Sequence adventurers roaming between two worlds

Before attacking the two thugs, Leo had already adjusted his skills.

He upgraded [Slide Step] to lv.5, granting him a "Perception +1, Agility +1" attribute bonus, while [Slash] remained at lv.2.

Half a day is enough time for him to learn a skill from level 0 to level 2.

The reason for this consideration was that, in the unlikely event that I couldn't win, I could still outrun them with my 6 points of agility.

In hindsight, he had been overthinking it.

The combined boost from the two basic attributes, along with the skills granted by the abilities, was far greater than he had imagined.

His speed was so fast that the two thugs didn't have time to react.

His perception made the two thugs' movements appear slow in his "sight".

In addition, there are techniques for [slide step] and [slash].

This resulted in a complete and utter crushing defeat.

This also made Leo deeply realize the value of the title "reserve professional".

Leo looked up at the sky above the alley.

"As expected, the timeline is different in the Western Pole and the Adventurer's World."

"The former is during the day, and the latter is at night."

When he returned to the Western Pole, it was the dead of night on the Adventurer's Continent.

In some ways, this is a good thing for Leo, as it makes things easier for him to act.

Without dwelling on it too much, Leo quickly gathered his thoughts.

He looked around. The secluded alley was dark and damp, with moss-covered brick walls on both sides, making it the perfect place to dispose of "garbage".

He grabbed one of the thugs by the collar with each hand and dragged them silently into the deepest part of the alley, behind a pile of stinking, abandoned wooden crates, like pulling a tattered sack.

Then, he drew his iron sword and precisely sliced ​​the scarred thug's body in non-lethal areas.

"Sizzle..."

The stinging pain jolted the scarred thug, who had been unconscious, awake.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with a pair of emotionless eyes.

"you……"

Before Scarface could cry out in alarm, Leo had already raised his hand, the cold blade pressed firmly against his throat.

If the sword were pushed forward just a little further, it could easily sever his carotid artery.

"Shh." Leo put his index finger to his lips, his voice so soft it was chilling. "I don't like it too noisy."

"I'll ask, you answer, and later I'll verify your statements. If you're lying..."

Scarface was deathly pale, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

He instinctively wanted to use the name of Blackthorn Bank to intimidate the other party, but looking into the other party's calm eyes, he knew: this guy in front of him really dared to kill.

He's just a hoodlum, not a desperado.

"Tell me, who sent you to that old house?" Leo's gaze was like a knife, piercing straight into Scarface's eyes.

Scarface swallowed hard and confessed in a trembling voice, "I...I don't know her either...I only know she's a big shot in the inner city, a young woman."

"She said that as long as Li Mo and his sister hand over the old house, she would grant me... a generous reward."

"What's the reward?" Leo asked casually.

The scarred thug's eyes darted around, and at that moment, Leo thrust his iron sword forward a fraction of an inch.

The sharp blade sliced ​​open the scarred thug's neck.

Pain and fear instantly overwhelmed his reason, and he screamed, "It's a potion!"

"She said that once we completed the commission, she would tell me the recipe for the thief's potion and lead me into a mysterious door!"

"To show her sincerity, she also gave me the strange book that recorded the thief's potion recipe."

A thief of a magic potion? A strange book?

Leo's eyes narrowed.

These two titles immediately reminded him of Scott, who had died at his hands, and the Gospel of Thomas.

Based on what the scarred thug had said earlier, Leo could immediately conclude:

There's a greater than 90% chance that the person behind sending those two thugs to cause trouble at the old house is Leona!

"This woman, instead of continuing her stakeout, has switched to another method to try and monitor me!"

The scarred thug pleaded, "My lord, I've told you everything I know. If you're willing to spare me, I can take you to retrieve the strange book. I've hidden it in..."

Before he could finish speaking, Leo raised his iron sword and slapped him on the head with the blade.

Immediately, the scarred thug passed out again.

Then, Leo used the same method to interrogate another thug.

Unfortunately, the rooster-haired thug knew nothing when questioned. After confirming that he really knew nothing, Leo decisively sent the two of them to hell.

Looking at the two corpses in front of him, the coldness in Leo's eyes gradually subsided.

He had no feelings for Li Mo and Li Qian, but they were still family to this body, and he didn't mind doing something for them within his power.

