Nighttime, the dining hall.
Rhode was in a corner, eating and drinking voraciously, his hands never stopping. The mountain of food before him disappeared at a visible rate.
His appetite far exceeded that of an ordinary person.
Normal people's physiques improved gradually, bit by bit. No matter how exhausting their daily training, the energy they needed to replenish was limited, and the amount of food they consumed wasn't excessive.
But Rhode was different.
His daily physical improvements were almost visible, progressing in leaps and bounds.
This was equivalent to compressing the gains from others' long periods of arduous training into a single day.
As a result, the energy and nutrients his body required daily naturally far surpassed the norm.
As Rhode gnawed on a golden, glistening lamb leg, Rez's voice suddenly came from beside him."Finally found you."
"Rez? What's up?"
Rhode slightly raised his eyes, mumbling indistinctly.
Seeing his state, Rez said irritably, "There's a combat mission tomorrow. Come early."
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Their relationship had never been good to begin with. That he came to deliver the message was probably at Captain Nia's request.
"Combat mission?"
Rhode's eyes briefly lit up, but were soon drawn back by the aroma of food as he resumed eating with gusto.
...
The next day.
The area below headquarters castle was packed with people.
Since the Revolutionary Army didn't have standardized uniforms, their outfits were wildly varied, giving Rhode a whole new perspective on the fashion eccentricities of the pirate world.
Fortunately, amidst this chaotic scene, there was one saving grace - Koala standing at the front of the crowd, single-handedly raising the group's average attractiveness by a full level.
After Rhode joined the formation, it improved by another notch.
Thus, this future Revolutionary Army squad became at least somewhat presentable.
"Wow, what a big shot, arriving last."
Rhode turned to see a tall woman dressed in what could barely be called "light summer wear" glaring at him with displeasure.
"Am I late?"
Rhode was nearly blinded by the expanse of pale skin, but kept his tone neutral.
"You!" Nia clenched her fists, seriously wanting to knock some sense into Rhode.
Everyone else had gathered here early, only Rhode arrived exactly on time, making her look bad as captain.
Hah!
Nia took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation and deciding to spare Rhode's life for now.
She began explaining the combat mission:
"This mission is really just to let you newcomers like Rez get some real experience."
"Real experience? Are we going to kill pirates?"
Rez couldn't help licking his dry lips, eyes shining.
The Revolutionary Army opposed the World Nobles, and while essentially opposed to conventional pirates too, they would punish evildoers when possible.
Interestingly, in seas where corrupt Marines ran rampant and officials colluded with pirates, the Revolutionary Army became the righteous party protecting ordinary civilians.
"Hah..."
Nia sneered, "You're still too green to fight pirates. Besides, this is the New World - all of you combined might not even take down one pirate."
"We're heading to an archipelago near White Soil Island, full of wild beasts."
Nia opened her mouth wide in an exaggerated fierce expression: "These beasts come in all sizes, the biggest standing seven or eight meters tall - could swallow you all in one bite!"
Noticing the grave expressions on Rez and others from the corner of her eye, she felt somewhat pleased.
She'd been scared the same way back then...
Then Nia glanced at Rhode, only to find the boy completely calm, as if utterly unfazed.
"Ignorance breeds fearlessness."
Nia snorted inwardly, eager to see if Rhode could maintain that infuriating calm when being chased by wild beasts.
Of course Rhode wasn't afraid - he was actually somewhat excited.
After a month of training, his power had skyrocketed.
The current him could easily defeat his month-ago self with one hand.However, true combat strength cannot be determined through mere speculation—it must be tested in actual battle.
Moreover.
He had noticed long ago that the energy gained during combat was far greater than that from normal training.
...
At this moment.
The fish-man Hatchan finally arrived, albeit late. Standing before the group, he said:
"You should all be clear about the details of this mission. Alright, let's set off now."
"Yes!"
The reserve members took out the long coats they had prepared earlier and draped them over themselves one by one.
The style of these coats was similar to Dragon's in the original, though they were gray in color.
The neat gray coats lent a solemn atmosphere to the team.
The restless hearts of the newcomers gradually calmed, as if sensing the hardships endured by the revolutionary army's predecessors as they silently developed their strength in this desolate land.
The team moved quickly, as each member's physical prowess far exceeded that of ordinary people, making it easy for them to run a marathon without breaking a sweat.
However, the environment of Baltigo was extremely harsh. Frequent sandstorms forced them to detour, and it took a full seven days to reach the coast.
A large sailing ship had been waiting there for some time.
Everyone boarded the merchant ship in an orderly manner, falling into a temporary silence.
It was clear that Rez and the others had undergone subtle changes in demeanor after the seven-day march, no longer as restless as before.
Hatchan nodded slightly and turned to give the order to set sail.
Koala, on the other hand, seemed relaxed. She headed into the cabin to catch up on some beauty sleep.
The reserve members also found places to rest. The seven-day march was just a warm-up—no one had forgotten the real battle that lay ahead.
The sailing ships in this world were marvels of black technology, with astonishing performance. Rhode barely felt any turbulence. Once at full speed, the ship soon left Baltigo behind on the horizon, vanishing from sight.
This was Rhode's first time at sea in both his past and present life.
Though he had seen the ocean through various media and videos, nothing compared to experiencing its vastness and boundlessness firsthand.
It felt like a baptism for the soul, broadening his perspective.
Leaning against the ship's railing, Rhode squinted contentedly and checked his stats. His energy had increased by seven points, totaling seventy-three.
The energy gain was relatively steady.
Ordinary training yielded about one point per day—this was how he had accumulated his first hundred points in the first three months.
With lightning tempering, the rate increased to roughly two points per day.
During the seven-day march, Rhode couldn't perform lightning tempering—not out of fear of being discovered, but because he couldn't satisfy the intense hunger that followed the process.
He simply couldn't stand the state of being so ravenous that everyone started to look like food.
"If only I had something like a spatial ring," Rhode mused idly as he gazed at the distant horizon. Not having one was indeed inconvenient.