Everything Will Get Better

When Soren returned to the Slums with Vivian.

He spent three Copper Dalers on a Black Bread as thick and long as an arm—the kind of dark, hard bread that could be used as a weapon against stupid burglars breaking into your home, with 1d3 damage. The lower-class poor ground unhulled rye directly into flour. With such crude techniques, you could taste Wood Splinters and other strange things in it. Once cold, it was as hard as a club. Only by cutting it with a small knife and soaking it in water could one barely swallow it.

Many people who had entered this world once took desperate risks because they could not stand such food!

Many players entered the evil camp right from the start because of this.

Soren had been the same.

That was why he became a thief!

Perhaps because he had now come to a more real world, or perhaps because there was now a little girl by his side, Soren was far steadier and more patient than before. He carefully cut open the Black Bread, soaked it soft in hot water, and handed it to Vivian. Then he took a bite himself, endured the Wood Splinters-like texture, and silently swallowed it.

It was not that he had no way to get money.

He simply knew very well what fate awaited him if he was caught!

This was not a game, after all.

And he was no longer a player. In this strange yet familiar world, he had to take responsibility for his own actions, and even more so for little Vivian at his side. Amber City had many powerful Professionals. The guards protecting the city all possessed at least the Class Template of Level 10 Militia/Level 3 Fighter. Unless he raised his Stealing skill above 75 points, there was still a chance he would be discovered.

Getting caught stealing meant being thrown into prison, and perhaps even having an arm broken.

Especially if the target was a noble!

Though it had no salt and could even be said to have nothing but a nearly unbearable texture, Vivian still ate happily, because she was a Little Girl who was easily satisfied.

And she really was hungry!

As long as Brother was by her side, everything would get better.

The pressure of the past half month had left the little girl utterly exhausted. Now, she only wanted to stay by Brother's side and quietly be an inconspicuous little girl.

"Tomorrow, I'll buy you something delicious!"

Soren gently stroked Vivian's Little Head, bent down to kiss her forehead, and said seriously, "Everything will get better!"

"Mm."

Vivian nodded lightly.

If there was anyone in the world who could earn her unconditional trust, it had to be Brother.

Because ever since she was three years old, the young man before her had sheltered her from the wind and rain!

He had silently endured until now.

Vivian remembered when she had been very, very young. Back then, Brother was often injured. She could do nothing, only cry helplessly. Brother, bruised and battered, would always comfort her and say that everything would get better.

Later, they no longer had to wander the streets, and finally had a small home amid the chaotic Slums!

Everything would get better.

The Little Girl had only just turned eight this year and understood little about many things, but she knew that as long as Brother was there, he would always protect her.

That was wonderful!

Soren looked at Vivian sleeping deeply on the bed, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

She was truly exhausted.

For a Little Girl who had only just turned eight to hold on for half a month in such chaotic Slums had truly been difficult.

She probably had not slept peacefully even once in all that time, had she?

Soren opened the hidden compartment beneath the wooden boards and took out a dagger that gleamed coldly, a sneer appearing on his lips.

Those pieces of trash who dared set their sights on Vivian should be sent to hell as well!

Night quietly descended.

The Slums were blanketed in darkness, with only a few scattered places still lit.

One of them was the Hearth Tavern, one of the Slums' few pleasures. Here, one Copper Daler could buy a large cup of watered-down Inferior Ale. Though it was so bland it tasted like nothing, it was still a rare indulgence for many of the lower-class poor. Beside it stood a row of low sheds. For another five Copper Dalers, one could find a cheap ** inside and have some fun. There was no point expecting her to be pretty. At most, she was a creature with breasts and a backside that looked like a woman.

Outside the Hearth Tavern were dark, narrow alleys.

Few dared walk through them at night, because this was where society's fringe elements gathered.

Such dim alleys were everywhere throughout the Slums. Once night fell, aside from a small number of people, almost no one went outside!

The Hearth Tavern was filled with noisy clamor.

There were laborers who made their living at the docks, grim-faced gang members, and all sorts of other unsavory characters.

What they discussed most was the recent conflict between two gangs. Some even gloated that someone had actually dared set their sights on Vivian. Now that Soren had awakened, someone was going to be unlucky.

After speaking, Scarface Skinny Man cast a meaningful glance toward a corner of the tavern.

Two men sat there.

They were Baras and Canopo, the ones who had planned to sell Vivian to Sosia. One of them limped as he walked. Back when they had tried to force their move, a vicious Old Dog had bitten him.

