I took out the pocket watch Clara gifted me earlier and looked at the time.

"It's 10:12 PM and there are 118 enemies, including the Kobold Boss. My safety comes first and that's why Clara will be close by to wipe out the village in case of something going wrong, but even more important than that, I need to gather information about the types and skills the monsters here have, as well as the boss. For that..."

I took a deep breath and focused. Clara was watching me with eyes filled with curiosity, just like a cat watching a ball roll down the stairs...

"I guess she wants to tag along, however..."

[So? What are we going to do?](Clara)

" 'We' aren't going to do anything. 'YOU' are going to watch and intervene only if it gets dangerous and I am in immediate need of help, while 'I' will focus on gathering information while killing as many of this pups as possible."

[But what if I get bored?](Clara)

"WHAT ARE YOU, 12!?"

Trying my best to ignore the pouting elf, I turned my attention to the Kobold village and had Clara point out in which direction the boss was.

"Of course he's in the middle of it... Clara, can you do anything about the torches when I give you the signal? Actually, can you even see me that far away?"

[We elves have really good eyesight even in complete darkness, so no need to worry. Just make sure you don't get killed too fast.](Clara)

"So is it okay to get killed slowly? This cheat dark elf..."

Under the cover of the night I kept advancing at a fast pace. Wearing the overcoat and its hood, probably even Clara has difficulties seeing me...well, probably not since she's a cheating elf. However, the Kobolds shouldn't pose a problem.

When I reached only ten meters away from the village's outer 'wall'(because calling it that would be an insult to all other walls in existence), I could see under the dim light of the torches they were carrying three Kobolds with two different occupations.

Name

-

Name

Value

Name

Value

Job Name

Level

Progress

Race

Kobold

STR

12

Magic

0

Kobold Guard

1

50%

Sex

Male

DEX

10

Charm

5

Age

6 month

AGI

11

Luck

10

World

Anhur

END

9

HP

140/140 (+0.86/sec)

INT

7

MP

5/5(+0.001/sec)

WIS

4

Name

-

Name

Value

Name

Value

Job Name

Level

Progress

Race

Kobold

STR

16

Magic

0

Kobold Soldier

5

90%

Sex

Male

DEX

17

Charm

10

Age

1 year

AGI

16

Luck

15

World

Anhur

END

10

HP

310/310 (+1.23/sec)

INT

9

MP

25/25(+0.05/sec)

WIS

5

"Isn't that a bit strange though? It looks exactly the same as the status windows I saw a day ago. Maybe in that case..."

Since this might prove as valuable intel, I avoided the three for now and let them pass me, after which I sneaked inside the village.

I realized then that the word 'village', doesn't exactly suit this settlement since its layout was very chaotic, even more than the labyrinth of rock pillars where Clara was standing right now. However since I have some time, I decided to check the inside of the huts as well for possible bonuses.

"I will already prepared half of the throwing knives with paralysis effect and using them I could try to dwindle their numbers as much as possible on the way to the boss. That way it might make it easier to not actually die in a trap..."

When checked previously with Clara, we found out that the paralytic poison I smeared on my throwing knives acts incredibly fast. I say that because even the cheat elf was stunned for over two minutes as soon as it entered her bloodstream. The even more useful part, is that there is almost no delay in it taking action and the victim can't even speak properly. This will allow some easy assassinations on my road to wipe out the village.

"In that case, let's see what's in tent no. 1!"

Managing to peek through the cracked walls of the hut, the poorly placed twigs allowed me to see a Kobold sleeping on a bed made of branches and leaves, similar to the ones the Goblins made in the forest.

"I wonder if is the norm here, this kind of bed... Anyway, with the snoring elephant here, I'll level up with ease. Thank you for your hard earned experience!"

I crept inside by moving the rag that was supposed to be a door out of the way and checked the entire 'room'. I quickly glanced at every corner of it and the floor as well, all in order to see if there was anything out of the ordinary which might pose a problem.

Since the bed was almost in the middle of the hut, I paced myself and circled behind the Kobold and drew both daggers. Since I need the extra experience, I decided to take my time and kill every one of them from stealth, using the Ambush skill.

"Sweet dreams I guess..."

Fatal damage inflicted! -648HP!

Silenced status inflicted! Target is unable to speak or chant spells for 3 seconds!

Critical damage inflicted! -420HP!

Bleeding status inflicted! Target will lose 100HP/sec for 10 seconds!

Your target died!

Stabbing the daggers both in his heart and his throat, he instantly opened his eyes due to the shock, which in turn scared the living lights out of me thinking that he'll start howling or something. But thanks to the silencing status and the dagger still in his neck, he was already dying and couldn't move at all, which luckily didn't give away my position. Also the dagger stabbed in his heart was still shining blue, which meant that the skill was successfully activated.

It took about twenty to thirty seconds and the corpse with all the blood from the ground disappeared and in its place a hide and 10 copper coins were left. I picked them up fast and tried to leave for the next hut, heading straight for the boss when I then saw something that surprised me.

The same group of three Kobolds which I avoided previously, was pacing itself and was only about two huts distance.

"From what I see, the layout of the village consists of huts placed around the fence in a circle. If these three are on guard duty, wouldn't it be easier to just take it layer by layer and first kill all the Kobolds here? If I move fast enough, I might remain behind this three the entire time and not raise any suspicions."

