Dual Profession

Sanfuye was about to cry. Why wasn't this woman playing by the rules?

His limbs were all bound, so he couldn't even stand up. He could only inch forward like a caterpillar, using nothing but the strength of his waist. Even if he could stand, he'd have to hop along like a zombie. How could he possibly escape right under Ling Chu's nose?

Resigned to his fate, Sanfuye slowly wriggled his way toward the Treasure Chest.

He wasn't stupid. When he'd first seen the Treasure Chest sitting all by itself in such an obvious spot, he'd suspected something was fishy and worried there might be a trap inside. Then he'd heard Ling Chu approaching, so he'd taken the opportunity to hide behind a nearby tree, planning to wait for her to open the chest before swooping in and taking everything.

He just hadn't expected to fall into the hands of this little girl.

"Look, both my hands are tied. I can't even open the lock."

Sanfuye tried to struggle one last time.

"Use your teeth."

Ling Chu promptly crushed his hopes.

"..."

At that moment, Sanfuye was like a fish on a chopping block. He had no room to negotiate.

To save his life, he had no choice but to steel himself and do it, even though he knew there was a trap inside.

He helplessly crawled forward and, gritting his teeth, pulled the rusty lock off the Treasure Chest.

As the lock hit the ground, the lid sprang open.

A large cloud of dark green poison gas burst out and spread in every direction.

The instant Sanfuye opened the chest, Ling Chu had already retreated several steps, leaving herself a safe distance away.

Bound like a silkworm, Sanfuye had no way to dodge. He inhaled a large amount of the poison gas through his nose and mouth. His eyes rolled back, and his limbs began to convulse.

Ling Chu waited there for a long while. Only after the poisonous gas had completely dispersed in the wind did she cautiously approach.

Sanfuye was barely breathing. The veins on his face bulged unnaturally, his hands and feet were convulsing, and his lips had turned purple. He looked to be in great pain.

Ling Chu remembered that this guy had a bounty on his head. She didn't mind helping him put an end to his suffering a little sooner.

With a dull thud, Sanfuye breathed his last.

Ling Chu wiped the blood off her dagger. It was her first time killing someone, but she felt little emotional upheaval. Instead, she felt relieved.

Relieved that she'd stayed alert, and relieved that she hadn't let the Treasure Chest cloud her judgment. Otherwise, she'd be the one lying there now.

[You killed player Sanfuye. This player had 30 Sin Points. You gained 30 Justice Points and received a system bounty of 100 Sea Shells.]

[Congratulations! You are the first player to kill a pirate. You have received 1 System Blind Box. It will be air-dropped onto your raft shortly. Please be sure to claim it.]

[Congratulations! You triggered a Special Profession inheritance: Bounty Hunter. Would you like to become a Bounty Hunter?]

Another Special Profession inheritance?

Her Ghost Pirate profession was a Special Profession, and its skills were quite powerful. It seemed Special Professions were valuable things that weren't easy to obtain. Bounty Hunter sounded pretty good, too.

Ling Chu chose yes.

[You have become a Bounty Hunter (Tier 1)]

[You have gained profession skills: Tracking Technique, Bounty is Never Too Much.]

Tracking Technique: You can track and locate the nearest player with a bounty in the surrounding sea. Cooldown: 24 hours.

Bounty is Never Too Much: The system bounties you receive are doubled.

[Your passive skill Bounty is Never Too Much was triggered. You received an additional 100 Sea Shells.]

[Congratulations! You are the first player to have Dual Profession. You have received 1 System Blind Box. It will be air-dropped onto your raft shortly. Please be sure to claim it.]

Ling Chu was very satisfied with this profession.

Her Ghost Pirate profession let her obtain resources by killing players, while her Bounty Hunter profession let her earn rewards by killing wanted players like pirates.

Wouldn't that mean she could thrive on both sides of the law?

She still didn't know what she could do with the Sea Shells awarded by the system, but they seemed to be some kind of currency. They would surely come in handy later.

Ling Chu checked the requirements to advance her Bounty Hunter profession. She only needed to earn 100 Justice Points to reach Tier 2.

That didn't seem difficult, especially since she had a skill like Tracking Technique.

However, until she grew stronger, she wouldn't actively use Tracking Technique to hunt down pirates for their bounties. It was far too dangerous.

Ling Chu then went to inspect the Treasure Chest Sanfuye had opened.

It was empty, save for a few branches clinging to the bottom and several wilted flowers growing on them.

As expected, it was a Trap Chest.

Ling Chu guessed that the poison gas had been released when the flower buds came into contact with the air. She tried moving the chest, but several thick branches had pinned it firmly to the ground. They had apparently crawled up from beneath the soil.

Ling Chu wanted to dig the branches out and take a look, but she didn't have any tools at hand.

Then she remembered that Sanfuye's raft should be moored somewhere near the island. There ought to be plenty of useful things aboard.

Ling Chu returned to the beach and walked halfway around the shoreline. She soon spotted Sanfuye's raft.

Calling it a raft was a bit of a stretch. It was actually a Small Sailboat, and Sanfuye had already upgraded it to Level 2.

[Small Pirate Sailboat (Level 2)]

[Durability Value: 6]

[Speed: 15 kilometers per hour at maximum wind speed]

[Warehouse Capacity: 26/50 slots]

[Durability: 98/100]

[Status: Unclaimed, can be salvaged]

Ling Chu opened the warehouse first and took a quick look inside. There was quite a lot of stuff, and she found exactly what she needed.

A Pickaxe Blueprint and a wooden shovel.

[Old Wooden Shovel]

[Quality: Inferior]

[It has already begun to mold.]

Ling Chu didn't immediately sort through the rest of the supplies. Traveling by boat was faster than walking.

She sailed Sanfuye's boat through the shallow waters and around to the other side of the island. Once she found her own raft, she transferred all the supplies from the sailboat into her Ring, then dismantled the boat as well.

Dismantling the sailboat gave her 20 Wood, 5 Cloth, 5 bundles of Seagrass, 1 Iron Ore, and 1 Dim Pearl.

She recovered roughly half of the basic materials like wood, cloth, and seagrass, while all the rare materials, such as Iron Ore and the pearl, were recovered in full.

Ling Chu couldn't help smiling. With this haul, she could upgrade her raft to Level 2! She was sick of this wretched raft that kept getting her feet wet.

Ling Chu opened the raft interface and selected the upgrade option. A prompt suddenly popped up.

[Would you like to evolve and upgrade your raft in the direction of a profession? You may choose either Ghost Pirate or Bounty Hunter.

(If you choose yes, the upgrade materials will change.)]

Ling Chu thought it over. She liked Ghost Pirate better than Bounty Hunter. Its skills were powerful, and it let her rob and plunder.

Perhaps it was because she'd once watched some over-the-top anime. She'd always felt that, compared to the righteous navy in those shows, free and unrestrained pirates were far more appealing.

Ling Chu chose Ghost Pirate. The raft before her instantly took on a completely new look, transforming into a brand-new Small Sailboat.