Chapter 8 — A Formidable Petty Thief
Chapter 8 — A Formidable Petty Thief
“Marlin. To evaluate you coldly, you’re an explorer with a bleak future.”
“…Isn’t that a bit too blunt?”
Marlin frowned. She kept glancing behind her, apparently worried about Abel, whom we had left at the house because of his injury.
It was certainly not the most considerate explanation.
I adjusted my wording slightly and continued.
“You’re a pitiful bluebird with wings that cannot fly, trapped inside a cage.”
“Just say it bluntly.”
“Why are you so prickly? First of all, your class is the problem.”
《Marlin (Tiger Beastman, 14), the girl you intend to employ as your assistant. Due to her livelihood as a burglar, the fate of a “Rogue — Thief” has already been engraved upon her soul.》
Glossary - The Evil God, Your M…
“Do you know how a person’s Class is determined?”
“Not at all.”
Marlin had never attended school and learned only theft under criminals. As an unschooled child, her general knowledge was lacking.
Her Knowledge stat was only 2.
But that was hardly a fatal flaw.
Anything she didn’t know could simply be taught.
“A class is engraved onto the soul through repeated combat, training, and work. And you’re already a seasoned thief.”
“I’m not that seasoned…”
She didn’t deny being experienced.
“You’re a tiger beastman, right? Is there any other beastman blood mixed in?”
“No.”
“Then your greatest strengths should be Strength and Vitality.”
“Right. I’m confident I could beat you easily in a strength contest, Kar.”
Marlin struck a pose and flexed her arm muscles.
“Being stronger than a miserable class like a cultist isn’t something to brag about. And this isn’t the time to celebrate. Your class is already fixed as Thief.”
“That sounds pretty cool.”
“It’s not cool. It just means petty thief.”
Just like a minor criminal, the class performance was poor.
Still, Thieves could obtain a wide range of miscellaneous Mysteries and sleight-of-hand techniques. In a contest for last place between classes, they could defeat cultists by an overwhelming margin.
“To succeed as a Thief, you need Agility and Dexterity. But you’re a tiger beastman with high Strength and Vitality. You’ve completely gone down the wrong path.”
In other words—
A jack-of-all-trades build.
The performance wasn’t terrible, but the ceiling wasn’t very high either.
“Can you change your class once it’s decided?”
“You can’t.”
“……”
Marlin grew slightly dejected.
“…Then I’m hopeless.”
“No.”
“You said my future wasn’t bright.”
“If you follow your sponsor’s teachings faithfully, your future will shine like a star.”
A tiger beastman Thief could still grow into a remarkable explorer depending on how they were trained.
When a jack-of-all-trades build became competent, it became something else entirely—
Versatile.
Moreover, Marlin’s initial Sense stat was 19.
Once a stat exceeded 21, it allowed superhuman feats within that stat’s domain. That meant she had already reached the peak of the lower leagues.
And with the help of certain items…
“You could become an astonishing petty thief.”
Marlin would never grow into an ordinary Thief.
I intended to use every piece of knowledge in my head to support her.
I’m already excited.
Once again, I felt grateful to Lidni for allowing me to experience the joy of raising expedition companions directly.
Still, they could have asked for consent before bringing me here. Or at least waited until I finished my coffee.
“Even if I become astonishing, I’m still just a thief.”
Marlin muttered with a wry smile.
But her tail swayed lightly, suggesting she wasn’t entirely displeased.
“There it is.”
While explaining the basics, we had arrived at a shop I frequently visited in the game.
[Sinister Gaze]
A store specializing in exploration equipment for cultists.
The prices were cheap and the quality decent, so I often came here.
“Welcome, customer!”
I nodded lightly to the dog beastman owner, who resembled a golden retriever, and examined the reagent shelves.
Basilisk eyes. Ogre hearts. Calluses from Sea Elf heels.
Various rare alchemical materials were displayed at tempting prices.
“Wait—Volcanic Troll blood is only three silver?”
“Is that cheap?”
“It’s not just cheap. It’s the kind of price that destroys market ethics.”
I lifted a transparent vial filled with blue liquid.
Text appeared.
《Blood of a Volcanic Troll infected by plague. Drinking it may cause infection, so it is recommended for use against someone you resent.》
So it came from a diseased troll.
That explained the price.
I was about to put it down before pausing.
Actually, this might be better.
Infected blood would likely have a unique flavor compared to ordinary blood.
Probably something sharp and stimulating.
Perfect for Lidni, who disliked mundane offerings.
“I’ll take three bottles.”
“Excellent taste, customer!”
Marlin accepted the vials and stored them in a leather bag.
Efficient. I liked that.
I patted her back and continued shopping.
“…Wait.”
“What now?”
Another unbelievable item caught my eye.
[Bundle of Dog Beastman Teeth]
—5 silver
《Defective dog beastman teeth. When offered as tribute, the one who delights in infinite knowledge may find them pleasing.》
“This would normally cost at least one gold per tooth elsewhere, yet they’re selling a whole bundle for five silver.”
“Teeth cost one gold?”
“Some of these are fangs. Normally they start at five gold.”
Marlin’s tail stiffened straight upward.
“Shopkeeper, why are these priced like this?”
