Chapter 213: Section 1: Dragon-man Youth
Over the dense jungle canopy, suddenly a flock of colorful birds took flight.
A sharp scimitar carved a gleaming path through the air, slicing the obstructing vines in two.
Continually hacking with the scimitar, they finally cleaved a narrow pathway.
Leading the way were two members of the Human Race, one wielding a scimitar, while the other grasped a broad-bladed battle axe in both hands.
Behind them stretched a long line.
Most of the group was of the Human Race, but there were also Beastmen, Half-Elves, Half-Beasts, and so on.
Their equipment was not top-notch; many were clad only in cotton armor, not leather armor. A few carried crossbows and long guns. The majority, however, wielded melee weapons, with scimitars being the most common.
Their appearances were far from neat, many were exceedingly scruffy with disheveled hair and a mouth full of yellow teeth. Some reeked so heavily, they seemed not to have bathed in ages.
Many had missing body parts, lacking arms or legs, replaced with prosthetics.
This was a band of pirates.
The leader of the pirates was a Rat-man.
His actual name was unknown; everyone simply called him Gray.
His body resembled that of a human, with arms and legs, but his head was that of a rat’s, and he was covered in rat fur. His hands were not human with five fingers, but rat-like with four.
Unlike his subordinates, Gray was immaculately dressed in a knight’s clothes, which were quite tidy, and he even had a delicate handkerchief tucked neatly into the pocket of his chest.
His rat fur was gray, clearly well-maintained, both smooth and soft.
Additionally, he bore not a hint of unpleasant body odor, but rather a scent of fragrance.
He had sprayed on perfume.
He strode in expertly crafted, thigh-high, black leather boots, and at his waist hung a Stabbing Sword.
“This damn weather! I hate this place…” the pirate leader, Gray, tugged at his collar.
His collar was stylish, but because of this, it clung tightly around his neck. Walking through the hot and humid rainforest, Gray sweated profusely, his collar choking him, making him suffer immensely.
After an intense mental struggle, he finally decided to unfasten the first button near his neck.
Instantly, he exhaled a turbid breath, his breathing eased, and he felt much more comfortable.
“Captain, which way should we head next?” Not long after, the group halted their advance, and the vanguard who led the way ran back to inquire of Gray.
The jungle vegetation was dense and obscured the sky, making it easy to lose one’s way. So, every time they covered some distance, the pirates would stop to consult Gray.
Gray cautiously reached for his collar.
He had buttoned it back up again.
Unbuttoning it, he revealed more of his neck and the thin black cord around it.
Hanging from the cord was a small bone.
The bone was pale; by its shape and size, it was likely a goblin’s finger bone.
Gray held the cord, letting the bone dangle.
After a few breaths, the bone began to swing slowly and then, like a compass needle, gently pointed in a certain direction through the jungle.
The bone’s strong reaction filled Gray with delight and curiosity. What kind of treasure could so entice the finger bone?
“We must be close, keep heading in this direction!” Gray said with a hint of urgency in his voice.
Hiss… Hiss…
A multitude of snakes hissed, blocking the pirates’ path, as assorted birds kept plunging down from the sky.
At Gray’s command, the pirates engaged in fierce combat.
They were prepared, having brought plenty of Insect repellent, Snake Repelling Potions, Detoxification Potions, and more.
The snakes and birds were in a frenzied state, seemingly fearless of death, as if they were determined to stop the group of pirates at all costs.
Especially when the snake and bird Magic Beasts joined the fray, the pirates started to crumble.
“Captain, we can’t hold them off!”
“These creatures are too strange; they’re at least twice the size of normal ones.”
“Ah—!” A pirate screamed as a bird Magic Beast pecked out one of his eyes.
Gray let out an irritated snort, “A bunch of useless fools, guess it’s up to me to take action.”
In the next instant, he activated his Fighting energy.
The ends of his smooth and sleek gray fur suddenly blurred, and tiny wisps began to radiate from them, creating faint gray mists.
Within the mists shimmered a silver luster.
He was a Silver Level Fighting energy Cultivator!
Combat Skill—Gray Mist Wave.
In the next moment, accumulated gray mist burst forth from his body, violently spreading outwards and forming ripples of a gray mist wave.
Wherever the gray mist wave passed, snakes and birds alike crashed to the ground, motionless, all life extinguished.
Since there were no Silver Level Magic Beasts, and only a few Black Iron Level snake and bird Magic Beasts, the gray mist effortlessly swept them all away, granting Gray an easy victory.
The pirates burst into cheers.
Gray snorted again, self-satisfaction evident as he stroked his head.
His use of the Combat Skill had shortened his rat fur somewhat. Gray, who always took great care of his appearance, was particularly concerned about this. From a rat’s aesthetic standards, smooth and supple fur was the ultimate indicator of handsomeness.
“This month, I’ve used my Combat Skills very frequently; better use them sparingly from now on. There’s still a fortnight to go before the middle of next month.”
Gray sighed inwardly.
Rat-men would have accelerated blood flow during the full moon, and during the night their wounds would heal quickly, as would their fur growth.
“I do believe, however, that the treasure pointed to by the bone will make up for my losses.”
Crossing the corpses that covered the ground, the figure clad in gray finally reached the central area and saw the true form of the treasure.
There was very little treasure, just one item.
