Tina stared intently at the young girl opposite her, who had emerald-green hair and an expressionless face.
Her cold gaze and reckless attacking style clearly showed that she didn't care about the surrounding civilians at all. Given her demi-human identity, it made sense.
"This brat!"
Tina glanced out of the corner of her eye at the destroyed stalls; fortunately, there were no casualties.
Vine Entanglement!
Rumble~
The floor beneath her feet cracked.
Green vines grew rapidly, forming a net to surround Tina, then writhing and tightening to wrap around her.
Shing!
Tina's eyes flashed as she reached for her waist and pulled out a sharp dagger with blood-red patterns, spinning and slashing rapidly with herself as the center.
Crack, crack, crack!
The tightening green vines were quickly severed by the sharp dagger, turning into small, broken fragments that scattered in the air.
Tina leaped, flipping in mid-air and nimbly jumping out of the vine encirclement, landing steadily on the ground.
"That's enough. I don't have any hostile intent," Tina said coldly, her gaze passing over the Emerald Leaf Witch to look at a blonde girl behind her.
That unremarkable, ordinary-looking girl was the other member of "Free Will" named Enri.
Talk about bad luck!
Tina complained inwardly.
With her abilities, let alone tracking an ordinary person, even some powerful adventurers would find it difficult to detect her tracking techniques.
Yet she was actually discovered by that Emerald Leaf Witch.
It wasn't because of magic, but pure perception.
In the words of Rogues and Assassins, it would be called "Danger Perception," which is a vital ability for practitioners like them.
Because someone without this ability couldn't be called a qualified Rogue or Assassin.
There are generally two ways to master this technique: one is through training and long-term combat to slowly figure out the perception of danger.
The other belongs to those born with a keen sixth sense; coincidentally, some demi-human races have a much greater advantage in this area than humans.
There's actually a demi-human member in the "Free Will" adventurer team?
Although the Emerald Leaf Witch in front of her was disguised by a magic item, it was impossible to completely hide it from experts once she started a fight.
Tina was somewhat surprised.
Having a demi-human in an adventurer team is very rare. It's said that the Empire's Adamantite-rank adventurer team, "Silver Thread Bird," has a demi-human member.
And that's only because the Empire's thinking is relatively open, whereas demi-humans have always been unpopular within the Kingdom's borders.
Of course.
That wasn't the main reason for Tina's surprise; according to the information she had gathered, the leader of "Free Will" was a Genius alchemist who liked using demi-human blood to make alchemical potions.
Such a person shouldn't have any favorable feelings toward demi-humans.
The Emerald Leaf Witch continued to look coldly at Tina. She wasn't human, so she naturally didn't care about human rules and constraints.
The only one she would obey was her Master.
The human in front of her made the Emerald Leaf Witch feel threatened, so she had attacked without hesitation.
"Miss Emerald Leaf, the other party doesn't seem to have any hostile intent," Enri said, seeing the two in a standoff, nervously twisting the corner of her clothes.
The magic caused too much of a commotion.
This was the Royal Capital, where there should be many powerful figures and nobles.
Enri felt that if this continued, guards would arrest them, and she also worried about causing trouble for Lyle.
"Shut up."
The Emerald Leaf Witch spoke coldly without turning her head. The magical light on her hands flickered slightly, showing no intention of stopping.
She didn't release another spell immediately!
That was because the Emerald Leaf Witch sensed Lyle's arrival and was waiting for her Master's orders.
However.
After waiting for a brief moment, she found that her Master didn't appear, and immediately realized that Lyle had no intention of stopping her from continuing the attack.
In that case—
"Corruption Destruction!" The Emerald Leaf Witch sneered, looking at Tina and waving her hands.
A mass of acidic liquid emitting a strong corrosive smell instantly condensed in mid-air like raindrops and showered toward Tina.
Swish!
The corrosive liquid sliced through the air and spread out, forming a magical attack that was difficult to dodge.
Seeing that the Emerald Leaf Witch was still attacking, Tina's already expressionless face turned completely cold.
"Arrogant brat."
"This isn't a place where you can run wild. Since that's the case, I'll give you a good lesson on behalf of your leader."
Tina huffed, and the ground beneath her feet shook.
In an instant!
Tina turned into a black afterimage and charged from her spot. Facing the incoming corrosive liquid, her speed suddenly doubled.
At the moment the magic attack was about to fall, she had already left the spot and was sprinting toward the Emerald Leaf Witch at extreme speed.
Against a Magic Caster, opening up distance isn't a good choice. She had opened the distance before because she didn't want to fight, but since the other party insisted on it...
