Chapter 10

Over the course of two days.

The killings in the Cross Alley had settled down. Soren originally thought that the incident would at least stir up some of the guards of Amber City, and he had even prepared a plan to escape. However, he never expected that they had no intention of caring about the lives of the poor in the slums. It wasn't until Soren wandered around the dock area for two days and raised his thief level to 3 that he began to understand some things and realized why the Amber City Guard had not bothered with the escalation of gang conflicts in the slums.

The reason was simple!

A more serious event had occurred in Amber City.

Although the guard had tried to suppress the news of this major incident, it still gradually leaked out.

—"Someone was flayed alive!"

This news quietly spread in the gray areas of the dock. The victim was a poor watchman, and when the guard found him, only a bloody corpse remained. This was not a simple flaying incident, as the human skin was almost perfectly intact, without a single blemish, and was placed in the most conspicuous corner, as if mocking the guard's incompetence!

There were only two types of people in this world who could have such a high level of skill in flaying.

One was the fallen followers of the hellish evil gods, and the other was the followers of the abyssal demons.

Those who knew the news felt a sense of panic, especially the nobles, who were desperately pressuring the guard. The watchman was flayed in the noble district while he was on duty.

There were evil god followers or demon followers in Amber City, and they were active near the noble district!

The guard was now in a frenzy.

They were desperately searching for any clue, and had no time to care about the lives of the poor in the slums.

After this news spread,

Whether inside or outside the city, many forces became more restrained, especially those who operated in the gray areas of the dock, who had clearly started to limit their activities. Since the flaying incident had occurred, it was impossible for things to end there. According to the understanding of the dark underworld, those madmen would not stop so easily.

There would likely be more bloody incidents to come!

When Soren heard this news, he felt a bad premonition and immediately realized something.

This was a sign that the chaotic era was about to begin!

Before the outbreak of the Battle of the Gods, the first to act were the hellish demons, whose followers sparked a series of bloody massacres, the most common of which were flaying incidents. This was an evil and ancient ritual, symbolizing that a new soul had fallen to the chaotic and evil camp, and also indicating that a large-scale evil sacrificial ritual affecting the entire Southern Principality had already begun.

"Has the series of flaying incidents already started?"

Soren stood in a corner of the dock area, his eyes unusually serious, and muttered, "Amber City!"

"Here should be the territory of the Southern Principality."

"Although it's unfamiliar, it seems I've heard this name before. Something significant must have happened in Amber City during the chaos before the Great War!"

"Otherwise, it wouldn't have left such a clear impression on me."

"What exactly happened?"

Soren frowned and tried to recall, but unfortunately, there were still not enough clues. Too many major events had happened at that time.

An ancient red dragon even appeared!

Many people were crazy enough to try to slay the dragon, and no one paid attention to what was happening in a city in the Southern Principality.

Soren was busy in the Northern Plains at that time, determined to find a way to hunt the hill giant.

Slaying a dragon?

He wasn't that naive at the time.

But as a level 5 thief with no dual-class or advanced skills, planning to hunt a hill giant alone was already a bit crazy and very risky. A hill giant has a challenge rating of 10, meaning a team of adventurers with a level 10 or higher would have only a 50% chance of defeating it.

"The flaying incidents have started."

Soren looked at the bustling cargo in the dock area, as if foreseeing the impending chaos, and muttered, "It seems I should go to the hidden treasure cave."

Strength.

This was the most important thing in the chaotic era.

Because only strength could ensure his survival, and only strength could protect everything he cherished!

The gods were about to arrive.

The era of the saints had already begun!

Ordinary people had no right to interfere with the course of history, and no one could stop the impending catastrophe. Even millions of players couldn't do it, and Soren didn't think he could do it alone. The only thing he could do was to accumulate more strength before the chaotic era truly arrived, at least to be able to protect himself in the face of danger!

...

Over the course of two days.

It was enough for Soren to figure out the general location of the hidden treasure cave!

Almost every city had such a hidden treasure cave, which was said to be the work of a powerful lich, who seemed to be planning some conspiracy, but unfortunately, it was never completed before he fell. Many people had explored these treasure caves in the past, finding many miscellaneous items, including parts for making a lich's body. However, what truly attracted Soren was the extraordinary equipment in the treasure cave, which was very rare in this world, and the difficulty of obtaining it was much higher than anyone imagined!

The treasure cave was the only place in the early stages where one could obtain extraordinary equipment and had a certain chance of getting legendary items.

Since it was set up by a lich, the clues must be related to the undead.

As long as he inquired about haunted places in the city and did some simple elimination, he could find the location of the hidden treasure cave.

