Chapter 9: Discretion, Above All Else

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“Critical hit! You struck a vital point, dealing 8 points of damage to the slime.”

“Second strike! You dealt 4 more points of damage to the slime.”

“You killed the slime and gained 10 experience points.”

Amidst the continuous notifications, I picked up a silver coin and a green crystal from the pool of green slime. Claiming my first loot from a monster since entering the game was quite a stroke of luck.

However, the player with the axe beside me probably wasn’t feeling as fortunate.

With a chuckle in my heart, I slowly stood up and looked at the axe-wielding player, whose face was frozen in disbelief as he stared at the green slime on the ground, unable to trust his own eyes.

I was just about to say something to “console” this player, who had just been bested by a low-level newcomer, when he spoke up first: “Don’t get cocky, kid. That one was already damaged, so it doesn’t count. Try again if you have the nerve!”

With that, his gaze shifted and he quickly scanned for his next target.

“That one!”

Before the words were fully out, he dashed toward a slime that had just respawned on the left, eager to redeem himself.

Watching his actions, I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly:

This guy’s clearly not thinking straight… He’s been trying to steal my kills from the start! Now he wants us to fight over the same monster… Ridiculous!

Shaking my head with a smile, I ignored him and darted toward a slime on the right.

My movement immediately caught the attention of the axe-wielder, who panicked. He suddenly remembered that his real goal was to prevent me from gaining experience on his turf. Hesitating for a moment as another slime approached, he gritted his teeth and chased after me.

Seeing him catch up again, I let out a cold smile and deliberately slowed my pace…

If someone wants to act as a free meat shield, I have no reason to refuse.

…

With my calculated “assistance,” he once again “secured” the initiative.

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Unfortunately, no matter how quick he was, he couldn’t ignore the weight of his axe—several times heavier than my short dagger, making it impossible for him to launch rapid consecutive attacks.

But my short dagger could!

At least in my hands, I could easily unleash a swift follow-up strike.

Just like before, I dealt over ten points of HP damage and gained 10 more experience points. Sadly, this time there was no quest item—no Strong Acid Crystal, not even a silver coin.

The only consolation was the disbelief in his eyes and the pallor of his face…

It was a perfect chance to deal him another blow.

But the wary, confused glances of nearby players toward me and the axe-wielder made me dismiss the idea.

… Now was not the time to provoke them!

As the academy instructor once said: never underestimate your opponents, and never try to anger enemies who outnumber you, unless your strength far surpasses them all combined!

At present, I knew I still wasn’t above them… Besides, their speed and attack were superior to mine. If a few of them focused on me seriously, they could easily pin me down…

With that in mind, I quickly checked my experience needed to level up.

Still 180 points short—maybe after leveling up, the stat increase would give me speed to match theirs, and then I could stand toe to toe with them. But not now!

Without making any moves to anger the axe-wielder, I turned and walked away…

As I expected, the axe-wielder glared at my back for several seconds, then chased after me.

Seeing the other six refocus on their own slimes, I breathed a sigh of relief, secretly amused, and quickly made for another slime.

…

One, two, three…

I kept moving, picking up speed.

The axe-wielder “cooperated” seamlessly with my actions, spurred on by my provocations to rush at my targets, block the monsters, attack, and then, as soon as the slime dropped, dash off to the next!

To the other six, it must have looked like I was desperately trying to steal the axe-wielder’s slimes…

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Any uninformed player might think we were in a party, so perfectly coordinated…

But they didn’t know that none of the experience was going to the axe-wielder; every single point flowed into my own pocket.

However, the good times didn’t last long! The axe-wielder’s ashen face and my constant collection of Strong Acid Crystals finally aroused the suspicion of the other six…

“Comic Young Master, are you alright?”

A burly player with golden lion tattoos on his face came over. Seeing Comic Young Master’s pale expression, his heart sank. He glanced around uneasily and asked in a worried tone.

He still found it hard to believe that a level 0 player wielding a 1–3 attack short dagger could snatch kills from Comic Young Master, whose level and weapon were both superior. But now…

With Comic Young Master’s expression and recalling our actions, it was hard not to see what was going on.

It was only when the lion-kin player approached that I learned the axe-wielder’s in-game name: “Comic Young Master.”

But now that someone else had come, it was impossible to keep the kill-stealing a secret. Without hesitation, I darted toward the nearest slime—just one more kill away from leveling up. Once I did, everything would change!

But as soon as I moved, both the lion-kin player and Comic Young Master looked my way!

“That bastard… Lion Fury, quick! Don’t let him get any more experience!” Comic Young Master roared furiously, though he didn’t move himself—now that his teammates were present, his earlier determination had vanished, and he left the task of stopping me to the lion-kin.

The lion-kin, unlike human players, had an innate strength advantage at the start. Their natural power made them one of the fastest races to level up in the early game, with an edge in kill-stealing over other players of the same level.

But Comic Young Master’s outburst made the lion-kin hesitate. He shot an odd look at the anxious young master—could that level 0 rookie really have snatched experience from him?

That brief moment of hesitation cost the lion-kin the chance to stop me from leveling up.

…

Seeing neither Comic Young Master nor the lion-kin pursue immediately, I let out a sigh of relief and quickly gathered myself.

From the moment I entered this area, Comic Young Master had been tanking the monsters—I hadn’t yet slain a single slime on my own. Now, finally, at the last moment before leveling up, the opportunity was mine.