Ron stared at the pile of treasure before him, lost in thought.
If the system counted the loot as shared property, that would be troublesome. He would have to sit down with Nami and divide everything coin by coin.
He sighed inwardly. That would be a nightmare. Without money-related achievements to chase, he would rather just hand all the wealth to Nami and let her manage it.
"Let's hope it's the third type of calculation… a family doesn't split treasure after all."
Muttering to himself, Ron opened his attribute panel. After a brief consideration, he invested all three new Achievement Points into his Spirit.
For a mage, Spirit was everything.
Strength, Agility, and Vitality were nothing compared to it. In fact, the combined growth of those three could barely equal the benefits of Spirit alone.
Because Spirit granted three blessings at once. It sharpened the mind and accelerated spellcasting, equal to Agility. It expanded the reserves of mental energy, mirroring Vitality. And most importantly, it unlocked higher-level magic, the true reflection of Strength.
For a magician, each point of Spirit was worth threefold its weight in raw power.
His Spirit had now risen from sixteen to nearly twenty. The difference was immense.
At this level, Wind Blade could be cast in less than a second, and he could launch seven consecutive strikes before exhaustion set in.
Even more surprising was the faint sensation of recovery he now felt within his mind.
His mental energy… was regenerating slowly, but naturally.
Before, he could only restore it through meditation. Now, his spirit replenished itself even while he stood still.
"If Spirit keeps increasing," he murmured, "then my recovery speed will rise as well…"
That meant that one day, when his Spirit reached a higher threshold, low-level spells might consume almost nothing at all. The day his mental power flowed endlessly would be the day he became unstoppable.
Ron glanced toward the distant harbor. He briefly considered claiming the pirates' ship it was a sturdy twin-mast vessel, enough to fulfill another achievement condition but his half-spent spirit made him pause. By now, the remaining pirates had likely sailed it away.
That goal would have to wait.
When he turned back, he froze for a moment. The street where the treasure had spilled was empty. Nami stood there with a huge, bulging cloth bag slung across her back. Her small frame wobbled under its weight, the sight so ridiculous that Ron almost laughed.
"Need help?" he asked dryly.
She shook her head quickly, flashing a bright grin. "No need! I'll bring this back to the boat first. You take care of the bounty!"
Ron smiled faintly as she marched away with her prize like a triumphant merchant. He adjusted the ragged bundle in his own hand, the one containing Captain Klu's head, and followed the main street toward the heart of the island.
The Marine base wasn't hard to find. Every town had one, and the tallest building in the central district was always marked by the proud seagull flag.
Inside, order reigned. There were halls for recruitment, for citizen reports, and one specifically for bounty exchanges.
"Captain Klu of the Klu Pirates… dead?"
The Marine officer behind the desk, a man with the insignia of a lieutenant, stared at Ron in disbelief.
He knew every bounty hunter of note in this region and he had never seen this young man before. The idea that someone unknown had slain a pirate worth five million Berries seemed absurd.
Especially this pirate.
Just three months ago, Captain Klu had massacred an entire coastal town and nailed the corpses of three well-known bounty hunters to its gates as a warning to others. The story had spread fear through the East Blue.
Yet here was Ron, calm as the sea, tossing a bloodied cloth bundle onto the desk. The cloth unfurled.
The lieutenant froze. His breath caught.
That face… there was no mistaking it.
Captain Klu.
The same cold features from the wanted poster. The scar over his brow. The feral jawline.
After a few seconds of disbelief, the officer snatched the bounty notice from a drawer and compared them side by side.
Perfect match.
He called for the soldiers outside. The room filled with murmurs. Even the base's commanding officer arrived moments later, a stern Marine captain who examined the head himself.
Formalities followed. A brief round of questions. Ron answered casually, omitting any mention of Nami or the treasure. Once the paperwork was complete, the captain picked up the Den Den Mushi and contacted Marine Headquarters.
Bounty payments were no small matter. Every reward issued had to pass through official verification. The Marine branches carried out the process, but the system itself was regulated by the World Government. Only after Headquarters confirmed the kill would the funds be released.
Corruption in bounty exchanges was nearly nonexistent; no branch officer would risk their career or life for a few million Berries.
Minutes later, the captain received a reply. He set the Den Den Mushi down, nodded to his lieutenant, and placed a heavy wooden chest on the desk.
"Five million Berries. Confirmed."
He gave Ron a long, searching look.
"To take down a pirate of that level… impressive. There aren't many bounty hunters in East Blue capable of such a feat."
Ron checked the sum, closed the chest, and inclined his head slightly before walking out.
Days later, the news spread like wildfire.
The pirate known as Captain Klu had been slain.
In taverns and hidden ports, whispers passed from mouth to mouth. Some pirates scoffed, calling it luck. Others fell silent, remembering Klu's cruelty and the fate that met him.
It wasn't a grand event in the eyes of the world. But in the East Blue's underworld, a ripple had formed, spreading wider with each retelling.
A new name began to circulate among bounty hunters and pirates alike.
The Mage Hunter, Ron.
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