Chapter 94: Prisoner

Searching aimlessly in the wild is absolutely not an easy task. It was especially headache-inducing when the opponent was a skilled Thief. Even the best hunters felt the strain. However, when the search area was narrowed down to a specific spot, the situation was quite different.

Dean scanned the red zone with his gaze and walked over calmly, as if he were inspecting for any remaining enemies.

Of course, Dean did not approach the shadow immediately.

Instead, he patrolled near the red area for a while before gradually getting closer. Familiarity with Thieves meant Dean knew very well that approaching too quickly would arouse their suspicion and alertness.

An alert opponent was obviously not what Dean wanted.

So, he walked around the area, brushing past the enemy every time to wear down their vigilance and turn it into impatience. His subordinates were being slaughtered nearby.

Although they were merely peripheral subordinates, it did not mean they could be ignored casually.

In fact, for any organization of a certain scale, the attitude toward peripheral manpower was of the utmost importance. After all, compared to the small number of elites and the even rarer Core Strength, these peripheral members were the ones who handled ordinary situations.

What about elites or Core members?

Obviously, if ordinary situations required the deployment of elites or Core members, then those so-called elites and Core members were absolutely incompetent.

Furthermore, events defined as ordinary situations inevitably occurred frequently.

Trying to handle these frequent events with a small number of elites and even fewer Core members was undoubtedly unrealistic.

Therefore, for any organization, a large number of peripheral members were indispensable.

Consequently, within any organization, as long as it was possible, the death of peripheral members needed to be avoided. Apart from the reasons mentioned above, the large-scale death of organizational members always brought negative impacts, which was a matter every organization had to consider.

At this moment, Dean ‘gave’ the enemy a chance to avoid such a difficult situation. He had already revealed his identity during the battle.

As long as that Thief was not an idiot, he would naturally know what to do.

Taking hostages to exchange for bargaining chips was second nature for every Thief.

Creak, creak…

Dean’s Boots made such sounds as he stepped on the snow. At this moment, he acted as if he had finished his patrol and was ready to return to his team.

The route he took happened to pass right by the Thief’s hiding spot.

Three steps, two steps, one step…

Dean silently calculated the distance to the enemy. The Longsword in his hand swung casually, seemingly lowering his guard due to finding nothing.

In reality, Dean was more vigilant and alert than ever before.

Loose on the outside, tight on the inside was the best evaluation for Dean at this moment. In fact, Dean, who had once served as an Assassin, spent ten weeks learning how to appear harmless to make himself seem less threatening. Later, several incredible successes in his Assassin career repaid those ten weeks of study.

Now was no different.

Rustle!

With a crisp sound, the blanket covering him was lifted. Snow was deliberately shaken toward Dean, blocking his vision completely in an instant.

Obviously, because of the power Dean had shown earlier, even if he was impatient inside, this Thief did not give up his last bit of vigilance to rush out and clash head-on with Dean recklessly.

Using the snow as cover, the Thief followed closely behind. The Dagger in his hand flashed with a cold gleam, aiming at the wrist where Dean held his sword. Undoubtedly, Dean’s previous Sword Technique had left a deep impression on this Thief. Even if he needed a live hostage, it had to be one without the ability to resist.

The Dagger appeared at Dean’s wrist a moment later. Just one more inch forward, and Dean’s tendons would be severed. However, at that moment, Dean, who had been waving his other arm to stir up snow and block his view, stopped that ‘useless’ movement.

Like a fish in water, Dean twisted his ankle and used the slipperiness of the ice and snow on the ground. He moved in a semi-circle and appeared behind the Thief. He shook his Longsword and thrust upward in one go. Compared to the Thief’s attack to sever tendons, Dean’s attack was much more direct, aiming straight for the vital spot on his back.

Although Dean needed a live prisoner for interrogation, it did not mean he would hold back his attacks.

In fact, Dean, who had integrated the styles of Assassination and Battlefield combat, absolutely would not allow himself to hold back.

Because if he did, his full strength might not even reach half its potential.

After all, both Assassination and Battlefield combat styles were about pressing forward without looking back.

