Beast Tamer

Just as Ling Chu had suspected, Brave the World was crouched in the grass behind her, fully armed, with his pet Golden Lion beside him. The lion silently arched its back, ready to pounce.

The night was dark, the moon dim, and the surrounding grass concealed them. They were almost impossible to spot.

The moment Ling Chu came into view, Brave the World prepared to strike. Then he heard a jumble of footsteps.

That sound... She wasn't alone!

One, two, three...

He counted the shadows on the ground, puzzled. How could there be so many people on this island when only one ship had arrived?

Then the moonlight shifted. The figures emerged from the trees' shadows, revealing their stark white bones.

He went rigid, a chill running down his spine.

Good heavens! Why were there so many skeletons?!

What could be more terrifying than seeing a whole group of walking skeletons in the middle of the night?

Seeing them follow the bounty target he was hunting, step for step, as though they were her servants.

Brave the World held his breath, frantically searching for a plan.

He stood no chance against so many skeletons head-on. But his target was right in front of him, and he couldn't bear to let her go.

He forced himself to calm down. If his lion drew the skeletons' and Ling Chu's attention while he attacked from hiding, he might still be able to assassinate her.

If the first strike failed, he would run.

Ling Chu walked toward her ship as though she had no idea he was there. In truth, her right hand stayed on the dagger at her waist. Her Mana Value had fully recovered, and she could activate Ghostly Steps at any moment.

"Roar—"

A huge shape burst from the jungle with a deafening roar.

Every strand of the lion's golden-brown mane stood out in the moonlight, sleek and glossy.

Titch reacted first. He drew his Revolver and fired at the lion, but it leaped clear, then lunged straight at him.

An ordinary adult's size and strength were no match for a full-grown male lion's. Titch, meanwhile, was little more than a light frame of bones.

The lion pinned him with one paw, but his Crab Shell Armor was tough enough to hold its shape beneath its claws.

The other Skeleton Henchmen rushed at the lion.

Most had no weapons. Little Hook's iron hook of a left hand could just about serve as one, while Round Head had a rusty cutlass.

"My hand!"

Big Gold Tooth howled as the Golden Lion tore off his left hand. Before his cry had faded, he discovered that the severed hand could still move. He hurriedly picked it up.

"I can put it back on?"

Big Gold Tooth grinned at his left hand, restored as though nothing had happened.

The Skeleton Henchmen swarmed the lion. With its size advantage, every swipe and sweep of its tail sent two of them flying. Loose bones clattered across the ground, and the fight dissolved into chaos.

Titch, the only one with a gun, was pinned down for the moment. Ling Chu had a Shotgun in her Ring, confiscated during the Public Challenge. At this distance, its wide spread would cripple the lion even if her aim was poor.

But Ling Chu didn't draw it. She stood where she was.

The lion clearly wasn't native to the island. Desert Monitor Lizards guarded this place; they wouldn't allow another large animal like a lion to live here. She remembered that Brave the World was a Beast Tamer. The lion was almost certainly his pet, and since he hadn't shown himself, he had to be hiding somewhere, waiting to ambush her.

As if to confirm her suspicion, a sharp bolt tore through the air toward her.

Now. Ghostly Steps!

Ling Chu activated the skill and flashed behind the grass where the bolt had come from. An instant later, she drove a vicious kick into the figure lying there.

He had no time to react. Her kick sent him tumbling out of the grass, and the cold edge of her Iron Dagger came to rest against his throat.

One smooth motion.

"Don't—don't kill me! I surrender!"

Brave the World dropped to his knees and threw both hands over his head.

Ling Chu raised an eyebrow. He was quick to adapt; she hadn't expected him to surrender so fast.

She had thought anyone who dared take her bounty would be formidable.

But this was it?

"Call off your lion," Ling Chu said coldly.

Brave the World shouted at once, "Goldie, stop! No, let go!"

The Golden Lion had an unidentified thighbone in its mouth. Titch seized the chance to roll out from under its paw, found his angle, and fired again. This time, the bullet struck its right leg.

Caught up in the fight, the lion growled in pain. Only then did it notice its owner was being held at knifepoint, and it released the thighbone.

Ling Chu glanced down at Brave the World as he trembled and begged for mercy. Her Eyepatch displayed his information.

[Player ID: Brave the World]

[Class: Beast Tamer (Tier 1) / Pirate Hunter (Tier 1)]

[Constitution: 7]

[Strength: 7]

[Agility: 6]

[Intelligence: 4]

[Sin Value: 0]

[Justice Points: 10]

[Bounty: 0]

[Skills: Beast Taming, Conceal Presence, I'll Take This Bounty.]

[Beast Taming: Tame one wild beast as your pet. The pet cannot betray you unless it dies. Costs 20 Magic Energy. (Pet slots: 1/1)]

[Conceal Presence (Passive): You excel at blending into your surroundings, making it difficult for enemies to detect you.]

[I'll Take This Bounty: Once per day, accept a bounty from the Sin Value leaderboard and obtain the target's precise coordinates. Success grants the corresponding reward and class advancement experience; failure deducts Justice Points.]

Seeing Brave the World's skills, Ling Chu finally understood how he had found her so quickly.

I'll Take This Bounty was probably a Pirate Hunter skill. It pinpointed a target more precisely than her Tracking Technique, but failure carried a penalty.

Beast Taming was obviously a Beast Tamer skill. She still didn't know where the passive skill Conceal Presence came from.

"Is your Conceal Presence skill from Pirate Hunter or Beast Tamer?" Ling Chu asked.

Brave the World froze. How did she know he had that skill? Most people would just think he was good at hiding. They shouldn't have been able to tell.

"Beast Tamer," he answered honestly.

Good. If every Pirate Hunter had that skill, she would be at a serious disadvantage.

Ling Chu had wanted to try her newly acquired Soul Mark skill on him, but she thought better of it. She couldn't leave someone who wanted her dead alive.

"Titch, finish him," Ling Chu said without hesitation.

"You—you don't fight fair! I already surrendered! You're not supposed to kill someone who surrenders!"

Brave the World stared at her, shocked and furious, his tongue stumbling over the words.

"If I were the one surrendering today, would you spare me out of kindness?" Ling Chu asked, her face expressionless. "Of course not. You came for the bounty on my head. If you dared take it, you should've been ready to pay the price. Now that you're losing, you want to surrender and save your life? It doesn't work that way. And what would I gain by letting you go? You'd be free to reveal my location and tell everyone I have Skeleton Servants."

Brave the World had no answer.

"Let me go, and I swear I won't reveal anything about you. I'm a man of my word!" He raised a hand in oath.

Ling Chu's face made it clear she didn't believe him. Brave the World gritted his teeth and played his last card.

"I got a Treasure Map from a System Blind Box. I didn't keep it on me or in my ship's storage. I hid it on this island. Let me go, and I'll dig it up for you!"