He crouched down and began to search the bodies of the two thugs.

Soon, Leo had several heavy silver crowns and a handful of loose copper pennies in his pocket.

The currencies of the Western Antarctic Union were the gold virgin, the silver crown, and the copper penny.

Gold and silver rarely circulate among ordinary people. The exchange rate among the three is: 1 gold = 100 silver = 10000 copper.

"A total of 6 silver and 40 copper, not bad."

Leo nodded in satisfaction.

This is no small sum. The average person in Falling Star Harbor spends only 3 silver coins a month on food, clothing and other necessities.

A pound of bread costs around 2 copper coins.

"I just don't know if this money, once melted down into metal, will be able to circulate in the Kingdom of Auster in the adventurer's world..."

While pondering, Leo took out two more finely crafted daggers.

The blade is sharp, indicating that it has been well maintained.

"Keep one of these daggers for self-defense, and use the other when you have the chance in the Kingdom of Auster."

Leo didn't forget that he still needed to acquire more professional skills in Baihe Town.

Learning a skill always costs money.

After carefully putting the dagger away and searching for it again, Leo's eyes flickered slightly.

There was a hard object in the inside pocket of Scarface's chest.

Leo took it out.

It was an old book that smelled faintly of parchment.

Using the faint light filtering in from the alley entrance, he could make out a few words on the cover.

—The Gospel of Thomas.

Leo's pupils suddenly contracted.

"It really is this book..."

When the scarred thug mentioned the strange book earlier, he had a vague suspicion, which is why he killed the two men without hesitation after interrogating them.

Because he knew very well that anyone who owned this book would treasure it and carry it with them at all times; Scott did so, and now it seemed that the scarred thug would as well.

Even if you guess wrong, it's okay.

Leo is not the kind of person who would recklessly put himself in danger for the sake of potential benefits.

He had briefly browsed the book before, but unfortunately, the text seemed to be obscured by some force, and he was unable to see much of the content.

Now that he is a "prospective professional," perhaps he will be able to see more content?

With that thought in mind, he opened the book.

The large part in front is still invisible, but a small part near the back, perhaps because his basic attributes have improved, can finally be seen.

It's still Scott's record, but it contains the most crucial part: the recipe for the thief's potion!

Leo was invigorated.

「……小偷魔药的配方如下：幽影猫的完整尾骨1根、风乾曼陀罗花粉5克、夜行枭的血液10毫升、纯净水100毫升、1枚被小偷窃取过三次的货币。」

Next to the recipe, there is a footnote left by Scott:

"...{graffiti} Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! All the other materials can be found, but the complete tailbone of the Shadow Cat, which is the main material, is nowhere to be found!"

"Forget about the Shadow Cat, there's still no news about other small Shadow monsters that could replace the main material!"

"It's been more than half a year since we got any news from the secret black market at Falling Star Harbor."

"The radiance of the Seven Rulers shines upon the world, making it difficult to find Shadow-type monsters to begin with. Moreover, this year, with the Sun dominating, it's practically impossible to find any Shadow monsters!"

"It seems that the only way to meet the requirements of the potion is to risk using a blood substitution ritual!"

"Leo, if you have to blame someone, blame your bad luck... The White People's dying wish, combined with the ritual requirements, according to Ms. Leona, gives you a chance to concoct a superior potion with effects comparable to the original!"

As Leo looked at the footnotes, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Seven ruling powers, [the sun]?

Bai Zhimin, the Last Mandate?

The more Leo learned, the deeper his doubts became.

"In the end, my understanding of 'mysticism' is still too superficial."

"Even the seven in power are unknown, specifically who the seven are."

"By the way, Scott's footnote mentions a secret black market at the port? Maybe they sell knowledge related to the occult there."

"I need to find an opportunity to go there."

"Regarding the White People and the last will, we can start with the original owner's older brother who was taken in by a stranger."

"Also, shadow-type monsters are almost extinct in the Western Regions, but there might be a chance to find them in the Kingdom of Auster?"

Leo took a deep breath, preparing to turn the page.

The next page will contain the specific methods for preparing the potion.

"Shadow Sequence 9, the thief's potion-making process consists of four steps."

