Brave the World sailed across the sea in his little sailboat.
The Golden Lion he'd finally managed to tame was dead, and the bounty he'd accepted remained unfulfilled, meaning he'd also lose Justice Points. This trip had cost him dearly.
But at least he'd made it out alive.
Brave the World still looked a little shaken. Who could've imagined that Rank One had so many summoned skeletons, all completely obedient to her? It was a huge disadvantage in a fight.
If he sold this information to the other people on the leaderboard, he could probably get quite a few resources for it—enough to make up for his losses this time.
As for that Treasure Map...
Brave the World couldn't help grinning smugly.
Once Ling Chu found the spot marked on the Treasure Map, she'd discover that he'd already cleared out the Treasure Chest there. By then, it wouldn't be so easy for her to find him again.
Brave the World figured that the reason he'd survived this long, aside from luck and intelligence, was that he always knew to leave himself a way out.
Never throw away a used Treasure Map. At a critical moment, it could still save your life.
Brave the World was congratulating himself on his cleverness when he suddenly heard a humming sound, like a train approaching from far away.
He turned to look. A three-masted Ghost Ship was riding the swells, speeding toward him.
The image of a ghostly skull fluttering on its sail made Brave the World shudder.
Had she realized so quickly that there was something wrong with the Treasure Map?
Impossible.
Her soul-related skill hadn't exposed him. After all, the Treasure Map he'd given her was genuine!
Brave the World gripped the helm, wishing he could jump into the sea and push the boat himself.
But a level-three hybrid-powered ship was far faster than his little sailboat, which relied entirely on the wind.
Ling Chu soon caught up with him.
When the two ships were only two or three meters apart, Ling Chu leaped onto Brave the World's deck.
The sudden weight made the little sailboat tilt slightly.
Brave the World steadied himself and managed a placating smile. "Didn't we agree you'd let me go?"
"I only said I'd let you leave. I never promised not to hunt you down." Ling Chu raised an eyebrow.
Brave the World's expression stiffened. "Is this really necessary? I gave you the Treasure Map and promised I wouldn't bother you again. Do you really have to drive me into a corner?"
At the same time, he grew even more wary. He'd been running for half a day, yet this woman had still managed to track him down so precisely. She must have some kind of tracking item.
"The moment you accepted my bounty, we were doomed to fight to the death."
Ling Chu's expression was calm. Her looks weren't particularly striking; hers was the kind of cool, understated beauty that grew on you. Her tone was as casual as if she were discussing something perfectly ordinary, but her words sent a chill down your spine.
She'd said it before: anyone who wanted her dead couldn't be left alive.
While talking to Ling Chu, Brave the World had quietly grasped the Hand Crossbow tucked behind him.
"If that's how it is, then die—"
Brave the World's expression turned vicious in an instant. A sharp Ballista Bolt shot toward Ling Chu in the blink of an eye.
As he attacked, a wisp of ghostly soul silently floated from his Hand Crossbow. Its intangible body lunged at him, then passed straight through him.
The Ghost Servant's unique skill: Terrify!
Brave the World suddenly felt as if he'd plunged into an ice cellar. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and he stood frozen in place, unable to move, gripped by a brief state of terror.
It lasted a full three seconds.
The effect of Hemlock's skill depended on the target's Intelligence. The higher their Intelligence, the better they could resist the terror.
Ling Chu had checked Brave the World's attributes earlier with the Eyepatch. His Intelligence wasn't high—only four.
His Ballista Bolt had gone wide, too, his hands shaking with fear.
Three seconds was more than enough time for Ling Chu to walk up to him and slit his throat with a flick of her hand.
When Brave the World saw Hemlock, only one thought crossed his mind: A ghost!
When he found himself unable to move and watched Ling Chu calmly draw her dagger across his throat, only one thought crossed his mind:
Holy shit, a ghost!
[You killed the player Brave the World. Sin Value +20.]
His lifeless body fell heavily to the ground.
Hemlock floated back to her, indignant. "That man really was a scumbag. While the Giant Lizard was asleep, he tried to steal the Island Core, but the Giant Lizard caught him. His beast companion risked its life fighting the Giant Lizard for him, and he turned around and abandoned it to escape. Then he tried to trick our Captain with a fake Treasure Map. He got what he deserved!"
Ling Chu silently wiped the blood from her dagger.
What Hemlock didn't know was that Ling Chu had never intended to let Brave the World go.
She'd used the Soul Mark on him only to test out her new skill.
Mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward yourself. She wasn't some virtuous person with a moral code. She could avoid stirring up trouble, but if trouble came looking for her, she wouldn't hold back.
Ling Chu searched his boat and immediately spotted a dark machine sitting on the deck.
The top half looked a little like a statue of the Death God wearing a hood. The statue had no facial features, but somehow it still seemed eerie. The bottom half was a square box, with a black hole in the center of its base. It looked a little like a vending machine from the real world.
She tried to lift it. It was heavy, and she couldn't move it.
Then she found a Treasure Chest beneath the floorboards in the cabin.
The chest had already been opened. Ling Chu recognized it at once as the shipwreck Treasure Chest from the Treasure Map. The patterns on it were identical.
That bastard had actually tried to trick her with a Treasure Map he'd already used.
Ling Chu couldn't be bothered to keep searching for any other treasures. She simply dismantled his boat. After all, everything aboard would be automatically sent to her warehouse.
[You dismantled an unclaimed little sailboat and obtained: Wood*20, Cloth*5, Seagrass*10, Iron Ore*1, Dim Pearl*1, Hand Crossbow*1, Ballista Bolt*20, Beast Taming Whip*1, Death's Blind Box Gashapon Machine*1] [The ship's warehouse contained: Wood*132, Cloth*55, Charcoal*18, Seagrass*20, Glass*4, Iron Ore*1, Unfresh Fish Meat*5, Geoduck Clam*2, Flower Crab*1, Citrus Fruit*4, Freshwater 1200 ml, Worn Fishing Rod*1, Old Grappling Hook*1, Sea Shells*30. These have now been automatically sent to your ship's warehouse.]
After reading the list, Ling Chu realized the guy really was poor. It was hard to imagine he'd been on the Justice Points leaderboard.
The only things of value on him were those thirty Sea Shells and the Death's Blind Box Gashapon Machine, whose purpose was unclear. The machine was probably something he'd gotten from the Treasure Chest marked on the Treasure Map.
Come to think of it, Brave the World's four basic attributes weren't high, and neither was his strength. The ten Justice Points he had were probably thanks to his lion.
Ling Chu focused her attention on the Gacha Machine.
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