Nighttime, the dining hall.
Rhode was in a corner, eating and drinking voraciously, his hands never stopping as the mountain of food before him disappeared at a visible rate.
His appetite far exceeded that of an average person.
Normal people's physiques improved bit by bit; no matter how exhausting their daily training, the energy they needed to replenish was limited, and the amount of food they consumed wasn't overly exaggerated.
But Rhode was different.
The daily improvements in his physique were almost visible, advancing in leaps and bounds.
This was equivalent to compressing the gains from others' prolonged, arduous training into a single day.
As a result, the amount of energy and nutrients his body needed to absorb daily naturally far surpassed that of ordinary people.
At that moment, Rhode was gnawing on a golden, glistening lamb leg when Rez's voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Finally found you."
"Rez? What's up?"
Rhode barely glanced up, his words muffled by food.
Seeing him like this, Rez said irritably, "There's a combat mission tomorrow. Be there early."
With that, he turned and left without another word.
His relationship with Rhode had never been great, so coming to deliver a message was probably at Captain Nia's request.
"Combat mission?"Rhode's eyes lit up slightly, but were soon drawn back by the aroma of food as he continued devouring his meal.
...
The next day.
The area beneath the headquarters castle was packed with people.
Since the Revolutionary Army didn't have standardized uniforms, everyone's attire was wildly varied, giving Rhode a whole new understanding of the fashion eccentricities in the pirate world.
Fortunately, amidst this chaotic scene, there was one redeeming feature—Koala standing at the front of the crowd, single-handedly raising the group's average attractiveness by a full level.
After Rhode joined the ranks, the standard improved yet another notch.
Thus, this future Revolutionary Army squad became at least somewhat presentable.
"Wow, what a big shot, arriving last," came a voice.
Rhode turned to see a tall woman dressed in what could barely be called "light" clothing glaring at him with clear displeasure.
"Am I late?"
Rhode was nearly blinded by the dazzling display of bare skin, but his tone remained indifferent.
"You!" Nia clenched her fists, seriously wanting to give Rhode a beating.
Everyone else had gathered here early, yet Rhode had arrived right on the dot, making her look like an ineffective leader.
Huff! Nia took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation and deciding to spare Rhode's life for now.
She began explaining the combat mission:
"This mission is really just to let you newcomers like Rez get your first taste of blood."
"Taste of blood? Are we going to fight pirates?"
Rez couldn't help but lick his dry lips, his eyes gleaming.
The Revolutionary Army fought against the World Nobles, and while they were fundamentally opposed to conventional pirates, they would still punish evildoers when the opportunity arose.
Interestingly, in some seas where corrupt Marines ran rampant and officials colluded with pirates, the Revolutionary Army became the righteous party, protecting ordinary civilians.
"Hah..."
Nia sneered. "You're still too green to fight pirates. Besides, this is the New World—right now, all of you combined might not even be a match for a single pirate."
"Our destination is an archipelago near Baltigo. It's teeming with wild beasts."
Nia bared her teeth in an exaggeratedly fierce expression. "These beasts come in all sizes—the biggest can be seven or eight meters tall and could swallow all of you in one bite!"
As she spoke, she caught sight of Rez and the others' tense expressions from the corner of her eye, feeling a flicker of satisfaction.
Back in the day, she'd been scared the same way...
Then she glanced at Rhode, only to find the boy completely unfazed, as if utterly fearless.
"Ignorance breeds fearlessness."
Nia snorted inwardly, eager to see if Rhode could maintain that infuriating calm when he was being chased around by wild beasts.
Of course, Rhode wasn't afraid—he was even somewhat excited.
After a month of training, his strength had skyrocketed.
The current him could easily defeat his past self with one hand.
But real combat prowess couldn't be measured through imagination alone—it had to be tested in actual battle.
Besides.
He'd noticed long ago that the energy gained during combat far exceeded what normal training could provide.
...
Right then.
The fish-man Hatchan finally arrived, fashionably late. Standing before the group, he said, "You should all know the details of this mission by now. Let's move out."
"Yes, sir!"The reservists took out the pre-prepared coats and draped them over their shoulders one by one.
The design of these coats was similar to the one Dragon wore in the original, but they were gray in color.
The neat gray coats lent a solemn atmosphere to the group.
The restless hearts of the newcomers gradually calmed, as if sensing the hardships endured by the revolutionary army's predecessors as they quietly developed their strength in this desolate land.
The group moved quickly, as each individual's physical prowess far exceeded that of ordinary people, making it easy for them to complete a marathon with ease.
However, the environment of the White Soil Island was truly harsh. Frequent sandstorms forced them to detour, so it took a full seven days to reach the coastline.
A large sailing ship was already waiting there.
Everyone boarded the merchant ship in an orderly manner, and for a moment, silence prevailed.
It was clear that Rez and the others had undergone subtle changes in demeanor after the seven-day march, no longer as impulsive as before.
The fish-man Hatchan gave a slight nod before turning to order the ship to set sail.
Koala, on the other hand, appeared relaxed. She turned and headed into the cabin, planning to catch up on some beauty sleep.
The reservists also found places to rest. The seven-day march was just an appetizer—no one had forgotten the real combat that lay ahead.
The sailing ships in this world were all black-tech marvels, with performance far exceeding expectations. Rhode barely felt any significant turbulence. Once at full speed, the White Soil Island was soon left behind on the horizon, disappearing from view.
This was Rhode's first time setting sail in both his past and present life.
Although he had long known the appearance of the sea from various sources and videos, without firsthand experience, one could never truly grasp its vastness and boundlessness.
It was as if his soul had been cleansed, his mind broadened.
Leaning against the ship's railing, Rhode squinted contentedly and checked his attribute panel. His total energy had increased by seven points, reaching seventy-three.
The growth in energy was relatively steady.
Ordinary training typically yielded about one point per day. In the first three months, he had accumulated a hundred points this way.
With lightning tempering, the rate increased to roughly two points per day.
During these seven days of marching, Rhode couldn't perform lightning tempering—not out of fear of being discovered, but because he couldn't satisfy his body's energy demands afterward.
Rhode simply couldn't stand the state of being so hungry that his eyes turned green, making everyone look like food.
"If only I had something like a spatial ring," Rhode mused idly as he gazed at the distant horizon. Not having one was indeed a bit inconvenient.