In the City Lord's manor-
"You say he has a snake and knife tattoo on his back, wears a human-skin mask, and has an S-shaped scar on his nape?!" A muscur, middle-aged man with a nasty scar over his left eye asked, teeth gnashing, eyes red.
"Y-Yes, m'lord. He is a kind-looking middle-aged man wearing a green bandana and a loose shirt, selling small trinkets on the roadside. He was beside the bench near the fountain just ten minutes ago. You can't miss him..." Rilden hurriedly described what he knew.
"Pesem, watch over the d. I'm going hunting." The City Lord growled.
"Yes, lord." The butler named Pesem bowed.
Opening the window, the City Lord stepped on the window seal before jumping out, not wasting a moment.
Woosh*
The butler closed the window before looking at Rilden and saying, "Please sit, young man. Would you like some tea?"
"O-Oh, there is no need to—"
"Don't be in a hurry to reject. After all, if the Lord doesn't find the Deadshiv... You will bear the brunt of his wrath." Pesem narrowed his eyes.
"I am certain he will find him." Rilden resolutely said.
"I hope you are right—"
BOOM*!!!
Rumble*
"I HAVE YOU NOW, SNAKE!!!" The City Lord's booming voice sounded across the city, startling the Rilden and the butler.
"I stand corrected. Well done, young man. You have done a significant, meritorious deed." Pesem adjusted his colr and smiled, his attitude making a U-turn.
"I am not so noble. I am just here for a reward." Rilden smiled back.
"And a reward you shall have. Wealth and title are at hand. You have a bright future, young man." Pesem said.
Rilden smiled but didn't comment.
Several minutes ter, the City Lord returned to the room, cleaning blood and bits of brain matter on his hand with a napkin.
"Holy shit! It barely took him a few minutes!" Rilden shook with dread, his scalp tingling.
"Thank you for the help, d... What was your name, again?" The City Lord asked.
"Rilden, m'lord." Rilden said.
"Good. As a major contributor who gave vital and accurate information that led to the capture and prompt execution of Deadshiv, you are hereby granted 50% of the full reward, meaning 2,500 Gold Coins worth of property, as well as a minor nobility title." The City Lord broadly smiled.
"M'lord, I must humbly reject. I fear for my life and worry the comrades of the assassin will take revenge on me if they discover I ratted him out. Instead, I would like the undocumented belongings of Deadshiv." Rilden requested.
"Hoh... indeed. You are clever, or perhaps cautious to think about such things." The City Lord thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, your request is granted."
"Thank you, m'lord!" Rilden smiled and bowed.
The City Lord nodded and turned to Pesem.
"Pesem, give Rilden all the precious belongings and money on Deadshiv's body, and keep it off-record. And then send him out through the back entrance without fanfare so no one would suspect him," The City Lord said.
"Yes, lord," Pesem bowed.
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Twenty minutes ter, Rilden left through the back entrance of the manor with three additional items: a dagger, a tight-fitting undershirt armor, and a sack filled with 48 Gold Coins, carefully tucked in his vest so he wouldn't suffer the same fate as Idim.
On the way, he passed by the location where the City Lord fought the assassin. An entire house was destroyed in the aftermath, and three were killed as colteral damage. It sent a chill down his spine, realizing how fragile life was when the strong battled.
Not wasting time, Rilden returned to the decent inn he stayed in st night and reserved a room for another ten days for 3 Gold Coins. After closing the door and lying on the bed, Rilden reflected on his current situation and the bloody lesson he had learned today.
"I am weak and ignorant, stuck in the illusion of peace while not noticing the danger right next to me. A tier-1 warrior is barely a stronger thug when faced with monsters like Deadshiv or the City Lord, not even qualified cannon fodder against them." Rilden muttered.
With that in mind, Rilden made his decision.
"Then I'll just spend the next ten days using
And so, Rilden's days as an opportunity seeker began.
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Five days ter-
A man dressed as a servant looked through a ledger in the City Lord's office.
"There was no reward record five days ago. However, there is no record of brother Deadshiv's belongings here. The culprit must have taken them as a reward while requesting that they not be logged. It seems brother Deadshiv won't get avenged soon unless The Insidious One reveals him in an oracle, which is unlikely. The Insidious One doesn't like those who fail to disguise themselves but favors those who do, be they his worshipers or not." The man thought before closing the ledger and quietly leaving.
"Operations in Tulens should cease until it is determined safe."
With that, the figure silently left without anyone noticing.
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Day 1:
[A flower seller is unaware that she is selling a batch of 10 rare Dragon Blood Lics that look like red lics, which can improve the Warrior Talent of those who eat it by 0.05 points (Up to 2) and has a slight chance of awakening and improving dragon-type bloodlines. You don't have a dragon-type bloodline, but a boost is a boost. Buy them before noon, or someone with sharp eyes will spot them and buy them.]
[Crime thrives in every city, and Tulens, a trading city-state, is a hotbed for crime. At early noon, a bold thief will steal the silver pendant of an elderly widow, her te husband's wedding anniversary gift, right off her neck in the city square! The thief is an untrained regur person armed with a rusty knife, which you don't want to get cut by unless you want tetanus. So trip him and grab his hands if you can or kick his head, whatever works. He would get sent to the mines anyway. After handing him to the tardy guards, return the pendant to the widow and refuse the money she offers you, so she will offer to teach you reading and writing. Congratutions on obtaining 10 free reading and writing lessons from the best nguage teacher in the city, Madam Jhuwai Riversorrow. (You need it.)]
