Author's note:

The chapter is finally here. Sorry for posting it almost at midnight but had been away for the last few days. And this is second to the last chapter of the first volume. My volumes were supposed to have ten chapters but then I noticed that the last two had only around 3 thousand words which then meant I had to combine them. That led to my chapters staying long but there's less of them for the moment. I hope you like them anyway.

****

Ace logged off just before falling down from exhaustion.

"I really hope I didn't die after surviving the whole fight" Kirin murmured yawning widely. He was still tired for some reason.

He left his room and picked an apple. It was very fresh and helped to wake him up a bit.

"It would be lovely if Verna weren't coming today. I could actually get a day of sleep for once" he murmured turning the TV on.

Like usually most of the stations showed news about Exiles: Regal Dream as it was the most popular and ground breaking game but the kid skipped them all and found a channel about animals. It was much better.

Sitting on a sofa he picked his laptop and went to check his classes chat. Not surprisingly everyone was talking about the game and their achievements. Most of a class was even in the same guild called Royal Ravens. 'How more pathetic can it get?' Well, it could. They noticed him online.

-Hey, Ang. How are you doing?

-I heard you got a cabin! Is it truth?

-He did? That's amazing! Will you join our guild?

-What level are you now? Have you chosen a class yet?

Kirin rolled his eyes at the barricade of messages concerning him appearing every minute.

-Yes, I've started playing the Regal Dream but as I knew nothing I picked a random city and am now in Oradin Kingdom so can't join you at the moment in Lavana or Gerdius. And I'm a spellsword.

A silence followed his words. No one had a good opinion about this class and for a reason. People who wanted everything but were stupid enough not to know it came with a cost usually chose it.

-Anyway we would still welcome you if you came!

-I'm thinking of going to Oradin now as I could help you level up and buy some gear.

-Me too!

-We could go on a mission to Oradin with our guild and join him there all together!- suggested the guild leader Veronica which Kirin despised the most out of his class. She never got the memo that he grew up maybe and was no longer a child. He hated her with a passion.

-Would you really do it for me? I wouldn't want to steal your time online too. You've all done enough for me as it is - Kirin answered with his usual try for independence.

But who could leave a kid wander alone with a calm heart?

-That's no problem! Just you wait a moment and we'll be right there doing all kinds of amazing things together! Right guys?

-Yeah I can't wait to meet Ang in game!

-Me too! I'm sure we'll be able to have a lot of fun!

-Yeah and I heard there's a quest about exterminating a whole species of lake spirits of level 100 and higher there. Their numbers are very large and the east guilds don’t have enough manpower to do it. We could take it! - mentioned Sam, his childhood best friend. A loud sigh escaped Kirin's lips as he read her message, he really didn't have any allies. Well, he can do it and without them.

-That would be very generous of you all... Are you really sure you want to come to this god forgotten land just to help me?

-Of course! Besides it's not like we're losing anything as there are tons of evil monsters everywhere!

-Thank you everyone

That finished he closed his laptop and watched about wolfs for a while until a doorbell indicated someone's presence. 'The moment of truth then. I really hope she finally caught some disease and is on a deathbed.'

A basket full of apples and flowers lay on his doorstep. 'What the...?' He looked around but the street was eerily silent and empty. Shrugging he took it in and took things out. A letter was hidden underneath the flowers.

~Dear Ang, I'm really sorry for not being able to meet you in person. I've caught a very nasty cold and will have to probably leave for work without meeting you as I can't have you getting sick. See you next time I'm back. Also I have a present for you but I want to give it myself so wait for it ok? Love, Verna~

Kirin's eyes fell out of their sockets as he read the letter. 'How did she manage to get sick? Isn't she like the healthiest person I know? Does god suddenly decide to listen to my prayers? More like the devil... Not that I'm complaining!'

After eating another apple he went to sleep. Who cares if it was midday?

