"I'll just buy the Bronze Substitute for now and make do with it. Once I have the money, I'll upgrade to the Gold Substitute."
Klein had no better option.
He was flat broke and could only wipe his tears as he bought the cheaper Bronze Substitute.
88888 Beli vanished from his balance, and the Bronze Training Substitute appeared on screen—but it didn't start practicing swordsmanship.
[Super Bonus!][Unbeatable Deal!!][Gear Four Sword Training Room Limited-Time Package—On Sale Now!]300 Beli: 1x Training Time Extension Scroll680 Beli: 3x Training Time Extension Scrolls1280 Beli: 6x Training Time Extension Scrolls6480 Beli: 40x Training Time Extension Scrolls
"..."
"They're seriously this greedy? I need extension scrolls just to start sword training??"Klein was stunned. This game had way too many things that demanded money.
You couldn't guard against any of it!
But if he didn't pay... how was he supposed to improve his character's swordsmanship?
And...
This could literally bring money back into the real world—how could he not buy it?
[Top-up successful!][Current balance: 514,358 Beli]
In just a week, over a million Beli had dropped to five hundred thousand.Klein now truly felt "broke," and he still only had the Bronze Substitute.
Right after buying the package, another popped up: sword training room upgrade bundle, and a crafting speed-up deal.
He dropped nearly another 20,000 Beli.
Klein realized his daily package expenses were already reaching 60,000 Beli—and more packages and premium content would definitely unlock later.
"No, I need to find a way to make money. Otherwise, this 400,000 Beli won't even last a week."
He knew that unless he figured something out, his character's leveling speed would be downright glacial.
Catching up to Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr would remain nothing but a distant dream.
Then—
Klein returned to the main interface, tapped on the skill menu he'd just unlocked, and after skimming a quick description, another special package popped up.
[At 100 Luck: Guaranteed Purple Rare Skill!!][At 1000 Luck: Guaranteed Golden Legend Skill!!!][Gear Four Premium Package Incoming!]300 Beli: 1x Skill Draw Ticket680 Beli: 3x Skill Draw Tickets1280 Beli: 6x Skill Draw Tickets6480 Beli: 40x Skill Draw Tickets
Same old deal. Klein was already numb to it.
Without even blinking—
He bought them all!
That gave him 50 pulls in total—single pulls, ten pulls, and even the mega hundred-draw.
Klein wasn't that loaded though, so he started with a single pull to test the waters. After all, as the saying goes: "Single pulls bring miracles!"
"Acquired Golden Legend Skill: 'Divine Evasion'..."
The moment the pop-up appeared, his heart skipped a beat, then euphoria surged up and his brain went fuzzy.
"Am I actually one of those chosen players? One pull, just one, and I land a Golden Legend Skill right off the bat!?"
"Tell me that isn't awesome?!
"Answer me!"
Klein was over the moon. Divine Evasion was the sword technique used by Pirate King Roger and Shanks—it was one of the most legendary sword skills in the One Piece world!
The moment Divine Evasion appeared, it guaranteed blood-pumping action, full of that signature anime flair.
And I—
Klein—might one day clash swords with Roger using Divine Evasion, creating a scene worthy of legend.
But barely two seconds later...
A bucket of cold water splashed down his back—because right after the skill name in the notification, he noticed it said "Fragment x1."
"ARE YOU @#￥%...& KIDDING ME?!"
"You game devs—your mom gave birth with no PY and no KK, may you forever find the bathroom without toilet paper…!"
One second in paradise, the next back to grim reality. Klein checked his inventory and saw that Divine Evasion required 50 fragments to synthesize.
"Screw this!"
"These devs are trolls, I've practically dumped my life savings into this game, and this is what I get…?"
Cursing became too much of a waste of breath and spirit.
He resumed pulling.
Rokushiki, Raimei Hakke, Impact Knuckle, Perfume Kick, Fishman Karate, Okama Kenpo, Hakoku Sovereignty...
A mountain of skill fragments flooded in—but not a single one was complete.
His heart? Absolutely frozen.
After 50 pulls, he only gained 1 point of Luck. Reaching 100 or 1000 Luck at this rate? A total pipe dream.
To sum it all up: "Still didn't spend enough."
"Still not rich enough..." Klein exited the game and began scheming how to make money. "Graduating from the Navy Academy's gonna take years. What do I do for cash in the meantime!?"
The next day.
Klein approached a fellow cadet, lowered his voice, and asked:"Hey, wanna spar in secret? If you win, I'll give you 100,000 Beli. If you lose, you just pay me 10,000."
He'd picked this cadet carefully—this guy's skill level was about the same as Klein's when he first joined the Navy Academy.Definitely mid-to-low tier.
Klein had been holding back his strength for days now, no longer standing out like before.
The cadet, intrigued by the offer at first, lit up the moment he heard there was a bet involved.A 100k-to-10k ratio? That was easy money if he won.
Lose...?
No way I'm losing! Klein's training level looks about the same as mine.
"Deal. Let's spar after training today."
Klein suppressed his joy and, putting on a perfect performance, said seriously:"Hmph, your skills are about the same as mine. I'm not losing to you."
After training ended, the cadet found Klein immediately to fulfill their agreement.
On the training field.
The two stood meters apart, surrounded by other cadets eager to watch the show.
"Klein, if you're ready, let's begin."
"Bring it."
Facing this opponent, Klein—whose strength had skyrocketed in recent days—still chose to play it safe, deliberately holding back and dragging the battle out over hundreds of exchanges.
It was an epic clash:Fists and kicks flew, a back-and-forth battle under the scorching sun—two equally matched warriors!A true showdown of dragons and phoenixes!
In the end—
Klein claimed a narrow win by half a move. As the victor was declared, he collapsed to the ground with a dramatic thud, looking utterly exhausted.
Inside, he was beaming:This guy probably thinks I'm about the same level as him. Next time I suggest a spar, he definitely won't say no.
"But damn, even a win only gets me 10k Beli. For gacha pulls, that's pocket change... I need more ways to make money."
Around the field—
Plenty of cadets wore unimpressed expressions.
"Two noobs duking it out."
"These two are totally equal... like vegetables from the same patch."
"Their combat awareness and technique are trash. And the instructors said we won't be learning proper combat skills until next month..."
"..."
Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr ran over to Klein. Sengoku reached out to help the ragged-looking Klein up and asked with concern:"Klein, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just winded. I just need a break."Klein replied weakly, putting on an Oscar-worthy performance.
Garp grinned wide."Hahaha—Klein, you struggled to win that one! You should totally train with us more. I guarantee your power'll shoot up faster!"