Sunshine After Rain

Dark Clouds blanketed the sky as thunder rumbled. The gloomy heavens looked like a torn-open wound, while the torrential rain poured down like waterfalls, venting its fury without restraint.

The gale howled, whipping up towering waves that surged forward one after another.

Crack!

Unceasing lightning lit up the sea, revealing a massive ship hidden within it.

Rumble!

Peal after peal of earth-shaking thunder rang out like war drums resounding between heaven and earth, spurring on this warrior who sailed against the current, constantly breaking through the obstruction of enormous waves!

Inside the cabin, Arro had long since stuffed the tables and chairs into the fixtures along the walls. In the cleared space, he stood with his eyes closed in a horse stance.

Using the sensory ability of Cat Form Fist—Tree Climbing, Arro detected the ship's constant rocking. He exerted force layer by layer, like steps that intercepted a flood, dividing and dissolving the force so that his Footsteps remained firmly planted on the floor.

Ever since the ship had entered the Thunder Sea Area, Arro had been training like this.

He used this method to quickly adapt to his suddenly strengthened body, while also learning how to exert force aboard a ship.

Rumble!

The thunder outside stirred his blood, yet it could not disrupt his breathing in the slightest. He had made every preparation.

Splash!

A sustained sensation of falling jolted him awake from his immersed state.

The roaring thunder gradually faded, and the chilling Cold Wind abruptly vanished. The warm, briny smell of the sea drifted continuously through the cracks in the wooden window.

The sky—had cleared!

Arro rose to his feet and hesitantly walked to the windowsill. He gently pushed open the wooden window, and dazzling sunlight shone upon his short golden hair.

The sunshine outside was bright and clear. Gentle ripples swayed across the sea, and several seabirds flew carefree in Mid-air, occasionally leaving behind A Few Sounds of soft cries.

Feeling the warm sea breeze and hearing the young cheers ringing out across the cargo ship, Arro took a deep breath and turned toward the washroom.

After washing up, Arro calmly put on his clothes, picked up his Knight's Longsword, and walked steadily onto the deck.

With Desi deliberately turning a blind eye, quite a few Conflict Incidents had occurred in private among the half-grown boys aboard the ship during the previous days. Several Young Men were still bedridden, unable to move.

Because of that, apart from a few people, most of them had formed small cliques and guarded against one another.

The moment Arro reached the deck, the Young Men, already divided into several little groups, immediately greeted him.

"Good day, Mr. Arro."

"Greetings, Young Master Arro!"

Arro returned their greetings with a smile while sweeping his gaze around. He immediately noticed the Girl among the crowd in rough cloth—Isha!

Noticing Arro's gaze, the Girl hurriedly stepped out of the enthusiastic crowd and respectfully curtsied to him. "Young Master Arro, thank you for taking care of me these past few days."

Looking at the beautiful Girl, whose face was still pale and whose steps remained weak, Arro sighed inwardly. He nodded with a smile. "Isha, are you feeling better now?"

"Much better!"

Two adorable dimples appeared on Isha's pale cheeks, and her clear eyes told of their owner's joy.

"It was all thanks to Young Master Arro's care these past few days."

"Otherwise, I might not have lasted until now."

Isha closed her eyes and raised her face toward the Blazing Sun. Beneath her coarse gray-white clothes, her fair collarbones stood out strikingly.

"Is this the sunshine after wind and rain Mother always spoke of?"

"It really... feels wonderful!"

Knowing the Inside Story, Arro tightly gripped his sword hilt. Faced with this dazzling flower bud turning toward the sun, he inexplicably felt guilty. His gaze could not help but dodge away, and he could only awkwardly agree, "It does feel quite nice. Um, well... I'm going to sun myself too."

The Girl snapped back to her senses and hurriedly apologized. "Young Master Arro, I'm truly sorry. Please forgive my rudeness..."

But before she could finish, Arro had already slipped past her in quick strides and hurried away.

When he reached a less crowded corner, he ran into Desi, who was writing something.

"Little Brother Arro... Huh, why did you cut your hair so short?"

"My hair felt a little too long, so I casually shaved some off with my sword."

Arro was in no mood for small talk and said directly, "Big Brother Desi, I'm going to sun myself. These past few days have been suffocating me."

Noticing that Arro was not in a particularly good mood, Desi did not say more and nodded in understanding.

"Alright."

At that moment, the deck was filled with groups of Young Men. Hearing that Arro wanted to bask in the sun, they all invited this most "noble" of "young masters" to join them.

Arro could not be bothered to meddle in their bullshit. He grabbed the nearby wall and, as nimble as a great cat, climbed in a few movements onto the cluttered raised platform above the cabin.

He walked into the shadow of a thick mast, leaned against it, and sat half-reclined with his Knight's Longsword in his arms. Facing the warm sea breeze, Arro stared blankly at the calm ocean.

Only after a long while did Arro come back to himself. Thinking of his earlier daze, he could not help letting out a long sigh.

Calm down, Arro.

You already knew that you couldn't save anyone.

Don't think of giving charity just because others are too weak, especially when it's something you yourself have no power to do.

Having thought that through, Arro directly closed his eyes. The few Distractions in his mind were swiftly swept away, and he soon sank into a state that was neither quite asleep nor awake.

Inhale~

Exhale~

The muscles in Arro's body slowly trembled. His heart beat slowly and heavily, while fresh blood continuously flowed into his powerful body.

