The Hidden Rogue

Amid the steady clatter of hooves, the carriage continued onward.

About an hour later, the burly driver knocked on the carriage door. "Eastvale Logging Camp is here. Anyone getting off, hurry up—I still need to make it to Lakeshire!"

After jumping down from the carriage, Li Shaolin handed the driver one silver coin and looked around. They had stopped at a three-way crossroads. A signpost stood in the middle, pointing toward Goldshire, the Redridge Mountains, and Eastvale Logging Camp. A brownish-yellow dirt road extended from the Official Road into the forest, where fallen Elwynn Ancient Trees lay scattered everywhere along the roadside.

Following the dirt road, Li Shaolin saw that more than half the trees in the flat forests on either side had already been felled. Lumberjacks carrying timber or axes passed by from time to time. After walking a little farther, a village came into view.

He quickened his pace and entered the village. On the open ground where the trees had been cleared, sheep, dairy cows, spotted deer, and other animals grazed leisurely while groups of children played together.

"I wonder where Jack and the others went after they got here. This village is so big—how am I supposed to find them?" Li Shaolin frowned as he looked at the rows of little wooden houses.

At that moment, he saw lumberjacks stacking wood onto a small cart ahead. A middle-aged woman paced around beside it, her face full of worry. Maybe he should ask her?

He walked over, and when the woman turned and saw him, she immediately said, "Hello, young man. Are you an adventurer? Could you do me a favor? I'll pay you eighty copper coins." She clearly took Li Shaolin for a professional here to pick up jobs for money.

"Uh, ma'am, what is it?"

"I'm really facing a difficult problem right now. I have a lumber order due soon, but I don't have time to deal with this matter. The wolves and bears to the north have been chasing my workers all over the place. Otherwise, they would have solved the lumber issue long ago. I spoke with Deputy Captain Renir and asked him to help clear out those animals, but right now I need someone to gather enough wood for me. If you can collect eight bundles of lumber, I'll be able to complete the order on time." The woman looked at him anxiously.

"You want me to collect lumber? I really don't want to do that kind of work." Li Shaolin found such a skill-less job unbearably dull. "Ma'am, um, I don't have enough Storage Space, so I'm afraid I can't help you. How about I go drive away those wolves and bears instead? Then you can have your workers clean things up?" That was indeed true. After his Space Belt was filled with gold coins, the deed, the schedule, and other things, there was barely any room left.

"All right, then." The woman sounded helpless. "Young people these days are so unreliable! Oh, right. If you want to take the wolf and bear hunting job, go find Sheriff Hagard. Just follow this path upward." She pointed at a small road.

Li Shaolin gave an apologetic grin, nodded, and followed the path.

Two wooden frames held hanging lanterns, while a hollow fallen Elwynn Ancient Tree formed a passage leading from the path into a small estate surrounded by fences. The ancient tree was still full of life, its branches lush and green.

"This sheriff has pretty good living conditions. Looks like the guy must be taking bribes and skimming money." Li Shaolin immediately decided that the owner could not be a good person.

He knocked on the closed little gate in the fence. Before long, an old man opened it. The sight gave Li Shaolin quite a fright. The old man wore a blue leather vest and carried an axe. Most of his white hair had fallen out, and he wore a black eyepatch, making him look more like a bandit than anything else.

"Um, sir, may I ask if Sheriff Hagard is here?" Li Shaolin asked nervously.

"Oh, that's me. What do you need?" The old man opened the wooden gate and gestured for him to come in and sit down. The yard was piled with firewood; apparently, he had been chopping it.

Li Shaolin activated Detection and saw a line of small text above the old man's head: Hagard, Level 20. This guy was impressive—on par with Sheriff Duhan of Goldshire. No wonder he could still serve as sheriff of an entire village at such an old age.

"I wanted to ask whether an adventuring party led by someone named Jack came here a few days ago to take on jobs."

"Let me think... Yes, there was such a young fellow. A Paladin, right? They went to help Deputy Captain Renir by the bridge deal with those damned Forest Wolves and Forest Bears." Hagard tilted his head as he recalled it. So that was it. Wasn't that little bridge on the road they had come from? Li Shaolin could not help feeling regretful. He had missed them.

"All right, then. I'll go find them." He was just about to say goodbye when the old man lightly grabbed him and said, "Young man, you seem to be around Level 8. I have a job that needs one person to complete it. Can you help me?"

"Um, is it dangerous?" Hearing that it required one person, Li Shaolin immediately sensed trouble and asked.

"I suspect there's a traitor in the village working with Defias, or that Defias members have already infiltrated our Lumber Camp. But too many people know me, so it isn't convenient for me to investigate personally. Lower-level professionals can't handle it either. How about helping me investigate?"

"I see. All right." It was just investigating someone. With Detection in hand, what was there to worry about? Li Shaolin chuckled to himself.

