Chapter 6

In the small alley behind the Wild Horse Inn, a young thief yawned out of boredom, his eyes listlessly following his target.

This mission was incredibly dull. The target was a half-elf warrior, supposedly specifically requested by the client. However, the boss's requirement was merely to keep track of her movements. All they needed to do was report the half-elf woman's whereabouts to their superiors on schedule.

"At this hour of the night, who would be out on the streets? It would be troublesome if we ran into a patrol." The thief struggled to stay awake.

The leader of the Akron gang had ambitious plans and was no longer content with the petty activities like collecting protection money. This was his attempt to enter the more serious and dangerous black market. Everyone in the gang knew that if they failed this mission, they would lose their heads.

Hmm? A sound from behind?

The thief suddenly became alert and glanced backward.

The dark alley was empty, with no one in sight.

"Am I being too paranoid?" The thief frowned and slowly turned his gaze back.

...

"This guy has pretty good perception."

Marvin, who had been startled by the thief's movement, took a half-step back.

A ranger's stealth in the city is penalized by 40%, which is not comparable to a thief's. With 24 points in stealth, it was a bit low against the thief's perception. This wasn't the wilderness, and Marvin had no advantage here.

Fortunately, he had accurately estimated the thief's perception range and tested it.

Marvin felt lucky; if he had impulsively approached just now, the thief would definitely have noticed him. If the thief had raised an alarm, things would have become complicated tonight.

He hid in the shadows, thought for a moment, and finally allocated all his remaining 20 skill points to [Stealth]. With 44 points in stealth, even at 60% effectiveness, it would be around 26 points, which should give him a chance.

After adjusting his skills, he moved slightly forward again, extending one foot to touch the ground.

Sure enough, this time the thief showed no reaction, focusing intently on the back door of the inn.

Everything was easier from here on out.

Marvin crept up to the thief's back, silently as a cat, and pounced before the thief could react.

He skillfully covered the thief's mouth, slit his throat, and let the blood drain out.

Apart from the added scent of blood in the air, there was no trace left behind.

This was a level 2 thief. Marvin quickly disposed of the body, retrieving some materials for making traps and 30 silver coins. These gang members weren't well-off; their equipment was even worse than the cheap broadsword Marvin had bought, mostly for intimidating ordinary people. In real combat, they were of little use.

Marvin dragged the thief's body to the drainage ditch. Every day, some unfortunate souls were found dead in this ditch, and no one except the undertakers cared about their faces.

He quietly entered the inn through the back door, stealthily climbed upstairs, and entered the room.

But just as he opened the door, a cold blade was suddenly pressed against his neck.

"Creeping around, huh? What do you want?"

A woman's voice said coldly.

Marvin smiled bitterly and quickly said, "Sister Anna, it's me."

"Master Marvin?"

The flint and steel sparked, lighting a candle, and the dim room became a bit brighter.

Anna held the candle in her left hand and a sword in her right, her face showing a hint of surprise.

"You said you wouldn't be back tonight. I thought you would stay at the Silver Church."

Marvin shook his head. The Silver Church's cathedral did provide a place for travelers to rest, but the rent was much higher.

"Listen, Anna, we only have fifteen minutes." Marvin spoke quickly, his eyes scanning the room, but he was surprised to find the windows tightly covered by curtains.

"What did you find?" he asked Anna.

Anna hesitated for a moment, then pointed her sword out the window. "Your words before you left reminded me. I did some reconnaissance and found someone on the street outside, watching our room."

"Akron gang members," Marvin nodded. "Two at the front door, one at the back."

"Master Marvin, why did you suddenly...?" Anna looked at Marvin with surprise, as if she were seeing a different person.

"There's no time to explain too much." Marvin's expression was resolute. "Anna, you have to trust me. After recovering from my illness, my mind is clearer. I know what I need to do. And I've received some guidance."

"Guidance?" Anna was even more puzzled by Marvin's mysterious tone.

Marvin made up a story on the spot. "When I was unconscious, I dreamed of many things. I dreamed of a person who claimed to be my teacher. In the dream, he taught me many things. Just now, I followed his guidance and took some necessary steps. Look."

He then showed her the deer emblem.

"Ranger emblem? Master Marvin, how did you suddenly become a ranger? How did you do it?"

Anna was completely stunned. To become a professional, one usually needed years of training. But Master Marvin had never undergone combat training. Was this ranger emblem fake?

Or had he met another con artist?

Compared to Marvin suddenly becoming a qualified ranger, Anna was more inclined to believe the latter.

Seeing Anna's expression, Marvin knew she didn't believe him. He said firmly, "Leave non-essential items in the room and take the important ones. Oh, and leave a letter for the innkeeper, asking her to keep our belongings for us. We'll come back to retrieve them later."

"Now, I need your help."

Marvin's tone left no room for argument. Anna took a deep breath and silently vowed that if Marvin had indeed been deceived, she would tear the person who deceived her master to pieces!

For now, she just nodded in compliance, ready to handle any situation—she had been trained from a young age to be a competent bodyguard and a capable housekeeper. She was the greatest support to the master of White River Valley, and when Marvin made a decision, she would fully support him.

They quickly packed up and quietly left through the back door.

...

In the quiet alley, Marvin whispered, "The Akron gang's lookouts confirm their safety every twenty minutes using the call of a quail. I observed that three quail calls mean everything is safe. Unfortunately, we don't know the quail language, so our time is limited."

"I still don't understand what you mean," Anna asked softly. "You said there was a lookout at the back door. Where is he?"

Marvin coughed. "In the drainage ditch behind us."

Anna was silent, but her heart was in turmoil. She knew Marvin better than anyone, and such a kind person had actually taken a life.

However, she could somewhat understand Marvin's transformation.

A wise man once said that human potential is boundless. When a person is in a desperate situation, they are likely to undergo some transformation—good or bad. Regardless, people change to survive better.

In recent days, White River Valley and Master Marvin had suffered great blows, far beyond what a 14-year-old boy could bear. It wasn't impossible for the kind Master Marvin to become decisive and cold.

She was just worried that Marvin might go to another extreme.

Regardless, since the lookout at the back door had been taken care of by Marvin, it wouldn't be long before the two enemies at the front door discovered this.

So Marvin kept saying they didn't have much time.

"I'll go and kill them," Anna said, a hint of killing intent in her voice. In the room, Marvin had told her that he had been ambushed by Akron gang members and had only escaped the danger thanks to the guidance of the teacher in his dream, returning to the inn.

This made Anna both shocked and angry.

Whoever dared to target Master Marvin, she would not let them off.

"No, no, Anna. If it were just about killing them, I wouldn't have come to you for help," Marvin said calmly. "We need to leave at least one alive."

"Alive?" Anna frowned.

"Because I need to know who wants to kill me. The Akron gang wouldn't act against me without a reason; there must be someone behind them."

Marvin said softly, "As far as I remember, I don't have any enemies in Riverbank City."

"No!" Anna suddenly remembered something, her face showing disbelief, which quickly turned to intense anger.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Marvin asked.

"Master, I think I know who might be behind the attacks on you."

Anna gritted her teeth. "These past few days, I've been working at your uncle Miller's house, and I overheard that he has close ties with the Akron gang!"

"The leader of the Akron gang, Diaphis, personally entered your uncle's mansion a few days ago and took many jewels! This was witnessed by the cook, Atao, who later told me as a rumor. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time!"

"Thinking about it now, the person behind the attacks on you is likely your uncle Miller!"

"Uncle Miller?" Marvin was taken aback, searching his memory.