In his previous life, such treasure caves were explored early on, and now no one should be competing with Soren. However, since he couldn't find a trustworthy person to go with him, he had to explore it alone. He hoped the challenge level wouldn't exceed 5, as there were treasure caves with a challenge level as high as 8.

At that time, six teams of adventurers were wiped out, and only the last team managed to complete the challenge and obtain a lich's phylactery.

Unfortunately, it was already damaged!

After a few days of busy work in the dock area, Soren's profession level had been raised to 3, and his attributes had also improved.

Name: Soren.

Race: Half-Elf.

Attributes: Strength 12, Dexterity 20 (+1), Constitution 15, Intelligence 18 (+1), Wisdom 15, Charisma 16.

Alignment: Lawful Evil.

Profession: 10th level Commoner (max level) / 3rd level Thief (125/750) [1st Tier].

Health: 30/30.

Experience: 360 (slaughter experience), 120 points (profession experience) [unallocated].

Skill Points: None.

Attribute Points: None.

Status: Normal.

Professional Skills — Stealth 78, Theft 35, Lockpicking 45, Trap Detection 30.

Legendary Skill — Universal Handyman [Sealed] (Weakened state).

Personal Specialties — Nimble Left Hand, Photographic Memory.

Professional Specialties — Shadow Mastery.

...

From level 3 onwards, the profession experience gained from lockpicking would be significantly reduced.

Only some high-level and complex locks could still provide profession experience, and the simplest alarm traps could no longer improve thief skills. Locks that initially provided dozens of profession experience points now provided only a few. Therefore, Soren didn't need to waste time on them, as after level 5, thieves would find it very difficult to gain profession experience from lockpicking.

Each adventurer profession would gain a significant improvement when reaching level 3!

For example, a wizard would gain a spellcasting specialty at level 3 and could learn and master 2nd-tier arcane spells. A paladin would gain the specialty of judging evil at level 3, and a druid would gain the animal perception specialty. The most significant improvement would be for warriors, who would gain the 'Toughness Awakening' specialty, permanently increasing their health by 10 points and granting a 5% physical damage resistance.

This was a prerequisite for legendary warriors to master 'Absolute Toughness' and 'Indomitable Spirit'!

Compared to other professions,

The first professional specialty a thief gained was quite basic, which was the most fundamental Shadow Mastery.

In this special world, a person's strength encompassed many aspects, including abilities granted by their profession and abilities they had trained and understood. For example, personal specialties were unique abilities that one had mastered and trained, while professional specialties were abilities and techniques that most people of the same profession possessed.

For example, a thief.

Almost all thieves of level 3 or higher had the Shadow Mastery professional specialty, unless their personal attributes and talents were too low to even master the basic Shadow Mastery. Therefore, most other thieves had the 'Shadow Mastery' professional specialty, but not necessarily the 'Nimble Left Hand' and 'Photographic Memory' personal specialties.

"Shadow Mastery [Professional Specialty]: Through long-term training and conflict, thieves gradually feel the power of shadows. This power has gradually seeped into their blood, allowing them to better hide in shadows. When a thief uses stealth in shadows, their skill level increases by 5 points, and when they attack from the shadows, they can deal an additional 1 point of shadow damage."

After reaching level 5, a thief can become a 2nd-tier adventurer.

At that time, a thief can master a combat skill — 'Shadow Strike'! Shadow Mastery is the prerequisite for learning Shadow Strike!

At this stage, many professions would have a significant improvement, which Soren liked to call 'Extraordinary Awakening.'

Because the professional specialties of other professions were also similar.

"Toughness Awakening [Professional Specialty]: Through long-term training and combat, the bloodline power of a warrior has gradually transcended the ordinary. Common injuries can no longer pose a fatal threat to them! A warrior permanently increases their health by 10 points and gains 5% physical damage resistance, and an additional +2 advantage in abnormal state judgments!"

Then there was the paladin's professional specialty.

"Judging Evil [Professional Specialty]: The paladin's firm faith has withstood many tests. When encountering an evil target, they can easily judge it, avoiding being deceived and used by evil targets. When a paladin fights an evil-aligned enemy, they can pray for a bit of divine power, which has seeped into their bloodline. Therefore, each hit on an evil enemy deals an additional 1 point of holy damage."

This was the prerequisite for the 'Evil Slayer' specialty and the reason why so many paladins still exist in the world.

They have a very sharp intuition for evil!

Otherwise, these stubborn people would have been played to death long ago.

The differences in professional specialties were not significant, mostly due to the awakening of certain extraordinary abilities as the profession level increased. These specialties would gradually strengthen with level increases, and many professional specialties were key to mastering top-tier abilities in the legendary realm. For example, a thief must master the 'Shadow Mastery' professional specialty to learn the 'Shadow Step' combat skill.

...

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