Rook’s heart pounded violently.
Several faint yet familiar currents of warmth rose from deep within his body.
Holding the sword in his hand, Rook somehow felt that the weapon had become increasingly natural to wield.
He drew several deep breaths, his brows knitting slightly.
That inexplicably familiar sensation felt strange.
But he quickly realized what it was.
Wasn’t this exactly what happened whenever the proficiency of one of his three skills increased?
Every increase in proficiency brought a slight improvement to his body.
With a thought, the translucent system panel materialized before him.
The moment Rook looked at the Skills section, his eyes widened.
Swordsmanship: Untrained — 4 → 9/10
“How did my Swordsmanship proficiency increase by five points all at once?”
“I trained every day before this. Even if I couldn’t spend much time on it, it still took me almost half a month just to gain four points.”
Rook frowned deeply.
Then his gaze fell upon the bodies of the pirates lying around him.
He had killed five people with a sword.
And his Swordsmanship proficiency had risen by exactly five points.
Rook thought of his talent, [Learning Pays Off].
Combat could also be considered a form of learning.
After all, the three skills he currently possessed had all been acquired through different forms of fighting.
But when he’d clashed with these men aboard the ship before, his proficiency had never increased this dramatically.
Rook searched through the memories of his previous life.
“The Growth System….”
“In the game I was developing back then, the system could increase the proficiency of different skills through genuine combat and killing, depending on how those skills were used.”
“And fighting or killing opponents around the same level as yourself gave the fastest proficiency gains.”
Rook fell silent.
He had originally assumed that what followed him into this world was merely the system’s interface.
He hadn’t expected even the game’s underlying growth mechanics to have been transferred into his body.
Rook took a deep breath.
His expression quickly calmed.
There was no point dwelling on it.
He could only accept what had happened and make use of it.
Looking at the Swordsmanship proficiency, which was only one point away from advancing, heat slowly rose in his chest.
“There are so many people in this town. If I…”
Rook bit down hard on his tongue.
The sharp pain instantly cleared his mind.
The moral values from his previous life still restrained him.
Rook understood very well that once a person’s moral bottom line was crossed, it could be pushed lower and lower.
He intended to hold onto his.
As nothing more than an insignificant pirate grunt, he didn’t even have a bounty on his head yet.
If he started slaughtering innocent people now and grew accustomed to taking shortcuts, then sooner or later, that path would lead to his own destruction.
But…
Rook looked around.
His current situation wasn’t merely bad.
It was terrible.
Once this raid ended, as long as he remained aboard the pirate ship, he would no longer be able to resist the first mate.
On this ship, even the lowest-ranking pirate was expected to repay favors.
That was one of the rules established by Captain Norton, a pirate with an 8 million Berry bounty.
And everyone aboard knew that it had been the first mate who spared Rook’s life when he was sick.
If Rook couldn’t become stronger—
If he couldn’t make Captain Norton recognize his value—
Then once he returned to the ship now that his injuries had healed, his chastity was almost certainly finished.
And if he resisted again, he would immediately be branded as an ungrateful bastard.
Checkmate.
That cunning first mate had maneuvered him into a dead end.
Just thinking about the man’s disgusting face sent a wave of revulsion through Rook.
Should he run away?
No.
He couldn’t.
When they arrived, Rook had already surveyed the island.
It was small, with only this single town.
There was nowhere outside the settlement where he could realistically hide.
Even if he hid here until the pirates left, the townspeople would inevitably discover him sooner or later.
An unidentified outsider—
In a town that had just been ravaged by pirates.
The furious residents would never pass up the opportunity to vent their hatred on him.
Being hanged outright would probably count as a merciful ending.
Rook pursed his lips.
In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary programmer.
He hadn’t been some legendary urban combat expert.
Nor had he been a mercenary operating overseas.
He certainly hadn’t been some notorious drug lord.
And before awakening his memories in this life, he had only been a slightly stronger-than-average street thug turned low-level pirate who could barely read a newspaper.
Even though the memories of two lives had now merged…
Even though six people had already died by his hand…
Even though the system had appeared and a clear path to becoming stronger now lay before him…
None of that changed one simple fact.
Right now, he was still small fry.
The system hadn’t given him some ridiculous starter package that let him deal nine hundred and ninety-nine damage with a single slash.
Everything still required time and effort.
The chaotic thoughts in Rook’s mind gradually faded.
His breathing steadied.
He tightened his grip around the sword.
