Chapter 43: Thieves vs. Mages 2

Kent carefully stared at the ground beneath the tree and frowned.

There was nothing there.

But Big Nose had no reason to lie.

Could it be a thief?

Among all professions, only thieves possessed the ability to become invisible.

As for assassins, they relied on disguising themselves as someone close to their target and then launching a sudden attack. The difficulty of such a method was extremely high.

At this moment, Kent no longer dared to move.

Thieves were the natural enemies of mages, while archers were the natural enemies of thieves.

However, simply staying here was not a solution either.

The soul contract between Big Nose and Delis had a range limitation, and Kent also knew that thieves carried hand crossbows and daggers.

What he needed to do now was force the thief away.

Kent thought for a moment.

Then he took out a handful of magic crystal powder from his chest and scattered it downward.

A single handful of magic crystal powder was worth several hundred gold coins.

But at this moment, Kent no longer had time to feel heartbroken about the cost.

He grabbed another handful and continued scattering it.

The magic crystal powder he used was water-element magic crystal powder.

The blue powder transformed into countless tiny specks of light, slowly drifting downward like falling stars.

“Damn it!”

Dark Blade immediately jumped away.

If those things landed on his body, the consequences would be disastrous.

Dark Blade was furious.

How could this guy have such a sharp mind and still be such a stubborn mage?

He made up his mind that he would teach this mage a proper lesson if he got the chance.

Taking advantage of the moment when the magic crystal powder was falling, Kent quickly slid down the tree.

Then he sprinted toward the direction of the stream.

At last, Kent had discovered one of a thief’s weaknesses.

When a thief was in stealth mode, their movement speed was much slower.

Not just slightly slower—significantly slower.

Earlier, Kent had been collecting magical plants, which was why he had released faint magical fluctuations.

Otherwise, he would not have revealed any magical presence at all.

Kent ran along a route parallel to Kweilin’s group.

His goal was to deal with this thief at the distant stream.

Otherwise, this person would pose a serious threat to Kweilin’s group.

Furthermore, thieves had another major weakness.

While maintaining stealth, they could not circulate battle energy.

And among all professions, thieves had the weakest physical defenses.

“Damn bastard...”

Dark Blade was furious beyond words.

Yes, he had clearly seen Kent escape.

But the problem was that magic crystal powder was still floating through the air.

Once even a small amount stuck to him, his stealth ability would be ruined.

The powder on his clothes would become like a bright lamp shining in the darkness, revealing his position completely.

Dark Blade watched Kent’s rapidly disappearing figure and nearly lost control.

Is this really a fragile mage?

That speed was almost comparable to that of a thief.

In the midst of the drifting blue magic powder, Dark Blade could only watch helplessly as Kent disappeared into the distance.

His frustration was indescribable.

After the magic crystal powder finally settled, Dark Blade immediately began running at full speed.

But by then, a full minute had already passed.

He no longer cared about maintaining stealth.

However, Dark Blade failed to notice that his legs had brushed against the branches of the tree earlier.

A considerable amount of magic crystal powder had stuck to his clothing.

Tiny points of blue light flickered faintly.

Although the glow was extremely weak, it was still noticeable.

Kent could clearly hear the sounds of Dark Blade chasing after him from behind.

Not far ahead, the sound of rushing water had already reached his ears.

Kent quickly arrived at the stream.

The stream was not very large.

Huge stones could be seen scattered throughout the water.

However, the moment Kent rushed out of the forest, he immediately turned around.

He quickly rolled sideways and disappeared into the woods beside the stream.

Then he held his breath completely.

His eyes remained fixed on the direction of the stream.

He did not move at all.

Dark Blade sprinted forward at full speed, cursing Kent nonstop in his mind.

A mage.

A first-level mage, no less.

Yet this mage had actually forced him into such a miserable situation.

If word of this got out, he would definitely become the laughingstock of the entire Thieves’ Guild.

The stream ahead was already within sight.

Dark Blade was furious.

However, the difference in levels was undeniable.

So instead of continuing the chase, Dark Blade decided to end it directly.

He made a powerful leap and landed on a large stone in the middle of the stream.

He was preparing to jump again.

But at that exact moment, Dark Blade suddenly stopped.

On the opposite riverbank, a giant serpent was standing upright.

Its brown eyes were fixed coldly on him.

Dark red patterns and golden markings intertwined across its body in circles.

The massive snake was nearly ten meters long, and its body was as thick as an adult’s arm.

It was one of the most dangerous predators in the jungle—

a third-level magical beast, the Poison Thorn Python.

