I continued to stay in stealth mode while attacking the bandit group.
The tall grass around the area only helped in keeping me hidden.
"[Escape]!"
As I started to wrap the thieves in mud, Cody used a skill and managed to free himself from my trap.
*Shwing Clang*
"ARGHHHH!"
Unfortunately for him, I had laid out several more traps while he was busy ogling that girl.
These mud bear traps weren't as sturdy as the first one, but they did the job that I wanted them to accomplish which is to bind Cody.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Boss! Help! Ahhhmmmpphhh!"
I was slowly encasing the thieves in mud while they called for help.
I shoved my mud down their throats to shut them up.
They were basically asking for it.
"Who's doing this?! Show yourself!"
Cody shouted out after seeing his subordinates becoming mud cocoons.
Is he really concerned for them or does he think I'm stupid?
Maybe he thinks he can take me on after I show myself?
Hmm… I guess I can give him a chance to show me what he can do.
I need to test how strong another third job can compare to Nat.
I gathered the mud that I used to attack the bandit group from underground.
"Yo! Here I am just like you wanted."
I popped out from the ground and revealed "myself".
I looked over at the girl who was preparing to commit suicide earlier.
---
Name: Rena Foss Lv. 10
Job: Merchant
Race: Human
---
Rena was surprised at my appearance.
She probably never expected someone to save her when she had already accepted her fate.
I found her rebellious attitude in the face of death relatable.
I tried to kill myself recently, or rather two months ago just like her after all.
"So it was you! Why are-"
"Let me stop you right there."
I interrupted Cody who was trying to speak by shoving mud in his mouth as well.
"Did you think that I wouldn't notice what you were trying to do? Did you actually think that I was foolish enough to reveal myself in front of a potential enemy without planning ahead?"
Because Cody was currently clamped on by my mud, I could clearly sense his flow of mana.
I could only guess that he was preparing some sort skill, but I wouldn't wait around for him to activate it.
Unlike with Nat, it was easy for me to control this guy.
By blocking his mouth, I have effectively stopped him from using any skill whatsoever.
This was a flaw in the system of this world.
A flaw that doesn't apply to me.
Skill or spell names that weren't passive, needed to be spoken in order to activate them.
However, in the skill booklet I got from my classmates, I found a skill called [No Chant] which negates the system flaw.
It was a rare skill that was quite difficult to get.
A great understanding of mana control is needed in order to get this skill.
Some jobs even require this skill in order to advance.
I'm pretty sure that Nat had this skill or something similar to it.
On the other hand, Cody who was a mere bandit, wouldn't have this skill.
But I had already made preparations just in case he did.
I manipulated my mud to wrap around Cody easily catching him just like the others.
He was unbelievably weaker than Nat.
I'm slightly disappointed.
Is he really a third job?
Was Nat maybe a fourth job?
Or have I become that much stronger after becoming a complete mud girl?
"So, Rena was it? Can you explain to me what happened?"
I lined the bandits up and talked to Rena.
I healed her wounds while listening to her story.
Her family was part of the Merchant Guild.
They came from a city in the west and were heading to Strife City to peddle their goods.
Unfortunately, these guys and a bunch of other bandits showed up along the way and attacked them.
Her family didn't expect such a large group of bandits around these relatively safe roads.
The Adventurer group that they hired stayed behind in order to let them flee, but the bandits split up and chased after them.
Eventually, their horse collapsed and the following event I had witnessed happened.
"I understand. Sorry for making you say all that."
This girl had just lost her parents and I kind of made her tell me what led to it happening.
Rather than sadness, Rena looked like she just wanted to murder the bandits herself.
"I will give you one chance to speak and defend for yourselves. Let's start with you."
I ungagged the lowest level thief.
"Please don't kill me! It was all the Boss's, no that bastard's idea! I wouldn't ha-"
I immediately reapplied the mud gag and started to dissolve him.
I didn't like hearing people blame others for one's own deed.
His muffled screams could be heard from inside the mud cocoon.
I made the other bandits look on in horror.
Eventually, I made my mud "return" to the ground but actually I was reabsorbing it.
[Skill Pickpocket acquired through Assimilation.]
[Pickpocket]: Has a chance to steal a small item that the target owns.
I added the skill description based on what I learned from the thief.
I wasn't sure where I could use this skill because the thought of stealing didn't appeal to me.
