It's been a few weeks since the incident, and I've decided to keep a low profile by wearing a cloak and stopping any sort of activity that would bring attention to me, including pickpocketing.
Honestly, I'm still kinda traumatized after having murdered someone.
Although he was a scumbag who tried to kill me, my values from my previous life still held on strong.
But if there's a silver lining that I can find in all of this, it's that his death provided me with 500 XP.
Using this extra XP allowed me to level up more quickly and thus gain another skill.
At first, I thought it was strange, given that in my prior experience of defeating someone, I had only received 50 XP.
But thinking logically, I defeated someone far stronger than the one at the bakery.
Additionally, I didn't just knock him out, I killed him.
So it's only natural I gain more XP, right?
[Name: Lucian Edelhart]
Level: 5
HP: 20/20
SP: 20/20
Stamina: 5/5
Skills: [Quickstep] [Backstab] [Conceal] [Enhanced Evasion]
EXP: 60/800
Attributes:
Vigor: 3
Focus: 3
Endurance: 1
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
]
My new skill [Enhanced Evasion] accelerates my reactions to an ungodly degree, enabling me to evade attacks from hostile targets by allowing me to see the world more slowly.
As OP as it sounds, there is a caveat, of course.
It drains one SP per second while active.
I can also layer skills on top of it. Although, that would be extremely taxing on my SP.
Naturally, I had put yet another point into my Focus stat to try and mitigate how draining my skills are.
But eventually, I'll get to a point where I can't rely on skills alone and I'd have to invest in a more balanced stat profile.
As I was thinking about this, a singing homeless man pulled me out of my thoughts.
I felt sorry for him, so I gave him a few bronze coins.
"I can't take this for free from a little kid. How about I teach you to sing?"
"No thanks, old man."
"You're missing out. Back in my days, I had all the ladies swooning over my singing."
I left him behind quickly.
Although I'm low on money, I can't help but sympathize with the innocent people down here.
As I was walking down the street, I lowered my head and pulled my hood down.
Maybe it's just my anxiety, but it felt like the stares of others were piercing into me lately.
Ever since my identity had been found out, people have been on the lookout for a small kid with shaggy blond hair.
That description is quite vague, so I have managed to keep myself hidden with Conceal and by using my money to stay at inns for a short while before relocating.
Although I'm used to being a shut-in, it's an unsustainable lifestyle.
"—Sigh, even in another world I can't stay inside all day."
Pickpocketing is great and all, but it's so tedious, and most of my targets don't really carry a substantial amount of money on them, which makes sense since most are low-level crooks.
And I've learned my lesson selling guns to dodgy people.
If I want to score big, I'll need to target more affluent individuals.
In the Underground, that can only mean either the gang bosses or merchants.
Trying to rob gang bosses would be far too great a hurdle for me, but merchants, on the other hand…
They may have a small escort providing them security as they make their way to the surface, but that's far more manageable than infiltrating a gang's hideout.
The merchants' cargo ranges from antique items sold in the black market to alcohol.
However, the main good produced in this dump is red wine.
Underground red wine is highly sought after due to the lax regulations on tax and the cheap labor involved with the production.
Military police don't bother with enforcing tax, since their reach doesn't extend to the Underground.
They're also one of the biggest consumers of the red wine from down here, so there's not a good incentive to waste their energy coming down to the lawless Underground.
The main winery down here is controlled by the largest gang.
They import grapes from the outside and produce wine in large quantities.
I'm assuming they deliver the barrels at a set schedule for the merchants to come and collect.
This is what my plan revolves around.
I'll scope out the winery using my Conceal skill and figure out the timeframe in which the product is delivered.
When the guards are distracted, I'll sneak into the mercantile carriage and hide.
If everything goes right, I'll wait until we pass the toll and identification checkpoint meant for the route to the surface.
But if I follow too long, they'll get to the surface, which would be a death sentence for me to follow them into, since it leads directly to the royal capital.
Even with Conceal, I wouldn't be able to evade the eyes of the military police.
And with no form of identification or citizenship, I would quickly get arrested.
Anyways, once I'm far enough along the route, I'll reveal myself and hold the merchant hostage with my gun by using Backstab.
***
After two weeks of observing quietly near the winery, I've taken note of how often each merchant comes to collect their cargo.
It looks like one merchant comes once a week to collect approximately ten barrels of wine.
With the same five people on guard each time.
They looked like the average, bog-standard thugs. One was fat, another was tall and had his rifle on his shoulder, etc.
Since the route to the surface is narrow, they have to collect the wine in small batches like this periodically, I guess.
Anyways, once I figured out what time their next drop-off was, I waited outside until they arrived.
All I had on me was my flintlock and a small knife.
Eventually, an empty horse-drawn carriage arrived.
"Hurry up and load the cart. What am I paying you guys for?"
The skinny old merchant with circular glasses ordered the guards to load the barrels into the carriage.
And once they finished, I waited for them to start moving so I could find an opening to enter the carriage.
