The Gang's Next Generation Thug

The five sat before the dining table. Due to the shift in their status and standing, they no longer had to eat dark bread in pitch-black rooms.

Their living situation had also changed. Now, as probationary members of the gang, they had cleaner housing. Although it was still communal sleeping, at least they had beds.

"Alright, you lot! After you finish eating, clean yourselves up, change into new clothes, and continue training tomorrow," Anke said, standing behind Mel Carlo and giving instructions to the others.

Mel Carlo said nothing, merely stuffing bread into his mouth. On the very first day, he had practiced [Flying Blade] a thousand times. If he could maintain this practice volume every day, he would reach the skill's peak proficiency in just ten days.

After dinner, Mel Carlo fetched a bucket of hot water and began to wash himself. For a long time, all he had longed for was to be clean, free from dirt and lice.

After his bath, he tossed his tattered clothes into the bonfire. Mel Carlo watched the flames, now clad in a new set of clothes. Though they were a bit too large, he rolled up the sleeves.

"Mel, did you burn your old clothes?" Akai approached Mel, not quite understanding. He had just put on new clothes; couldn't the old ones be washed and mended to be wearable again?

"A bit of a shame," Lily shared the same sentiment.

"There's nothing to be a shame about. Those old dirty clothes might have had lice hidden in them. It's better to burn them. We'll get new clothes later."

"Burn them." Chubby, without overthinking, threw his old clothes into the fire.

Lily didn't follow suit. She thought that even if she couldn't wear the clothes herself, she could at least give them to other children.

Not everyone was as fortunate as they were, chosen to be the next generation of the gang's enforcers.

The sudden change in their lives left the children with a sense of bewilderment, but Mel Carlo was different.

He didn't believe spending a lifetime in a place like this would be good. No matter what, he had to leave himself a way out. He couldn't let his life be held in someone else's hands.

He twisted his neck and stretched his body. There was one last practice for the day: 5 instances of [Theft]. Once his magic power was sufficiently depleted, he could finally get a good night's sleep.

The five walked back into their room. Chubby was happily rolling on his bed with his friends. Mel Carlo, however, looked at Lily.

"Lily, can you help me practice?"

"Mhm," the girl nodded, her grey hair revealing a warmth in the firelight.

What he had figured out so far was that repeating an action ten times would allow him to learn the skill if it was learnable. These skills were all from the game, which was very important.

Effort +5

Proficiency +5

[Theft] Proficiency 15/10000

Current Effort Value: 93

The fatigue from magic power consumption struck swiftly. Mel Carlo's vision blurred. After returning the hairpin in his hand, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Consuming magic power 5 times was more taxing than practicing 4 times, but Mel Carlo knew his limit was 6. He didn't want to push himself to the absolute limit, just so he could wake up normally the next day.

The next day, upon waking, Mel Carlo intended to practice [Flying Blade] a thousand times. However, the soreness in his arm made him abandon the idea. The aftereffects of overexertion were more intense than he had anticipated.

He would have to reduce his training volume. His original plan was to max out the [Flying Blade] skill in ten days. At this rate, with over 300 repetitions a day, it would likely take a month.

He continued to practice [Back Hop] 50 times, to avoid muscle damage in his legs.

After these two exercises, he rested for ten minutes before beginning to practice the [Assassin's Breathing Technique]. When using the Assassin's Breathing Technique, he always felt his focus sharpen. In one minute, he could gain 10 points of proficiency and effort. Practicing for an hour would yield 600 points.

"Mel! Mel! Let's go find something to eat. Bread and porridge are still not as good as meat," Chubby mumbled incessantly, looking at Mel who was meditating and cultivating.

"Can't you see I'm practicing? Go by yourself! I need to practice for an hour." Mel Carlo was a bit annoyed. He disliked being disturbed. He had a clear goal and had to achieve it.

The unnamed fifth person called out to Chubby, "Let's not disturb Mel. How about we go catch rats in the sewer!"

"Akai, do you want to come?" Chubby then turned his gaze to Akai.

Akai was practicing swings with a wooden stick. After a brief pause, he glanced at Mel again. "You guys go ahead. Mel is cultivating, I can't fall behind either!"

Lily, however, had no intention of catching rats. She was holding a wooden stick and practicing, having realized she wasn't very skilled at swinging it.

After Chubby left with the others, the courtyard seemed to grow quiet. The beggars had all gone out to beg. Apart from Mel, their kind of training wouldn't yield significant results in a short time.

After an hour of practice, Mel Carlo stopped.

"Perhaps I need to change my approach. Maybe the Assassin's Breathing Technique can be maxed out the fastest," Mel muttered to himself, but then quickly shook his head. "No, this skill isn't that important to me for now. I should pause my cultivation."

He glanced at the system panel:

[Flying Blade] Proficiency 1320/10000

[Dagger Attack] Proficiency 1321/10000

[Back Hop] Proficiency 101/10000

[Assassin's Breathing Technique] 610/10000

Current Effort Value: 1343.

"Next up is the morning [Theft] practice."

Mel Carlo found Lily as before. This skill randomly stole an item from the target, but as proficiency increased, perhaps the success rate of stealing desired items would increase.

If he became too tired, he could just sleep. He wanted to try now if the [Assassin's Breathing Technique] could alleviate the side effects of magic power depletion.

After using [Theft] 5 times, the mental fatigue struck. His blue bar was also almost empty. He could only cast it one more time, but if his magic power was completely depleted, he estimated he would pass out on the spot.

[Assassin's Breathing Technique]

Mel Carlo began to use the Assassin's Breathing Technique. It seemed to have some effect. Mental fatigue was different from physical fatigue. Although magic power depletion caused some physical fatigue, it wasn't entirely physical. The rhythm of the breathing technique was not disrupted.

"Yes, my focus is sharper. If this continues, perhaps I won't need to sleep to recover my magic power." Mel Carlo was trying to push himself, to sleep less and train more, so he could become stronger and grow faster.

While continuously practicing the Assassin's Breathing Technique, the only drawback was that each cycle took six seconds, making the rhythm too slow and the gains too gradual. There was no way to speed it up.

One thing was clear: his magic power recovery was slow, slower than in games. In games, he could use mana potions to restore MP, but now he could only wait.

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