As we agreed on with Ichika, I took a shortcut to get to the market area...
"Hey, kid. Are you going somewhere?" 1 guy stopped me from advancing any further and another 1 followed right after me when I entered the valley.
"What do you want?" I asked with a shaky voice.
Why are there bruises on their faces? It looks like they are recent...I see, haha. Ichika must have revealed herself in front of them to offer them the deal but they couldn't control themselves when they saw her body. After all, her clothes are elastic so it complement her curves and her not so small breasts. Not to mention that she doesn't wear anything under those clothes, which makes her nipples further stand out. I really feel sorry for her if she doesn't wear anything under it just because her stealth ability would no longer work.
"Hehe, nothing much. I and my friend just want some money and with your help, we will be able to make some sum." The guy in front of me approached me and put his hand on my shoulder with a reassuring smile.
"A-are you aware who I am? Y-you can't just..." I said while my body started to shake a bit, I even make it seem like I didn't know what to say.
"What can't we? Come on, if you will come with us willingly, nothing bad will happen to you. haha" He said with a creepy laugh.
"What if I don't want to go anywhere?" I asked him.
"Then we will quickly change your opinion. If you know what I mean." He replied with a wide smile.
...That's pretty fucked up that they would also target kids...but whatever. I should forget about all the things I have brought with me from my previous life and start learning the way of life in this world.
"I see...At least I won't feel bad after killing you" I stopped shaking and said straight to his face with a bright smile and closed eyes.
"Huh? What did you jus-" The guy in front of me immediately brought his face closer to me, trying to intimidate me.
*Splash* *Thud* Before he could get any closer to me, I took out my dagger and slashed his neck.
"Your breath stinks" I said while indifferently looking at him lying on the ground.
[Congratulation on your first kill. Due to the method you decided to use, you have unlocked the new class: Assassin]
[Congratulation on unlocking the leveling system. Each class has 10 levels and your gained XP will always be given to the class you have selected right at that moment. Once your class hits the 10th level it will stop taking the spot in your Class' spot and will become the Passive Class, benefits from that class will also remain even if you will select a different Class.]
[+2 XP for killing the thug.]
[Class: Young noble (Lv. 1; +1 Cha) 2/10 XP]
---
'?! How is it possible for the young lord to kill without any hesitation?! Not to mention that his eyes never changed, not even for a second! It took me more than 1 year of killing prisoners and other scums to get used to it...Maybe...he just doesn't know life's value? I mean, he was always kept inside that mansion...' Ichika thought with a surprised expression while watching Akashi kill the man in 1 move so mercilessly.
---
"What...the...fuck?" The other guy blocking my "escape" route muttered with a shocked expression when he saw his colleague drop down on the ground, bleeding from his neck.
"Oh? I almost forgot about you." I turned around and looked at the second guy with a bright smile and a bit of blood on my face from the first guy.
"Y-you brat! You will pay for this!" He gritted his teeth and shouted at me. He unsheathed his saber and rushed towards me full of killing intent.
---
'?! fuck! I spaced out for too long and now I won't make it! I am fucking failure!!' Ichika gritted her teeth and criticized herself while doing her best to intercept the thug coming at Akashi.
'Young lord, please!' Ichika even further accelerated and her speed was even faster than what she has ever produced but it still wasn't enough.
---
"Die, you insolent brat!" He said and slashed his saber in a vertical arc.
"Oho?" I was slightly surprised by his speed since he probably wasn't trained to be soldier yet his speed was really good.
I guess this is where the human limits are showing the difference in our worlds. Even petty thug is much faster than those top bodyguards in my previous world. I am not sure if I would be able to dodge his attack if I didn't have any experience and have only my stats to rely on.
When his saber was right above my head, I decided it was the perfect moment to dodge. I always like to dodge in the last second because it didn't give your opponent the opportunity to change their attack. Sudden evasion, quick and precise counter-attack. That was always my strategy.
But this time...I have overestimated my abilities in this 6 years old body.
When I wanted to dodge, by stepping to the side, it was abnormally too slow and he managed to make a small cut on my left cheek.
How could I make such a stupid mistake? This is no longer my old body...it's hard when your reflexes stay the same but your body not...The next time, I know that I have to move my timing a bit forward.
I sensed extreme potent killing intent right behind the thug.
"Stop! Don't do it Ichika!" I shouted.
The thug also sensed this and slashed with his saber behind him.
The thug's saber only tore through the air but nothing else.
Ichika then revealed herself next to me.
"Y-you?! You are that nipples woman!" The thug shouted with an angry expression while pointing at her nipples.
"What?...?! YOU-!" It took her a few seconds before she realized where he was pointing at, she covered her breasts with her one hand and with the other she readied her dagger while side glancing at me.
"Stop Ichika...He is mine~ hehe!" I said and used my thumb to wipe away the blood coming from the cut on my cheek and then licked it with a crazy smile.
---
'This brat is crazy! I have to get out of here...maybe if I will take him as hostage I will be able to get away from that scary woman. Why did she even hire us when she is protecting this brat?' The thug thought while watching Akashi with a bit of fear in his eyes.
---
"What?! Young lord, you are already injured! Please, leave it to me, it will take only a few seconds." Ichika tried to make me reconsider.
"It was my own mistake and I want to correct it. Just watch!" I said and rushed towards the thug.
"Wait!" Ichika called out to stop me but I didn't listen to her.
"Haha, come on, arrogant brat!" The thug shouted and got into defensive stance.
