Chapter 7: Gacha Token ×1
...
Grayport stirred slowly in the morning, its streets brushing off the residue of last night's storm with creaking shutters and wet cobblestones. The sky hung low and heavy with clouds, and the smell of sea salt lingered like a shadow in the air. Rylan Graves stepped out of the bakery inn with his jacket collar raised and his thoughts spinning.
He wasn't just passing through anymore.
He had taken down a real bounty. People looked at him differently now—not just the curious glances at his white-haired partner, but at him. Like he mattered.
He hated how much he liked that.
Esdeath was waiting for him at the docks, standing at the edge of a pier. The sea wind pulled at her coat, but she remained a still figure against the storm-stained sky. As he approached, she didn't turn.
"What did the clerk say?" she asked.
"He said I'm stupid for taking on Nix alone," Rylan replied. "And he gave me a bonus."
Her lips curled ever so slightly. "You're learning. Slowly."
Rylan stood beside her. "I think I want to keep doing this."
"Bounty work?"
"No. This." He motioned to the waves, the town, the damp salt air. "Taking risks. Pushing forward. Not just surviving... but choosing how I live."
She glanced at him, and her eyes—usually so glacial—seemed to warm for just a breath. "Then your resolve has hardened."
They spent the morning gathering intel. The bounty office didn't have many high-value targets listed, but there were whispers—names passed among hushed conversations. The town's outer ridges had become a haven for pirates too small to draw Marine attention, but too dangerous for merchants to ignore.
One in particular stood out: Tobin the Blacktooth. 46,000 berry bounty. Known for ship sabotage and slave smuggling.
(A\N: They're not real pirates bunch of trash.slow bounty will rise)
"He's on the outskirts," said a boat repairman, counting nails. "Makes deals near the southern cliffs. They say he's building his own ship."
Rylan pocketed the information. "Sounds like our next job."
But Esdeath looked troubled.
"That name," she said quietly. "It's not just a rumor. Blacktooth once worked under a Warlord."
Rylan's jaw tightened. "He dangerous?"
"Yes," she replied. "But not impossible."
"Then we prepare."
They used the afternoon to shop.
Rylan bought new boots, a better belt, and a wristguard with built-in blade catchers. He couldn't afford real armor yet, but these were good enough for someone still learning how to survive. Esdeath browsed with him, saying little, but occasionally correcting his choices with a single glance.
At a map vendor, she pointed to a spot on the southern cliffs.
"This is where he docks. We can move before dawn, when his men are scattered."
"No backup?" Rylan asked.
She shook her head. "You're not famous enough to draw allies. And we can't risk involving Marines."
He nodded slowly. "Then we'll do it our way."
That night, they sat on the inn's rooftop under a foggy sky.
The town below glittered dimly, and the occasional shout from the harbor echoed upward. Rylan leaned back on the slanted tiles, arms behind his head, his blade resting by his side.
"Do you ever think about where this is going?" he asked.
Esdeath stood near the edge, arms crossed.
"I exist because of the system. My path is tied to yours. Wherever you go, I follow."
"But if you could choose—"
"I did choose," she interrupted. Then, quieter: "When I accepted your summon. I could've resisted. But something about you... intrigued me."
He turned toward her. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"
She finally smiled—small, real, and rare.
"No."
There was silence between them for a while.
Then, the system chimed.
[System Notice: Side Mission Available]
[Eliminate Tobin the Blacktooth - Completion Bonus: Gacha Token ×1 | EXP +200 | Affection Unlock Path Tier 2]
Rylan exhaled, gripping his knee. "That's new."
Esdeath's eyes glinted. "Then let's claim it."
They moved before the sun.
The southern cliffs loomed like jagged teeth over the ocean, and far below, a lone ship rested half-finished on wooden planks. Ropes dangled from trees. Torches flickered near a hidden cove.
Rylan crouched behind a boulder, watching through a spyglass.
"There," he whispered. "Ten men. Maybe more. He's in the middle, barking orders."
Esdeath knelt beside him. "When you move, move clean. Don't hesitate."
He nodded. "Got it."
They moved.
Rylan went left. Esdeath vanished into the brush.
Then it began.
He rolled down from the ledge, landing hard on one of the guards, knocking him cold. Two more charged. He ducked under a cutlass, countered with a rising slash—hit one, spun, elbowed the other in the gut.
Another came at him from behind—but froze mid-swing.
Literally.
Esdeath reappeared, blades drawn, her breath cold.
She moved through them like a storm.
But Tobin wasn't caught so easily.
He broke into a sprint, roaring, pulling a spiked chain from his belt.
He was huge—taller than Rylan, with a gut like a boulder and arms thick with scars.
"Little bounty rats!" he bellowed. "You don't even know who you're messing with!"
Rylan raised his sword, steeled his breath, and met him.
They clashed—steel to chain.
Tobin's strength was monstrous. Rylan was knocked off balance twice, once nearly losing his weapon. But he adapted. Slower movements. Sidesteps. Precision, not power.
Tobin lunged again—
But this time, Rylan ducked, rolled past, slashed his thigh.
Tobin howled.
Esdeath darted in—her frost catching Tobin's feet.
One moment later, Rylan leapt, blade poised—and struck Tobin square across the face with the hilt.
The pirate dropped.
Breathing hard, Rylan stood over him.
[Bounty complete: Tobin the Blacktooth]
[EXP +200 | Gacha Token ×1 earned]
[Affection Path Tier 2 unlocked for: Esdeath]
He collapsed beside the unconscious pirate.
"I think... I'm getting better at this."
Esdeath approached and offered a hand. "You're not terrible."
He laughed.
She didn't let go of his hand.
Not right away.
Back in Grayport, they turned in the bounty.
The clerk blinked at the bounty paper, then stared at Tobin's unconscious form tied up in ice ropes.
"...You really are serious about this."
"Very," Rylan said.
As they walked back toward their inn with their coin pouch heavier than ever, Esdeath leaned in close and said softly:
"You've made your choice."
"Yeah."
He looked at her. "And now I want more."
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By Ecstasy Crown