“Halt, traveler.”

A wild bandit appeared.

“Hmn?” Viers suspected that one of the oldest clichés in the book was happening in front of him right now.

The bandit stood in the middle of the road as if he was the owner, he had a spear in his hand. Meanwhile, a group of bandits appeared around Viers, boxing him in.

“Good day. What can I do for you gentlemen?” Viers started counting. There were half a dozen of them, give or take.

“To pass through this road, you must pay a fee,” the first bandit spoke, he seemed to be the leader.

“Why must I pay? This is public property, is it not?”

“It’s a tax. You do know what tax is, right boy?”

“I know of it. My family pays a lot of taxes. Town tax, property tax, environment tax, trade tax… I heard to be married you must pay tax too?” Viers put a finger on his temple, remembering the taxes his parents paid.

“That’s right. We keep this road safe from monsters and bandits, so you must pay security tax to us.” The man in front of him said with brimming confidence.

“...Forgive me sirs, but aren't you people the bandits?” Viers cocked his head slightly.

“No, we’re taxmen. If you don't want to pay, you can return the way you come from… with a lesser tax,” Viers heard the other bandits chuckle.

“...Apologies, have we met before? Your face looks strangely familiar.”

“He’s Romell the Stinger, Lord Viers. We saw his wanted poster in Mokash,” Farley spoke from inside his head. “A well-known bandit band leader in the area. Uses a dark green spear and his way of fighting was like a bee. Illusive movement with a deadly thrust as his signature Arte.”

“Oh yeah, Romell the Stinger wasn't it? Nice to meet you, sir. Your reputation precedes you.”

“Ohoh, you know of me, eh? Hear that boys?” Romell talked to the other bandits around him. “I’m indeed the one and only Romell the Stinger! Good, good. You’re in luck boy, I’m in a fine mood. You can pass through here with only half the usual price.”

“And how much is that, sir?”

“Half of what you have, of course. You are a polite kid but I can't lower the tax more than this. We’ve got to keep our reputation clean as a whistle, you see. So! What will you choose? Peace, or violence?”

Romell sneered, so cocksure of himself.

“Sir, look at myself. There is only one of me and many of you. I’m fully aware of the only logical choice to be made.”

“Smart kid,” Romell tapped the spear to his shoulder.

“Violence,” Cain smiled innocently.

Viers conjured a ball of water covering each of their heads. He was a Level 2 now, his mastery of water had improved leaps and bounds compared to his former Level 1 capabilities.

The sudden attack with blinding speed and astonishing precision caught them all off guard. The lesser bandits tried to break free from the suffocating prison but no matter what they did, the water latched onto their heads firmly. One of them tried to attack Viers by casting a fire missile. Viers dodged it without any effort. Their power as Level 0 was nothing compared to Viers’ Level 2.

Romell, the only Level 1 among the bunch, managed to break free from the sphere of water covering his head. The rest of the bandits were not so capable.

Not that it helped him in the grand order of things. Viers already took action. From Romell’s point of view, it was as if Viers suddenly appeared beside him.

“Level… 2,” Romell who no longer had anything attached from the neck down uttered his last words. The glint from a blue sword that slashed his neck was the last thing he saw in the Goddess’ green earth.

“That is my water Arte, Almost Heaven. How was it? The sensation of drowning and being out of breath truly made you feel like you’re on your way to heaven, amirite?”

“He can't hear you Viers,” Clarissa said.

“I know! I’m just enjoying myself here. Don't be such a spoilsport, lighten up!”

Before long, the rest of the bandits suffocated to their death.

“Viers, when you taught me about this technique I was skeptical that it would be as easy as you said… to think it really is,” Paina was amazed.

“Humans must breathe air and can't breathe underwater. As water Pathseekers, we can conjure water out of thin air. I’m amazed this wasn't a bread and butter technique for water users.”

“Paina, what you witnessed is how easy a Pathseeker with two Level higher can snuff out your life. And you only saw the result, not the underpinnings of it. It actually wasn't that simple,” Farley who had more experience in Pathseekers battle told her friend.

