Lancelot

Zhang Yao equipped the two pieces of blue gear Drowned Ghost had contributed without a moment's hesitation. After all, he had no equipment on him, so of course he would wear whatever he could get. The moment he clicked Equip, his T-shirt was replaced by black leather armor. There was not a single seam on its pitch-black surface, and moving his arms and legs revealed no restriction whatsoever. Strange patterns branded along its edges gave it an ancient, mysterious air.

Though it was leather armor, it felt about as light as his T-shirt and was even more comfortable. "Nice!" After appreciating the armor's benefits, Zhang Yao raised the dagger before his eyes and examined it closely.

The dagger was a full fifty centimeters long, making it look more like a short sword. Its pale-gray blade gave off no gleam at all, yet the faint chill radiating from it seemed to proclaim its sharpness to the world. The skull on its hilt, which looked as though it were laughing, was especially unsettling.

"Fine armor! Fine dagger!" Zhang Yao kept praising his two pieces of blue gear. But when he saw the Skill Book still sitting in his inventory, he hesitated.

Learning a skill from a Skill Book produced immediate results, but his skill slots were limited. That left Zhang Yao wavering over whether to learn this one. After considerable thought, he finally clicked Learn on the Skill Book.

Zhang Yao decided to learn the Concealment Technique because he would still have nine skill slots available afterward. Besides, what he needed most right now was a skill that could quickly improve his strength or help him escape. From its brief description, he knew the Concealment Technique was definitely suited to escaping or launching sneak attacks-exactly what he needed. So he gritted his teeth and clicked Learn.

Skill learned: Concealment Technique.

Concealment Technique: Grade D support skill. A beginner thief skill that conceals your body in shadows. Level 1, 0/100. Special effect: Conceals your body using shadows. Consumes 1 true qi every 2 seconds. Movement speed decreases by 90% while concealed. Attacking cancels the skill. Cannot be used in illuminated areas. Cooldown: 180 seconds.

After Zhang Yao clicked Learn, the Concealment Technique's detailed stats appeared before him. Reading them, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had guessed it would be useful for escaping or sneak attacks, but that had only been a guess. Now that he had seen its actual stats, he was satisfied despite its restrictions.

After finishing off two pirates and a sailor, Zhang Yao returned to a patch of shadow cast by the ships. He lurked there without moving, looking up to carefully observe the fierce battle between the two sides above.

It had taken Zhang Yao quite some effort to find this spot. Not only did it offer enough shadow to use the Concealment Technique, but its wide field of view also let him observe his surroundings. It was an ideal hiding place.

Hidden in the shadows, Zhang Yao watched the battlefield formed by several gangplanks above him. Though his gaze appeared to be on the battle as a whole, anyone looking closely would have noticed that most of his attention was actually focused on one sailor.

This sailor was clearly different from the others, far surpassing them in both equipment and presence. Clad in an imposing full suit of knight's armor, he wielded a two-handed broadsword with tremendous force. Like a tiger among sheep, he tore through the battlefield, sending the pirates around him fleeing in every direction.

The sailor was indeed powerful. Zhang Yao figured he must be some sort of naval officer. Seeing how unstoppable he was, Zhang Yao privately suspected that Drowned Ghost, whom he had finished off earlier, might well have been knocked into the water by this very man.

Pirates kept getting knocked into the sea, and whenever they did, Zhang Yao moved. He swiftly swam over and dragged those who were still alive down beneath the surface, cleaning up after the powerful sailor.

Pirate killed. Experience gained: 75.

Pirate killed. Experience gained: 75.

After hearing the experience notifications, Zhang Yao quickly swam back to his previous position and continued watching the powerful sailor. Whenever someone was knocked into the water, he immediately swam over to finish them off. The two worked together seamlessly, as though they were the closest of partners.

Just a little more. Just a little more, and I can reach level 5!

Glancing at his experience bar-level 4, 2,900/3,000-Zhang Yao could not contain his excitement. Thanks to the sailor's overwhelming strength, he kept picking off enemies down below. He had thought it would take a long time to level up again, but now he was inwardly cheering at how well things were going.

"Don't get cocky, you navy bastard! Take this!" The sailor's dazzling performance had apparently drawn the pirates' attention. Just as he swung his broadsword again and forced several pirates in front of him to retreat, a furious shout rang out from the pirate ship's deck. A vicious-looking pirate carrying a curved saber stepped into his path, then slashed at him with a blade that whooshed through the air.

Clang! Sparks flew as the curved saber collided with the broadsword. Their first exchange ended in a stalemate.

"Who are you? You're pretty good!" After that probing strike, the newly arrived pirate immediately retreated two steps and carefully sized up the powerful sailor.

Holding his broadsword in one hand, the sailor reversed it and planted it in the gangplank. Then he removed his helmet, revealing a young, handsome face, and courteously addressed the pirate before him. "Lancelot, naval captain of the Dora Merchant Alliance under the Free Alliance, at your service, Captain Sea Wolf."

So this pirate is the captain of the Sea Wolf Pirates! No wonder he looks so fierce! This Lancelot may be strong, but he's far too effeminate! Hidden in the shadows, Zhang Yao silently assessed the two men above. His appraisal of Sea Wolf was fairly reasonable, but his opinion of Lancelot was considerably less generous. That was because he was jealous.

In terms of appearance, Zhang Yao was only somewhat above average, nowhere near as handsome as Lancelot. As for strength, there was even less room for comparison. Even a dozen Zhang Yaos together would be no match for Lancelot as he was now. Faced with someone who surpassed him in every respect, Zhang Yao could not help feeling jealous.

"Lancelot? Never heard of you! Where did you spring from?" Sea Wolf studied Lancelot for a long moment, then shook his head and asked.