I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 76 Guards and Gangsters

The loud explosion startled the guards, who were dozing off on patrol, as they looked at each other in bewilderment. The young guard cursed and took out a siren, putting it in his mouth and blowing it before the older guard could stop him.

A piercing whistle tore through the night sky. Countless citizens, awakened by the explosion, quickly checked to make sure their windows were closed before retreating back into their beds, hoping not to become innocent victims of the conflict.

After activating the fireball scroll worth 100 gold coins and throwing it at the enemy who was following him, DuPont turned around, pulled out the longsword he had just bought, and launched a counterattack against the enemies who were injured by the fireball.

I was just about to go back and study this book, "The Ultimate Nine Swords," when these bastards actually started to think they were something special.

The Ring of Dark Vision was already activated, and the pitch-black night was only slightly dim to DuPont. With a single sword strike, he killed the three stupid thieves who were closest to him, who hadn't escaped from the center of the explosion and were still lying on the ground, unable to get up due to their severe injuries. With a wave of his hand, he smashed the chest of a black-clad man on his left who was drinking a healing potion. DuPont continued to chase to the left with his sword raised, only to see five pitch-black crossbow bolts flying towards him.

It turned out that the people on the other side had finished their healing potion and had begun to try to snipe tonight's target.

Two crossbow bolts missed their mark and flew into the night, but three more bolts flew toward DuPont's body. DuPont merely glanced at them without dodging. He simply activated the defensive bracers on his forearm, reversed the blade, and knocked the short sword from the hand of the man in front of him who had just drunk a healing potion but was still seriously injured and trying to resist. He beheaded him with a single stroke.

As Dupont raised his sword, three crossbow bolts struck him precisely, but only made three clanging sounds before falling to the ground.

The eyes of the men who were ambushing him on the right almost popped out of their sockets, but DuPont just smiled coldly and ignored the dagger that the last thief on the left was thrusting at him. He traded blows and pierced through the enemy.

At this moment, with his Agility of 14 and Constitution of 18, and the Barbarian's innate defense, his skin hardens to a degree comparable to heavy armor during battle. With the addition of +3 defense bracers, he is tougher even when naked than a full set of plate armor worth a thousand gold. This rabble of light crossbowmen thought they could break through his defense?
It will only hurt for a moment and then it will be over!

Seeing that the sneak attack had failed, the men on the right shouted, "The intelligence was wrong, the old bird is pretending to be young!" and then slipped away. However, the slowest one was hit by a series of arcane missiles and fell to his knees. He looked at DuPont, who was coming with a sword, and was horrified. He pulled down his mask and put on a flattering smile: "Haha, Brother Xiao Se, this is really unfortunate."

“Johnny?” DuPont glanced at the orc who had greeted him warmly just an hour ago and sneered, “Looks like I’ve been on your radar ever since I came in, huh?”

"How could that be? I was ordered to come here. Spare my life, and I'll tell you who it was."

"I don't care." DuPont raised his sword and plunged it into the man's heart. Just then, a crossbow bolt struck the orc's head. Johnny, who was already mortally wounded, was beyond saving. His head lolled to the side and he died instantly.

DuPont frowned and looked up at the roof 30 meters away.

Damn it, which bastard stole my experience?

It was difficult to see a masked man clearly in the dark. The man didn't bother with DuPont and simply slipped away. As he retreated, all the people who had been lying in ambush around him also withdrew. Three seconds later, DuPont took the small bag from Johnny's waist, the dagger in his hand, and the light crossbow on the ground, and quickly walked towards another corpse.

I didn't see anything valuable. The best thing I saw was the enchanted razor, worth 300 gold. However, these people all carried some healing potions or magic potions.

However, hearing the approaching siren, DuPont knew this wasn't the time to look for things. After searching the pockets and purses of the corpses, DuPont's fingers moved rapidly, silently casting a spell that made his body instantly transparent.

Second-level Illusion Spell: Invisibility

One minute after DuPont left, two patrolling guards finally arrived at the scene. The younger guard was wearing the same ring as DuPont. His originally gentle eyes furrowed when he saw the cruel scene on the ground: "It's only been two minutes since we got here. He killed six people in such a short time. What speed and ruthlessness."

