Chapter 66: Challenge at the Bandit Camp

Luke handed her the crocodile chestplate and a pair of reinforced gloves.

The moment Charlie equipped the pieces, something shifted. This wasn’t just some basic equip animation. The armor… molded. Assembled. It locked into place, closing over the bones like synthetic muscle, filling every gap with unnerving precision. Every plate, every joint, every segment snapped together as if it had always belonged. It didn’t stop there. The metal merged seamlessly with the boar-leather pants and velociraptor boots, reinforcing every fiber, every stitch, forging everything into a single, flawless extension of her body.

No exposed ribs. No open joints.

When it finished, what stood before him wasn’t a skeleton anymore. It was a knight.

Tall. Sharp. Fully armored. A silhouette built for war. Plate hugged the frame perfectly—curved hips, armored chest, reinforced limbs. The only thing left untouched… was the skull. White. Smooth. Expressionless. Hollow sockets burned with ghostly green light.

Luke crossed his arms, scanning her. “The armor gave you… hips, chest, a full figure,” he muttered. “Honestly? That’s kinda amazing. You look completely human now. All you need is a helmet.”

Charlie tested the weight. Rolled her shoulders. Swung her blade. Fluid. Perfect.

She looked… right. A knight forged from bone and steel.

But Luke didn’t have time to admire the transformation. He needed to move—fast—before the bandits realized one of their own was missing.

He opened her system menu and navigated to Available Skills. Three options blinked at him.

[Shield Proficiency (Uncommon)]: To protect one’s master and hold the front lines, the knight learns how to wield shields with deadly precision. Increases block efficiency without sacrificing offensive output.

Luke frowned.

Useful… but she didn’t have a shield. At least not yet. Right now? Useless.

[Crescent Slash (Uncommon)]: A slashing technique that strikes in a horizontal arc, cutting through multiple enemies at once. The knight’s blade moves with precise speed, slicing anything in its path.

Now that was interesting.

Perfect for crowd control. Especially in close combat.

[Warrior’s Eye (Uncommon)]: Through countless battles, the knight sharpens their perception. Recognizes attack patterns and exploit weaknesses, improving evasion and opening enemies to devastating counterattacks.

Luke squinted at the screen.

One skill taught a new fighting style.

Another offered immediate offense.

And the last improved battlefield awareness and long-term advantage.

His choice was already made.

[Princess Charlie has learned a Class Skill: Crescent Slash]

He left her two unspent attribute points untouched—for emergencies.

Then his gaze turned back to the bandit camp.

Time to move.

 

***

 

Luke was watching the camp from the trees, hidden among the shadows.

The bandits hadn’t noticed that one of them had disappeared yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Luke had waited a few days for one reason: confirm if they were really Wild Zone bandits and if there were others nearby. Attacking and running into reinforcements wasn’t an option.

What he confirmed was exactly what he expected. They were bandits. Criminals who specialized in ambushing people near orbs, robbing anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. And of course, they were fully prepared to kill anyone who resisted.

These were not good people. Not in Luke’s eyes. They didn’t deserve to live.

Because if someone back then had had the guts to do what he was about to do, maybe his mother would have survived her tutorial.

Luke scanned the camp again. Originally there were thirteen. Now there were twelve. Charlie had just taken one out.

He counted. Eleven were in the camp. One was inside a tent, sleeping.

It was time to move.

His plan was to strike while most of them were asleep, but there was a problem. They didn’t follow fixed shifts. Sometimes one slept. Sometimes three. Sometimes none. Completely random.

They were too comfortable. Too used to the false sense of peace in their territory.

They knew no one would dare. At least, not any regular person from the Safe Zone. The soldiers under Bartholomew didn’t really care about bandits as long as they weren’t causing chaos inside the Safe Zone.

And honestly, it made sense. Why send troops to deal with bandits when there were bigger problems to worry about?

Besides, the gangs didn’t attack each other. Each one had its own turf. Something to do with Marshall and the Renegades. They had set up some kind of order between the factions. Even if they hated each other, they followed certain rules.

But Luke didn’t care about any of that.

He moved carefully, circling around the camp’s perimeter.

Makeshift alarms, vines tied to cans, were strung between the trees. Meant to catch beasts, monsters, or people.

Luke climbed one of the taller trees. Sat on a sturdy branch. Watched. Memorized every position.

Out of the eleven, he could pick out a few classes. At least three were archers. Four were mages. The others were some kind of melee fighters. Could be warriors, knights, mercenaries… or thieves. One of them was carrying a machete.

So he ranked the threats. The archers and the mages were the real problem. Ranged attacks. Especially magic.

“I’m telling you, man. Focus on becoming a crafter and learn how to brew. That guy Joe opened his own tavern near Bastion,” said one of the archers, getting up from the campfire.

“And how the hell am I supposed to level doing that, genius? I don’t even have the materials to practice. Should’ve picked something else. Screwed myself big time,” the other snapped, clearly frustrated.

