As the words "Eight Fingers" appeared!
The air briefly stilled.
"I've already told you, no unnecessary talk," a black-robed man, who hadn't spoken but was blocking the path behind, suddenly said in a low voice.
"Heh heh, I didn't say anything at all," the rogue male said, gripping his dagger in reverse, his gaze sinister.
Hearing the short exchange between the two.
Nolan knew he had guessed correctly; their fundamental goal wasn't money, but him.
The so-called "Eight Fingers" was an underground organization with 8 criminal departments, whose influence almost covered the entire Re-Estize Kingdom.
Behind them, there were even faint traces of the Kingdom's nobles!
The Re-Estize Kingdom did not prohibit the buying and selling of slaves, which led to the emergence of a series of criminal networks, such as child abduction, slave trading, brothels, bribery, and so on.
Nolan remembered that in another year or two, the Golden Princess Renner would propose the "Slave Trade Prohibition Edict," causing huge losses for the "Eight Fingers."
This was, in fact, an extremely calculated move by the Golden Princess Renner.
Among the many edicts proposed by the Golden Princess Renner, this was one of the few that passed, and for such an edict, full of vested interests, to pass was somewhat unbelievable in itself.
A princess who stayed deep in the palace, had never left the royal palace, and had no factions or subordinates, yet in a strange way, she gained the support of most of the populace.
Furthermore, by leveraging the benefits and advantages generated after the edict's passage, she indirectly influenced the Baharuth Empire and contended with the Blood Emperor, earning her the title of a "Monster."
In the field!
The dangerous situation made Nolan's body tense.
While gripping the short sword in his left hand, he also took out the newly purchased first-tier "Magic Arrow" magic scroll from his item box with his right hand.
"You guys are truly bold. This isn't far from the central plaza and the Adventurers' Guild. Aren't you afraid I'll shout, and none of you will escape?"
Nolan deliberately spoke loudly, hoping to attract the attention of people nearby.
"You can shout louder."
"But let me remind you, no matter how much you shout, it's useless. No one will hear what's happening here."
A low voice came from behind.
Nolan's heart tightened. He turned his head to look behind him and saw that the other party was holding a small staff, about ten centimeters long, similar to a magic wand.
Almost at the same time!
Information appeared on Nolan's attribute panel.
'Skill "Silence" detected. Requirement: Basic Mage-type profession, Level: 8-14.'
'Current conditions not met...'
The moment he saw this information, Nolan knew what the black-robed man behind him was holding.
A short staff!
A type of magic item, which could be understood as an enhanced version of a magic scroll.
If a "magic scroll" was an item infused with a single-use spell, then a "short staff" was an item infused with multiple uses of the same spell.
In the game "YGGDRASIL," short staffs were a more cost-effective magic item than magic scrolls. The only drawback was the professional restriction.
For example: a short staff infused with "Holy Light" magic could only be used by faith-based spellcasters, while a broken staff infused with "Fireball" magic could only be used by arcane-based spellcasters.
Magic scrolls, however, did not have this restriction.
Of course, some high-level "short staffs" could also ignore this restriction.
And in this other world.
Short staffs were much more expensive than magic scrolls, as they were already considered magic items.
After confirming that the black-robed man was using a short staff, Nolan was certain that the other party was an arcane-based spellcaster.
A rogue, a spellcaster!
It was obvious who to deal with first.
"Just give up resisting, you little brat!"
The masked rogue, gripping his dagger in reverse, moved his feet and quickly rushed towards Nolan.
"Slay!"
In an instant!
The rogue's rushing speed not only increased, but his entire figure also became somewhat blurry.
Seeing this situation.
Nolan knew he had to gamble!
Without any hesitation or regret.
Nolan immediately threw the "Magic Arrow" magic scroll at the rogue.
In an instant, the magic scroll flashed with light.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three attribute-less magic arrows condensed in the air and flew rapidly towards the rogue.
At the same time, information also appeared on the attribute panel.
'Skill "Magic Arrow" detected. Requirement: Basic Mage-type profession, Level 1-7. Current conditions not met...'
'"Genius" profession activated. Basic profession requirements met. Do you wish to spend 1 skill point to learn?'
