'You're weaker than me?'
The unexpected, slightly astonished tone reached the thief's ears, fueling his rage while stirring unease.
There was something off about this brat!
Clearly a magic caster, yet his combat prowess rivaled the thief's.
To think his attack was so easily blocked?
A flicker of disbelief crossed the thief's eyes.
Thud!
Adam stomped the ground, charging at the thief. Now wasn't the time for words.
"Die!" The thief roared in fury at Adam's aggressive advance. His left hand flicked to his waist, drawing a small dagger and hurling it.
Whoosh!
The sharp whistle of the blade cut through the air.
Adam's eyes tracked it effortlessly. With a swing of his short sword, he knocked the dagger aside.
The motion slowed his charge.
"Stealth!"
The thief growled, his form blurring in the dark night, as if melding into the shadows.
Adam braced himself, but a moment later, shock flashed across his face.
The thief wasn't attacking, he was fleeing.
He can't escape!
The thought surged in Adam's mind. He raised his hand. "Magic Arrow!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three magic arrows materialized in the air, streaking toward the thief.
The sound forced the fleeing thief to halt, rolling to one side to dodge.
Seizing the moment, Adam closed the distance.
"Fourfold Slash of Light!"
His short sword became a blur of four afterimages, stabbing at the thief.
Splurch! Splurch! Splurch! Splurch!
Four sprays of blood erupted from the thief's chest, drawing a piercing scream.
But the Silence spell ensured the cry went unheard.
"You… you…"
The thief's bloodshot eyes glared, his body drenched in blood as he collapsed. "How… Gazef's…"
His words cut off as life left him.
[Gained 380 Experience]
Huff.
Huff.
Adam panted, staring at the corpse, finally exhaling in relief.
Blood stained his clothes, and droplets slid down his sword's blade. For a moment, he stood in silence.
Killing two people at once.
He'd never imagined it before. He'd known he'd have to kill eventually, but not this soon.
Nausea?
None.
Guilt?
None.
Instead, it felt… natural.
"What a rotten, hateful world." Adam muttered under his breath.
He glanced around the street, confirming no one had witnessed the fight.
These two had chosen their spot well.
Wiping blood from his cheek, Adam swiftly approached the bodies, storing them in his Item Box.
Even the bloodstained cobblestones were collected.
His Item Box, akin to a spatial inventory, had no restrictions except for living creatures.
With the scene cleaned, Adam hurried back toward the inn.
In a secluded alley, he stashed his bloodied clothes and changed into a clean set.
Thankfully, he'd bought plenty of spare clothes.
At the inn, the plump, freckled middle-aged owner, Maryse, greeted him. "Oh, the guest is back."
"Madame Maryse."
Adam flashed a warm smile, nodding before heading to his second-floor room.
"Yawn~" Maryse watched him ascend, murmuring, "Such a polite young man."
Click!
As the door closed, exhaustion settled over Adam's face.
With only 13 mana points, using Magic Arrow twice had drained him. Had the thief escaped, it would've spelled trouble.
Thankfully, Fourfold Slash of Light finished the job.
Adam had rarely used martial skills before. Now, he understood the "focus" They consumed.
It was a form of stamina drain, like running 200 meters in his old world, not exhausting, but noticeably tiring.
More importantly, this unexpected fight gave Adam a clearer sense of his strength.
The black-robed magic caster could use the second-tier Shield Wall, suggesting a level above seven, though not much higher.
The thief was likely around the same level.
Normally, at level 5, Adam should've been overwhelmed by their combined assault, even with the element of surprise.
But…
The magic caster failed to capitalize on his advantages. As for the thief, Adam found him lacking in both speed and strength.
There was only one explanation.
Adam's base stats surpassed the thief's!
"The Genius class doesn't boost base stats, so I allocated all my experience to the mid-tier Sword Saint class."
"People in this world lack the player system's convenience, so most only advance basic classes. Whether they even have mid-tier classes is uncertain."
Recalling his stats, 53 physical attack, 53 agility, Adam pieced it together.
"With these, my base stats likely exceed the standard for a level 7 human in this world."
Hmmm...
With a thought, Adam summoned four items onto the bed: a black-brown staff, a shimmering white necklace, a wand, and a dagger faintly glowing purple.
Four magic items!
Beyond these, the two carried not a single copper coin or anything to identify them.
Was this an Eight Fingers protocol, or their habit when hunting?
If the former, the Eight Fingers were far more formidable than depicted in the anime.
"Pity I don't know Appraisal Magic. It'd help to know these items' effects."
Adam sighed, eyeing the items.
The wand, imbued with Silence, still held mana fluctuations, indicating remaining uses.
Many magic casters knew Appraisal Magic, but taking Eight Fingers' items for appraisal right after killing their members risked drawing their attention.
Their vindictiveness was notorious.
Adam had no time to tangle with them.
"I might need another trip to the Mage Guild tomorrow." He mused.
With a wave, he stored the four items and retrieved his three remaining scrolls.
Papermaking, Warm, Odorless.
He tore each scroll, spending skill points to learn them.
Thankfully, these auxiliary spells wouldn't cause a commotion like Magic Arrow.
Odorless would mask his scent in the forest, avoiding trouble.
Papermaking needed no explanation.
Warm was an impulse buy to test his hypothesis. Even if wrong, it was useful.
It allowed adventurers to heat food or water without a fire, avoiding detection, a wilderness essential.
***
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