Just then, the older guard arrived, panting heavily and looking like he was about to die. He glanced at the scene but his expression remained unchanged, simply replying, "Ha, these scoundrels are getting more and more unruly. Fighting in the street this late at night... They didn't even bother to find a warehouse or something to fight in, and they left without even cleaning up the place..."

“Uncle Martin, you said it’s normal for people to be selling sex at night and we shouldn’t disturb their legitimate transactions because prostitutes are also honorable taxpayers. You also said it’s normal for people to fight because drunks will cause trouble in the street, which is better than going home and beating their wives and children, I agree with that. But six people died in one night, we can’t just let it go like this, can we?”

The old guard looked at the young paladin who had come from a big city for an internship with a headache: "Isn't it common knowledge that the people of the Northwest are fierce and tough? Besides, look at what these people are wearing. They're either thieves or gangsters. Every single one of them deserves to die. If they all died, White Stone City would be more peaceful. After we leave them here, someone will come and collect their bodies."

“This is different.” The young guard shook his head and took out a magic lamp from the space bag in his waist pouch: “Look at the wounds on these corpses. They were obviously all from the same blade. They also have burns. The ones in the middle of the road are even more gruesome. Their eyes are bulging and their mouths are full of blood. Their internal organs are probably crushed. This is definitely the power of a fireball or dwarven explosives.”

"There was no smell of sulfur at the scene. The dwarf residents of Whitestone City are few in number, and most of them don't live in the lower city and don't need to worry about the threat from the gangs. It can be basically determined that it has nothing to do with them. So this conflict can be seen as a clash between this group of people, a formal mage, and a highly skilled warrior. The battle was fierce, and both sides fought to the death."

“You’re wrong, Deva. This wasn’t a fierce battle; it was a one-sided affair.” Martin shook his head upon hearing the young guard’s analysis. He walked over to Johnny and glanced at the familiar orc criminal, but the man was already dead.

"Look at their horrified expressions, their eyes still filled with disbelief. They were clearly unprepared for what happened to them. These guys are either thieves or assassins, all skilled at cunning. It's almost impossible for them to be ambushed. They must have messed with the wrong people or underestimated their targets, which is why they died such a gruesome death."

“You’re right…” Deva walked to the house on the left and looked at the crossbow bolt on the ground: “This was an accident, it shouldn’t have hit the shield and been blocked… wait, there’s cloth on it.”

Seeing how serious the trainee guard was, Martin sighed silently, took out a cigarette and a match, and quietly lit it on the other side.

“Hey, uncle, even if you’re not going to help, you shouldn’t have disturbed the scene, right?” Deva said with some dissatisfaction, her black ponytail bouncing as she straightened her swan-like neck. “This is a very serious murder case. We should find the murderer and bring him to justice so that those annoying bandits in White Rock City will behave themselves.”

“If bandits could behave themselves, would they still be bandits?” The old guard flicked off his cigarette ash, his voice hoarse. “They’re used to killing, robbing, and plundering. You expect them to work like laborers, carrying wheat and stones, toiling away for a few silver coins a day? That’s simply unrealistic.” Deva was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head firmly. “You’re right, but we can use our own methods to drive them out. Letting them become adventurers and earn bounties is much better than letting them wreak havoc in this city.”

“If they had that idea, they wouldn’t be here in the gang,” Martin exhaled a smoke ring, looking at the corpses on the ground without any pity in his eyes. “These scoundrels are afraid of monsters and hard work. They can’t endure the hardship and don’t want to suffer. As professionals, they choose to come back and bully ordinary people to try to become superior. There will always be a lot of these good-for-nothings. Even if you kill a group, new ones will appear like lice. You can’t kill them all.”

Deva was somewhat surprised to hear this, and looked at her elderly colleague with her brown eyes: "You did that?"

“Perhaps?” The old guard shrugged. “I just don’t want to waste my time on them. It’s better to go somewhere else to check if there are any other conflicts with these people. After all, the person who killed them must be quite skilled. Maybe we can stop them from causing any new trouble.”

