In the fantasy world, the thief class is more of a support class with some combat capabilities than a combat class.
This class, originating from the Western fantasy world, shares surprisingly similar characteristics with the Eastern "Ninja" class, specializing in reconnaissance, tracking, setting and disarming traps, and infiltration and assassination.
But in terms of direct combat capabilities, the two are a pair of bitter rivals... well, with the exception of a certain mysterious "X Shadow Ninja" hidden class, which falls under the mage category.
After a brief exchange at the Minister's residence, the thief "Hicks" knew that the masked man before him was equally skilled with his swordsmanship. What's more terrifying is that he is also a rare Lightning Mage, a class recognized as the nemesis of all melee classes.
Even with his own mage's lightning resistance buff, the rogue "Hicks" wasn't sure he could defeat the bizarre melee mage before him, let alone the fact that all his reinforcements had been annihilated. He truly had no trump cards left.
Run!
As long as the mountains remain, there's no shortage of firewood!
Those who choose a rogue profession never harbor the dignity and faith of a warrior. Seeing the situation looming, "Hicks" unhesitatingly threw two spherical objects, each still sizzling with sparks.
Bang! Bang!
Two muffled sounds echoed, and a thick, pungent, gray-white smoke instantly filled the forest.
Luo Jie scoffed. As a reborn being, he was all too familiar with the so-called "three tricks" of a rogue class.
Steal, backstab, and smoke bomb.
His previous "Sacred Lightning" had already frightened the thief to death. He might not dare to launch a sneak attack in the smoke, so he was definitely trying to escape.
Alas, the thief's wishful thinking was ultimately thwarted.
With a thought, [Style Blade: Shura Ghost Princess] transformed into a web of flowing light and instantly dissipated, revealing a black-sheathed katana in Luo Jie's hand.
He unsheathed the sword, and a powerful gust of wind swept through.
—[Secret Technique: Whirlwind Slash]!
Three tornadoes, several meters high, shot forward in a "品" shape. The violent sword energy tornadoes carried countless blades of grass and broken branches, instantly dispersing the thick smoke that filled the forest.
Luo Jie gritted his teeth and rubbed his nearly ripped arm. This rapid burst of skills took a toll on his body. If it weren't for his rapidly healing [demihuman] bloodline, he wouldn't have dared to unleash such a powerful move that killed a thousand enemies while injuring eight hundred of his own.
With a muffled groan, the emaciated figure of the thief "Hicks" stumbled out of stealth, his body covered in tiny cuts, his entire form practically stained crimson with blood.
"You're from another world!"
The thief "Hicks" finally realized. Although he still couldn't understand why the otherworldly beings, mocked by the citizens of the capital as "useless heroes," could possess such a terrifying oddity, he knew that it was absolutely impossible for humans in Aincrad to simultaneously wield spells of two or more attributes.
Only those from otherworlds who had traveled through time and space could possess such an ability to break the rules of the world.
Swish!
The cold blade flashed like a meteor, then vanished. The headless corpse fell heavily to the ground, and the dark forest returned to its original silence.
"Yes, you're right."
Luo Jie pulled off the mask from his face and took a deep breath of the cool air, faintly scented with blood.
Having killed so many BCK members in a row, and the thief among them seemed to be a high-ranking leader, it seemed he was determined to fight this largest villain organization in the human world to the death.
But Luo Jie had no regrets. Even if he hadn't encountered the palace incident, he would have troubled the BCK mercenary group sooner or later.
After all, a well-known plot villain like this practically had the words "I am a hidden mission" written all over his face. He would have felt guilty not to deal with them.
Of course, joining the BCK Beast Mercenaries and counter-attacking the Seven Shields Alliance, training female characters like the Heroic Princess, the Holy Priest, the Wife General, and the Proud Queen to become skilled weapons, like in the original novel, would likely be a significant hidden quest.
However, one must always have a limit. He always declined quests involving ruthless villains like this one.
After fully recovering from a [True Smiling Half-Step Madness] pill, Luo Jie bent down and picked up the pair of long daggers belonging to the lanky thief.
[Gold Ring Fang & Silver Ring Fang]
Quality: E (Blue)
Description: A pair of sharp daggers forged by royal craftsmen a century ago, specifically for thieves. The blades are infused with a highly toxic poison; be sure not to lick them.
Luo Jie shook his head regretfully.
It's a nice item, but unfortunately, it's a story-world-specific weapon that can't be authenticated and brought out. It seems I'll have to trade it for money.
After searching the corpses, Luo Jie unearthed a dozen money bags.
It had to be said that these mercenaries, actually bandits, were in the business of robbery. Each of them possessed considerable wealth, starting with a minimum of ten gold coins. The combined wealth of these dozen or so men amounted to over two hundred gold coins, roughly equivalent to over two thousand silver coins.
"Huh? What's this?"
At the bottom of the thief "Hicks's" money bag, Luo Jie found a hand-drawn map. However, it didn't indicate the location of the BCK Beast's headquarters; it looked more like a treasure map.
[Mysterious Treasure Map]
Quality: E (Gold)
Description: A mysterious hand-drawn treasure map. The treasure seems to be located on a floor of the floating city "Aincrad." The codeword is "Cold, thick, hard...insert."
Strictly speaking, a treasure map isn't an item; it's more like a tradable free quest. Treasure maps are often of very high quality, often starting out as purple. However, seasoned players know that they're merely attractive trophies. If you can't solve the puzzle and find the exact location of the treasure, even the highest quality remains a fleeting illusion.
Even if you can solve the puzzle and find the treasure, it's often guarded by various traps or monsters, making it incredibly difficult to obtain.
Thus, in previous lives, even if a player stumbled upon such a treasure map, they would usually sell it to explorers for points or equipment, and few would attempt to find the treasure themselves.
Luo Jie wasn't particularly adept at puzzles, so he didn't feel overjoyed upon seeing this "Mysterious Treasure Map." He simply tucked it away in his storage.
He felt overwhelmed with both main and side quests, and he hadn't yet found the time to search for hidden treasures.