Cross Lane

Indeed.

When Soren slipped out to look around, then returned pretending to be passing by, two fully armed guards were already standing at the entrance.

There had to be something valuable inside!

Since there was no opportunity here, Soren could only find another target. There were plenty of locks to pick in the Dock District, enough to raise his Rogue level above 3. Once his class level reached 3, ordinary locks would no longer improve his Rogue skills. He would have to find a way into Amber City and pick more advanced locks.

Still, the abilities of a level 3 Rogue would be enough. Under normal circumstances, there would be a hidden treasure cave somewhere near every city.

Aside from traps and monsters, there would also be a treasure chest inside.

Those were the only Supernatural Items Players could obtain in the early stages, and they were incredibly valuable!

Generally speaking.

Such a treasure cave required a team of Adventurers around level 5 to conquer, but that was where a Rogue's advantage lay. If their skills were good enough, even a level 3 Rogue could infiltrate it alone. Caves were special terrain, where a Rogue's Stealth had a hidden +5 bonus. Dark caves made it easier for them to sneak around.

All his Skill Points were assigned to Stealth.

Soren raised his Stealth skill to 68 in one go. Theft was not very useful for now, and 35 skill points were enough to steal from targets with slow reactions. For a former Legendary Domain Rogue, this was easy. Soren could easily tell which pot-bellied merchants would not notice him stealing from them. As for Lockpicking, he already had 45 points, more than enough for ordinary locks. He might need to improve it after entering Amber City.

His lowest skill was Traps. It was enough to dismantle simple alarm devices, but probably not enough to handle the traps in a treasure cave!

The next time he raised his Rogue level, Soren would need to increase his Traps skill to 30.

"Looking at it this way."

"Once my Rogue class reaches level 3, I can gain an additional Class Feat."

Soren wandered through the crowd. By the time he emerged, several Silver Dalers had appeared in his hand. His extraordinary human Dexterity of 20 was enough to steal whatever he wanted before others could react. Not to mention that he also possessed two excellent Personal Feats.

"Dexterous Left Hand [Personal Feat]: Through long training, Rogues gain an incomparably nimble left hand. Permanently increases Dexterity by 1 and grants an additional +3 bonus when performing Theft, Lockpicking, or trap removal."

"Eidetic Memory [Personal Feat]: Long-term training grants you an eidetic memory, allowing you to easily remember targets you have seen. Permanently increases Intelligence by 1 and grants an additional +3 bonus to memory checks."

The former was a rare Personal Feat.

The latter was a Special Feat that could be cultivated, though it was not easy to obtain.

Many Spellcasting Class practitioners had once spent tremendous effort training to acquire the Personal Feat Eidetic Memory.

The day passed quickly.

Soren picked more than a dozen locks in the Dock District and stole some valuables.

In the past, someone would have come to collect tribute by now. The gang had one or two level 5 Warriors, and Soren was no match for them. Any qualified Warrior possessed a Strength Value of at least 15, along with impressive weapon Feats and corresponding combat skills. Warriors above class level 5 had special combat talents, and their Strength could possibly reach 18 or higher. The former Soren had never received professional combat training and was no match for them at all.

Without the gang exploiting him, all of this belonged to him alone!

It was quite a substantial income.

Soren stole a total of twelve Silver Dalers, enough to cover his and Vivian's expenses for over a month. He had also accumulated more than 200 points of Class Experience.

Raising his Rogue class to level 3 required 500 experience points!

At his current pace, one more day at most would be enough to raise his Rogue level by one.

Level 10 Commoner, level 5 Rogue.

That counted as entering the range of Tier 2 classes. At that point, Soren could master the special ability, Shadow Assassination.

Among Tier 2 class practitioners.

Rogues who specialized in Stealth and mastered Shadow Assassination were the most dangerous!

They possessed the ability to kill others in a single strike.

The Slums.

When Soren returned to the low shack where he lived, he immediately heard voices coming from inside.

He pushed open the door and entered. A pretty Young Female Cleric was sitting on a stool. When she saw Soren, her expression immediately turned cold. She gave a soft snort as a greeting, then smiled at Vivian beside her. "Since he's back."

"I'll be leaving."

"You should be careful staying here alone. If anything happens, come find me at the Temple of Morninglord."

Vivian nodded obediently, then thanked her. "Thank you, Sister Anyali."

This young woman was an Acolyte of the Temple of Morninglord. She believed in Carlos, the Deity representing the Light of Dawn, a Deity who would soon fall after the Age of Chaos began. Carlos was a Subordinate Deity of the Lord of Radiance. During the Age of Chaos, he would be among the first to suffer attacks from Abyssal Fiends. More than half the Deities in the Lord of Radiance's Pantheon would fall!

