Chapter 31: Experimental Upgrade

Inside the Dream Chamber.

Julia gazed at the image reflected in the mirror, a profound look of surprise surfacing in her eyes behind her lenses.

"A swordsmanship style I have never seen before..."

"No, it is not merely swordsmanship. It is more like a style that integrates the abilities of a career system."

She mused for a moment, "Could it be one of the combat techniques rumored to exist in the Principality of Main?"

"I am rather curious..."

Julia looked toward Frelia, who was sunken deep into the sofa, utterly indifferent to the events transpiring outside. "Your Highness, do you require me to have Mowen..."

"There is no need."

Frelia’s eyes, with their faint, bright yellow pupils, reflected the ceiling. An ethereal voice emanated from her. "I have made a pact with her."

"The day belongs to me; the dream belongs to her."

"Therefore, no matter what Mowen and she experience in the dream, or what they obtain, I will not interfere."

"The same applies to you."

Hearing this, Julia fell silent for a moment before nodding. "I understand."

...

On the deck, Mowen shook his head as he watched Evans stand up to tend to his own wounds.

Although the process had been a bit unconventional, at least he had given the fellow a beating, which served as a cathartic release. As for what would happen later... he would have to wait for another opportunity. The main issue was that this guy was composed of something rather peculiar.

Withdrawing his gaze, Mowen pondered for a moment before walking to the entrance of the Dream Chamber and calling out:

"Captain, may I go explore the Star-Chasing Port later?"

"As you wish. By the way, tonight's experiment is canceled. I need to perform an experimental upgrade; you may come back tomorrow night."

Julia’s voice transmitted directly into Mowen’s ears.

He froze for a moment.

Experimental upgrade? An upgrade in what regard?

Mowen dared not utter a word when it came to knowledge in that field. It was the instinct of a mediocre student in the presence of a scholar. Not being able to enter the dream left Mowen feeling a bit reluctant; after all, gaining career experience in his dream-self was truly convenient. But since Julia had spoken, he had no choice.

"Understood."

After replying, he turned to Evans, who had finished dressing his wounds. "Little Evans, meet at the forward deck at six o'clock."

Evans nodded silently, saying nothing. Clearly, although he subscribed to the "theory of the strong dominating the weak," losing to Mowen had dealt him a significant blow.

...

Returning to the room assigned to him—a cabin on the lower level—Mowen exhaled softly. A faint, sour, musty odor permeated the air; clearly, the environment here could not be described as pleasant.

"Someday, I will move to a room on the deck!"

He swore to himself, then cleared away the clutter in the cabin to create a space barely large enough for sword practice. While his victory over Evans today might have looked easy, he had actually used his full strength once Evans entered the "Candlelight" state in the latter half of the fight. It was only because Evans’s swordsmanship was lackluster that he had managed it.

If Evans had been slightly faster, or possessed other means to block his strikes, the battle certainly would not have ended so quickly...

This realization filled Mowen with a deep sense of unease. Having experienced the feeling of "humiliating" someone, the mere thought of Evans "learning from shame and becoming brave," eventually surpassing him in strength and then "humiliating" him in return, sent a chill down his spine.

That scenario must never happen!

He had to work hard to become stronger. Apart from increasing his level through career experience, the only way for him to improve his strength was through sword practice.

Come to think of it, during his fight with Evans today, Mowen had toyed with the idea of testing whether he could gain career experience simply by defeating an enemy without killing them. But the idea was beautiful while reality was harsh. Perhaps because the act of merely defeating him did not fit the definition of a "Black Beast crew member," Mowen had failed to gain any career experience. Had it not been for that, he would not be here so obediently practicing his swordsmanship. He would have been busy dragging Evans into another intense spar!

Drawing the iron longsword from his waist, Mowen began practicing the Thousand Wind Swordsmanship. This longsword was a relic left behind by a former Black Beast crew member; although the quality was poor, it was sufficient for practice. He certainly couldn't keep draining his blood to manifest the "Sword of True Blood" just for training; that would be too extravagant.

...

Time spent in sword practice always flies by. When the sunlight streaming in from the porthole turned dim and yellow, Mowen finally stopped his movements.

"Hoo..."

He let out a long breath, a duration of exhalation that an ordinary person could never achieve. Ten full hours of practice had given Mowen a deeper understanding of the Thousand Wind Swordsmanship, and the notifications on his panel highlighted this.

—

【Through sword practice... [Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style] proficiency increased!】

【Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style - Mastery Lv.2 (30/200) → Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style - Mastery Lv.2 (130/200)!】

The intense battles with the Beetle and Evans had brought Mowen 30 points of proficiency—the former provided 20, the latter only 10—plus the newly acquired 100 points. This meant that with seven more hours of practice, he could elevate the Thousand Wind Swordsmanship to the next level.

Referring to the fact that his career skills leveled up at [Black Beast Crew Member] Lv.3 and Lv.5, it was possible that [Swordsmanship: Thousand Wind Style] might undergo some new changes at level 3.

Mowen was filled with anticipation. Although he wanted to continue practicing until the skill leveled up, his spirit was already reaching its limit.

...

Sword practice consumed both physical stamina and mental focus. While the former was constantly replenished by his career talent, [Heart of the Black Beast], while he was aboard the Black Beast, the latter could not be so easily managed.

Ten hours of practice a day—amounting to 100 proficiency points—was already Mowen's limit. Any more than that, and his spirit would collapse.

"I wonder if increasing my spirituality will solve this problem."

Looking at his spirituality, which was a pathetic 1.2 compared to his physique on the panel, Mowen mused.

Thanks to the [Heart of the Black Beast], Mowen discovered that he did not feel hungry even if he did not eat. This career talent, which had little use in battle due to his [Half-Doll Body], was unexpectedly useful in daily life.

Indeed, there were no useless talents or skills, only professionals who did not know how to use them.

After tidying up and resting briefly, Mowen left the cabin and walked to the upper forward deck. From a distance, he saw Evans already waiting there.

The blond youth had his arms crossed; after some internal reflection during this time, his face no longer showed any signs of abnormality. Upon seeing Mowen, he even bowed slightly with a hint of respect. "Captain."

This gave Mowen goosebumps.

Too lazy to dwell on this fellow of such high "purity," Mowen waved his hand. "Let's go."

...

This investigative mission needed to be carried out in secret. Therefore, Mowen did not choose to walk off the ship in plain sight; after all, the patrolling soldiers at the dock were not blind. To avoid any complications, he waited until the sky was completely dark before taking Evans to circle around to the other side.

The dock, which was bustling with endless crowds during the day, was mostly deserted at night. Aside from a few rooms that appeared to be gathering spots for dock laborers, where lights still flickered in anticipation of potential merchant ships, most dwellings were shrouded in darkness.

Candles, or even kerosene lamps, were luxury items for these impoverished dock workers. Unless absolutely necessary, they did not light lamps at night; every household went to sleep shortly after dark.

This situation only changed once they left the docks and entered the city proper.

Under the dim streetlights, Mowen and Evans walked one after the other.

After a long while, Evans whispered, "...Captain, which noble's mansion are we going to investigate?"

"No, we aren't going to a noble's mansion." Since Evans was his team member, Mowen did not hide their objective. "We are going to find someone first."

"A shady middleman who works for the nobles."

A curve formed at the corner of Mowen's mouth. He had not forgotten why he had been captured and brought onto the Black Beast. He was never a person who held grudges; he usually preferred to settle them as soon as possible.