A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Only those who have witnessed, or even experienced, countless deaths can develop this kind of look.

But Thomas ignored him and sat down in front of him, pouring himself a cup of tea.

After taking a small sip, Thomas put down his cup. His behavior was completely unkind to the etiquette of a guest.

The conversation between the two people only started at this time.

"Sir Knight," the sleazy man said. "I wonder why you requested to see me?"

"Haakon the Rat?" Thomas said arrogantly. "I was originally looking for the boss of the Rust Gang, but now I have no choice but to come to you."

Haakon wanted to refute the other party's words forcefully.

That's not the boss, but the former boss. He is dead, so I am the boss now.

But when he opened his mouth, he found that he could not make any sound.

Because he knew clearly that he was not the designated successor of his predecessor.

Over the past few years, he has been in charge of most of the gang's affairs, but because of his background and appearance, he has always been looked down upon and ridiculed.

Maintaining control of an underground gang is a delicate art. Leaders must prioritize their reputation above all else. Besides ensuring their decisions are respected and punishments are carried out, they must also convince the public that they are not some evil organization, but rather that their existence benefits everyone.

In this way, the rule can last long.

Of course, you can also do the opposite and rely on a bad reputation! This is equally effective, but you must be prepared for a short-lived dynasty.

Internal and external enemies would love to overthrow a notorious criminal organization.

But no matter what, one thing is certain, that is, reputation is the key factor in everything.

A man like Haakon the Mouse could never have become the Boss, because a Boss had to be either of unblemished reputation, or at least could be presented as such, or notorious.

This is a fatal flaw, and perhaps this is also the important reason why the former boss trusted him and was willing to entrust those important tasks to him.

He just happens to have an unsuitable appearance. If you combine the images of a "thief" in different people's minds, you might get his face.

Therefore, the slanderous title of "rat" stuck to his head like a stubborn stain.

There were rumors that he was a kleptomaniac, and that he still committed crimes from time to time. Because his skills were not up to par, he was caught in the act, which was extremely embarrassing.

He was irritated by the arrogance of the young knight, but he could not lose his temper.

He knew full well that these upper-class people always looked down on the dregs of society. And he, on the other hand, could keep his composure and not share the same views with these ignorant dandies. They simply didn't live in the same world!

He secretly swore that he would never meet this knight again!

"So, what can I do for you?" he asked finally.

"I'm looking for a stranger from Kiev," Thomas said proudly. "A Crescent-Evangelist. Perhaps not dressed like one, though..."

"Then how to find it?"

"It's none of my business, but isn't rummaging through gutters what rats are best at? Just like stealing is what thieves are best at. Oh, I forgot, you're a clumsy thief, and you often get caught stealing."

Thomas clearly saw the blood vessels on the other person's forehead swell.

Chapter 41 Assassin 3

Janos, who was standing behind him, was startled and wanted to alert Thomas, but Thomas had already made a silent gesture to him, signaling him to be quiet.

Haakon the Mouse thought back to his past years.

Even if he became the former boss's henchman and was protected by the boss, his life was not easy because many people envied his position - a position that they could not reach.

When they can't use swords and daggers against you, they will use another method.

For example, spreading rumors and ridicule.

Some things aren't actually funny when told publicly, but people just can't get enough of them. Perhaps they just want to see Haakon the Mouse's reaction to hearing these things, like his red-faced and angry defense that everything is a lie. Watch him argue passionately, yet his words are weak and incoherent.

But gradually, he realized that this was useless.

At some point, he learned to smile at people's teasing, which eventually led to him engaging in comical antics to match the conversation, like walking on tiptoe and pretending to reach into people's pockets. With the aura of a thief, his performances were lively and always made everyone laugh, even his former boss, who defended him.

He gradually stopped being angry about it. Because by then, he had completely woken up from his dream of being appreciated and making a name for himself, and understood the state he was in. He had to, and could only, allow this situation to continue, ensuring that everyone's jealousy would not exceed a certain limit.

That went beyond the limits of the boss's intimidation.

Only then will he be safe.

He waited silently, waiting for the day when the former boss would die. Meanwhile, he accumulated his own manpower and wealth, and accumulated his own experience and skills.

He knew that all the contempt and ridicule would disappear one day.

Things turned out just as he expected. After the previous boss died, or to be more specific, after the boss's designated successor quietly disappeared, no one dared to call him a "rat" in front of him anymore.

He hadn't heard such a topic in a long time, nor had he even seen the words related to it. His men even tore down the advertisements posted on the streets by businesses seeking rat exterminators.

This made him feel that the dark page in his life had been gently turned over, and everything was different.

From being unable to bear the humiliation, to actively catering to it, and now, he thought he could ignore similar topics.

To cater to others is to tolerate them, while to ignore them is to feel relieved.

But now, Thomas repeatedly touched the scars on his heart, and finally realized that he had not let go at all. At most, he was just pretending to let go.

Those painful memories are always there, they are just temporarily covered up, not truly healed.

At that moment, his eyes became ferocious and terrifying, and he felt extremely angry and out of control - fortunately, it was only for a moment.

The self-control developed from countless past experiences allowed him to control himself and he did not order his men hiding behind the secret door to rush out and chop these daring knights into pieces.

Killing them is easy, but the consequences are too serious.

Different worlds have different rules, and communication between different worlds also has rules.

