Chapter 9: Does this count as stealth?
“Did any of you hear a weird noise?” Ron asked with an odd expression.
He felt like he had just heard a translation tone that couldn’t be more authentic.
“Strange sound?” The members of the Phylin tribe looked at each other, then collectively said, “Heard it!”
Their ears were sharper than Ron’s. Of course, they heard the cries for help.
“Lower your voices!” Ron couldn’t help but remind the Phylin tribe.
These Phylin tribe members always made a lot of noise. Speaking so loudly could attract trouble at any moment.
“Lower your voices!” The Phylin tribe members covered each other’s mouths, saying.
“You didn’t hear wrong, it’s me talking,” the bound person hastily said, afraid of being forgotten, “Oh, please, save this poor gentleman.”
This self-proclaimed gentleman, of course, was Doran.
Ron saw Doran hidden on the side, “You…”
Unfortunately, conversations among the bandits could be heard from nearby before he could say anything.
“Is it noisy over there?”
“Seems like the guy the boss doesn’t want to kill.”
“After all, that guy claimed his book is worth several gold coins.”
“I don’t believe his book is worth anything. That guy looks really strange.”
Sure enough, the noise from the Phylin tribe and Doran attracted the bandits’ attention instantly.
Ron couldn’t help but cover his face. He doubted if he could ever successfully move unnoticed. It was the same with Lilian last time, and now it’s the same with these guys around him.
Can’t he be a bit quieter when moving around? Even if he talks, couldn’t it be without exclamation marks?
The good news was the bandits didn’t immediately run over.
“Who are you, exactly?” Ron scrutinised Doran.
Like the bandits, Ron couldn’t help but feel that Doran was either rich or noble at first glance. After all, the fabric of his clothes was too good, and he was wearing a tall hat that normal people wouldn’t wear.
“Oh, forgot to introduce myself. I am Doran.” Doran, who was tied up, struggled to get up. “A gentleman who was accidentally captured.”
Ron covered his ears, a bit annoyed by Doran’s tone. “Can’t you speak normally?”
“No, what’s abnormal about how I speak?” Doran looked at Ron with a shocked expression. “This is the tone of an upper-class gentleman.”
“Never mind, I’ll ask you some questions later,” Ron wasn’t planning to linger with Doran in the bandits’ cave. He quickly untied him.
“Thank goodness, someone finally came to rescue me,” Doran exclaimed, “If there’s a saviour in this world, it must be you, my dear sir.”
Listening to Doran’s lines, Ron felt a pang in his ears. Doran gave him the impression of an actor in a poorly translated drama, full of stiffness in every word and sentence.
“Mr. Ron! Footsteps! The bandits are coming!” The Phylin tribe perked up their ears, hearing a lot of footsteps. “What do we do?”
Ron didn’t expect to hear such bad news right after helping Doran untie. “What do we do? At this point, we can only fight our way out.”
Sneaking around was impossible. They had to resort to the non-existent Plan B — fighting their way out.
“Alright! Fight our way out!” The Phylin tribe raised their spears high.
This group of Phylin tribe members, who claimed not to like violence, were now quite enthusiastic.
Ron started to doubt if Grandpa Susu’ya was deceiving him. Perhaps the Phylin tribe was a combative group.
“Gentlemen, I have no combat skills. I can only hide,” Doran said anxiously, “I won’t drag you down.”
After saying that, he found a wooden box and covered himself with it.
“Wow! This guy is so timid!” Even the Phylin tribe couldn’t bear to watch.
Ron didn’t expect this strange guy to be combat-ready. “Ignore him.”
After some thought, he decided to take out the Ashes of the Furnace.
There was no need to keep it hidden. What was the point of hiding his abilities if he couldn’t defeat the bandits in the end?
Ron always felt it was frustrating to keep something hidden without using it. He focused on the system, silently thinking about summoning the greatsword.
Like the potion before, the greatsword appeared in his hand when Ron thought of bringing out his weapon.
“Clang!” Like a work of art, this sword stood with its tip facing downward, emitting an ominous aura.
As Ron looked at the Ashes of the Furnace, he inexplicably felt familiar, as if he should have been wielding the greatsword all along.
“Mr. Ron! What a handsome sword!” Some Phylin tribe members admired the sword.
“Though it’s different from my plan, there’s no other choice,” Ron said as he opened his eyes, and the bandits had already gathered before him.
“Which one of you is the leader?” He asked directly.
“Leader?” One of the bandits looked puzzled at Ron. “Our leader is blocking someone at the entrance.”
“Why are you talking so much to them? Just attack!” Another bandit scolded him directly.
Ron and the Phylin tribe seemed to be looking for trouble. There was no need for small talk.
“What? Your leader is blocking someone at the entrance?” This answer dumbfounded Ron.
How did he feel like his plan was full of mistakes and omissions? Could it be that his plan had completely failed?
“Phylin tribe! We need to act faster!” Ron said, “There’s a big problem now!”
Although the Phylin tribe didn’t know the big problem, they could tell from Ron’s urgency, “There’s a big problem!”
“Charge! We need to move fast!” The Phylin tribe raised their spears and rushed towards the bandits without considering the potential heavy losses.
In their charge, they didn’t even consider the possibility of heavy casualties. Seeing the Phylin tribe being so impulsive, Ron had no choice but to follow suit. He swung the Ashes of the Furnace in his hand, slashing it towards the nearest bandit.
Ron, who initially thought he wouldn’t be comfortable in combat, instantly understood how to proceed.
Normally, swinging a greatsword in such a confined space would easily result in deflection, making it challenging to wield smoothly. However, the Ashes of the Furnace forcefully cut through the wall, leaving a deep mark, and its power remained undiminished as it slashed towards Ron’s enemies.
With just the first swing, the bandits felt the inexplicable oppression emanating from the Ashes of the Furnace. After defeating the first batch of bandits in front of him, Ron entered an exceptionally focused state. At that moment, he felt as if he couldn’t even sense the weight of the Ashes of the Furnace in his hand. It became an extension of his arm.
