Chapter 27: A Predator's Playground
"Hey, you fool! What are you doing? Don't cross that red line! It's dangerous past there! Get back here, now!"
Someone shouted a frantic warning.
"Hahaha, don't bother with him. He's got a death wish. Let him die."
A group of players, busy hacking away at low-level monster snails, watched as Kaizen Reiya crossed the red boundary line.
In their eyes, he was simply committing suicide.
Before they had arrived, players who came earlier, or the more "experienced" uncles and aunts in their teams, had repeatedly warned them never to cross the red line.
These people now looked at Kaizen as if he were an idiot.
From their perspective, such outrageous behavior was a clear death sentence.
Kaizen heard them, the corner of his mouth curling into a sneer. These short-sighted fools. Their vision is so limited. They're the ones destined for the most tragic futures.
With their narrow perspective, how could they possibly comprehend the unique opportunities that lay beyond the red line?
...
On the other side of the red line was the open ocean.
Fwoosh!
Kaizen threw the golden spear gun. The weapon tore through the air with a shrill whistle, effortlessly killing a Level 20 manatee three hundred meters away. He then reeled it back into his storage backpack.
His backpack had now upgraded to Level 3, its storage space as large as a three-story building.
He treaded water using his Lightness Skill, and with his first throw, he successfully struck a sea monster from a great distance.
Simultaneously, he received the World Will's reward.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for killing the Level 20 sea monster, Manatee.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for advancing to Level 19.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for obtaining a Bronze-grade Crimson Longsword.
...
Kaizen checked his status.
Kaizen Reiya: Level 19 Player.
Techniques: Lightness Skill: Water Treading (Third Level). Triple Slash (Major Achievement). Fire Serpent Slash (Major Achievement)...
This new One Piece world is truly all-encompassing. It's a real, living game world.
Kaizen couldn't help but feel emotional.
After all, how powerful must a consciousness be to devour an entire dimensional world?
The thought of it eventually developing to its ultimate form, a World Will capable of controlling reality, excited him.
"It's different with a Gold-grade weapon. Killing a Level 20 manatee is so effortless. Gaining 300 experience points and instantly rising to Level 19 is much faster than cultivation. And you get rewards and loot drops. It's fantastic."
"Those guys killing pheasants and hares, those Generation-1 monsters... the pitiful rewards per kill... how long will it take them to accumulate anything? They'll be exhausted long before they see any significant improvement."
Kaizen was thrilled.
"If I kill that Level 100 King of the Near Shore, how many rewards will I get? How many levels will I gain?"
He was full of anticipation, his face flushed with excitement.
Taking a deep breath, Kaizen used his Lightness Skill to tread water, gliding over the waves as he continuously searched for prey.
His past life's experience in hunting sea beasts, combined with his ability to walk on water, made this entirely different from his previous life's struggles in a boat.
The golden spear gun had a high hit rate and could instantly kill Level 20 and even Level 30 ocean monsters. Kaizen reloaded and hunted them down relentlessly.
Moving ceaselessly over the waves, some sea monsters that foolishly tried to make a meal of him instead became his prey.
These manatees, fur seals, sea wolves, and the like, growing through devouring each other, evolved much faster than land animals.
They eventually grew into the terrifying Sea Kings.
Kaizen's previous life had ended inside the belly of one.
In this life, he showed no mercy to these juvenile Sea Kings, shooting them on sight.
His hostility ran deep. He killed every one he saw, and soon had slaughtered a large number. Fortunately, his storage backpack had upgraded to Level 3; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold all these manatees, sea pigs, and seals.
Besides harvesting these prey, he also received numerous rewards from the Heavenly Dao system.
A large number of treasure chests, copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins were awarded.
But Kaizen did not stop. He continued onward, heading for the sea area where, according to his memories, the King of the Near Shore resided.
The golden spear gun had a retractable golden thread, allowing it to be reeled back after striking a marine monster for repeated use.
When he encountered a more powerful foe he couldn't reel in, he would tread water, walk over the waves, and finish it off with the three-pronged harpoon.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Kaizen kept throwing the spear, relentlessly hunting his prey.
For Kaizen, armed with a Gold-grade weapon, those Level 20 or 30 ocean monsters were easy kills.
It was only when a monster reached Level 40 or above that Kaizen found it more challenging.
Just moments ago, he had speared a Level 35 seal. Its strength was immense, churning up large waves and nearly breaking free. Fortunately, at the last moment, Kaizen had glided over using his Lightness Skill and pierced its heart with the harpoon, successfully securing the hunt.