Cross Alley

Indeed.

When Soren sneaked out to take a look around, then returned pretending to pass by, two fully armed guards were already standing at the door.

There had to be something valuable inside!

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

But the abilities of a level 3 rogue would already 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 their value was absolutely astonishing!

Normally.

Such Treasure Caves required a party of adventurers around level 5 to clear, but this was where rogues had the advantage. If their skills were good enough, even a level 3 rogue could infiltrate one alone. Caves were special terrain, and rogues received a hidden +5 bonus to Stealth within them. 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 points in one go. Theft was not very useful at the moment, and 35 skill points were enough for him to steal from targets with slow reactions. This was easy for a former Legendary Realm Rogue. Soren could easily tell which Pot-bellied Merchants would fail to notice him stealing from them. As for Lockpicking, he already had 45 points, more than enough for ordinary locks right now. He might need to improve it after entering Amber City.

His lowest skill was Traps. It was enough to dismantle some simple Alarm Devices, but probably not enough to handle the traps inside a Treasure Cave!

The next time he raised his rogue level, Soren would need to increase his trap skill to 30 points.

"Looking at it this way."

"Once my rogue profession reaches level 3, I can gain an Extra Class Specialization too."

Soren wandered through the crowd. When he emerged, several Silver Dalers had appeared in his hand. His Supernatural Human Agility of 20 points was enough to let him steal whatever he wanted before others could react. Not to mention that he possessed two very useful Personal Specializations.

"Dexterous Left Hand Personal Specialization: Through long-term training, a rogue develops an incomparably dexterous left hand. Permanently increases Agility by 1 point and grants an additional 3-point bonus when stealing, picking locks, and dismantling traps."

(It is said that a certain activity involving waste paper can also train hand dexterity. Alternating between both hands can increase Agility by 2 points, but a Constitution saving throw must be made, or Constitution will decrease by 3 points.)

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

(If you can remember the names of over a hundred actresses, Intelligence permanently increases by 3 points, but Charisma decreases by 5 points. There is also a certain chance of comprehending the Sleazy Aura.)

(Please ignore the contents inside the parentheses. —Futuo!)

The former was a very rare Personal Specialization.

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

Many Caster Professionals had spent enormous effort training themselves to acquire the Eidetic Memory Personal Specialization.

The day passed quickly.

Soren picked over a dozen locks in the Dock District and stole some valuables as well.

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. A qualified warrior possessed a Strength Attribute of at least 15 points, along with quite impressive Weapon Specialization and corresponding Combat Skills. Warriors above Professional Level 5 had special Combat Talents, and their Strength Attribute could reach over 18 points. The former Soren had never undergone Professional Combat Training and was simply no match for them.

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

It was a fairly generous 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 Professional Experience.

Raising his rogue profession to level 3 required 500 experience points!

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

Level 10 commoner/level 5 rogue.

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

Among Tier 2 Professionals.

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

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

Slums.

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

He pushed open the door and walked in, seeing a pretty Young Priestess seated on a stool. The moment she saw Soren, her expression turned cold. She gave a soft snort in greeting, then smiled at Vivian beside her. "Since he's back."

"I'll be leaving."

"You need to be more careful here by yourself. If anything happens, you can come find me at the Dawn Temple."

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

This young woman was an Acolyte Priestess of the Dawn Temple. She believed in Kalsolos, the god who represented the light of dawn, a deity who would quickly fall after the Chaotic Era began. Kalsolos was a Vassal Deity of the Lord of Radiance. During the Chaotic Era, his pantheon would be the first to suffer attacks from Abyss Demons, and more than half of the deities under the Lord of Radiance would fall!

This young woman would probably soon lose part of her divine spell abilities.

Her name was Aniali. After meeting Vivian by chance, she had taken a liking to the Little Girl. She had only helped Soren because of her.

Unfortunately, her Divine Spell Level was too low to treat Soren's injuries.

As a priestess who believed in the light of dawn, Aniali actually disliked Soren for being a rogue. Most of the time, she did not give him a pleasant look when she saw him.

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

"What happened?"

After the Young Priestess left, Soren crouched down and gently stroked Vivian's Little Head. "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 Aniali came over and scared them away."

"She also healed my Back Injury!"

Vivian lifted her clothes with her little hand. The Black and Purple Bruise on her back had already faded, leaving the minor Healing Potion Soren had purchased through a Special Channel with no use. There were no Blacksmith Shops or potion stores in the Slums. To buy such things, one had to get them secondhand from Black Market Merchants. Many weapons found their way out this way as well.

"Cole?"

A flash of Killing Intent burst from Soren's eyes. He had not expected the man to be so bold. He had only just refused him, and he already dared to send people here.

Did Cole really think he 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 lifted in passing and said softly, "There are Guard Patrols in the city, and Public Order is much better than here."

"You'll be safer there."

Vivian nodded her Little Head lightly. She reached out to take the candy, unwrapped it, and put it into her mouth. She immediately smiled happily. "Brother!"

"It's so sweet and delicious!"

"You should have one too."

Her small palm placed a piece of candy into Soren's mouth. She was always so easy to satisfy. Even cheap, inferior candy from the Slums could make her happy.

A faint smile appeared on Soren's face, and he opened his mouth to eat one too.

A little bitter, a little sweet.

It was Inferior Malt Candy, the sort that many nobles in the city disdained.

This was all the Slums had.

Vivian stood up from the stool and patted the dust from Soren's clothes with her little hands. "Sister Aniali 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 scraped her Little Nose. "I know."

"She is a good person."

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

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

Soren was Clear on Grudges and Favors.

The sky darkened.

The two began busily preparing dinner. Soren had brought back some Smoked Meat, along with Oil and Salt Seasoning.

The corpses at the Hearth Tavern had already been discovered.

The others nearby looked at him with a trace of awe in their eyes. Whenever they occasionally smelled the Meat Aroma drifting over, they could not help swallowing.

Vivian ate quite a lot.

Her Little Belly was round and full. When she saw the teasing look in Soren's eyes, her Little Face reddened slightly, and she waved her tiny fist in embarrassment.

She had not eaten meat in a very long time.

Today, she was satisfied!

Soren merely stroked her Little Head affectionately. The two chatted casually until the sky gradually darkened, then climbed into bed.

Night fell.

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

He quietly got out of bed, put on his clothes, and tucked a dagger into the back of his waistband.

Some problems.

Were better dealt with sooner rather than later!

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

Night was the Time for Slaughter.

Soren had no energy to fret over such Trivial Matters, much less allow 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 Shadow, Soren slipped into the shadows expressionlessly. His figure gradually blurred, and a trace of Cold Killing Intent surfaced in his eyes.

Cross Alley was still lively.

This was the most prosperous place in the Slums, though that was only compared to the other rundown areas.

Cole had become the new boss.

He had gathered a group of Scoundrels and Ruffians from the Slums and seized this lucrative piece of the Slums.

There were more than ten prostitutes here, including quite a few attractive ones. People from the Dock District occasionally came here for fun, so controlling this place meant controlling an important Source of Income in the Slums. Because they had fought another group of ruffians over the territory just a few days ago, many people in Cross Alley carried weapons. There were also fewer customers. The prostitutes stood around idly, while Cole's men occasionally pulled one of them into the low shacks nearby.

In the darkness.

A figure appeared without a sound, approaching them along the shadow by the Wall Corner.

The slaughter had only just begun!