Volume 2 - CH 4

“What? You’re hosting a martial arts tournament?” The official sent by the adventurer’s guild to discuss the specifics with Saul exclaimed in surprise from within the inn the latter were staying in.

Saul’s commission, which involved two supreme-grade magic beast cores and the death of an esteemed master appraiser, caused a sensational reaction as soon as the guild’s announcement was made. Adventurers from all over the city rushed to hear the news, and the entire city was bustling like never before.

Sitting in a chair and enjoying Jessica’s shoulder massage service, Saul snorted and said, “Of course, with so many adventurers, I can’t rely solely on your recommendations. Real strength must be tested in combat. So, I’ve decided to hold a martial arts tournament to select eligible warriors.”

Last night, the four of them discussed the issue with the goal of preventing the adventurer’s guild from exclusively recommending their in-house warriors and creating unnecessary problems. Saul concluded that hosting a martial arts tournament would be an effective way to identify genuinely skilled adventurers. Additionally, also had a personal desire to experience the thrill of a martial arts tournament that he had read about so much in novels.

The official clearly didn’t expect such a request and hesitated, saying, “Well…I’ll need to report this to my superiors, and I’ll give you an answer tonight.”

After the official left, Jessica, who had been holding onto Saul’s shoulder, let out a cold snort. Saul reflexively jumped up and quickly offered his chair to Jessica. Sigh, I am such a useless lord. I should have brought Marlene with me, he wailed secretly in his mind before turning away and shedding tears.

At that moment, Chipp asked, “Will they agree to our proposal?” Saul confidently nodded and replied, “You saw how they reacted when they saw the supreme-grade magic core in our possession. The item is in our hands, so it’s not up to them to choose.”

“But hosting the martial arts tournament incurs significant expenses, including venue fees, coordination fees, participant costs, and staff expenses. We don’t have the money,” Jessica frowned.

Determined to make this operation a success, Saul took out 5,000 gold coins to show off his wealth. They were dressed in the finest clothes, adorned with the best jewelry, and staying at the most luxurious inn in Ferry City, making it the most extravagant experience they had ever had.

Saul grinned confidently and said, “Don’t worry, not only will this martial arts tournament not cost us a penny, but I’m also going to make a big profit out of it.”

※※※

“What? You’re going to charge each participant twenty gold coins as registration fee!?” exclaimed the official of the adventurer’s guild that night.

The idea to host a martial arts tournament was conceived by Saul himself. With each participant contributing twenty gold coins, and the recent influx of adventurers in Ferry City, it was evident that a substantial sum of money could be raised. Furthermore, he was not afraid that those people would refuse to pay. For the chance of acquiing two supreme-grade magic cores, what were twenty gold coins to them?

“Isn’t that amount too high?” Still in a momentary shock, the official cautiously asked.

Saul waved his hand. “No, it’s not high at all. Adventurers who really have the ability won’t care about twenty gold coins. Those who don’t have the ability won’t be able to afford it anyway.”

His reasoning made sense, and the official wiped a cold sweat from his brow and said, “Well… I need to go back and discuss it further. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

“By the way,” Saul stopped the official who was leaving. “I didn’t bring enough money, so please have the adventurer’s guild cover the costs for the martial arts tournament on my behalf.”

The official was so surprised that he stumbled and fell to the ground. After the latter left, Jessica spoke up. “Aren’t these demands a bit too much?”

“Don’t worry,” Saul replied with a smirk. “The adventurer’s guild will agree. They are also in a difficult situation now.”

“As for the money,” he continued, “it will be seized and added to Lowell’s treasury.” Saul chuckled to himself, feeling no need to be polite with the adventurer’s guild, whom he knew had ill intentions toward his territory.

Chipp and Cress glanced at each other and silently nodded in agreement.

Our Lord is indeed cunning and dispicable.

※※※

As night descended upon the city, Saul and his companions took refuge in the “Praying Mantis Elder” inn, the most luxurious inn in Ferry City. The inn was located in the northern part of the city center and was a magnificent three-story building surrounded by an exquisite garden and enclosed by a gorgeously decorated wall.

