Healing

The wound had split open. When Soren released the spear, his leg was already streaked with seeping blood.

The earlier fighting had been somewhat better, but the final two leaping attacks had directly worsened his injuries. The wound, which had already scabbed over, had ruptured again from overexertion, and it seemed even worse than before. Soren limped slightly as he walked and had no choice but to let the other caravan guards help him onto his horse.

But the price had been worth it!

This time, Soren had gained 1,800 points of Slaughter Experience. If he wished, he could advance to a level 6 Rogue right now.

"Have the caravan come over first."

Soren glanced at the guard captain. Seeing the other man looking at him as well, he said in a deep voice, "These creatures are worth quite a bit."

"But it'll be hard for just a few of us to dig them out. Have the others come help."

"Besides."

"I imagine you all need some money too."

After saying that, he looked at the other Warriors. One was seriously wounded, and six were lightly wounded. The lightly wounded ones were all right; at most, they had been scratched by the Bulettes and would recover after resting for a day or two. However, the seriously wounded Warrior had lost an arm, which meant his career was over. Ordinary people simply could not afford the exorbitant cost of Regenerate. The casting materials and fees for high-level Divine Magic generally cost more than 3,000 Gold Daler.

And one still had to pay an appropriate price.

Otherwise, Soren would not have waited half a month after being seriously injured before finding someone to cast Greater Restoration on him!

According to the customs of this line of work.

If monsters or bandits were encountered while escorting a caravan, the spoils gained in battle belonged to the caravan guards.

The money gained from selling them would also be handled by the guards, used to settle and compensate the wounded.

No one had died this time.

That was already quite fortunate. After all, challenging Bulettes above their level was bound to result in casualties.

"Mark."

The guard captain nodded and instructed one of the men, "Go call them over."

"Let's work together and drag these creatures out."

"Watch out for their blood."

"Their blood is acidic. Wrap your hands in cloth and try not to touch it directly."

Soren did not help this time. He merely sat on horseback and watched, saying, "The most valuable part of a Bulette is the shell on its head. It can be used to make armor, and it's the hardest part of its body."

"See the shell around its mouth? That can be used for vambraces. It sells easily."

"Pry off the front skull."

"It's a naturally enchanted shield. It only needs a little crafting before it can be used, and it can sell for 150 Gold Daler in the city."

"Have someone strip off the shell at the tail."

"That can be used to make Half-plate. The shell on its back is mostly useless; the size isn't very suitable."

"Unless you can find a master craftsman to make a Tower Shield out of it."

"The meat is useless."

"The blood sells well in the swamps, but hardly anyone needs it here."

"Have someone dig out the heart."

"Some Wizards need such powerful hearts. It should fetch around ten Gold Daler."

As Soren spoke, he directed them in dissecting the Bulettes and extracting the materials that could be sold for Gold Coins. The respect on everyone's faces became increasingly obvious. It was not only because Soren had finished off two Bulettes, but more importantly because of his extensive knowledge. Teammates with such rich knowledge and experience were the most welcome; they could uncover wealth others did not know existed and maximize the gains from battle.

They truly needed some money.

Their seriously injured comrade needed retirement compensation, enough at the very least to buy a piece of land and secure an income for the rest of his life.

The caravan soon arrived.

The merchants directed their workers to come help, dragging the Bulettes out of the ground before loading the valuable materials onto the wagons.

One small squad of caravan guards stood watch while everyone else worked.

After the tense battle, the caravan guards finally showed faint smiles. According to Soren, selling the three Bulettes would bring in nearly 1,500 Gold Daler. That was almost equal to the payment they would receive for this escort job. Even after deducting the retirement pension for their seriously wounded comrade, each of them could still receive around ten Gold Daler.

Before they had begun handling the corpses, the guard captain had already discussed the matter with them.

Of the proceeds, he would take one tenth; the seriously wounded Kossado would take fifteen percent; the other injured men would take twenty percent; those who had participated in the battle would take fifteen percent; those who had not would take ten percent; and Soren would take the remaining thirty percent.

It was a very fair principle of distribution.

Soren had contributed greatly to this battle, and without him, it absolutely would not have been so easy.

Someone might even have died!

A relatively fair distribution system was the most important thing for maintaining a team. It mattered even more than the friendship built through fighting side by side.

With roughly two hundred Gold Daler, added to his past savings, the injured comrade would have enough to return home and buy around a hundred acres of land. He could hire farmers to cultivate it and become a prosperous farmer, thus basically securing an income for the rest of his life. He would not be reduced to destitution because he had lost an arm.

