Read Novel Full Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Chapter 284 – Encroachment
Insight―Body Strengthening―Presence Detection―Magic Detection―Investigation―…
Nice!
There is no need to check. From the end of the main street, a large group of men is running toward me with weapons in hand.
Their builds and faces clearly mark them as thugs.
There are not only humans, but also beastmen, and even women, among them.
At this point, with weapons pointed at me, it doesn’t matter.
Little by little, bit by bit.
“Hey, Connie, is this the one!?”
“Y-yes, this brat…! B-but wait!”
“What’s the deal? He’s just a kid without a weapon. What the hell are the gatekeepers doing?”
“We’ll just kill him quickly. If he puts up a fight, we’ll have to cut off his legs.”
This time, I’ll handle it.
“H-hold on… Why is an escapee… in town?”
This town is being encroached upon.
“You little brat, causing trouble… Gah!”
I grabbed the axe that was swung at me, snatched it away, and sliced off his head.
Huh?
Shouldn’t an axe cut that deep?
I did hold back, but either the axe was dull or it just stopped midway through the neck.
Oh well.
Villains offering weapons kept appearing one after another.
“Ugh, my arm! My arm!”
“Hey, that’s… too strong!”
“D-dangerous! Let them know! He’s not just an escapee! R-ring the bell!”
At that shout, several figures stirred amid the chaos of the main street.
(I see… So this is when the non-combatants in the gang move.)
I’d already picked up on their reactions with Investigation.
If they were just watching, they’d be like the guy who couldn’t move at the entrance earlier. But the fact that they’re trying to call for backup? That’s already plenty “evil.”
―Provocation―
Backup is more than welcome, so I won’t stop them.
I forcibly pull back the nervous-looking woman who had been glaring hatefully at me.
Haha! She’s coming at me with an expression you’d never normally see—a truly awful one.
It looks like it could devour me whole.
But you know…
“Don’t take away my place!”
It’s you lot who take all sorts of things from everyone, isn’t it?
‘You have acquired Appraisal Lv3.’
‘You have acquired Alchemy Lv1.’
‘You have acquired Alchemy Lv2.’
See?
“D-damn it…”
‘You have acquired Construction Lv4.’
See? See?
“Y-you fuck… gah…”
‘You have acquired Brewing Lv2.’
Connie-kun.
“Hah… haah… help—”
‘You have acquired Trap Detection Lv2.’
If no one comes to help you soon, you’ll die too, you know?
Clang, clang, clang―…!
The incessant ringing of the bell continued without pause, as if stoking the field’s anxiety.
Glancing up, I saw that it was indeed the church bell, though I could only make out the figure of someone ringing it in the distance.
(It’s a priest’s robe, isn’t it?)
Either they forced their way in to ring it or they’ve extended their reach to the church itself.
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the latter.
Clergy are human, after all.
They’re not immune to corruption, so I won’t hesitate to execute them.
After cleaning the area, I watched the man named Connie run deep into town. Then, I slowly followed him.
The other side probably knows where I’m headed, too.
It’s not just an escape attempt; they’re catching on to my other intentions and what they are.
The formations and seriousness of the attackers coming at me made it evident, yet still, those brothers hadn’t shown themselves.
Whoosh—
I grasped the incoming arrow and simultaneously saw a Wind Magic spell flying from another rooftop. Ignoring the magic, I used the Throwing Technique to hurl the arrow back at the magician.
Once I reached the town center, the thugs with weapons vanished, replaced by ranged units.
The non-combatants watching me had seen how relentlessly I had been disarming and fighting back.
I knew this would eventually happen, and you could say the enemy was desperate enough to care little about destroying the town with magic.
Still, there aren’t many magic users.
I’m disappointed by that, but the overwhelmingly high ratio of melee classes probably just shows that they’re a band of former bandits.
At least I gain skill experience points, but it’s becoming harder to actually level up my skills.
(The last archer descended to the ground, which means… their arrow supply is…)
Bang!
Something familiar slammed into my temple.
“I-I got him! Someone finish him off!”
In response, the archer who had just descended from the roof gripped a dagger and closed in on me rapidly.
Two other men began to move as well.
This coordination…a hunter party that was once D-rank?
This is troublesome.
As expected, the Lightning Magic is too fast. It still seems impossible to dodge.
“Ahhh…”
Did you think I’d be paralyzed and unable to move?
I grabbed the face beaming with glee and snatched the knife from his hand. I threw it at the woman on the roof. She fell to the ground like a collapsed doll.
‘You have acquired Dancing Lv2.’
“Stop! Stop right there!”
“…”
“If you move any further, I’ll kill this kid!”
The man held a longsword, its tip aimed at the child sitting on the ground.
I sighed involuntarily at the sight.
Many townspeople, curious about the commotion, gathered on the main street to watch the scene unfold.
Most were peering out cautiously from inside houses or alleyways.
This was typical of this stifling town, yet some children reacted differently.
They stared at me as if I were a righteous hero.
“Hehehe… All right, don’t you dare move. Gork!”
“Y-yeah. I won’t kill you. I won’t. But I will cut off your nasty little hands. Move, and the kid dies. Got it?”
The man stroked the blade with his finger as he approached cautiously.
The look on his face said that he knew perfectly well that no one would ever accept such a proposal.
Naturally, I felt the same way.
“Landmine Arrow.”
Bang!
Suddenly, an explosion-like sound rang out behind the man.
The man turned his head back in reaction to the sound. I snatched the sword from his hand and sliced off both his arms.
“Gwaaaaah! M-my arms! My arms!”
“Wasn’t that what you were about to do? Keep making noise, and I’ll slit your throat, too.”
“G… guh…”
As I delivered the finishing blow to the man convulsing from the Lightning Magic, I turned my gaze to the child. Ah, thank goodness!
He was still frozen in terror, but he was definitely alive because his wide eyes were fixed on me.
This was the only way I could think to save him.
It was a level 1 magic spell, and I suppressed its power as much as possible.
Only a tiny overflow for an instant.
I released it from my feet. At this level, no one should have noticed.
“Ah… Hyii… M-monster!”
As he shouted this while backing away, I felt something tighten inside me, and a cold sensation spread. I gently closed my eyes.
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