When I got near enough I tried to slash his tight but he saw through my move and parried my dagger, he used his other hand to throw a fist at me when I was out of balance after that parry. I crossed my arms before me and blocked his punch but it still made my left arm numb.
[+1 Constitution for blocking a punch from someone who is 3 times heavier than you!]
His punch forced me to retreat but when I was pushed back, I extended my right arm to him and flicked with my finger, making fire appear out of nowhere and sending it towards his face.
"Wha-! Agggh!!!" He didn't expect something like that and his face started to burn while he was screaming in agony.
Tch, I wanted to make needle out of the fire and pierce his eye...I guess I have to practice more.
[Health: 98/100]
[Energy: 152/155]
Hmm, not bad, just 3 points for something so effective. And as I thought...both intelligence and constitution increase my Energy.
I quickly made the fire burning his face disappear with the wave of my hand. I have to act quickly before anyone will call guards. This scream was pretty loud.
"Young lord! Are you alright?!" After seeing that the man finally lost, Ichika immediately ran up to me and checked the wound on my cheek with a worried expression.
---
'Why didn't he use his fire right from the beginning?! That was too reckless from the young lord!' Ichika thought while checking on Akashi's wound
---
"Stop it, it's not the end yet." I gently slapped her hand away and approached the thug who was lying on the ground with a burnt face.
"W-what do you want?!" Judging from his voice, if he could cry with this burnt face, tears would already start falling down.
There is no way these guys would act on their own...There must be a bigger group behind them. No one sane would dare to attack the son of the influential person without any backing.
"Tell me, where is your group located, how many people and if any noble family is backing you." I said, surprising both Ichika and the thug.
"I- we weren't the part of any organization..." He said with a shaky voice.
"I have never mentioned anything about the organization. Tell me if you don't want to be eaten alive by the flames. Slowly burning your skin, from your legs up to your face once again. Even your genitals won't be spared." I said and his expression immediately became horrified and even Ichika looked at me in shock.
"Decide, now!" I said and my right arm caught on fire while I was staring down at him with my cold red eyes.
"Ah!! Yes! Just don't let that fire anywhere near me! I have no idea how much guys our organization have but we are indeed backed by the noble family with the blue dragon as insignia. Please don't kill me, that's all I know! I am just a lowly underling." He said with a pleading voice.
"I won't kill you..." I said and extended both of my hands towards him.
"W-what do-"
"I will just cleanse you" I poured the big amount of my energy into both of my hands and flames of high temperature gushed out of my palms enveloping his entire body.
He didn't even have a chance to scream or say any letter before his body disappeared, leaving only ashes on the ground.
[Congratulation on unlocking a special class: Fire Monarch]
[+2 XP for killing the thug.]
[+1 BXP for burning your enemy. BXP applies only to the related special class. The special classes aren't leveled up by normal XP but by performing actions related to your Special Class, they also receive half experience as normal classes]
[Class: Young noble (Lv. 1; +1 Cha) 4/10 XP]
[Special Class: Fire Monarch (Lv. 1; +1 Cha, +1 Int, +1 Const) 1/10 BXP]
...Fire Monarch? Interesting...I would think of it more as a title rather than class but I am not complaining. After all, it is a special class.
"Ichika, do you have any trusted comrades in our guards?" I asked, waking her up from her daze.
"Ah...yes, there are a few of them." She replied why looking how the ashes were blown away by the wind.
"Once you have time, tell them to investigate that noble family for me. They should be in the opposite area of the city to us. Tell them to play it safe and to be careful. There is no need to rush things." I ordered and went to loot and burn down the body of the first thug and Ichika just nodded at me.
Tch...just a few silver coins
[+1 BXP for burning your enemy]
[Special Class: Fire Monarch (Lv. 1; +1 Cha, +1 Int, +1 Const) 2/10 BXP]
"Young lord, we need to tend to your wound, please." She said with a pleading voice.
"Yes, we will clean it. Let's go buy something to clean the wound, some other things and mainly a black cloak for me." I said and started to leave the valley
"Why black cloak of all things?" She asked with a curious tone and used her gear's ability to disappear and followed right after me.
"Because we are going out of the city!" I said with a smirk across my face while wiping the blood away from my face with my handkerchief.
"W-whaaat?!! We can't, young lord!! There are numerous Danger Beasts outside of the city. Even I am not confident to be able to protect you from them. Why would you want to go there?" Ichika immediately started panicking when she heard my words and tried to scare me with the Danger Beasts.
"We will go only to the forest close to the Capital, there shouldn't be any dangerous beasts. As for why...I am lacking money for a present." I said with my poker face while I continued walking as if what I just said was normal but Ichika suddenly stopped following me.
---
'F-for a present?!! Isn't your family extremely rich?! Don't tell me that young lord already has someone he likes and wants to buy them a present with his own money...But who would it be? He spent most of the time locked up in the mansion, playing with only...don't tell me...Aiko?! T-this is bad! I must talk to the young lord about this, he can't marry his own maid!' Ichika kept thinking about things until she completely misunderstood Akashi's intentions.
---
...Why do I have a feeling that there will be another annoying situation?
I couldn't help but think while I was walking towards the general store.
------END------
[Name: Akashi Phoenix
Title: King of Sloth
Class: Young Noble (Lv. 1; +1 Cha) 4/10 XP
[Special Class: Fire Monarch (Lv. 1; +1 Cha, +1 Int, +1 Const) 2/10 BXP]
Health: 109/110
Energy: 135/165
Strength: 4
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 8 (9)
Constitution: 5 (6)
Charisma: 4 (6)
Classes: Assassin,
Special Classes:
]