First Kill

Money? Ethan didn't have any. Not only was he broke, but everything he owned was on him. Besides the clothes on his back, he only had the Basic Mental Power Cultivation book and the Stat Island Pointer. He also carried some dry food and clean water.

"Robbing isn't an option, I don't have the strength for that."

After thinking it over, the safest and most reliable method, one that wouldn't lead to any unexpected trouble, was to work for the Rogue Encampment, exchanging labor for the things he needed.

After a good night's sleep, Ethan went to find Akara first thing the next morning. Only Akara could converse with him, and he needed her to convey his intentions to the others.

Akara's tent wasn't hard to find. As one of the few remaining high-ranking Priestesses of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye, Akara held a high position in the camp. There was a separate area in the northeast corner of the camp reserved for the sisters, and the largest tent there belonged solely to Akara.

Of course, Akara herself also ensured the Rogues' combat effectiveness with her excellent healing and potion-making abilities. In every way, she was one of the most important figures in the entire camp.

When Ethan found her, Akara was standing outside her tent, staring blankly at a few plants, seemingly lost in thought. It wasn't until Ethan walked up and blocked the already limited light that she turned her head.

"Young Sorcerer's Apprentice, do you need help with something?"

"Hello, Priestess Akara, I do indeed need your help with a few things." Ethan carefully chose his words before continuing with his mental power: "As you can see, I'm completely broke and have nothing on me that I can exchange for travel expenses. So, I'd like to do some things within my ability to earn some compensation, so I can buy some protective weapons and enough food."

Akara nodded, understanding Ethan's meaning. "So, you want me to help you convey your intentions?" Ethan couldn't communicate directly with the people in the camp, so he could only rely on her to translate. There was nothing strange about that. "Wait a moment, I'll write you a few simple notes and teach you some basic words. That should be enough to solve your problem."

Akara was a woman of action. As soon as she agreed, she immediately wrote out several simple notes, such as 'Need help?', 'I can do some work!', 'I need to earn money to get home!', and other longer sentences. She then told Ethan to write some characters he recognized on the notes himself to distinguish them.

At the same time, she taught Ethan simple phrases like 'Hello' in front of the tent. All of this took less than three hours, and the speed at which he learned surprised Ethan himself.

"I never learned English this fast in my previous life."

Not only did he learn quickly, but he also remembered everything incredibly clearly. Even though he learned over a dozen words, Ethan found he wasn't confused at all.

"What the Ancient One said about learning languages not being a problem as mental power increases is true."

Strong mental power directly enhances a person's memory. While it doesn't significantly increase their intelligence, it does make it easier to remember large amounts of information. The talent of having a photographic memory, which many ordinary people envy, is actually an essential skill for high-level Sorcerers.

After learning for half the day, Akara realized that while Ethan hadn't truly started on the path of a Sorcerer, his control over mental power and his memory were already those of a qualified Sorcerer's Apprentice. Suddenly remembering the trouble she was facing, she began to consider if the young man in front of her was a suitable choice.

After only a moment of thought, she made her decision. The Rogues were already at their limit guarding this camp. Besides that, they also had to regularly patrol the area around the camp, clear out the increasing number of dark creatures, and collect all usable resources possible. The Rogues truly didn't have the extra energy to do anything else.

"If you truly want to do something, there is currently one thing I need your help with."

When Ethan heard this, he suddenly remembered that when he played the game, Akara was the character who gave the first quest in Act 1. For her to suddenly say she needed his help now, could it be that quest from the game?

"That's a combat quest that requires killing who knows how many dark creatures. Can I do that?"

Just as he was debating whether to politely refuse, Akara's next words made him realize he was overthinking things.

He was skinny, had no armor, and no weapons. Although he was a Sorcerer, he clearly hadn't even started yet. Akara wasn't that unreliable. What she wanted to ask Ethan to do wasn't something as difficult as clearing the Den of Evil. Instead, she hoped Ethan would help her collect some herbs near the camp.

"The darkness is getting closer, and the pressure on the Rogues is increasing. Now the Rogues are forced to retreat and defend the camp, and they don't even have enough people to collect supplies. As a result, the herbs that can be used to make potions are becoming fewer and fewer, so I need to replenish a large amount of herbs to make potions."

Akara herself couldn't leave the camp. Not only her, but even the lower-ranking sisters were strictly protected within the camp and couldn't go out casually. So, these tasks could only be done by others.

"Collecting herbs?"

That didn't sound difficult, did it? He could take this quest.