What? Blood Bane?
I didn't steal that.
It was given to me as compensation for emotional damage.
"Alright next. I hope you won't be making excuses like the last guy…"
###
In the end, only one thief and Cody remained.
The other thieves tried begging, getting sympathy by talking about his family, and even just outright telling me to kill him which I did.
I don't care whether these guys are actually chivalrous thieves or something like that.
They killed people and were looting corpses in front of me.
In my book, that's a bad guy, and I kill bad guys.
Before, my only humanoid targets to kill were the ones that tried to kill me first.
Like those guys from the Royal Army.
In super basic terms, I only killed in self-defense.
That was my moral bottom line.
But my fight with Nat made me open my eyes.
My thinking was actually naïve at that time.
In this world, you don't have time to verify if the enemy it trying to kill you or not.
That moment of hesitation can lead to grave consequences.
Because I wanted to get information from Nat, he was able to counterattack.
Because he hesitated to kill me when I mentioned Dawn, I was able to counterattack.
The lesson I learned from that fight nearly cost me my everything.
And so, I've changed my way of thinking.
I will not hesitate to kill other humans or humanoid species, or any living being for that matter as long as I can gain benefits from it and that there won't be any long time negative effects for me.
For example, killing a group of innocent people where no one can find out in order to get their skills will probably leave a mental scar of guilt on me.
This was no good.
However, killing a bandit like Cody and his pals shouldn't be a problem.
"You don't mind if I kill this bastard right, Rena?" I asked her.
She was the person who was most affected by this guy.
I had to let her have some form of revenge.
If she wanted to do it herself, I'd let her do so even if it's a waste of a skill I could have gotten.
I was suddenly reminded about how I still haven't fully repaid my grudge on Fran.
"Please do it. But kill him in the most painful way possible. Slowly."
This girl is stone cold-hearted.
I like it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I dissolved Cody starting with his limbs.
I knew exactly how this felt and it was the most painful way I could think of to kill him.
Whenever I dissolve things, I usually expended more mana in order to speed up the process.
This time, I didn't.
First the skin, then the flesh, and finally the bones.
I left Cody ungagged so that Rena could hear the screams.
Before he could pass out, I stopped [Dissolve] and used a bit of [Heal] to make sure he didn't lose consciousness.
[Skill Pickpocket evolved into Steal.]
[Steal]: Has a chance to steal an item the target owns.
After killing Cody and gaining a new skill, I looked over to the last thief.
---
Name: Mumador Lv. 24
Job: Thief
Race: Human
---
This guy I kept alive for one reason.
He didn't beg or try to convince me to let him live.
He bargained.
He offered a life of servitude as a slave so long as I didn't kill him.
As a follower of the law of equivalent exchange, this caught my interest.
I've always wanted to see how Contract Magic worked so I made a plan to visit a slave merchant in Aqua Port City later.
After talking with Rena and Mumador for a bit, I learned where they left the Adventurers and other bandits to fight.
I was about to have them lead me there to see if there were survivors from Rena's group when I detected people heading our direction through my scouts.
I asked Rena about them by describing their appearances.
It seems that they were the Adventurer party her family had hired.
We waited a while until they arrived.
They managed to eliminate the bandits however they lost some comrades in the process.
They were regretful that they couldn't protect their employers.
After making a grave for Rena's parents, we camped out for the night.
It was decided that the Adventurers would escort Rena to Strife City to finish the job.
In the morning, we said our farewells and separated just like that.
Death was too common of a thing in this world.
With Mumador now as a party member, I was no longer travelling alone.
CHAPTER END.
Name: Ruby Sen Lv. 18
Age: 17
Race: ???
Class: Magical Creature
Job: - Lv. 18
HP: 20 [100%]
MP: 20 [100%]
STR: 15 (+5)
DEF: 15 (+25)
INT: 22
WILL: 20
SPD: 16 <+1>
<
Assimilate
Mana Manipulation
Physical Resistance
Foresight
Shapeshift
Novice Magic Caster
Poison Resistance
Sleep Resistance
Intermediate Weapon Master
<
Dissolve
Sensing
Sculpting
Detonate
Appraisal Analysis
Cloning
Mana Designing
Mana Disturb
Heal
Boost
Stealth
Engraving
Steal
<
Tongue Enhancement
Sin of Sloth