Tina naturally wouldn't hold back.
"Meeting me is your bad luck!"
Tina reached out and made a unique hand gesture, intending to use overwhelming advantage to win directly; once she got close to a Magic Caster, the opponent would lose:
"Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow!"
Shing!
In the blink of an eye, Tina turned into a mass of shadow and vanished into thin air, reappearing in the shadow behind the Emerald Leaf Witch.
A blonde ponytail emerged first from the shadow, followed by her entire figure rising out.
Tina swung the dagger with blood-red patterns toward the Emerald Leaf Witch's neck.
So fast!
A look of shock appeared on the Emerald Leaf Witch's face. This annoying human woman was completely different from the human powerhouses she had met before.
What kind of magic is this?
"Magic Armor!"
Relying on her excellent Danger Perception, the Emerald Leaf Witch quickly activated her magical defense.
Clang!
A translucent magical glow flickered around her, forming a set of armor condensed from magic that blocked the dagger's strike with a crisp clashing sound.
Meanwhile.
In a house about a hundred meters away on this street.
Lyle leaned against the window, holding a piece of soft bread, calmly watching the two fighting figures on the street.
A large crowd of chaotic people was gathering in the surrounding area.
The merchants and civilians who were originally on the street had stopped nearby after fleeing the location of the Emerald Leaf Witch and Tina, all of them looking toward the two figures.
Clearly, in any world, watching a scene is human nature.
Such a big commotion naturally attracted many nearby adventurers, and even more civilians gathered.
For a time, the area became heavily congested.
"Red headband, that should be Tina."
Lyle watched the battle, his eyes moving.
Tia and Tina looked very similar; the way to quickly distinguish them was by the color of their headbands.
"An unexpected surprise. I was wondering how to obtain the [Ninja] class, and it actually delivered itself to my door."
A smile appeared on Lyle's face.
Hum—
An attribute panel appeared before Lyle's eyes.
'Skill "Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow" discovered. Requires high-tier class [Ninja]. Current conditions not met. Requires 3 skill points.'
'No prerequisite mid-tier class. Conditions not met. Requires 6 skill points.'
'No basic class. Conditions not met...'
'"Genius" class activated. Already possess basic class "Rogue". Learning conditions met!'
'Consume 6 skill points to learn this skill?'
Seeing the information refreshed on the panel, Lyle's smile brightened.
He looked up.
He watched as the Emerald Leaf Witch forced Tina back again.
"I wonder if taking on this class will cause a commotion. It seems I need to leave for a bit." Lyle placed the half-eaten white bread on a plate on the windowsill and chanted softly:
"Teleportation!"
Shing!
The air warped briefly, and Lyle's figure vanished instantly, reappearing in the Lava Zone.
The glow of crimson lava met his eyes.
This was deep within the Lava Zone; even if there was a commotion, he didn't have to worry about being sensed.
"Learn!"
Lyle focused on the attribute panel, his mind set.
'Skill Points: 71 → 65'
As he mastered the skill "Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow," the class information on the attribute panel blurred briefly, and then a high-tier class appeared on the panel.
Hum!
The shadow beneath Lyle's feet warped slightly, and a powerful aura suddenly erupted from him, but it subsided instantly, even causing his own aura to weaken slightly.
It was as if he had hidden his own aura fluctuations!
...Class: Ninja
Level: High-tier Class
Ability Effects:
Passive·
"Extra System: Ninjutsu": Through constant practice, you have finally mastered moves unique to the Ninja class—Ninjutsu.
"Stealth Aura Specialization": Better at hiding one's own aura and detecting hidden enemies. All stealth-type skills and moves are enhanced, making them harder to detect and discover.
"Agile Movement": Flexible limbs make your actions very nimble. Grants an additional 60 points of Agility. Cannot wear heavy equipment, otherwise the bonus is void and your Agility will be reduced.
"Shadow Affinity": Ninjas are naturally adapted to dark environments. Gain 20% Dark Resistance and a certain bonus when acting in the dark.
Active: Class Skills
[Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Technique]: Creates a Shadow Clone. Except for "Agility" and "Magic," all other attributes are only 1/4 of the original (Duration: 10 minutes, Cooldown: 1 h)
(Note: Each level increases HP, MP, Physical Attack, and Agility by 15 points.)
Introduction: A Shadow Hunter, a silent one, a shadow killer, an infiltrator, a master of assassination. So, tell me your enemies, friend... Lyle quickly scanned the information about the [Ninja] class on the attribute panel, his eyes lighting up slightly.
