Book 1 Chapter 13 The Ambush and the Automated Annihilation
…
The next morning, the mist lay low and thick over the hill forest. Rowan, a simple satchel slung over his shoulder covering the sackcloth bag and a small trowel in his hand, walked with the slow, deliberate pace of a man who was already bored with the day's impending labor.
He was looking for a specific patch of Sky-Blue Thistle, an herb Elder Jing had mentioned was excellent for minor burns, and which was currently sold for a premium.
As he knelt down to examine a cluster of ferns, the serene silence of the forest was shattered by a sudden, simultaneous roar of five men leaping from the dense undergrowth.
"Get him!" Jiao roared, his iron cudgel whistling through the air, aimed squarely at Rowan's head. The other four assassins, armed with daggers and short swords, fanned out to cut off any escape.
Rowan didn't even have time to register the surprise, let alone the fear. His phlegmatic temperament, combined with the automatic nature of his system, took over.
"Hostile Entities Detected. Engaging Automatic Battle System."
[Han Rowan (Level 2). HP: 3/3/3/3/3/3. Qi: 5: Status: Normal.]
[Opponent: Assassin 1 (Jiao, Cudgel): HP 2/3/2/2/3/3. Status: Normal.]
[Opponent: Assassin 2 (Dagger): HP 2/2/2/2/3/3. Status: Normal.]
[Opponent: Assassin 3 (Dagger): HP 2/2/2/2/3/3. Status: Normal.]
[Opponent: Assassin 4 (Short Sword): HP 2/3/2/2/2/2. Status: Normal.]
[Opponent: Assassin 5 (Short Sword: HP 2/3/2/2/2/2. Status: Normal.]
Jiao's cudgel descended. It was a vicious, bone-crushing strike.
CLANG!
Rowan felt a powerful impact against his side, but no real pain. He was merely knocked a few steps back.
"Damage Taken: 1."
Rowan was shocked as he did not expect that the powerful blow would only deliver 1 point of damage. But since it hit his side, the armor that he took from Ro Fung seemed to have blocked the damage, as his HP still displays 3/3/3/3/3/3.
"If I had bought a piece of armor from the shop, I think I would not have felt this damage at all." He muttered to himself.
"ACCESSORY: Thorns activated on attack. Damage dealt to Jiao: 1. Jiao HP: 2/3/1/2/2/2."
"ITEM: Stone Knife deployed! Target: Assassin 3. Damage: 4. Cooldown: 2.1s." Assassin 3 received the stone knife on his chest, which then disappeared, followed by a fountain of blood flowing. With a single strike, the assassin already died.
"ITEM: Malignant Marble (Rock 1) deployed! Target: Assassin 4. Damage: 2. Cooldown: 6s." Assassin 4 also died with one shot, blowing his head off.
"ITEM: Malignant Marble (Rock 2) deployed! Target: Assassin 5. Damage: 2. Cooldown: 6s." Assassin 5 also lost his life as a fist-sized hole appeared on his torso.
The first attack was a spectacle of confusing, anti-climactic aggression. Assassin 2 did not know what had just happened as he froze on the spot. The guy was clearly hit by their leader's weapon, so why was he not hurt? Then suddenly, his 3 companions fell on the ground and lost their lives.
Everything was so horrid and eerie that it made him take a few steps back. Suddenly, he decided to throw his knife at a distance to kill his target.
Swoosh! Tswak!
"ACCESSORY: Thorns activated on attack. Damage dealt to Assassin 2: 1. Assassin 2 HP: 2/2/1/2/3/3."
He was stunned as he felt a strange pricking sensation in his throwing arm that almost paralyzed it.
"What in the nine hells was that?" Jiao bellowed, rubbing the spot on his arm that now stung inexplicably (the Thorns' damage). "Magic? He's a master!"
Rowan, meanwhile, was mentally feeling bored. He just stood and watched as the two remaining enemies stopped on their tracks. Since those two distanced themselves from him, they were out of the range of his weapons, so they were not attacked.
Sensing that the two are on guard, Rowan decided to go on the offensive. He suddenly ran towards Assassin 3, ninja style (both his hands are dragging behind him).
