Chapter 23

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This is a work of fiction.

The characters, organizations, and names appearing in this work are fictitious and have no connection to any real entities.

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023＿Shaldina Thief Guild

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On the 11th day of my reincarnation, I swung down my mithril greatsword with a swift motion.

The greater rat vanished without even moving.

With the Stealth skill activated, I could approach the greater rat without being noticed. The Critical Strike skill then activated, tripling the damage with 100% effectiveness. The battle was over in an instant.

"An Assassin's Stealth skill is excellent, and Critical Strike is incredibly powerful. It's more like instant death rather than assassination."

"That's the result of your daily practice, Master."

"Maybe, but this mithril greatsword is also exceptional."

And the ability to change jobs on my own is also a big help.

Annelise picked up the dropped items and put them in a bag, and we headed to the second floor.

When I was an old man, my movements were slow, but now they are quick and agile, making my chest bounce. Even with a towel wrapped around, what bounces will bounce. It's a feast for the eyes.

I leveled up after that, but I had to hunt four greater rats to reach level 3.

Next, instead of the boss on the second floor, we decided to hunt the Giant Spider on the third floor.

The second floor has two bosses, which are not ideal for an Assassin. I thought it would be more efficient to fight a single boss.

Using Dungeon Move, we teleported near the boss room on the third floor. Changing jobs every time is a hassle, but Dungeon Move is incredibly convenient.

We waited for about 30 minutes for the party to enter the boss room. As an Assassin, I tend to think battles are over in an instant, but this is a foe that usually takes this much time to defeat. I need to stay focused.

I used Stealth to hide before the Giant Spider appeared.

I learned from the greater rat that Stealth becomes ineffective once you are seen. So, I hid before the Giant Spider appeared.

The Giant Spider didn't seem to notice me. I approached and raised my mithril greatsword.

"!? "

One of its thin legs crossed in front of my eyes. I reacted and jumped back, so it didn't hit me, but was that just a coincidence?

The Giant Spider still hadn't noticed me. Maybe it can sense something like a presence when I enter a certain range, even with Stealth?

I had to test it.

I circled around to the back and approached to about 10 centimeters from the previous distance. The Giant Spider still didn't react.

I raised my mithril greatsword. No reaction.

Since it was just out of reach, I moved closer to the previous distance.

Swish. Sure enough, it reacted when I entered a certain range.

I concluded that the Giant Spider senses danger and reacts when I enter the range of my mithril greatsword.

What if I jump in from outside that range?

I raised my mithril greatsword in an upper stance, activated the Divine Speed skill, and lunged from just outside the range, swinging down.

The Giant Spider reacted but only managed to jerk its body. By then, my mithril greatsword had already sliced through it.

Sure enough, Divine Speed lived up to its name with incredible speed.

With a sharp cracking sound, the Giant Spider vanished.

Given that it reacted, it's uncertain whether the Critical Strike skill activated.

I was able to defeat it because of the high ATK bonus of the mithril greatsword. A weapon with a lower ATK bonus, like an iron longsword, wouldn't have been enough.

The Giant Spider's reaction was worthy of a boss, but thanks to it, my Stealth skill proficiency increased from (Low) to (Medium).

With this, I should be able to defeat the Giant Spider without being noticed.

As expected, with Stealth (Medium), I was able to land a hit on the Giant Spider without being noticed.

I continued to farm the Giant Spider and raised my Assassin level to 6.

At the guild, I exchanged the boss drops, but as usual, there were thieves around. I'm starting to suspect that the guild is in cahoots with the thieves.

- 4 Greater Rat Tails: 6,000 Gils

- 7 Poison Sacs: 12,600 Gils

- 1 Green Leaf: 4,500 Gils

- Total: 23,100 Gils (Equivalent to 231,000 yen)

Farming bosses is perfect for making money. I'm reconsidering my stance on buying slaves because I need as much money as possible.

Annelise also explained the good aspects of the slave system, which is a way to help people in trouble. The problem is the name "slave." If it had a different name, it might be perceived more positively.

Today, I plan to shake off the thieves and go outside alone again.

"Be careful..."

"Thanks. Make sure to lock the door and don't let your guard down."

"Okay."

I walked through the pleasure district with my cloak on.

I could sense a thief following me at a distance using the Perception skill. They fell for the bait.

So far, only one person is following me. I decided to spend some time in a tavern.

"Give me milk."

"......"

The bartender, an ash-gray bearded man, silently poured the milk. He seemed to want to say, "Don't order milk in a tavern."

The warm milk was quite gamey. In this world, there's no culture or habit of making ice or chilling drinks.

After sipping for about 20 minutes, thieves started to gather around me. Recently, this baiting technique has become popular.

I left two 100 Gil silver coins on the table and stood up.