Even the supreme ruler cannot transcend these rules, not to mention that he is not the supreme ruler.

His position is not yet secure.

"There must be some intelligence to identify them, right? Just looking for people out of thin air is too much. There are at least twenty Star-Moon Cultists from outside the area every day!"

"Hmm..." Thomas frowned and hesitated for a long time. "That's an Assassin."

The name "Assassin" is indeed well-known to everyone, or in other words, it is notorious.

As soon as the word came out, the other party understood exactly what Thomas was going to do.

No one would allow an Assassin to sneak into their territory. Who knows what these lunatics will do?

But there was no way to start a big fight, after all, there was only one person.

If the whole city were to be searched for just one person, the economy of Kiev would be ruined.

That's why this knight came to me.

Haakon the Mouse stared at the young knight before him, nodded, and gave a sardonic smile: "I'll go find him."

There was anger and malice in that smile.

"I'm not a patient man, hurry up." Thomas said, stood up and left with his two men.

"Master Thomas, you've... angered him a little." Janos reminded as they walked out of the house.

They already knew what the other party was taboo about, but Thomas just humiliated the other party again and again.

This is not asking for a favor, but an insult, a complete insult.

Not to mention helping, the other person was filled with rage. Janos was certain that "Rat" Haakon was definitely planning to kill him.

In fact, it is not difficult for the rulers of the underworld to kill people like Thomas.

Ten florins could buy a killer who was willing to sacrifice his life for money, five florins could buy a musket - and with a little more money, a few stalkers could be arranged, and it would only cost no more than twenty florins to make Thomas suddenly disappear in the suburbs one day (or even in the city, not the suburbs).

“Yes, I think so,” Thomas replied.

He was facing the other person, so he could clearly see the blue veins on his forehead and the murderous intent in his eyes.

It must be said that even the lower classes have heroes. Take, for example, Haakon the Rat. While unremarkable in appearance, his endurance is truly remarkable.

"Then why did you..."

"I have nothing." Thomas said simply. "And what does Assassin have to do with him, a gang leader?"

It was impossible for the Assassins to assassinate the boss of the underground world. Even if he was the Qin Shi Huang who unified the six kingdoms in the underground world of Kiev, he would not have the qualifications.

Although Thomas was considered upper class, he was just an ordinary member of the Order.

He had no leverage to buy off Haakon the Rat, not even a little bit. If he had any, it would only be empty promises.

After all, the other party is the leader of the underground world, knowledgeable, cunning and experienced. It is highly likely that his trick of simply making big promises will be useless.

He also had no leverage to threaten "Rat" Haakon. If the other party didn't want to see him, Thomas was sure that he would never be able to find him.

So, if you go to them under normal circumstances, the best result you will get is an empty promise to "help you find it".

As for whether any effort was put in or whether any subordinates were mobilized... Thomas had no way of verifying it.

There is a high probability that even such an empty promise will not be achieved.

Thomas had to say something, which was that he still had a little money.

Thousands of florins.

It's easy to tell that this amount of money is not enough to satisfy "Mouse" Haakon's appetite.

Bribing a follower, maid, or something like that is fine, but bribing the boss of an underground gang is far from enough.

So, Haakon the "rat" must be given a motive.

Hatred was the only solution Thomas could come up with.

It is for hatred and revenge that people are motivated to do things they would never do otherwise.

For example, now, Thomas felt that "Mouse" Haakon must be thinking about how to take revenge on him.

Moreover, he must have received intelligence from the Assassins, otherwise he would not have smiled like that.

The smashing of the cup was a signal, and the guards rushed out. The one who hacked Thomas to death was an ordinary person.

The one who pretended to agree and then sent assassins to kill Thomas was an old fox.

Those who try every possible means to collude with the Assassins to kill Thomas, or at least make Thomas' plan fail and be ruined, are psychologically twisted people.

Thomas guessed that Haakon must be a mentally twisted person.

Long-term repression, difficult endurance, and sacrificing one's dignity for the sake of achieving goals will definitely distort a person's psychology.

Of course, "Rat" Haakon may choose to deal with Thomas alone, but this is an inevitable risk.

Things in the world are always like this. Who can have everything go smoothly and as they wish?

Chapter 42 Assassin 4

Thomas quickly left the city and returned to his base.

It takes a little time to ferment.

Young people lose control of their anger and hatred and explode on the spot. Older people rarely make this mistake.

But this does not mean that there is no anger and hatred when people get older, but that their emotions need some time to ferment.

Thomas returned to his base, undressed, and applied the potion.

Not just small-scale application, but applying everything that can be applied.

Then he took out the Book of Steel Soul and carefully read the methods of training mental strength.

A variety of training methods, from meditation, to daily exercises, to some tips for improving concentration.

It's not difficult to learn, but it takes a lot of time to practice.

According to a saying from the previous life, it requires decades of hard practice.

This is the difference between the Awakened and the Cultivators. As elites, the Awakened can awaken the innate power within their bloodlines in a short period of time, while the Cultivators must proceed step by step, gradually tapping into the potential within their bloodlines.

Fortunately, Thomas has the Broken Godhead.

During this time, he had been observing the damaged divine nature without using any divine power.

But now, after such a long time, there is still no answer.

The sacrificial knife was still there, and the damaged godhead remained the same. Aside from the sudden appearance of a shadowy image of the sacrificial knife, nothing seemed different.