When his distance reached 6 meters, the Malignant Marbles suddenly flashed from the sackcloth slot.
Swoosh!
Seeing the strange movement of Rowan, Assassin 2 frowned but grabbed his sword and decided to confront Rowan. He is going to slice the stupid guy's head as he was presenting it to him.
The wicked smile of Assassin 2 became wider as Rowan's figure came closer.
However, before he could cut down his blade, he saw a flash and then… he blacked out.
The reason why he blacked out is that his head suddenly disappeared from his body.
Assassin 2 (Dagger): HP 0/2/1/2/3/3
Rowan did not dare look at the carnage that had just happened. He did not want his puke to spray ahead, which could cause him to step on it.
While Rowan was deep in a philosophical debate of whether he needed to open his eyes or not, the battle continued.
"ITEM: Stone Knife Deployed! Target: Jiao. Damage: 3. Cooldown: 2.1s. Jiao HP: 2/3/1/0/2/2. "
Since Jiao's right arm was slightly hurting, he decided to use his left hand and attacked Rowan, who suddenly closed his eyes and stopped his weird running posture. It was a clear strike that could end it all.
He could already imagine his target's head bursting like a watermelon with his powerful blow. But before he could hit his target, he saw something flash in the air.
Jiao felt a sharp sting in his left arm. A thin cut appeared in his left arm sleeve. He hadn't seen anything. He spun around, frantic.
"He has invisible bodyguards! Kill the brat now!" he shrieked.
But before he could say anything else, he saw his left hand falling to the ground, separate from his body.
CLANG!
Jiao dropped to the ground, his face pale with terror. "Arrgghh!" He cried in pain as he clutched the stump of his missing left arm.
But before he could do anything else, a Malignant Marble was already in front of his chest. In a flash, it created a fist-sized hole, taking Jiao's life with it.
Rowan stood there in a daze as he saw the carnage before him. He could not help but look at the floating grid in front of him.
"Assassin 3 defeated! Gained 2 EXP. Gained 0.1 Shop Coin."
"Assassin 2 defeated! Gained 2 EXP. Gained 0.1 Shop Coin."
He had gained 10 EXP in total in this ambush. The stone knife was not designed to be merciful, nor were the rocks, which were a slow but steady battering ram. Everything in his strange bag was a precision instrument of digital murder.
Rowan stood amidst the chaos, utterly unharmed. The battle was over in less than 20 seconds.
"Battle Ended. HP Restored."
"Total EXP Gained: 10. Current EXP: 25/200."
"Total Coins Gained: 0.5."
"Current Coins: 1.2."
Rowan looked down at the five prone figures, all of them dead from precise wounds.
However, what Rowan did not expect was that from within the shadows a person arrived and watched in silence at the battlefield.
After seeing the horrifying battle, that person frowned as he could feel that something was off. He was here to take the job away from those five idiots. If they succeed, he would ambush them and kill them himself.
How could those 5 compare to him, who is a person who has reached Martial Body level 2? Although he is a normal mortal, he knew that there are cultivators in this world. Powerful people who can command the elements, level mountains, and turn the rivers dry. With some luck, he was able to find a manual and was able to cultivate to Martial Body 2nd level.
But when he saw those 5 dead, he knew that the target was not normal. He might look normal, but he is not. However, he is not afraid as he is confident in his own strength.
Using his powerful crossbow, he aimed at his target's head.
"You are mine… the silver is mine," he muttered as he controlled his breathing.
As soon as he released the bolt, Rowan, who was looking stupid while his attention was in the air in front of him, suddenly jolted.
"Hostile Entities Detected. Engaging Automatic Battle System."
His body suddenly lowered as the bolt swished atop his head.
"Who's there!" Towards shouted, facing the direction from which the bolt came.
From within the bushes, the figure of a lanky man wearing an assassin's robe walked out.
"You are fast…" the lanky man said with a grin.
Rowan looked at his face as he squinted.
"Damn, you look ugly," he commented.
The man's grin froze on his face. He did not expect the sudden insult. He was about to do a monologue before killing his target, but who would have known that the guy would insult him before his face.
"I was born like this!" the lanky fellow shouted as his face turned uglier.
Rowan's face changed, which made the man truly annoyed.