The overall class strength didn't seem that high; compared to [Cursed Knight], it was clearly a bit weaker, yet stronger than average high-tier classes like [Magic Swordsman].
"Teleportation!"
Lyle wasn't in a hurry to check the [Ninja] class information in detail and activated magic to return quickly.
Shing!
His vision changed.
His surroundings returned to the windowsill from before.
Lyle reached out, picked up the remaining half of the white bread, and continued eating, his chin slightly raised as he looked at the two figures on the street not far away.
The battle between the Emerald Leaf Witch and Tina was still ongoing; after all, Lyle's teleporting back and forth plus the time to take on the class had only taken about ten seconds.
"Tsk, her movements are really nimble. Why doesn't she use more Ninjutsu skills? She won't take down the Emerald Leaf Witch just with close-quarters combat."
Lyle commented to himself as he watched Tina's nimble attacks.
Lyle speculated that the level gap between the Emerald Leaf Witch and Tina wasn't large, but since the Emerald Leaf Witch was a demi-human and had unique perception abilities, taking her down completely...
Tina wouldn't be able to do it without using her full strength.
Luckily, this wasn't a forest environment; otherwise, the Emerald Leaf Witch's strength would be even higher.
Now that he had the [Ninja] class.
Lyle had no intention of making the Emerald Leaf Witch stop, because he also wanted to obtain as many skills from the Ninjutsu system as possible through their battle.
Hum—
The attribute panel appeared before his eyes.
Lyle studied the information of the newly acquired class while watching the battle opposite him.
Four passive skills: "Extra System: Ninjutsu," "Stealth Aura Specialization," "Agile Movement," and "Shadow Affinity."
They weren't powerful passive skills, yet they were noteworthy.
The last two passive abilities were the clearest: "Agile Movement" increased Agility by 60 points but had a class penalty of not being able to wear heavy equipment.
Compared to the penalty of [Cursed Knight], it was nothing; Lyle didn't need to wear heavy equipment anyway, as his main equipment was currently Physical Armament.
The information for "Shadow Affinity" was also clear.
Only "Extra System: Ninjutsu" and "Stealth Aura Specialization" caught his attention; these two passives were also the core of the [Ninja] class.
"Stealth Aura... it seems it can block a portion of magical perception." Lyle controlled his own aura somewhat awkwardly, realizing this was a very useful technique.
He had been worried before that the aura fluctuations caused by his high level would be sensed; the appearance of this ability was just in time.
On the street.
The Emerald Leaf Witch's face looked grim. Her attack magic consistently failed to hit the nimble Tina, and she was forced to remain on the defensive.
She hadn't forgotten that her Master was still watching.
"Darkness!"
The Emerald Leaf Witch raised her hand and waved.
In an instant, the light within the entire area was rapidly stripped away, as if a mass of thick black mist had enveloped the area.
The Emerald Leaf Witch lifted her foot, preparing to leave her spot.
But in the next moment!
A pale golden light flew out from the darkness and landed on the Emerald Leaf Witch, causing her to freeze in place, unable to move.
"Ninjutsu: Immobile Immobilization Technique!"
"This is... damn it!"
"Ninjutsu: Detection!"
Just before the surrounding environment was enveloped in darkness, Tina used the Immobile Immobilization Technique to restrict the Emerald Leaf Witch's movement.
Immediately after!
She activated a detection Ninjutsu to confirm there were no other attack methods in the darkness, and after reconfirming the Emerald Leaf Witch's position, she charged forward.
In this dark environment, Tina's speed became even faster.
By the windowsill.
"She made a wrong move."
Seeing the Emerald Leaf Witch release the "Darkness" spell, Lyle couldn't help but shake his head.
He glanced at the skill information appearing on the attribute panel and, without hesitation, consumed skill points to learn them.
'Skill Points: 65 → 68 → 66'
In just a few moments, he had mastered three Ninjutsu skills.
"Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow": Short-distance movement between shadows.
"Ninjutsu: Immobile Immobilization Technique": Prevents the opponent from moving.
"Ninjutsu: Detection": Senses hidden presences nearby and can also perceive the opponent's strength.
Lyle chuckled softly. What truly interested him about the [Ninja] class was the Ninjutsu series of skills.
In the game "YGGDRASIL," besides the normal magic system, there were other systems such as Ninjutsu, Immortal Arts, Forbidden Arts, and Onmyodo.
These different systems were related to class builds, so they had unique effects different from magic.
Among them, the Ninjutsu system did not have a distinction between magic tiers; some Ninjutsu increased in strength based on the amount of mana consumed.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"