This magical beast possessed extremely deadly venom.

Its sense of smell was incredibly sharp, and inside the forest, its speed was astonishing.

Dark Blade secretly cursed his bad luck.

He was not afraid of the Poison Thorn Python itself.

What worried him was its venom.

Just one drop was enough to kill a person.

And there was still a mage hiding somewhere nearby.

However, what reassured Dark Blade was that the enemy was only a first-level mage.

A first-level mage could not instantly cast offensive magic.

At most, he could use auxiliary spells such as poison detection.

Dark Blade slowly concealed his presence again.

He had no intention of wasting time fighting a third-level magical beast.

He was secretly pleased that he could continue moving forward.

But at that moment—

a powerful magical fluctuation suddenly came from behind him.

Dark Blade reacted instantly.

He rolled to the side.

However, before he could fully recover, a fierce gust of force struck him.

His body was thrown heavily into the water.

The impact was so strong that Dark Blade felt as if all his internal organs had been shattered.

But he did not hesitate.

Battle energy instantly erupted from his body.

As soon as he circulated his battle energy, the pain became much more bearable.

However, before he could even stand firmly, Dark Blade rolled away again.

Because the Poison Thorn Python had already attacked.

“Despicable bastard... you actually used a magic scroll!”

Dark Blade quickly stood up and faced the approaching Poison Thorn Python.

At this moment, he was in an extremely miserable state.

His clothes were completely soaked.

They were also covered with moss, mud, and sand.

Dark Blade carefully sensed his surroundings.

There was only one place where he could detect a magical fluctuation.

The Poison Thorn Python.

Only then did he slightly relax.

The Poison Thorn Python slowly moved its tail.

The front half of its body remained raised upright.

Its eyes stared directly at Dark Blade without blinking.

“Splash!”

The python’s tail suddenly swept forward like a massive whip.

Dark Blade immediately jumped aside.

Then he pulled out his hand crossbow and aimed directly at the Poison Thorn Python.

Three bolts shot out instantly.

This type of hand crossbow was capable of firing three shots in succession.

Dark Blade did not care whether his crossbow bolts had actually injured the Poison Thorn Python.

The moment the bolts were fired, his wrist twisted.

Two daggers instantly appeared in his hands.

The dagger in his right hand was held with a forward grip, while the dagger in his left hand was held in a reverse grip.

His feet suddenly pushed against the ground.

Then he charged directly toward the Poison Thorn Python.

Two of the crossbow bolts Dark Blade fired missed their target.

However, the third bolt pierced through the Poison Thorn Python’s soft abdomen and sank deeply into its flesh.

The attack immediately enraged the creature.

This Poison Thorn Python was the ruler of this area.

It had never suffered such a serious injury before.

But when Dark Blade saw this scene, he was not frightened.

Instead, he became excited.

Because anger meant weakness.

That was the very first lesson his instructor had taught him when he became a thief:

A thief must always maintain a calm mind, no matter what situation he faces.

Sometimes, that calmness was the final chance to survive.

“Clang! Clang!”

Dark Blade’s two daggers struck the Poison Thorn Python’s scales, creating two sparks.

The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest.

Dark Blade’s heart sank.

This is bad.

Because of the pain caused by the crossbow bolt, the Poison Thorn Python had moved violently.

The daggers that were originally aimed at the softer part of its abdomen had shifted off target.

Instead of striking the vulnerable flesh, they only scraped across the tough scales beside the abdomen.

However, Dark Blade’s reaction speed was astonishing.

The moment the sound rang out, he had already moved sideways.

A massive mouth filled with sharp fangs swept past his head.

A wave of foul, bloody air rushed directly into his face.

The Poison Thorn Python’s attack missed.

But it immediately twisted its body and lunged at Dark Blade again.

Seeing the giant serpent rushing toward him, Dark Blade quickly rolled to the left.

But halfway through the roll, he suddenly felt his waist tighten.

A powerful force pulled him backward.

His body was dragged uncontrollably toward the Poison Thorn Python.

“Damn it!”

Dark Blade immediately realized that things had gone terribly wrong.

A thief fighting a magical beast alone had very little chance of victory.

But this was not a situation he had chosen.

Facing a snake-type magical beast in the jungle—especially one that specialized in speed—was practically the same as seeking death.

The Poison Thorn Python only possessed one magical ability:

Poison Spray.

Although it was called a magic skill, it was more like an instinctive ability.

When the Poison Thorn Python released its venom, the spray spread out in a fan-shaped pattern and could reach more than ten meters away.

That was exactly why Dark Blade had no choice but to engage in close combat.