Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Prince of Thieves
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“Who sent you?”
An unexpected question.
Lee Shin retorted reflexively.
“What?”
But the leader ignored Lee Shin’s question and continued with his own monologue.
“…Don't tell me some remnants are still around? I thought this area was all cleared out.”
“……?”
“Or perhaps you've come for the bounty.”
The man muttered to himself.
Lee Shin quickly grasped the situation.
'He's on the run.'
There were enough clues.
The knights patrolling the streets were looking for someone.
And just a moment ago, this guy mentioned a bounty.
In other words, he was a wanted man.
'...My lucky day, huh?'
The corners of Lee Shin’s mouth curled up.
A walking piggy bank that just rolled right up to me!
He wasn't sure if he could collect a bounty from the soldiers because of his own high infamy, but it didn't matter even if he couldn't.
A criminal with a bounty on his head was bound to have a lot of possessions, so killing him would surely yield something.
*Ssk.*
“…W-Wait!”
“Hm?”
As Lee Shin stepped forward with a bright smile, the leader, perhaps sensing a threat, flinched in surprise and held out a hand.
He then spoke urgently.
“I think there's been a misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“I'm not a criminal!”
“……Hmm. Dressed like that?”
Lee Shin gestured with his chin.
A rusty dagger, a black mask, and you say you're not a criminal?
And you were with a group of thieves just moments ago?
It made no sense.
“W-Well, I know how I look right now, but…!”
Sensing his own lack of credibility, the man said in a fluster.
“…But I'm really not!”
“……”
“There are circumstances!”
“Circumstances?”
He certainly did seem like an NPC with some kind of backstory.
After all, even for a thief, a boss mob was bound to have a story behind them.
'Hmm.'
Lee Shin crossed his arms.
He had experienced this many times before.
Depending on how the conversation went, he might even be able to get a quest.
In fact, most rankers maximized their gains by playing this way.
The current atmosphere seemed perfect for receiving a quest if he played his cards right.
However.
“You're innocent?”
“That's right.”
“But there's a bounty on your head, right?”
Lee Shin's principle was to do only what he wanted.
And right now, all Lee Shin wanted was to finish this quest quickly.
“There is, yes.”
“Then that's all I need to know.”
As soon as he heard the answer he was looking for, Lee Shin launched his attack.
“What do you mean, that's all… Gack!?”
[A critical hit has landed!]
* * *
“Kuaargh! How dare you use such a cheap trick…!”
“…A thief is calling me cheap?”
To talk about being cheap when he sustained himself by stealing from others.
'What a selfish bastard.'
This inability to see things from another's perspective was the very definition of a psychopathic mindset.
Of course, Lee Shin didn't realize that he was quite similar in many ways.
The memory of wiping out a party and abandoning a helpless newbie had already been erased from his mind.
…In any case.
Lee Shin continued his assault, constantly cycling through his skill cooldowns.
Mystical Earring
•Mana Recovery Speed +15%
Thanks to the earring, his mana was plentiful.
Besides, he only had two skills he could use anyway.
Charge.
Deep Cut.
One short movement skill and one basic attack enhancer.
Just two active skills.
But when their use was pushed to the extreme, they transformed into an attack that was impossible to block, even when anticipated.
Lee Shin wove his skills between his basic attacks, creating dozens of patterns.
*Thwip!*
He feigned a retreat, then closed the distance with Charge.
He extended his left hand to block his opponent's vision before using Deep Cut.
At the same time, he used his gaze and the movement of his shoulders to feint.
“Kuh…!?”
The leader let out a pained groan.
A dizzying flurry of feints!
In a fleeting moment, dozens of deceptions were exchanged, with real attacks mixed in between.
Lee Shin knew better than anyone how to confuse an opponent.
It was the same even if the opponent was an AI.
In fact, it was easier because it was an AI.
Because it only believes the information it's shown.
