the strong.
Skills.
The skills of the Soul System were not for the strong.
They were for the weak.
Numerous action control skills were difficult to avoid even for the strong.
Of course, the higher the agility, the higher the chance of skills missing.
Considering that they couldn’t even resist outside the tower, the inside of the tower at least had some possibility.
0% and 1% were distinctly different.
“Annihilated again this time?”
“Seeing that they haven’t returned yet, it seems so.”
They had deployed troops to retaliate for what happened on Island 2.
Given the considerable number, they naturally thought they would win.
‘Did a Sword Master appear again?’
Executive Tyler couldn’t accept that such a strong person had appeared again.
“A few days ago, we sent one up. The Dragon Slayer. But again? Does that make sense?”
Well, it makes sense because the order of summoning to the Tower of Struggle is related to death.
‘Is it possible for two Sword Masters to die almost simultaneously?’
No.
It can’t be.
The 3rd Holy War, the 2nd Dragon Demon War…
Even if the famous wars recorded in Midgard’s history were to happen again, it would be impossible.
‘If it’s a martial artist, they die all the time. Even if a strong one appears, it’s not that strange.’
But there’s no need to worry about martial artists.
They tend to have blind faith in their martial arts, so their understanding of skills is significantly lacking.
Peak?
Super Peak?
I admit they are transcendent strongmen, but they are easier to deal with than Sword Masters.
So I thought I could kill them easily.
To think it would backfire like this.
“…Stupid b*stards.”
Tyler growled.
At his roar, the subordinate who came to report flinched and trembled.
“W-What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do!”
If it happens once, it can be considered a coincidence.
But it’s hard to think of it as a coincidence twice.
‘Even if we send troops, it’s obvious they’ll be defeated.’
The commander must be thinking similarly.
As a mere officer, the only choice he had was to wait for orders.
At that moment, there was a commotion outside.
“Captain! Captain!”
A subordinate came tumbling in.
Tyler’s expression didn’t soften.
The continuous unfolding of events made him uncomfortable.
“I-it’s the enemy!”
“Enemy?”
Did that word really come out of his mouth?
‘This is the White Skull Pirate Division, isn’t it?’
It’s not the headquarters, but it’s the island where the 6th squad captain and a pirate executive reside.
‘Did someone get the coordinates?’
If not, then?
Sometimes, that happens.
An ally captured alive spills all the coordinates.
Betrayal, so to speak.
Revealing the coordinates itself isn’t a big problem.
But if a player who has visited the island is on board, then it becomes a problem.
Because they can see the way to the island.
“…No way. These b*stards.”
Tyler was quick-witted.
Thanks to his long stay on the 3rd floor, he had experienced various situations.
“Get out there immediately!”
He shouted at his subordinates who were in a daze.
“Prepare to welcome those b*stards.”
He had no intention of going down quietly.
Tyler was a man who had lived a rough life.
‘I’ve got airborne skills…’
It’s worth a try.
There was a chance of winning.
* * *
“Is this the headquarters of the White Skull Pirates?”
Abella asked the captured pirate.
He was startled and nodded.
“N-no, it’s not the headquarters. But it’s the island where an executive resides.”
The White Skull Pirates had grown so large that it was impossible for them to gather on one island.
Naturally, each one creates their own kingdom.
“Are those pirates over there?”
To Abella, it wasn’t particularly important.
Whether the opponent was a pirate.
Whether they had committed heinous acts.
Knowing just that was enough.
“She seems like a nice grandmother.”
Yuki liked Abella for that.
“Arresting people wasn’t really my role. I’m not a philanthropist who believes all humans should be saved.”
“Trash that needs to die should die? I knew it, but you’re a ruthless woman.”
“Didn’t you have similar thoughts?”
We’ve been living on the island for almost a month.
We couldn’t help but get a rough idea of each other’s values.
“…I was just an ordinary college student.”
Unlike Yuki, who had been deployed to subdue monsters as a member of public security since childhood, I had never pondered over killing.
All I did was hastily rationalize to protect my sanity.
‘Unless you’re a psychopath, no one enjoys killing.’
The reason to kill.
The reason why not killing isn’t an option.
For my survival.
That’s the top priority, but sometimes my hands move on their own.
When I’m ignored, my hands become cruel.
I couldn’t stand the looks I faced after the car accident.
Sometimes I wondered if I had a disorder like anger management issues.
Such thoughts crossed my mind.
“Let’s go kill the pirates.”
“……”
But my worries weren’t even worries.
In front of a real psychopath, thoughts like ‘Is it okay to live like this?’…
Didn’t matter at all.
When I was next to Abella, I could be the kindest child in the world.
“For the Kingdom of Bellada!”
Abella jumped off the ship.
She rode the ice spirit’s raft towards the land.
Arrows flew and cannonballs fell into the sea, but she didn’t care.
Whether the pirates died or she died, it was a rowing filled with determination to achieve one of the two.
“…Isn’t she really going to die like that?”
“Well, then it would be an honorable death.”
Hikari said nonchalantly.
Living together, I realized that the real psychopath was Hikari.
Swoosh-.
“aaah!”
“Bl-block it!”
Sword energy burst from Abella’s sword.
Every time she swung her sword, pirates fell one by one.
“How can we block that! It’s sword energy!”
You can’t block sword energy with a sword.
