Early in the morning, Alaric packed his luggage, preparing for a journey to find someone who could protect him and someone who could make Baron Cassian regret ever threatening his father. I know where I can find him.
As he hopped down the stairs, taking them two at a time, his mother, Beatrice, called out, her voice filled with genuine care for her son.
"Alaric, be careful on your journey. It's your first time traveling alone. Uphold the trust our people have in you and our name; never let them down. Be the kind of man your father is."
"Yes, mother, I shall remember it, "Alaric replied with a sincere look.
As Alaric went outside through the main door.
"Son, take this pouch, which has some gold, silver, and many bronze coins inside. Use the gold only when it's truly necessary," Frederick said, his gaze steady and full of quiet responsibility as he looked at Alaric.
"Yes, Father. I'll spend it responsibly," Alaric replied with a stony smile, one no one could read, hiding his true thoughts: Finally, I've got some money on me.
Alaric spotted Daisy peeking from behind a pillar, clearly waiting to demand her gift.
"Daisy, I promise I'll bring you something nice," he said with a grin.
"You better," she huffed, slipping back inside with a dramatic turn.
Such a cute sister I've got in this life, Alaric thought, amused.
Alaric climbed into the carriage and waved, not to draw the attention of the people, but to attract those hidden in the shadows. The carriage rolled through the outskirts of Ashworth territory. Once it crossed into Metthound lands, Alaric stepped down slowly and sent the carriage back.
"Hey, hey, it's not so good peeking at someone so long, why don't you come out ?" Alaric said while wiping the dust off his clothes.
A huge man with broad shoulders wearing a cloak that covered his face, ran beneath him, appeared out of the shadows along with his squad of four members, each carrying a dagger sharp enough to cut Alaric's head in one swoop.
Silence remained…..
"Are you guys into men or something? Why are you staring so hard?" Alaric said, smirking.
"We are here to kill you. Don't struggle, and I'll make it painless." A huge man, his face still hidden beneath his cloak.
Four of the Assassins behind huge towering personality disappeared, each following a path, one from the right, one from the left, aiming for his bowels, one from above, launching from a tree at a height, another from behind, aiming for his neck and spine.
Alaric couldn't see them, nor could he react.
Suddenly, time stopped for him, at least mentally.
|SystemNotad*** noticification
Use 50 Respect Points to gain a +10 boost to all stats temporarily.
[Accept] or [Reject]
User unable to respond auto-activation initiated.
| SystemNotad***
Alaric:15,Male
Title: Ugly Mosshead, shut-off
Stats: Strength: 23-33
Dexterity: 21-31
Constitution: 24-34
Mana: 1-11
Bonus Points: 6
Skills: Training skill, Boxing Skill
Traits: Fighting Spirit
Respect System = 125 respect points
In the next second, when death was only a few seconds away.
Fighting Spirit activated
Alaric was now able to perceive their dagger attack from all four directions, where each dagger was aiming for his death.
Alaric jumped with all his might, twisting the assassin's right hand with the dagger in the air at the same height as him, throwing him towards the ground while the two assassins, Unaware that Alaric had already dealt with their comrade, the two remaining assassins pressed their attack. One still lunged for his spine
Within three seconds, one assassin lay dead, another knocked unconscious.
The other two assassins left in confusion over stabbing their comrade.
Alaric stood straight with tension, holding the sharp dagger of the Assassin.
"Thanks for the assist," he taunted them.
As the two assassins covered their daggers with mana and were about to launch themselves towards Alaric,
The Huge man commanded them."Stop. We underestimated you."
In between the dark cloak, he took out a massive one-edged dagger, which he held with ease, enveloped with the dark reddish glow of mana, which appeared as if it craved for blood.
Alaric recognises "That red mana, which is only used by those demonic followers".
|SystemNotad*** noticification
Urgent quest: Defeat the demonic follower
Reward: Bonus points 20+, Mana 5+
Failure: Death
The huge man rushes at Alaric, aiming for his bowels. "He deflects the huge man's dagger attack by meeting it with his dagger turned horizontally, which was enveloped in his mana. Alaric punches his hand with a left-hand strike and swiftly jumps to the side.