After bidding Hagard farewell, he headed toward the house Hagard had described. According to Hagard, it was best to go during the day. That way, even if the hidden Defias member saw him, he would not dare expose himself, making it much safer.

Arriving beside a wooden house, Li Shaolin gently knocked on the door. "Anyone home?" He knocked several times, but no one answered. When he pushed, the door creaked open by itself!

"Did that old man trick me?" Li Shaolin stepped forward and peeked inside, but there was not a soul in sight. He called out twice despite himself, yet the place remained empty. Whatever. He would take a look inside. Hagard had sent him, after all. If the owner blamed him, he could just pin it on the old man.

Having made up his mind, he pushed open the door and walked in. At the same time, he softly chanted a spell and cast Bone Shield over himself.

Buzz! His ears rang, and he was instantly dizzy and disoriented, as though he had been struck heavily. His feet could no longer move, leaving him frozen in place. The open wooden door slowly closed on its own, as if someone hidden in the shadows were pushing it shut!

"Damn it, could there be a ghost?" Li Shaolin regretted it deeply. He should have summoned the Clay Golem beforehand. He had been careless. Once the wooden door closed, a gleaming blade seemed to flash behind him. He felt a sharp knife stabbing toward his back!

That posture was familiar. Huh? A Rogue's Backstab? When he had explored Fargodeep Mine with Jack and the others, Mogaban, the only Rogue in their party, had used that skill. Li Shaolin had looked down on him at the time, so he remembered it somewhat. It seemed he had just been hit by a hidden Sap.

Smack! The blade came halfway down before three rows of bones suddenly appeared in the air and blocked it. The blade could not press any farther. With that interruption, a figure wearing a red Linen Mask, pale leather armor, and holding a dagger was completely revealed.

When the Defias Bandit saw that his strike had failed, surprise flashed in his eyes. He slashed down again!

The first strike had already broken one Bone Shield, which dissolved into the air. With a smack, the second strike shattered another Bone Shield! He raised his arm again, and the third strike followed in an instant!

Fortunately, before the third strike fell, Li Shaolin broke free of the Sap. With a thought, he brought the Book of the Dead into his hand. Two white Skeleton Warriors appeared instantly, raising their Bone Blades to meet the attack!

At last, the third Bone Shield shattered as well. But the two Skeleton Warriors closed in together and blocked the Rogue behind them, preventing him from advancing another step. At the same time, Li Shaolin summoned the Clay Golem again, cutting off his retreat.

Only then did Li Shaolin relax. He cast Detection: James Clark, Level 10! So this was a Level 10 Rogue. If he had not summoned Bone Shield beforehand, he might have died in this guy's hands without ever knowing what happened, Li Shaolin thought bitterly. He chanted another spell, casting Venomous Dagger. The Bone Blades in the Skeleton Warriors' hands changed at once, turning a deep blue. Thud! The Clay Golem punched James Clark in the waist, making him stagger. Then a Bone Blade slashed across his shoulder, sending blood spraying as blue poison quickly spread through his arm from the wound.

This guy was ruthless too. His body blurred as if he had fallen into nothingness. His movements immediately sped up, and neither the Clay Golem nor the Skeleton Warriors could hit him. It was the Rogue's life-saving skill: Evasion. Then, gritting his teeth, he slashed at his wounded shoulder with his dagger and cut off a chunk of flesh—the poisoned part! Afterward, he hooked his dagger backward and kicked out with both feet. The Clay Golem let out a buzz and was stunned, its head swaying after being hit by Kidney Shot! A burst of light flashed beneath James Clark's feet, and he broke free of the Skeleton Warriors' encirclement before rushing upstairs!

"You brat, you think I can't catch you just because you activated Sprint?" Li Shaolin flicked his fingers, firing two Bone Fangs with sharp hisses. They struck the wooden staircase instead. With a crash, the stairs broke and collapsed. "Heh, where do you think you're running now? Brothers, get him!" With his path blocked, the Clay Golem's Kidney Shot state wore off. The two Skeleton Warriors moved at the same time, and the three surrounded him together. Meanwhile, light flashed in Li Shaolin's hand as he cast Bone Shield over himself again. He also held two Bone Fangs ready, his magic locked onto James Clark.

By then, the Rogue's Evasion had ended. Sprint was still active, but it was useless. He could only raise his dagger and shout, "Wait! Why are you trying to kill me?"

"Heh, why? Because you're from the Defias Brotherhood. Stop talking nonsense!" Li Shaolin could not help smiling wickedly. This feeling of driving someone into a corner was pretty good.

"I have an important secret. Do you want to know? I'll trade it to you if you let me go. It's about a gold mine!" the Rogue hurriedly shouted.

"A gold mine?" Li Shaolin hesitated. That meant money. Just as he was considering whether to agree, the Rogue suddenly leaped and vanished into the air again!

"The Six-Second Rule!" Li Shaolin was shocked.