“My son is teething lately. He eats too many sweets, so most of them are rotten. The Magic Tower and alchemy workshops won’t accept such low-grade materials.”
“Then I’ll buy them all.”
A windfall.
Satisfied, I watched Marlin store the teeth before heading to the tools section.
This time there was no browsing.
I already knew exactly what to buy.
“Marlin. Grab a pickaxe and two of those shell-shaped tools. Also a candle set and three vitality potions.”
“What are all those for?”
“What else? Labyrinth exploration.”
Next, I purchased two dark-red books from a shelf of colorful volumes.
That concluded the shopping.
I moved to the reading area in the corner.
“Why does an exploration shop sell books?”
“You really know nothing.”
The books I just bought were not ordinary.
“Mystery Tomes. You’ve heard of them, right?”
“Oh, I think so. They’re extremely expensive, aren’t they?”
Even someone unfamiliar with labyrinths like Marlin had heard how valuable they were.
“Why do you think they’re expensive?”
“Because the stories are exciting?”
“You can learn a Mystery by reading them.”
A way to obtain skills.
In this world, Mysteries were a precious resource. Naturally, Mystery Tomes were extremely valuable.
“There’s no usage limit. If your class matches, anyone can learn the Mystery.”
“That explains why they’re expensive.”
“Don’t even mention it. Explorers chasing a fortune risk their lives entering high-rank labyrinths just to obtain one.”
Depending on the rank, their price could easily exceed the 1,000 gold tribute demanded from the siblings.
“Then if I want to get rich, I should enter high-rank labyrinths?”
“Exactly. Some explorers only enter B-rank labyrinths or higher to try to turn their lives around.”
Marlin’s eyes sparkled.
Not pure innocence—more like ambition.
But that was fine.
“Feeling motivated to become an explorer?”
“Yes!”
“But for now our goal is growth. Serious money-making comes later.”
“What about the tribute?”
“Forget the thieves’ guild for now. I’ll handle it.”
The corrupt guild master had already been reserved as a sacrificial offering.
“They can’t enter the cultist town anyway, so you can relax.”
Marlin still looked uncertain.
“The guild master is dangerous. Are you sure?”
“I’ll be fine. I won’t deal with him directly. I’ll ask a friend.”
“You have friends?”
“What kind of question is that? He’s not a friend yet, but soon we’ll have the chance to become close.”
Even if I hadn’t met the tiger beastman siblings, I had planned to befriend that man living in District 6.
“Ask questions later. Start reading. If you’re just acquiring the Mystery, you can skim through quickly.”
“You bought something so expensive for me… Kar, you’re strange, but you seem like a good person.”
Marlin began reading the two Mystery Tomes one by one.
I wasn’t going to sit idly.
I pulled out the silver book and placed it on the table.
Marlin immediately looked interested.
“That’s the Hidden Piece reward from the ghoul labyrinth, right?”
“Yes. A Mystery called Ghoul Mobility. It’s exclusive to priest classes, so you can’t learn it.”
“What does it do?”
“It lets you move as quickly as a ghoul.”
Ghouls had an Agility stat of 15.
Among monsters below level 5, that was almost unmatched.
In low-rank labyrinths, it practically guaranteed superiority in agility-related situations.
“Then if you learn it, you can move that fast all the time?”
“No. Only for one minute.”
“Just one minute?”
“One minute is enormous at our level. If sold at auction, it would start at at least 300 gold.”
At low levels, Ghoul Mobility was practically invincible.
But for a cultist who couldn’t properly utilize agility, moving faster only turned them into a quicker target.
Besides, my Agility was permanently fixed at 1 due to the curse from the God of Nature.
Under normal usage, it was useless for me.
Which means I’ll have to use it abnormally.
Ghoul Mobility only revealed its true value when paired with the right combination.
The Hidden Piece in the next labyrinth I planned to visit would help complete half of that combination.
“Focus on reading now.”
“Okay…”
While my curious student resumed reading, I examined the silver tome.
The text felt like a strange mix of epic poetry and scripture.
In the game, it had been as simple as clicking a button.
This was slightly inconvenient, but I didn’t mind.
In fact, it was enjoyable.
The text in the tome was new content I had never seen as a player.
《Mystery [Ghoul Mobility] has settled within your body!》
After successfully acquiring the Mystery and drinking tea the shopkeeper served, Marlin finished reading.
Her expression looked dissatisfied.
“…Kar.”
“What now? I bought you something expensive.”
“Expensive? These Mysteries are Basic Dagger Technique and Basic Throwing Technique. They don’t seem that impressive!”
“Your instincts really are sharp.”
I closed the book.
“You’re right. They’re cheap Mysteries.”
In martial arts terms, they were like basic beginner techniques.
Not extraordinary skills, but far better than learning nothing.
After all, strong fundamentals were necessary to become skilled.
“For someone like you whose class path is mismatched, these basic Mysteries will help more.”
Even after my explanation, Marlin still pouted.
“Read them thoroughly whenever you have time. Your proficiency will increase.”
“…Alright.”
“You’ve learned the Mysteries. Let’s go.”
“Back home to rest?”
“No.”
Rest?
There was no time for that.
“We’re going straight to the labyrinth.”