Chapter 9: Fight at Gate

With a groan, Kevin woke up later in the night, feeling pain radiating throughout his body. As they glanced at his wounded state, they decided to rest for a while before limping back to the city. The walk was shrouded in silence, with only the darkness as their companion.

They took a rest to recover as Kevin was struggling due to his injuries, which were at risk of worsening from the continuous journey without stopping. Crouching down, Lucius gathered some stones, bits of grass, mud, and wood, and carefully placed them in his inventory.

He then decided to check the system to see the total rewards he had earned on their adventure thus far. Upon opening the system interface, he found:

[Status Panel]

[Name: Lucius Maxwell]

[Age 36/200]

[Level 1 Exp 80/100]

[HP 90/130]

[MP 100/100]

[Free Attributes 0]

[Strength 14]

[Health 13]

[Agility 13]

[Intelligence 10]

[Mana 10]

Skills

[Gold 8]

Suffering from some minor injuries, his health had fallen to 90, but the good news was that the bleeding had ceased. Contemplating, he inquired of Kevin, "What are your Health Points?"

Kevin, in pain, replied, "50/150."

Lucius was genuinely surprised, as was Lily. "You added 5 points into Health? Where did you add the rest?"

Kevin grumbled, "I added 5 into Health and 3 into Strength, then the last 2 into Agility."

Lucius then turned to Lily, and she understood his unspoken question.

"Simple. 5 into Strength, 5 into Agility, a balance of all things," she said confidently.

"What about Health?" he asked.

"Just don't get hit," she replied, looking at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

''Say, Lucius '' Kevin stopped walking and looked at him. "I did good, right?" he asked, referring to the moment he held off two opponents on his own.

"Yeah," he nodded, acknowledging Kevin's performance. "We all have to get stronger and face more situations like this."

With that, they continued deeper into the darkness in the direction of the city, and soon the only source of light in the meadows appeared—the city.

Finally arriving at the gates, they saw people coming and going; the place was becoming more popular as more individuals realized they had to hunt for food.

Observing the people from outside the city, they noticed that no one carried anything, unlike them. These individuals were probably not foolish enough to display food in front of this mob and have it safely stored in their inventory.

One person, however, was stupid enough to carry fruits, only to be jumped by three others before he reached the gate.

The protection zone didn't work here, leaving him helpless on the floor, eventually giving up the loot and entering the city.

Many eyes were drawn to them as Lily carried two wolf corpses in her arms while Lucius helped Kevin walk.

Whispers spread like hungry beasts among the crowd, and the three individuals who stole the fruit looked at the two dead wolves with drooling anticipation.

"Kevin, take out your weapon and stand in front of Lily. Put up a strong front," Lucius whispered to him, taking out his own sword from the inventory and walking confidently.

"Look at the wolves! They got meat," one of the thieves started shouting, drawing more people to form a circle.

As they cautiously approached the gathering crowd, Lucius spotted one of the three thieves who had ambushed the fruit guy from the corner of his eye. The thief, armed with daggers, lunged at Lucius with a swift and precise attack.

Reacting on instinct, he swiftly sidestepped, narrowly dodging the lethal strike. With lightning speed, he closed the distance between them, grabbing the thief in a firm hold, and effortlessly tossed him over his shoulder.

The crowd around them gasped in surprise at this man's display of skill and strength.

Sensing the momentum shift, the other two thieves hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

Taking advantage of the situation, he shouted, "Lily, do it!" before rushing towards the other two.

Lily ran up, having already dropped the wolves next to Kevin, and drew her sword with a complex expression on her face.

With a focused breath, she muttered "Moonlightslash" before unleashing a devastating attack on the fallen thief.

Her blade slashed through the air, opening his belly, and sending a torrent of entrails rushing out, splattering her in blood.

Meanwhile, rapidly closing the distance with the remaining thieves, he caught one of them off guard and delivered a swift, precise blow that sent the shorter man stumbling backward

The thief managed to block the first hit, but he was unprepared for the force behind it, leaving him vulnerable.

With the thief momentarily stunned, he followed up with a powerful kick to the stomach, leaving the other thief gasping for breath.

Without wasting any time, he executed a precise slash that drew crimson blood into the sky, claiming the thief's head and ending his life instantly.

With two bodies on the ground, the last thief panicked and looked around, yelling, "Kill them! We outnumber them!" He screamed to the crowd, taking steps back with each step Lucius took forward.

Seeing the crowd thinking about attacking them, he pointed the bloody sword at them and then at the distant head and body.

"You might be able to kill us and get the wolf if you attack us, but I swear I will take down at least four times our numbers with us!" With a wild look and emanating bloodlust, he warned them of the consequences.

Lucius's words seemed to put some sense into them, and they turned to look where the sword was pointed. They saw the decapitated head, still bearing an expression of extreme fear on its face, before it met its end.

As the crowd parted, Lily quickly picked up the wolves and followed behind Lucius, with Kevin covering their backs. Stepping through the gates, a collective sigh of relief escaped their lips.

Facing such a large group of attackers, it was undeniable that it would lead to their deaths. Though they might manage to take down a few foes with them, it would ultimately be a futile effort.

''Let's meet up in my room in one hour,'' he instructed before walking away without giving them the opportunity to deny.

Lily looked at his back and then at the wolves in her arms before turning to Kevin, who was limping away.

She realized how it felt to be ignored, as she had done it multiple times herself. Seeing that Lucius didn't help her carry the wolves, she vowed to get revenge one day.

Making her way to the room, she received a lot of stares and pleas for the wolf meat, but she ignored everything and took comfort in the protective mechanic that prevented anyone from causing her harm.

However, she made mental notes of certain people who used foul language and decided she would stick a sword up their throat if she ever got the chance.

An hour later, after taking a shower and getting refreshed, they all gathered in Lucius' room.

''Knock Knock''. Lucius was waiting near the window and walked over to open the door for Lily and Kevin.

''Come on in,'' he said, opening and closing the door behind them and gesturing for them to sit wherever they felt comfortable.

He walked to the flat desk, sat on the chair, and began arranging the stones, pieces of wood, and mud he had collected.

Placing them carefully on the desk, Lily was curious to ask what he was doing but decided to remain quiet, knowing she would soon find out.

Using the mud, he covered the desk's surface, and then he started placing stones at the corners in a round shape. Lily quickly realized that he was creating a miniature version of the city they were in.

He continued by making lines and arranging sticks of wood to symbolize the surrounding forest they had traversed.

While the makeshift map lacked great accuracy, it at least gave them an idea of where they had been and where they were headed.