After going into the sea, I met the witch.

Since the [One-Handed Weapon Specialization] has not been weakened, the [Naval Combat Specialization], which is also a passive skill, must not have been weakened either.

The only thing that remains to be discussed is the active skill [Soaring War Cry].

This can be tried later.

Ryan lowered his head, looked at the iron longsword in his hand, and then slashed at the leather armor hanging on the bulwark.

"Thorn..."

The sound of leather being cleanly and crisply cut rang out.

In the morning light, a narrow gash appeared on the chest of the leather armor, just a hair's breadth away from cutting it completely open.

Ryan was somewhat stunned as he looked at the results of his actions.

He only made a light swipe, using less than 10% of his strength... If he had used his full strength, no, even just 20% of his strength, the leather armor's defense would have been rendered useless against the longsword.

If it were the old iron longsword, it would never have caused such damage!

While leather armor is not as defensive as iron armor, it is still very tough and offers considerable resistance to cuts and slashes.

Is this the true value of the "Weapon Sharpness +1" bonus from the [Craftsmanship lv.1] skill?

After the initial shock, Ryan's eyes were filled with excitement.

The increased sharpness of weapons has more than just that effect; in weapon combat, being able to cut through an enemy's weapon can have a decisive impact.

Feeling the powerful energy and abundant spirituality within him, Ryan's lips curved into a faint smile.

He raised his hand and gripped the beam of light firmly in his grasp, as if he had found his "anchor" in this world.

The morning light bathed his fist in a golden-orange hue.

"Finally, I've become a professional..."

Ryan whispered to himself.

Chapter 32 Wolf Fang Island, Approaching Hostility

【Black Rose】, Captain's cabin.

Ryan pointed to a spot on the map on the wooden table and said in a deep voice, "Lady Freyne, this is one of the few pirate islands in the near-shore area of ​​Silvermoon Bay. It is called 'Wolf Fang Island'. There is a small port there where we can replenish our fresh water and food supplies."

"In addition, if there are goods that need to be processed, they can also be processed here."

Upon hearing this, the witch sitting in the chair behind the wooden table nodded: "Mr. Ryan, how far are we from Wolf Fang Island?"

"Wolf Fang Island is about 60 nautical miles southeast of us. Considering the changes in wind direction and speed, it would take about 10 hours to get there," Ryan replied after thinking for a while, resting his chin on his hand.

"Ten hours... Hmm, we can enter the port before nightfall." Freyne nodded in satisfaction.

After the Skull was renamed the Black Rose, it had been sailing on the sea for more than two days. According to the original pirate crew of the Skull, they had been at sea for four days before that. Under normal circumstances, pirate ships would only carry about a week's worth of supplies to avoid a significant decrease in speed due to excessive weight.

Right now, the supplies on the two pirate ships are about to run out and they urgently need to be replenished.

"By the way, Mr. Ryan, how did you sleep last night? Shall we proceed with the [Pirate] induction ceremony now?" With the supply shortage problem resolved, Freya changed her tone and asked.

Hearing this, Ryan said somewhat embarrassedly, "Lady Freyne, after listening to your words last night, I felt very anxious, so as soon as I got back, I took the 'Pirate Potion' and successfully became a first-tier [Pirate].

"Oh?" Freyne's eyes, hidden beneath her fluffy, oversized witch's hat, widened slightly in surprise. Then she gave the young man in front of her a deep look.

After careful observation, she did indeed "see" a faint glimmer of spiritual radiance in Ryan.

This level of spirituality is only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person, but upon closer inspection, she sensed that the purity of this spirituality was so high that it had reached the first level. If Ryan hadn't taken the initiative to tell her that he had already taken up a position, she would have had difficulty noticing it.

"An interesting way to hide..."

Freyne thought to herself.

She gave Ryan a long look, but didn't press him for more information.

Everyone has their own secrets, and so does she, and so does Ryan in front of her.

Judging from her own experience, Freya wouldn't actively seek out her "comrade's" secrets. Since she had accepted the other's joining, she should be tolerant: "I see. Now that Mr. Ryan has taken up his post, that's all the better."

"There is something I didn't mention to you last night, because I was afraid you would worry."

Ryan frowned, waiting quietly for what was to come.

“Last night on deck, I ‘saw’ a red line extending toward you; it was the pull of the ‘Bloody Coordinates.’ Someone is using ‘tools’ to hunt you down, and the distance is about ten nautical miles to our north? Hmm, pretty much.”

Frey nodded slightly, affirming.

“Bloody Mark, Hunt…” Ryan took a deep breath, his eyes becoming more serious, but he wasn’t overly worried.

"Lady Freyne, can you predict the strength of the Hunters?"

"Oh, so, is our professional navigator going to do it himself?" Freyne chuckled, covering her mouth. "I can't see."

"The hunter's strength is uncertain, but it should be within the first tier."

"It seems he/she witnessed our Black Rose sailing alongside the Skull yesterday, and, wary of the 'Mountain of Flesh' Salem with his £18000 bounty, chose to follow from a distance, perhaps waiting for reinforcements?"

“Mr. Ryan, don’t worry. If he dares to chase after us, I, the captain, will not stand idly by.”

"Thank you for your help." Ryan bowed respectfully.