"But."

“It’s not even 2 o’clock yet. Are we supposed to leave one person here to watch the body and send another person back to call the colleague on night duty?” Old Martin pointed at the body: “If we do that, one of us might become one of them, and if we all go back together, the body will definitely be gone. It’s better if we come back to this area tomorrow and ask around, whether those gangs know anything about it.”

“Okay.” Deva said, taking out an image crystal to record the appearance of the corpses.

"These rich kids from the big city are so rich and so boring," the old guard thought to himself.

"By the way, would any legitimate mage really join a shady organization like a gang? I remember that legitimate mages can receive 600 gold coins a year just by registering, and they can sell their scrolls or magical items for good prices. They can live a comfortable life if they work hard. Would they really participate in such conflicts?" Deva asked casually after finishing her work, which stumped Martin.

"The probability isn't very high. After all, we're not in those chaotic countries outside. Even adventurers are registered. Normally, it's only tricksters or some wicked sorcerers who join gangs, but their levels aren't very high."

"In other words, this is either a rogue mage from out of town, or a second-circle spellcaster who can use a third-circle fireball scroll. They could be a warlock or a mage apprentice." A hint of excitement flashed in Deva's eyes as she thought of this. "It's getting late, and they need to rest. Given this unexpected situation, they would either return to their residence or go back to their inn. If they are from out of town, the latter is more likely!"

The old guard sighed inwardly after hearing this; this city girl really knew how to cause trouble: "So, you mean?"

"Let's go investigate the surrounding hotels now and see who are from out of town and who are monks. That way we'll have some suspects."

"Alright, but remember to play it by ear. Someone who can kill six professionals in a short time is definitely not ordinary. Even if they suddenly attack and disregard our safety, one fireball spell will kill enough civilians to get rid of you as a trainee guard, and I can go to my grave early and not have to think about retirement."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't be so reckless." Deva excitedly gripped the hilt of her sword, which was enchanted with the attribute of kindness and glowed slightly.
-
This is the dividing line of the Supreme Slash -——
"Two outsiders or two adventurers? No." The landlady of Tiflin yawned, looking much more listless than before, her expression impatient. "See for yourself, I'm dying of sleep."

“Madam, I must warn you, six people just died in the street, and the horrible killer might be in your shop.” Deva’s face hardened, her arm guard resting on the bar, her eyebrows raised. “This is for your safety!”

"Six people? I've seen 30 people die in one night before." The landlady pushed the hotel registration form forward: "Go ahead and check it if you're not afraid of getting scolded. Anyway, my register is absolutely identical to the actual guests."

Judging from the landlady's tone, the old guard knew she wasn't lying. Deva, looking at the ring on her hand, also knew it was true. However, just because the other party was telling the truth didn't mean it was. She picked up the roster and said, "Thank you for your cooperation. Let's go, uncle."

As the two guards continued their investigation, the inn was thrown into chaos. However, looking at the ring on her hand that had never lit up, Deva was somewhat discouraged.

Perhaps those people live further away? Or perhaps thugs hired by other gangs have already moved into their secret bases?

While she was hesitating, Deva knocked on the most luxurious room in the room. Soon, an impatient voice came from inside: "I've already ordered one, can you please stop trying to sell me anything!"

Deva looked embarrassed, but the old guard seemed unfazed and whispered, "There's been a murder today, so the guards are checking the rooms."

"So annoying." About twenty seconds later, the door opened, and a young man in a bathrobe opened the door listlessly, looking at the man and woman outside: "See? Hurry up and leave after you've seen it. I have to catch my train tomorrow morning if you don't sleep."

".Name."

DuPont.

Do you have a pass?

DuPont pulled out his apprentice mage badge: "Third-year student at Northwest College. Go check it out yourself if you don't believe me."

"A mage apprentice?" The female guard looked at her ring, a gesture that made DuPont lower his eyes. Seeing this, the old guard suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

Decades of experience as a security guard told him that this kind-looking young man suddenly had murderous intent.

Is it
　I don't have any drafts saved up for publication. I'll post it tomorrow at noon. I'll see how many chapters I can manage.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)