***

Sometime later Ace woke up from his slumber and he wasn't at the cemetery. That was a big plus. A single beam of light shone a little to his right illuminating a crowded space.

"At least I'm alone" he murmured pushing himself up and looked at the front where a man was driving but it was an unfamiliar face.

"Hi. Where could I find Aurora?" Ace asked, only his face visible through the cloth separating him and the driver. 'She should have survived, right?'

"The pretty lady in white?"

"The one"

"Hey!" shouted the driver rising from his seat. "There's a kid looking for you!"

Few seconds later Aurora showed up riding on her horse.

"Ace! Are you ok?"

"I wouldn't be out if I wasn't... Where's my mount?"

"Monthu was taking care of him while you were out. I could ask him to bring it if you want"

"Do it" Ace replied backing in his wagon and taking out a barley bread. It was hard and had no real taste but it was food and helped to fill his satiety bar until whining of a horse could be heard outside.

He jumped out then and took the reins of his horse. Pulling him a bit away where a rock sat he got atop of it.

"Have you gotten the skill?" Monthu asked as they rode side by side with other members close by. 'Wait where is Par?'

"What skill?" Ace asked looking around to make sure the little mage was absent.

"All those who went for a suicidal attack, rogues and warriors, have gained a skill. Did you get it?"

"A mass acquiring of a skill?" Ace asked in wonder while checking his log. Notice of a new skill learnt was there.

New skill acquired: Last Stand [Passive]

You've been at the heat of battle for a long time but victory was always just out of your grasp. You've seen friends and comrades die at your sides because of bad leadership or sheer number of enemies. Corpses lie around you and there's no longer a chance for victory but your faith stays strong and you keep on fighting. Some might call you a madman, some a demon but you see yourself as a believer. You trust in your cause and would never betray your dead comrades

+200 faith

+15% atk speed

+10% atk damage

+5% dodge chance

+5% movement speed

Your body absorbs the blood to change it into stamina. You'll never stop until there's no one to fight or death claims you.

This skill will be activated automatically under the right conditions.

'That's... It gives so much even though it's only level 1 novice! I fear to imagine what it'll be able to add if someone reaches master level... ' Ace wondered with his mouth wide open.

"Now that's what you call a nice skill although I don't want to repeat the process of attaining it..." Fighting and winning is lovely but being on the verge of dying for half a day isn’t pretty. "By the way why are we riding at night?"

"We're a few hours away from the city. It’s better to reach it earlier as almost all our fighting power is gone" Monthu said explaining because Aurora and Hawk was having a heated debate whenever bows were superior to arbalets or not.

"So how many actually made it through?"

"Most of the merchants survived, as did rangers. Out of eight clerics six were fine. Around a thousand warriors and almost all rogues died. Only five fighters and two rogues including you pulled through while every mage was killed."

The losses were catastrophic, so many levels and so much experience gone. It would be a huge win if he was aiming to become the best player but now it just meant it was a more dangerous travel.

“How did Levin fare?”

“He’s still happily locked in his wagon. I’m going to bring him to the jail at the stables beside which the jail is” Monthu answered.

“Poor guy to visit a jail in a game” Ace said with a slight smile. This was never going to happen to him.

They reached the city gates at around the midnight and guards after a lot of checking allowed them in.

The city of Lasran wasn't asleep yet. If it ever slept. All around Oradin kingdom it was known as the city of music, a haven for bards and dancers.

A man burst out of one of the inns and fell at the side.

"Please please help me! I have only a single gold but please help me! I'll be forever in your debt!" he pleaded on his knees, tears streaming down his face.

But none left the procession to see what he was rambling about. They were far ahead of the level that did quests for a gold. Veterans, not beginners.

"What happened?" Ace asked riding closer to the man.

"My mother's body has to be watched for a day for her to go to heaven but I can't leave my wife! She's giving birth any hour now! I must go back to her soon! Please help me kind stranger!" cried the man touching the ground with his head before the hooves of Ace's horse.