“Let’s leave this hunter for now.” Frey waved her hand. “Mr. Ryan, now that you’ve taken up your post and your spirituality is manifesting in the world, you can also learn some simple secret arts.”

"Secret technique?" Ryan's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

"You don't actually think that professionals only rely on the few professional skills they acquire when they start their jobs, do you?" Freyne smiled, her hands elegantly crossed on the table.

"Secret arts are divided into general secret arts and exclusive secret arts."

"Universal Secret Technique, as the name suggests, is a secret technique that professionals from all walks of life can learn. The only difference is whether they have reached the required rank to learn it."

"As for exclusive secret techniques, they are secret techniques that can only be learned by professionals with corresponding skills."

"I don't have any of the exclusive secret techniques of the Pirate Path, but I have collected quite a few general secret techniques suitable for melee classes."

"Hmm, let me think... a universal secret technique suitable for pirates... I've got it!"

Freyne smiled faintly and clapped her small, fair hands together gently: "Let's go with [Storm Sword Technique]."

"Storm Sword Technique?" Ryan snapped out of his daze, a look of doubt appearing in his eyes.

"You don't think that the Storm Sword Technique you've been practicing is the complete version, do you?" Freyne smiled slightly. "The Storm Sword Technique is widely circulated in the Kingdom of Augustus and even in the surrounding kingdoms, but in reality, what has been circulated is only a superficial part of the Storm Sword Technique. The true core 'sword skills' have always been firmly controlled by the royal family."

"Without mastering 'sword skills,' Storm Sword Technique will forever remain at a superficial level."

"And to learn the true [Storm Sword Technique] and become a first-tier professional, having spirituality is the most basic requirement."

"By the way, strictly speaking, the Storm Sword Technique cannot be considered a longsword technique. It was originally created to fight against huge sea monsters in storm waves. Therefore, the Storm Sword Technique is essentially a greatsword technique."

"So, are you interested in learning this?"

After hearing Freyne's words, Ryan's eyes widened.

It wasn't that he was surprised by the "true nature" of the [Storm Sword Technique], but rather that he remembered something crucial.

That's the weapon.

When facing the dragon-headed giant crab, his toothpick-like longsword could not penetrate the monster's defenses except by attacking its vulnerable eyes. Even if it did penetrate, the small wound inflicted by the longsword would be negligible to the massive dragon-headed giant crab.

The giant crab on the outer edge of the island is already this size; what about the monsters deeper inside? Thinking of that giant bird and then of his own longsword, Ryan found it hard to imagine how he could possibly defeat such a behemoth with such a small weapon.

Replacing weapons is now an urgent matter!

Right now, the greatsword technique that Freyne provided—the true [Storm Sword Technique]—is a timely boon.

"I will learn! Please, Lady Freyne, guide me!"

Meeting the girl's pale blue eyes, Ryan nodded emphatically and bowed deeply.

Chapter 33 Sword Skills

[Black Rose], deck area.

Ryan stood on the lookout tower atop the mast, confirmed the direction, nodded in satisfaction, then jumped down and said to the lookout beside him, "Just proceed in this direction."

"Yes, yes, Lord Ryan." The lookout swallowed nervously.

After all, anyone would instinctively feel nervous if they saw someone jump from a height of several meters and emerge unharmed with only a slight bend in the knees.

Such physical fitness is not something that ordinary people can possess; only true professionals can achieve this.

Ryan nodded slightly, said nothing more, and went back to his room alone.

Once the cabin door closed, he sat down at the wooden table.

Looking at the deep blue octahedral crystal in his hand, Ryan's face showed a thoughtful expression.

This item is called "Inheritance Crystal," and it is an essential item for professionals learning general secret techniques.

There is no inherent superiority or inferiority between general-purpose and exclusive-purpose techniques. Sometimes, a powerful general-purpose technique is even more valuable than an exclusive-purpose technique.

The Storm Sword Technique is such a rare and powerful universal secret technique.

Such a precious secret technique could not possibly be recorded in books. Firstly, books have limited expressive power and cannot fully demonstrate the essence of the secret technique. Secondly, their confidentiality is not as good as that of inherited crystallization.

Freyne didn't explain how the Inheritance Crystal was made, and Ryan had no idea. However, he knew that this thing had its own "verification method." Once the user was not the authorized person, it would not be activated, and forcibly using it would only cause the Inheritance Crystal to be completely destroyed.

It must be said that the world's extraordinary knowledge is quite adept at keeping secrets.

Currently, this inheritance crystal containing the [Storm Sword Technique] has been granted "access" to Ryan.

"General Swordsmanship... I'm really looking forward to it!"

Ryan looked on with curiosity.

Without hesitation, he activated the inherited crystal.

Freyne's words filled Ryan with a sense of urgency.

The unknown pursuer was like a thorn in his heart; only by constantly improving his own strength could he feel at ease.

Admittedly, Freyne said that even if the Hunters made a move, she, as the captain, would not stand idly by. But no matter what, it's always best to have enough strength of your own.

After all, having no sword in hand and having a sword but not using it are two different things.

Rather than being a "gold digger," Ryan sometimes wants to be "tougher" himself!

The activation method for the inheritance crystal is very simple: just place it on the center of your forehead and then infuse it with spirituality.