Chapter 36: Bountiful Harvest

The "Popeye the Sailor" is a cargo ship, and its crew is relatively small. Including Ethan and a few others, the total number of people on board doesn't even reach thirty. Leaving behind the essential crew members needed to operate the ship, the rest, including Lily and Angelina, descended the rope ladder to help.

This was necessary because if they didn't deal with the corpses and the filth immediately, it would dry up and become impossible to clean later, making the ship uninhabitable.

Lily, with a cloth over her mouth to mask the stench, gagged as she used a fishing spear to lift a pile of intestines and toss them into the sea. Unfortunately, she pierced the intestines in the middle, causing yellow, viscous liquid to ooze out and drip everywhere.

Ethan shook his head at the sight. "Lily, stop doing that. You and Angelina should focus on carrying the bodies. Just throw as many overboard as you can."

With that, Ethan put on his leather gloves and began picking up bits of flesh and intestines, throwing them into the sea himself. At this moment, he regretted not holding back earlier. A small cut would have sufficed to kill them; there was no need to slice them in half. But considering he didn't know what he was up against, going all out seemed like the best option.

"It's not my fault they're so weak," Ethan muttered, kicking a severed head into the sea. "They shouldn't try to rob people if they're this incompetent."

The nearby sailors, overhearing Ethan's complaints about the pirates' weakness, shivered. Knowing how formidable he was, they worked tirelessly, even those who initially intended to slack off.

There was one exception: the guardian knight, Storio, who dragged a corpse with one hand and held a bottle of alcohol with the other. He casually tossed the body overboard, leaving a trail of blood behind. Ethan, ready to explode in anger, saw Storio's pitiful state and let it slide. After all, Storio was helping, even if it was counterproductive.

Ethan decided it was best for everyone if Storio returned to the ship to drink. Storio didn't argue, leaning against a barrel and continuing to drink. As Ethan turned to enter the ship, Storio suddenly asked, "You have Master-level skills?"

Ethan stopped, puzzled. Could he actually have Master-level skills? Remembering his "Lever" skill which amplified his strength, he realized that during the fight, his power was temporarily boosted to Master-level. Normally, he was at the Gold level, though he wasn't sure exactly what rank.

"What about Master level?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing," Storio replied, taking another swig. "I think you'll have no problems in the territory. Just be wary of Nolan."

"Who's Nolan?" Ethan inquired.

"You'll find out when you reach the territory," Storio said, retreating into his drink.

Ethan's lips twitched in annoyance. Half-told stories were always frustrating. But seeing Storio's state, he figured pressing further was useless. Ethan continued into the ship to finish clearing the bodies.

Thanks to everyone's hard work, the pirate ship was cleaned up before dark. Despite the efforts, a faint smell of blood still lingered. Saberi ordered the ropes secured, and the "Popeye the Sailor" began towing the pirate ship. To avoid any potential collisions, someone had to stay on the pirate ship to steer. None of the crew wanted to remain on the dark, eerie vessel where nearly a hundred souls had just perished.

In the end, Ethan had Saberi choose someone reliable. After making the choice, Ethan glared at the person and made a throat-cutting gesture to ensure compliance. Ideally, Ethan wanted people to volunteer for tasks, but he knew that dirty and hard jobs often had no volunteers. When everyone avoids sacrifice, it falls to the most compliant.

Solving all the issues, Ethan stood alone on the poop deck, watching the pirate ship being towed. For the first time in a while, he smiled contentedly. Angelina approached with a longbow and a quiver of arrows.

"Ethan, I brought the bow. But I don't understand, what do you need it for?"

"Thanks," Ethan said, taking the bow. "I haven't practiced archery in a while. Considering our territory is all forest, it might come in handy. Could you keep watch for me? I need to rest my eyes."

"Sure," Angelina agreed.

"Thanks."

Ethan found a comfortable spot, holding the bow as he closed his eyes to review the day's gains.

"4,500 strength! I struck gold."

"How many did I kill today? 100 people?"

"Probably not, maybe around 90. With an 80% yield from the Lever skill, these guys averaged only about 70 strength each?"

"How could such weaklings become pirates?"

"No matter, time to distribute the points."

Calculating the cost, he realized he needed 15 skill points to activate three skills in his second talent. Each skill point required 50 strength, totaling 750 strength.

"That's manageable. Even with points left over for a third talent. But no rush, I'll save it for later."

Ethan exchanged 15 skill points, placing them all in archery.

[Archery Mastery]: Passive Skill LV5

Your control over accuracy, force, and distance in archery improves by one level per skill level.

[Precision Shot]: Passive Skill LV5

You've mastered archery to the point where you can imbue arrows with Force for long-range shots, up to a maximum distance.

[Falconry]: Trigger Skill LV5

Eagles are the best friends of archers. When an eagle is nearby, you can summon a Force eagle and endow it with Force, making it extraordinary. It will follow your commands to scout, attack, and deliver messages. You can see through its eyes and use it to aid your precision shots. Each level grants it one skill, up to a maximum of five skills.

With his skills updated, Ethan felt ready for whatever lay ahead.