"Let's go."

Baras gave the others in the tavern a gloomy look, then said, "Let's head back first."

"There'll always be a way to deal with Soren."

Canopo drained the Inferior Ale in his cup. He was a miserly man and would not waste even a drop.

The two had accepted Sosia's deposit several days ago. If they could not deliver Vivian when the time came, someone would probably come looking to have a chat with them very soon.

It was already impossible to back out now.

Besides, Soren treasured this sister more than his own life. Since they had dared set their sights on her, Soren would never let the matter rest.

A cold wind blew in.

The people in the tavern cursed a few times. When they turned back, Baras and Canopo had already gone outside.

The moon in the sky was gray and hazy.

After leaving the tavern, both men could not help shuddering. Perhaps because he had drunk quite a bit, Baras ducked into an alley as soon as he stepped outside, intending to relieve himself against the Wall Corner.

This was the Slums.

Forget urinating—even defecating in the corners of alleys was common.

Baras undid his belt and relieved himself. Faintly hearing creaking from the sheds beside the Hearth Tavern, he could not help cursing under his breath, speaking in the dialect of the Qibei region.

Perhaps because he thought of Soren waking up, his expression looked terrible!

Suddenly.

He felt the Hairs all over his body stand on end. In the dark corner of the alley, he vaguely saw something shift in the shadows.

Before he could even put away the thing he was using to relieve himself, he reached for his lower back.

There was a dagger there!

But it was already too late.

Soren's figure appeared out of thin air in an instant. His silhouette emerged from the hazy shadows, and no one knew how long he had been waiting there.

A coldly gleaming dagger plunged into his back!

Then a hand covered Baras's mouth, choking back even his dying scream.

Thud!

Soren expressionlessly withdrew the dagger and wiped the blood from it clean on the corpse.

A row of data appeared before his eyes:

"Shadow Hide successful!"

"Backstab activated!"

"Backstab *2 successfully activated, dealing 12 damage to the target!"

"Target dead!"

"Extracting target Soul Energy. Obtained 30 Slaughter Experience."

Though he was only a Level 1 thief, he could still deal double assassination damage when activating Backstab.

An ordinary poor person only had around five health points.

With Soren's Constitution of 15, even after advancing into a Level 1 thief, he only had 12 health points. Against a mere Slums thug, that was already enough for a one-hit kill!

Unless he faced other Professionals, Soren could easily assassinate his target.

The noise from the alley startled Canopo nearby. He shuddered all over, then called into it, "Baras?"

There was no response at all.

After hesitating, he cautiously moved a little closer, wanting to see what Baras was doing.

If anything was wrong, he would immediately turn and run!

A figure crouched against the wall, kicked off, and shot out of the alley. With an Agility as high as nineteen, Soren could leap directly onto a first-floor rooftop without any external aid. His figure pounced like a leopard, seizing Canopo by the throat in an instant and forcing back his cry. The force of the impact knocked him to the ground. Then a flash of cold light swept past, the dagger slicing open Canopo's throat before stabbing into his heart from the front.

Soren held the target down tightly until the corpse stopped twitching. Only then did he stand up!

His body was covered in blood.

He frowned and looked himself over, then took the Money Bag from the corpse and put away the dagger.

The two thugs did not have much money. Together, they had only five Silver Dalers and a little over twenty Copper Dalers. On Baras's corpse, he also found a packet of inferior **, probably intended for use against Hiss.

"Roughly as strong as a Level 1 adventurer."

Soren looked at his palm, then his figure gradually merged into the shadows as he headed back the way he had come.

This was a thief's stealth ability.

Using the power of shadows to hide within them, Soren had allocated all his Skill Points to Stealth before coming here. Stealth as high as 45 points let him become hazy and utterly soundless in the shadows, enough to fool the vast majority of ordinary people. If he could raise Stealth to 100 points, he could hide in the shadows without leaving the slightest trace. Once Stealth reached 150 points, he could achieve an effect similar to invisibility; even standing right in front of someone, he would go unnoticed.

Once Stealth reached 200 points, even without shadows, a thief could completely erase all traces!

The Hearth Tavern remained lively and noisy.

It was not until some drunk stumbled outside that people discovered the two corpses by the alley, already cold and stiff.

No one paid attention, and no one investigated.

This was the chaotic Slums. Deaths had happened here countless times already.

Someone would clean up their corpses tomorrow!

(P.S. If you like it, please save it. The protagonist's alignment is Lawful Evil.)