Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Gluttony Hunter!
As Ryan absorbed the details of these formidable skills, he was left speechless, with one word echoing through his mind: ‘incredible’. In comparison, the “Pirate” profession seemed almost pitiful, its skills nowhere near as impactful.

Among these, [Food War] stood out as the sole active skill, its effectiveness directly correlated to the might of the beasts Ryan vanquished. While its strength might vary in the hands of another, in Ryan’s grasp, it promised untold power…

“Consider this,” Ryan mused aloud, his voice echoing slightly in the dimly lit room. “Is a ‘lower-level apex’ creature, like a male fire dragon leader, measuring over 20 meters and weighing several hundred tons, not formidable enough?”

The second professional skill, [Gluttony Heart], held a special place in Ryan’s arsenal. Though it significantly increased his appetite, making satiation a near-impossible feat, the benefits it conferred were too substantial to ignore. It dramatically accelerated his injury recovery, transforming him into what could only be described as an invincible regeneration beast whenever his “gluttony degree” was sufficiently high.

More crucially, reaching the full “gluttony degree” of 100 allowed Ryan to experience what he termed a “gluttony joy,” which not only provided permanent enhancements but crucially boosted his professional compatibility by 25%; a substantial leap toward mastery.

Improving professional fit had always been a challenging puzzle for Ryan, especially after his initial accidental synergy with the “pirate” profession during an unexpected adventure. Since then, progress had stalled, leaving him groping blindly in a time-consuming and exhausting quest for advancement. The clarity provided by [Gluttony Heart] was a game-changer, pointing him towards tangible advancement after four “gluttony joys.”

His third skill, [Blood Hunter], was a potent mix of passive and active abilities. It granted an unconditional 20% damage increase to any selected weapon, a choice he could alter as needed, enhancing the skill’s versatility. Moreover, any enemy struck by his chosen weapon would carry the “Blood Hunter Mark” for a duration, during which Ryan could track and lock onto them, inflicting an additional 10% damage upon attack. It was a brutally effective skill.

Despite these powerful abilities, Ryan still found it difficult to accurately gauge his own strength. He recalled his recent skirmish with “One-eyed” Santas, a second-level elite professional, who had struggled to parry even a casual strike from him. “Could I now defeat the twelfth black knight?” he wondered with a smirk, but his expression quickly shifted as a deep, primal hunger rumbled through his belly.

“Gurgle…”

The intense hunger nearly overwhelmed his senses, turning even the mundane wooden furniture into tantalizing prospects. The side effects of [Gluttony Heart] were indeed formidable.

With a resigned sigh, Ryan materialized the preserved monster flesh from his space ring: Water Dragon, Thunder Crab, Fire Monster Bird, Great Wild Boar King, Red Tyrannosaurus, and the Male Fire Dragon Leader, six varieties of potent creature meat, each only the size of a palm, yet each wafting an aroma that made his mouth water uncontrollably. As he prepared to indulge, the air around him seemed charged with the power of these formidable beasts.

At that critical juncture, there was no time for culinary finesse.

With a primal urgency, Ryan seized a raw chunk of flesh and blood, thrusting it into his mouth. Despite its unrefined state, the meat was surprisingly tender, yielding easily between his teeth. Within moments, the palm-sized piece was devoured, quickly followed by the others until all six were consumed. The voracious hunger that had overwhelmed him subsided gradually.

“Huh…” Ryan let out a deep, relieved sigh, wiping the remnants of blood from the corners of his mouth as he turned his attention back to the panel.

The consumption of the six distinct types of flesh had elevated his [Gluttony] to 60/100. The panel also highlighted an important nuance: tasting the flesh of different creatures for the first time granted an additional “Gluttony” boost. Now, a new special state manifested, labeled [Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow].

[Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow]: Dragon soul entwined, movement speed +10%, plus additional fire attribute damage with every attack.

This enhancement was formidable, indeed. Speed was a crucial factor in combat; superior speed not only conferred a tactical advantage but could reduce an opponent’s movements to a sluggish crawl through Ryan’s faster perception, stripping any threat they might pose.

Beyond [Sorrow of the Male Fire Dragon], the [Food War] skill recorded five other states, though they were currently overshadowed by the dragon’s powerful effect. These included [Sorrow of the Quiet Thunder Dragon], [Wrath of the Water Fish Dragon], [Sorrow of the Fire Monster Bird], [Wrath of the Giant Wild Boar King], and [Joy of the Red Tyrannosaurus Rex].

