Chapter Eleven: Failed Attempt at Slacking Off

There was no opportunity, so naturally, Chu Cheng would not step forward, nor could he betray his classmates for personal gain. He wouldn't dare, either; this instance belonged to the school's private domain, with teachers specifically assigned to supervise. While teachers might not scrutinize every individual action, any large-scale operation involving many students was sure to attract their attention.

If he were to deliberately sabotage the defenses for the sake of a little profit and let the pirates break through, that would amount to premeditated murder—an offense with severe consequences.

Since there was no way to maximize his benefits, he could only try to gain as much advantage as possible.

“For now, this will have to do. Next time, during the upcoming large class session, I'll plan more thoroughly.”

When he re-entered this instance next month, everything would start anew, and he might find a way to pull off something big then.

With that thought, he stepped out of the alley. Immediately, a wounded pirate leaning against the nearby wall spotted him.

“There’s someone there.”

A pirate leader looked over, pointed his curved saber, and ordered, “Kill him.”

Five pirates nearby charged at once, colliding head-on with Chu Cheng.

A flurry of blades and swords rang out, accompanied by two musket shots. Yet it wasn’t the five pirates attacking him who fell, but rather the wounded pirates on the side who collapsed in droves.

“Boss, there’s something strange about this guy!”

The pirates couldn’t see the transparent, refracting blades he wielded, but with their comrades suddenly dropping for no apparent reason and the rest all wounded, it was certainly uncanny.

Still, as Chu Cheng charged forward with dual blades, the leader, having some experience, refrained from engaging directly, but the underlings were clueless. They only believed in the weapons in their own hands—no matter how unusual the situation, they hacked away without hesitation.

And then, along with their companions, they all fell to the ground.

Ordinary pirates were around level twelve or thirteen, with barely over two hundred health points. In this short exchange, Chu Cheng managed to rebound the attacks, killing twenty to thirty of them, leaving the rest barely clinging to life.

“Hm?”

On the northern hill overlooking the town, three men and a woman gazed down, taking in the scene below.

One of them asked in astonishment, “Which class is that? Is it a skill or a talent?”

“Not from Class Two.”

“Nor from Class Four.”

The three men turned simultaneously to the only woman in their group. Class Five’s homeroom teacher, Duan Yuqin, her mature features filled with surprise and confusion, was the focus of the man who spoke first: “What about your class?”

Duan Yuqin shook her head. “He is from my class, but…”

“But what?”

“A few days ago, he was only level nine. How is he already so powerful right after his first job change?”

“Hm?”

A possibility immediately surfaced in the teachers’ minds: “Did he awaken a talent?”

“He seems quite strong.”

“And rather interesting, too.”

The homeroom teachers watched with keen interest, while Duan Yuqin, observing closely, also activated her communicator.

Meanwhile, in a temporary event channel, an astonished voice rang out: “What the heck is going on?”

A student stationed on a rooftop as lookout had spotted the street beyond the alley littered with pirate corpses and asked in shock, “Why are so many pirates dead? Did reinforcements arrive?”

“No way—it's quiet in the regional channel. They’re all attacking Black Sails Island right now. No one was sent over.”

“Then how…”

Before the question was finished, they saw a chaotic retreat of pirates on the far side of the alley, chased by a blood-soaked figure wielding two curved blades.

“What the heck is this?”

“What do you mean, what the heck?”

“I think I just saw someone drive all the pirates from the left alley out.”

“???”

“One person? Are you kidding me?”

“Other than a few teachers, who could manage that in this instance? There are still ten days left in the month—no way the teachers’ group would step in now.”

“It’s real, I just—”

“No need to explain, I see it myself.”

At a certain alley entrance, a formation of players stared in disbelief as a lone figure chased a crowd of pirates past them.

The students and militiamen exchanged looks, and one of them suggested, “Let’s check it out.”

Soon, several capable students exited the left alley. Upon seeing the street strewn with pirate corpses, their expressions were a mix of gravity and surprise.

Cautiously, they peered out, just in time to see the bloodied figure at the far end of the street chasing a group of pirates onto the main road, then vanishing from sight.

The group gazed at the carnage, exchanging puzzled glances.

“Who is this powerhouse?”

On the main street, Chu Cheng continued to herd a large group of pirates toward the sea. When he was less than a hundred meters from the harbor, a tingling sensation crawled over his scalp—a warning flaring in his mind. He stopped abruptly and flipped backward.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

In an instant, more than a dozen solid cannonballs arced through the air, crashing down right where he’d just stood.

Chu Cheng had managed to dodge, but many pirates were struck by the ricocheting cannonballs, their agonized screams ringing out.

Shaken, Chu Cheng darted into a side alley without another word.

“Brutal—they’re even shelling their own.”

He grimaced, then slipped along the alleyway, retreating toward the outskirts of the town.

From here, there was little else he could do. The pirates had suffered heavy losses and likely wouldn’t dare press the attack, nor could he risk venturing into the port himself. There was little point in remaining inside the town.

He sprinted to the edge of the settlement, climbed up a side path along the ravine, and found a spot behind some shrubs to rest.

After waiting about half an hour, the pirates gradually withdrew to their ships, and the pirate fleet slowly sailed away from the town.

Once the pirate fleet disappeared beyond the outer waters, Chu Cheng received a notification:

“Notice: The Battle of Blade Town scenario has ended. Settlement commencing…”

“Notice: Base evaluation—10 points.”

“Notice: Rescued 12 civilians, score +12.”

“Notice: Defeated 128 Black Sails pirates, score +64.”

“Notice: Defeated 1 pirate leader, score +5.”

“Notice: Final score 91 points, overall rating two stars.”

“Final rewards: 1 blue chest, 3,000 slaughter experience.”

“Oh, not bad at all.”

This was within his expectations. He’d arrived too late, so earning more than two stars was unlikely.

“Open chest!”

Excited, Chu Cheng rubbed his hands together, lining up the blue chest and four wooden chests before him.

He’d just slain over a hundred pirates, including some pirate squad leaders, yielding a total of four loot chests.

The drop rate was quite low—ordinary mobs rarely yielded loot; only elite monsters or mini-bosses had higher rates.

He opened the four chests in turn, obtaining four purses, a plain curved saber, a mana pearl, and a pair of green-quality boots.

The four purses held a total of 3 silver and 88 copper.

The mana pearl was also of green quality, but not a magic gem; rather, it was a consumable item. When used, it instantly restored 250 mana points, then an additional 25 mana per second for the next fifteen seconds—for a total of 500 mana.

This was quite valuable and could fetch several silver coins.

“Pirate’s Light Boots” (Excellent/Green)

Equipment type: Footwear.

Requirement: Agility 12.

Base attribute: Movement speed +8.

Bonus attribute: Movement speed +4.

Description: A pair of boots favored by the Black Sails pirate leader, granting you greater speed.

“Not bad at all!”

Chu Cheng immediately equipped the boots, walked a few steps, and indeed felt much lighter on his feet.

Finally, it was time for the blue chest. He rubbed his hands together to warm them, placed his palm atop the chest, and opened it.