Chapter Nine: Spoils of War

The refugees soon departed, leaving behind five silver coins as a token of gratitude.

Chu Cheng paid it little mind; after all, they were refugees—who could expect anything of real value from them? Five silver coins was already more than enough; the real prize lay in the spoils of battle.

Rubbing his hands together with excitement, he first took out the loot chest from the Black Sail squad leader.

The glowing orb transformed into a wooden chest, which, when opened, revealed two items within.

A curved saber and a small coin pouch.

He opened the coin pouch first, finding inside one silver and twenty-four copper coins.

The curved saber was level twelve equipment, but only of common quality, worth about forty or fifty copper coins at best. All together, the loot came to one silver and seventy copper coins.

This haul was, at best, mediocre.

Next, he moved on to the Pirate Captain’s loot chest—a blue chest, its superior material immediately highlighting the difference in quality.

With anticipation, Chu Cheng opened the chest and withdrew three items.

Another small coin pouch, a scroll, and a delicate little box.

Inside the pouch were three silver coins.

He took the scroll in hand; instantly, a transparent screen of light appeared, displaying its introduction.

Skill Scroll: Thunderclap Slash.

Effect: Strike the target with thunderous force, dealing 150% of the wielder’s maximum physical attack as damage, with a chance to tear wounds and trigger minor bleeding. Cooldown: one minute.

Note: Requires 15 Strength, 15 Agility, a melee class, and a two-handed weapon.

He let out a wordless sigh at the last requirement.

He could purchase a two-handed weapon, but without specific two-handed weapon skills, he couldn’t activate the corresponding battle technique. In other words, the skill’s requirement for a two-handed weapon implicitly included mastery of such weapons.

If he wanted to use it himself, he’d first have to buy a two-handed weapon skill scroll, learn the skill, then acquire a suitable weapon. Only then could he study and wield the Thunderclap Slash.

“What a hassle.”

He put the scroll away for now, then opened the exquisite wooden box, from which a burst of blue light instantly spilled forth.

Sapphire (Refined): A magical gem that can be embedded in equipment to enhance attributes.

“This is a treasure.”

Chu Cheng recalled that sapphires carried the frost attribute. Embedded in a weapon of refined quality, they could greatly boost frost elemental damage and add a slowing effect.

However, embedding gems in equipment required first drilling sockets into the gear—a task for a blacksmith—followed by a jeweler who would cut the magical gem and set it into place.

The number of possible sockets varied by equipment type, with weapons and armor generally allowing more than gloves or boots, and two-handed weapons more than one-handed ones. Most equipment required manual socketing, yet rare pieces sometimes came with sockets pre-installed, and such equipment could not be further modified.

Chu Cheng put the sapphire away, intending to save it for a worthy piece of equipment in the future—once embedded, these couldn’t be removed. Magical gems of this quality fetched forty or fifty silver coins apiece; ordinary green-grade gear was hardly deserving.

Unless he found a green-grade piece with four natural sockets, in which case it might be worth the investment—embed a few choice magical gems, and it would serve him well for a long time.

Satisfied with his spoils, Chu Cheng dusted off his hands and looked toward the valley ahead, where the burning town of Braed was billowing thick smoke. He followed the path the refugees had taken.

He hadn’t walked far before he reached the canyon’s edge. Parting the undergrowth, he gazed down at the valley below: the small town shrouded in fire and smoke, chaos reigning as the massacre continued.

Many militia and able-bodied townsfolk had taken up arms, using buildings for cover as they fought the pirates in a desperate retreat. Chu Cheng could make out students among them—a fair number at that.

He looked to the other side of the town, where a massive fleet was anchored offshore. At its center stood a seven-masted flagship bearing the pirate banner, its decks bristling with cannon. Bright flashes and plumes of smoke erupted intermittently; shells, trailing thick smoke, arced through the sky, crashing into the town below.

“They really dare to charge in like that!”

“Don’t they fear getting hit by cannon fire?”

Though these cannons were nothing compared to modern weaponry, a solid shot of that size from such a distance was beyond what flesh and blood could withstand.

At least Chu Cheng wouldn’t dare—one hit, even with his current health, would leave him half-dead.

If unlucky enough to be struck by a large-caliber shot, it could mean instant death.

There wouldn’t be time to activate an escape scroll; most likely, it would be over in a heartbeat.

Yet, even in this brief observation, he could already see more than thirty students within his field of vision. Including those hidden, there were probably over a class’s worth.

“Could several classes be working together?”

Chu Cheng immediately opened the local channel. Everything seemed normal—only a handful of people chatting, none apparently in Braed.

Switching to the class channel, he found quite a few talking, discussing the current massacre in Braed. But from their words, it was clear they weren’t present—their conversation bore no relation to the ongoing battle.

He waited a moment, then simply asked in the channel:

“Does anyone know what’s happening in Braed right now? I see a lot of people in town fighting the pirate landing party—are they from our class? Why is the channel so quiet?”

After a few seconds of silence, a classmate named Zhang Ning replied:

“You don’t know? The class leaders of Classes One, Two, Four, and ours—Class Five—have joined forces to pull off something big.”

Chu Cheng started, surprised. “Seriously? They really meant what they said before? Are they planning to ambush the Pirate King in Braed?”

“Aren’t they worried… about the dangers?”

“That’s not quite it. The Pirate King is so powerful—how many of us would have to die to pull that off? Even if they wanted to, the teachers wouldn’t allow it.”

“So what are they planning?”

“I can’t tell you right now. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Damn…”

Chu Cheng closed the channel, his gaze once more falling upon the burning town below, a look of hesitation flickering on his face.

According to the school’s published information, Braed featured a critical side quest—Saving Braed. As long as the town survived the next three hours without being wiped out, the quest would be considered complete. The more townsfolk who survived, the higher your performance rating—and the greater your reward.

It was said that a rating above three stars would earn you skill points to upgrade your abilities.

A four-star rating would grant additional free attribute points.

If you managed the highest five-star rating, not only would you receive skill and attribute points, but also a piece of rare equipment perfectly tailored to you—one boasting exceptional power.

The rewards were indeed tempting, but the risks were equally severe.

This was no game.

Though there were various resurrection methods within the Chaos Realm—Chaos Stones, resurrection scrolls—none were within his reach. The school certainly wouldn’t pay such a price for him.

For the vast majority of students, death during class meant death for real.