Betrayal

The half-orc was in just as bad a state. His opponent had lost a great deal of blood, and if this continued, he would not live much longer. An injury that had nearly torn apart his entire leg was certainly no minor wound.

Or rather, the fact that he could still crawl forward at this point was itself somewhat incredible.

A shadow flickered in the darkness. An arrow shot out, this time striking the wall to one side. The shaft snapped instantly, and the arrowhead transformed into a concealed weapon that flew into the alley.

The moment the arrowhead flew in, the ranger charged in from the side. But when he saw the enemy staring fixedly at his companion, he immediately halted.

Seeing the ranger retreat into the darkness again, Thirl's violently heaving chest finally settled down.

They were the weaker side now. He had no confidence he could kill the other man; he could only ensure that he could kill the half-orc, who was already half-crippled.

If the other man charged into the alley despite his injuries, their time of death would arrive as well.

If the other man had not been concerned about his companion's life, the two of them would have been killed long ago.

"Throw out your bow, and we'll let him go."

Thirl heard Heka take the initiative and join the negotiation, and immediately frowned. But before he could answer, the ranger on the other side shot the Black Mountain warrior who was still struggling on the ground, then actually threw out his bow.

"Your reinforcements will be here soon. When that happens, I'll have no choice but to give up on him and kill you. Believe it or don't."

After throwing out his bow, he tossed a rope to the half-orc lying on the ground. The half-orc grabbed the rope and was dragged away just like that.

Thirl gave a bitter smile and returned the throwing knife in his hand to his waist, but half his gaze remained fixed on Heka.

Although he did not know whether the ranger had already gone far, if their reinforcements had not been killed, they should indeed be arriving soon.

Now, the elephant in the room could no longer be ignored by anyone.

Thirl's gaze shifted from the crossbow in Heka's hand to his neck.

The other man's muscles had already tensed. It was a premonition of battle.

Thirl had seen that look in the other's eyes. He was a child whose rationality outweighed his emotions. Thirl could not persuade him, and he still wanted to survive.

A spatial magic item? Where was it hidden? Inside his bones? Why hadn't it been discovered during the earlier search?

Then the gold coins should also be on him. What a pity.

At this moment, he could feel death approaching. Between the blood loss and his injuries, his eyelids were growing heavier and heavier. Rather than be killed in his sleep, he might as well make one last gamble.

The throwing knife Thirl had dropped beneath his clothes flew out from the darkness that concealed his line of sight. Heka also replaced the crossbow in his hand with the nearly ruined dagger.

To Thirl's astonishment, a bucket appeared between Heka and the throwing knife. After the knife plunged deep into it, the bucket abruptly vanished, replaced by the boy rapidly closing in.

Thirl was not wearing any armor around his neck. Even a nearly ruined dagger could still plunge deeply into his throat at this moment.

Heka immediately retreated after driving in the dagger, dodging the blood that sprayed in all directions. The light in Thirl's eyes had already begun to fade, while Heka sat down opposite him.

The pain had long since spread up from his nerves again and again, finally burrowing into his brain and filling every crevice between its folds.

The measures he had taken to stop the bleeding had split open again because of the violent movement. Heka helplessly opened the panel in front of him.

If he were sent back in his current condition, the Black Mountain Merchants definitely would not thoughtfully prepare the sort of high-end service available at a church.

For the sake of saving money and maintaining control, they would simply amputate him.

When he woke up, whether he wanted to or not, he could only bid farewell to his left hand. They had been together for so long. Although it was not his original one, they had developed some feelings for each other. He really could not bear to part with it.

[Challenge]

Wanderer Thirl—Challenge Level 2 (Reward Unclaimed)

Dwarf warrior Podoli—Challenge Level 1 (Reward Unclaimed)

He hoped they would regard that state of gluttony as a post-traumatic symptom. In any case, Heka was not planning to say goodbye to his left hand for the time being.

What he had not expected was that the ice-cold Thirl in the distance had now also turned into a warm reward. Was it because he had been responsible for the final strike?

Heka opened Thirl, who had turned into a warm reward.

[Reward Points Obtained ×1, Reward Points Owned: 1]

[Warning: Rewards may only be exchanged on the reward page after completing a challenge. Unused reward points may be accumulated.]

[Reward Exchange]:

Strength: 0.472 - First Exchange Stage (1/5)

Constitution: 1.219 - First Exchange Stage (2/5)

Agility: 1.281 - First Exchange Stage (1/5)

Speed: 0.943 - First Exchange Stage (1/5)

Intelligence: 1.178 - First Exchange Stage (1/5)

Expand Inventory by One Slot (Reward Points ×10)

Combine Three Skills with Maxed Proficiency (Reward Points ×15)

Extract One Skill from a Challenge Target (Reward Points ×20)

Convert One Specialization Passive into a Global Passive (Reward Points ×25)

Extract One Material from a Challenge Target (Reward Points ×30~?)

Heka frowned after seeing the topmost prompt. He had thought that as the challenge level rose, the reward points he obtained should increase accordingly.

After all, Podoli the dwarf, who was practically roadkill, and that ranger who had driven several of them around like dogs could not possibly be worth the same.

Or was it because he had not contributed much this time?

Heka's gaze fell on the reinforcements in the distance, whose coat hems were now visible. Then he stopped dwelling on it and used his consciousness to select Strength.

Strength: 1.472 - First Exchange Stage (2/5)

Unlike when he had added points to Constitution, the sensation this time was extraordinarily bizarre.

Although the hunger was not as intense as last time, that feeling of his muscles being carved into shape returned. Heka's body instantly stiffened.

The arm beneath his clothes swelled up in an instant, then was pulled back into shape by the skin.

Heka held on until he saw his damaged arm return to normal. Only then did he relax and pass out.