Thinking he could withstand the blow, the huge man took the punch directly, only to feel Alaric's raw power, fueled by his stats, resulting in soreness in his arm.
Alaric, who held the dagger pointing away from his face in his right hand grip, while he continuously bounced on his feet lightly, followed by a systematic breathing.
The huge man shifted his dagger from his right sore hand to his left hand, unleashing more chaotic reddish mana as he bled from his nose for the overdrive of mana to increase power temporarily.
"Stop. Playing tricks," the huge man shouted,
Alaric smirks, "How about you try to stop it? Olddy "
Quickly, the huge man goes into a fury of barrage attacks at Alaric, Alaric countering him by dodging with quick movements, parrying some blows, and some counterattacking with only punches, tiring the huge man.
At this point, Alaric overpowers the huge man. As a last dance, the huge man concentrates his lifeforce into his dagger, but before he even completes it. Alaric gives a right hook with a dagger as a brutal substitute for his fist, straight into the huge man's neck through his nose.
Seeing the toe-to-toe fight of Alaric against their leader, the assassins attempted to flee.
Alaric catches them by their dark cloak with an evil face sending chills down their spine.
"I know who sent you guys, just hand over the evidence related to them, I will let you guys go," Alaric said with a bright smile.
Both Assassins pointed towards the corpse of the huge man.
Alaric let go of the Assassins, as he knew that they would die on the way before they even reach their stronghold.
"Evidence clearly shows Baron Cassian's connections with criminal organisations who were behind this, and now I should just reveal it to someone who can drag him down from his position," Alaric muttered.
|SystemNotad*** noticification
Urgent quest: Defeat the demonic follower(cleared)
Reward: Bonus points 20+, Mana 5+
|SystemNotad*** noticification
Stats are returned as the same
"I got my bonus points as well as a little mana, which helped me fight," Alaric said to himself."
" Add 6 bonus points to Mana, 7 points to Strength, 8 points to Dexterity,5 points to Constitution," Alaric shouted.
| SystemNotad***
Alaric:15,Male
Title: Ugly Mosshead, shut-off
Stats: Strength: 30
Dexterity: 29
Constitution: 29
Mana: 12
Bonus Points:0
Skills: Training skill, Boxing Skill(Beginner->Expert)
Traits: Fighting Spirit
Respect System = 125 respect points
Next, I need someone to guard and protect me by my side, whom I can find in Baron Cassian's shady underworld in his territory, where he does all sorts of criminal activities.
Alaric loots all of the money assassins had, and he takes the dark cloak off that unconscious assassin, now dead from one of the attacks by a huge man. He went ahead to the shady market where crime happens as simply as an ant found on the ground.
"Hey watch, where you going dumb shit? –One shouted.
"What did say bastard, piece of shit come here i will open your bowels ?--other cursed.
"Why are these guys so obsessed with cutting bowels?"Alaric said to himself due to his previous conflict.
"Where is he? It should be here according to the novel setting," Alaric searching across that street by scanning with his eyes while maintaining his calmness.
Alaric notices a young man who is hardly 20, with unusual dark brown skin along with a hint of grey that reflects light. He is a human from the Mandorian tribe, known for their warrior-type capabilities.
"Magnis." He ended up here as a slave for hard labor after his tribe was attacked, resulting in his separation from them. Two years later, he somehow escaped, only to find his only sister and family massacred by demonic followers. After that, he went on a rampage, killing those responsible, including Baron Cassian, fighting alongside the Goldsworth family, and slowly rose to earn the title of the strongest swordsman on the continent.
Alaric walks towards Magnis. "I will free you and make you join the tribe, but on one condition."
Sweat dripped from Magnis's chin as he stared at Alaric, a flicker of disbelief battling the exhaustion in his eyes. "Say that again," he asked, his voice rough from labour.