Higher Base Stats, Four Magic Items Acquired

"You're weaker than me?"

The thief's ears caught the words, which carried a hint of surprise. His anger flared, but he was also left somewhat unsettled.

There's something wrong with this black-haired kid!

He was clearly a Magic Caster, yet his physical skills were in no way inferior to his own.

His attack had actually been blocked so easily?

An incredulous look appeared in the thief's eyes.

Bang!

Tang Zheng stomped on the ground and charged toward the thief. This was no time for pointless talk.

"Seeking death!" Seeing Tang Zheng launch the first attack, the thief shouted in anger and shock. He raised his left hand, brushed it across his waist, and produced a short dagger, which he hurled fiercely at Tang Zheng.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound tore through the air.

Tang Zheng swept his eyes over it and easily caught the dagger's trajectory. The short sword in his hand swung out, knocking the incoming dagger away.

However, this also slowed his forward charge.

"Stealth!"

The thief shouted in a low voice. In the already dark night, his body quickly blurred, as if he were about to merge into the darkness.

Tang Zheng immediately became vigilant. However, in the next moment, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

He saw that—

The thief not only failed to attack, but turned around and ran.

I can't let him escape!

This thought flashed through Tang Zheng's mind. He raised his hand toward the front. "Magic Arrow!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three Magic Arrows condensed in midair and shot rapidly toward the fleeing thief.

The hurried sounds from behind forced the thief, who had been preparing to flee, to stop and roll to the side to dodge.

Taking advantage of this opening, Tang Zheng caught up.

"Fourfold Slash of Light!"

The short sword in Tang Zheng's hand instantly turned into four afterimages, stabbing toward the thief.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Four sprays of blood blossomed across the thief's chest, making him let out a shrill scream.

However!

Because of the effect of the magic "Silence," the man's scream could not travel at all.

"You—you..."

The thief lay on the ground, his eyes bloodshot and his entire body covered in blood. "How is this possible? Gazef's..."

Before he could finish speaking—

The thief completely lost his breath.

"Experience gained: 380"

"Phew."

"Phew."

Tang Zheng panted heavily as he looked at the corpse on the ground. Only then did he relax.

Looking at the blood staining his clothes and the droplets sliding down the short sword's blade, Tang Zheng fell silent for a moment.

He had killed two people at once.

This was something Tang Zheng had never imagined before. He had indeed expected that he would kill people someday, but he had not expected it to happen so soon.

Disgust?

No.

Guilt?

Not that, either.

Instead, it felt natural.

"What a terrible, detestable world." Tang Zheng muttered a curse under his breath.

He raised his head.

Tang Zheng quickly surveyed the surrounding street and found that no one had appeared throughout the entire incident.

These two really did choose a good location!

Tang Zheng reached out and wiped the blood from his cheek. He quickly walked over to the two corpses and stored them in his Item Box.

Even the bloodstained paving bricks were collected by Tang Zheng.

This Item Box, which was similar to a spatial backpack, had no restrictions besides being unable to store living creatures.

After dealing with the scene—

Tang Zheng quickly left and returned toward the small inn.

When he passed an alley, Tang Zheng walked inside, stored the clothes stained with blood, and changed into a clean set.

Fortunately—

He had bought quite a few sets of ordinary clothes beforehand, so he did not have to worry about having nothing to change into.

Inside the small inn—

"Oh, the guest is back." The inn's owner was a somewhat plump, freckled middle-aged woman named Maryshi.

"Miss Maryshi."

Tang Zheng wore a gentle smile as he nodded at Maryshi before walking toward his room on the second floor.

"Haah~" Maryshi yawned as she watched Tang Zheng's back disappear upstairs. "What a polite young man."

Click!

As the door closed—

A tired look appeared on Tang Zheng's face.

He had a total of 13 points of mana. After using "Magic Arrow" twice in succession, he could no longer cast magic. If he had let the thief escape, he would probably have faced considerable trouble afterward.

Fortunately, he had ultimately dealt with him using "Fourfold Slash of Light."

Tang Zheng had never had a chance to use it before. After using the Martial Art this time, he finally understood what the expended "Focus" was.

More precisely, it was a form of stamina consumption. It was like running 200 meters in his previous life. It was not enough to make him terribly exhausted, but he could indeed feel the fatigue.

Most importantly—

Through this unexpected battle, Tang Zheng gained a relatively clear understanding of his own strength.

The black-robed Magic Caster could use the 2nd Tier magic "Shield Wall." His level was clearly above seven, but not by much.

The thief who had been with him should have been around the same level.

Under normal circumstances—

Tang Zheng was only level 5. Facing the two of them together, he should have been completely suppressed even if he caught them off guard.

But the result...

It was one thing that the black-robed Mage had failed to make use of his advantage. In Tang Zheng's eyes, the thief was slightly weaker than him in both speed and strength.

There was only one possible explanation!

Tang Zheng's Base Stats were higher than the thief's!

"Since 'Genius' doesn't increase Base Stats, I put all my experience into the Intermediate Class, 'Sword Saint.'"

"People from the New World don't possess the convenient abilities of Players, so most of them can only improve their Basic Class. It's even unknown whether they have an Intermediate Class."

Tang Zheng's attributes surfaced in his mind. Thinking of his 53 points of physical attack and 53 points of Agility, he had already gained some understanding.

"In this situation, my Base Stats should be higher than the normal level of a level-seven human from the New World."

Next—

Tang Zheng's thoughts stirred.

A dark-brown magic staff, a lustrous white necklace, a Wand, and a dagger that shimmered faintly with purple light appeared on the bed.

Four magic items!

Aside from these four items, the two men had not carried so much as a copper coin, much less anything proving their identities.

Was this a regulation of Eight Fingers, or simply a habit they had developed when hunting their prey?

If it was the former, then Eight Fingers was far more frightening than it had appeared in the anime!

"It's a pity I haven't learned 'Item Appraisal.' Otherwise, I could learn the specific effects of these four magic items."

Tang Zheng glanced at the magic items on the bed and sighed to himself.

The only thing he could confirm was that the Wand possessing the "Silence" effect still contained traces of magical fluctuations. It should still have some uses remaining.

There were quite a few Magic Casters who had learned "Item Appraisal." However, he had just dealt with people from Eight Fingers. If he brought these magic items out for appraisal, he could easily draw Eight Fingers' attention.

Those people were extremely vengeful.

Tang Zheng had no time to play around with them.

"Perhaps I'll have to visit the Mage Guild again tomorrow." This thought flashed through Tang Zheng's mind.

With a wave of his hand—

He stored the four magic items on the bed again, then took out the remaining three Magic Scrolls.

"Paper Making," "Warming," and "Odorless"!

He tore up the three Magic Scrolls one by one, then spent Skill Points to learn them.

Fortunately, all three Magic Scrolls contained support magic. They would not cause a major commotion like "Magic Arrow."

"Odorless" could erase his own scent. When he headed into the forest next, it would help him avoid quite a bit of trouble.

"Paper Making" needed no explanation.

As for "Warming," Tang Zheng had decided to buy it on a whim to confirm his conjecture. Even if his guess was wrong, it did not matter.

After all, this magic was quite convenient. It allowed Adventurers to heat food and water without lighting a fire and exposing themselves.

All in all, it was essential for the wilderness!