“Kid… your village is here. Time to get off,” the wagon driver said, glancing over his shoulder toward the back.
Yaaawn
Leon stretched and slowly sat up, letting out a deep yawn as the wagon came to a halt.
“Looks like you had a rough day, huh?” the driver asked with a friendly smile.
“No… it was a really smooth one,” Leon replied with a calm smile as he hopped down from the wagon.
…
He began walking toward the village’s entrance.
“Hello, Leon. How are you?” both of the guards greeted him with a smile as he approached.
“Good,” Leon responded briefly, his face neutral, and he walked past them without offering much attention.
‘Haa… today was really exhausting. Now the real question is… who should I fuck tonight? Selene or Elaine?’ Leon thought to himself with a perverted grin curling up on his lips.
He reached his house and knocked on the door.
Knock-Knock
There was no response.
“Hm…?” He tilted his head and raised his hand again, but just as he was about to knock—
Click
The door creaked open, and Elaine appeared on the other side, a strange tension in her eyes.
“Hello—” Leon began, but before he could finish, Elaine threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly.
“Hah… Your boo—”
“There are two people in the house. They want to kill you. Run, Leo. Run and come back with help,” she whispered urgently into his ear, her voice shaking with fear.
For a second, Leon’s entire body froze.
‘Did that noble brat send assassins after me?’ he thought, his expression shifting instantly into something colder, sharper.
“Say ‘Welcome back, Son,’ and act like nothing happened just play along,” he whispered back softly, his voice like cold.
“Welcome back, Son,” Elaine said out loud, stepping aside and pretending to smile warmly.
“What’s for dinner, Mom?” Leon asked with a relaxed tone as he walked into the house, smiling as though nothing was wrong.
‘No… Leo, what are you doing?’ Elaine thought in a panic, her eyes silently pleading for him to run.
“B-Bread and beans…” she stammered, the fear in her voice barely hidden.
<Glitch Point>
Leon activated his skill and scanned the hall carefully.
‘I don’t see anything… which means they’re not using stealth magic,’ he assessed. Then his gaze dropped to the hallway. The bedroom door was slightly ajar, but no light came from within, despite it was already dark outside.
‘They’re inside… and they’ve taken Selene and her daughter hostage. That’s why Elaine didn’t scream,’ he realized.
“Inventory withdraw…” Leon whispered.
He reached into his inventory and quietly summoned the knife he had bought from Merida’s shop, slipping it behind his back and hiding it beneath his shirt.
“Threads…”
<Mana Threads>
With a whisper, he attached a mana thread to the knife’s handle for control.
“Mom, I found a dungeon today,” he said casually, pulling out the necklace he took from the goblin dungeon’s entrance.
“W-What?” Elaine asked, trying her best to keep up the facade despite her growing panic.
“Yes, look. I even brought you something from the treasure hoard,” Leon said, handing the necklace to her.
Inside the bedroom…
One assassin held a dagger to Selene’s throat as she sat on the bed, trembling, clutching her daughter close. Silent tears ran down her cheeks.
The second assassin stood near the door, peeking through the slight opening, watching the hallway.
“Should we move out?” the one with the knife asked in a hushed voice.
“Shh…” his partner hissed, gesturing for silence and patience.
…
“I-It looks really expensive…” Elaine said, forcing a shaky smile as she admired the pendant.
“There’s a lot more where that came from. Piles of gold, rare artifacts—actually, wait…” Leon paused, glancing around theatrically. “I forgot to bring something for Selene! I’ll be right back. The dungeon’s not far. Just prepare the food, Mom. I will be back soon.”
He turned and briskly walked out the front door.
The assassins didn’t hesitate. They stepped out of the bedroom, and silently followed Leon outside.
“Why are we tailing him?” one asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
“He found a dungeon, idiot. A real one filled with treasure. This could be our way out of this stupid life,” the other whispered.
Leon exited the village gates. They followed silently, in stealth, staying within the tall grass.
“What if this is a trap?” one asked.
“If it were, he would’ve gone to the kingdom. But he’s heading toward the Vinceral Forest. I think this is real.”
“After tonight, we’ll start fresh. I’m going to buy myself a new house… maybe even a slave girl or two.”
…
Suddenly, Leon turned.
Both assassins dropped instantly, hiding in the grass.
Leon’s eyes scanned the area—but all he saw were six red dots glowing faintly on the ground.
<Inspect>
[Name: Okel]
[Class: Thief]
[Race: Human]
[Mana: 350/350]
[HP: 700/700]
[Description: A thief who kills people for fun.]
<Inspect>
[Name: Jenks]
[Class: Assassin]
[Race: Human]
[Mana: 400/400]
[HP: 800/800]
[Description: An assassin who kills people for money.]
‘Huh… an assassin and a thief. They’re on the same level as me, maybe even a little weaker. No way a noble would hire trash like them,’ Leon thought with a confused expression.
He turned away and kept walking.
The two assassins stood and resumed their stealthy pursuit.
Eventually, they reached the forest. Leon approached the oak tree and walked down the stairs of the hidden dungeon.
“Get ready. Once we reach the treasure room, we hack the brat into pieces and take everything,” Jenks said as he prepared his sword.
“What about the village chief?” Okel asked.
“Later. For now, focus on the big fish.”
“But I wanted to see his ugly face when he gets kill—”
“He’s going in. Let’s move,” Jenks cut him off, dashing forward.
Both men entered the dungeon, heading down a spiral staircase. The deeper they went, the darker it got.
“Fireball,” Jenks muttered, summoning a small orb of flame to light their way.
The stairwell lit up, but Leon was nowhere to be seen. Only a second staircase, leading deeper into the dungeon across the first floor.
“Did he go down there?” Okel asked.
“Looks like it.”
They stepped forward and started going down the stairs cautiously—until Jenks stopped abruptly.
“What is it?” Okel whispered.
Jenks pointed. A ring lay on one of the stairs.
This was the same ring that Leon wore in his hands.
“Huh…? Oh! A ring!” Okel’s eyes lit up with greed as he rushed forward and snatched it.
“No traps?” Jenks asked, watching carefully.
“Wait—what? Were you using me to test if this is a trap or not !?” Okel turned with a glare.
“Yes. Now hand it over,” Jenks said, grabbing the ring from him and walking in front of him again.
“Hey! That’s not fair—”
THUD
Squish
Suddenly, A massive stone slab fell from the ceiling, crushing Jenks into a mangled mess of blood and bones.
The fireball extinguished instantly.
Darkness covered the stairs once again.
“J-Jenks!?” Okel screamed, staggering backward.
“F-Fuck…” he whimpered, stumbling up the stairs, running toward the entrance without wasting another second—but
Thud
He slammed into a stone wall that wasn’t there before.
“F-Fuck! What is this!?”
“Who sent you?” a cold voice echoed from behind.
Okel spun around, pulling out his knife, his heart pounding. Sweat dripped from his brow as the oppressive silence closed in.