The lanky man raised his hand in the air while a long blade rose high up with it.
[Han Rowan (Level 2). HP: 3/3/3/3/3/3. Qi: 5: Status: Fine.]
[Opponent: Lanky Assassin (Level 2 Martial Body). HP: 2/5/3/3/3/3. Status: Enrage.]
Rowan was shocked to see the status of his enemy. "He is a cultivator?" He thought that Slow Turtle town is a mortal town, so why is there a cultivator amongst them?
"Hmm… Why does the head only have 2 HP? Is he a blockhead or something ?"
But he did not have time to ask this as the enemy had already made his move.
It did not take long before the lanky assassin fell to the ground with both arms missing. He began to wail in pain. He was fast enough to dodge the Malignant Marbles, but the stone dagger was enough to take his arms in one strike.
The battle stopped, and the things in his backpack seemed to have stopped attacking the enemy.
"Hmm… Maybe they react to killing intent or danger… Truly, these are tools for murder." Rowan thought about the absurd thing that was happening before him.
Rowan slowly walked to the lanky man who had almost fainted from pain.
He grabbed something from his pouch and threw a powder at the guy. The powder spread in the air, making the lanky assassin freeze. After the guy was not able to move, Rowan squatted and put some powder on the stump of his arms, causing the wounds to stop bleeding.
Although the guy is still in pain, it is not that much anymore. Rowan decided to spare this guy
"So," Rowan said, his voice completely level, a stark contrast to the massacre around him. "Who sent you?"
The lanky man, weeping, his fear overcoming his pain, stammered out, "M-M-Master Cui! The manager! He said you stole his shop! The… The Green Herb shop!" The guy then bit his pale lips and added, "I… I was not a part of those five. This… this is just a misunderstanding."
Rowan simply nodded. The knowledge was what he needed.
He mentally checked his shop grid.
Shop Items (Refreshed):
Red Meat: 4 coins/ 1x2/ Heal 3HP & 50% chance to add 1 damage to all weapons in the bag for every 5 seconds.Wooden Shield: 4 coins/ 2x2/ 25 defense/ block 2 damage.Travel Bag: 4 coins/ 1x2/ item inside has 10% less cooldown. (reserved)Shell Fruit: 4/ 1x2/ +5 defense every 4 seconds.Leather Vest: 8 coins/ 2x2/ 25 defense/ +5 defense for any items near it (2 item slots).
Rowan could only look at the Travel bag, which showed reserve. He did not know when he would be able to buy it. "What a pain…" he muttered.
Rowan checked the Lanky Assassin. A hard decision is currently in his hands.
To kill or not to kill… that is the question.
"Spare me! I… I can give you everything I have!" the lanky assassin suddenly cried.
Seeing the indifferent gaze of Rowan, the lanky assassin's heart skipped a beat.
"Why should I? If you win this battle, you would have killed me, right?" Rowan suddenly asked.
This question was something that he wanted to ask, as he is not sure what to do with this armless fellow. He is now a disabled person. So how could he kill the guy who could not fight back?
"Please spare me! I… I have a cultivation manual! You… you might not believe it but the immortals in the stories are true. I… I have their manual that can prove it!" he begged.
Rowan's left eyebrow lifted in suspicion. "Really?"
"It's in… in my left pocket… sir! Please believe me!" the guy cried.
Rowan frowned, but then squatted down. He was just curious about what kind of manual it would be. Would it be like the Raging Tiger Claw or something else?
As he lowered his head to look at the lanky assassin's baggy pants, unknown to him, the lanky guy showed a malicious grin on his face.
While they were talking, the guy was trying to use his martial body training to rid his body of the paralyzing poison. He has already decided to use his final killing move on this damn target.
His feet suddenly swung a blade already protruding from the front and back of his right leg. It was a quick and effective maneuver directed at Rowan's throat.
But before his leg could reach Rowan, a rock, one of the Malignant Marbles, had already flown out of the bag and burst the guy's head.
"Battle Ended. HP Restored."
"Total EXP Gained: 5. Current EXP: 30/200."
"Total Coins Gained: 3."
"Current Coins: 4.2."
Rowan could not help but show a strange smile on his face.
"At last… Travel bag… you're mine."