UNLOCK: I CAN SEE MY STATS

chapter 37 : Fame

The coastal sea, near Haven Island

A gentle breeze swept in from the glittering ocean, carrying with it the sound of waves dancing and softly striking the sides of the sailboat.

At the edge of the boat, a teenage boy stood staring at the island ahead with obvious excitement.

"Finally! I’m back home," he said with eagerness and relief before turning around to look at the pale-faced woman with shining hair.

"Mother... we’re finally here."

Susanneth nodded with a smile, then leaned on her sword and stood up.

"Hmm, thank goodness we made it..." she murmured wearily.

"I’m completely exhausted... two days of non-stop sailing have made my condition worse." She clung to Marcus’s hand, whose face lost all signs of joy, replaced by sorrow and helplessness.

Just six days ago, he lost his father, and only yesterday did his mother confess she had a severe, terminal illness that might take her life in no more than three years.

"Misfortunes never come alone," Marcus muttered bitterly.

He then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and said firmly, "Don’t worry, mother. I’ll find a cure for your illness... I promise."

Susanneth smiled and sighed. "My boy... I didn’t tell you this so you’d go searching for a cure. I told you because I felt you’d grown mature enough, especially..."

She paused for a moment, then pulled a crumpled poster from her coat and unfolded it.

"Marcus the rebel, bounty of 231 million beli... wanted dead or alive." She read the words with a mocking tone.

"231 million... that’s more than I expected. Looks like the Chosen Government is very angry with you..."

"They’ve turned you into a pirate whether you like it or not, putting this enormous bounty on your head... this amount will attract pirates, bounty hunters, the Marine Army, not to mention agents of the Chosen Government itself," she muttered bitterly.

Marcus stared at the poster, specifically at his picture. Whoever took it, Marcus silently praised them, since he looked good. Strangely enough, the photo was taken when he stood at the ship’s edge after throwing one of the Chosen into the sea king.

He pushed those thoughts aside and asked, "I understand the motivation of the Marines, the Chosen Government, and bounty hunters, but... why would pirates come after me?"

Susanneth patted his back and lifted the corner of her mouth in a small smile as she said, "You tell me. In your view, what would make pirates chase after you and attack?"

Marcus raised his eyebrows in a frown, then jumped off the boat and started pulling it toward shore. He looked back at Susanneth, who waited patiently for his answer, and didn’t disappoint her.

"Fame," he finally said after a moment of thought.

"Exactly..." Susanneth said, taking his hand as he helped her off the boat.

"In their eyes, you’re now the most famous pirate in the coastal sea. You should know that even in the deep sea, very few have a bounty like that."

"That’s why, if the Marines’ goal is to capture you in the name of justice, and the bounty hunters’ goal is money, and the Chosen Government’s goal is to kill you to save face, then the pirates want to take you down so they can become the most famous."

She patted his shoulder and added, "But for now... don’t trouble yourself with this."

Marcus nodded. Even without her words, he wasn’t too worried about whoever might target him. He had the confidence to face anyone, and that confidence came from the mysterious bracelet on his chest. Especially now that he possessed:

The ability to transform into the full or hybrid form of the giant sea serpent king.

The ability to transform into a flea (a normal-type transformation) which he got from one of the three Dream-Bringer drugs.

The second ability he got from another drug, a legendary-type transformation that let him become Iravata, a giant elephant with crystal wings and four massive tusks.

Alongside that, he had the elemental abilities of lightning he copied from Eren, as well as the exceptional abilities:

The build-build power he copied from his mother.

The aura-aura power he copied from one of the Chosen Government agents.

And the pressure-pressure ability he copied from the three drugs.

Now he had nine transformations in his bracelet. He could switch between them freely and stay in them until his physical strength weakened. Currently, his maximum was around nine and a half hours, but with training he could increase that. According to the bracelet, if he reached a certain level of strength, he’d even be able to activate more than one transformation at the same time.

"Hmm... is it safe to just leave these treasures out here?" Marcus asked, pointing at the chests on the boat, looking at his mother who was already walking toward the village.

Susanneth waved her hand. "Do as you wish, but keep in mind we won’t be staying here long..."

He sighed helplessly, but understood her urgency. After learning of her husband’s death through the vivre card, she completely collapsed, then rushed off searching for Marcus for days, before getting into a battle with the Chosen Government agents that worsened her illness. On top of that, Marcus’s bounty now brought them danger. So she was in a hurry to leave this island and hide somewhere else.

"The Chosen Government..." Marcus growled, his eyes burning with rage, teeth grinding so hard the sound was clear.

"I’ll pay them back double," he vowed, his voice dripping with hatred.

He bent down and opened the chest that held the three rare drugs.

"Best not to leave these here..." he muttered, then took them one by one and put them in the small pouch tied to his waist.

In his eyes, these weren’t just ordinary drugs... they were the most precious thing they owned, even if the other treasures were worth a billion beli. He understood the value of these powers now, especially after testing them himself.

The normal-type transformation drug (the flea) was worthless compared to the others, but useful in certain situations.

The exceptional-type "pressure-pressure" drug could make its user nearly invincible.

The true jewel, though, was the legendary transformation drug that let him become Iravata, the mighty elephant that walked above the clouds and shattered mountains with its trunk.

"I’ll let my siblings use these," he thought as he tied the pouch tightly, "so they’ll have something to defend themselves with."

Then he slowly opened his left hand and exhaled, activating his ability.

Zzzzzap!

A small red energy bubble formed in his palm, trembling and growing until it was the size of his head, then as big as a rock.

He lifted his eyes and pointed toward the boat anchored farther out.

Whoosh!

The bubble drifted quietly through the air, then seemed to fold and close around the shape of the boat, encasing it in a dark red transparent dome.

Ding!

Ding!

Marcus tapped the surface of the dome lightly.

"Hmm..." he murmured as he felt its toughness. "Hard as metal."

He smiled in admiration and stepped back.

"Perfect... no one here can break it. This power... really is incredible."

Then he turned without hesitation and stepped into the island, heading deeper toward the village.