Shuvichi threw one last glance at the pleading eyes of the ruffian leader before stepping back. The other Shuvlok tribesmen did the same.
Hiro stepped forward with an easygoing demeanor. "Since you want to fight me, I'll give you a chance. You and your friends can attack me. Try to kill me if you want. No one else will interfere."
These words did not offer any comfort to the ruffian leader. Hiro's confidence only served to unsettle him. But he knew he had to act. He straightened himself as if preparing for a fair fight, but he discreetly signaled something to one of his friends.
This friend, the man with the largest build among the five troublemakers, received his leader's signal and chose to act. Thanks to Hiro continuously moving forward, he was now conveniently positioned some distance behind Hiro.
With no warning, the large man lunged at Hiro with a speed unbefitting of his build. What's more? His leader was not the only one with Soulbound equipment.
A large club appeared in the man's hands. It had a metallic sheen, but circular, faintly glowing spots covered parts of its surface.
The man swung the club at Hiro's side with everything he had.
Less than two seconds had passed since the man had started moving. Seeing his ambush about to be successful, Tara's face was covered in worry. She was about to shout to warn Hiro, but would she be able to make it in time? On the other hand, the ruffian leader's face lit up in joy.
Hiro had displayed the ability to teleport. There was a high chance that his Class was a Mage or some variant of it. And what was the weakness of Mages? Being caught unprepared in close combat!
There was only one problem here. Unfortunately for him, Hiro wasn't a mage. The moment the attacker entered Hiro's Sensory Force Vector, his fate had been sealed.
Hiro's right hand, which had been resting on the handle of his fastened steel club, suddenly moved. With great agility, Hiro turned around and swung his own club in one fluid motion.
His attack was significantly faster than that of his attacker. His attack connected first, instantly shattering the skull of the large man, whose lifeless body skidded some distance on the ground before finally stopping.
A stifling atmosphere covered the camp.
Not many people had expected Hiro to be able to move so quickly. The ruffians certainly hadn't expected it.
Most people who did not possess Combat Classes among the onlookers couldn't help but gasp. There was even a kid, barely twelve or thirteen years old, among the new arrivals. He hid behind his mother after witnessing such a bloody spectacle.
Meanwhile, a telepathic transmission reached Hiro's mind.
"My Lord! That mithril club hasn't disappeared even after its owner's death! You can claim it for yourself!" Hiro could clearly feel the excitement in her words. He looked over at the dead man's club, which was lying on the ground some distance away from him.
A faint clattering noise emanated from it as it kept slowly vibrating on the ground. A dim magical glow surrounded it.
Seeing that, Carnalia also chimed in, "Aren't you a lucky one? You've got a sexy lady like me living in your head. And now, you've even got yourself a Soulbound weapon so soon."
"What's lucky about it? About getting the weapon, I mean."
Carnalia chuckled at Hiro's clarification.
"Hehe. Most of the time, Soulbound equipment disappears after its owner's death. There is less than a 1% chance that it stays behind like this. You can bind it to yourself now."
"Oh? That's nice indeed…"
Hiro's steel club was already running out of durability. The force he was capable of exerting, especially when he used the Warrior's Empowered Strike, was nothing to scoff at. His weapon barely got through his fight against the Abandoned Hill Giant, but not without suffering some deformations.
Hiro walked toward the mithril club and casually picked it up.
'Hopefully, you'll be able to serve me longer…' he thought.
A new prompt appeared on his status screen asking him if he would like to bind the [Mithril Club of Strength]. That was the name of the weapon. It had a magical enchantment attached to it. The wielder of the club would gain 5 extra points in their STR stat.
Its attack rating and durability were also much higher than that of the steel club.
'A solid upgrade!' Hiro judged.
He looked at the ruffian leader and said, "A sneak attack like that isn't a bad attempt. There's just one problem. Even if I just stood still without doing anything, none of you would be able to harm me…"
That was, of course, a bluff. But it did have the intended effect. Uncertainty regarding his true strength clouded the minds of his citizens, further postponing any rebellious plans they might have.
Just then, a strange phenomenon occurred around the dead man. Green magical chains wrapped around his head, specifically his brain. Then, as if someone was pulling on the chain, the chains came together and crushed the already dead man's brain.
Most people who looked at this phenomenon did not know what to make of it. But there was one man among the newcomers who seemed to have a clue.
"Wait… I'm pretty sure this magical phenomenon is the result of a Skill that is sometimes used by the people of the Underworld." The man with dark maroon hair looked at the ruffian leader with a sharp gaze.
"Why don't you enlighten everyone here? What do you know about the Skill?" Hiro asked, as if asking more for the sake of others than for himself.
The man bowed to Hiro respectfully. "Responding to My Lord, I believe what we just saw was the result of a Skill used on certain people affiliated with the Underworld. It is a means to prevent sensitive information from being extracted from corpses."
"Hooh… the Underworld, huh?" Hiro said, a knowing smile forming on his face as he looked at the ruffian leader.
"My Lord, please forgive my presumptuousness, but I would like to make a suggestion," the maroon-haired man spoke again.
"You have my permission to speak." Hiro was very satisfied with the respect the man was showing.
"Please do not accept these men as your citizens, even if they surrender. If they are important enough to have a spell like this cast on them, then they must be deeply affiliated with the Underworld. They are the scum of our society! I don't think it will do our settlement any good to have such men among us."
Hiro smiled at the man's suggestion while he inwardly considered the matter more seriously.
"Do you also have something to say, perhaps?" Hiro asked the ruffian leader, whose hate-filled gaze remained locked onto the maroon-haired man.
He slowly turned his head back toward Hiro and said, "Fuck you all!"
Then, he quickly barked his next orders to two of his subordinates who stood closest to Furina.
"Take that woman hostage! Quick!"