Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Can I revert to the previous version?

Sett felt a headache coming on—nine points of Adaptability Power, which was fine when he hadn't trained, but now, it probably wouldn't even add one percent of his destructive power!

153 Skill Draw

The answer is undoubtedly yes; the system prohibits reverting to the previous version. This, in turn, introduces many uncontrollable factors into the system's lottery pool.

Like now, four draws, three of which are basic runes, like adaptive force and defense. Although somewhat reluctant, it's still part of increasing power—in fact, Sett knows his power increase seems a bit too rapid, and the system is too imperfect. In future updates, even just for balance, the rewards in the prize pool will be diluted…

To put it simply, keystone runes like Fleet Footwork and Lethal Tempo are SR (Super Rare), branch runes like Scorch and Bloodline are R (Rare), and special runes like Gathering Storm and Grasp of the Undying, which can grow infinitely, are special SSR (Super Special Rare).

The system appears well-designed, but it's not actually that simple because it lacks the "n" tier, meaning the "normal" tier. This update, clearly, focuses on updating the normal runes in the card pool.

While understandable, Sett was still somewhat annoyed that this channel for acquiring power had been weakened.

Of the four draws, three were basic runes. Sett's first choice was to increase adaptive force—Sett has always been someone who likes to take the initiative.

But soon, Sett frowned—after the Adaptive Force was infused into his body, Sett could clearly feel his muscle fibers becoming stronger. Although the increase was slight, Sett was almost certain that the Adaptive Force was increasing his muscle strength…

In that case, I won't be able to use Adaptive Force for the foreseeable future—Sett thought to himself, his muscle growth rate actually far exceeding that of Storm Gathering. This is because, under normal circumstances, Storm Gathering only increases muscle mass by about 14.6% per year.

This increase isn't cumulative; it's based on the baseline muscle strength... and that's where the problem lies. Sett's body is still developing, and his muscles are being trained every day, meaning his baseline muscle strength is also increasing daily... Over the past year, according to Sett's estimates, his muscle strength has increased by at least 60%! Not the so-called 14%.

Although he knew that with continuous strengthening, this growth rate would gradually decrease, eventually even ceasing to increase, relying solely on the Storm Gathering rune effect, Sett was certain of one thing: he didn't need to continue strengthening his muscles at this stage.

If you ask why, it's because the bones can no longer support it.

In fact, even before he met Garp, Sett would often wake up feeling inexplicably tired or even sore – at that time, Sett had already guessed that the burden on his bones was too heavy.

Whether it's organs or muscles, their growth rate is much faster than that of bones.

To make bones grow, obtaining the Overgrowth rune is the easiest way. (I made a typo before; it should be Overgrowth, Bone Plating is a different rune effect.)

I initially thought I'd get it in four draws, but now it seems a bit difficult...

The first one chose Adaptive Force, while the second Sett chose Skill Haste.

In the game, skill speed simply reduces skill cooldowns. However, there's a catch: in the real world, due to updates, skills don't have cooldowns; the intensity and interval of use are entirely tied to stamina. If Sett wanted, he could even unleash a barrage of punches. However, without the support of "power," the destructive power might be less than a regular punch. Furthermore, frequent use would lead to severe stamina depletion.

But that was in the game, and in reality, Sett wasn't entirely sure what the "Rapid Strike" skill actually did. After selecting it, Sett didn't feel any change in his muscles or the skill description—was it a bug?

Sett was somewhat unsure. Neither his physical body nor the skill description had changed. He tried wielding the "Subduing Intimidation" skill in the air, but the stamina consumption neither decreased nor increased. While wondering, Sett suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. After a brief moment of thought, Sett asked hesitantly, "The skill 'Rapid Strike'... does it increase reaction time?"

"Yes." The system's mechanical voice sounded again: "The skill 'Rapid Strike' will directly affect the nervous system."

"...That's a pleasant surprise."

Sett looked at his palm with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Then he continued to ask, "Is it the whole nerve or just a part of it?"

