“…Ugh.” Suuankou woke up feeling excruciating pain all over his body.
It was a pain that was familiar to him.
That kind of pain you feel when you wake up the following day after being captured inside a sack and getting beaten up in it.
“Fuck, why does it have to feel so realistic?” Suuankou grimaced and got up from the ground.
He realized that he seemed to be in some dark alley and that he was lying in the corner of it.
The thin sweater he was wearing had signs of being torn. It seemed he was wet, soaked with dirty water. He was messy and unarmed… he didn’t even have anything and was robbed clean.
If it weren’t for the fact Suuankou had rough clothes, he could have even assumed that he was thrown out of the house by his sister because he didn’t log out from the game for too long.
“Hmm, I don’t have starting equipment…” Suuankou murmured and stumbled as he struggled to stand up. He gradually realized his situation, “I should have been… beaten badly, right? My health has depleted?”
When he stood up, a line of words appeared in front of him: [Health: 85%]
So, I have lost 15% of my health.
I’m beaten up badly to the point where there is pain all over my body, yet I only lost 15% of my health. Is it because there’s the element of self-recovery?
Suuankou leaned against the wall, took a breath, and was dazed.
This “game” is so realistic.
But…
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?
Just after he took a step forward, a bunch of texts surged in front of Suuankou.
“You’re Suuankou, a [Lurker] from the Austere-Winter Dukedom and also a black market artisan.
“You have received a letter from your friend — The future Austere-Winter’s Grand Duke, Annan Austere-Winter. He has encountered some hurdles. Since he has now infiltrated the Noah Kingdom and become a feudal lord, he needs capable and loyal people to serve him. Most importantly, they need to be trustworthy.
“This is the perfect opportunity for you.
“Suuankou, with your background, your profession… it’s hard for you to walk on the path of transcendence alone. However, if you serve the future Grand Duke, there will be no problem at all. I have vouched for you with my reputation. Find your way to the Freezing Water Port. Remember, don’t give away any information related to His Highness Annan. Your friend’s letter said so.
“But you seem lost.
“This isn’t the Freezing Water Port, but the adjacent Roseburg. The gangs here don’t seem to welcome you very much. You have accidentally strayed into their trap and were beaten up due to their overwhelming numbers. Unfortunately, they also took all your possessions, and the most important item: [Annan·Austere-Winter’s Token].
“You can’t afford to be in such a humiliating state before meeting the future Grand Duke. So, you have made up your mind to give the gang members the revenge they deserved, taking back your possessions and teaching them a harsh lesson.
“But before that, you’d better get your weapon back.”
Suuankou read his starting plot carefully.
Then, the specific details of the mission appeared in front of him:
[You have obtained main mission: Taking appropriate revenge]
[Mission requirement: Retrieve Annan·Austere-Winter’s token (0/1); Silence all gang robbers who have seen the token (0/3); Take revenge as you please (0/1).]
[Special requirement 1 (+40 evaluation ratings): Seek a gift for the future Grand Duke (0/1)]
[Special requirement 2 (+60evaluation ratings): Spread your name in Roseburg (0/1)]
[Intelligence Acquired: You know that the person who took your weapon lives at 23 Rusty Water Street; you have learned that the place where the gang members gather should be at 35 Rusty Water Street, and the token should be there.]
[Warning: You will not be able to respawn after you die before handing over the token to Annan·Austere-Winter! Please mind your actions carefully!]
“I have to clear this in 1 life…” Suuankou murmured, lost in thought.
Logically speaking, the starting mission shouldn’t be too difficult.
No matter what, I should be cautious.
No matter how my sister found this “game”, and how she got the invitation code for me, this opportunity should be hard to come by.
There is no way this world is a “game”. It really is an “Isekai” situation!
He didn’t want to lose the opportunity in front of him due to negligence.
However, the limitation of “couldn’t respawn temporarily” didn’t surprise him.
Suuankou had already prepared for the worst where there was no “revive mechanism” at all. Unexpectedly, the respawn function was only temporarily locked, which was quite satisfactory for him.
“Could it be that the first mission intends to test my qualification to play the game?” Suuankou muttered.
He didn’t think much of it.
After regaining some physical strength and being able to stand firm.
He followed the alley path and exchanged some scones with his messy but still functional sweater. Although he was wearing only a single layer of cloth in winter, it didn’t look too strange. He gobbled up the food and filled his stomach.
I need to be ready for the battle later. First, I got to fill my stomach and replenish my physical strength.
As for clothes, it’s easy to find.
While eating, Suuankou analyzed the mission.
First and foremost, he couldn’t afford to delay any further.
Annan Austere-Winter’s identity had to be kept strictly confidential.
Judging from the mission description, it was necessary to silence everyone who had seen the token. This showed that the token itself was a “sensitive item”. In other games, it was the item branded red in the backpack. Once the guard checked the player’s inventory, he had to flee immediately.
Therefore, Suuankou must eradicate them as soon as possible to reduce the potential number of people encountering this token.
There were only three gang members at the moment.
But what if some noble, some magistrate, or some prominent businessman saw it?
Even if he could silence them, it would inevitably lower his evaluation ratings in Annan’s heart. It wouldn’t bring many adverse effects for killing these gang members. However, if the kill count reached a higher number, something terrible could happen.
That was why there was a text entry for “taking appropriate revenge” in this mission.
Annan might think he was too weak and looked down on him if he didn’t take revenge. If he retaliated too hard, it could bring Annan trouble.
I should retrievemy weapon first.
Fortunately, he wasn’t far from 23 Rusty Water Street, but just one street away.
Suuankou didn’t go there directly.
Instead, he detoured and visited another street next to it.
He skillfully utilized his social skills to ask the passersby if there was an unoccupied house, and finally, he settled on 13 Rusty Water Street.
After questioning three people, Suuankou got the same information. This was an abandoned dental clinic, and Dr. Gerald hadn’t come to work for a long time.
This is a good chance.
Suuankou walked around in the crowd, crouched in a blind spot, and activated [Sneak]. He snuck into the dental clinic unnoticed and remained crouched, slowly ascending to the second floor. Finally, he avoided the gazes of passersby and stood up.
“[Sneak] is quite handy.” After testing it out, Suuankou muttered with satisfaction.
He intended to first observe from here to see if there was anyone in No. 23 across the street. Then, probably, he could borrow some money and proper clothes. If possible, he would borrow a dagger for self-defense, bandage, food, etc…
The moment his gaze landed on the door lock, lockpicking knowledge emerged in his mind… But unfortunately, he didn’t have a lockpick in his hand, not even a piece of iron.
Despite that, it didn’t stop him.
Suuankou kicked the door hard three times and directly kicked the door open.
He closed the door calmly and walked into the Gerald Dental Clinic.
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Credits to MindMatrix for editing this chapter and improving the readability.