Chapter 74

"Boss, do we really have to do this?"

Dylan's question was filled with shyness and humiliation.

"Don't be ridiculous, this is a long-distance trip.

If you don't do this, how many potions will you have to carry on your back?

You can resupply along the way on land, but once you're on the ship, do you expect to bring a whole crate of potions aboard?"

Currently, Dylan's clothes and pants were packed inside his luggage bag.

He was riding on horseback wearing nothing but his underpants.

According to the boss, this was to maximize the surface area for absorbing solar energy.

However,

it was only half a day's journey left to Nuoweide; it would be too embarrassing to run into people like this...

As the saying goes, the thing you fear most is exactly what happens.

Just as the sun was about to set, before Dylan could put his clothes back on,

the naked rider Dylan encountered four strangers, though the situation was slightly different from what he had imagined.

Simply put, three guys dressed very much like bandits were doing something very much like banditry—robbing a man who looked like a traveling merchant.

Although the merchant was on horseback, he had been forced to the edge of a dirt slope with nowhere to go.

The bandits didn't seem to want to hurt the horse, which was why they hadn't managed to drag the merchant down yet.

Dylan's arrival naturally drew the bandits' attention, but all three of them merely adopted a defensive posture in silence.

No one jumped out to threaten him, and there was no intention to rob him as well.

These three were just bottom-tier thugs who hadn't even reached the Silver rank and could only rob ordinary people.

Naturally, they were cautious when choosing their targets.

Someone like Dylan, with his strange appearance and lack of nervousness upon seeing them,

was someone they preferred not to provoke if they could help it.

Dylan reached for the longsword hanging on his horse, then slightly turned the horse's head to bypass them.

"Uh, aren't you going to help him?"

"Boss, I'm in a hurry, how can I manage every single thing!" Dylan said, as if it were only natural.

"Dylan..."

"Hmm?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very hypocritical?"

"Sir! Help me, I'm willing to pay 2 gold coins!" the merchant suddenly shouted to Dylan for help.

"Shut up!"

One of the bandits was clearly getting desperate; he raised his chipped iron sword and slashed down, not caring whether he would hurt the horse or not.

As he swung the sword, the bandit caught a glimpse of a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye and subconsciously hesitated for a step.

The next second, an ice spike grazed past the tip of his nose.

Everyone looked at the naked figure on the horse, especially at the ring on his hand where the blue light had not yet fully dissipated.

"Skill... equipment..."

They couldn't afford to mess with someone who possessed skill equipment.

"Friend, there's no need to fight, we're leaving right now."

Seeing that Dylan didn't seem to have any intention of attacking further, the three bandits faced Dylan and slowly backed away.

Once they had retreated far enough, the three of them took to their heels and fled.

Dylan felt he had been impulsive.

He wasn't wearing his gear, and other than his underpants, he only had this ring on him.

At first, he had decided not to get involved.

After all, he wasn't exactly short of 2 gold coins right now.

But this damn muscle memory.

In the past, he had gone to such great lengths to earn a few dozen silver, so when he encountered 2 gold coins that were practically free, he acted on impulse.

Sigh!

"Thank you for saving my life, I am truly grateful."

The merchant rode over, nodding his thanks repeatedly, but Dylan just held out his hand.

If this guy dared to welch on the reward, Dylan would have to take over from the bandits and rob him clean.

Fortunately, the merchant had no intention of reneging. "Oh, yes, yes, here you go." Soon, two gold coins were delivered into Dylan's hand.

What neither of them noticed was that when the merchant leaned in, the strap of the backpack hanging by the horse's rump had already lifted slightly, ready to be pulled out at any moment.

Dylan accepted the money, looked at the merchant who was still thanking him, and casually offered a piece of advice:

"Don't skimp on guards next time; the more you save, the more you lose, and sooner or later, you'll save your life away."

"Yes, yes, you're right." It was clear that the merchant was a bit embarrassed by this himself.

Dylan intended to leave after taking the money, but to his surprise, the merchant followed him.

"Sir, may I accompany you to Nuoweide?"

"Aren't you coming from Nuoweide?"

Seeing Dylan look over with slight disdain, the merchant immediately and tactfully handed over twenty silver coins.

"I only just realized the road is too dangerous; I want to return to Nuoweide first to hire two guards before setting out again."

Dylan wasn't short of this bit of money, but having just received 2 gold coins, it would be too heartless to turn him away immediately.

It was only half a day's journey anyway...

"Fine."

Dylan could only reluctantly accept the silver coins.

Seeing this, the merchant smiled even more sincerely.

As the sky grew dark, Dylan didn't intend to continue traveling.

He put on his clothes and found an open space with no cover around to start a campfire.

He didn't choose to travel through the night, and it wasn't because of the extra merchant.

For one, he didn't have night vision; even in the dungeon, he had to rely on the boss's fluorescent lighting.

Secondly, the horse also needed to rest.

Under the triple moonlight, the two sat on opposite sides of the campfire.

Dylan put the dried meat he carried into an iron cup and added water to boil it into half a cup of meat broth for dinner.

Amidst the clinking of the iron cup, the merchant suddenly spoke: "Sir, I haven't asked your name yet; my name is Antonio Neil."

"Just call me Dylan."

Dylan was somewhat cold; after all, they were just "teammates" for half a day's journey, no need to spend so much effort making friends.

Although the merchant felt a bit regretful, he didn't force a conversation.

He just unscrewed the flask at his waist and took a few gulps of what was inside.

After Dylan finished his meat broth, the two went to sleep separately.

Dylan really didn't need to be on guard; he still had the scout, and a bunch of detection skills were much more useful than his own eyes.

The backpack that the scout had transformed into was now hanging on a tree branch, monitoring everything around them.

Especially this "merchant."

【Name: Kuluoluo】

【Race: Shapeshifter】

【Level: lv36】

【Racial Talent: Shapeshifting (Can change appearance at will, can imitate humanoid creatures, including the specific individual's appearance, voice, scent, etc.)】

A shapeshifter, that should count as a Demon, right...

This racial talent is equivalent to gaining an enhanced version of 【Mimicry】 from birth.

The human realm is truly full of stars.

In just three days of travel, he had already encountered a scumbag knight, bandits, and a shapeshifter.

Dylan thought he had saved the merchant, but in Lin Jun's view, he had probably saved the three bandits instead.

This shapeshifter must have been planning to kill all the bandits at the start, and he definitely could have done it.

He only changed his mind after seeing Dylan.

This guy is not the harmless type; there are quite a few attack skills in his panel, and at the very least, it would be a close call for Dylan to fight him.

It's just unclear what purpose this guy has in approaching Dylan.

Lin Jun hadn't told Dylan the merchant's true identity yet.

After all, it wouldn't be good if Dylan were constantly on guard.

At the end of the day, he's only lv36; if he spends a bit more effort keeping an eye on him, he won't really have a chance to hurt Dylan.

Let's see what tricks he's planning to play!