This adventurer is overly righteous.

Scartot slowly lowered the bow from his back, kicked it aside, threw a short sword from his waist to the ground, then turned around to indicate that he was unarmed and meant them no harm.

"I think this proves my identity."

Skartut then took out an iron plaque and tossed it to Kroya. It was an identity document that the Adventurers' Guild routinely granted to each adventurer, with a unique pattern, which adventurers used to confirm each other's identities.

Kroya examined it closely, while Skartut gradually grew impatient.

"Is there no problem?"

This guy isn't as easy to fool as he seems.

Skartut thought to himself.

His identity as an adventurer is genuine, but only an ignorant newcomer would believe that two complete strangers can trust each other.

It's not uncommon for adventurers to betray each other, and in the wilderness, such things can be kept completely hidden.

As long as no one discovers it, no one will investigate, so a group of people gradually set their sights on other adventurers.

Compared to monsters, fellow human adventurers are easier targets to hunt, and once a successful hunt is completed, all of their equipment and money can be obtained in one fell swoop, resulting in a much richer harvest.

Skartut thought he had hidden his malice very well, but when Croa focused his attention on the nameplate, a barely perceptible glint of greed still flashed in his eyes.

This newcomer looks like a big, easy target.

The moment the other person stepped into the Adventurers' Guild in White Rock Town, Skartut noticed Kroya. His excessively fair skin was striking, and he exuded an aura that was out of place among the adventurers. He was gentle, kind, innocent, and noble—in short, an aura that only scions of wealthy families could cultivate.

  

People of commoner origin, who spend their days running around for crops and food, could never have such fair skin, nor could they possibly have such an aura. Therefore, after confirming that Kroya had become an adventurer, Skartut made him his target.

A newcomer is inexperienced and easily deceived, and someone like Kroya seems even easier to fool. Scatut had been following Kroya's trail and eventually found him here.

With such overflowing compassion, he must be very rich.

Skartut thought to himself that he had also learned from the villagers that Croa had received a reward of nearly eight silver coins from them because the man had a foolishly kind heart.

But adventurers don't need kindness.

Adventurers should be greedy wolves, dangerous hunters.

Eight silver coins aren't much; the real prize lies in the other valuables that Croa might be carrying. Now that the opportunity is right in front of him, Skartut is willing to give it a try.

Skartut watched Croya, waiting for his response. If Croya was prepared to wake his companion, he would run away. His trick certainly wouldn't fool those experienced elite adventurers, but at night, they wouldn't bother to pursue him.

"We don't have any extra food, you should leave."

Kroya shook his head; Skartut was not satisfied with this answer.

However, Croya did not choose to wake Carter immediately, which was a good thing for him.

“I passed through the village of Nome, and the villagers there told me about you,” Skartut said, feigning resentment. “They praised you and stuffed your food bag full before you left, but only charged you five copper coins.”

"Please don't lie to me, I just want some food."

"You should leave."

Kroya remained unmoved and tossed the nameplate back.

"Alright, alright, I was too greedy," Skartut said, feigning distress. "If I were to buy it with money, I wouldn't take yours for free."

"Name your price, I just hope you won't take advantage of my misfortune..."

Kroya's attitude finally softened, and he sighed, seemingly having made a great decision.

"it is good."

What's going on? It still costs money.

Skartut scoffed inwardly. It seemed that what the villagers had said earlier was an exaggeration; this guy wasn't as kind as he appeared.

"Come here, I'll get it for you."

Kroya seemed to lower his guard, his eyes no longer showing the caution he had before, and waved to Skartut.

So Skartut moved closer, head down, while his left hand occasionally brushed against his waistband.

If it were daytime, onlookers would notice that there seemed to be a transparent object at Skartut's waistband, which was a magic dagger.

Skartut seeks out magic runes engraved by sorcerers on daggers, allowing even those with low levels of magic to use one-time spells. These magical items are expensive, and Skartut only uses them on valuable targets like Kroya.

The dagger has three lines, each representing one of the three uses. One of the lines has lost its magic and become dim.

Get a little closer...

Scartot didn't want to wake Carter, so the best way was to stab Kroya in the throat, leaving him speechless in his dying moments.

Therefore, the closer the distance, the better.

"If I give you food, will you leave?"

"Of course," Skartut gripped the dagger's hilt and replied softly, "I thank you."

Thank you for your money, thank you for your stupidity, thank you for your...

"But you've been lying to me all along."

Kroya's voice was soft, like a night breeze, yet it suddenly rang in Scatter's ears. Before he could even speak, Kroya, who had drawn his sword long ago, flicked it upwards and thrust it forcefully, piercing Scatter's throat and severing the artery along with it. Blood gushed from the wound and from his mouth...

What?!

Everything happened so fast, so fast that Skartut could barely react. Everything was going according to plan; if he had just taken a few more steps closer, he could have killed Kroya with his magic dagger…

Almost exhausted, Skartut's intense resentment drove him to throw the invisible dagger.

Since he's going to die, this guy shouldn't get away with it either...

"Bang"

The dagger flew straight towards Kroya, who neither dodged nor evaded. Just as he was about to be hit, Skartut's cloudy eyes lit up.

"Bang"

It seemed as if something invisible had been struck, and the sound of metal clashing echoed through the air.

Croa was unharmed.

"Hmm..."

Scartout covered his wound, making hoarse and indistinct sounds as blood bubbled in his mouth.

His vision blurred within seconds, and all his strength was drained away.

Finally, Skartut suddenly knelt on the ground and fell forward, while Kroya watched silently.

From the very beginning, he sensed an undisguised malice emanating from the other party, a feeling that he found utterly repulsive.

"I have never met you before."

"I have never, ever done anything wrong. I don't know you, and I have never offended you."

Kroya took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. This was the first time he had killed someone...

very angry!

"But you want to kill me!"

Kroya didn't want to die; he loathed anything that could harm him except the sun.

"I hate people like you!"

You punished the evildoer; such an act deserves praise.

[The effectiveness of the treatment has been slightly improved]

Two lines of small text appeared in the lower left corner of Kroya's vision.

Such things might happen again in the future. Kroya turned Skartut's body over in the pool of blood, staring at the man's unseeing face. He tried to overcome his fear of corpses and knew that he would never be soft-hearted when he attacked again.

This time, Croya hesitated. At first, he fantasized that Skart would leave on his own. However, the more Croya hesitated, the stronger Skart's malice became. In the end, Croya decided to kill him.

We must not be lenient in the face of such unjustified malice.

The stench of blood permeated the air, and if it wasn't dealt with, it could very well attract wild animals.

So Kroya first used a purification spell to completely remove the smell of blood, then closed Skartut's eyes and recited a eulogy for him.

If the deceased does not receive the priest's blessing, his spirit may remain in the world and transform into some kind of undead creature that craves flesh and blood.

"May you journey to the northern land of the dead."

"Kroya said sincerely."

The prayer ritual for the deceased is not fixed and can be left to the pastor's discretion, as it is a very simple ritual.

"If you do more evil than good, you will suffer greatly, your body will be scorched by fire, your tongue will be ripped out by a monster, and your eyes will be devoured by an eagle..."

Gods exist in this world, and although there are many different opinions about what the afterlife is like, Kroya hopes that the souls of evil people will suffer to the fullest in the world of the dead.

Therefore, he prayed very sincerely.

Your respect for the deceased and your efforts to help their souls find peace are commendable.

[Slight increase in muscle strength]