Chasing the Pickpocket and the Swordsman's Trial
"You want to learn quick movement skills?"
In a rundown outer district with a shabby vibe. Heading to the slum hideout, Kang Hanbit came face-to-face with a yellow-haired young girl. [Liora] The pickpocket Liora. She was a pretty famous name in Edlen's back alleys. Not the type to steal recklessly—it was more like she was playing at being a Robin Hood.
"Hmm."
She stood up, brushing off her shorts, and scanned Kang Hanbit from head to toe. And in that instant—
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, with the sound of wind, Liora's body vanished.
Thwack—
"You're too slow."
Liora reappeared right in front of him, a small pouch in her hand.
"Took 5,000 gold as lesson fee. Super cheap, right?"
[You have lost 5,000 gold.]
The 5,000 gold vanished from his inventory, just as the system described. The all-too-familiar flow brought back old memories.
"What? No reaction?"
"It's the lesson fee, right? And you're gonna teach me."
"...Of course. I don't lie."
Liora pouted as she replied. She stuffed the money into her bag and turned away.
"First, try catching me. Use any trick you want, but if you can't, it's void?"
Thwack—!
With those words, the girl vanished in an instant. A message popped up right away.
Ding—
[Quest]
Liora, who promised to teach you a skill, has run off. Search Edlen and find her.
Objective: Catch Liora.
Rewards: Liora's Swiftness Skillbook (1-rank-?), 1 Stat Point, 100 EXP
Limited Time: 3 hours
-Ran right away, huh?
-She'll come back when time's up.
-Anyone ever caught her in 3 hours?
-Better to just wait here.
-Yeah, just go home. lol
Veteran players' advice poured in. But Kang Hanbit leisurely started walking.
"Huh? You're leaving? Even if you find her by luck, you won't catch her."
"I know."
"Then what's your plan? If the time runs out, it's common grade for sure."
Juyeonu tossed out the obvious question. The answer was simple.
"Ask someone who can catch her."
***
The peaceful Atsbel's General Store. Bursting in, Kang Hanbit went straight to her.
"Help me catch Liora."
"Out of nowhere?"
Atsbel, who had been smiling to greet him, switched to a baffled expression. The vivid reaction set the chat ablaze.
-AI performance whoa
-What kind of game is RP anyway.
-She never smiles at me but grins at Black Dragon.
-Wait for me! I'm coming too!
-Breaking) Bomb slime still not found.
-Keep waiting till tomorrow~
"But how do you know Liora?"
"You two are like sisters, right? Famous in the hideout streets."
"...You didn't get pickpocketed, did you?"
Having dealt with similar situations a few times, she narrowed her eyes slightly.
Kang Hanbit shook his head.
"Nah, we're playing hide-and-seek."
"What does that even mean?"
Her eyebrows furrowed this time.
"You'll help, right?"
"Sigh..."
Atsbel let out a deep sigh. Then she stood up.
"Come on out. Gotta lock the door."
The two stepped out onto the street. Atsbel glanced around and immediately set off. She knew exactly where the girl would be.
"So, what'd she promise if you catch her?"
"Wanna learn quick movement."
"Oh, that? Got it."
She nodded like she understood. Atsbel and the pickpocket girl Liora. Their relationship in the slum hideout was more like protector and protected. She'd been looking after her for over seven years—practically a real big sister. These days, it was just teenage rebellion season, maybe.
Meow~
Grrr~
Deep in the alleys, the two stopped. A small staircase where the only sunlight filtered in. There, a girl was playing with cats.
"Liora."
"Huh?"
At the familiar voice, Liora widened her eyes.
"I'm busy, so quit the hide-and-seek."
"How'd sis...?"
The girl blankly alternated between Kang Hanbit and Atsbel. Then, realizing something, she raised her voice.
"That's cheating! Why'd you bring Atsbel sis? And how do you two even know each other?"
Visibly flustered, Liora put on an aggrieved face.
"Said use any means to catch you, right?"
"Well..."
With the straight facts, she was at a loss for words. The most effective way against Liora? Atsbel.
"Tell him quick. Liora, you come to the shop. Or you know what happens."
"...Got it."
Her shoulders slumped at the warning.
"That work? I'm out."
"Thanks."
"Pfft, whatever."
Atsbel smirked and headed back to the shop.
Thud.
Kang Hanbit approached and lightly tapped Liora's shoulder. Twenty minutes. That's how long it took to catch the pickpocket girl.
"Wanna go again?"
"No way!"
She shook off his arm, frowning and glaring at him. Then she pulled a blue book from her bag and tossed it over.
"Quick movement starts with proper footwork. Got it?"
Ding—
[Quest completed.]
[Rewards upgraded to max based on clear time.]
[Received Liora's Swiftness Skillbook (1-rank Unique).]
[Stat Points upgraded from 1 → 3.]
[EXP upgraded from 100 → 500.]
[Level up.]
[1 Stat Point granted.]
-Ends up like this lol;
-Unique again???
-How was I supposed to know Atsbel and Liora are sisters?
-This is webnovel territory now.
-Release the original, for real.
-What if Black Dragon's the author?
-Reasonable theory, agreed.
