12 Training

On the deck of The Crusader, men and women panting could be heard.

They were training.

[Stab]

[You have successfully inflicted 23*2 points of damage]

One against ten. It was a frightening scene of one teenager taking down his tenth opponent down with ease, swiftly dodging the wild sword swings of his opponent, and suddenly rushing in like snake, finally stabbing his opponent in the throat, taking him out as if it were nothing.

« Come on! Who's next? », the youth asked. Blond hair, deep green eyes radiating with wickedness and maturity that didn't really match with his small and still maturing body, those were the features of William Steel, also known as the Red Ghost Marksman by the marines after his carnage in Kaya Island.

« Sir...I am sorry, Sir! I am just a seaman! », a fresh recruit muttered like a boy getting scolded, trying to excuse himself.

Looking at this scene, Lara and Jackson smiled: « He truly is good at that, don't you think? », Jackson said in a low voice

« Yeah, to think he would get so much better in such a short timespan... »

« If only...he wasn't so ruthless with our crew... », Harry joined the conversation and groaned in annoyance. He was part of those who sparred with Will, only to get hurt in the process.

The thugs who joined the crew were now disciplined, even if it was not Will's intended purpose in training with them. He was grinding his intimidation and martial skills through them. Though sparring didn't even come close to killing in terms of EXP, he still received some rewards.

[Common Quest - Ten spars, ten subordinates, Complete!]

[You have received 100 EXP!]

Looking around, no one seemed willing to spar with him anymore.

« Tch...I guess the rest of the day will be about me playing with my rifle huh? », he said out loud, while walking away from the deck, returning to his cabin.

One of his rewards for his recent feats was the ownership of his own cabin. Granted, it was small, but he had a small study table, a bed and even a small library to keep his book. Though he had an inventory, it didn't work with anything besides Berries, the rest of the functions being locked until he reached level 30.

« Wait! », a youth asked

She was Yara...a woman who lost her reputation after being seen with him. She was angry...not just at him, but at herself as well. She hated the glares she received from the other seamen, or the lustful insults she received on a daily basis. She hated all of it, but more than anything, she hated not having power.

She didn't want to remain a mere pirate subordinate. She wanted a rank, some responsibilities at least. Even cooking would have been fine, but Jackson had filled the spot already. There were other roles, but Lara was too busied to sell the remaining looted and recruiting seamen and Jackson didn't even bother to look at her, much less acknowledge her.

« Spar with me! », she shouted.

It was a golden opportunity! Harry, Jackson and Lara were watching the fight. If she didn't take this opportunity to gain some reputation, she would be damned.

It's not like she was a weakling. She was one of the few who held their ground against fishmen after all. Her rashness earned her a scar on the cheek, but she didn't care much about that.

William looked at her, and smiled.

´Why is he smiling?'

« You got stronger, Yara...Good. Come ! »

Yara was a bit surprised: 'how did he know that? I myself found myself a bit stronger from the weight training he taught and the fights with the fishmen...but did he keep an eye on me this whole time?'

Yara was a power hungry woman, ready to do anything to complete her dreams of becoming famous, but she was still a woman. And a few words sufficed William to earn affection with her.

Notifications about increased reputation with Yara entered his sight, distracting him, which she took advantage of, wielding her two knives at him.

She was like a poor imitation of Jackson, but Jackson was a master so that was a pretty good achievement in itself.

Unfortunately for her, she was becoming stronger but William's progress was even faster. Though it was his skills with his rifles that improved the most, blood supplements and weight lifting as well as sparring on a daily basis made him stronger fast.

And although the incremental gains were getting smaller as he grew stronger, the fact that he had yet to reach a plateau and continued to grow this fast without risking his life was a true boon.

Disarming the brune girl with ease, and kicking her knee, Will stopped his blade after making contact with her throat.

After a few seconds, she realized the gap between them.

She felt ... talentless, but his words comforted her a lot: « Continue to imitate Jackson, but be aware that unlike him, you wield daggers so your reach is much smaller, use your speed to your advantage and don't daze off in a fight! »

Before she could say anything in return, Lara approached him and asked: « Come, will. We have to discuss our next destination. Jackson has been suggesting Coria Island, but it is quite far and often patrolled by marines...You have read quite a few books and even bought maps. Can you think of something else? »

Grinning, he only said one sentence: « Garlic Town Marine Outpost »

avataravatar
Next chapter