The next morning, the first stage of the mission concluded as scheduled.
**[Main Mission: Career Path (Completed)]**
**[You have gained 120 Story Points]**
**[You have obtained the Basic Naval Combat Skill Scroll]**
- **Basic Naval Combat**: Enhances your combat ability on the deck of a ship.
Much like in the world of Attack on Titan, completing the main mission rewarded Kiba with story points and a specific item. This time, he received a Basic Naval Combat scroll.
Whenever he fought on the deck, he felt a sense of helplessness. Unless he used the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, he was limited to standing still and firing his gun.
After learning the Basic Naval Combat skill, that sense of instability reduced by 80%. If he could level it up a few times, his combat effectiveness on a ship might surpass his abilities on land.
Speaking of skill upgrades, Kiba instinctively glanced at the story points he currently possessed.
**Story Points: 1165**
Compared to the world of Attack on Titan, this time, the rewards were significantly richer. Of course, the dangers he faced were equally multiplied.
In the Reincarnation Space, rewards and risks are always proportional. There's no such thing as getting benefits without putting in the effort.
If there ever is, you'd better be very careful.
After waiting quietly for a few minutes, presumably for the other Reincarnators' mission calculations to be completed, the second stage of the main mission was released.
**[Main Mission: Bounty (Activated)]**
**[Mission Summary: Increase your bounty to prove your strength in the East Blue.]**
**[Mission Requirement: Achieve a minimum bounty of one million within 15 days.]**
**[Warning: You must not leave the East Blue region!]**
**[Warning: Slaughtering civilians may result in unknown consequences!]**
**[Warning: Your bounty will directly correlate with the level of Navy pursuit!]**
Another familiar trio of warnings. Kiba knew that this mission wouldn't be easy to survive.
That's right; he was talking about surviving, not just completing the mission. This morning's newspaper had already been delivered to the Black Cat Pirates.
Due to their recent active performance, the bounties of the key members had all been increased to varying degrees.
- **Captain Kuro**: Bounty increased by 2 million Berries.
- **Hypnotist Jango**: Bounty increased by 1 million Berries.
Other members also saw some increases, and Kiba himself received his first bounty from the Navy.
It was an image of him using the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, clearly showing his disguised, cold face, with a brief bounty statement below.
- **"Jason the Brutal," third-in-command of the Black Cat Pirates, notorious for cruelly torturing Navy Captain Morgan of the 153rd Branch. Wanted for initiating multiple maritime robberies. Initial bounty set at 5 million Berries, dead or alive."**
"Boss, congratulations!" Paul said excitedly. As a pirate, who wouldn't want to be widely feared and famous?
Kiba was also thrilled. He had already met the mission's requirement of a one million bounty, so now he just needed to figure out how to increase it further.
To achieve his great goal of upgrading his five attributes, he needed to maximize his mission evaluation. When completing hidden missions, he would choose attribute points if available; otherwise, he would consider other options.
For other Reincarnators, triggering hidden missions was a matter of luck. But for Kiba, as long as the main mission allowed it and his strength was sufficient, he could trigger as many hidden missions as he wanted.
For example, at this moment, all the Black Cat Pirate officers were summoned to the captain's office, where Kuro announced his retirement.
"Oh no, Captain, we can't lose you!" Sam feigned concern, though his barely concealed glee made it clear that he was thrilled.
With the captain gone, only Vice-Captain Jango was qualified to take over. At that point, the position of vice-captain would be up for grabs.
Who would take over that position was now a major issue up for debate.
Sam wasn't the only one with such thoughts—Big Fat Buchi was also scheming. These two fools hadn't considered the future development of the Black Cat Pirates at all.
Without the deterrent force of their strongest fighter, would they still be the Black Cat Pirates that dominated the East Blue?
Vice-Captain Jango was concerned about this, while Kiba himself was focused on the hidden mission that had just been released by the system.
**[Participant #14552 has triggered the hidden mission: Kuro's Retirement.]**
**[Mission Requirement: Help Kuro escape the Navy's bounty.]**
**[Warning: Reincarnators from the opposing faction have already intervened in this mission!]**
This mission would inevitably involve Kuro personally taking action, so it shouldn't be too difficult to complete. However, considering the principle that the Reincarnation Space never lets things be too easy, the real challenge would likely come from the Reincarnators in the Navy faction.
"In other words, the Space believes that the presence of those Reincarnators might balance the power between the two sides."
Understanding this, Kiba felt a slight heaviness in his heart.
Given the overall strength of the story world, it was unlikely that a single person could match Kuro. This meant that the opposing Reincarnators were probably in a group.