Day 2:
[Brain Cherries are one of many natural treasures that can improve Comprehension. A spice seller in the center of the market district has some fresh mutated white-spotted ice mint in the mix, which can enhance Comprehension by 0.2(Up to 2) and give you a pleasant minty breath. Unfortunately, Heather, the baker's wife, will strike again (What are the odds) before forenoon and buy them before feeding the spotted mint to her pig(Again), thinking they were spoiled(deja vu, right?). The pig became smarter after that and turned sadder since it understood the cruelty of its existence and increased intelligence. How about buying it before making a poor pig realise the futility of life?]
[In the bazaar, look for a guy selling seashells and conches, and look for a small bracelet made from 12 bck conches. For now, wearing the Bck Conch bracelet will curse you with bad luck(Don't wear them!). You will have a chance to purify them ter.]
Day 3:
[Ever wanted to shoot a fireball from your fingertips? Go to the foreign trinket seller at the southeast market square and buy the unadorned silver ring on the 5th front row, 4th left column for 5 Silver Coins. Congrats on purchasing a purposely silver-covered Mythral ring enchanted with a rechargeable tier-3 spell, Exploding Fireball, worth 500 Gold Coins. It's not charged yet(Duh, or the seller would have noticed it), but you can recharge it once you become a magician.]
[Wanna win some free money? There will be a warrior tournament in the city arena. Bet 10 Gold Coins(The maximum bet) on an unknown dark horse, Dendil Greenbinder, who will win the tournament after awakening his bloodline mid-battle. His odds are currently 1:10, so you will earn 100 free Gold Coins! But don't spend them yet. Save them for tomorrow.]
Day 4:
[It's time to use the money you earned yesterday to obtain something you can't buy with cash. No, not love, Luck. At dawn, an infant born with the mark of Druelia, Greater Goddess of Trade, Dice, Luck, and Commerce, will receive his baptism, garnering an affectionate gnce from the Lucky Lady. While he is being baptized, take out all 100 gold coins earned through luck and Gambling and invest them by offering them on Druelia's altar, stating you dedicate all the earnings from your gambling to bless the child with good luck in this life. The Lucky Lady will accept your offering and minorly bless you with good luck, negating the negative luck you were born with. (Yes, you have negative luck. Bme your dead scumbag parents (A lowly thug and a whore, not a dazzling combination) for not honoring too many deals. Incidentally, they also died of bad luck, with you carrying the remainder as hereditary karma. Remember to respect your deals!)]
[Behold, the mighty magic cabbage has arrived! No, seriously. Go to the purple cabbage farmer at forenoon, when the pile he is selling is reduced by more than half, and buy a blue cabbage mixed with purple cabbages there. It is a mutated cabbage that will promote you into a tier-1 magician. You don't know shit about magic, but at least now you can finally start charging that ring.]
Day 5:
[Remember that revenge thing about Deadshiv? A high-level priest of Ludiron's cult would investigate his abrupt death tonight but will find no leads. Thankfully, you were not greedy for that title and gold. Ludiron's Cult will also temporarily retract their forces from Tulens out of fear a rivaling cult or religion is hunting them.]
[Some fool is selling a giant chicken egg at the market, but it is, in fact, an ultra-rare, 5th-tier, cockatrice egg! Do you know how hard it is to breed a cockatrice?! You need a male chicken to mate with a female snake! Its egg is a super treasure worth 2,500 Gold Coins! Go in the early morning and buy it for 2 Silver Coins as soon as he sells it, before someone with sharp eyes recognizes its worth. Once bought, return to your room, crack the egg open in a bowl, and eat it raw. Yes, it is slimy and gross, but bear with it. RIP for the unborn cockatrice, but your Warrior and Magician Realms will immediately rise to peak tier-1, your Warrior Talent will increase to 1.5, and your Magician Talent will increase to 1. Worth it now, right?]
"Yeah, it was worth it. That slimey taste was horrendous, though," Rilden said with an uncomfortable look, the heat from his recent breakthrough disappearing.
He then went to the tavern below and drank a whole mug of beer to remove the taste before looking at his status.
Name: RildenSex: MaleAge: 18Status: Healthy, Happy, Slightly Intoxicated.Social Status: Opportunity seeker and elementary student.Sexual Status: Horny Virgin (You're no longer pathetic, but you are still a horny virgin.)Bloodline: ???(Unknown mutated bloodline)Bloodline Abilities: Daily Prophet, Analysis.Warrior Realm: Peak Tier 1. Warrior Talent: 1.5.Magician Realm: Peak Tier 1. Magician Talent: 1.Comprehension: 1.38(Almost low superior intelligence)Overall Evaluation: An overgeared and hardworking student with some money, strength, and talent.
Items: Canvas Bag, 4th-tier dagger- Snakebite, 4th-tier undershirt armor, Cursed Conch Bracelet, 3rd-tier Exploding Fireball Ring(Rechargeable, 12%).Money: 45 gold Coins + misc.
Knowledge: Reading and Writing(You can now spell the alphabet and write your name!), Math(You can now do the addition and multiplication tables up to 100! But you are still struggling with division.)
"Hah... Looks like it was the right call. I also studied hard, and the teacher is excellent, so I advanced quickly." Rilden sighed with emotion.
"Okay! Let's continue like this until the
Rilden's days of opportunity-seeking and studying continued.