'We all just want to be happy, no matter the price, don’t we?'

"You don't have to lower yourself like this before me. It would be an honour to watch over your mother. I'm sure she was a wonderful woman and deserves to ascend to heaven" Ace said sliding down from his horse and taking the man by his hand.

Ting!

New Quest: Lack of Time

Mattew is a very religious man so he wants for his mother to be protected until the god picks her soul but his wife is very pregnant and requires all his attention. You're asked to take care of his mother.

Reward: Gold coin

Restrictions: None

"I accept. Can you tell me where you live so I can come the moment I return my horse back?"

"From the stables you go right and then straight ahead until a well. There you turn left and walk a bit. I'll leave my daughter to welcome you and bring to us."

"I'll be there as fast as I can" Ace said nodding and joined the caravan but this time on foot.

When the man was out of hearing range, Aurora was the first to pounce on Ace.

"Why would you accept such a lowly quest?"

"It's not like I have something planned for today" Ace said shrugging.

"But it gives a single gold coin!"

"And?"

"You could spend your time so much better!"

"The quest you're on will give you around 100-300 gold so there's no reason to waste your time for a single coin" Hawk said adding to Aurora’s argument.

"Is that so? Do you really see only that? The payment? Is that what drives you forth?" Ace asked, sneering.

"It's just a game! It's not like it's reality!"

"I'm sorry to have bothered you then. This is not JUST a game. These people are born here and die accordingly, there's nothing virtual for them. If I don't help this man, he'll lose his newborn or become haunted by his own mother. You might think whatever you want about me, but I'm not going to abandon a person just because he doesn't have enough money to pay for help" Ace said, his voice ice cold.

"Weren't you all about doing only things that are fun? I don't see how this qualifies" Reaper asked accusingly with an air of nonchalance around him.

"You weren't listening well then. What I meant was that I'll do only what I want and that is to be enjoying myself. And I like helping people in need" 'just as much as I like to see them suffer from my own hand' "Also it can always lead to something interesting along the way."

"How many menial quests have you done?" Aurora asked her curiosity piqued.

"I've stayed half a year in a city. I'll leave it to you to count. From all those quests I learned one thing: the more stupid, unbelievable or strange it sounds the larger reward follows and this one falls under all those categories" Ace said calmly.

He also had another agenda of course. If he started killing the moment he entered a city, soon enough someone would put two and two together and he’d be discovered. And the possibility for double identity was one of best aspects of his class in his opinion.

They arrived at the stables and sold their horses for 3 gold.

Their pay was given and not surprisingly Monthu earned the largest sum. Ace and Hawk had around the same while Aurora received whole 10 gold for her troubles. Nobody ever said good hearts will be paid.

Together they reached the house and a small girl lead them to a shed like place in which a cask with a white clothed old woman lay. A young man with his hard breathing wife sat close by. Their eyes turned to the newcomers with hope and relief.

"I'm so happy you came! I don't know how long she could stand it!" the man, Mattew, said and tried to stand his wife up but she was too exhausted. Sweat ran down her face.

Monthu pushed his way toward her and used his immense strength to pull her up.

"Show the way" he said in a clear voice towards the man who nodded and opened the door running out first.

Monthu half carried the woman as she was unable to hold her own weight at all. It was hard to say why he was doing something like that, maybe it was Ace' s words that pulled a string of his conscience or the need to protect weaker than him, but he brought her to a room where three midwives were waiting with relieved faces.

"We already thought she'll give birth next to a corpse... Thank you kind stranger for bringing her here!" thanked the old ladies and started to fuss over the girl while Monthu swiftly left.

*The reputation with old ladies of Lasran city increased. They're more likely to give you quests and will spread rumours about your kindness*

'Is that what he meant by saying doing random easy quests helps?'

As he returned to the shed place he heard Ace's answer.

