Tyler sprinted over fifty meters before finally halting, not because he believed he’d put enough distance, but due to the emergence of the informational prompt in his field of vision.
—”Successfully killed ‘Cursed Swordmaster – Lv73’, occupation experience +182500, current experience 182500/4800″
Albert was dead, and Tyler had triumphed.
Subsequently, a torrent of level-up notifications flooded his view, ceasing only after the seventeenth alert.
— “Upgrade conditions satisfied, ‘Shadow Assassin – Lv21’ automatically upgraded to ‘Shadow Assassin – Lv38’. Current experience 4300/15600”
The massive experience gained from defeating Albert allowed Tyler to leap seventeen levels in a single bound. Correspondingly, his attributes experienced varying degrees of augmentation.
━━━━━━━━━
Life Energy: 2300 + 40↑
Endurance: 1502 + 55↑
Magic Energy: 4530 + 30↑
Strength: 230 + 4↑
Dexterity: 252 + 35↑
Intelligence: 453 + 3↑
━━━━━━━━━
From the data’s fluctuation, it was evident that upon advancing to “Shadow Assassin”, Tyler’s occupational leveling benefits had increased. However, compared to the benefits from leveling his skills, the disparity was still considerable.
Nevertheless, Tyler’s focus wasn’t on these attribute numbers. The tension from his assassination strike on Albert still lingered in his mind.
Without the protection of the “Heart of Fearlessness”, Tyler doubted he could have executed that decisive blow with such precision.
The practical benefits of “Heart of Fearlessness” in combat far surpassed Tyler’s initial expectations.
·
If there was an uninformed observer, he/she might think Tyler’s victory came effortlessly, with the skirmish ending in an instant.
However, in reality, until he confirmed Albert’s death, each second felt like an eternity to Tyler.
Whether it was the mentally exhausting strategy or the life-and-death showdown in the final second, Tyler felt the gains from this encounter were on par with his previous battle against the Crimson Flame Dragon.
To avoid repeating the scene from his “Precognitive Death Scene”, Tyler had no intention of engaging in combat from the start.
He knew that only by outmaneuvering Albert in a battle of wits would he have a chance of escaping unscathed.
From the moment he laid eyes on Albert, Tyler never ceased to monitor his inner thoughts using mind-reading.
During their exchange in the woods, Tyler utilized all available intelligence, activated “Deceiver” to enhance his persuasion, exhibited the most vivid acting he had ever performed, and employed various psychological cues and guidance, eventually coercing out the details of the skill “Twin Doom”.
Ironically, at that point, Tyler obtained a new option – he could part ways with Albert, and no one would have to die that night.
If Tyler hadn’t undergone his previous painful experiences, he might have let Albert walk away.
However, he was no longer “Tyler the Flammable”.
Tyler was deeply aware of the vile aspects of human nature. He knew that Albert had seen his face, harbored intentions to kill him, and would unlikely choose to live in obscurity.
Thus, the lies Tyler told that day would inevitably be exposed.
More importantly, Albert was a man who reveled in murder. His decision to spare Tyler today was rooted less in some crocodile-tear “kindness” and more in his reluctance to die alongside Tyler.
Hence, Tyler could not let him live.
.
Following his recovery, Tyler returned to Albert’s corpse.
He retrieved the Fir Treant Long Hunting Bow, even whispering an apology to it.
Subsequently, Tyler rearranged Albert’s decapitated head and body, preparing to eradicate any trace of the encounter.
Observing the severed connection between Albert’s head and neck, Tyler was lost in thought.
Even a Cursed Swordmaster of level 73, possessing a life energy of 4936, would perish instantly like any ordinary person once beheaded—this was an important lesson Tyler gleaned from the battle.
However, Tyler was left pondering. Where did Albert’s 4936 life energy manifest? Could it have enhanced his resilience to physical damage? Or could it have made his physique sturdier than the average person? 𝑜𝑽ℯ𝐿xt.𝗇𝓔t
Due to the Shadow Sword Blaze Steed’s keen sharpness, capable of cleaving dragon scales, Tyler hadn’t noticed any subtle differences in sensation.
As to the actual significance of life energy and vulnerabilities, Tyler believed further exploration was necessary.
While marveling at how “easily” Albert had died, Tyler also acknowledged his own vulnerability.
Even if his life energy had increased from the original 300 to the current 2340, using Albert as a reference, it didn’t necessarily mean his heart would be more puncture-resistant or his neck more slash-resistant.
Would his “mortal body” undergo substantial changes when his combat occupation reaches a certain level, or when his attributes surpass a certain threshold?
Tyler decided to reserve this question for later.
He kindled a fire, incinerating Albert’s corpse and clothes. As for the equipment resistant to fire, Tyler extravagantly used the Shadow Sword Blaze Steed’s skill “Blue Blaze Steed” to melt them into unrecognizable forms using extreme heat.
With this, Tyler’s crisis for the night concluded.
He briskly walked towards his awakened Moto-chan, intending to rush back to Sunny Town and check whether Emilia had safely returned home.
·
·
Meanwhile, in Sunny Town, having finished her nightly ablutions, Emilia had just turned off the lights and laid down.
As soon as her head touched the pillow, sleep claimed her. Within seconds, the young girl was sound asleep, her breathing steady.
Ten minutes later, the shadows of two stealthy figures were cast upon the wooden window of Emilia’s home.
These were two men, attempting to find an unlocked window to sneak into Emilia’s house.
After a considerable amount of time, the men were disappointed to find that all the windows were locked, forcing them to choose between prying open a door or a window.
“Charles, do you know any locksmiths?”
“Are you nuts? If we call a locksmith, how are we supposed to commit a crime?”
Charles swatted Omar’s head, complaining about his muscle-brained companion, and began to think.
However, Charles’s intellect wasn’t much better.
With his IQ, he wouldn’t come up with any good ideas before dawn. Hence, he came up with a bad idea, which he believed to be a good one.
“Hey! Omar! We’re so stupid! How did we not think of this before?” Charles excitedly slapped Omar.
Omar nodded blankly, not understanding why realizing their stupidity was a cause for celebration.
“We’re here to kidnap her, not to steal anything! Shouldn’t we just barge in boldly?”
Upon hearing this “brilliant idea”, Omar had an epiphany! That’s right! They were two grown men here to abduct a young girl. Why sneak around? Just take her by force!
So, Omar promptly punched the nearby window, shattering the wooden frame in one blow. “Come on, Charles, give me a push. I’ll go in first!”