Seeing that Ethan was interested in helping, Akara described the shapes and characteristics of the herbs she needed in detail, even taking out some drawings to help Ethan identify them.

"However, you must be careful. According to the patrolling Rogues' reports, the dark creatures near the camp are slowly increasing, and even some local creatures are starting to be affected by the dark power. So, even just near the camp, it's no longer absolutely safe."

Ethan nodded. That's why he wasn't planning to go too far from the camp. Otherwise, if something happened, he wouldn't even be able to run away.

"I will write a note. Take it to Kashya, and she will help you prepare some weapons for self-defense."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Taking the note, Ethan left Akara's tent and walked towards where Kashya was located – the tall, strong woman stood in the very center of the camp, more conspicuous than anything else in the camp.

Walking up to Kashya, he handed her the note. Kashya glanced at it and immediately recognized Akara's handwriting. "You're going to help Akara collect herbs?"

Ethan didn't answer because he couldn't understand her at all, but he took out a note from his hand and handed it over. It was one of the sentences Akara had written for him earlier.

As expected, Kashya understood after seeing the line 'I need to earn the compensation needed to go home'. She didn't say anything more about how dangerous it was outside. Turning to the Rogue beside her, she gave a few instructions, then stood there, examining the young man in front of her.

At this moment, Ethan couldn't understand what the tall woman opposite him was muttering at all, otherwise he would have been quite depressed.

"Too skinny!"

"Looks severely lacking in strength!"

"A physique like this would be a burden even in light leather armor. Prepare a light weapon for him, but forget about protective gear."

"He really should be trained properly. My Rogues could take on ten people like this."

Although Ethan, who couldn't understand anything, felt that Kashya's gaze seemed unfriendly, he still said thank you after receiving a Short Sword and a Small Shield.

"May you return safely, young man!"

Ethan understood this sentence. Before he set off, Akara had specifically taught him this phrase and said it to him once herself.

"Thank you again."

With the Short Sword tucked into the sheath at his side, and the not-so-large Small Shield casually held, Ethan walked slowly but resolutely out of the camp.

To say he wasn't afraid, how could that be?

Although he was reborn, adding this life to his previous one, he had never encountered a situation that required him to fight in battle, and against monsters that had been corrupted and mutated by dark power.

"I have to face all of this sooner or later. I absolutely cannot back down!"

Taking a deep breath, Ethan finally walked out of the camp, and amidst the Rogues' shouts of "May you return safely!", he walked towards the woods not far away.

Blood Moor, that's the area where Rogue Encampment is currently located.

Although the name is "Moor," it actually still has quite a bit of flora and fauna, but the colors don't look quite right. Perhaps this is a concrete manifestation of the increasing encroachment of dark forces on this world.

Ethan wasn't sure. Even the herbs Akara needed were being corrupted by dark forces. Every time she made potions now, she had to first use Purification Magic to remove the dark energy contained within before she could continue making them. Potions made this way were much less effective, which was one reason why they were becoming increasingly scarce.

"As long as I don't go too far, I shouldn't run into any monsters, right?"

The Rogues go out on patrol every day to clear the area around the encampment and prevent monsters from accumulating and attacking it. So, as long as he didn't go too far, not running into monsters was normal.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not smiling on Ethan. He had just reached a spot where he could barely see the encampment when he found the first herb he needed. At the same time, he saw two Zombies, still wearing slightly tattered clothes and moving stiffly, wandering in front of the herbs.

"Zombies... only two, no other monsters."

This was an excellent opportunity to train. Zombies were slow and sluggish. Although they were strong, it wasn't difficult for him to dodge them with his agility. Moreover, there were only two Zombies. As long as he eliminated one with a surprise attack at the start, he would only need to deal with the remaining one one-on-one.

After carefully confirming there were no other monsters nearby, Ethan made up his mind, drew his Short Sword, and charged forward.

To deal with one of the Zombies as quickly as possible, Ethan not only moved at his fastest but also leaped up fiercely as he reached the Zombie to increase his momentum. Then, he slammed the Small Shield in his left hand heavily onto the Zombie's head.

"You have to hit Zombies in the head!"

After knocking the Zombie down with a shield bash, Ethan immediately swung the Short Sword in his right hand and thrust it towards the fallen Zombie's head!

Having watched countless novels and movies, he had enough understanding of monsters like Zombies, as well as the experiences of countless 'predecessors' who had failed due to carelessness, to serve as a warning.

Therefore, Ethan didn't hesitate. Once he started, he didn't overthink things or look back! Fast, ruthless, and precise! In just an instant, he achieved his First Kill!