From far away came the pirates’ unrestrained laughter and the agonized cries of the townspeople.
“A human being…”
Rook murmured softly.
“At the very least, I want to live like a human being instead of an animal.”
“Even if I have to kill, I’ll kill according to my own will—with a purpose and a plan.”
Even beasts killed to fill their stomachs.
Let alone humans.
Focus.
The moment Rook tightened his grip on the sword, his gaze gradually sharpened.
Learning wasn’t something narrow or rigid.
And [Learning Pays Off] didn’t mean blindly repeating the exact same routine.
Sword in hand and blood staining his clothes, Rook stepped out of the alley with firm strides.
As he walked, he thought.
Find isolated targets.
Don’t act openly.
Use assassination.
Leave no witnesses.
After winding his way out of the alley, Rook stopped at the entrance and looked across the nearby streets.
Signs of destruction left by the pirates were everywhere.
Suddenly, a woman’s scream came from a house not far away, followed by two excited bursts of laughter.
He immediately left the alley and hurried toward the sound.
Soon, he arrived before a house whose front door had been smashed open.
His gaze passed across the small courtyard.
The door to the sitting room stood wide open.
Inside, two pirates had pinned a woman against a table.
Fabric tore.
Two pale legs kicked wildly.
The woman screamed and sobbed while the pirates howled excitedly.
“Hahaha! This bitch is fucking gorgeous! She’s definitely going to feel amazing!”
“Hick, hurry the hell up!”
“What’s your rush? Why don’t we both do her at the same time?”
The two pirates were far too absorbed in what they were doing to notice the unexpected visitor outside.
Rook glanced around.
There were no other pirates on either side of the street.
His steps remained calm as he entered the courtyard.
Within several breaths, he reached the sitting-room doorway.
Then he exploded forward.
Both hands gripping his sword, he drove the blade into one pirate’s lower back.
Puchi!
Blood sprayed as the pirate screamed.
Rook immediately released the sword and lunged sideways.
The other pirate stared blankly as Rook charged him.
The lecherous grin hadn’t even faded from his face yet.
His sword was still sheathed.
Rook closed the distance.
He planted his feet.
Then unleashed a full-force uppercut.
Bang!
Rook’s right fist slammed into the pirate’s jaw.
Several yellowed teeth flew through the air.
The man’s eyes rolled upward as his body toppled stiffly backward.
He hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Rook stepped in and stomped hard on his neck.
Crack!
Bone snapped.
Rook followed with two more kicks.
A faint stream of warmth rose from deep within his body.
The entire exchange had taken only a few seconds.
The pirate with the sword buried in his lower back was still screaming.
By now, however, the woman sprawled across the table had recovered enough to react.
She kicked him violently.
The pirate toppled backward.
His back slammed into the floor.
Puchi!
The sword embedded through his back punched straight through his abdomen.
Rook looked toward the woman.
The terror in her eyes hadn’t faded.
He stepped forward.
Closed the distance.
And punched her in the jaw.
The woman let out a cry of pain before collapsing unconscious across the table, confusion still written across her face.
Rook exhaled.
He walked over to the pirate, kicked him onto his side, and pulled his sword free.
Several seconds later, another faint current of warmth rose from deep within his body.
At that moment, an unexpected system notification appeared directly in his consciousness.
The information transformed into something he could instinctively understand.
[Notice: Your Swordsmanship proficiency has reached the maximum value of Untrained — 10/10. Swordsmanship will automatically advance.]
[Notice: Your Swordsmanship has advanced from Untrained to Beginner!]
[Notice: Swordsmanship — Beginner: 0/100. Next Rank: Proficient.]
The notifications appeared one after another in Rook’s mind.
Yet his attention wasn’t on them.
Because at that exact moment, unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded into his consciousness.
Memories centered entirely around himself—
Practicing with a sword.
A thrust.
Point the sword directly toward the target.
Extend the arm from bent to straight until the arm and blade form one line, driving all force into the sword tip.
A downward cut.
Bring the sword down from above, channeling force through the blade.
The movement must be swift and powerful, combining the lowering of the body with rotation of the waist to concentrate power along the edge.
An upward cut.
Sweep the sword upward from below in a close arc, directing the force toward the forward section of the blade while using the waist and legs to reinforce the attack.
Pointing.
Hanging cuts.
Snapping cuts.
Interception.
Circular cuts…
One fundamental sword technique after another appeared in his mind.
Footwork.
Breathing.
Application.
They were repeatedly practiced within his consciousness.
