Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

Jake finished wiping the last of the sticky mucus from his boots and finally straightened up.

A faint, satisfied smile slowly spread across his face as he looked out at the dark waters where the sea beast’s corpse was already beginning to sink.

That single strike...

The feeling of the red-thunderous aura exploding through his sword, the way the world had slowed down.

The clean, overwhelming cut that severed the monster’s neck in one motion... it all lingered vividly in his mind.

And in that moment, he finally understood.

...He now understood why the price for upgrading a skill was so ridiculous.

Now, after experiencing the difference with his own body, it made perfect sense.

Even a single level of growth in a high-grade skill wasn’t just a small improvement.

It was a qualitative change.

The density of the aura, the sharpness of the slash, the way his body moved with instinctive precision... all of it had jumped to another level.

If this was only the beginning of what higher skill ranks could offer, then those ridiculous upgrade costs weren’t expensive at all.

They were cheap.

Jake’s eyes narrowed slightly as he clenched his fist, feeling the lingering traces of power still circulating through his body.

He then opened his status window.

[Name: Jake Bond]

[Class: Aura Knight (Elite)]

[Unique Class: Bonds Captain (???)]

[Strength: Superhuman] NEW

[Intelligence: Trained]

[Vitality: Trained]

[Agility: Trained]

[Endurance: Trained]

[Luck: Legendary]

[Skills:]

- Aura (Passive – Lv.2)

- Aura Manipulation (Lv.2)

- Aura Perception (Passive – Lv.1)

- Advanced Combat Mastery (Passive – Lv.1)

- Light Manifestation (Lv.1)

- Aura Slash (Lv.1)

- Charisma (Passive – Lv.2)

- Battle Adept (Passive – Lv.2)

- Instinct (Passive – Lv.3)

- Bonds (Passive – ???)

- State Allocation (???)

- Class Appraisal (Lv.2)

- Sex Fiend (Passive)

[Upgrade Points: 50]

[Crew (Pirate): Grace Lightborn]

A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of Jake’s lips as he closed the window.

These past few days they had been completely occupied with patrol duties, and preparations for entering the Dead Sea Line.

Because of that, he had barely found any proper time to deepen his bond with Grace.

As a result, the Upgrade Points he managed to gather were limited.

In the end, he had only been able to push his Strength all the way up to [Superhuman] just this morning.

But even so...

The difference was insane.

Just that single stat upgrade had completely transformed the power behind his strikes.

The sea beast just now hadn’t even been able to react properly before its head was already flying.

The density of his aura, the explosive force in his muscles, the way his body moved... everything felt sharper and heavier than before.

If this was what only one Superhuman-level stat felt like...

Then what would happen when he pushed the others up as well?

Jake exhaled slowly, the smile on his face deepening just a little.

Without caring about the many gazes still fixed on them, Grace quickly walked over to Jake’s side.

Her golden eyes were bright with pride, as if the overwhelming strike that had just slain the sea beast was her own achievement.

She reached out and gently held onto the edge of his sleeve, her voice soft but filled with genuine emotion.

"That was amazing, Jake!"

Jake glanced down at her and gave a small smile, but before he could reply, a familiar heavy presence approached.

Garrick walked over with a wry smile on his face, his sharp eyes studying Jake from head to toe.

"You...You’re an Elite Class?" he said slowly.

According to the Guild information and Barbara’s reports, he had learned that Jake was only a Rare Class holder.

But that display of strength... it was nowhere near what a Rare Class holder could manifest.

The nearby crew members who were still within earshot immediately pricked up their ears.

Jake let out a short laugh and scratched the back of his head, putting on a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Ah, well... something like that. After I recovered from my injuries, I somehow managed to evolve my class up to Elite rank."

It was a half-lie mixed with half-truth.

He had indeed evolved his class... but the speed and ease with which he could do so was something he absolutely could not reveal.

According to what Grace had told him before, class evolution was possible... but extremely rare.

It required both tremendous effort and a great deal of luck.

Most people might only experience it once in their entire lives, if they were fortunate enough.

If others found out that he could rapidly evolve his class through his Unique Class and bonding, it would only bring unnecessary trouble.

Garrick raised an eyebrow, clearly a little surprised, but after a moment he simply gave a short nod.

"Evolve, huh... lucky bastard."

He let out a low laugh and patted Jake’s shoulder with his heavy hand.

"Well, I already paid you fifty gold, so you’d better honor the deal all the way through."

There was a clear note of amusement in his voice.

As an experienced caravan captain, Garrick knew very well what he had just gotten.

Hiring an Elite Class for only fifty gold coins to help protect the ships was an absolute bargain... the kind of deal most people would never even dream of landing.

And Jake didn’t mind at all.

He simply nodded and smiled back.

After everything Vivian’s caravan had done for him , giving him shelter, allowing him time to recover, and treating both him and Grace with basic human decency... he had no intention of holding back.

"Don’t worry," Jake replied calmly. "I’ll make sure to protect the caravan."

Garrick studied him for a second longer, then gave a satisfied grunt.

"Good. That’s what I like to hear."

With that, he turned and walked back toward the upper deck, already barking new orders to the rest of the crew.

Jake watched him leave for a moment before glancing down at Grace, who was still holding lightly onto his sleeve.

Her golden eyes met his, filled with quiet pride and trust.

Then, without any warning, Jake’s hand casually reached over and gave Grace’s soft rear a light smack.

Pa.

"Hyaah—!"

Grace’s body jumped slightly in surprise.

Her golden eyes widened as a cute pout immediately formed on her lips.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she quickly glanced around at the nearby crew members.

"J-Jake...! We’re still in public...!"

"Haha! Sorry, I just couldn’t hold it in. You’re just so cute."

"Muu~..."

Grace puffed her cheeks a little more at his shameless reply, but the soft sound that escaped her lips made it clear she wasn’t truly angry.

If anything, the faint redness on her ears only deepened as she lightly pinched the side of his shirt in protest.

The two of them continued standing close by the railing, the earlier tension of the sea beast attack slowly fading into a more relaxed atmosphere.

Jake’s casual teasing and Grace’s embarrassed yet affectionate reactions painted a picture that felt strangely warm amidst the dark waters of the Dead Sea Line.

Meanwhile...

At the corner of the upper deck, partially hidden behind a stack of supply crates, someone was watching them.

"Tch... I didn’t think the first step of the plan would already be ruined."

They clicked their tongue in clear irritation before turning away and quietly disappearing into the shadows of the ship’s interior, their footsteps fading into the background noise of the sea.

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