Ordinarily, the underworld tended to form around the most prosperous noble families.
This was because where money gathered, so did people.
However, the North was an exception.
It wasn’t because there were no slums around the Speda Duke’s castle.
Rather, there were simply more suitable places for those at the bottom to gather,
“It’s gloomy, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, the land is so barren. They say many residents who can’t afford to live within the castle walls, or those who lost their homes to monsters, are numerous.”
The tunnels created by the demon tribe for invasion in the past.
Now, they have become the very grounds of the underworld.
But that’s just the size of this space.
Looking closer, it was nothing more than a hollow gingerbread.
Perno licked his lips and looked around.
“It’s strangely quiet for the number of people here. In other places, by now, we would have encountered tattoo-covered brutes picking fights.”
“It’s because it’s the North.”
Unlike the underworlds in other branches, there were no forceful organizations like an assassins’ guild.
The reason was simple.
Such a forceful organization could not be overlooked in the military city of the North.
“In a place where every soldier counts against the demon tribe, such people can’t exist.”
Ruling the underworld as a commoner?
Rather than leaving the back of one’s head empty, it would be better to put a commander’s helmet on them and let them play in the battlefield.
Such was the judgment of the nobles, leading to thorough oppression and conscription of the underworld.
The reason the Northern thieves’ guild focused more on gathering and selling information, rather than plundering, was also due to this.
Therefore, what Perno was doing was akin to taking the liver out of a flea, a mere trifle.
“Hahaha, I’m looking forward to this.”
When Perno started whistling and giggling, I couldn’t help but grimace.
Where was the person who once seriously advised me that life is more important than money, now lost in the craze for relics?
“You better give me my fair share! Since you haven’t been much of a teacher, consider it your compensation.”
Of course, I wasn’t much different.
“When are we going to do it?”
“The auction starts tomorrow and lasts about a week. The real deals come out on the last day, so that’s what we should aim for.”
A week later, then.
I felt a bit uneasy.
If the Frostroot I was eyeing was sold before then, all this effort would be in vain.
‘No, that’s an unnecessary worry.’
The real deals that elevate the reputation of the auction house.
But Frostroot, in all likelihood, might remain in the auction house until the end for the opposite reason.
As a literal double-edged sword with temporary effects,
there probably won’t be many rushing to spend money on it.
“Then, as a teacher, I should teach you something. Did you have any trouble with the book I gave you?”
“Is that a joke?”
Trouble? There was plenty.
Self-learning without a proper demonstration was quite challenging.
If it weren’t for the system’s assistance, I would have only learned some basic skills like disguise or pickpocketing.
This was a good opportunity.
It was time to take advantage of my nominal teacher.
“About the movement technique, I don’t quite understand the counterattack part.”
Essentially the essence of the book, the S-grade skill
‘Shadow-like Evasion’ included stealth, evasion, and surely this explanation too.
[Counterattack damage bonus based on agility during a parry]
In any action RPG, parrying symbolizes high risk, high return.
The skill to counterattack at the exact moment would undoubtedly be a huge help.
‘But I’ve failed every time.’
Bitterness seemed to pool in my saliva; my mouth tasted sour.
It was probably also because the system’s assistance wasn’t quite effective.
More than anything, unlike evading, I couldn’t quite get the hang of it.
“Dodging an enemy’s attack wasn’t too hard, but counterattacking is a different realm.”
As the topic of movement techniques came up, his eyes widened.
“You’ve grasped that already? Sheesh. Is this the difference in talent?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The movement technique, the movement technique. Well, if you hadn’t mastered it, you wouldn’t have made a name for yourself.”
“Didn’t you give it to me to learn?”
As I tilted my head, he seemed displeased and clicked his tongue before speaking.
“How long do you think it took me to master that technique?”
“I guess about a year?”
It took me roughly a month to grasp the various skills in the book, including the movement technique.
But I was speechless at his gesture of spreading the fingers of both hands widely.
And he didn’t stop there; he clenched one hand into a fist.
“To think you’ve rendered my fifteen years a waste of time. I’m not sure whether to be relieved that I have a genius as a disciple or to feel sick to my stomach hearing you boast.”
Perno rubbed the back of his head as if he had a headache.
“Still, I’m glad there’s something left for me to teach. Let’s change our location. There are too many eyes here.”
“Understood.”
Though he mentioned many people, it was only true for the central streets of the underworld with heating facilities.
Just a bit further out, and there were hardly any signs of life.
“Alright, this should do. Get into position like when we spar.”
“Sure.”
No sooner had I taken out the Raven’s Claw from my pocket, Perno too drew a dazzlingly jeweled dagger.
So, he’s a thief too, smothering himself in relics just like me.
“That’s a fine sword.”
He seemed to think similarly, scrutinizing my sword while keeping his gaze fixed on it.
“The handle seems to be coated with black onyx, and the blade is well-maintained. It looks familiar, but…”
“Stop eyeing your disciple’s relic and start the lesson.”
I narrowed my eyes and issued a warning.
I came here to learn the movement technique, not to get my sword appraised.
“Ahem, son, don’t embarrass me. Anyway, try to receive an attack. That should give you a feel for it.”
-Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, Perno disappeared from my sight.
“What the… a smoke bomb?”
Thinking about it, he was the type to favor explosive tools like magic bombs and smoke grenades.
It was foolish of me to expect a conventional sparring lesson from a thief master.
I swung my sword to clear the smoke with the wind pressure, but he had long since vanished.
However, even if he wasn’t visible to the eye, his presence was still distinctly felt.
‘Perno is still here.’
