Following the pirates as they left the village, Ryu took out a large knife from his backpack. This was the weapon of the first pirate leader he had killed.
He had tested it and found that it could be stored in the backpack, so each time he used it, he only needed to take it out from there.
"Hey~ experience points, here I come!" Ryu shouted inwardly, suddenly accelerating with the large knife in hand. Although he didn't know any sword techniques, dealing with a few drunken pirates was easy enough—he swiftly took them down.
"Hehe~ thanks a lot!" Ryu glanced at the system notification that he had leveled up, quickly grabbing the weapons from the several pirates and taking anything valuable from them as well.
Once he was in a secluded area, Ryu's excitement and tension gradually subsided. Although this wasn't his first kill, his heart still raced, and he felt incredibly nervous.
"Congratulations, host! Level up achieved. You have gained 5 free attribute points and 1 skill point."
"Congratulations, host! Main quest completed. You have gained 300 experience points, 300 diamonds, 2000 berries, 1 Basic Body Refinement Skill Book, 1 Basic Meditation Skill, and 1 Basic Movement Skill!"
"Main quest updated. Please check it yourself!"
At this moment, Ryu opened the system and carefully reviewed the notifications he had missed earlier due to his nervousness.
"Whew~ Let's see if this movement technique has any special effects!" After finishing the training, Ryu began to practice the movement technique according to the memories in his mind.
Just after a few rounds of practice, Ryu became very familiar with it. He also discovered that training this technique not only increased his skill proficiency but also significantly boosted his speed attribute.
Previously, his training mainly increased his strength, and while his speed had increased as well, it was relatively minor. Now, with the movement technique, speed would no longer be his weak point in the future.
Having learned two new skills, Ryu was like a child with a new toy, continuously experimenting until the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon. Only then did he slowly stop and turn back to the wooden house to rest.
As for the corpses of the pirates, he no longer felt much fear. His increase in strength filled him with confidence, and from his earlier observations, this group of pirates had completely lost their ambition. Whether they could trace things back to him was still uncertain, so he felt no worry at all.
Once back in the wooden house, Ryu began meditating to practice the meditation skill. He invested all his remaining skill points, along with the one he received from leveling up, into the Basic Meditation Skill. Now, the Basic Meditation Skill had reached level 2 with over a thousand experience points.
He discovered that while practicing the Basic Meditation Skill couldn't completely replace sleep, it could relax his body and put him in a semi-sleep state. Therefore, since Ryu's strength wasn't powerful enough yet, he naturally chose to meditate instead of sleeping, only opting for actual sleep when he couldn't hold out any longer.
Additionally, he allocated all his remaining attribute points to energy, pushing his energy level past the double digits to 12 points. The reason for focusing entirely on energy was that he found he could manipulate any energy he absorbed into his body with ease. When he applied it to his arms or legs, it enhanced his power greatly.
A simple punch or using the movement technique became much more powerful when infused with energy—his punching power increased more than double, and his movement speed also improved significantly. Thus, he was eager to invest all his points into energy.
As for the main quest, it had changed from level five to level ten. Ryu guessed it might be a tier system every five levels, with the system providing upgrade rewards.
After practicing all morning, he took a short nap around noon. When Ryu got up, he headed to the village and noticed the villagers looked somewhat alarmed.
"Uncle, what's going on?" Ryu asked, pretending to be confused after ordering some food at the restaurant.
"Alas~ This morning, those pirates suddenly discovered that several of their comrades were killed over there, so now they're searching for the murderer! They said that if we don't hand over the killer, they will double the protection fees, and those who can't pay will be killed directly!" The restaurant owner sighed, looking troubled.
"We have no choice. They're among the more reasonable pirates. Generally, when pirates enter a village, they massacre everyone and take all the money before moving on to another place!" The restaurant owner shivered, seemingly recalling something dreadful.
"What are we going to do? Everyone already has little money, and now the protection fee is doubled; many won't be able to pay!" Ryu frowned and asked.
The restaurant owner shook his head, remaining silent. He likely felt powerless; after all, managing to save himself was already quite fortunate.
Ryu clenched his fists, contemplating the success rate of taking action directly.
After finishing his meal, Ryu returned to the wooden house. He needed to rest and regain his strength. That night, he planned to launch a surprise attack. Although he wasn't sure how strong their captain was, these were just a bunch of defeated pirates. If he hesitated, it would likely bring greater trouble to the village.
Soon, night fell, and the village lights gradually dimmed. Besides the bar's weak lighting, the only other source of light came from the pirate ship docked at the island's sole harbor.
Ryu, who was meditating, opened his eyes and took out a pistol and a knife from his backpack. These were his spoils of war. After preparing everything, he slowly walked toward the bar, hoping to encounter a lone pirate. Reducing the number of enemies by even one would be beneficial.
When he arrived at the bar, the owner was just about to lock the door. Ryu, hidden in the shadows, did not step out but instead approached the pirate ship via a side path.
As he neared the pirate ship, he spotted a few pirates laughing and joking as they walked toward it, their arms around each other's shoulders.
Ryu's eyes sharpened as he looked at the pirates.
"It seems these pirates really aren't up to much. Although the deaths of their comrades caught their attention, they still don't take it seriously!" Ryu glanced around, finding no ambush.
However, their numbers were evidently larger than yesterday, and they didn't seem as drunk as the previous group. Ryu also noticed that they were armed, clearly more alert due to the deaths of their comrades.
"Whew~ Here I go!" Ryu moved his internal energy to his feet, activating the movement technique. In the darkness, he approached the pirates swiftly, like a ghost.
"Ah~~" Although Ryu's speed was impressive, he was spotted just as he killed the second pirate.
However, taking advantage of their surprise, he quickly dispatched two more.
"Y-you stay away! Our captain is on the ship; you can't escape!" The last pirate, startled by Ryu's speed, fell to the ground in fear and shouted.
"Hmph!" With a swift strike, Ryu didn't bother to gather the spoils; he fled towards a nearby thicket. The pirates on the ship had already heard the commotion and were starting to stir, shouting and rushing toward him under their captain's lead.
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Started editing the chapters now ^^
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