"First, prepare a non-metallic container, such as a glass or ceramic crucible, and pour in 100 ml of purified water. Then, slowly drip 10 ml of Night Owl's blood along the inner wall of the container, being careful not to pour it directly. While dripping, stir clockwise at a uniform speed until..."

The preparation steps are written in great detail, and the overall difficulty is not high. It can be said that with the main ingredients, even an ordinary person can successfully prepare the ingredients after failing once or twice.

"Next, are the precautions for 'Shadow Sequence 9 - The Thief'..."

Leo stared intently at the screen, then subconsciously turned the page.

However, the moment his fingertips touched the edge of the page, something unexpected happened!

On the next page, a hidden, eerie light suddenly burst forth without warning.

Extremely fast!

Leo's pupils suddenly contracted.

It's a trap!

In a flash, the thought popped into his head.

The Gospel of Thomas was deliberately left behind by Leannat.

She sent two thugs to the old house, not for the house itself, but to force "Leo" to appear by pressuring the original owner's family.

Once he shows up, he will inevitably take action against the two thugs, and then naturally obtain the book from them again.

Using the thief's potion recipe and mixing method as bait, the true intention is revealed when he is completely engrossed in watching!

After all, given the original owner's past thirst for the occult, she would never let go of the information about the thief stealing the potions.

Perhaps there are other methods, but he triggered this one first.

Great!

Leo felt frustrated, and before his eyes, the eerie light rapidly magnified.

In that critical moment, his body's instincts acted before his brain could, controlling his body to react accordingly.

Release the hand holding the book, tilt the head to the side, lean the upper body back...

The "Perception +1" and "Agility +1" provided by the [Slide Step] lv.5 proved to be a lifesaver at this moment.

The faint light almost grazed Leo's cheek.

Before Leo could catch his breath, the glare that had been shot off coursed around in mid-air and shot toward him again.

There's no escaping it!

That close dodge had exhausted Leo's energy, and more importantly, his body couldn't withstand that kind of extreme dodging repeatedly in a short period of time.

"It would be great if it also had the [Slash] mastery effect."

"The increased basic strength and physical attributes are enough for me to perform multiple extreme dodges in a short period of time."

The thought flashed through his mind, and a resolute glint appeared in Leo's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he directly activated his trump card—[Mirror Returns to Heaven and Earth]!

"Buzz—"

In an instant, his figure vanished into thin air.

"laugh!"

The eerie light struck the area behind where Leo had been standing, leaving a strange black mark on the hard blue bricks.

A moment later, the mark gradually disappeared, as if it had never existed.

……

Time passed by, second by second.

Less than a minute.

A slender figure appeared silently deep within this dark alley.

She was wearing a large black hooded cloak that covered her entire body.

Leona stopped in front of the abandoned wooden crate, glanced down at the two already cold corpses on the ground, her eyes showing no emotion.

My gaze swept over an old book lying quietly to the side.

She bent down and gently picked up the Gospel of Thomas with her slender fingers, clad in black lace gloves.

"He's still alive..."

From beneath the hood came a very soft, slightly surprised murmur.

"Leo...you're more interesting than I expected."

She gazed into the distance, her eyes traversing the vast distance in a peculiar way, landing on the figures rapidly approaching them. A hint of annoyance crept into her voice:

"These hyenas, as always, have an incredibly keen sense of smell, which is repulsive..."

She tucked the book into her bosom and turned to leave.

At that moment, she stopped in her tracks and suddenly looked up.

On the rooftop of a three-story building in the distance, another person in black robes was standing.

It was tall and wore a pure white mask on its face.

His indifferent gaze fell on Leona.

There was no dialogue, no conversation.

next moment.

A blinding, cold white flame suddenly erupted deep within the alley.

After a while.

When the group, led by the man in the trench coat, arrived at the scene, all that remained before them was a desolate wasteland of ashes.

"This spiritual fluctuation..." The man in the trench coat, with a pipe dangling from his lips and his collar turned up high, said with a cold look in his eyes, "Besides the mastermind behind the last blasphemy ritual, there's another kind that's never appeared before."

"Are the two in an adversarial relationship? Or is there some other reason?"

"Heh, with the Star Festival approaching, Falling Star Harbor is getting more and more lively."