Kapitel 35: "Altruistically"

I took away the bag of gold from Lauel and made him lead the way to his boss. While he was walking ahead of me to give me directions, he often turned back to check on me. He was a clever kid.

"What is the reason for meeting my boss?" said Lauel.

"Why do you want to know?" I replied.

"Well, if you were his associate, you would know where he was. Are you from the knight order?"

"No, I'm not from the Knight Order. And I'm not some kind of gangster. I'm an adventurer who is passing by."

"An adventurer? You must be strong for an adventurer who carries gold coins around. What is your rank?"

"When are we reaching?" I changed the subject since I didn't want him to know that I was an E-grade Adventurer.

"It's around that corner."

We walked a little more and reached a building with its door open. I could tell that the building was a bar without entering it, due to its terrible smell of alcohol.

"Where the hell are you going?" I said after I saw Lauel ready to flee.

"I brought you here, so let me go."

"Nope. You're coming with me too."

Thud! Silence ruled over the sounds after I pushed open the bar door with my leg, causing a loud noise. People began to look for the source of the sound, and there I was. I entered the room without looking at their eyes, while Lauel was shivering beside me.

"Can I have a shot?" I said to the bartender.

"Pff, a kid like you wants to drink? Don't make me laugh. Go home and drink your milk before something bad happens, kiddo," said the bartender, scoffing and leaning on the table.

I looked at his laughing eyes with a cold response. His hand was on the table, so I did what I was going to do a little later. Slice! I pulled a knife out of my [Inventory] and pushed it into his hand until I could feel the wooden table.

"UGH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" said the bartender in pain.

Everyone in the room stood up and looked at me with anger while holding something in their hand. I was sure that if I didn't look like a kid, they would attack me instantly.

"Hey kid, do you know what you just did?" said one of the guys who was getting closer to me after I sat down.

"Do what? I just showed a guy the right way of treating a stranger. Should I teach you too?" I said, trying to act as arrogantly as I could.

The man who was standing in front of me was bald and had cold eyes that were looking down on me. He was the boss of this side of the slum and also Lauel's employer. Lauel was shaking tremendously due to fear beside me.

"Heh, you? Teach me? I guess you know nothing about the slum. This is my territory. If you don't want to die at my hands, run."

Slash! "Let me give you some advice. Don't drop your guard even when you are with your wife," I said after I struck the boss's throat with the knife I had.

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[ Skill "Swift Cut" Activated]

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[ Level Up ]

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Everyone began to watch in awe. The brutal-looking man dropped dead right in front of a kid without any resistance. It seemed impossible.

[Doomed Fantasy] was a cruel game. One of its main features that many hated was the character's defense. No matter who you were or what you were, as long as you were human, the amount of Defense you had was fixed for everyone. F-grade or S-grade adventurers, as long as they didn't possess any Defense skills or protective gear, would be dead meat in the face of a True Monster.

That was why speed was important at the start of the game. Evading attacks was easier than receiving them head-on.

I looked around after I killed the boss of the bar. Every man was holding a weapon in their hand, but no one was attacking me. This wasn't because they were scared of me, but because they were scared for themselves.

Unlike in the slum, if you killed someone, you would be targeted by knights, and sometimes it could lead to bounties on your head. That was why slums were full of dangerous individuals since no one would care if you killed someone.

'I guess I need to work on my Karma later on.'

"W-w-what did you d-do?" he said in confusion and panic.

"I did what I needed to. Now… RUN!" I shouted.

Thud! We began to flee from the bar as fast as we could (I was faster). Some of the thugs began to follow us to catch us, but thankfully, Lauel and I knew the slum.

"What do you think you are doing? Everything is ruined. I will die for sure since they saw me with you. Why did I run?" He said, predicting his miserable future.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you. Didn't you see it? Your gang and the Gray Wolves aren't in a good relationship, and I just killed Liam, so the Gray Wolves and this side of the slum will be busy fighting each other. No one would care about a thief," I said.

Calm began to return to Lauel's face.

"… Now what? Are we going to hide somewhere?"

"We are going to the candle shop."

Suddenly, Lauel's just-calmed face turned to surprise as I mentioned the candle shop.

"Your grandmother told me to bring you with me."

Lauel turned silent. He seemed disappointed… in himself.

We walked as stealthily as we could until we reached the shop. Lauel was quiet all that time.

"Oh! My grandson. Where have you been all this time? I was worried sick," said the happy Mary, while holding Lauel.

"… I was working to get some money, but some thugs stole it, so I began to work for more, but the thugs attacked me. This man saved my life and helped me return to the shop. I'm sorry, Mary," he said, trying hard not to show any guilt for his lie.

"N-no, don't be sorry, Lauel. Thank you, Sir. Without your help, my son would be in grave danger, so I want to give you something besides the candles," said Mary.

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[ Quest: Mary's Request, Complete ]

[ The Reward has been deposited in your Inventory ]

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[ Condition:

Save Lauel from Liam 1/1 ]

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[ You have Gained a Hidden Reward ]

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"This is a knife that used to belong to my son. He wasn't Lauel's father, but he was like one to him. I want you to have this as a token of gratitude for protecting Lauel," said Mary.

I grabbed the knife wrapped in a piece of cloth, and once I opened it, I saw a beautiful knife sheath and handle.

I tried to touch it, but I was struck by something I knew about.

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[ Item "Halo Dagger" is under the "Blood Bound" Enchantment and cannot be used by the User ]

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Blood Bound was something like Soul Bound that didn't allow anyone else to use it.

"I can't use it, but I know someone who can." I then handed the knife to Lauel.

"Wait, what?!" said Lauel.

"Use it. After all, you are the last blood of this family, so this knife should be yours."

"B-but…" he was stuttering and acting like a kid.

"Don't worry. I have a better weapon for myself. Use it and become an adventurer."

"Being an adventurer is a hard thing to do. I don't know if I could do it or not."

"Don't worry. I'm an adventurer, so I can recognize one of my kind when I see one. You have the potential."

"You think so?" he said with glowing eyes. I thought since he was living in the slum, he would be a little more resistant to these promises, but after all, he was a kid.

"I'm sure of it. My name is Action. Remember, when you get stronger, look for me. I might not seem like it, but I know many things that nobody knows."

Lauel wasn't a main character in [147 Novels], but I knew his name from the numerous times I played in my past life. He was going to become one of the named assassins in the game, thanks to his knife and special skills.

Instead of him taking a dark path, I made him walk in the daylight as an assassin. He was going to be a strange individual, so I wanted to use him later on.

The life of an adventurer might be a heavy toll on him, but I didn't care. Even if he were to die, I had many "things" to rely on.