As the darkness engulfed the inn, everyone inside had already fallen into a deep slumber. The silence was deafening, except for the occasional chirping of crickets that could be heard from the garden.

Suddenly, two figures appeared silently from the corner of the street on the opposite side. They swiftly crossed the deserted street like ghosts and quietly approached the wall of the inn. After crouching by the wall for a moment to listen, the intruders stood up and, as if weightless, effortlessly scaled the wall that was over a person’s height and entered the garden.

These two mysterious figures, with their faces covered, were dressed in the common black, tight-fitting clothes of thieves. One of them had graying eyebrows visible outside of his mask, suggesting that he was an elderly man.

The inn building was just ahead, but the two men didn’t seem to be in a hurry to act. The old man crouched down on the ground and carefully felt every inch of the surrounding area with a special technique. Then he nodded, and the two continued to move forward.

When they arrived at the base of the building, the two men climbed up the wall like geckos, using the tiny gaps in the bricks. Their movements were incredibly smooth, and in no time, they had climbed to the window of one of the top rooms, where they silently crouched down.

The young thief reached out and touched the window with his hand. Somehow, the tightly shut window willingly opened. Like two boneless snakes, the two men slid into the room without making a sound.

On the large bed in the room, Saul was sleeping soundly. He was lying on his back, arms and legs spread out in the shape of the letter “大,” sleeping just a little bit better than a dead pig. He was completely unaware that two unknown people had entered the room.

It was apparent that the primary motive behind the arrival of these two individuals was to acquire the two magic cores in Saul’s possession. If they still had the audacity to attempt theft after accepting the task at the adventurer’s guild, it would indicate that they were not simple characters.

Once inside the room, the two men became even more vigilant. They moved in a strange, cautious rhythm, taking a step forward whenever Saul exhaled and freezing in place when he inhaled, using this rhythm to completely hide the sound of their movements within his breathing.

Despite their prey being an ordinary person and despite the target being right in front of them, the two thieves remained calm and never let their guard down. They were clearly highly skilled in their craft.

Approaching Saul’s bed, they could see by the faint light coming in through the window that a small box was tightly chained to the post at the head of the bed. People had a natural instinct to keep important things close and within reach, and Saul was no exception.

The box was holding the magic cores, and a thick iron chain was wrapped around it like a rice dumpling. To remove the box, they would have had to either saw through the bedpost or cut the chain, neither of which was a suitable task to undertake in the dead of night.

Furthermore, the iron chain in question is not a run-of-the-mill item. It is a top-of-the-line product manufactured by the esteemed Mage Guild, complete with alerting magic tailored for affluent individuals seeking to safeguard their precious belongings from possible threats. Even a slight touch of the chain, without knowledge of the specific incantation, would activate the protective magic instantaneously.

As the mage guild’s slogan states, with the combination of sturdy iron chains and sensitive alerting magic is a classic blend of steel and magic that will perfectly ensure the safety of your property.

But that was not all. There was also a note attached to the box, with some crookedly written words that read “No magic core in here,” incorporating psychological warfare into the mix.

Upon seeing this note, the two thieves’ eyes displayed a peculiar expression. However, they were both experts in their field and would not be fooled by such a simple trick.

Without any hesitation, the two immediately sprang into action. The younger thief pulled out a small glass bottle from his pocket, which contained a black liquid. He carefully removed the bottle’s cap and, with great care, tilted it to let a single drop of the liquid fall onto the iron chain.

As the liquid made contact with the iron chain, something unbelievable happened. The steel chain, which was thought to be indestructible, actually dissolved from the middle and then broke apart, all without triggering the alerting magic on it.

If someone knowledgeable was nearby, they would recognize the liquid in the bottle as the breath of a black dragon—acid. The Black Dragon’s acid had an extremely powerful corrosive effect and could even destroy magic. When a black dragon breathes its acid breath, no protective spell can stop the acid from eroding said objects.

At the moment the iron chain broke, the old man wearing leather gloves was already standing by, carefully peeling off the chain one link at a time until the iron box was completely released from its restraints.

