Black Hand!

After leaving Sain Underground City, Sithran clenched her fist, feeling a sense of unreality.

She had sat by a bonfire, not only replenishing her status but actually leveling up?

Just by tapping on that strange-looking panel with her finger, she had become stronger so easily?

Although the Souls used for leveling up were earned through her hard-earned monster battles, it still felt a bit unreal.

The average lifespan of elves is around three hundred years. With a little training or some health-preserving magic, they can easily live to four hundred, four times longer than humans.

There has always been a persistent question in history: why haven't the long-lived elves replaced humans as the most powerful race?

There are two reasons. First, elves have a low conception rate; they might work tirelessly for years without conceiving.

Second, elves have lower enthusiasm for learning than humans.

It's as if the Creator deliberately balanced the elves' strength; corresponding to their long lives, it takes elves longer to learn a certain skill than humans.

Elves' intelligence is not an issue, and their comprehension is normal, but there's an unseen force that prevents them from learning a completely unfamiliar skill in a short period.

The same applies to cultivation; it takes the elf race longer than humans to raise their class level by one tier.

But in Sain Underground City, this situation has undergone a drastic change!

Sithran could feel that the few levels of strength she had gained in the dungeon would have taken one to two years of training in the outside world.

A single day's effort could be equivalent to a year.

She gasped, thinking, "How terrifying!"

She had to call her kin over!

But before that...

She glanced at the sky; it was still early, so she should visit the weapon shop.

The greatshield and lance that Gong Qiying had lent her had vanished along with him when he disappeared, but her heart had been deeply imprinted by the Shield Stab.

She felt an itch if she didn't hold a shield for even a minute.

Weapons like lances were easy to buy. She quickly purchased a suitable lance. The tip was crafted from the horn of a high-level monster and inlaid with a poison-attribute magic gem, capable of poisoning enemies with a mere graze.

The shop owner said this spear had never sold, despite its good quality. No one liked poison-attribute weapons; everyone pursued fast-paced combat and didn't have the patience to wait for prey to be slowly weakened after being poisoned.

Therefore, when he learned Sithran wanted to buy it, the owner was deeply moved and offered an automatic 20% discount.

Sithran examined the lance in her hand. The poison-attribute gem gave the tip a strange dark green hue. She had originally wanted a fire or lightning attribute weapon, but upon seeing this one, she suddenly thought—

The drawback of Shield Stab is insufficient damage and it takes a long time. Wouldn't poison be perfect for that?

I'm a genius, she secretly rejoiced, thinking she'd show off to Marelda later.

However, finding a greatshield was more difficult. She visited several weapon shops before finding a passable one. It was usable, but the feel wasn't as good as the one Gong Qiying had lent her.

"Yo yo yo, isn't this the long-ears? What are you doing buying weapons?"

Just as Sithran was hugging the shield and heading home, several unwelcome guests appeared.

"Don't tell me you were beaten so badly by the monsters in the dungeon that you lost your weapons while fleeing?"

Her face instantly darkened.

The newcomers were three human youths, all dressed in classic delinquent attire, their appearances resembling skinny "spiritually young men."

Sithran recognized them. These were notorious racists in the neighborhood who had clashed with many non-human races. However, they usually only bullied ordinary people. This was the first time they had come to trouble a Silver-ranked Sithran.

Have their abilities improved? she guessed, continuing to walk as if they weren't there.

"My big brother is talking to you!"

The punkish subordinate reached out to grab Sithran. Her eyes narrowed, and she was about to fight back, but the one called "big brother" stopped his subordinate.

"We agreed I'd get to practice today,"

The big brother glared at his subordinate, who grudgingly stepped back.

"My name is Morgan, the boss of this street. I heard you long-ears are an adventurer. Today I've come to find you—hey, hey, stop!"

While he was speaking, Sithran had already walked several meters away.

"Ya Yi, Ya Er, stop her!"

"Understood, Big Brother!" x2

Seeing the commotion attracting onlookers, Sithran reluctantly turned around and said, "Buzz off."

"Ooh, feisty," Morgan chuckled. "Just let me talk, don't be so reluctant."

"What do you want?" She felt like she was placating a lunatic.

"Lately, I've felt like something good was about to happen. Then, while working as a security guard for a wealthy patron, I was noticed by a master who taught me a Battle Skill, hehe."

Morgan excitedly took off his gloves, revealing a pair of shiny black hands.

"This is the Battle Skill the master taught me, called Black Hand! I've wanted to try it out on someone for a long time. You group of aliens, come and witness it!"

"Uh..."

It was obvious this thug was just picking a fight at random. Even if he hadn't targeted Sithran, he would have found some other long-ears, or maybe even short folk or furry creatures.

If I beat this guy half to death, he won't be able to bother anyone else, she thought, raising her shield.

Who knew Morgan would stop dead the moment he saw the shield?

"What are you doing?" Sithran, who had just gotten into position for a Shield Stab, was utterly confused.

"Unfair, unfair! I'm unarmed and you're holding a giant shield. How am I supposed to fight?"

Sithran almost laughed, "You're the one picking a fight, and you want to dictate how I counterattack?"

"This isn't picking a fight, it's a sacred duel," Morgan said with a righteous expression. "Do you want me to throw my glove at your feet as a formality?"

"Purely insane," Sithran muttered, lunging forward with her spear regardless. To her surprise, the guy was quick enough to dodge it.

As he dodged, he shouted, "If you've got the guts, throw your shield away! What kind of hero fights with a shield!"

"Yeah, yeah, a coward with a shield!" two of his lackeys chimed in enthusiastically.

Veins bulged on Sithran's forehead. She violently threw her spear, which grazed Morgan's scalp and flew past, instantly taking a large chunk of his hair with it.

Silence fell over the entire area.

Then, with a CRASH, she slammed her heavy shield onto the ground. Clenching her fists, she grinned menacingly, "Come on, I'll beat you up with my bare hands."

"Heh heh."

Cold sweat beaded on Morgan's forehead, but he forced a smile and said, "Alright, a straightforward person!"

Haha, this idiotic elf fell for my trap!

He happily charged forward, his Black Hands gleaming. This Battle Skill would enhance his strength. How could a mere slender elf possibly withstand it!

He had scouted for a long time. A burly orc? Nope. A muscular dwarf? Nope.

When he saw Sithran, who was on the smaller side and looked like she didn't have much strength, his eyes lit up.

"Haha, go for it, big brother!" x2

"Eat this, Black—"

CRACK!

Morgan flew backward.