Volume 5, Prologue

“This item.. Do you think this imperial crown is worth at least 100,000 gold?” Carefully lifting the beautifully endowed crystal crown before my eyes, I turned

around and asked this of Aliyah.

“Can’t you just take it away? Why bother about the details?”

Aliyah was currently stuffing the jewelries and gold in front of her into her ring. At the rate she’s going, she might actually empty the Ice Empire’s royal treasury.

That’s right, to complete this quest, taking the opportunity when everyone was busy attending a party of celebrations, the two of us infiltrated into the Ice Empire’s royal treasury. Although avoiding the guards and picking the lock open took quite a long time, and we were also frustrated by those frightening magic traps for a long while, the final outcome still turned out pretty well. After all, we had successfully infiltrated into the royal treasury, and had started to move the items.

A guilty conscience? As a hero, I obviously wouldn’t have such a thing in me.

Compared to those heroes who openly enter villages and thoroughly empty them, I feel that what I’m doing now is considered really ethical.

After all, the royal treasury is huge. Even we were to casually swipe a hundredth of the entire place, we would already be able to earn quite a bit. Hence, we obviously wouldn’t mind such small details.

After I stuffed a large sum of gold into my ring, and casually swiped off a couple shiny weapons and jewelries, I turned and looked towards the mountain of books and scrolls.

I basically do not have any use for magic scrolls, as, in my opinion, learning to use the skills themselves is much more useful than gathering and using these one- time use items.

Although I did pick up many magic spells in the Academy Tower back then, among the useful set of spells, the strongest was only [Punishment Cross]. As for spells of higher tiers, I do not have the sufficient MP to use them.

Well~ After all, this isn’t an actual game. Your abilities will not be raised according to your level, and the magic spells sold in shops will not increase in tiers according to your level as well.

The only thing I could I do right now is to learn all the skills available. As for the problem regarding my MP, I can only settle it in the future.

Ah? You’re asking me why there’s a need for me to learn this many skills and spells?

I have no other options either, after all, I’m jobless.. Of course, this doesn’t mean I can’t find a job. Although I’m currently stealing from the royal treasury, officially, I’m still the State Magician of the Ice Empire, you know.

By ‘jobless’, I’m referring to the fact that I’m not a Magician, neither am I a Warrior, nor a member of any other class. I don’t have a single class, nor do I possess any class bonuses.

Though this is a sort of a disadvantage, but truthfully, this is a good thing as well.

Because, this way, I’m able to learn every possible skill! This was also why I’m collecting every possible skillbook there is. No matter what skill it is, I will learn them all before I decide on what to do with them.

But this also leads to another serious problem..

The hidden skillbooks in this treasury are too powerful, and basically all of them are at least of the Super Arcane grade. Are you kidding me? Even if I spend all of my MP, I won’t even be able to cast a single one of them. Sigh, in any case, let’s learn them all for now.

In an instant, I dumped all of these random skills into my skill list. Then, after I dragged the useful skills to the top of my skill list, I picked up a few books and walked over to Aliyah.

“Just how many treasures are you planning to take away? If you take too much, we might get found out, you know.”

“I know that, that’s why I’m currently choosing them, aren’t I!? I’m picking those which are valuable, yet not easily found out if they’re stolen.”

While she’s saying that, she held onto two different jewelry with her two hands. Looking at her furrowed brows, she’s definitely frustrating over which of the two was better.

“You’re really.. Since you have already decided on the Rogue’s subclass, then why haven’t you learnt an appraising skill?”

“Because those types of skills require high INT, before reaching LV 25, I doubt I

will be able to learn them~ Well~ Though there’s also tools used to appraise items, those tools are too expensive. It costs at least 500 gold a piece, don’t you think it’s just plain robbery?”

“But in cases like this, don’t you think those items are worth it? Anyway, I think you should take the one you’re holding on your right, as the jewel embedded in it is a crystal that can only be found in other continents. As for the other one, it’s just your typical magic crystal. The reason why it’s so beautiful is simply because of the mix of three different magic particles in the crystal, that’s all.”

“Eh? You learnt an Appraisal skill?”