This young woman would probably soon lose part of her Divine Magic.

Her name was Anyali. After accidentally meeting Vivian, she had grown fond of the little girl. The reason she helped Soren was also because of Vivian.

Unfortunately, her Divine Magic level was too low to heal Soren's injuries.

As a cleric who believed in the Light of Dawn, Anyali actually despised Soren for being a Rogue, so she usually never gave him a pleasant look.

Perhaps in her eyes, Amber City's security was so poor precisely because of thieves and bandits like him.

"What happened?"

Only after the Young Female Cleric left did Soren crouch down, gently stroke Vivian's little head, and ask, "Why did she come here?"

Vivian glanced at him and said softly, "Someone was lurking around nearby today."

"They seemed to be Cole's men."

"Luckily, Sister Anyali came by and scared them away."

"She also healed the wound on my back!"

Vivian lifted her clothes with her little hand. The dark purple bruising on her back had already faded, leaving the minor Healing Potion Soren had bought through special channels with no use. There were no Blacksmith shops or potion stores in the Slums. If one wanted to buy such things, one had to purchase them from Black Market merchants. Many weapons found their way there in the same manner.

"Cole?"

A flicker of killing intent burst from Soren's eyes. He had not expected the other man to be so bold. Soren had only just refused him, and he already dared to send people over.

Did Cole really think Soren was so easy to bully?

"Tomorrow, I'll take you into the city and find an Inn to stay in first."

Soren handed Vivian a piece of candy he had casually stolen and said softly, "There are guards patrolling the city, and security is much better than it is here."

"You'll be safer there."

Vivian nodded her little head, reached out to take the candy, unwrapped it, and put it into her mouth. She immediately beamed happily. "Brother!"

"It's so sweet and delicious!"

"You should have one too."

Her tiny palm placed a piece of candy into Soren's mouth. She was always so easily satisfied. Even cheap, low-quality candy from the Slums could make her happy.

A faint smile appeared on Soren's face as he opened his mouth and ate one too.

It was slightly bitter, slightly sweet.

It was cheap malt candy that the nobles within the city disdained.

The Slums had nothing else.

Vivian stood from the stool and used her little hands to brush the dust from Soren's clothes. She said softly, "Sister Anyali is a good person."

"When you were unconscious, no one was willing to help us."

"Only she was willing to help."

Soren smiled and lightly tapped her little nose. "I know."

"She is a good person."

"When we get the chance, we'll repay her."

Although that Young Female Cleric disliked him greatly, there was no denying that he owed her a favor.

Soren was someone who clearly distinguished gratitude from grudges.

The sky grew dim.

The two began busily preparing dinner. Soren had brought back some Smoked Meat, along with oil, salt, and seasonings.

The body at the Hearth Tavern had already been discovered.

The people nearby looked at him with a trace of awe in their eyes. Whenever they caught the scent of meat drifting over, they could not help swallowing.

Vivian ate quite a lot.

Her little belly was round and full. When she noticed Soren's teasing gaze, her little face reddened slightly, and she waved her tiny fist in embarrassed annoyance.

She had not eaten meat in a long time.

Today, she was very satisfied!

Soren merely stroked her little head affectionately. The two chatted casually, and only climbed into bed after the sky had gradually darkened.

Night fell.

Soren, who had been lying still with his eyes closed, opened them. He carefully pulled his arm free from Vivian's embrace.

He quietly got out of bed, dressed, and picked up his Dagger, tucking it into the back of his waist.

Some problems.

Were better solved sooner rather than later!

Soren glanced at the sleeping Vivian on the bed, carefully closed the door, and left.

Night was the time for Slaughter.

Soren had no energy to worry over such trivial matters, nor did he want these people to threaten Vivian's safety.

Since they dared set their sights on Vivian!

Then they could all go to Hell.

Beneath the dark shadows, Soren expressionlessly slipped into the darkness. His figure gradually blurred, and a cold killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

Cross Lane was still lively.

This was the busiest place in the Slums, though that was only in comparison to the other dilapidated areas.

Cole had become the new boss.

He had gathered a group of thugs and scoundrels from the Slums and seized this lucrative patch of territory.

There were more than ten prostitutes here, including quite a few attractive ones. People from the Dock District occasionally came here for entertainment, so controlling this place meant controlling an important source of income in the Slums. Because they had fought another group of thugs just a few days ago, many people in Cross Lane carried weapons. There were fewer customers coming to have fun as well. The prostitutes stood around idly, while Cole's men occasionally pulled one of them into a nearby low shack.

In the darkness.

A figure appeared without a sound and approached them along the shadows at the base of the wall.

The Slaughter had only just begun!