Although they succeeded, the two thieves did not show any joy or excitement throughout the entire process. They maintained a calm demeanor, almost detached from the situation. Just as the younger thief reached out to take the iron box, his movement suddenly stopped, as if he were instantly petrified. Both of them froze in place, seemingly held in place by an invisible force. After a moment, the old man chuckled softly and said, “So there are other fellow experts in this place.”

The moment the words left his mouth, a flash bolted from the shadowy corner of the room. Simultaneously, a glimmer caught the old man’s eye as a dagger was aimed straight for his chest. It was Chipp’s dagger.

In an instant, the two thieves sprang apart and scurried to opposite ends of the room. As they flipped and turned, each brandished a dagger, and the three figures merged together into a blur of motion.

Despite the deadly intent behind each strike, the three figures never clashed their daggers. Instead, they seemed to share an unspoken understanding as they twisted and stabbed, each blade changing direction mid-swing to target a different spot. Remarkably, not a single piece of furniture was touched as they deftly navigated the space, moving like ghosts in the night.

Meanwhile, amidst the frenzied battle raging around the bed, Saul snored on, completely oblivious to the bizarre scene unfolding around him.

Thieves adhered to a strict code: when caught, they must withdraw immediately, avoiding violence whenever possible. However, the temptation of the two magic cores proved too great a prize to resist. Even seasoned professionals like the old and young man found themselves unable to tear away from the iron box, risking everything to secure their “prize”.

However, Chipp was a squad leader of the Night Shadow Brigade, and his abilities were beyond doubt. He stood guard alone by Saul’s bed, and the two thieves were unable to get even a step closer, despite their best efforts.

Although the three of them had not made a sound from beginning to end, the two thieves were still nervous about being caught, and over time their attacks became more intense, fearing that other guards would soon come.

The old man signaled to the young man quietly, and the two separated once again, this time with much greater speed. The young man pounced towards the iron box while the old man made his first move against Saul, who was sleeping on the bed.

Chipp’s expression remained unchanged. As the two thieves circled around to opposite sides of the bed, he suddenly threw his dagger towards the young thief. The dagger’s attack was incredibly tricky, and the young thief had no choice but to stop and block. However, to his surprise, when his hand was halfway through, the whirling dagger transformed inexplicably into a chipp, and the vanished dagger mysteriously replaced Chipp’s previous position and shot towards the old man’s location, aiming to strike.

With a loud clang, the old man barely raised his dagger to deflect it, and a bright spark exploded in the dimly lit room. Although he wasn’t injured, his heart was racing, and even with his seasoned experience he couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the young thief quickly withdrew, but Chipp had already appeared in front of him in a flash. With a twist of his wrist, another dagger slipped into his hand, and he made a horizontal slash! Even though the young thief retreated quickly, the tight-fitting clothes on his chest were narrowly cut open.

“Mmm, hmmm…” Disturbed by the sound of the old man racking away the dagger, Saul grunted twice, rolled over, and went back to his slumber.

“This is a military technique. You are an assassin?!” the old man said in a deep voice.

Chipp shook his head slowly. “No, I’m just the young master’s bodyguard.”

The old man snorted. “”This kid really comes from an extraordinary background. No wonder he can possess supreme-grade magic cores and even hire assassins as bodyguards.”

Just then, there was a loud bang, and the thick door of the room was shattered. A burly man burst in, brandishing his sword and aiming it at the old man. The new figure was Kress.

The old man was caught off guard and taken aback by the attack. Before he could react, a massive sword with a heavy wind whistle had already slashed toward his face. In a quick move, the old man twisted his waist to dodge, but he was surprised to find that the sword in Kress’s hand was surprisingly light. Kress effortlessly changed the downward strike into a horizontal slash and continued to attack the old man.

Impressed by Kress’s skill, the old man exclaimed in a low voice, “Amazing!” He held a small dagger in front of his chest to block the sword’s edge, and to everyone’s surprise, the collision between the two weapons only made a light “ding” sound. The old man had already floated back to the corner, safely avoiding the attack.