"No from what I understood we will have to stay here not for 24 hours but as long as her soul leaves to heaven which will take from a day to only goddess only knows how long"

"Why are you always saying goddess and not god? Isn't Kione the only god worshipped in this kingdom?" Aurora asked.

"Mainly yes, but not only. Like in real life there are always people who don't agree with the popular religion. I prefer Aelia to be the one to judge my actions."

"Let me guess you read all the legends about each god of this continent?" Aurora asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, I did stay near a library for half a year..."

"Tell me then!"

Ace glanced at the guys lounging on another bench for their approval.

"It's not like we have much to do here..." Hawk muttered yawning. Reaper also nodded so Ace started to spin a tale to pass some time.

"From the beginning of time there were thirteen gods and goddesses. They created earth out of having nothing better to do. The strongest goddess or god firstly created angels which were perfect but their perfection flawed. Every church says it was their deity but who knows. Then all creatures were made and gods decided to rule over their favourite things. But gods created races in their own reflection and they're quite ambitious. So from then started the race who will unite the continent under their influence. They made a pact so that they only could go down on earth once a year to create rumours and get believers. Through such occasions and oracles many things about the lives of gods in NeverLand was learnt.

So Kione was one of the main thirteen gods. He had a wife Nina and two sons Kingven and Peredin. They all lived in a castle and went to earth on vacations until one day Kione protected an innocent elf from believers of Eroc church and without even knowing it declared war against the only god leaning towards domination and evil. It cost him greatly as Nina and Peredin were assassinated and Kingven found his death too. Left alone the god roared in rage and went on a rampage destroying everything in his path.

“It took the other gods over two months to restore his mind and sanity. He returned to his empty house but from a gentle family oriented god he turned to a god of rage, rampaging, strength and destruction for the sake of righteousness. In a name of better tomorrow everything is allowed for his followers. The clerics of his learn a lot more of offensive spells compared to others even if they pretend not to see them and concentrate on healing ones.

“The goddess I worship is Aelia. She is a daughter of two first gods Helena and Magnus. When she was born, her bright yellow air and beautiful smile over-shone the sun and the girl was named Aelia. She grew up to be very delicate and graceful while never doing a thing wrong. She was a pretty little angel in all regards and became a god of light and righteousness.

“But she was a good girl and as a universal rule dictates they can only fall for the bad boy.

“On one happy summer day Kingven appeared on her doorstep all bloody and wounded while her parents were away. She treated his injuries and little by little love blossomed between them. Once he got better they went on walks around the fields and he showed her his impressive fighting skills. When he had to leave he kissed her and left promising to return with a marriage proposal. The next day her parents returned.

“She waited and waited, not leaving her house for a moment as not to miss his arrival but it never happened. After five years did she understand that he played her for a fool and succeeded. She healed his wounds while hiding him in one of the safest houses possible and even gave him Boots of Hermes that allowed travelling five miles with one step.

“But that wasn't all. Outside she heard rumours about herself being as free as human females. It was the biggest insult a goddess could receive and an obvious person was behind this. He thought that fear of ruining her image even more will prevent Aelia from retaliating.

“But that just showed how little he knew her. She was a flighty character but even a cornered rat will bite and she felt exactly like that.

“A few days later the horrible news of Eroc killing the last surviving person of Kione's family in a most gruesome of ways with a strange weapon was announced.

“Aelia then became the goddess of hatred, retaliation and deceit. She is depicted as a stunning young lady smiling lovingly with short white wings and her hands behind her back. If it's a sculpture and you can look at the back, you can see her holding the hilts of those sharp looking wings" Ace finished in a quiet voice.

Silence stayed for a bit as the other three members tried to understand the meaning of this story and why he told it to them.

"You've read a very unedited version of the events" Monthu said with a slight smile. He had expected a boring tale like those in religious classes about how amazing the god is and this was a bit better.

"Well, I prefer this to the one told by priests. They tend to end up with everyone being saints and dying together while saying I love you" Ace answered taking a sip from his canteen. "I'll never understand how from this story they decided that Kingven and Aelia were innocent and truly loved each other while calling Helena and Magnus as careless, not even calling them evil!"