It was a gold coffin that was three meters long and one meter eighty wide. The surface of the coffin was inlaid with bas-reliefs made of green jade, outlined in silver. The green jade and silver outlines depicted the elegant, winding bodies of snakes and their broad, magnificent wings.
Inside the walls of the coffin were twelve murals outlined in black, depicting the styles of the ancients, with themes of deities, creation, worship, and the heavens, among other mythical content.
After their initial surprise, the pirates all showed looks of disappointment.
“Captain, why is there only this one item?”
They had imagined a small mountain of gold and jewels.
The figure in gray gave the coffin close scrutiny and also found it odd. He took out the bone pendant again, and this time the bone’s reaction was extremely violent; the whole bone trembled with excitement, hurtling toward the gold coffin and pulling the rope into a taut, slanted line.
“Is this coffin what the bone is pointing to?”
“What in the world is this thing?”
Although the figure in gray was dressed sharply, his knowledge was limited and he could not discern much, but he had great faith in the bone. He was convinced that this was the goal of his journey and that it was bound to be of immense value.
“My men, search the area to see if there’s a lid for this coffin!” the figure in gray commanded.
Before long, the pirates returned with nothing.
The figure in gray nodded and then assigned six pirates to join forces in lifting the heavy coffin.
The group made their way back along the same path they had come.
The journey back was quite smooth.
Half an hour later, they returned to the seaside. Their pirate ship was docked beside a pile of rocks.
“We’re finally back.”
“I’m soaked to the bone. The first thing I’m doing once I get back on the ship is taking a hot bath.”
Just as the figure in gray began to relax, several figures appeared on the pirate ship.
“Enemies!!” The pirates instantly became agitated and all drew their weapons.
The figure in gray narrowed his eyes to slits.
“You’ve all worked hard.” The enemy leader was a youth.
He had golden hair and eyes as clear and blue as the sky, smiling with pearly white teeth, handsome enough to earn even the figure in gray, a Rat-man, a moment of inner praise: This is a beautiful Human Race youth!
“All we want is this coffin. Put it down, and you can go. I swear on my… er, my honor that we won’t lay a hand on you,” said the beautiful youth in a loud voice.
The pirates burst out laughing.
The figure in gray laughed as well, stroking the soft and smooth fur on his head. “Young Human Race boy, where did you come from? To dare covet what belongs to this great one, you really have a death wish.”
“He must be new! The kind that has just set out to sea.”
“Hahaha, there’s been too many of these little guys popping up lately.”
“Yeah, kid, you’re not fit to sit in the Pirate King’s seat.”
The pirates made a cacophony of noise, gradually relaxing as the life breath emanating from the handsome youth and his companions was weak, with only one of them being Black Iron Level, the rest merely Bronze.
“Alright, I’m in a good mood today. Surrender now, work for us for three months, and we’ll let you go,” the figure in gray waved his hand, having acquired a mysterious treasure, feeling quite a gain. As for this group of enemies, especially the youth who was too attractive, he felt no urge to kill.
The youth leader looked astonished.
One of the Half-Beastmen behind him snorted coldly, “It seems Pearl Bubble has its pros and cons. Let’s stop wasting time!”
“Fair enough,” the youth leader nodded.
In the next instant, the burly Half-Beastman leaped directly from the towering ship’s side.
He spurred his Fighting Energy, holding a Two-Handed Greatsword in one hand as he bravely charged into the crowd.
His action immediately revealed his true Cultivation.
“Silver Level Peak?!” The figure in gray’s pupils shrank sharply, and he quickly dodged to the side.
The pirates fell into fear and panic, completely taken by surprise and utterly no match for the Half-Beastman.
The Half-Beastman wreaked havoc among the pirates, unmatched and unstoppable, stirring up a storm of blood and violence.
The pirates screamed, some retreating, others spurred by ferocity to attack even though they knew they were outmatched, only to die even quicker and more decisively.
“Damn it!” The figure in gray clenched his teeth, his body shuddering.
Combat Skill—Gray Mist Sky!
A few breaths later, the battlefield was enshrouded in a gray fog. The fog had no lethal power but was far from ordinary, severely limiting visibility and perception.
The figure in gray melded perfectly with the gray mist, reappearing behind the youth leader.
“If we subdue him, it will make that Half-Beastman think twice!”
The figure in gray held a Stabbing Sword, its tip lightly pressed against the youth leader’s lower back. “Don’t move! Make one move, and I’ll kill you. Order your men to stand down now!”
The youth leader seemed overly confident and wasn’t wearing any armor, which the figure in gray considered extremely fortunate.
But in the next moment, the figure in gray felt an incredible chill.
The youth leader chuckled lightly, then abruptly stepped back, bracing against the sharp tip of the Stabbing Sword and turned around boldly.
The Stabbing Sword did not pierce his belly. Instead, it bent dramatically, then sparked as it sliced through the youth leader’s clothing and scraped against his skin.
“Dragon Scale!” The figure in gray exclaimed in shock as he saw the large patch of crimson scales beneath the torn clothing.
“Ugh!” The figure in gray’s neck was fiercely grabbed by the youth’s hand.
The youth’s hand was firm as a rock, hard as steel, no longer human but transformed into a Dragon Claw.
The Life Breath of the Silver Level spread everywhere.
“You’re a Dragon-man?!” the figure in gray exclaimed in shock.