I also brought up my status window to see the level up, since the three guards were looking around at the moment.

Name

Michael Corbett

Name

Value

Name

Value

Job Name

Level

Progress

Race

Human

STR

19(+2)

Magic

5

Scout

9

3%

Sex

Male

DEX

21

Charm

20

Age

25

AGI

23

Luck

20

World

Anhur

END

17

HP

525/525(+2.7/sec)

INT

18

MP

315/315(+1.8/sec)

WIS

12

"Alright, that's strange for sure! Why did my Charm and Luck stats went up? I really don't get how those two work... I got some points increase in Agility, Strength and Dexterity for the level up as well. The exp is pretty good to grind here indeed...well, for me at least. They moved? Shit! Time to go back to work I guess."

I followed at about 7 to 8 meters behind the patrol after taking care of the first 'resident' and once the Kobolds reached the third hut, I unhurriedly entered the second one.

"Well, with this at least I know for sure now."

I confirmed what I had in mind previously while looking at the Kobold that I just stabbed in the chest. If they had the job Soldier, then they will be at level 5 with about 90% of their exp bar full... but that makes it even stranger. If that's the case, then Clara should've gotten more exp from wiping out the entire village. Did she get a reduction because of the difference in levels? Or maybe because she wiped them all at once? Or because it wasn't really a stealth kill?

"To many variables to reach a conclusion now it seems. Let's move to the next hut. It looks like they're advancing as well."

After nine other stops, I finally reached an empty hut, being the one where I killed the first sleeping Kobold. From what I kept seeing around me, these huts were at the very end of the village and acted as some sort of outer layer, since behind them, the others were many more in numbers and the distance between them was smaller.

"Since they're taking a break, I should also catch my breath first and check the level I'm at. I should've reached level 10 already..."

Name

Michael Corbett

Name

Value

Name

Value

Job Name

Level

Progress

Race

Human

STR

46(+2)

Magic

30

Stalker

11

28%

Sex

Male

DEX

49

Charm

20

Age

25

AGI

50

Luck

20

World

Anhur

END

43

HP

775/775(+3.8/sec)

INT

44

MP

521/521(+2.7/sec)

WIS

38

Skill List Name Level Proficiency Identify MAX 100% Fear Resistance MAX 100% Shadow walk MAX 100% Night prowl 1 0% Precise throw 1 0% Blade mastery 1 0% Blessings Blessing of Experience Equipment Ring of minor Strength

I opened my eyes wide in surprise and disbelief at the word that replaced 'Scout'. This was not supposed to happen after all... If I remember correctly, I should've gotten the Hunter job easily, but in its stead I got something else entirely.

"Not that I complain because it sounds really creepy, but haven't my stats and skills been buffed a bit too much? Also, some skills changed while others were added...let's see first the job description."

Stalker

Also known as 'Shadow walkers' or 'Warriors of the night', they are proficient in killing their enemies from the cover of darkness without revealing themselves.

Provides an increase of 25 points for every attribute and an increase of 75 points in HP, with a 125 increase in MP.

Requirements: Scout occupation and a minimum of 20 enemies killed without being discovered.

Next evolution: ???

"20? I remember the first two Goblins, after which another two guards and four gatherers making a total of 8 Goblins, then one guard and one soldier when I saved Laura and the other two, plus another 10 Kobolds right now...That's twenty indeed. However, with this boost in stats, I'm better off than having Clara's Job, right? Except HP and MP of course, but still... And the skills?"

Shadow walk

For a Stalker, the night is the season of hunting. What better coat to wear, if not the shadows?

During night, you have an 100% chance of not being perceived by the enemy if the distance is bigger than two meters.

During daytime, the skill receives a 50% penalty. Night prowl (Level 1)

'To hunt is to live. And in order to live, one must kill.' Living by this code, you are in continuous search of prey all in order to sustain your lifestyle.

During night you receive a 100% chance of a critical strike, that is also increased to 250% of the original damage.

During daytime, receive a penalty of 50% for both the chance and the critical. Increase the experience gain by two times for the enemy you killed.

"While the Job and the skills are absolutely amazing, the experience nerf hurts quite a bit. Previously I would get 2 x exp for each monster I kill while engaged in combat, if I attack from behind and I am not seen. Meaning that for killing two monsters, I would get 4 x exp. Now is 2x no matter the numbers, but the restrictions regarding the time limit have been removed, so I can even fight directly now. Not that I plan to do that... Although, now that I think about it, given the fact that every hit will be a critical hit, that might not be a bad idea..."

Precise throw (Level 1)

One mustn't dirty his hands with the enemy's blood, unless honor requires it. For dishonorable enemies, a knife to the heart from the distance is more than enough.

Throwing knife mastery increased to 100% and receive an aim correction.

Each throw deals 150% of the original damage output! Blade mastery (Level 1)

The blades move as if they are a part of the Stalker's body.

Familiarity with any bladed weapon is increased to 100% and damage dealt using such weapons is increased to 200%

"Didn't I just changed classes from an information gatherer to a full-on damage dealer!? At least during night time... Anyway, those three are all that's left of this outer layer. They should be good for practicing the newly acquired skills."