"And having a certain evil monster makes it a good story?" Hawk asked tauntingly.

"Nah but the story gets a bit better if you find someone who actually does mistakes. It gets boring after a hundredth perfect character introduced in succession" Ace said laughing. It was nice to sit in a light of a little [Flare] and chat about evil beings.

"What happened to the sun girl? Was she never found out?" Aurora asked inquiringly. She kind of liked the girl who took matters into her own hands and didn't allow to be trampled to the very end. Although she was a bit cruel but we all have our flaws.

"Gods are pretty good at investigation so she was found out, devastating Helena and Magnus. They couldn't believe their little girl could do anything like that. But the evidence didn't lie. She was sentenced for an eternity in underworld but made a wild escape and hid away with a breath of life. Now she walks among the gods as a criminal, a traitor to her kind hunted by all and admired by even more as no one had seen her since while corpses with the markings of her unique weapon appear from time to time."

"That's a very lonely life" Aurora said sadly.

"It's hard to say what is worse an eternity locked up but with people to talk to once in a while or to be forsaken, never to hear a word said your way" Ace remarked.

"Do you know any happier stories?" Aurora asked with a hopeful expression.

"Of course. For example how Helena and Magnus met. Do you want to hear it?"

"Sure, we still have lots of time" Hawk said agreeing.

"So it was..." he continued to spin the tale and explain the mysteries of gods and their intricate webs of relationships.

Once Ace got tired Hawk started to tell ghost stories from camps. The dead woman between them made it even better.

For hours and hours they sat there until finally the soul started to lift from the body but it wasn't a sixty or so old lady. It was a young female with brown hair and oval shaped face. She was about to ascend to heaven or at least somewhere upwards when she stopped and looked at the four with watery eyes.

"Please help me!"

"Huh?" wondered all as they haven't heard about talking souls. Ghosts were a low level undead monsters that were annoying for their ability to pass through walls.

"I can't go to afterlife without knowing the truth!"

"What is it?" Aurora asked in a gentle voice.

"When I was young, I made a huge mistake. I must know who the father of my child is!" the female shouted in a shrill voice. A banshee in the making?

Ting!

New quest: Ghosts of the Past

A young woman met a handsome stranger and believed in love at first sight. He left her the next day while she became pregnant. She travelled to a nearby city he had went back to, but as it contained more than a few hundred thousand people, she never found him and grew up her son alone. Now she can't go on because of an attachment to this world. Free her by finding out the truth.

Quest difficulty: D

Quests rewards: Increase in resistance to dark magic and familiarity with all churches

Quest requirements: Protect the body from evils for more than twenty-four hours

The teammates looked at each other with amazement. Magic resistance and familiarity with churches was the hardest things to rise! Ace looked very smug with an 'I told you so' expression.

"We'll help" Monthu said. "But we also have a fifth member that will help us."

"You can pass my request to him too then"

*The quest has been accepted*

"Do you have anything to help us in our search?" Ace asked. The rewards were good but if they had to look blindly it might take years to find.

"Almost thirty years ago he was very eye catching with short dark brown hair, chocolate eyes and muscular body. And he was some lord's son probably as the driver very reverently called him sir. He said his name was Leo, but who knows if he told me the truth. If he's still around, he should be around fifty or a bit older" the female ghost explained. There was bitterness in her voice but not enough to suggest she hated the man.

"We'll work from there" Ace said nodding and they all took their leave.

"Well I've going to go rest now" Aurora said as they were out. "It's already been more than twelve hours in real life."

"I think I'll do the same" Hawk added with a yawn.

Reaper logged off with them and Ace was left standing alone. It was a bit early to start phase one of his plan but it would be stupid to waste such a beautifully dark night. So he checked his weapons and put on the cowl that hid the top of his face In darkness the cloak looked black and it was impossible to determine his real height.