Until—an inexplicable commotion suddenly broke out on deck.

"What's that?"

"It looks like another Seaship."

"It seems much smaller than ours!"

The young Academy students had not realized the severity of the situation.

"They seem to be coming for us."

They could at least make a simple judgment of direction.

In that brief span of time, the Seaship had gradually drawn near. The students could even see that its deck was likewise packed with people.

Through the occasional glint of reflected light, they could make out that every one of them held a weapon of some kind. Yet they were also jumping about wildly, as though holding a noisy dance party.

"Stop the ship!"

Shouts of provocation drifted faintly over from the Seaship.

Arro gripped his longsword tightly and looked up.

So... pirates?

Then was the Death Test meant to be a fight against pirates?

Or had they simply run into pirates by accident?

Still, whether it was an accident or not, as long as the required death rate was reached in the end, the Death Test would count as passed.

As the Seaship gradually approached, both sides could vaguely see each other's flags.

Arro no longer held any hope of luck. The flag on the other ship was the Skull Flag, representing plunder and slaughter.

"It's an Academy transport ship! There must be plenty of Knight Breakthrough Potions aboard! Get them! Don't let them escape!"

"Knight Breakthrough Potions! If we rob them, even if we quit this line of work, we can go back to our Hometown and become knight lords!"

"Yeah! That's Right!"

The one-eyed Strong Man standing at the bow shouted fanatically, doing his utmost to rally them. "Quick! Quick! Quick! Catch up! That ship is full of little brats! Kill every last one of them—don't let even the slightest word leak out!"

Arro was speechless.

Since you could see that they were all teenagers, why did you think there would still be Knight Breakthrough Potions aboard?

And could you not see which direction this ship was sailing?

Would a cargo ship coming from the Outside World carry Knight Breakthrough Potions?

Could it be... Mother's influence had damaged their minds?

The deck was in utter chaos.

"Where is Lord Wizard?"

One student asked that foolish question.

Another immediately answered, "Lord Wizard left long ago!"

"Then... where are the sailors?"

That was right. Those sailors were all burly and fierce-looking. Why could none of them be seen now?

"This is bad! All the cabin doors have been locked!"

"Lord Desi—Lord Desi has Disappeared too!"

The students grew even more desperate. They could hear the pirates' merciless cries as well.

"Kill them all! Kill them all!"

With their sails swollen full, the pirates wore fanatical expressions. They rowed desperately, constantly adjusting their course as they closed in on the giant ship drifting with the waves.

"I don't want to die!"

"Open the door! Open it now! I'm about to become a Formal Wizard! How can I die here?!"

"You've got the wrong people! We're all students! There are no potions here!"

Like ants on a hot pan, everyone on deck made different choices, seeking only to escape with their lives.

"Quiet!"

Arro took several strides to the front of the raised platform and looked down at the deck, asking the sharpest question of all. "What are you still hoping for? If they were willing to help us, why would they lock the doors?"

"Why would Desi, who was sunning himself here just moments ago, quietly leave?"

Compared with the previous days, Arro had intentionally spoken with them quite often and shown them considerable care.

Moreover, they all believed Arro came from a Wizard Family and surely possessed many extraordinary means.

Therefore, seeing that Arro was still here, the panic on deck eased somewhat.

Seeing that no one stepped forward to refute him, no one questioned the problem with this matter or whether he knew the Inside Story, Arro could not help Breathing a Sigh of Relief.

He did not care what these Young Men thought, but at this moment, they had better stand united with him. Better yet, they should rely on their own strength to survive this ordeal.

Once this was over, however much they suspected afterward would have nothing to do with him.

"Lean on a mountain, and the mountain may collapse; lean on another, and they may flee. Only self-reliance can endure without end!"

"Stop harboring illusions! You can hear what the pirates are saying too. If you don't want to die, go pick up a weapon!"

After saying that, Arro no longer concerned himself with the Young Men.

He jumped down from the cabin platform, drew his Knight's Longsword, and ran swiftly toward the side where the pirate ship was approaching.

Some Young Men charged after Arro, while a few more levelheaded ones immediately began gathering the people around them and issuing various detailed instructions.

The pirate ship had drawn near enough that the pirates' fanatical faces were clearly visible.

When they reached a certain distance, they cheered in unison. Countless Grappling Hooks were hurled over, while countless pirates fired Bow and Arrow after Bow and Arrow to provide cover.

Although Arro relied on his Reaction Speed to dodge quickly, two Young Men who had followed him were still struck. Blood streamed from their bodies, while the pirates let out delighted cheers and sent an even denser rain of arrows toward the fallen Young Men.

The screams gradually faded away, and many timid Maidens let out piercing shrieks in unison.

Amid the noise, a Young Man shouted urgently.

"Quick! Find wooden boards nearby! Their Bow and Arrow are weak—we can block them with boards!"

"Hurry! We have to cut their ropes as soon as possible!"

It was Marx Shafer's voice. Arro understood at once.

No wonder. He had heard Marx say before that his family owned a shipyard, so naturally he knew something about naval combat.

Since there was a good method, Arro would not oppose someone else merely for the sake of so-called pride.

There happened to be quite a few wooden boards on the deck already, prepared in case the ship sprang a leak.

Arro had inspected the surroundings earlier. Crouching low like a lizard, he swiftly crawled toward the nearest stack of boards, hurriedly picked one up by the corner, and charged forward once more.