In the blink of an eye, Qiu Haisheng had already spent over two weeks in this strange new world.
The only reason he hadn't starved to death was sheer luck—he'd managed to activate the DNF system. And when he opened the interface, something miraculous happened: he could see again. After being blind for half a month, that alone was enough to bring him to tears.
Honestly, those two weeks weren't all that bad. He'd built a makeshift shack near the shoreline, spread scraps of leather over the floor, and lived off a diet of strawberries and stale black bread, washing it down with red and blue potions. Any Dungeon Fighter Online player would recognize what he was wearing: the fur of Kainos, repurposed into a sleek, silver-white trench coat. It actually looked pretty cool.
This stroke of luck was all thanks to Qiu Haisheng's laziness—back when he still played on this alt, he couldn't be bothered to sell crafting mats. If not for that, he probably would've been eating dirt. Even better, he'd transferred a million gold coins from his main account long ago and totally forgotten about them. Without those, he wouldn't have made it this far. In this world, the coins were made of real gold… but unfortunately, they didn't buy food. If he could've traded them for even a single meat bun, he would've done it in a heartbeat.
Besides the inventory, the skill system had also activated—but it wasn't functioning quite right. Only passive skills like Leap, Sixth Sense, and Danger Perception worked. Thanks to those, he could at least move like a normal person. But everything else—even the skills he'd already leveled and poured SP into—remained grayed out. And his character was level 25!
Every day, he sat near the sea, staring into the void with his unseeing eyes. Even though he was blind, he longed to leave this place. Mostly because… he was almost out of strawberries.
Out at sea, however, something stirred.
A pirate ship cut through the waves, flying a flag adorned with what looked like a bull's skull.
"Captain! Island spotted off the starboard bow!"
The pirate captain whipped out a telescope, followed by a weathered map from inside his coat. A huge grin split his face.
"Bwahahaha! That's the one, boys! All hands—full sail! We're going treasure hunting!"
"Aye aye, Captain!" the pirates roared back in unison.
As the ship neared shore, a booming voice echoed across the deck.
"Land ho!"
Captain Yorki burst out of his cabin, arms spread wide.
"We made it, boys! And what do we do now?!"
"WE DANCE! WE SING!"
"And what are we?!"
"FREE PIRATES! WAHAHAHAHA!"
At that moment, a tall, skeletal figure with a massive afro stepped out from below deck, violin in hand. With a creepy chuckle, he raised the bow and began to play:
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho…"
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho…" the crew chanted along, voices rising with the sea breeze.
And then, echoing across the ocean, came the legendary ballad:
Binks' Sake
Here's a toast of Binks' sake, through wind and waves we sail,Beneath the clear blue skies we raise the flag we hold so dear.Gazing into the horizon, with dreams in every breath,Like birds that chase the setting sun, we race to conquer death.
We left our hometown far behind, its songs still in our hearts,The lullabies of childhood days, the tunes that gave us starts.Though once our limbs were weak and worn, now dreams make us stand tall,As men, we chart the open seas, we answer every call.
Here's a toast of Binks' sake, friends beside me on the tide,We chase our hopes across the waves, with no need now to hide.The ship that rocks us through the night becomes our sword and shield,And with the Jolly Roger high, our courage is revealed.
Let the drums ring through the sky, and let the sea winds roar,Through every storm, through darkest nights, we press forevermore.For men must live with pride and flair, and that's what we live for!
Near the shore, Qiu Haisheng was dozing under the sun, his body splayed out like a lizard soaking up warmth. The music woke him with a start.
"What the hell is that noise? So damn loud…" he grumbled groggily, scratching his head.
Then he froze.
"Wait… noise? That means—people?! There are people here?! Ahahahaha!!"
He sprang to his feet and dashed toward the source of the sound.
Back on the ship, Brook paused mid-verse and squinted at the shore. "Captain, someone's running toward us."
Yorki pulled his head out of a wine barrel and followed his gaze. "What the… You're right! Hey, boys—we've got a visitor!"
The pirates fell silent as Qiu Haisheng sprinted across the sand like a madman. Yorki planted one foot on the ship's railing and shouted down:
"Hey, kid! What are you doing here?"
Qiu Haisheng tilted his head toward the voice, a huge smile on his face. Yorki instantly noticed something off—the kid's eyes were blank, empty.
"No focus… He's blind."
"What's your name, kid?"
Qiu Haisheng didn't miss a beat. "Name's Barn! My ship went down in a storm. I'm the only one who made it. I washed up on this island and I've been stuck here ever since. Please—can you help me?"
His expression was full of desperation. Yorki stared at him in silence, the wind ruffling his coat.
This castaway was going to change everything.