He used his skills to become undetectable by normal means and set out to find some prey. Soon enough [Instincts of a Predator] warned him about an approaching horse and his rider. They would be there in a few minutes but it was enough time to put a few wooden logs and pour alcohol over them.

As the rider was only a few steps away from the pile Ace used the Burst ability of [Flare] he had hidden under the logs. The spell wasn't a real fire so it couldn't ignite but the Burst released a shower of sparks good for blinding opponents or in this case to set things on fire from long range.

The frightened horse stood on his hind legs dropping it's rider and took flight in the direction it had come from. Ace didn't waste time and as the person was cursing and trying to get up he sneaked behind him and used all of his three abilities in succession, not forgetting to add the curse.

They were executed perfectly and the guy was down in a second, his eyes empty of life. Ace gathered all the possessions of the person who wasn't exactly rich and had no useful items, but still gave him a silver wing copied from his by the goddess herself.

Done he made sure everything was in place and left. The body will disappear on it's own once the curse ended.

Ace continued his work finding a few more people bravely walking alone and made short work of them. It was slow work and probably wasn't going to cut it. He needed some better prey to instil fear in people's heart, even if some risks were to be taken for that.

On his way to a better part of the city he saw a player and Npc arguing. That meant easy work and Ace wasn't one to refuse. He coated one of his daggers in paralysing poison and threw it at the Npc to keep him quiet and passed through players armour using [Magma blade] in sync with [Backstab] and [Cut-throat]. [Heart-seeker] did it itself so there was no reason to waste more mana adding an effect it already had.

"Curse of the Hungry" Ace murmured before using the last finishing skill. He jumped over the now slumped body and took the life of the NPC that was already regaining the power of his limbs.

+ Fame 25

+ Fame 100

'So they were notorious? That's just unlucky. I need to kill someone well liked or very influential to make them worry. This is just a waste of time...' Ace noted with a scowl and rummaged through the house now ownerless.

There were a lot of contracts for targets. 'Pathetic. What self-respecting assassin would have a business house? It's just asking for someone to find him'

He collected some bags of coins and the items of proof such as rings and seals. They could be given back for an increase of fame and familiarity.

An exclamation of shock interrupted Ace and made him put on all his defensive (hiding) skills. A pair of dark clothed people stood checking the dead assassin master with worry in their faces at the entrance.

"Do you think he's still around?" one of them asked under his breath.

"He might still be in the house. The doors are wide open."

'Damn' He didn't dare to move while they were looking around for him as rogues knew well how hiding skills worked and would notice the smallest inconsistency in the air.

Ace waited until both of them passed by his hiding place and jumped on the second one killing him in a few well-placed strokes. Then he left the body gently fall on the ground as he faced the last opponent that was glaring at him while standing in a fighting stance his daggers outstretched.

"The assassins will never forgive you! We'll have our revenge!" he hissed.

In that time Ace attacked, finished with studying opponent’s stance. He was good but lacked any real training. It was self-learnt most likely. Ace never had any training in real life but he stayed half a year mostly because he wanted to learn dagger fighting for real. It wasn't enough time to master it but he learnt basics and could go from there himself without the help of a teacher.

Their daggers clashed in quick hits, both of them looking for an opening. The battle was advantageous for the rogue as he actually had abilities for this, but Ace had his training and was able to dodge them.

All it would take for either of them to win was a single hit as humans had little to no resistance to poison.

'This lasted long enough'

"Fear of the hungry!" Ace shouted the skill’s name and closed his eyes for a moment. The rogue took this opportunity to try and end the fight but his advances were stopped by daggers that had become much faster and stronger. As Ace rose his head, crimson red eyes locked on his enemy making it mightily hard for him to rise his weapons and block another attack.

The fight didn't go much longer.

'That was exhilarating' Ace mused collecting his loot and rewarding gifts. 'But using it too often will dull all my senses for sure. Interesting, how much experience did I gain...'