What about the life or death of enemies who needed to be interrogated?

Even if the heart was pierced, Dean was confident he could keep the target alive for a while. Although the process would be very painful, for an interrogator, causing pain to the interrogated person was their purpose, was it not?

Dean had seen too many enemies in his previous life who would reveal secrets just to beg for a quick death. Now, he did not mind seeing a few more.

Facing Dean’s thrust, this Thief, worthy of being an elite or Core member of his own group, did not turn or dodge sideways. Instead, he lunged forward and kicked up a large cloud of snow from the ground. Unlike fighting head-on with a Knight, Thieves’ combat styles involved more techniques. Turning the surrounding environment into the most favorable one for themselves was a typical tactic for Thieves.

However, as someone who had undergone Thief training, Dean was absolutely familiar with this combat style.

Therefore, before the Thief could kick up the snow again, Dean lowered his body, kicked off the ground with both feet, and followed the Thief like a shadow. The tip of the Longsword still pointed directly at the enemy, but now aimed at the nearest foot instead of the vital spot on the back.

This time, the opponent clearly had no chance to dodge again.

[Calculating our Strength and opponent’s Constitution…]

[Indomitable Lv1 bonus acquired…]

[Strength +1 (Specific Value: Weapon Sharpness) > Constitution +0.1 (Opponent’s Armor)]

[Our Strength check passed, and Strength exceeds the opponent by 300%, causing Secondary Destruction Damage]

Splunch!

The Longsword swept past the opponent’s foot, slicing off the front half of the leather Boot along with it.

“Ah!!”

An uncontrollable scream escaped the Thief’s mouth. However, even so, he did not give up. A Hand Crossbow appeared in his left hand, the weapon most favored by Thieves.

Enduring the pain, he turned sharply to his left in the fastest way possible, preparing to pull the trigger.

However, Dean, who was familiar with Thief combat methods, was faster. After one successful hit, Dean did not stay in place. He pushed off the ground with his left arm, used the momentum to push right, and instantly rolled to his right.

So, when the Thief turned back from the left, there was no one behind him.

Dean was already behind him!

Undoubtedly, the Thief also noticed this. He immediately tried to change his shooting direction. However, Dean absolutely would not give him such a chance. He waved his Longsword.

[Calculating our Strength and opponent’s Constitution…]

[Indomitable Lv1 bonus acquired…]

[Strength +1 (Specific Value: Weapon Sharpness) > Constitution +0 (Opponent’s Armor)]

[Our Strength check passed, and Strength exceeds the opponent by 300%, causing Secondary Destruction Damage]

Thud!

The opponent had just turned around. His raised left arm was severed cleanly.

The result was exactly the same as the foot, without any difference. And unlike the previous 0.1 leather bonus, the bare wrist had no protection at all.

However, no matter what, the result was destined.

Thieves who valued Agility and Perception skills were at a disadvantage in both Strength and Constitution when facing such checks. What about wearing a full suit of Steel Armor?

There were Thieves who wore Steel Armor, but the prerequisite was that they must have the corresponding Strength.

Just like the Thief in front of him, his Agility was on par with a Knight’s, but his Constitution and Strength were only slightly stronger than an average person’s, similar to young men in a Knight Order.

Of course, this did not mean this Thief was not strong.

It was just a different development path, and he had encountered Dean. After all, no matter how strong your Strength and Constitution were, even for a Gold-rank expert, an opponent you could not catch only needed a Magic Weapon to slice your throat.

Dean had done exactly that in the past.

So, he knew exactly how to deal with such enemies.

Bang!

The hilt of the sword struck the back of the opponent’s head hard. The struggling Thief collapsed to the ground. Dean signaled to his subordinates in the distance to bring ropes and bandages.

Then, he personally bandaged the wound and tied the ropes tightly.

This earned Dean the experience prompt for [Bandaging +1].

Of course, the rewards from this battle were far more than that.

[XP +30]

Obviously, the peripheral members of the Thieves Guild provided much more experience than ordinary bandits or outlaws.

More importantly, there was a real experience gift pack waiting for Dean to claim.

Almost instinctively, Dean looked at his prisoner.