I was certain he was lurking somewhere nearby.
If that’s the case, I need to make the most of my skills.
-Whoosh.
I let my sword hand fall loosely.
Then, closing my eyes, I heightened all my senses.
-…What are you doing? With an enemy in front of you.
Soon a voice echoed in my head, the same telepathy I experienced in the ruins of the Nameless King.
“Sorry, but I don’t have the ability to see through your stealth! I’m just doing what I think is best.”
-Strange guy… Alright, I understand. If you have a plan, that’s fine.
The moment the telepathy ceased, I felt a strange tickle at my throat.
No doubt about it. It was the same killing intent I felt when facing Bathory.
Something similar was lurking underground.
Soon, a colorful trail created by the dazzling jewels on a blade flew towards me.
Somehow breaking through the underground rock, the blade strike aimed precisely at my neck.
-…Huh. Avoid this?
But his attack was in vain.
Leaning back and jumping, I performed a movement akin to acrobatics, managing not to fall.
Landing in a backflip, albeit unsteadily.
“We haven’t been apart long, yet you’ve already reached such a state.”
While Perno expressed his amazement, I was catching my breath.
The moment I sensed the direction of the killing intent, I barely managed to dodge by leaping.
I couldn’t even think about counterattacking; I just barely escaped with my body intact.
But given my pathetic physical condition, not only was my stamina depleted, but I also felt a headache from the sensation of mana draining away, as if part of my brain was emptied.
Indeed, avoiding a strike from such a high-level individual seemed to drain a significant amount of mana.
“Now it’s my turn!”
I quickly stepped forward before he could hide again.
The best defense is offense.
If I let him use another smoke bomb, I would be conceding the initiative, so I had to act first.
***
-Clang!
Perno broke into a cold sweat as the dark blade aimed for his neck.
‘Such a terrifying rate of growth.’
On the verge of retirement and having come to the North,
he found himself in awe of the shining gem before him.
The strike he had thrown, partly to assert his authority as a teacher, was deftly avoided by the very person proving himself to be the Frost Mane he had claimed.
‘…Honestly, when he said he had grasped and mastered most of the book’s content, I thought it was just bravado.’
But that movement was unmistakably the same secret movement technique he used.
‘Ah, he must have honed his skills serving as a squire to that promising knight.”‘
Watching him not miss the opportunity to strike back at him, it was clear that he was skilled not only in fleeing but also in combat.
However, he was definitely mistaken about something.
“Firstly, there are two main things to point out. This is not a sparring session, it’s a lesson.”
-Clang!
The clash of black and gold blades sparked.
A test of strength, rare in a dagger fight.
In a flash, Perno twisted his wrist, applying weight and pushing forward.
Unlike himself, rich in experience, his young apprentice still showed deficiencies in technique.
“Ugh!”
“Well, if it were a sparring match, your approach would be correct. Evading and then relentlessly attacking is the best strategy you can adopt in actual combat. But the very act of trying to evade in the first place was a mistake.”
He shouldn’t have dodged that attack.
His strike was merely to induce Hans’s counterattack.
Wanting to learn the art of counterattacking in the movement technique.
Responding as he did was a neglect of his initial objective, especially at this early stage.
But a good teacher should be able to adapt to unexpected situations.
“Counterattacking is a high-difficulty skill requiring various elements. Broadly, it can be divided into two stages. First, like this, you face the weapon and accumulate the impact.”
That’s the basis of a counterattack.
Impossible to achieve while evading.
“And the next step is simple. Like this.”
-Clang!
As he raised the dagger, both of their arms shot up into the air.
He then shifted his body weight forward, thrusting his elbow into his opponent’s right shoulder.
“Ugh!”
“How about that? Impossible to dodge with that movement technique, right?”
Perno smirked.
His brash apprentice tried, but he couldn’t escape as his feet got entangled and he fell heavily.
“This way, using the accumulated impact as a basis, you deliver an unavoidable maximum blow to your opponent. That’s the essence of counterattacking.”
There were various methods.
Whether it’s destroying the opponent’s weapon, applying a joint lock, or, as he just did, hindering their feet.
In more advanced stages, it was even possible to induce exhaustion in the opponent through evasion and then counterattack.
However, as someone just beginning to learn the basics, there was something he needed to avoid.
He first needed to master blocking attacks efficiently to cause exhaustion in the opponent.
He understood why his disciple struggled with counterattacking.
“It seems that having become too accustomed to evasion, you focus only on avoiding attacks rather than blocking them.”
Knowing the problem is half the solution.
Given his remarkable talent so far, he should be able to learn quickly.
“Look at you, hanging around with knights and even catching their competitive spirit, huh?”
“It’s noisy here.”
Hans, forced to his knees, clenched his fists and trembled.
Perno’s lips curled up towards the sky.
It seemed Hans was deeply frustrated by his defeat against such a superior opponent.
“I understand. However, I still can’t quite grasp it. Please, let’s try again.”
‘Seeing this, competitiveness doesn’t seem entirely negative. He could become arrogant, indulging in his own talent, and the disappointment could be great, but still.’
Well, from a teacher’s perspective, it was a welcome challenge.
“Repeated training will surely be helpful. Let’s go again.”
This was the same person who learned the movement technique just by glancing at a book.
Imagine what kind of monster he could become if talent was combined with effort.
Perhaps even more notorious than the Sand Mole, a legendary thief might emerge in the North.
Perno felt a secret anticipation.
[The presence of a master has been confirmed.]
[Skill proficiency speed increases by 30%.]
Cliche Novel 