Unexpected Ascension Chapter 21

Adrian froze as one of the two dwarves looked up at the ceiling. His blood ran cold, and he waited for the reaction from the dwarf staring directly at him. But the dwarf didn’t say a word. Even though the two of them were meeting gazes. 

This must be the effect of [Stealth Step], Adrian thought, feeling a sense of relief. Since I am higher-leveled than them, it is more difficult for them to discern me, even when they are staring directly at my face.

And that was true. The two dwarves were lower-leveled than Adrian. It even just so happened that the lower-leveled of the two dwarves was the one who looked up.

[Dwarf - Level 28]

[Dwarf - Level 26]

“I swear I heard a ruckus,” the Level 26 dwarf said as he looked back down. “But there’s nothing here.”

“It was probably just your imagination,” the Level 28 dwarf snorted. “Come on, we still have a job to do.”

What is this all about? Adrian asked himself, watching as the pair of dwarves vanished back further into the house. When he was certain they were gone, he leapt off the ceiling, landing quietly as his [Stealth Step]’s effects ran out. 

While he didn’t know exactly what was going on, he could infer by the weapons those two dwarves carried that they were up to no good. So he snuck his way forward, probing into the other room with his head. There, a small hallway led further into the house, before forking into two different rooms.

Adrian had stayed in this house for one night, so he knew the layout to a certain extent. There were two bedrooms in this house. The first was the spare bedroom, which also served as a storage room, and that was where Adrian had slept. It was to the left, directly across from the master bedroom to the right. 

And it was in the master bedroom where Adrian heard the sounds of a scuffle. His eyes narrowed, and he gently pushed the door open, before creeping down the hallway. When he reached the master bedroom, he came to a halt.

A muffled scream came from within as Adrian peeked through the crack of the doorway. And there, he saw the two dwarves standing over a chair, looking down at a figure who was tied up. A familiar figure.

Bhodan.

He was the owner of the house— the one who had recruited Adrian into becoming a Delver. Even though he was a bit of a grifter, he had been helpful. Albeit reluctantly, and through a bit of blackmailing.

And seeing his current state, Adrian couldn’t help but wince. Bhodan was covered in cuts and bruises, his mouth covered by a piece of cloth. He stared up at the two dwarves with terrified eyes as one of them cracked a fist.

“Are you finally going to talk?” the Level 28 dwarf asked, yanking out the cloth from Bhodan’s mouth. “Or are you still going to be stubborn?” 

Bhodan gasped, trying to catch his breath.

The Level 26 dwarf stepped forward with a frown. “Answer the question— we know you were housing a human here, tell us where he went, and we’ll let you live.”

“I… I already told you—” Bhodan started, opening his mouth.

And the Level 28 dwarf struck Bhodan across his face. He collapsed to the ground, still tied to the chair, coughing up blood. 

“Still not talking, eh?” the Level 26 dwarf sighed. “Madam Chanda will not be happy to hear about this. I’m sure you’ve heard of her reputation— when she wants something, she will get it. And since you can’t tell us anything…”

The Level 28 dwarf shook his head. “We’re not going to be the ones to break this news to Madam Chanda. So you’ll be the ones doing it for us.”

Bhodan paled, looking up desperately. “P-please… I don’t know anything…”

And the Level 26 dwarf kicked Bhodan as he was down. “I’m giving you one last chance—”

Adrian watched as the two dwarves continued to beat on Bhodan. The entire time he had seen this scene unfold, he had been clenching his fist. He didn’t know who these two dwarves were, nor did he know who Chanda was, but he knew he had to intervene.

Especially if these two dwarves were after him.

So he produced his paralyzing fang, before kicking the door open. 

“That’s enough,” he called out.

Immediately, the two dwarves paused. They looked up from Bhodan’s bleeding body, staring at the human with wide eyes.

And then they snickered.

“There you are,” the Level 28 dwarf said as he raised his axe.

The Level 26 dwarf reached for his crossbow slung around his back, spitting at Bhodan. “And you said you didn’t know where the human went.”

“Who are you two, and what do you want with me?” Adrian asked the probing question as he tightened his grip over his paralyzing fang. He could have struck out and ended this battle in an instant, but he needed a better understanding of what was going on.

The Level 28 dwarf shook his head. “You’ve received an invitation from Madam Chanda. She would like to… speak with you.”

“And no is not an answer,” the Level 26 dwarf added. “So come with us, or we’ll make you.”

Adrian’s eyes flickered when he heard that. That didn’t explain much. So he prodded them even further.

“And who exactly is Madam Chanda?” he asked.

“Oh, nobody special,” the Level 26 dwarf said. “Just the most dangerous crime lady in the Hovik District.”

Adrian’s eyes flickered. He had an inkling of an idea as to what was going on, but he still pressed them, “And what have I done to attract the attention of somebody so… important?”

The Level 28 dwarf shrugged. “I don’t know. What did you do to piss off the Dryadilis Empire?”

Bingo, Adrian thought. They want me out of the city.

And as he shifted back, Bhodan gasped out, “Adrian… you have to run, these dwarves are too strong— they’re nearly Level 30!”

Adrian looked at the bound dwarf for a moment, before staring at the two thugs circling around him. I can see that. But I guess most people can’t, huh? [Basic Identification] must be quite the rare Skill…

And Adrian was grateful for it, because he knew which enemies he could take on, and which he had to flee from. So he was confident in the outcome of this battle.