It might be able to read an opponent's gaze and the movement of their pupils with perfect accuracy, but it can't see through the deception itself.
That is the realm of humans.
*Stab!!*
Ultimately, a clean hit landed.
[A critical hit has landed!]
[A critical hit…]
The clean hit caused his health to plummet.
'It's over.'
Seeing this, Lee Shin moved in for the finish.
However.
[The Thief Leader's health has dropped below half.]
[A passive skill has been activated.]
[A large amount of health is restored!]
“…!”
As expected of a regional boss, his opponent resisted fiercely.
With health and skills on a completely different level from ordinary thieves, he held on tenaciously.
And that wasn't all.
[The opponent's health…]
[A passive skill…]
[A large amount of health is restored!]
An endless stream of healing skills!
Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
'How many does he have?'
It was as if he was saying he absolutely could not be allowed to die.
He was just that persistent.
But the more he resisted, the more Lee Shin's anticipation grew.
What kind of loot is he going to drop to be this tough!
[The opponent's health…]
“W-Wait! Wait!”
“…?”
Finally, when his health dropped below ten percent, the leader, sensing the danger, frantically waved his hands.
Lee Shin continued his attack as he asked.
“Why.”
*Stab! Stab!*
“Let's talk!”
“……”
*Stab! Stab!*
“Let's just… Eek! I said let's talk!”
“I don't do that.”
*Stab!!*
“Kuaaargh!”
Lee Shin punctuated every word with his dagger!
Finally, the leader, his anger boiling over, shouted.
“You! You'll regret this…!”
“I've done that a lot.”
“…You'll regret it! Greatly!”
The threat wasn't very convincing.
That kind of curse was like a parting greeting left by NPCs before they died.
Lee Shin calmly drove his skill into his opponent's weak spot.
That was the final blow.
[You have defeated the target!]
[A temporary peace has come to the back alleys of Dudreum City.]
[Proficiency for Deep Cut has greatly increased.]
[Proficiency for Charge has greatly increased.]
[Proficiency for Critical Hit Enhancement has…]
[You have acquired an item.]
[You have gained experience.]
[Level Up!]
“Hoo.”
The message signaled the end of the hunt.
Lee Shin let out a steady breath and opened his status window.
He wanted to check how much his infamy had risen.
However, the messages weren't finished yet.
*Ting.*
A chime echoed in his head.
Lee Shin reflexively looked up at the unfamiliar sound.
At the same time, a message appeared before his eyes.
[You have assassinated the illegitimate son of the Eteun royal family, the hidden 8th Prince.]
“What?”
The question escaped Lee Shin's lips before he could stop it.
[First on the server to kill a member of the royal family!]
[This is a great achievement. You have acquired the title, <Royalty Slayer>.]
Royalty Slayer
•You are immune to status effects when facing those of noble blood.
“…!?!?”
Lee Shin's eyes widened in shock.
That guy was a prince!? That thief?!
That alone was surprising enough, but…
The real shock was just beginning.
[You have killed the only legitimate heir to the royal family remaining outside the palace.]
[Continental Quest, <The Revival of the Corrupt Eteun Kingdom> has been extinguished!]
[National Quest, <Completion of Vengeance> has been extinguished!]
[National Quest, <Proof of Blood> has been extinguished!]
[National Quest…]
[……]
[…An additional 177,661,180 related quests have been extinguished!]
[You have single-handedly prevented the kingdom's revival.]
[A Great Evil Deed!]
[Your infamy has greatly increased.]
“W-Wai…!”
Before Lee Shin could even process it, his infamy began to shoot up!
The result was…
[Infamy has surpassed 100,000!]
[Infamy has surpassed 200,000!]
[First on the server to have infamy…]
[First on the server to…]
[……]
[…surpass 1,000,000!]
[A Legendary Evil Deed! You have acquired the title, <Incarnation of Evil>.]
[You have acquired the skill 'Mark of Malice'.]
