Chapter Five: Double Experience Card

The infirmary was filled with men, their camaraderie from last night's awkward dancing still lingering. Without a hint of embarrassment, Rowan stripped himself bare and slipped into the enormous wooden tub. As the hot water and medicinal herbs worked their magic on his fatigued muscles, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of pleasure. If there hadn't been only men present, anyone hearing such a sound from outside would have imagined all sorts of strange things. Then again, perhaps it was precisely because it was a room full of men that their minds would conjure up even stranger scenarios.

Of course, such thoughts never crossed Rowan's mind. He was wholly absorbed in the comfort of the medicinal bath. Only now did he truly understand the benefits of belonging to a powerful group. If he were training alone, exhaustion would simply remain until his body naturally recovered; there would be nothing like the relief he now experienced, soaking in a specially prepared bath for weary bodies.

After half an hour, Rowan reluctantly climbed out of the tub, dressed, and made his way back to his room. As for the effects of the medicinal bath, there was only one word to describe it—superb. The results were almost unbelievably potent; after the soak, not only did Rowan feel no discomfort, but he even felt the urge to resume training immediately. If it hadn't been for the system's glaring red exclamation mark warning him against such reckless thoughts, Rowan would have headed straight for the training room.

Strength and power aside, what Rowan truly craved now was another bath like that.

Back in his room, he opened his system panel. The system's bold red reminder made him realize that, aside from sword practice, today's training regimen had been relatively light. The discipline system was not a tool for self-torment; its purpose was to help Rowan grow stronger, not leave him debilitated.

Each day's plan was carefully calculated based on Rowan's physical limits. If he failed to meet the requirements, he would earn no experience and thus make no progress. If he exceeded the prescribed regimen, his body would suffer for it.

Settling into bed with a book from the desk, Rowan indulged in one of his favorite pastimes. Before traveling to this world, he had always read before sleeping.

For the next twenty-some days, Rowan's life remained a cycle of relentless training. Over those twenty days, he could clearly sense his body's transformation. What had once taken him a certain amount of time to complete, he could now finish in half as long.

Today marked the thirtieth day of his formal training, and the thirty-first since joining the Golden Lion Pirates. In the spacious training hall, Rowan was still swinging his bamboo sword. Although he was still panting with exertion, excitement and anticipation were written all over his face. Because, with today's training complete, he would finally learn the nature of the mysterious reward that had been haunting him.

"Five hundred ninety-eight..."

"Five hundred ninety-nine..."

"Six hundred..."

As soon as he finished, Rowan didn't immediately summon the waiting ship's doctor. Instead, suppressing his exhaustion, he steadied himself on his bamboo sword and opened the system interface.

"Today's discipline training complete. Received: Strength experience 40, Speed experience 40, Constitution experience 40, Swordsmanship experience 120."

"Current training progress: 30/30. Cumulative training reward being issued."

"Double Training Experience Card (Single Use) x1."

"Current training progress: 30/60. Reward: ???"

Staring at the green virtual card on the system panel, Rowan's mind filled with question marks. Was this it? Just this? A green-quality reward, yet shrouded in so much mystery—did the color really merit such suspense? Still, a reward is a reward, no matter how small, so Rowan accepted the card.

"Double Training Experience Card?" he mused in confusion. What on earth was this? The last time he had seen such a thing was back when he occasionally relaxed with video games, where it was a special item. Why was the system giving him the same thing here?

Double experience—could this really double the results of his training?

Curiosity piqued, Rowan decided to experiment. In games, he had never questioned the logic of these cards. But now, encountering one in reality, he was eager to see how it would function.

He tapped the green card lightly. A flash of gentle green light enveloped him, and the card dissolved into his body. The moment the light entered him, he let out a deep sigh of relief as the muscle fatigue from training evaporated instantly.

In terms of comfort, this surpassed even the ship doctor's medicinal baths by far. As his muscles recovered, Rowan could feel subtle changes within his body. It wasn't much, but it was unmistakable. On the system panel, his experience points had increased by a small but noticeable margin—exactly the amount he had earned from today's training, doubled.

"Master Rowan, Lord Shiki sent me to fetch you. We've arrived at Floating Island."

While Rowan was savoring these changes, a pirate entered the training hall and respectfully conveyed the message.

"I understand," Rowan replied, tossing his bamboo sword to the pirate and heading out.

"Floating Island, hm? I'm quite interested in seeing it myself." On his way to the deck, images of the colossal islands from the anime floated through Rowan's mind. Even just seeing them on screen had left him awestruck by their grandeur. What must it be like to witness such a sight with his own eyes?

"Master Shiki!" Filled with anticipation, Rowan approached the bow and immediately spotted the Golden Lion standing by the railing.

"This is my base, Rowan. From now on, it's also where you'll be living," Shiki declared proudly, gesturing toward Floating Island with a booming laugh. Apart from accepting Rowan as a disciple, nothing filled him with more pride than these floating islands before them. Such wonders, defying the laws of nature, could only be rivaled by the islands in the sky—and only he could create something like this.

"Magnificent, truly awe-inspiring, teacher." Rowan gazed at the colossal islands, his heart quaking with awe. Only now did he fully grasp that he was living in another world.

Vast islands, their far ends lost to sight, hovered in the sky, their lower halves bathed in azure seawater, floating as if by magic. Torrents of waterfalls cascaded between the islands, their spray forming rainbows in midair.

Though Rowan had seen many great human-made marvels on Blue Star in his past life, aside from the most exceptional structures, everything else paled in comparison to these floating islands. If anything could surpass them, it would be the celestial palace orbiting in space.

"I've been watching your training these past weeks. Once we return to base, you should rest for a couple of days," Shiki said, clearly pleased by Rowan’s astonishment.

"There's no need to rest, teacher. I know exactly how much training I’ve done, and with the medicinal baths you've arranged, I haven't been remotely overworked," Rowan replied, shaking his head.

Even without the discipline system, Rowan would never allow himself to rest. Training, after all, was all about persistence.

Look at Zoro on Luffy’s ship—unless there was a fight, did he ever skip training for even a single day?

"Training must balance tension and relaxation; you can’t always push yourself to the limit." Though Shiki admired Rowan's dedication, he was also a veteran who had risen from weakness. For basic training, he wouldn’t worry. But seeing Rowan carried off by the ship’s doctor at the end of each day—such intensity would concern anyone. After all, he now regarded Rowan as his successor.