'Conceal.'
I crouched low and followed them as they began to make their way en route.
Eventually, I decided there was an opening to approach the carriage, and I jumped into it smoothly.
Luckily, my skill dampens all noise I create, so they couldn't notice a thing.
Inside, it was dark. The rattling and vibrations from the wooden wheels hurt my fragile bones.
'This is probably far enough.'
I felt as though I travelled high enough that there would be no witnesses, so I jumped out of the carriage.
My Conceal had long worn off, and the noise from my jump quickly alerted them.
"What is that?!"
"Haha! Looks like a little shit snuck onboard."
"Stupid brat, must've realized the consequences for trying to sneak up to the surface?"
"Did ya shit your pants and realize what would happen? Unfortunately for you, there's an unwritten law for us gangsters in the Underground. Don't show sympathy."
The one with the rifle began to walk up to me.
"Do you think I give a damn about your stupid gangs?"
"This little—"
"I was gonna kill you quickly, but now I've decided to feed your unconscious body to the pigs."
"You're wouldn't be the first kid that faced that fate after trying to sneak on."
As they were laughing amongst each other, I began to pull out my flintlock.
I was going to kill them anyways, although I was reluctant.
But since they're openly bragging about murdering kids, I don't think I have any sympathy towards them.
It would make my job a lot easier also.
I only have one shot, so I decided to target the one with the rifle first.
"Watch out, the little shit has a gun!"
BANG!
The moment he noticed I was pulling out my gun, the man with the rifle shot at me.
"Where'd he g—Cough?!"
The man with the rifle collapsed, and I momentarily activated my Enhanced Evasion to grab his rifle and throw away my flintlock.
Once my skill ended, I used Backstab again to get behind the merchant this time.
Tremble.
My gun pressed against the merchant's back.
"Behind you."
"Eek!"
The old man shrieked like a girl.
"H-How… did you get behind me so fast?"
"Get him!"
The remaining three gangsters began to charge towards me.
"Wait! Are you guys stupid?!"
They stopped for a second, so I quickly explained my plan.
"What do you think your boss will say if your precious merchant dies?"
I smirked at them and pressed the rifle into the merchant, making him stumble forward.
The merchant quickly intervened with his trembling voice.
"He's right! Yakun would kill you guys if I died… Hey, kid, let's make a compromise."
"But he killed Ekard!"
"So what?! If he kills me, you are all next!"
"Kid, I'll give you whatever you want! Please, just let me go. I'll make sure these meatheads don't do anything stupid."
"Hehe, that's what I like to hear. Just give me all your money and your most precious belongings."
"Once I get what I want, your security will go ahead without you until I feel it's safe to release you."
"What?! But how can I trust your word?!"
"It's either that or you die now."
"—Fine. You guys go ahead with the carriage and wait for me further up."
After our brief exchange, he dropped all his money and most precious belongings on the floor.
The gangsters went further up ahead so I could escape safely.
The reason why I couldn't simply kill them with my knife is because it's too much of a risk.
"That's all I have. Can you let me go now?"
"…I'm sorry, but I can't have you snitching to the military police. There's no hard feelings."
"You lying bastard!"
He turned around to try and attack me, but I quickly shot him.
I grabbed all his money and the golden pocket watch he dropped.
"He shot?! Quick, get that brat!"
I quickly used my last remaining SP on Conceal and then used Quickstep to make my way down the path quickly.
It would've been safer to kill the rest, but now that I'm escaping, I realize it's not possible.
I could only hear the faint terror and hatred in their voices from a distance.
"We're dead…"
***
In the East District, there was a notorious group led by a man named Yakun.
Beside Kenny the Ripper, he was the most feared man in the Underground.
He works directly under a noble in the royal capital known as Nicholas Lobov.
In fact, he directly aids in his embezzlement scheme, laundering money meant for the military police to the Underground before funneling all the profits into his own pockets.
And currently, he was furious.
"Did I hear that correctly?! To a little brat! You let my client die to a little piece of shit! And one of you worthless scums actually died to him."
"Boss! He's not an ordinary kid! It's like he vanished and reappeared behind us in an instant."
"Vanish?"
When he heard those words, Yakun fell deep into thought.
A vanishing kid? He heard of the same thing occurring in one of his districts also, a 'Ghost' they called him.
But he thought that was the doing of a highly talented thief until he heard the news that a kid they thought was working for him killed one of his most trusted henchmen, Egill.
But even then, losing to a kid?
Unforgivable.
He launched a knife at the throat of the fat gangster who spoke back to him.
"Uhrk!"
He clutched at his throat and collapsed.
"What are you guys staring at? Clean up his corpse.
And for the rest of those three… Feed them to the pigs."
"Yes, boss!"
The men beside Yakun quickly aimed their rifles at the rest of the three guards who were being questioned.
"Please! Spare us!"
Three shots fired, and all of their bodies went limp.
Yakun stared at their corpses, gritting his teeth.