Chapter 48 | Bandit Boss Carl

They ran in wide strides, their speed adjusted to the slowest in the group, namely the lowest-ranked knights. Kai would stumble every now and then, but his aura-assisted steps were enough to push him forward five meters or so every time.

Theo was also pretty slow compared to the others, but he could still keep up simply because he was running at full speed all the time without getting tired.

“Left wing, spread thirty meters outward and keep a line of communication,” a Knight Captain ordered. Then another gave the same order to the right wing. In no time, they had a line of soldiers acting as eyes and ears for the formation, giving them a sixty-meter-wide scout line. Theo whistled at the efficiency and kept trying to stay focused like Satou had asked him to.

He didn’t fully utilize his omni-sense, however, as it caused him quite a lot of headaches when used for long. The brain used 20 percent of the body’s energy on average. With how much his perception had improved and the addition of his new skill, Theo was sure it was much more than that. He was confident that this would be alleviated if he increased his vitality stat.

I don’t want to waste points on vitality… It was less efficient before, with my main stats being mana and perception, and it makes even less sense now that I know stat thresholds exist. Ten points is probably the first stat threshold. What will be the next? 25? And what will that give me? Shit, my focus is wandering again.

For some reason though, Theo had a hunch that he would keep getting boosts to his vitality and endurance. It seemed that he had a fate with these stats, and life would force him to be a tanky mage.

With a sigh, Theo shook his head and refocused. Was staying on a single topic without wandering off supposed to be this hard?

Fortunately, Satou gave him a pinch on his arm.

“I can sense two aura signatures in the distance,” Satou said. “They are between us and the village. About a kilometer ahead.”

Theo nodded. The info was quickly passed around, and the knights that had spread into a wing formation quickly pulled back. If the enemy was deathballing, they had to do the same thing too and hope for the best.

“Hmm… They seem to be chasing the other signature. The person protecting the village seems to have been a first-rate.”

“It’s a singular person? Interesting,” Theo muttered in answer. He had assumed there would be a group of people protecting the village, rather than a single one. Still, his guess was correct. There really was a mysterious third party in this conflict. “Can we catch up?”

“I don’t think so. They are at full speed,” Satou shook his head.

“Then flare your aura. Make it known that we are here.”

“Won’t the bandits escape then?”

“They might try. But I think this third party will bind them down long enough.”

Satou thought for a second, then nodded. He took a deep breath, then a wave of aura flared from him, rose into the air in green flames. The crushing pressure spread. He was like a beacon in the dark night.

“They stopped,” Satou said. “One of the first-rate signatures is running away, while the rest is fighting the other signature. It seems the bandit boss has abandoned his subordinates.”

“They would be willing to sacrifice themselves like that?” Theo asked.

“Of course not. It’s probably just that The Boss ran fast,” Satou said. “Either way, I’m going to engage him myself. You should go and help out that mysterious ally of ours as quickly as possible.”

“I think I should come with you too,” Theo said. “I can help you out. The rest should be enough to handle those second-rates.”

Satou’s mouth opened and closed. He didn’t say anything and nodded. They quickly split up with the rest of the knight force, including Kai and Aiden. Those two would do nothing but hold them back against a first-rate.

The Assassin picked up speed and left Theo behind. As a speed-type warrior, he was way faster than the bandit boss. Once he caught up and tied him down, Theo would catch up.

Of course, there was a possibility that the bandit boss would ignore Satou and directly attack Theo. But Theo was confident in dodging at least a couple of attacks or taking them on in a non-lethal way. Especially because The Boss would underestimate him.

And if the man spared such effort on him, Satou wouldn’t let it go unpunished.

Before long, Theo lost sight of Satou. He could only occasionally check up on him using his omni-sense. The Assassin became a blur and dashed at full speed. Theo was pretty sure he was hitting more than a hundred kilometers per hour. He could probably kill third-rates by simply bumping into them at full speed.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

A short while later, Satou left Theo’s perception…

Aiden gritted his teeth. It was hard to accept, but his trusted aide seemed to be a more fitting main character than he. Not only was he strong, but he was ruthless in fighting. He was good at strategizing. He also had strong backing.

For now… For now. Right! If it was this easy to be the main character, it wouldn’t be a challenge. After all, being the real main character of this world, I will eventually be better than everyone else!

Once they stepped out into the clearing, Aiden’s gaze was drawn to the sight in front. There were five men, all brandishing different weapons, standing against an iron-clad warrior.