In truth, many Adventurers cared deeply about this.

Their trade was one of living by the blade, and no one knew when they might no longer be able to lift one.

The caravan soon continued onward.

Because the caravan guards respected Soren, the other merchants and workers regarded him with much greater awe as well, their faces carrying a trace of curiosity.

A Rogue.

Such people were either notorious thieves or legendary figures of the wilderness.

Those who traveled the wilds alone were qualified to become the protagonists of a Bard's tales.

Inside the large carriage.

The mysterious woman looked at the Bulette corpses, as though she could sense the fierce battle that had taken place, and ordered, "Have the merchants prepare some compensation."

"I'll only take twenty percent of the proceeds this time."

The steward quickly withdrew and began discussing matters with the merchants.

Clearly.

She had not realized that Soren had already maximized the gains from the battle.

After speaking, the mysterious woman looked at Soren. Noticing the bloodstains on his thigh, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Come into the carriage."

"The wound on your leg needs to be stitched, or it will be difficult for it to heal."

Soren assessed the injury on his thigh, then dismounted and entered the carriage with slightly unsteady steps.

The large carriage was very spacious.

Soft woolen fabrics covered every surface. Just one glance made it clear how comfortable it was inside. A low table stood in the middle, holding a brass stove and a deck of Tarot cards casually tossed on top. It was said that Northern Witches could use them to predict fortune and misfortune. A faint fragrance lingered in the air. It was difficult to identify, but breathing it in made his mind feel clear. It was somewhat like the auxiliary Spice Wizards used when preparing to memorize Spells.

The mysterious woman bent over to search through things, her full, rounded hips like a full moon and impossible not to draw Soren's gaze.

Staring directly at a woman's hips was very impolite, especially when she was helping treat his wound.

So Soren quickly looked away and placed his clothing beneath his thigh to keep blood from staining these expensive furs.

"Will you do it yourself, or should I?"

The mysterious woman took out a curved silver needle and a translucent thread. They were made from special materials that would not cause the wound to become infected or worsen.

Soren took one look and said in a low voice, "I'll do it myself."

"All right."

The mysterious woman lit a candle and heated the silver needle over it. Then she threaded the translucent filament through it and handed it to Soren.

"Hiss!"

Soren took the needle, unwrapped the bandaged wound, then pierced the needle into his flesh and passed it through the torn skin to stitch it closed. The pain made him suck in a breath, but he gritted his teeth and stitched it bit by bit. An injury of this severity had to be sutured to heal quickly. Otherwise, even with a Healing Potion, it would not do much good. Any slightly strenuous movement could cause the wound to split open again. Though Healing Potions carried some effects of magic and Divine Magic, they were not omnipotent.

By the time Soren had stitched the wound, which was nearly half a foot long, his entire body was drenched in cold sweat!

The mysterious woman had been silently watching him. "It seems you've also learned medical bandaging?"

"It's a necessary skill in the wilderness," Soren replied casually. Then he took out bandages, applied ointment, and carefully wrapped the wound.

At the same time, a row of information appeared:

"Suturing successful."

"You have successfully sutured the wound!... Your injuries have been reduced!..."

"Heal +2."

Only then did Soren have time to examine his status page. He discovered that quite a few skills had appeared at some point.

They were all common basic skills.

"Name: Soren.

Race: Half-Elf.

Attributes: Strength 14, Dexterity 20, Constitution 19, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 15, Charisma 16.

Alignment: Lawful Evil.

Class: Level 10 Commoner/Level 5 Rogue.

Hit Points: 52/52.

Experience: 3,650,100 points.

Skill Points: None.

Attribute Points: None.

Status: Normal.

Basic Skills—Stealth 103, Theft 35, Lockpicking 45, Traps 55, Diplomacy 3, Appraise 1, Deception 3, Performance 1, Knowledge 1, Dodge 5, Listen 3, Heal 2, Spellcraft 1.

Legendary Skills—Master Sleight of Hand.

Personal Feats—Nimble Left Hand, Eidetic Memory, Fortitude.

Class Feats—Shadow Mastery, Military Weapon.

Combat Skills—Shadow Assassination."

Besides the basic skills he had initially mastered, Soren had also gained 3 points in Listen, 5 points in Dodge, 1 point in Diplomacy, and the 2 points in Heal he had just gained.

It seemed his basic skills could be improved through training!