The area of ​​enhancement is the entire nervous system.

Upon hearing this, Sett nodded thoughtfully, a hint of surprise in his eyes—and indeed, surprise! Compared to strengthening physical abilities, bones, and organs, Sett had never heard of any way to strengthen the nervous system—he had some vague knowledge of the optic nerve, which could increase reaction speed by moving the eyeballs. But other central nervous systems, such as the brainstem and spinal cord, were completely unknown to Sett.

More importantly, even if you know that you are exercising, you can't be sure if it will be effective. After all, nerves are different from muscles. Even if you exercise, the effect will be minimal, and you can't intuitively feel whether the nerves that are supposed to be exercised are actually being trained.

Strengthening the nervous system would directly enhance everything from reaction speed to other aspects of his abilities—a fact that relieved Sett. At least, not all basic runes were as useless as Adaptive Force—neither good nor bad.

Sett was actually a bit wronged. For others, Adaptive Force is definitely a good rune that can directly increase strength. Although it's an additional power gain rather than a base power enhancement and doesn't provide a bonus to Gathering Storm, it can still significantly increase the destructive power of attacks for ordinary people.

Unfortunately, Sett is not lacking in power right now—in fact, he has an excess.

With that in mind, he reached the last basic rune. Between magic resistance and defense, Sett pondered for a moment and ultimately chose defense—he wanted to take a gamble.

The final result was positive. After the rune's energy flowed into his body, Sett could clearly feel that his bones, which had been covered in tiny cracks from the recent workout, had instantly healed. Furthermore, his strength had increased!

Stretching his arm, Sett could clearly feel that the pain in his bones had subsided—the tiny fractures had healed instantly. Furthermore, the strength of his bones had been enhanced beyond the effects of the exercise.

Does defensive power come from increasing bone strength?

Sett thought to himself, then directly asked the system, "How is defense calculated?"

In response, the system stated: "The defensive power will be calculated by the system and applied to the weakest parts of the body."

Upon hearing this, Sett nodded thoughtfully. Clearly, even the system now considered Sett's weakest point to be his skeleton… While with Armament Haki, Sett's skeleton was comparable to steel, compared to his organs and muscles, it was far inferior…

After thinking for a moment, Sett asked, "What is the purpose of magic resistance?"

Upon hearing Sett's question, this time the system didn't directly give him the answer, but mechanically replied: "[To ensure a sufficient gaming experience for the host, please explore on your own.]"

Hearing this, although somewhat puzzled, Sett didn't press further—he was certain the system was highly intelligent. However, one thing was certain: the system was ultimately mechanical, only responding according to its programmed instructions. It was highly unlikely that he would be able to joke about his friend's death.

In the final rune draw, Sett received three runes: Adaptive Force, Ability Haste, and the secondary rune "Unyielding Spirit."

Sett's eyes lit up when he saw "Unwavering Resolve." In the game, Unwavering Resolve is a Precision rune, a branch of keystone runes like Lethal Tempo and Fleet Footwork. Its effect is to deal 5%-11% bonus damage to enemies when their health drops below 60%. The maximum bonus damage is provided when their health drops to 30%.

It is extremely versatile in the game; it can be used in every role except support.

In comparison, while skill haste is good, Sett guessed that to clearly feel the enhancement to the nervous system, at least ten skill haste stacks would be needed. With this in mind, Sett chose Unyielding without hesitation.

Similar to the game, except in reality, the effect of Unyielding Strength increases the extra damage dealt as physical and mental states deteriorate. The numerical bonus remains unchanged at 5% to 11%. However, reality is not a game. In evenly matched battles, others' combat condition deteriorates, becoming increasingly exhausted. Sett, on the other hand, seems to gain strength with each fight, eventually even gaining a tenth more power. In a world where everyone fights for three days and three nights, the sustained combat capability provided by Unyielding Strength is terrifying.

