On the Vast Sea
Boom!!!
On a pirate ship adrift at sea, bodies were strewn across the blood-soaked deck. The vivid red stains painted a grim scene, proof enough of the brutal battle that had just taken place.
"A pirate with a bounty of two million? Seems like he wasn't much after all."
Kairos Flint glanced down at the lifeless body of Connie, captain of the Scar Pirates, and let out a sigh of disappointment.
It was clear—every corpse on this ship was the result of Kairos' meticulous work.
"Well done!"
Nami approached, checking the bounties. "Captain Connie of the Scar Pirates was worth 2.1 million Beli. His vice-captain, Belt, had a bounty of 500,000. Add in the rest of this sorry crew, and this ship's total bounty comes to 3.23 million."
"Kairos, that's solid work. Keep it up—we're getting closer."
Praising him without missing a beat, Nami moved to begin collecting the bodies. She was well-prepared this time, having brought plenty of antiseptic supplies. That meant even if the corpses had to be stored for a few days, it wouldn't pose a major issue.
Kairos only glanced at her before looking away again, his mind replaying the battle.
Truth be told, their encounter with the Scar Pirates was sheer happenstance. The pirates had spotted them in open waters and wasted no time giving chase. With escape impossible, Kairos made a quick decision—to stand and fight, head-on.
As the saying goes, "Fortune favors the bold." Even though the Scar Pirates numbered over fifty, their combat ability was mediocre at best.
Of course, his easy victory wasn't just luck.
Kairos had recently consumed several high-quality talent crystals, pushing his aptitude up to a captain-level threshold. He had also used seven ordinary kendo crystals, raising his swordsmanship from beginner level to that of a swordsman apprentice. At this point, his talent, physical skills, and spiritual essence had all reached Tier 3, elevating his overall combat prowess to near elite military level.
And let's not forget the third-generation Kitetsu blade in his hand—a cursed but powerful weapon. With all these advantages, cutting down this crew was as effortless as slicing through ripe fruit.
Only Connie himself posed any real challenge, but even his power hovered around basic military strength. Compared to a pirate like Belluc, captain of the Great Sword Pirates, Connie was lacking.
At that moment, glowing text appeared before Kairos' eyes:
[Detected pickable items. Would you like to collect them?]
"Pick up!"
[Ding! Successfully collected:
Poor-Quality Physical Crystals ×9
Ordinary Physical Crystals ×43
Poor-Quality Soul Crystals ×19
Ordinary Soul Crystals ×33
Ordinary Talent Crystals ×22
Excellent Talent Crystals ×8
Ordinary Physical Technique Crystals ×33
Inferior Kendo Crystals ×8
Ordinary Kendo Crystals ×19(Stored in portable inventory)]**
Not bad at all.
The sheer number of ability crystals was staggering.
Wasting no time, Kairos selected a few inferior crystals—body, soul, and kendo—and tossed them into his mouth, washing them down with a drink.
His original stats read:
Body: Soldier Level (0.01/10)
Soul: Soldier Level (0.01/10)
Kendo: Swordsman Apprentice (0.02/10)
After consuming the crystals:
Body: Soldier Level (0.1/10)
Soul: Soldier Level (0.2/10)
Kendo: Swordsman Apprentice (0.1/10)
Encouraged, he swallowed 9 more body crystals, 8 soul crystals, and 9 kendo crystals.
Now, his experience bars were much more pleasing to look at—all of them had reached a solid (1/10).
A minor visual victory, but satisfying nonetheless.
Currently, his inventory held the following:
[Ordinary]:
Body Crystals ×52
Soul Crystals ×43
Talent Crystals ×37
Physical Technique Crystals ×48
Kendo Crystals ×16
[Excellent]:
Body Crystal ×1
Soul Crystal ×1
Talent Crystals ×8
Kendo Crystal ×1
It was a sizable haul, no doubt about it.
Previously, Kairos had attempted to synthesize ability crystals but failed due to a lack of quantity. But now, with an abundance of ordinary-level crystals, success seemed far more likely.
He reached into his portable space and drew out ten ordinary body crystals, carefully chosen based on how much experience would be required for the next stage.
He held one in his palm and focused. As he activated the synthesis command in his mind, something incredible happened—ten ordinary crystals melted into a shimmering liquid, fused, and condensed into a high-quality blue crystal.
"So synthesis works… but it drains physical stamina."
He could feel the sudden fatigue sweep through his body. The process of combining crystals wasn't without its toll—it burned through energy fast.
But was it even worth it?
He could just use the ordinary crystals one by one. The overall effect would be the same in the end, right?
Just as he was pondering this, Nami appeared beside him.
She casually glanced over his collection—and then asked a question that made his face turn pale.
"Kairos, is that sapphire crystal something you found on this ship?"