“Of course not. I simply know of someone who is very familiar with alchemy in the academy, so I spent some time learning from her, that’s all.”

“I see, so it’s similar to the time I learnt lock-picking, huh.”

In the beginning, Aliyah’s lock-picking skill did not come from learning the skill directly, rather, it’s something she learnt from someone else. Though, currently, she had awakened the actual lock-picking skill, she did obtain the skill by learning it by herself in the beginning.

“Well~ Then that’s about it. Let’s hurry and leave. Before the party ends, we must take the opportunity to head back, and act as if nothing happened.”

historical

“Un. Oh right, there’s a couple of Dual Sword and Assassin skillbooks here, do you want to take them away as well?”

“Oh, thanks a lot~”

Aliyah smiled as she took the books, and then threw them into her ring.

It seems that her skill learning speed is much slower than mine. I guess it’s best for her to take it back and read them at her own leisure.

“Alright, let’s return by taking the route we used to come here.”

After saying that, Aliyah used her skills, and climbed the walls of the treasury room as she headed for the vent.

Light Steps, Wall Climb.

I tapped on these two skills as well, and speedily followed after her. Then, I grabbed onto the ledge on the vent, and leaped into the ventilation duct.

“Don’t climb too fast! If you were to touch me, I will definitely not forgive you!” “Yes, yes..”

Then, do you mind changing your clothes? You just had to wear black tights like those typical thieves, huh? Though your washboard figure looks really similar to a guy’s, but.. it’s really moe!

But I had best not tell her this, otherwise, she will definitely call me a pervert in the future.

As a young man with a pure and healthy heart, I’m at at the age when I’m really curious in the bodies of the other sex, but my logic tells me, in times like this, watching silently from the side is the best choice.

“Just how long are you going to space out for!?” “Eh?”

When I raised my head, I realized Aliyah had already climbed up the very top of the ventilation duct. Recently, I have either been spacing out or thinking about other matters, really..

I hurriedly climbed up while taking big steps, somersaulted out of the ventilation duct, and landed lightly on the ground.

Speaking of which, why are there ventilation ducts in this world? I kind of feel that these things shouldn’t appear in a palace, right? Earlier, I had never thought of entering through the ventilation duct, because I had thought that such a thing would not appear in these sorts of structures in the first place. But, there’s actually one in the palace!

As expected, the things in this world cannot be judged with the common sense of my previous world. Well, after all, it’s a world completely different from ours.

That’s right, we’re otherworlders. Though I still do not know why we’re in this world, but since I’m here, there’s no reason not to enjoy myself.

“Has your MP recovered? A part of the guards have returned to work. Looks like the party is about to end, we have to hurry..”

“In other words, you’re already tired of this infiltration game, and plans on using my Flash Movement to return, right?”

“Well~”

Even if you were to gaze at the moon, it’s not going to help you escape from this question.

Though in the beginning, I had planned on using Flash Movement to enter the royal treasury, Aliyah said she wanted to experience being a thief, so we decided to sneak in instead.

“Fine, then, change your clothes.”

With this said, I opened my inventory, and changed my clothes into a set of deep black formal wear.

“It must have been hard on them to actually rush the production of such fitting formal wear in a single day. Don’t you agree?”

“Un..”

Aliyah finished changing her clothes as well. Like me, she received her formal wear too. The deep red long dress she’s wearing fully expressed her personality.

“Let’s go, Ms. Aliyah~”

Saying this, I stretched my hand out towards her. “Un.. let’s go.”

With a blushed face, she grabbed onto my hand. In the next second, the two of us

instantly disappeared from the roof.

Rogue Side-quest ‘Dark Infiltration’ Completed.

Quest Objective: Steal an item from the Ice Empire’s Royal Treasury Quest Reward: 5,000 EXP, Soundless Gloves

Additional Objective: Steal an item which is worth more than 100,000 Gold. [Completed]

Additional Reward: Viewing Glasses of Truth

Soundless Gloves: When worn, the user will not produce any sound with his/her hand actions, and the items in the user’s hands will not make any sound either.

Eyepiece of Truth: A pair of glasses which allows the users to expose countless truths, which are within the rules of the world.