What intrigued Sett was how to develop this rune—he knew he could develop it after acquiring it. Take Lethal Tempo, for example; in its original description, it only allowed for a maximum of six seconds of continuous damage. However, with development, Sett could extend this time to an astonishing five minutes while sacrificing his breath.

Attack speed doubles within five minutes. If this happened in a game, the game designer would be criticized so harshly that they wouldn't recognize themselves.

Including when he was going head-to-head with Garp, for five minutes, even with Garp's terrifying physical abilities, he could only choose to passively defend against the barrage of punches.

Sett guessed that developing Gathering Storm would involve increasing basic muscle mass through training. He had no idea how to get Grasp of the Undying, Hail of Blades, or Press the Attack. As for Scorch, Sett hadn't even considered developing it, so he just left it there... If he could swap it out, Sett would rather replace Scorch with a basic rune for defense or skill haste.

Especially in terms of defense, although the increase in bone strength is negligible, Sett's current bone strength is simply too weak. Even a tiny improvement would reduce the burden on his muscles and organs...

It's a pity I didn't get Overgrowth. Sett thought to himself—if I had gotten Overgrowth, I could have spent some time in a war-torn place and my skeletal problems would have been solved. Even if they weren't solved, at least I wouldn't have to feel sore all the time, with my muscles and bones constantly sore and unable to stretch, and I wouldn't have to wake up with aches and pains all over my body like I do now.

Then comes the four skill draws.

This system update added many new things, such as the runes. While some are indeed lackluster, like Adaptive Force, the others are all useful for Sett. The only one that's uncertain is Magic Resistance. However, they are just ordinary runes, and he'll eventually get them through gameplay.

After four skill draws, Sett couldn't help but purse his lips when he saw the first one.

Plague Blade... is Mundo's skill. Its effect is that the thrown blade is coated with a virus.

It was useless, but I was lucky. After the system update, a dismantling system appeared. A skill can be dismantled into a fragment, and four fragments can be exchanged for other skills in a randomly refreshed shop.

Although exchanging four skills for one is a bad deal, the system update increases the prize pool, so there will only be more and more skills that you won't need. For example—like Wind Wall.

Two fragments were acquired.

Compassionate Soulfall and Pathfinder are actually not very useful, but since they are strategic skills and there's nothing Sett needs in the current shop, they haven't been dismantled.

The remaining three skill draws weren't anything special either. One was the Yordle Trap Device, which is basically Caitlyn's trap. The other was "Forced Growth," which is basically Ivern's "planting grass"... This champion's pick rate in a year might not even be as high as Yasuo's in a single day. It has no passive; its effect is to plant a patch of grass that grants invisibility.

The stealth function is quite good. After thinking about it, Sett didn't dismantle it. He'll keep it for now and see how it goes.

Only one remained, and Sett held little hope. He clicked to draw, and a moment later, a flash of light illuminated the screen.

Congratulations to the player for obtaining the ultimate skill: [Ragnarok]

Upon hearing this, Sett, who had been idly pondering which skill to exchange his fragments for, paused slightly. His eyes widened in surprise.

What skill are you referring to?

----------------

On this Mid-Autumn Festival, I'm still working hard at typing in the library. Damn, I'm so touched. My average daily subscriptions are currently 3700. I wonder when I'll reach 4000.

154. Preparing to leave

If Sett didn't know about Ragnarok, he was joking—in League of Legends, there are always different opinions on which champion is the strongest, and no conclusion can be reached.

But if we're talking about which hero is the most reckless, then without a doubt, it's Olaf the Berserker.

The passive skill increases attack speed as health decreases. The first skill is a ranged AoE slow; the second skill provides lifesteal and a significant attack speed boost; and the third skill deals single-target true damage. The ultimate skill passively increases both physical and magical resistance, and when activated, grants a substantial increase in attack power and immunity to certain crowd control effects, including but not limited to stun, root, and slow. It also provides an additional movement speed bonus when chasing enemy heroes.

In team fights, if the enemy ADC makes a mistake in positioning and gets hit by an axe, slowed down, or controlled by Olaf's ultimate, Olaf will immediately activate his ultimate and transform into a red mad dog, sending the ADC to their doom with two axe blows.