"Skill window: Fear of the Hungry"

Fear of the Hungry [Active] Novice 2

You're filled with fear of being left alone simply because of what you were born. It clouds your mind but releases adrenalin which in turn makes your body more lithe, reducing reaction time and increasing movement speed. You fight till there's no one left standing forgetting the conditions of your own body. Only when there's really no one left can your sanity come back.

+25% movement speed

+50% reaction time

+5% increase in strength

It was a fun ability but pretty useless in most cases to him. No use in assassinating and neither good in large scale battles. It was amazing for one on one but when did rogues become knights who fight fairly one on one?

And it had an annoying side effect. Ace's body was shaking and he felt tired and sleepy. He took out a few potions that increased health, strength, agility, awareness and drank them. The guy said assassins won't forget and if at that time the guy wasn't attacking, it could only mean he was contacting guild mates.

Quietly Ace sneaked up to the second floor and looked through the window while keeping himself against the wall. 'There!' A shadow moved near the opposite house and another one close by. 'So I'm surrounded?' Ace mused following almost invisible movements outside.

A creaking sound indicated someone entering the first floor. 'Idiots. Can't you at least be quite? Or is it your first time entering?' Ace wondered remembering the exchange between master and his student at the front door. He sneaked closer to the staircase and froze up. As long as he wasn't moving, they shouldn't be able to notice him.

Three rogues tried to climb the stairs silently but they creaked horribly and no one unused to them could get up unnoticed, two other members went to explore the bottom floor.

Ace patiently waited and like last time jumped on the last guy, killing him off but this time instead of fighting fairly he ran off to a first room he saw and used the nearby table to jump on the open door.

The rogues dashed in after him and stood still for a second, uncomprehending where he had disappeared. Ace chose that moment to fall down on one of them and slashed at his neck. It was a critical hit and added all bonuses from his skills it took close to half of his opponent’s health. Ace left him to die from poison, evading a dagger thrust from another rogue and threw his own poisoned daggers at him which enemy evaded just as well.

However, he wasn't prepared for the thrust Ace followed with and had his heart pierced.

The commotion didn't pass the two at the bottom floor and they came running. Ace left the room in a hurry, used [Shadow Dash] to get away faster and entered another random door. His eyes latched onto what he needed - a weapon stack. He picked a pouch of nails and threw them before the entrance. It was sad he had no time to poison them.

The four rogues burst in throwing daggers in all directions but Ace ducked behind the table and while they hollered in pain as nails pierced their boots, he took a bottle of alcohol and drank it. He kept the liquid in his mouth and jumped to them slashing expertly. Once they all faced him he spit the liquid at the same moment activating Burst effect. A large flame shot from his mouth engulfing the whole party.

Tiiriiing!

New skill acquired: Flame Breath

"Delete" Ace murmured without even reading it's description and thrust his dagger at the closest rogue. Three down, one to go. The two weakened by poison from before died instantly.

"Dziiiing!" came a sharp sound from his back and Ace ducked without looking back, evading glass shards falling all around. 'Dammit. More of them?' he hissed in his mind and jabbing his dagger at the last surviving of four rogues made sure he was well poisoned before running out. He stopped for a moment next to a staircase where the first guy lost his life and looted him; he was about to disappear and Ace couldn’t have it.

'I can't go down because of those stupid stairs. Where to hide, where to hide...' Finding nothing of use, Ace took out a piece of silk thread and tied it just a foot high over the first step. Then he walked over it and tried to go down as quietly as possible.

That of course failed and two rogues ran out from the room and followed him. One of them took a step at the right time and walked over the thread but the other one wasn't so lucky and snapping the hurriedly tied silk fell taking his friend down too. Ace turned around and using [Shadow Dash] jumped on their backs with his Kris prepared. With it's curved blade he did a triple critical hit and finished with [Heart-seeker] still sitting on top of them.