The chat heated up again, but the goal was achieved.
"I'm outta here!"
Kicking off, the girl vanished from sight in a flash. Kang Hanbit immediately used the book in his hand.
Poof—!
It vanished, registering 'Swiftness' in his skill tree. Watching, Juyeonu asked with a baffled look.
"That's really it?"
"Heartwarming ending—little sis visits the shop of the big sis who's raised her since she was a kid."
"...Heartwarming?"
-Heart?warming
-That kid looked pissed.
-Atsbel mad would be terrifying af.
Juyeonu and the viewers didn't question their relationship much. They just saw Atsbel and Liora as NPCs for skill acquisition.
'...Can't be helped.'
Players hadn't built proper bonds with Atsbel. They'd all sent her to jail, making even conversation impossible. Just blindly following the guidebook, but irreversible now.
"Not everyone follows the guidebook, right?"
"Yeah, solo players are tons, and not everyone shares on communities."
Even if most followed the guidebook, some walked different paths. But with Atsbel's quest appearing for the first time, no one had found the right way. Naturally, Liora stayed a minor NPC.
'Another reason the main story's a mess.'
Edlen's story from the guidebook. Atsbel and Liora never appeared. Starting from Julio's scam, it snowballed into a ridiculous tale.
"Let's go. Next skill."
"Ah, swordsmanship last, right? I'm your senior here for real."
-Gonna get roasted later.
-Fr lol
-Self-loathing Roper goes wild, upvote.
Swordsmanship finally appeared. Juyeonu called it his main skill, but viewers were already teasing.
"Hey, I got it to 2-rank. Worked my ass off."
"What grade?"
"...Advanced."
-You too?
-Me too. haha
-Viewer average. lol
Skilled Swordsmanship, the second sword skill. Just an evolved passive from Basic.
"Learned that from the guidebook too?"
"Wasn't complicated anyway. Swing a wooden sword for an hour, do some basic sparring."
"Must be nice. You're out for swordsmanship."
"...Your words are weird. You won't get unique on this too, right?"
-No way.
-Not this one.
-Tell him no.
-Info) Swordsmanship skill tree is the most common in RP.
-That's me.
Viewers who already had swordsmanship pleaded pathetically. But unavoidable.
"Let's go."
The two headed straight into the forest. Up a winding path on a low mountain. At the summit area, a small cabin appeared.
[Swordsman Baldor]
A middle-aged man sat at the table by the door, a keg in hand.
"Here to learn swordsmanship."
Gulp—
Gulp—
The swordsman took a few swigs at the question. Then glanced over sideways.
"Swing the wooden sword. Until I say stop."
Ding—
[Quest]
Learn swordsmanship from Swordsman Baldor. Pass his test, and you'll learn swordsmanship fitting your level.
Objective: Swing the wooden sword until Baldor says to stop.
Rewards: Linked quest unlocked
Accepting the quest, Kang Hanbit picked up the wooden sword mounted nearby. The chat mood shifted.
-Took me 1.5 hours.
-Minimum swings or something?
-Nah, form matters. Just endure to the end.
-Forgot Black Dragon's archery? 30 min clear.
-Bullshit. lol
-Shortest ever is 28 min.
-Community isn't everything.
-Still, that's sus af;
Veteran viewers' advice and guesses flooded in. Consensus: No one under 40 minutes, ever.
Reading the chat, something occurred to Kang Hanbit.
"Wanna bet? Under 30 minutes or not?"
"Ooh, sounds good!"
Juyeonu jumped on it eagerly.
-30 min. lol
-Think he can?
-Any sword saints here?
[SwordGod donated 200,000 won for challenge mission.]
[Clear in 25 min = success. Fail = cliff bungee, no pay]
-SwordGod whoa
-Rat bastard shaved off 5 min. lmao
-Harsh penalty.
-Worse than total sword alliance if no pay;
"25 minutes? No, that's impossible!"
Juyeonu reacted first to the raised bar. Kang Hanbit feigned surprise.
"25? Hmm..."
"Even you think it's too hard?"
"Let's try."
-He's doing it. lol
-Power trip? This level?
-Mad then succeed.
-I'd walk 25 min.
-Worth 1k.
-Fail = 0 won. lol
[KitchenKnife donated 20,000 won to challenge.]
[25 min. lmaoooo]
[SwordMister donated 70,000 won to challenge.]
[25 min still too much...]
….
"Whoa! 800k! Thanks!"
[Prize: 807,000 won]
The prize broke 800k with Juyeonu's shout.
'800k?'
Kang Hanbit's eyes widened at double the archery amount. Swordsmanship was popular, but this much?
"Hoo."
Exhaling shortly, he gripped the wooden sword two-handed. Then closed his eyes.
-Pretending to be a master whoa
-Chuuni mode ON
-Emo kid. lol
Kang Hanbit focused instantly, body stock-still. Viewers laughed and teased at the unfamiliar sight. But the swordsman was different.
"...?"
His drinking paused. An eerie silence enveloped them. Before he could grasp it, Black Dragon swung.
Swish—!
A single motion slicing the air. The swordsman dropped his keg, words spilling out.
"Stop. That's enough."