There was absolutely no reason for this skill to be broken down. Choosing to receive it, Sett felt a surge of warmth in his spinal cord the instant he received it—a feeling as if some scalding pain had been injected into it, causing his restless spinal cord and blood to boil.

Perhaps it is because ultimate skills always carry some of the original user's spirit that Sett could feel an even more violent fighting spirit rising and surging within his body.

After that, Sett felt a surge of heat coursing through his spine, engulfing his entire body. Feeling this surging heat, Sett involuntarily tilted his head back.

"Ah~~" Sett let out a soothing sound, his eyes filled with comfort.

The bones became harder.

The passive effect of Ragnarok grants 20 armor and magic resistance—a significant amount, especially considering that in League of Legends' Ultimate Codex game mode, each champion gains an additional ultimate ability from another champion. Among these, Olaf's ultimate consistently ranks in the top three in lane effectiveness.

The +20 bonus to both physical and magical resistances is equivalent to starting with over 2,000 extra gold to buy resistances. This grants an overwhelming advantage in early-game lane fights and makes you invincible in late-game team fights due to your immunity to crowd control. It was thought this passive would be removed, but to Sett's surprise, the passive bonus to both physical and magical resistances remains.

Instead, it was the increased resistance to both armor and magic resistance; Sett could feel his bones stretching. Of course, Sett knew this was temporary. Once Ragnarok was activated, not only would the bone armor bonus disappear, but his muscles would also expand further under the effect of the skill… Ragnarok's active effect was to increase attack power.

Then there's magic resistance—no matter how hard Sett tries, he can't sense where the magic resistance bonus is coming from. Could it be resistance to fire and frostbite?

"That can't be right," Sett thought. In fantasy worlds, magic is indeed associated with things like fire and ice. But in the real world, whether it's fire or ice, it's essentially physical damage. Take the Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit, for example. Although it looks like magic, its attack method is still to increase its attack range and power by becoming elemental.

The laser beams from the Glint-Glint Fruit are also essentially high-pressure photon rays. As long as the muscles and bones are strong enough, they can be blocked.

In that case... where would magic resistance apply?

Thinking about it, Sett frowned and asked, "System, you haven't bugged anything, have you?"

[Ding, System files are being checked due to Master's suspicion of legitimacy.]

Upon hearing Sett's words, the system performed a brief self-check. A few minutes later, the system replied: [In response to the host's question, this system check found no problems; system files are intact.]

"..."

Upon hearing this, Sett pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands as if he had just thought of something—if armor is physical defense, then magic resistance represents mental defense.

The mind is a very ethereal thing. On one hand, it is affected by bodily hormones, such as dopamine. On the other hand, the influence of hormones can be countered through mental training. If this is the case, then so-called magic resistance is simply reducing the enemy's influence on one's mind?

It's a bit uncertain, because Sett has never been subjected to any mental attacks since he set sail. And Sett himself doesn't possess such attack capabilities, so this speculation remains just that—speculation—and cannot be confirmed.

With this thought in mind, Sett could only put aside his own thoughts and return his mind to the outside world.

When Sett opened his eyes, Hawkeye didn't seem to care at all, continuing to eat and drink as usual. Meanwhile, Garp paced around Sett, looking him over.

"...Why are you circling around me?" Seeing this, Sett raised an eyebrow: "You male copper claw!"

"What 'male bronze' nonsense!" Hearing Sett's words about him, Garp couldn't help but puff out his beard and glare. Then, stroking his chin, he asked curiously, "What were you doing just now? Meditating? Why did your injuries suddenly heal? And..."

As he spoke, somewhat uncertainly, Garp placed his hand on Sett's wrist. He gave it a slight squeeze, feeling the feedback, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes: "And how come your bones have hardened again? They weren't this hard yesterday. Even if you've trained, it's impossible for them to become this hard in one go!"

Didn't Hawkeye tell you?