“Stop whining.”

The first one walked toward the forest.

“You’re a damn lumberjack. Just cut trees. How the hell am I supposed to make booze? Pull brewing equipment out of my ass?” the frustrated one grumbled.

The other ignored him and kept walking, unbuttoning his pants.

“Piss somewhere else!” shouted a third.

“Bunch of crybabies,” the archer muttered as he stepped up to a tree.

The moment he was about to start pissing, something blew across his face.

He looked up.

And then…

Luke hung upside down from the tree branch like a bat.

His hands dropped fast. Both kukris crossed horizontally over the archer’s throat. It lasted only a moment. The man’s eyes went wide. Then the blades sliced clean.

A faint, wet gasp escaped as his hands instinctively flew to his neck. His body collapsed backward. But Luke released from the branch, catching him before he hit the ground and made noise.

[You have slain a Human – Lvl 8 (Archer – Lvl 14)]

[You have gained +1 Soul Fragments]

He dragged the corpse quickly into the bushes and laid it down.

Ten left.

There wouldn’t be another chance like this. They would realize something was wrong soon. He needed to move fast.

Luke circled around the camp, keeping low. Two mages sat off to the side, playing something that looked like cards. On the opposite end, the melee fighters were chatting. One of them was sharpening a weapon.

The other two mages were sitting by the fire, and the last two archers were posted as sentries. Each one perched on a rock, watching over key angles.

Crouching, Luke grabbed a stone and tossed it. It clattered against a tree.

The sentry archer snapped his head toward the sound.

In that instant, Luke hurled a kukri with full force. The black blade spun through the air and buried itself into the archer’s face.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

[You have slain a Human – Lvl 4 (Archer – Lvl 9)]

[You have gained +1 Soul Fragments]

Luke dashed forward, leaping in one fluid motion. As the man toppled backward, Luke caught him mid-fall. The body was heavy, but he managed to lower it without noise.

Footsteps.

Shit.

No time to drag the body into the forest.

He grabbed the corpse and slipped into a nearby tent, dropping it inside. The footsteps grew closer. Someone was coming.

Damn blood on the ground!

Luke peeked out. A clear trail of blood led right to the tent. They were going to notice.

He rushed back inside, yanked the archer’s jacket off, and threw it on. Grabbed the man’s bow. Then stepped out of the tent and climbed onto the rock where the sentry had been.

The footsteps approached.

“Cold as hell tonight,” the man muttered.

Luke said nothing. The man’s eyes drifted downward.

“What the fuck is this?” he blurted, staring at the blood trail.

Luke lunged, kukri aimed for the neck. But the man dodged, throwing his hand forward.

A mage. Fireball forming.

Luke dashed. Drove the blade straight into the mage’s chest. Buried it deep into his heart.

The mage choked. Eyes wide. Blood bubbled from his lips.

[You have slain a Mage – Lvl 6 (Mage – Lvl 13)]

[You have gained +1 Soul Fragments]

The mage’s hand faltered, but the fireball still flew. It shot wild, slamming into a tent.

Explosion.

“Shit,” Luke cursed as flames burst up.

The entire camp heard it. Heads turned. Eyes locked onto the fire.

“Attack!” shouted the distant archer, raising the alarm.

Luke let the mage’s body fall and sprinted toward the tree line.

“Sound off! Who’s alive? Confirm your names!” someone yelled.

Luke ducked into the bushes.

Crap!

They had countermeasures. Calling names. Forming up.

Everything went wrong.

Luke couldn’t let them get organized. If they did, it would only get worse.

Taking a deep breath, he burst from the bushes, hand reaching down to the holster strapped to his leg. Daggers materialized in his grip. He threw three into the air and duplicated them. Six total. The blades scattered, clattering across different spots in the camp.

“I heard something,” one of the fighters shouted.

Luke sprinted toward him. The man had his back turned. A kukri flew.

The man screamed. Luke threw the second one.

[You have slain a…]

[You have gained +1 Soul Fragments]

He ignored the notification. Kept running.

“Group up!” someone yelled.

Luke sprinted and tackled an archer holding his bow. Both crashed to the ground, rolling. They scrambled to their feet. Locked eyes.

The archer fumbled for an arrow. But Luke was faster. In less than a second, dash activated. He was in front of him, driving the blade straight through the man’s skull.

[You have slain a…]

[You have gained +1 Soul Fragments]

The body crumpled sideways. Luke glanced around.

They were staring at him. He was surrounded.

The criminals had already grouped up, forming a circle around him.

“This one’s probably one of Marshall’s little lapdogs,” said a warrior gripping a massive warhammer.

“You’ve got some balls showing up here alone,” a mage added, raising his staff. Three spheres of earth floated around him, crackling with blue electricity.

Everywhere Luke looked, enemies. Six against one.

“Who said I’m alone,” Luke replied.

The mage fired. The earthen spheres flew toward Luke.

But then… they hit something.