The last rogue tried to wriggle his way out but Ace used all his weight to suppress him until his skills were off cooldowns. It took a lot of effort as there was a dead body between them and neither could easily grasp the other's limbs to do anything. It was a long struggle as Ace finally got his skills back but wasn't able to do anything without releasing the rogue but finally he managed to position himself so that once he took his hand away to stab the enemy wasn't able to get out fast enough before the hit came. [Heart-seeker] followed suit.

Loud sigh escaped Ace's lips as he tiredly stood up and started looting. Then he ran up and in record time of ten seconds snatched everything giving them a grey wing in return.

"I better get out of here now" he murmured and sneaked out in case more reinforcements were coming.

Outside he could see the first rays of sunlight signalling the early morning. So a few streets away he took off his mask, hid his daggers and called out [Flare]. The little flame circled his head like a halo.

The heavy weight of tons of loot was uncomfortable to carry so he went to wizards’ bank and put everything there while picking a bunch of bags and items he acquired in the first months of living in Mora.

All of those items put in, he went to the main street where lots of music could be heard. He found an empty stall and set 11 bags with a single item inside of each. After some time as more people started to walk around he announced himself.

"Exchanging items for herbs! You might get a level 100 item for a few flowers if luck is on your side!"

Only a few people were attracted as herbalogy wasn't a popular skill and hardly anyone knew how to collect plants.

"What do you mean?" a red haired female asked.

"For a certain quantity of herbs I'll let you roll the two dices and you get the item under the number you rolled. The items range from beginner swords that require level 5 to a necklace of level 105. Try your luck" Ace said with a bright smile standing on a stool to be the same height as his customers.

"How do you determine the quantity of plants?" some male asked not believing such a good deal.

"The rarer it is the less is needed. For example I'd need 25 Poppies but only three Belladonnas. It all depends on how easily you can get it."

"But there's a field of Poppies a mile away!" some passerby said in shock.

"Good for you then and make sure you're here before my items run out!"

"I don't trust you but let's test it. How many forget-me-nots would you need?"

"They're not too much good for anything and are quite popular so let's say a thirty of them for one roll."

"Only?" the man asked in surprise. He had collected a few hundred of them for a celebration but because of some lord's change of mind it was cancelled and he wasn't paid for his time.

"Yes" taking the flowers he passed the man two dices which he rolled without much preparation. "7. So you get this item and it is a an armour of level 55! Here you go!" with that he gave the man his prize and from his inventory put another item in the bag. Because it was a game he could pass it from window to window and none knew what he put there.

"Anyone else?"

Lower level players flogged to him buying herbs from all the herbalists in town. Once they were empty the players ventured outside and with a promise of Ace that he'll stay till late evening and has still a lot of items went on collecting every plant they knew off. It was hard work but no other job could reward you an amazing item just after a day.

The fields outside looked like an army of moles passed through them digging every other patch of grass. The higher players watched it with amusement until they noticed that the quality of items instead of decreasing started to grow, some even reached as far as level 170. Then, they joined the digger party too.

Around ten in the evening Ace started to close up to all of the players' distress.

"But I wanted to get a better sword! I could gather the flowers in an hour! Would you please wait for me?" one of them asked what was in everyone’s mind.

"Sorry but it's already late" Ace said calmly putting away his things.

"Where are you leaving to at such an hour?"

A childish smile brightened the kid's face. "To sleep. My mother always told me to go to bed before eleven o'clock or I'll never grow up!"

"You mean you'll be here tomorrow?" people asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Ace said and jogged away to a nearby tavern, one that had maximum security that none could sneak in and rob their customers.

But they weren't looking for people who tried to sneak out. Ace left quietly and found himself an old abandoned house. He went to the basement and made a few potions and poisons that required only a few hours to make while leaving other herbs to dry or put them together in water for better effect later on.

Close to midnight he hid under the assassin’s mask, put the sword away and went out to hunt.

It was time to meet the magicians’ guild.