[You have brought about the stirring of a great evil. You have acquired the special perk, 'Congregation of Malice'.]
[An evil god may now take an interest in you.]
[The probability of evil-aligned NPCs submitting to you has increased.]
[The probability of being ostracized by religious orders has increased.]
[……]
[You have met all the requirements for a class change.]
[You can now change to the legendary class, <Salseong>!]
“……”
Lee Shin blinked.
What in the world just happened?
But there was no time to stand around dazed.
“…Over there! There's a commotion over there!”
“Spread out and surround them! Don't let them get away…”
The voices of knights echoed from the distance!
Even in this confusing situation, Lee Shin's honed instincts worked perfectly.
He was certain of it; the man had first asked, 'Who sent you?'
That meant there were pursuers!
And based on the circumstances, those pursuers had to be the knights.
'...Escape!'
[For the duration, mana will be…]
Lee Shin fled the scene as quickly as possible.
Especially now, with his infamy soaring past a million, an encounter would mean certain capture.
Fighting a group of knights was out of the question, so running was the only answer.
'I have to find Kilgeo!'
He really didn't want to, but he had to go and ask for help.
Since Kilgeo was a peculiar NPC whose favorability increased with infamy, he should be able to get some help.
But first, even shaking off the knights wasn't going to be easy.
“…There he is!”
“…!!!”
The knights pursued him relentlessly!
Knights emerging from the other end of the alley spotted Lee Shin and blew their whistles.
Lee Shin ducked into another alley in a hurry.
Scan!
[Consumes mana for the duration to see through the target.]
[The target's level is high!]
[Scan has fail…]
Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy.
There had to be a level difference of at least 150.
'What should I do?'
Lee Shin's mind raced as he ran along walls and rooftops.
Fortunately, the labyrinthine alleys allowed him to evade them for a while, but… he could see them closing in from all sides.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he was caught.
“Stop!”
“…!”
A voice was now right on his heels!
Lee Shin vaulted over walls, his mind racing.
'Should I fight?'
At this rate, he would be caught soon anyway.
He was sure he would lose, but he couldn't just let himself be caught without doing anything.
'Fight.'
The moment he made his decision, Lee Shin's actions became swift.
He rounded a corner, pressed his body flat against the wall, and gripped his dagger tightly.
His plan was to trip the knight the moment he came over and pounce from above.
“Hoo.”
Lee Shin took a deep breath, preparing for his ambush.
But before he could, another figure descended upon the knights.
*Thud!*
“…?”
“Who goes there!”
A swordsman, appearing from nowhere, landed lightly in front of the knights.
The knights, startled by the sudden appearance of a stranger, glared and thrust their spears, but.
*Swish!!*
“Kuaargh!?”
The swordsman was strong.
So strong that Lee Shin, who was watching the situation unfold, was astonished.
The swordsman cut down all the knights surrounding him.
Then, he strode toward Lee Shin and spoke.
“I am looking for someone.”
“……!”
Lee Shin quickly put two and two together.
This guy was the one looking for the prince!
The system had called it a corrupt kingdom, which meant the knights were sent by the royal family to eliminate the illegitimate son.
'How…'
In this chaotic situation.
Lee Shin’s mind spun at high speed.
His intuition and experience instantly found the optimal solution.
“This is who I am.”
“…?”
Seven-Colored Crystal Ring
A precious object symbolizing the prince's bloodline.
•Durability: 10/10
Lee Shin took an item from his inventory and thrust it toward the swordsman.
He prayed inwardly.
*Please work!*
“Gasp! This is…!”
'Did it work?'
It worked.
Better than he could have ever expected.
*Thump!*
The swordsman suddenly dropped to one knee.
He cried out in a voice simmering with emotion.
“Your Highness, the Prince!”
“Uh, yes?”
“Please accept my sword!”
[Haipen Gillaim, wandering swordsman of a fallen sword family, wishes to pledge his loyalty to you.]
[Do you accept?]
‘……!!’