From these prompts, Ryan gleaned the naming conventions for these states, joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure linked respectively to enhancements in strength, stamina, speed, and spirit. Additional effects, such as the fire attribute from [Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow], were tied to the creature’s specific prefix.

As Ryan contemplated experimenting with each of these five special states to explore their varied effects, his focus shifted abruptly toward the door at a sudden, unexpected disturbance.

A deep blue mud began to bubble and churn at the threshold, and from its depths emerged the anxious voice of Freni. “The blood moon ascends, and grave tidings abound, Mr. Ryan! Please, hurry to the captain’s room!”

Improving professional fit had always been a challenging puzzle for Ryan, especially after his initial accidental synergy with the “pirate” profession during an unexpected adventure. Since then, progress had stalled, leaving him groping blindly in a time-consuming and exhausting quest for advancement. The clarity provided by [Gluttony Heart] was a game-changer, pointing him towards tangible advancement after four “gluttony joys.”

His third skill, [Blood Hunter], was a potent mix of passive and active abilities. It granted an unconditional 20% damage increase to any selected weapon, a choice he could alter as needed, enhancing the skill’s versatility. Moreover, any enemy struck by his chosen weapon would carry the “Blood Hunter Mark” for a duration, during which Ryan could track and lock onto them, inflicting an additional 10% damage upon attack. It was a brutally effective skill.

Despite these powerful abilities, Ryan still found it difficult to accurately gauge his own strength. He recalled his recent skirmish with “One-eyed” Santas, a second-level elite professional, who had struggled to parry even a casual strike from him. “Could I now defeat the twelfth black knight?” he wondered with a smirk, but his expression quickly shifted as a deep, primal hunger rumbled through his belly.

“Gurgle…”

The intense hunger nearly overwhelmed his senses, turning even the mundane wooden furniture into tantalizing prospects. The side effects of [Gluttony Heart] were indeed formidable.

With a resigned sigh, Ryan materialized the preserved monster flesh from his space ring: Water Dragon, Thunder Crab, Fire Monster Bird, Great Wild Boar King, Red Tyrannosaurus, and the Male Fire Dragon Leader, six varieties of potent creature meat, each only the size of a palm, yet each wafting an aroma that made his mouth water uncontrollably. As he prepared to indulge, the air around him seemed charged with the power of these formidable beasts.

At that critical juncture, there was no time for culinary finesse.

With a primal urgency, Ryan seized a raw chunk of flesh and blood, thrusting it into his mouth. Despite its unrefined state, the meat was surprisingly tender, yielding easily between his teeth. Within moments, the palm-sized piece was devoured, quickly followed by the others until all six were consumed. The voracious hunger that had overwhelmed him subsided gradually.

“Huh…” Ryan let out a deep, relieved sigh, wiping the remnants of blood from the corners of his mouth as he turned his attention back to the panel.

The consumption of the six distinct types of flesh had elevated his [Gluttony] to 60/100. The panel also highlighted an important nuance: tasting the flesh of different creatures for the first time granted an additional “Gluttony” boost. Now, a new special state manifested, labeled [Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow].

[Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow]: Dragon soul entwined, movement speed +10%, plus additional fire attribute damage with every attack.

This enhancement was formidable, indeed. Speed was a crucial factor in combat; superior speed not only conferred a tactical advantage but could reduce an opponent’s movements to a sluggish crawl through Ryan’s faster perception, stripping any threat they might pose.

Beyond [Sorrow of the Male Fire Dragon], the [Food War] skill recorded five other states, though they were currently overshadowed by the dragon’s powerful effect. These included [Sorrow of the Quiet Thunder Dragon], [Wrath of the Water Fish Dragon], [Sorrow of the Fire Monster Bird], [Wrath of the Giant Wild Boar King], and [Joy of the Red Tyrannosaurus Rex].

From these prompts, Ryan gleaned the naming conventions for these states, joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure linked respectively to enhancements in strength, stamina, speed, and spirit. Additional effects, such as the fire attribute from [Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow], were tied to the creature’s specific prefix.

As Ryan contemplated experimenting with each of these five special states to explore their varied effects, his focus shifted abruptly toward the door at a sudden, unexpected disturbance.

A deep blue mud began to bubble and churn at the threshold, and from its depths emerged the anxious voice of Freni. “The blood moon ascends, and grave tidings abound, Mr. Ryan! Please, hurry to the captain’s room!”