After releasing the magic scroll, Nolan didn't even look at the result. Instead, he quickly turned around and rushed towards the spellcaster behind him.
During this process, seeing the information on the attribute panel, Nolan knew he had gambled correctly and quickly agreed internally.
Skill: Magic Arrow (First Tier)
Cost: 5MP
Description: Releases magic to create three attribute-less arrows to attack enemies. For every additional point of magic consumed, one more arrow can be created, up to a maximum of 10!
...
"Kid, you've chosen the wrong opponent."
The black-robed spellcaster saw Nolan turn and rush towards him, letting out a mocking chuckle.
"Acid...
"Magic Arrow!"
Nolan's speed was even faster. Before the black-robed spellcaster could speak, he had already activated the "Magic Arrow" he had just learned.
How could this be?
The black-robed spellcaster's face, hidden beneath his hood, showed a look of astonishment.
Wasn't the other party a faith-based spellcaster?
Did he also possess arcane-based magic?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three magic arrows had already flown rapidly towards him.
The black-robed spellcaster had no time to think and quickly changed his spell: "Shield Wall!"
Swish!
An invisible transparent barrier appeared in front of him.
Thump!!!
The three arrows simultaneously struck the barrier, and the magical energies of the two mutually canceled out and dissipated.
"You've already angered me, you little..."
The black-robed spellcaster's face showed an angry expression. He extended a magic staff from beneath his black robe, preparing to cast a spell.
But in the next instant,
The black-robed spellcaster's face had already turned pale, because Nolan had already rushed in front of him.
How could he be so fast!
As a spellcaster, one must always maintain distance from an opponent, regardless of the situation. He naturally knew this very well.
There was at least 15 meters between the two of them, and a spellcaster's physique couldn't run that fast, unless the other party wasn't just a spellcaster...
The moment this thought appeared in his mind!
The short sword in Nolan's hand quickly slashed down: "Quick Slash!"
A cold gleam flashed in the air.
The blade of the short sword heavily slashed towards the black-robed spellcaster's neck.
But!
Just at the moment of contact.
A white light appeared from the black-robed spellcaster's body.
The blade made contact with this white light, emitting a muffled sound, and was successfully blocked!
However, this white light instantly dimmed significantly.
This is...
"Magic item!"
Nolan's eyes changed slightly.
"Didn't expect that, did you?" The face hidden by the hood was revealed. He was younger than expected, looking only around 20 years old.
However, before the black-robed spellcaster could rejoice!
Nolan's gaze hardened. He gripped the hilt in reverse and pressed down with force. The white light blocking the short sword flickered slightly and quickly dissipated!
Pfft!
The tip of the sword heavily sliced across the black-robed spellcaster's throat. A large amount of blood gushed out, splashing all over Nolan.
'Gained 350 experience.'
"Idiot!" Nolan said.
Knowing he had a defensive magic item, he didn't continue to cast spells, but instead wanted to see his surprised expression.
Under his attack, the defensive white light had dimmed, clearly indicating a certain intensity limit.
What's more!
As a spellcaster, he actually let the enemy get so close to him.
It was clear that this black-robed man had very little experience in close-quarters combat.
"You bastard, I'm going to cut off all your limbs!"
A sinister roar came from behind.
The rogue, who had just been blocked by the "Magic Arrow" released from the magic scroll, had already rushed over.
He hadn't heard any footsteps!
Was it a rogue profession ability? Or a skill?
Nolan quickly adjusted his posture, turned to look behind him, and the dark purple light emanating from the opponent's dagger was already in front of his eyes.
Another magic weapon!
In a moment of crisis!
Clang!!
Nolan subconsciously swung his short sword. The blade and the dagger collided, producing a crisp, piercing metallic clang.
The rogue male's eyes showed a hint of astonishment. After the collision, he retreated a few steps, looking at Nolan with some surprise and uncertainty.
Crack!
Nolan lowered his head to look at his short sword. A crack and a chip had appeared at the point of impact.
However, this time, the grave expression on Nolan's face slowly faded.
"I've found that you guys are weaker than me, huh?"
Nolan's expression was a little strange as he looked up at the rogue male opposite him.