Even if the two thugs thought otherwise. 

“Don’t cause us any trouble. We read up on your file as a Delver. You’re only Level 15. We’re twice your level. You don’t stand a chance against us.” The Level 26 dwarf raised his crossbow, aiming at Adrian.

The Level 28 dwarf stepped forward and held out a hand to grab Adrian. “Now just come with us—”

“No.”

And Adrian shrugged off the hand, kicking the Level 28 dwarf back. The Level 28 dwarf stumbled back as he heaved out.

“Oof—”

“Oh, you’ve done it now, you bastard!” the Level 26 dwarf called out, pressing the trigger on his crossbow.

“Adrian—” Bhodan called out, looking up in a panic.

But Adrian just brought up a hand, catching the crossbow bolt out of the air.  The Level 28 dwarf caught himself and stared in shock. The Level 26 dwarf blinked. Even Bhodan was taken aback by that.

“How did you—” the Level 26 dwarf started.

And Adrian snapped the bolt in half, before dashing forward. The Level 26 dwarf cursed, reaching to nock another bolt onto his crossbow. But Adrian reached him in an instant, jamming the paralyzing fang into his stomach.

“Urk!” the Level 26 dwarf cried out, collapsing back in pain.

The Level 28 dwarf charged forward with his axe, flanking Adrian and shouting, “I’ve got you—”

But Adrian easily evaded the strike and circled behind the dwarf. His eyes went wide, before he spun around. He unleashed an onslaught of wild slashes with his axe, tearing up the wooden boards on the ground.

However, every single one of his attacks missed.

“How…?” the Level 28 dwarf panted out.

And Adrian simply stepped forward, raising a fist. [Hammer Punch].

He closed the gap between himself and the Level 28 dwarf. But Adrian didn’t lash out at the stomach. He knew he could kill the Level 28 dwarf, so he aimed for the kneecaps instead. And with a single strike, he broke both of the dwarf’s legs.

The Level 28 dwarf screamed in pain as he fell to the floor. As he did, the Level 26 dwarf barely rose from the ground, raising his crossbow as he panted, drenched in sweat. His movements were more sluggish than earlier, as a result from the paralyzing fang still sticking into his stomach.

“I’ve got you now— [Triple Shot]!” the Level 26 dwarf yelled.

All at once, Adrian watched as the first crossbow bolt fired, before suddenly being joined by a second and a third phantasmal crossbow bolt. In response, he dashed forward, catching the first, before ducking under the second, and leaping over the third.

He crashed onto the Level 26 dwarf, yanking out his paralyzing fang. The Level 26 dwarf yelped in pain, only for Adrian to stab down with it twice more, before hurling it straight back at the Level 28 dwarf lying on the ground.

And the Level 28 dwarf recoiled as the weapon struck him on the shoulder, before he went limp. Just like that, both thugs were defeated, lying on the ground, injured and paralyzed.

Ding!

You have defeated a [Dwarf - Level 26] — You have earned less experience for defeating an enemy at a lower rank than you!

Ding!

You have defeated a [Dwarf - Level 28] — You have earned less experience for defeating an enemy at a lower rank than you!

Adrian drew back as he stared at the collapsed dwarves. They were writhing on the ground, in pain and barely conscious. He could have finished them off. But he didn’t.

For a myriad of reasons.

Adrian wished he had gained a level from defeating the two dwarves. But he hadn’t killed them, and he knew intuitively, even if it wasn’t said by the blue boxes floating before him, that the additional experience from killing them wouldn’t have been significant enough to level him up.

After all, he would have still gotten less experience for killing them, since they were a lower rank than him.

So killing them wasn’t worth it. But more than that, Adrian hadn’t killed… anyone before. He wasn't sure how he would feel if he did such a thing. Even if he knew they were after his life. 

And there were more questions he wanted to ask them too anyway. So those were all the reasons as to why he spared them. However, questioning them could be saved for later. Adrian turned his attention to Bhodan who was looking up with round eyes.

“What… just happened?” Bhodan asked, gaping in utter shock.

“I’m saving your life,” Adrian said simply as he produced his platinum fangdagger and cut the dwarf free. 

Bhodan shook his head, still in disbelief. “But you’re only Level 15— how did you defeat them?”

“I was Level 15,” Adrian corrected Bhodan. “Now, I’m Level 33.”

“You can’t be serious, right?” Bhodan blinked as he rose to his feet. “You doubled your level in a week? No— you ranked up in only a week?”

Adrian nodded casually. “Yes.”

I…” Bhodan paused, then he took in a deep breath. He took a moment to steel himself, before looking towards the two injured thugs. They had passed out by now. “Thanks for saving me from them. I thought I was going to die there.”

“What do we do about them?” Adrian asked as he eyed the two dwarves. “I’m assuming those two thugs won’t be the only ones coming after me?”

“We can bring them to the city guard,,” Bhodan said as he rubbed his shoulders. “Explain everything that happened here. Hopefully sort out this mess.”

“I see.” Adrian narrowed his eyes, then he glanced back at Bhodan. “But after that, you’re going to help me.”

Bhodan frowned. “Help you… how?”

“Help me make some money,” Adrian said simply, before moving to tie up the unconscious dwarves.