"Thank you."

"......"

The bartender nodded in response.

The tavern had a good atmosphere, even though the milk wasn't tasty.

The number of thieves temporarily increased to five but then decreased to three. Two of them must have gone to call for reinforcements.

I left the tavern and pulled up my hood. Even though my face was already seen, I entered a back alley to avoid drawing attention. I activated Stealth there.

The thieves followed me into the back alley.

"Where did he go?"

"This alley is a dead end. There's no way he could have escaped."

"Damn, he got away again. The boss will be angry."

The thieves in front of me were having a ridiculous conversation.

"Who's going to tell the boss?"

"You tell him."

"No, you do it."

Do you guys think you're a comedy duo?

The conversation didn't lead to "I'll do it," and the plump, round-faced thief was pushed by the other two to report.

He always seems to get the unpleasant tasks, so he must be the weakest among the three.

I followed the round-faced thief. Since he mentioned reporting to the boss, he must be heading to their hideout.

Kerniffi is a large city, so it's quite extensive. The wealthy live in the north and east, while the south, being close to the dungeon, is home to many explorers. The west is where the poor gather. The castle is in the north of the city.

As I moved from the south to the west, the buildings gradually changed from stone to wood. Further in, shacks became more prominent. In this area, there was a large stone mansion, which was quite unusual. Surrounded by wooden houses, it stood out.

The round-faced thief exchanged a few words with the gatekeepers and entered through the side gate. There were four gatekeepers, all of whom were thieves. This was definitely the thieves' hideout, but it was quite different from what I imagined.

There were also thieves guarding the front door of the mansion. The round-faced thief exchanged a few words and entered the mansion. The same words were used, so they must be a password.

I slipped in after the round-faced thief. The mansion was filled with many presences. A detailed appraisal revealed that most were thieves, but occasionally, more dangerous job titles like rapist or arsonist appeared. This was definitely the hideout of a thief guild.

We went up the stairs to the third floor and walked down the corridor. At a door guarded by three thieves, the round-faced thief stopped to exchange the password.

We entered the room. Inside were one woman and three men. The woman was lying on a sofa, smoking a pipe about a meter long. I assumed it was a tobacco pipe, but the pipe was an ugly golden color.

Two men were by the window, and one was by the door. The red-haired woman was the boss.

"You must be the young one from Gogoku."

At first, I thought she was in her 30s, but upon closer inspection, she was heavily made up. The wrinkles on her hand holding the pipe suggested she was at least 50, maybe even 60.

"Y-Yes."

"What brings you here?"

"About... that kid..."

"That kid? Oh, the one who killed Potsu. A young one ran off to report that he was found."

The round-faced thief, quite nervous, reported that he had lost me.

"Useless. Throw him out."

"Y-Yes."

"Sorry!"

The round-faced thief was thrown into the corridor by the muscular guard by the door.

"Ha... Useless. How long do you plan to let the one who killed my precious underling run free?"

The red-haired woman puffed on her pipe and exhaled smoke.

One of the thieves I killed was named Potsu, who led a guild under the Shaldina Thief Guild.

This woman is Shaldina, the big boss of the Shaldina Thief Guild. Under her are five thief guilds and 300 thieves. Quite a large organization.

With such a large thief guild, even the lord can't easily interfere. Despite the prominent mansion, they can't raid it because it's constantly guarded by 100 thieves.

Moreover, there are thieves in the surrounding area who will swarm if anything happens. Like cockroaches.

Killing 300 thieves is unrealistic. If I could kill Shaldina and the five leaders at once, the guild might collapse.

She's right in front of me, and she hasn't noticed me, so killing her shouldn't be too difficult. If that's all it takes, so be it.

Even if I kill Shaldina, someone else will take over the Shaldina Thief Guild and target me. To break this cycle, I need to destroy the guild.

This is a problem. I didn't expect such a large-scale thief guild.

I need to step back and gather my thoughts.

【Job】Assassin Lv6

【Skills】Critical Strike (Low) Stealth (Low) Erase Traces (Low) Divine Speed (Low) Perception (Low)

【Unique Skills】Detailed Appraisal (Medium) Item Box (Medium)

"Let's gather more numbers to have various options."

When I consulted Annelise about the thief guild, she suggested this.

I'm leaning more towards buying slaves, but I hesitate because it feels wrong to buy people to kill my enemies, even if they are thieves.

"Thieves are more dangerous than monsters and can be eliminated without it being considered a crime."

I know I need to strengthen my forces, but my heart isn't convinced.

"I don't want to force slaves to do this."

"Then don't force them."

"Huh?"

"Buy slaves who agree to fight thieves."

She says slaves can choose to fight based on their own will.

"Got it. Let's go to Gorteo's shop tomorrow."

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