At the same time, Rook’s body was undergoing subtle changes.
They were the kinds of physical memories that would normally only form through months and years of accumulated sword training.
Swordsmanship had finally crossed the threshold.
Beginner.
Rook’s gaze gradually refocused.
Every fundamental sword principle in his mind now felt as though it had been carved directly into his body and soul.
When he gripped the sword again, a strange sense of reassurance washed over him.
Rook stood quietly for a moment, familiarizing himself with the sensation.
Then, coordinating his steps and breathing, he performed several consecutive thrusts, downward cuts, and horizontal slashes through the air.
He could now consciously distribute his strength throughout his body, allowing him to wield the sword faster, more accurately, and with less wasted effort.
It felt as though he had practiced these foundational movements for years.
They came naturally.
He was no longer a complete outsider who knew only a few superficial movements and swung a sword around like a fire poker.
With another thought, Rook summoned the system panel.
His attributes hadn’t increased.
Even so, he was certain that his actual combat ability had changed considerably.
At the same time, his Hand-to-Hand Combat proficiency had increased by one point as well.
Hand-to-Hand Combat: Untrained — 6 → 7/10
Rook silently encouraged himself.
“I can still get stronger.”
“Three more.”
Three more what?
It wasn’t difficult to guess.
Rook took a deep breath and glanced at the unconscious woman lying across the table.
He searched the room briefly, then lifted her onto his shoulder and carried her into the bedroom.
Opening the wardrobe, he placed her inside and closed it.
That was the small amount of compassion he could still afford as a human being.
As for the two pirates, he grabbed them by the legs and dragged their bodies into a corner.
Then he pulled the sitting-room door mostly shut.
He had only just stepped outside the courtyard when a middle-aged, balding pirate suddenly emerged from the alley across the street.
Rook knew him.
He was cruel, shameless, and thoroughly unpleasant.
“Well, well. Isn’t that Rook?”
The pirate’s eyes were filled with mockery.
“What are you doing here? Where are Kanis and the others?”
Naturally, he knew about the bad blood between Rook and the other members of Squad Six.
Hearing the question, Rook calmly glanced behind the man.
No one else was there.
Then again, that made sense.
This man’s reputation aboard the ship was terrible.
He loved taking petty advantages of others, had an especially foul mouth, and even cheated when gambling.
No one liked him.
He had screwed Rook over before as well.
If he weren’t ruthless and one of Captain Norton’s lackeys, someone probably would have killed him long ago.
So Rook allowed an appropriately resentful expression to appear on his face.
He cursed under his breath.
“They kicked me out. Looks like there’s something valuable inside that house.”
Seeing that Rook’s expression didn’t appear fake, the old scoundrel Morton rolled his eyes and gave a sinister grin.
“So that’s what happened!”
“Come on, then. Go inside with your big brother.”
“Those bastards really went too far, bullying you like that. Come on. I’ll help you teach them a lesson.”
As he spoke, Morton walked over and gave Rook’s shoulder a heavy, seemingly friendly pat.
Then he shot Rook a fierce look, signaling for him to follow.
Rook watched his back.
His expression remained perfectly calm.
Then he followed Morton into the courtyard once again.
When they approached the sitting-room door, Morton suddenly stopped.
He turned his head toward Rook and frowned.
Alertness appeared in his eyes.
In a lowered voice, he asked,
“Why does it smell like blood in there?”
“Oh, that?”
Rook walked up beside him casually.
“One of the townspeople resisted. They already killed him.”
The vigilance in Morton’s eyes weakened slightly.
Still, for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
At that exact moment—
A cold flash appeared at the edge of his vision.
Rook’s sword swept upward from beside his body.
Morton turned his head.
Morton’s eyes widened in alarm.
He immediately tried to leap forward.
But the half-closed door blocked his movement.
Puchi!
The sword, though not exceptionally sharp, sliced across his upper arm.
Blood sprayed.
Morton let out a muffled cry of pain and stumbled through the door, slamming it open as he lurched into the room.
Rook immediately pursued.
His footsteps remained stable.
He closed the distance and drove a straight kick into Morton’s back.
Morton grunted as he crashed into the table.
A harsh scraping sound echoed through the room.
His body lost its balance.
And at that moment—
Rook stepped forward and swung his sword.
Cold steel flashed through the air.
The blade carved across the back of Morton’s neck.
A thick spray of blood erupted.
Morton’s body collapsed limply across the table.
[Swordsmanship Proficiency +1]