“Holy sh*t, who are these people?” Saul was also awakened by Kress’s banging on the door, and he stood up in surprise to look at the two thieves.

“Thieves,” Chipp answered briefly.

Realizing that the situation was not in their favor, the old man signaled to his comrade, and they both rushed towards the window. Krezs shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?” and chased after them with his sword in hand.

Having learned that the two thieves were skilled, Chipp had no intention of chasing after them. He had just yelled, “Let them go…” when something strange suddenly happened.

The two thieves ran a few steps towards the window, but suddenly disappeared into thin air, as if they had vanished into the shadows on the ground. Kress chased after them for a few steps, but was shocked to find that they had disappeared. Their disappearance left Chipp looking more solemn than ever before. He scanned the surroundings with a steady gaze, then suddenly looked up and saw the young thieves rushing towards Saul from the shadows on the ceiling.

“Shrinking Shadow Technique! Be careful, young master; they are high-grade assassins!” Chipp shouted and charged towards them.

Clang, clang, clang! In a flurry of strikes, Chipp and the assassins exchanged blows three times. The young thief was eventually forced back, but by then, Saul was still sitting on the bed, staring dumbfounded at the lightning-fast action.

Jessica rushed in at the sound of the commotion, just as she asked, “What’s going on…?” Her voice turned into a shout: “Young master, be careful!”

At this time, the old man appeared like a ghost by Saul’s bedside and lunged for the iron box at the head of the bed. Jessica shouted angrily and drew her sword from her waist, unleashing countless sword shadows towards the old man.

The old man was visibly surprised, “How is this possible? is this elven swordsmanship!”

Although surprised, the old man’s movements did not slow down in the slightest. Just as he was about to be enveloped by Jessica’s sword shadows, he accurately grabbed the iron box and retreated to the window with a few ups and downs. At the same time, the young thief also got rid of the entanglements of Chipp and Kress and came to the old man’s side. Chipp pulled Kress, who was about to rush forward, and said in a deep voice, “Slow down; the opponent is a high-grade assassin, and you are not their match.”

Assassins and cutthroats were the top professions among thieves, and they were the goals that countless thieves admired and strived for. Assassins focused on practical combat and had extraordinary abilities in assassination and combat, while thieves focused more on cracking various mechanisms and developing infiltration skills.

Even among the thieves throughout the continent, only a few could be promoted to the level of an assassin or a cutthroat. It was not something that could be achieved through hard work alone; it required extraordinary talent. Many thieves could only reach the level of intermediate or high-grade thieves in their lifetime.

Even in the famous Night Shadow Brigade, only those with the rank of squad leader or higher held the title of an assassin. This was also a terrifying aspect of the Night Shadow Brigade. The fact that two assassins came to steal the magic core that night showed that the opponent was determined to succeed.

Upon hearing Chipp’s words, the old man let out a chuckle and said, “Well, well, well, I never thought I would run into fellow assassins here. And with a lady who is skilled in the Elven Sword Art and a proficient swordsman, it’s no wonder you dared to bring a supreme-grade magic core with just the four of you to Ferry.”

He proudly waved the box in his hand, as if to say, “Even so, the item still ended up in my possession.”

At that moment, the two of them stood at the windowstill, with no one able to stop them from leaving.

Nevertheless, the old man held a priceless supreme-grade magic core, so he couldn’t wait to open the box and see the cores true form. However, as soon as he lifted the lid of the box, his joy was quickly replaced with shock.

He stood there, stunned for a moment, before picking up a piece of paper from inside the box. Upon it, several large characters were written: “You fell for it, you fool.”

“Ha ha ha, you fool! I told you earlier that there was no magic core in the box, but you didn’t believe me. You fell for it, didn’t you?” Saul couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably.

“Master, you fell for it too, and he even called you a pighead,” the young thief spoke up. His voice carried the optimism typical of young people, seemingly unfazed by the failed operation.

“Hmph!” The old man was furious. After hesitating for a moment, he decisively said, “Let’s go!”

Just then, a gentle voice came from outside the door: “No, you cannot.”