[He's still trash-talking us?!]
[Brothers, are we supposed to tolerate this?]
[Absolutely not. Down with the White-Robed Old Thief!]
White-Robed Drunk bantered with chat while jogging through Loguetown. Before long, they hit a crossroads where a knot of pirates—surly, bloodstained, still dangerous despite losing their captain to Smoker—were surrounded by Marines.
"Advance!" Dasqi snapped. Shigure flashed from its sheath as she and several officers charged.
White-Robed drew Seishu. Amid the chaos, that silver-white blade gleamed like cold lightning. The pirates' common steel couldn't hold up—one clash and their swords snapped like twigs.
A clean arc—one pirate crumpled.
[You killed an elite pirate. +300 points]
His grin widened. Another cut. Then another. Points ticked upward like a slot machine on a hot streak.
"Watch this—White-Robed Sword Art!" He flowed through footwork that looked messy but hid a steady rhythm. Bodies hit the cobbles.
[Hate to admit it, but he's kinda cooking now…]
[Damn it, he's actually pulling it off.]
[Is there no one who can shut this guy up?!]
As if summoned by chat, a pirate sub-leader ghosted up behind him, blade whistling down.
Wind hissed at his ear. White-Robed twisted, but a beat too late. The slash tore across his back—he'd been lunging forward, so it wasn't fatal, but the white Marine vest opened in a long, red trench, bone faintly visible.
"…holy—"
He dropped to one knee, Seishu as a crutch. Pain detonated—a reminder of the slider he himself had set: 99.9% pain realism. (Choosing 50% halves your combat growth and rewards. He'd chosen violence.)
If his Body-tech hadn't just reached Entry—and if he hadn't rolled with the hit—he'd be face-down and out.
Dasqi's eyes flared. Shigure snapped left; the sub-leader's wrist numbed, weapon flying, and the returning edge bit into his waist with a spray of scarlet. She didn't spare him a glance—she sprinted for White-Robed.
The sub-leader staggered, recovered another blade, and raised it over White-Robed's head.
Dasqi's pupils tightened. Too far—even Soru, newly learned, wouldn't make it in time.
"You wanna kill me? Go to hell!"
White-Robed slammed his Free Attribute Point into Body-tech mid-fight.
[Body-tech → Entry 1/3]
Power ripped through his legs and core. Seishu sang—the pirate's blade sheared in half, and the follow-through bisected the man from shoulder to hip.
[You killed a pirate sub-leader. +500 points]
He stayed there, half-kneeling, drawing breath through clenched teeth. Sweat beaded his forehead. Dasqi reached him moments later; Shigure spun a warding circle to drive back stragglers as she checked the wound.
The ragged cut… was already knitting at the edges. Dasqi blinked, then raised her voice:
"End it. Now."
The officers went all-in. With the cordon tightening, the pirates broke, dropped steel, and were cuffed.
On the way back, two Marines carried White-Robed on a stretcher. Dasqi matched their pace, eyes flicking to him more than once—enough to make chat combust.
[Why is Dasqi's gaze so soft?!]
[I can't take this. He's shameless and he's winning!]
[Get away from my Dasqi! Back off, mongrel!]
White-Robed ignored the salt and opened his panel. Level popped to Lv15 after the melee.
[Abilities: Body-tech (Entry 1/3), Sword-tech (Entry 1/3)]
Chat paused—then erupted.
[Didn't you spend your point on Body-tech?!]
[So why is Sword-tech at 1/3 too?!]
[Where did the extra point come from, you rat!]
He chuckled into the mic. "Ever hear of a breakthrough under pressure? Maybe my sword just… clicked."
Wails and gnashing of teeth scrolled by.
[He's speedrunning growth!]
[He got the points, and a skill breakthrough?!]
[Unforgivable, White-Robed…]
He slid to Points. 3,000 glittered back at him: five elites (300×5), one sub-leader (+500), and a mission bonus (+1,000).
White-Robed smirked into camera, casual as a yawn. "All in."
[You spend 3,000 points: Greenwood Chests ×3]
[Open ×3 → Rewards: Combat Windbreaker ×1; Fine Flintlock ×1; Navy Six Styles — Soru (exclusive attribute point) ×1]
He stared. On the stretcher. In silence.
Alive body; dead soul.
"Brothers…" he whispered hoarsely into the stream, "…I'm cracked open."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0