Or they could belong to a fixed team.
The image of a figure wearing mechanical gloves silently emerged in his mind.
To be honest, Kiba didn't want to go up against that group. Elite teams nurtured by large organizations undoubtedly had unknown trump cards up their sleeves, with combat power far beyond that of solo Reincarnators like the old cat.
But it had come to this, and worrying wouldn't change anything. Kiba's task was to figure out how to defeat his enemies.
"Perhaps I can use some special powers." He glanced at Vice-Captain Jango.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered that hypnosis might be more useful than he had initially imagined. If used correctly, it could yield unexpected results.
This naval battle would be the perfect arena to test his theory.
On the horizon, a massive warship was slowly approaching.
"Commander, we've spotted the target."
Monka snapped a sharp salute, his eyes involuntarily drifting toward the pink-haired girl beside him.
This girl is something else. She actually managed to convince the higher-ups, even getting Lipa to take action personally. Who knows what kind of price she had to pay for that?
Monka's gaze lingered on her curvy figure, his smile turning a bit enigmatic.
"Did you finally find it?" Lipa slammed the table, issuing a decisive order, "Notify everyone to prepare for battle."
His commanding and heroic demeanor was a stark contrast to the earlier hesitation. No one knew what had changed him.
Meanwhile, in another part of the ship, the rest of the Sound Nest Squad had gathered.
"Owl, this mission is all on you." The muscular man, Randy, was the team's main tank, known for his formidable defense, which had been key to their victory against countless foes.
The "Owl" he mentioned was the cold, calculating sniper meticulously cleaning his rifle. His extraordinary damage output was a massive advantage in naval battles.
To take down the local world's boss, they needed his powerful strikes, making the sniper the crucial element in determining victory.
However, the real core of the team was still Olson, who was leaning against the bed.
The primary goal of this operation was to obtain the skill scroll "Silent Step," which was guaranteed to drop from a story character.
According to intel from above, "Silent Step" could be combined with Olson's existing skills. If they succeeded, it would result in a high-tier movement skill of B-grade quality.
Even in a world of moderate difficulty, that would be an impressive skill, allowing Olson to dominate in easier worlds.
Glancing at the silent team leader, the sniper suddenly spoke coldly, "Don't get too optimistic. The item's effects have a time limit."
"Relax, relax." Randy hugged his tower shield, reassuringly. "We'll take care of the target perfectly before the lieutenant wakes up. And when it comes to promotions, I'm sure the generous Mr. Lipa will forgive us."
The plan sounded great, but the sniper still threw in some cold water: "Don't forget, the Braku also has reincarnators on board."
"You mean that thug Jason?"
After a moment's thought, Randy shrugged dismissively, his expression openly scornful. "I've never heard of the guy. Must be some lucky newbie."
At this, Olson's eyes suddenly snapped open, his gaze blazing like fire, making Randy instinctively shut his mouth.
"Luck?" Olson snapped at his teammate's arrogance. "You think luck is enough to put someone on the same stage as us?"
"But his faction has the upper hand…"
Seeing Randy still stubborn, Olson shot him a cold look before abruptly leaving the room.
He didn't want to waste words on an idiot.
Once this mission was over, Olson planned to request a new team or kick this moron out.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the young boy who had been quietly munching on a bun muttered softly, "Randy, don't forget we're on a battleship. We've got a massive numerical advantage, plus we've forced Lieutenant Lipa into the fray."
In other words, the gap in faction strength might not be as big as it seemed, so they needed to be wary of the unknown reincarnator.
"This…" Faced with undeniable facts, MT Randy was at a loss, mainly because he didn't want to upset the boy in front of him.
This kid was their team's healer and the best insurance Randy had for surviving crisis after crisis. Only a fool would risk getting on his bad side.
"Alright, my bad. I'll go apologize to the captain."
A real man knows when to bend. Randy wouldn't let personal feelings get in the way of the upcoming battle.
Nothing's more important than survival. Although he was genuinely unhappy, feeling that the Sound Nest Squad's value shouldn't rest on just one guy, Randy knew better than to go against higher-ups. Quitting the team was out of the question; otherwise, he'd face cross-world hunts from stronger opponents in the next world.
Seeing Randy back down, the boy flashed a shy smile, "Hehe, I knew you'd figure it out, Randy."
Looking at the boy's sunny smile, Randy couldn't help but feel his mood lighten.
"You little…"
Boom!
A sudden, thunderous explosion shattered everyone's plans.
(End of Chapter)