Chapter 3: The Standard Weapon of a Mage Is the Longsword

[Ding! Learned Sailor’s Basic Swordsmanship, currently Level 1.]

[Sailor’s Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1: You have mastered the basics of swordsmanship used in naval combat. Your skill is equivalent to that of an apprentice sailor who has practiced swordsmanship for three months. Strength +0.1, Agility +0.1.]

[Note: Sailor’s Basic Swordsmanship is the simplest sword technique taught to sailors, enabling them to fight on a rolling deck, slender ropes, or atop tall masts. It requires both sufficient strength and nimble footwork.]

As a faint warmth flowed through his arm, Liu Zhi could feel subtle changes in his body. The cutlass in his grip seemed to obey him more readily, as if he’d spent countless hours drilling with it.

A glimmer of excitement flashed in Liu Zhi’s eyes. He didn’t even glance at the cargo in the hold; such things might have been treasures to the former Sandru, but to him, they held little value.

He pushed open the cabin door and strode out, cutlass in hand.

The moment he stepped through, Liu Zhi instinctively closed the cabin door behind him. Perhaps it was the last trace of attachment left by that fallen noble, Sandru.

Liu Zhi’s pace quickened. He hadn’t left the cabin since boarding, but he still remembered the ship’s layout. He dashed up the stairs to the deck and took in the situation at a glance.

Their vessel was a three-masted Galen merchant ship, thirty-five meters long and twelve meters wide, with nearly a hundred sailors aboard.

At this moment, their ship was caught between two medium-sized warships, both noticeably shorter in height with few cannons. Strange-looking pirates, cutlasses clenched between their teeth, were swinging aboard using ropes.

The sailors were engaged in pitched battle with the pirates; the clash of steel rang out across the deck.

When Liu Zhi burst onto the deck, he saw a sailor locked in combat with a pirate. He had no intention of waiting for the pirate to finish off the sailor—without hesitation, he raised his cutlass and struck from behind. The blade sliced into the pirate’s neck.

Liu Zhi’s skill in Fortress Navy Swordsmanship was at the most rudimentary level; his strike was crude and unrefined.

But the sailor had the pirate occupied, and the pirate never expected an attack from behind. Liu Zhi’s cut went halfway through the pirate’s neck.

His cutlass stuck in the pirate’s neck.

Seeing his opponent was finished, the sailor quickly lunged toward another fight, as several more pirates leapt onto the deck.

Yet as he darted away, the sailor called out, “Don’t strike at the bone! It slows your sword on the rebound.”

Liu Zhi had no time for such advice; he’d just gained another thirty experience points, confirming that killing pirates brought experience.

He glanced at his attribute screen. Beside [Sailor’s Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1], a gray plus sign had appeared. Focusing on it, he saw (35/90).

“So, the experience required increases. Makes sense; if it only ever took thirty points, I could grind this naval swordsmanship to level one hundred.”

Muttering to himself, Liu Zhi began searching for his next target.

Fortunately, the chaos on deck made it easy. Two sailors were simultaneously fending off three pirates, fighting evenly matched.

Observing for a moment, Liu Zhi assessed the situation. These two sailors were skilled and worked well together. They looked surprised to see him approach; after all, they knew several wealthy passengers had rented cabins below, but hadn’t expected Liu Zhi to throw himself into battle.

Liu Zhi also realized now that he wasn’t on their level and couldn’t join their fight directly. So he shouted, “Let me take one! I can hold him off.”

The two sailors immediately adjusted, assigning one pirate to Liu Zhi while they focused on the other two.

Facing his designated pirate, Liu Zhi advanced and swung his cutlass.

The pirate was startled at first, thinking Liu Zhi was a master. But after a single swing, he realized Liu Zhi was just a greenhorn. Grinning, the pirate slashed at Liu Zhi.

But Liu Zhi suppressed his nerves and concentrated on the duel. Though the pirate’s swordplay was decent, his physical attributes were slightly inferior to Liu Zhi’s.

That slight difference allowed Liu Zhi to parry every attack.

Then a voice called from behind, “Raise your blade! Don’t swing so wide—steady your hand…”

Liu Zhi hadn’t even processed the advice, but the pirate was startled. Liu Zhi suspected one of the sailors, having dispatched his opponent, was now coaching him.

With confidence surging, Liu Zhi’s attacks became steadier. The pirate, sensing the shift, grew flustered. Seizing the opening, Liu Zhi knocked aside the pirate’s weapon and drove his cutlass into the man’s heart.

Kicking the pirate’s body aside, Liu Zhi heard the sailor’s voice behind him.

“Well done. Keep at it.”

Liu Zhi turned and saw only one of the two sailors still there, the other having already plunged back into the fray.

He couldn’t help but marvel at their skill. Their blades seemed to be extensions of their arms—precise and swift, unaffected by the ship’s rocking.

He wondered when he’d reach that level.

Shaking off the thought, Liu Zhi scanned for another opponent. He spotted a lone pirate, but just as he was about to engage, he noticed something odd about his experience bar for [Sailor’s Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1]: (9+73/90)?

He’d gained thirty-eight points from the last pirate, adding to the original thirty-five for a total of seventy-three. But what was the nine?

He stepped aside to check, and realized that during his fight with the pirate, he’d seen several small increments—+1s and +2s—appear.

A sudden realization struck him: the extra experience had come from the sailor’s pointers.

So, not only could he gain experience by killing enemies, but also from being instructed by others—and probably from practicing or reading as well.

Excited by this new avenue for growth, Liu Zhi let out a shout and charged at the solitary pirate, cutlass raised.