Unless you were a mana expert, you couldn’t stand in front of Abella.
Mana experts were not common even in Midgard.
There was no way there would be one among the White Bone Pirates.
I hurriedly landed on the island too.
I couldn’t leave everything to Abella.
“Who the hell is this guy!”
“Be careful. He might have something too.”
The pirates didn’t come close.
Being a companion of a mana expert was like having that aura on your back.
I felt my shoulders straighten a bit.
“If you don’t come, I’ll go.”
Anyone staying on the pirates’ island was surely a bad guy.
Without hesitation, I breathed out a blast.
The pirates were swept away in large numbers.
Countless players lost their lives, but I didn’t feel any guilt.
It was thanks to the rationalization training.
‘It’s rising steadily.’
My eyes were only on the ability increase message displayed by the Soul System.
‘This is the sound of survival rates increasing.’
I knew it was a thought I shouldn’t have as a human, but it wasn’t easy to control my brain.
I was becoming increasingly numb to killing.
At that moment, Abella shouted.
“Ryuin, do you know what you need to do as a navy man?”
“…What is it?”
“Protect people. In the Tower of Struggle, weak players are exploited because of these pirates.”
“……”
“Move quickly. There must be people captured in a place like this.”
Abella took the lead.
Following Hikari’s guidance, we arrived at a prison.
“Tsk tsk. The scum’s actions are the same here as in Midgard.”
They enslave people.
The slaves included s*x slaves.
It was a sight that made me frown.
“Is it because there’s no administrator?”
A lawless zone without even the minimum rules.
Maybe that’s why.
There was a sense of things getting more out of hand.
“Alright. Let’s kill them all.”
Abella swept through the island.
Blood splattered wherever she went.
The pirates scattered and fled, but they couldn’t escape Abella’s sword.
I also swung my golden dagger in pursuit.
Praying earnestly to the Soul System to grant me a skill.
But it didn’t yield much.
Only got my hands covered in blood.
“Gr-Grandmaster! Pl-Please spare me!”
There were martial artists on the pirate island too.
It wasn’t just intermediaries.
“Grandmaster, my foot.”
Do you think begging will save you?
“Wait a moment!”
It’s the same even if you’re an Earthling.
‘I didn’t expect there to be Earthlings among the pirates.’
In a way, it’s the surest path to survival.
They just happened to face a disaster after holding out well.
“Earthling…!”
“Why are you calling me?”
Whether they joined voluntarily or were forced, they are still part of the pirate crew.
“Damn it! You b*stard! Even though you’re an Earthling too…!”
“Not all Earthlings are the same.”
Misunderstood because of bad Earthlings.
Considering what I’ve been through, I can’t treat all Earthlings the same.
Swept away an entire island.
Is it really possible for a single Mana Expert to do that?
‘Though I did help…’
Abella managed to pull it off.
“Alright. Let’s move on to the next island.”
“Are we continuing?”
“Now that I know these vermin exist, it’s impossible to live and breathe on the same sea.”
Abella’s voice was very firm.
It felt like something terrible would happen if I didn’t follow.
I glanced at Yuki.
Since she hadn’t done anything from the start, Yuki’s condition wasn’t too bad.
Hikari?
She hated work.
She couldn’t help but be dissatisfied with the current situation, being dragged around by Abella’s coercion.
Her lips pouted out.
“Hikari. That girl listens well to Yuki, so there’s no need to persuade her. Ryuin? Put your lips back in.”
“Ahem. Ahem.”
“I thought it might be a bit too much to drag you around so recklessly, so I prepared a gift.”
“A gift?”
Could it be some equipment stashed away by the pirate crew?
Abella threw a crystal at me.
I know what this crystal is.
‘It’s from the first-floor skill random box.’
Where did she get this from?
I looked at her with surprised eyes, and Abella spoke nonchalantly.
“Even a mid-level expert can do this. When the soul system detects soul remnants, it’s a simple trick to snatch them.”
“……”
“If you want to acquire it, do so, and continue to fulfill your duties as a navy officer.”
The level of skill will determine the enthusiasm for justice enforcement.
[Soul system has detected a part of Tyler’s soul.]
[You can acquire ‘Ground Slam (D)’.]
I checked the crystal information.
[Ground Slam][D]
Strikes the ground with great force, dealing 『303』 spell damage to enemies in front and lifting them into the air for 1 second.
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Mana cost: 80
Overwhelming performance!
[Do you want to delete Mining (B) and acquire Ground Slam (D)?]
I worked hard to grow.
From F rank to B rank.
F rank increased by 1% per level, but B rank increased by 6%.
The more it grew, the more efficient it became.
However, no matter how high the mining skill level was, it couldn’t be as useful as the crowd control skill.
Immediate acquisition.
Deleted mining and registered Ground Slam.
‘…Other races must be receiving such privileges only for their own dimension’s skills.’
Martial artists’ martial arts have levels.
They have a dantian, so their skill levels rise with training.
Like the mining skill.
In addition, their stats increase.
The gap with Earthlings widens even more.
‘Is that why they advised investing in luck?’
The only variable.
A stat that can’t be touched fairly.
Luck.
But I was late.
Unless I get more bonus points.
“Have you acquired it?”
Abella looked at me and asked.
I nodded and replied.
“Captain Abella. Let’s go kill all these trashy b*stards.”
“Mm. I like it.”