The mention of "Eight Fingers" brought a fleeting silence to the air.
"I told you, no unnecessary talk." The black-robed man blocking the rear growled, his voice low.
"Heh, I didn't say anything." The thief, gripping his dagger in a reverse hold, shot back with a chilling gaze.
From their brief exchange, Adam knew he'd guessed correctly. Their true target wasn't his money, it was him.
The "Eight Fingers" was an underground syndicate with eight criminal branches, its influence sprawling across nearly the entire Re-Estize Kingdom.
Rumors even tied it to the kingdom's nobility.
The Re-Estize Kingdom permitted slave trading, spawning a web of crimes: child abductions, slave markets, brothels, bribery, and more.
Adam recalled that in a year or two, Princess Renner, the Golden Princess, would propose a decree banning slave trading, dealing a massive blow to the Eight Fingers.
In truth, this was one of Renner's calculated masterstrokes.
Among her many proposed decrees, this was one of the few to pass. For a decree tied to such a lucrative industry to succeed was remarkable.
A princess confined to the palace, with no allies or agents, somehow garnered widespread public support in a baffling manner.
She leveraged the decree's passage to indirectly influence the Baharuth Empire, clashing with the Bloody Emperor himself, a feat that earned her the moniker "monster."
In the tense standoff, Adam's body coiled with alertness.
His left hand clutched his short sword, while his right retrieved the freshly bought first-tier Magic Arrow scroll from his Item Box.
"You've got some nerve. We're not far from the plaza or the Adventurers' Guild. One shout from me, and neither of you will escape."
Adam raised his voice deliberately, hoping to draw attention.
"You can scream louder if you want."
"But fair warning, no matter how loud you are, no one will hear what's happening here."
The low voice came from behind.
Adam's heart tightened. He glanced back, spotting a small, ten-centimeter wand in the robed man's hand.
At that moment, his attribute panel flashed with information.
[Discovered skill Silence. Requirements: Basic Mage Class, Level 8–14.]
[Current conditions not met…]
The instant he saw the notification, Adam knew what the black-robed man held.
A wand!
A type of magic item, essentially an enhanced version of a magic scroll.
If a magic scroll was a one-use magical tool, a wand was a multi-use one imbued with the same spell.
In YGGDRASIL, wands were more cost-effective than scrolls, their only drawback being class restrictions.
For example, a wand imbued with Holy Light could only be used by faith-based magic casters, while one with Fireball was limited to arcane magic casters.
Scrolls had no such restrictions.
Of course, high-tier wands could bypass these limits.
In the New World, wands were far pricier than scrolls, being true magic items.
Confirming the black-robed man wielded a wand, Adam pegged him as an arcane magic caster.
A thief and a magic caster.
Deciding who to target first was obvious.
"Just give up, kid!"
The masked thief, dagger in a reverse grip, lunged at Adam with swift steps.
"Slash!"
In an instant, the thief's speed surged, his figure blurring.
Seeing this, Adam knew he had to take a gamble.
Without hesitation or regret, he flung the Magic Arrow scroll at the thief.
The scroll flared with light.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three non-elemental magic arrows materialized in the air, streaking toward the thief.
Simultaneously, his attribute panel updated.
[Discovered skill Magic Arrow. Requirements: Basic Mage Class, Level 1–7. Current conditions not met…]
["Genius" class activated. Basic class requirements met. Spend 1 skill point to learn?]
After casting the scroll, Adam didn't check the result. He spun and charged at the magic caster behind him.
Seeing the panel's message, he knew his gamble had paid off. He mentally confirmed.
[Skill: Magic Arrow (1st Tier)]
[Cost: 5 MP]
[Description: Casts a spell to create three non-elemental arrows to attack enemies. Each additional mana point spent creates one extra arrow, up to a maximum of 10.]
…
"You picked the wrong opponent, kid."
The black-robed magic caster sneered mockingly as Adam rushed him.
"Acid-"
"Magic Arrow!"
Adam was faster, casting the newly learned Magic Arrow before the caster could finish.
How?
Shock flickered across the caster's face, hidden beneath his hood.
Wasn't this guy a faith-based magic caster?
Did he also wield arcane magic?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three magic arrows hurtled toward him.
Too late to think, the caster switched spells. "Shield Wall!"
Shing!
An invisible barrier materialized before him.
Thud!
The three arrows struck the barrier, their magical energies canceling each other out.
"You've pissed me off, ki-"
Fury twisted the caster's face as he drew a staff from his robe, preparing another spell.
But in the next moment, his face paled.
Adam was already upon him.
How was he so fast?
As a magic caster, maintaining distance from enemies was critical, a fact he knew well.
They were at least fifteen meters apart. No magic caster's physique could close that gap so quickly unless… he wasn't just a magic caster.
The thought hit him just as Adam's short sword slashed down. "Rapid Strike!"
A cold glint flashed through the air.
The blade arced toward the caster's neck.
But at the moment of contact, a white light flared from the caster's body.
The sword met the light with a dull thunk, blocked successfully.
The white glow dimmed significantly.
This was…
"A magic item!"
Adam's eyes narrowed.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" The caster's face, revealed as the hood slipped, was younger than expected, barely in his twenties.
But before he could gloat, Adam's gaze hardened. He reversed his grip on the sword and pressed down with fierce strength. The white light flickered, then shattered.
Splurch!
The sword's tip sliced through the caster's throat, blood spraying and splattering Adam.
[Gained 350 Experience]
"Idiot!"
To think, with a defensive magic item, he didn't cast another spell but instead paused to revel in Adam's supposed shock.
The white light had dimmed under Adam's attack, clearly having a strength limit.
More importantly, as a magic caster, he'd let an enemy get so close.
This robed man clearly had little experience in close combat.
"You bastard, I'll cut your limbs off!"
A venomous roar came from behind.
The thief, briefly stalled by the scroll's Magic Arrow, now charged.
No sound of footsteps!
A thief class ability? Or a skill?
Adam swiftly adjusted his stance, turning to face the rear. The dagger, glowing with a dark purple hue, was already upon him.
Another magic weapon!
In that critical moment...
Clang!
Adam instinctively swung his short sword, blade meeting dagger in a sharp, piercing clash.
The thief's eyes flashed with surprise. After the collision, he retreated a few steps, eyeing Adam warily.
Crack!
Adam glanced at his short sword. The point of impact bore a crack and a notch.
But this time, the grim tension on his face eased.
"I just realized… you're weaker than me."
A strange expression crossed Adam's face as he looked at the thief.
***
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