“Indeed. Firstly, this Arte requires a high degree of control. Viers used the time while they were talking to prepare this Arte. Secondly, this works best against people with a lower Level than you. Rommel managed to cancel Viers’ water sphere by hitting it with his own Victa and he’s already one Level lower than him. Against an opponent of the same Level, I doubt this Arte would work.” Clarissa the former Level 5 told her analysis.

“Yes, but look at my Victa expenditure. So, so, user-friendly. The ratio of cost-effectiveness is incredible!”

“Mmm, true. Normally, you would need to spend twice as much. That is without factoring their struggle.”

“Yeah. The main reason is it's not me who killed them -except Romell- but the natural way of the world. Humans are not fish, hehehe.”

“Wait a minute. If you can do this with water then can another do the same thing with wind? You know, making us unable to breathe? Wind users mainly manipulate the air around us anyway, this should be right up their alley is it not?”

“Good thinking Paina! I’ve had the same thought myself. Although I can't say much because I’m not a wind user but I’m already preparing a countermeasure should some bloke attempt that against me.”

“And that is, Lord Viers?”

“Making breathable water with my Arte,” Viers said proudly with sparkling eyes. “If there’s no air, I can create a sphere of breathable water around my head. This also would work if I’m forced to go underwater for a fatal period of time. I’m also human and therefore cannot breathe underwater. If I can create my own oxyg- air tank, two birds with one stone.”

“Your preparation, as always, is so thorough Lord Viers. I’m in awe.”

“Alright, alright, no more stroking my ego. Let's get this head to the next town to get our reward before it rots. My purse is too light for my liking. It should be close.”

Like a true gamer, he looted the bodies of the fallen one by one. Since he had no magical space to store his inventory, what he could bring without impeding his travel was limited. Mainly, he only took their coins. For Romell though, he took his head and put it in a sack that formerly belonged to one of the bandits. He needed proof of termination to get the bounty.

It was a dead-or-alive thing and transporting a living person was more troublesome.

He held the sack containing Romell’s severed head in front of his face.

“Taxes… He reminds me of something unpleasant. You know what girls? I don't want to pay taxes, ever!”

“Uhh… that’s super illegal isn’t it?”

“Clarissa! Do you pay taxes?” Viers answered Paina’s question with another question.

“What are taxes?” The 9000-year-old teenage lamian princess genuinely did not know.

“EXACTLY! Huhuhu, muahahaha!” Viers laughed out loud and walked to the next destination, leaving corpses drowning in their own blood behind. Viers stabbed their brain through their eye socket while he was looting the taxmen, for precaution. He left no witness alive.

When I become a living nuclear weapon, who will dare to tax me?

***

The next town was about three hours away by foot.

When he got there, Viers was barred from entry as if he was a leper.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I have business with the Adventurer’s Guild and I want to eat decent food? I’ve got money, alright? See these coins? I’ll pay for what I eat.”

“And how many times do I have to tell you that no adventurers are to be allowed to set foot into the town. We don't want your kind here.”

“Oh, I get it… Very well officer. Please let me through, and this is a little something for your troubles.” Cain said in a whisper and slipped some silver coins into the man’s pocket.

“You misunderstand me. I don’t need your bribe, go away!” The guard returned his coins brashly.

“This is ridiculous! Would someone tell me what the heck is going on here?” Cain said with a bellyful of anger.

Apparently, the guards refused to let him enter the town because he was an adventurer. Cain felt they were looking at him with disdain. Naturally, Cain didn’t simply nod and obediently leave. In midday, he protested with a loud voice, inviting glances from other people. Mainly, people who tried to enter the town like himself.

“Franco, I’ll take it from here.”

Someone with a high station came, just as Cain planned. He made a ruckus for this.

“Captain Heskins, sir.” The man called Franco saluted his superior and retreated.

“Good, I want to talk to the manager. Now, would you explain to me this absurd treatment against my person?” Cain didn’t hide his expression of displeasure.