Humanity Loses Its Hero

Mel Carlo was standing in a courtyard, taking a short break and stepping out for some air. The atmosphere in the city seemed to have become much more lively.

This wasn't an illusion, nor was it due to the bright sunshine. The streets were genuinely much noisier.

But just as he was about to turn back into the courtyard, an unwelcome guest arrived.

A man in leather armor appeared before him, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze. Mel Carlo naturally sensed that the mood was wrong. The scarred man was no longer in the courtyard.

He knew this was the gang investigator.

Still, he decided to pretend nothing had happened and turned to go back inside.

"Stop, kid," the man called out to him.

"What is it, sir?" Mel Carlo turned around as if nothing was amiss.

"The stolen wallet, is it on you, or on Anke? I'll only ask you once. If you dare to lie, I'll kill you immediately!" The man reached for the short sword at his waist, his eyes even colder and sharper.

Mel Carlo remained silent. He didn't know what had gone wrong. Perhaps he had exposed himself when he spent money to buy paper and ink earlier? That was the only possibility. But had that merchant already left Garde Imperial City? Did he want to stay in the Imperial City for the New Year?

"You bought something from a merchant. If I hand these two silver coins over to the Duke's Mansion, I think they'll recognize them!" the man continued to pressure him. Once he figured things out, he'd kill this kid. He might even be able to exchange the wallet for more money at the Duke's Mansion.

Mel Carlo quickly extracted the key information. It was indeed the money he had spent that had exposed him. And this investigator hadn't told anyone else about this yet, so he must have other motives?

The matter of the wallet had been settled long ago, appeased with the head of the former boss. As for the only thing of value at the moment, it was the 2600 Oron that Mel Carlo still had left.

He originally had 3000 Oron, but when he bought the hairpin, he exchanged one silver coin for 95 Oron as tribute. Later, he spent three silver coins on paper, ink, and ink, so naturally, only 2600 Oron remained.

"So, sir, what do you want?" Mel Carlo put on an indifferent attitude. He couldn't waver at all right now, as his life hung in the balance. This person's Level was clearly 4 levels higher than his, [LV5].

If the other party just wanted money, then using money to resolve this matter wouldn't be a significant loss for him.

"I want to know the truth. Hand over the money, and I might let you go." The man's ambiguous words were completely untrustworthy.

Whether he handed it over or not, the man had no intention of letting him go.

Mel Carlo wasn't a real child; he knew what danger was.

The current situation was that confessing meant death, and not confessing also meant death.

The skills that could be of some use right now were [Flying Blade], [Back Hop], and [Theft].

[Flying Blade] had an armor-piercing effect. Whether aiming for the throat or the heart, he was confident of a one-hit kill, unless, like in a game, a Level 1 absolutely couldn't damage a Level 5. That would truly be his death sentence.

[Back Hop] could allow him to dodge one attack, but only one. [Theft] could be used to try and snatch the man's short sword, but the Proficiency for [Theft] wasn't maxed out yet. The base success rate was only 30%, with the remaining 70% depending on the 320/10000 Proficiency.

After thinking rapidly, Mel Carlo knew he had reached a dead end. This guy wasn't here for money; there was no possibility of negotiation.

"Sir, I'll tell you everything!"

The moment Mel Carlo lowered his head, he simultaneously activated [Theft] and [Flying Blade]. The dagger in his hand flew directly towards the man's throat.

The man tried to draw his short sword to block, but his hand found nothing. This was because Mel Carlo's skill check had succeeded, and the short sword appeared in Mel's left hand.

He tried to block with his arm, but the dagger directly pierced his palm and embedded itself in his neck. Pain shot through him instantly.

In his terror, his soul nearly flew out of his body.

One hand clutched his bleeding throat, and the other tried with all its might to strike Mel Carlo, but it was easily dodged with a Back Hop. Mel Carlo, in turn, thrust the short sword into his heart.

The man hadn't died immediately when his throat was cut. He had almost been hit just now.

Watching his health bar slowly deplete until it turned from red to completely gray, this sense of reality made the game menu seem even more fictitious.

"Sir, I'm glad this isn't a game." Mel Carlo pulled the dagger from his throat, wiped the blood with the man's clothes, and then picked up the two silver coins from the ground. "Why didn't you give me a chance, and give yourself a chance too?"

He chose not to keep the short sword, as it could easily become a hidden danger that the gang could use to find him.

Underestimating a child, that's why the man died. But who could have imagined that a 6-year-old child would suddenly attack and kill him?

His breathing was rapid, and his hands and legs were trembling slightly. Mel couldn't tell if it was fear or excitement; his mind felt somewhat blank.

Wiping the sweat from his palms, Mel tried to breathe and calm his emotions.

Given the current situation, he couldn't stay with the gang any longer. He had to flee the city as soon as possible. He'd escape first. If he could find that merchant, it would be good. If he could take Lily and Akai with him, that would be even better. If not, he could only wish them good luck.

Mel Carlo fled again. To be honest, he was a bit nervous when he made his move, his palms sweating, but he had to remain calm. If he showed the slightest flaw, he would die there.

He passed through street after street. He didn't know why everyone was gathering towards the plaza, but that wasn't his concern. He needed to find that merchant, otherwise, entering and leaving the city wouldn't be so easy.

"Claire, why don't you try it too? Maybe you'll be the hero?" the merchant had once urged his daughter. He naturally hoped his daughter would be a hero; there was no better merchandise than that.

"Dad, do you think I have the makings of a hero? Or do you?" his daughter retorted mockingly.

The man raised an eyebrow again, sitting on his carriage, watching the crowd suddenly start to retreat. He felt an inexplicable strangeness. What had happened?

He could even hear the sound of the Knight's order drawing their swords.

His intuition told him he shouldn't stay here any longer. He should retreat first.

Not long after he moved away from the plaza, Mel Carlo found him.

Mel jumped directly onto the carriage. "Merchant, I accept the deal you offered me earlier. Let's go now! Immediately, right away!"

"You seem to be in a hurry..."

"Stop the nonsense. 2500 Oron, not a single coin less!"

"Alright, get in the carriage. Hide in that barrel. I've prepared this barrel for you in advance."

The merchant didn't waste any time, but the dark-skinned girl seemed a little surprised. Just as her father had predicted, this child had come looking for them.

Moreover, they would acquire a vast fortune from this child. Even if all their goods remained unsold, they wouldn't go bankrupt.

If all their profits were tied up in merchandise, they would have been ruined by now. This was an unexpected windfall, feeling even more profitable than the goods themselves.

Mel Carlo hid inside the wooden barrel, and the carriage soon drove towards the city gates.

This Earth Dragon, the carriage, and the unsellable goods represented the entirety of the merchant's wealth. There was no need to stop at all.

"Hey, merchant, aren't you selling your goods anymore?" someone familiar with him called out from the roadside with a jest.

"No, they're not selling anyway, so I'm just heading home." The merchant didn't stop. This was his most lucrative venture, though it carried significant risk.