[Pokémon Breeder in One Piece] Chapter 350 (Patreon)

At this moment, Kirito and two other beta testers were hunting two Prairie Wolves together. Only skilled players like them could manage to hunt two wolves simultaneously at this stage.

"Izuna, why not take on a half-apprentice?" Dak said, looking at Kirito below and then glancing sideways at Izuna.

"Huh?"

Izuna gave Dak a puzzled look. "Are you just trying to give me something to do?"

"Well, you're not busy with anything else. Why not play the role of a mentor in this 'death game'?" Dak grinned, clearly finding the idea amusing.

With Izuna's guidance, Kirito could rapidly improve, accelerating the game's progress. Meanwhile, the role of the "strongest man," originally meant for Heathcliff (Kayaba Akihiko), would now fall to Madara, the "strongest in the Ninja World."

"What about you? What's your role?" Izuna asked.

"Me? I have my own role to play!" Dak replied confidently. He had plenty of work to do, mostly related to Pokémon-related mechanics.

"Just think of it as a fresh experience, Izuna. Besides, none of your three apprentices in the Ninja World inherited your swordsmanship, right?" Dak teased.

Izuna's three apprentices in the Ninja World were Kū, Haku, and Shisui.

Kū and Haku primarily used Ice Release techniques, so Izuna didn't teach them much. His main teachings went to Shisui, but Shisui excelled in Body Flicker and genjutsu rather than direct combat, so Izuna hadn't passed on much of his swordsmanship to him either.

"You don't expect me to go up and beg him to be my apprentice, do you?" Izuna asked dryly.

"Of course not! Taking an apprentice should wait until the public release. For now, why not put on a little demonstration? That Lv.25 Prairie Wolf—can you solo it?"

Dak's grin widened, knowing that Izuna's response hinted at acceptance.

In the beta test, SAO was just a "game," and any apprenticeships formed wouldn't hold much emotional weight. However, during the public release, SAO would transform into an alternate "reality," and a master-apprentice bond formed in such a context would carry much more significance.

"Hmph, simple," Izuna said with a smirk, glancing at the other players struggling against the Prairie Wolves.

"Then show them what you've got," Dak encouraged, giving a thumbs-up.

Without further ado, Izuna drew his blade, Blade of Arrogance, and charged at a lone Prairie Wolf.

With a single stroke, Izuna slashed the wolf's throat.

If this were reality, the wolf would have been as good as dead. However, in this game, the wolf continued to breathe despite its throat being cut, losing only 1% of its HP.

Eyes glowing red, the wolf pounced at Izuna.

"A newbie?"

"Challenging a Prairie Wolf solo? That's not like the lower-floor mobs."

"Are those two his teammates? Their gear looks pretty good."

"Must be lucky drops."

"His level's a bit low. Maybe he's been hunting rare items and hidden quests on the lower floors."

Izuna's actions immediately drew attention across the field. In the eyes of the "hardcore players," soloing a Prairie Wolf was practically suicide.

Soloing a wolf wasn't impossible but was time-consuming and came with a significant loss of health. Most players preferred to group up, saving time and reducing the difficulty.

Izuna, however, had already analyzed the wolf's attack patterns after watching it briefly.

Until its HP dropped below 50%, the Prairie Wolf would only use two attacks: a leaping bite and a claw swipe, both with distinct telegraphs.

Izuna bent low, letting the wolf leap over him. As it landed, the wolf was momentarily stunned. Including the time it took to turn around, Izuna had a solid four to five seconds to act.

In that time, his blade flashed multiple times, quickly whittling the wolf's HP to 70%.

Each of Izuna's attacks dealt 1% damage, meaning he had already struck over 20 times in mere seconds—averaging four to five strikes per second.

In SAO, attack speed wasn't a stat; it was determined entirely by the player's skill.

Such a rapid attack rate would be impressive even in the Ninja World. While it wasn't unheard of among swordsmen in the One Piece world, it was undoubtedly monstrous to the average player in SAO.

"That guy's not even using sword skills!"

"For someone like him, sword skills are probably a hindrance."

"Too strong! He's no newbie—he's a top-tier player."

"Maybe he's a renowned kendo master in real life? At least 8-dan."

"No, that's beyond 8-dan—he's at a 'Sword Saint' level."

Among the observers, only Kirito remained silent.

As someone with a kendo background, Kirito understood the difference. While he had abandoned kendo and was still a few months shy of 14, he could recognize the gap in skill.

Izuna dispatched the Lv.25 Prairie Wolf in under three minutes, leveling up twice to Lv.17.

After finishing, he glanced briefly in Kirito's direction before turning away with a subtle smirk.

"Does that guy want to duel you, Kirito?"

"No way. We're not even on the same level," Kirito replied, his two teammates also noticing Izuna's gaze.

Kirito couldn't help but glance at Madara and Dak as well.

Madara stood with his arms crossed, exuding an undeniable aura of strength even in the game. Meanwhile, Dak, in his Cynthia avatar, radiated a mature and captivating charm that left a strong impression on the 13-year-old.

"Damage output is too low—it's inefficient," Izuna muttered as he returned to his companions.

"Level up a bit more, and it'll get better," Dak said with a shrug. "Besides, this is more interesting for you, isn't it? One-shotting enemies would be boring."

"Why not go straight for the boss?" Madara suggested, having gained some understanding of game mechanics.

"The boss room is in the labyrinth, which we'll need to locate," Dak explained, glancing at his map. The labyrinth area was still uncharted.

Dak's gaze shifted to Kirito's party, his eyes lighting up with an idea.

"What's up?" Izuna asked, noticing Dak's expression.

"Let's team up with them to fight the boss. They probably have intel on the boss room. Plus, it'll give them a chance to see how strong we are," Dak grinned, striding toward Kirito's group.

"Our strength, huh?" Izuna smirked, watching Dak leave.

"He's not wrong. Compared to the average player, Dak's combat skills are impressive," Madara remarked.

While Dak wasn't a close-combat expert, his psychic abilities had given him a unique edge. Being around skilled fighters like Madara and Izuna had also subtly improved his hand-to-hand combat abilities. Against the average SAO player, Dak could easily hold his own.

(End of Chapter)

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