Chapter Twenty-Three: Dividing the Gold

Pirate Command Token (Special): A single-use consumable item. Upon use, it summons a squad of Black Sail Pirates numbering between 10 and 20, with levels ranging from 15 to 25, to fight for you. The effect lasts for one hour.

"Whoa, there's actually something like this? Which chest dropped it?"

"The final boss chest."

"This thing is kind of crazy. With so many, you could surround and kill a boss."

Even Chu Cheng was somewhat surprised by its value.

Theoretically, if you reach the maximum, summoning 20 level-25 Black Sail Pirates, you could surround and kill the end boss of any small dungeon except those with magical abilities.

Take this dungeon, for instance—aside from the Pirate King, all the other major bosses around level thirty could be taken down by sheer numbers.

"This item is extremely valuable. Used wisely, it can reap tremendous benefits. So the starting bid is set at 50 silver, with each increase no less than 1 silver. I'll start with 50 silver."

Everyone exchanged glances. Zhang Chunlei decisively bid:

"55 silver."

Cheng Mingyue, who rarely bid, also raised her hand:

"60 silver."

Zhang Qing grinned and said:

"With so many underlings as cannon fodder, I could solo a boss myself. 65 silver."

Everyone looked to Chu Cheng, who waved his hand:

"Don't look at me, I'm broke."

He only had a little over thirty silver, not even enough for the starting bid.

"70 silver."

"75 silver."

"80 silver."

"...."

The bidding volleyed back and forth, quickly reaching 100 silver, and none of the four contenders backed down.

A short while later, the price had soared to an astonishing 150 silver, which was beyond his expectations.

Even at this price, all four remained in the running, still bidding, leaving Chu Cheng both amazed and confused.

"Is this thing really worth so much?"

The reply came in the form of the ever-climbing bids.

When the price reached 180 silver, Cheng Mingyue and Zhang Qing dropped out—not because it was too expensive, but because they were out of funds.

The remaining Wang Weilong and Zhang Chunlei were wealthy enough to keep bidding.

Half a minute later, when Wang Weilong boldly raised the bid to a staggering 260 silver, Zhang Chunlei finally conceded.

"The chest yielded a total of 21 silver and 55 copper."

"Flintlock pistol, 2 silver 50 copper."

"Belt, 3 silver."

"Combo Skill Book, 6 silver."

"Cooking Recipe, 6 silver."

"Heavy Armor, 18 silver."

"Command Token, 260 silver."

"Total: 317 silver 5 copper."

"As previously agreed, divide into six shares, each share is 52 silver 91 copper, correct?"

"Correct."

"Everyone performed exceptionally well during this operation, no slackers, so full payment for all."

"Chu Cheng served as main tank and did an excellent job. As agreed, he receives 100% main tank bonus. Any objections?"

Everyone laughed:

"No objections."

"Alright, Chu Cheng gets a total of 105 silver 82 copper. The four of us each get 52 silver 91 copper."

Wang Weilong calculated the shares and made the trades one by one. Chu Cheng soon received a dividend exceeding one gold.

"Not bad!"

This was his greatest haul since obtaining the Chaos Mark and condensing the Body of Law.

"Subtracting the belt—3 silver—and heavy armor—18 silver—leaves 88 silver 82 copper. Adding previous earnings and principal, he now had a total of 129 silver 74 copper, more than one gold."

"Additionally, he had swapped for a green belt, a blue-grade heavy armor, a sapphire gem, a Mana Pearl, the skill Thunder Slash, and the blue-grade weapon Pirate Nemesis."

"Hmm, and there was still an unopened blue chest."

He was pondering whether to open it when Wang Weilong said,

"This major class session is over. You can return now. See you next class."

"Goodbye."

Everyone waved and began to return.

Chu Cheng thought it over, decided he didn't feel like fishing anymore, and chose to return as well.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he felt solid ground beneath his feet. When he opened his eyes, he saw the crackling lightning teleportation gate.

Leaving the teleportation point, he headed straight to his dorm.

After a quick wash, he sat at his desk and took out the blue chest awarded by the storyline.

He reached out and touched the chest, which shimmered with streaks of red light. Chu Cheng clasped his hands and silently prayed:

"May the Three Pure Ones and the Buddha above bless me with something good!"

He pressed both hands on the chest and opened it forcefully.

A surge of brilliant white light shot skyward, then gradually dispersed, revealing three items inside.

He reached in, grabbed the items, and a hint of delight appeared on his face.

A skill scroll: Aimed Shot.

A pair of blue, high-quality plate boots.

Three premium magic gems, all sapphires.

"Not bad."

The magic gems needed no explanation—they'd certainly be useful.

The boots, though plate armor, met his attribute requirements and could be equipped.

Aimed Shot was best for ranged classes, but warriors could learn it too—though it wasn't particularly useful.

Melee classes could equip bows, crossbows, guns, or throwing knives as ranged weapons, but without specialized skills and talents, couldn't fully wield their power. They were mainly used to pull monsters or finish off enemies.

Trample Boots (Excellent/Blue)

Equipment Type: Footwear.

Requirement: Agility 15, Strength 20

Base Attribute: Defense +6.

Bonus Attribute: Strength +2.

Bonus Skill: Trample—stomp the ground, dealing physical damage equal to Strength x5 to all ground targets within a 3-meter radius, slows by 30%, lasts 3 seconds, cooldown 15 seconds.

Plate boots differ from leather boots—they don't grant speed or agility, only defense and strength, making them a distinct type.

This equipment came with a decent soft control skill and was considered top-tier.

Since his agility was sufficient, Chu Cheng swapped out his lightweight boots and put on the blue gear.

With his gear changed, Chu Cheng opened the flea market and listed all his replaced equipment, including two plain curved swords, the skill scrolls Thunder Slash and Aimed Shot, and the weapon Pirate Nemesis.

He set random prices for the plain curved swords.

Thunder Slash and Aimed Shot were listed for 20 silver and 15 silver respectively, with the latter being slightly cheaper.

Pirate Nemesis was listed for 25 silver.

Done, Chu Cheng opened the flea market's skill templates, browsed carefully for a while, and picked out two decent minor skills: Acceleration and Heavy Strike.

Acceleration (Basic): Increases movement speed by 20% for 15 seconds, cooldown 2 minutes, price 15 silver.

Heavy Strike (Basic): Delivers a powerful blow to the target, dealing 150% of maximum physical attack, cooldown 30 seconds, price 15 silver.

One for speed, one for single-target damage—both minor skills.

He bought them outright at the listed price, and through the Chaos Network, quickly received them. Chu Cheng didn't hesitate to learn them.

As before, a golden finger triggered in his mind, streams of light flowed into the skills, transforming them. The two ordinary minor skills instantly became two powerful skills he’d never seen before.

Swift (Intermediate): Increases movement speed by 50%. When running, has a 50% chance to dodge physical attacks. Lasts 15 seconds, cooldown 2 minutes.

Mighty Strike (Intermediate): Delivers a powerful blow to the target, dealing 200% of maximum physical attack. Has a chance to trigger a Crushing effect. Cooldown 30 seconds.

Tip: The greater the strength difference, the higher the trigger probability.