"I told you to stop talking! Are you dumb? Lift your arms and stay on the spot. One wrong move and this dagger will end your life. We can solve this peacefully. Stay still, and let me empty your pockets. Understood?"
This time Leo nodded and did as the beggar told him. He lifted his arms and waited for him to come closer.
"Yes, just like that. Now, close your eyes for a minute. Just act like nothing is happening, and there will be no problems."
Leo closed his eyes and let the man approach him. The beggar was very careful with his movements. Every step he took was slow and almost completely noiseless. However, Leo could tell that he was still nervous.
The dagger in his hand was shaking, and he didn't pay attention to Leo at all after he closed his eyes. He didn't notice when Leo slowly opened his eyes as the beggar reached for his trouser pockets.
You've successfully activated [Hand-To-Hand Combat (S-Rank)]
A red text notification appeared before him as he launched his knee toward the beggar's left wrist. Leo was momentarily surprised, but the sudden twist didn't lose him any momentum.
The knee connected, and the dagger fell to the ground. The beggar didn't have time to regain his composure as a perfectly executed roundhouse kick landed on his head in the following second.
This sudden turn of events lasted for no more than 7 seconds. The beggar was pinned on the ground with a dagger closely pressed on his neck.
"A beggar getting robbed in the middle of nowhere is a scene everyone must witness at least once in their lifetime."
Chuckled Leo as he slowly forced the beggar against a tree.
"Freaky bastard. I'm not a beggar! I'm a bandit!"
"You look like both to me. Either way, lift your arms and put your hands together. No, actually don't do that. Do you see that old tree trunk on the ground?"
Leo asked the beggar. His calm behavior was very unnerving, and he followed Leo's orders almost like an automated machine.
"Yes, I see it?"
Replied the beggar to Leo while looking at him with suspicion.
"Great, Lie down there, raise your arms, and put your hands together. Oh, don't forget your legs. You have to put your feet together just like your hands. Also, leave your backpack here. I will make sure no one steals it."
"L-like this? Hey, can we not do this? I give you everything I have. Just let me go. Please! It hurts."
The beggar did his best to stop whatever Leo was planning to do. He knew it wouldn't end well but was too scared to run away. Leo didn't listen and just emptied the leather bag instead. He found a rope, some apples, and a chunk of bread.
"Alright. Now, stay still while I use this rope to fix you in place. I can tell you planned to do the same thing, so you shouldn't have problems with being tied. Don't worry, I won't make it too tight."
Leo tied the beggar on the pine tree trunk and left enough leeway for his hands to move, but made the knot tight enough so he couldn't untie himself.
"Why aren't you letting me go? You already have my bag."
"I'll let you go after you answer some of my questions. I'm kind of lost, you see. First of all, where did you come from? Your bag was almost empty, so I can tell you didn't plan to travel too far."
"The village of Farna. It's located right there on the other side of this forest. You'll have to walk a little, but you won't get lost as long as you follow a straight line."
The beggar told him everything he knew without a second thought. Leo promised to untie him after a few questions, and the pain made him too desperate to doubt his captor.
"That's a precise answer. Here comes my next question. Recite the alphabet. Don't ask; do it. Understand?"
"Yeah, okay."
The beggar recited the alphabet without a problem, and Leo nodded. It was the same alphabet he remembered.
"Now, I'll give you this stick, and you just have to write down some words for me. Just etch it into the ground."
The beggar grabbed the stick and started writing. It was hard and painful to write with his hands tied, but he managed to do it in the end. Leo told him to take his time and write slower on purpose so he could read the letters.
They were the same letters he learned, but upside down.
'How lazy of you, Enriel.'
Leo shook his head and smiled. The beggar didn't understand the situation. Leo's behavior made him seem like he was insane.
"One last question for you! Answer this, and I won't bother you anymore. A red text popped up before me earlier when I fought you. Any idea what happened there?"
The beggar looked at Leo in complete shock. How did he not know about the system?
"That's a system message. Everyone has a different system with different abilities. You can see your system window if you concentrate on summoning it. It takes some time to learn it, but you will get used to it in no time."
"Given our current situation, I'm not going to experiment with this. At least, not right now."
"Can you let me go now? You promised to let me go once I answered your questions, right?"
"Oh, did I promise you something like that?"
Leo grabbed a long stick with his left hand and the dagger with his right hand.
"I always wanted to try this at least once."
"HEY WHAT ARE YOU AWaaa"
*STAB*
Leo pierced the beggar's feet with the rusty dagger and did the same with his hands. He just used the stick there and left the dagger inside the beggar.
"YOU!"
The beggar shouted with all his might but didn't move. He was too scared to hurt himself. Leo kneeled in front of the tree trunk and connected his palms.
"Amen."