Weakest Bandit

Julius narrowed his eyes, focusing on his opponent's movements. The bandit's stance was unorthodox. Every move seemed calculated, designed to wear Julius down. He wasn't just fighting with strength; he was fighting with precision, using every ounce of his surroundings to his advantage. He was clearly more experienced, every move of his had a secret purpose.

Another strike came. Julius barely dodged in time, the bandit's blade grazing his side. Pain shot through his ribs as he staggered back, his vision momentarily blurring. This was not what he had expected. Julius slashed with his sword but the bandit side stepped away with ease.

The bandit laughed softly, stepping forward with the kind of confidence that only comes from years of experience. "You're slower than I thought," he taunted. "Which is surprising, as they call me the weakest bandit."

Julius gritted his teeth, shaking off the pain. His eyes narrowed. The bandit's taunts meant nothing. He'd fought stronger opponents before. He'd fought things like beasts that were far more dangerous than this. But this... this bandit was different. He was using tricks. He was using his environment, his agility, his unpredictability. Julius could feel himself being worn down, he was getting reminded of the time his group was wiped by human mercaneries in the impossible trial.

The bandit lunged again, this time aiming for Julius's throat. But Julius was faster this time. With a quick slash, he cut through the bandit's guard, sending the blade flying from his hand.

The bandit's eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked stunned. But then, with a flash of desperation, the bandit dropped to the ground, rolling away and pulling out a hidden knife from his boot. Julius had no time to react. The bandit lunged at him, knife aimed at his heart.

Time seemed to slow.

"How do you like the taste of poison, boy?" He was right, Julius felt his skin sting, he needed a healer fast.

Julius's instincts kicked in. He twirled his blade in his hand, executing the Quick Slash technique in one fluid motion. The bandit's knife collided with the sword's edge, the bandit seemed to use some kind of counter attack skill, and the force of the skill sent a shockwave through Julius's body. He staggered, his legs buckling under the sudden strain.

"Ha, you walk right into my traps every time."

The bandit was quicker than Julius had anticipated, and for the first time in a long while, he felt a flicker of doubt. The bandit's dagger ran through Julius' stomach. Julius accepted a stab to his chest, if it meant he could strike back.

"Well, you just walked into mine." Julius laughed in a high pitch, the poison had got to his brain.

His sword was a legendary blade. With one final, decisive strike, Julius brought it down swiftly, and the bandit crumpled to the ground, blood staining the dirt beneath him. 

"Soul Breaker." He used the ability, he felt his energy drain down to a single drop.

[Sword- No Level Requirement- The Soul Blade] [Legendary Boss Drop]

[Soul Breaker: Release a blast of energy from the blade that goes through all armor and barriers. Once per 24 hour Cooldown]

[Passive: This sword only has one master, to utilize it's power it's current master must be killed. Furthermore, it is dull as a hammer if it is not in it's owner's hands."

A blast of purple flames engulfed the bandit, causing him to scream out in agony.

"Aghhhhh. Curse you, curse you! Without that power, you're nothing. NOTHING. You don't know my life, you're just a brat with power. No brains! No skillful technique, power is all you can cling to."

As the flames wore off, the bandit had no more strength to continue fighting, he merely lay on the ground in defeat.

"Power, unfortunately, cannot always save you."

Julius stood over the fallen bandit, breathing heavily. His muscles burned, his body aching from the fight. He had nearly lost. The bandit had nearly killed him—and he was only level 10. How had that been possible? Julius assumed his system would've made up for the level difference, with all his equipment, his skills and his attributes.

"I was once the strongest bandit-."

"You tried to kill me, your story is meaningless but your exp is mine." Julius grew tired and gave the bandit one final farewell.

Slash. The bandit's head went flying. Julius had gotten used to this killing sensation, a part of him hated it, the other part of him enjoyed it a little too much...

Julius felt the wound in his chest, the strike he had accepted to kill the bandit. It seemed worse than he had thought, he would need urgent help from a healer. Just a little more, and the bandit would've pierced his heart, if the poison reached his heart it might've been game over.

"That was way too close..."

As he knelt beside the bandit, he noticed something strange. A small pouch, hidden inside the man's cloak. It was filled with coins, but there was something else—something heavier. A crystal. Dark, gleaming with an unnatural light.

Julius frowned, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. This was more than just a simple bandit. As he touched the crystal it crumpled into a fine black powder.

The bandit groaned, and Julius knelt, drawing his sword close.

"Why?" Julius asked, his voice low. "Why is there so much mystery in this world... It's clearly more than just a game. I've not even left the town of Linia and there's so much going on, this content of Wooxia as a whole must be massive."

Julius stood over the corpse, his thoughts racing. He had barely survived this fight. If a bandit like this could bring him close to death, what would happen when true danger arose? He needed to get stronger. There was no other option. If he almost lots to a level 10 bandit, what would become of him when faced with an enemy that was truly powerful?

"Just one more inch, and his strike might've actually killed me. I need to get stronger." As he walked back, a trail of blood was left in his wake.

When Julius returned the healer from the Angelicis orginsation asked how he got his injury.

"Well, I was fighting a fearsome bandit, you might have heard of him."

Julius gained a level up when he handed his quest in, he also gained 5 medallions.

{You have levelled up to level 9, one more and you gain another attribute point}

{Current Attributes: Speed+}

{You gained 5 medallions. The organisation sent you 5 silver.}

The organisation gave him a bowl of noodles that night as a reward for his quest completion, life was getting better, but it wasn't enough. The monthly rankings would decide everything. 

{New Quest}

{Visit the main hall tomorrow morning at 9 AM for the assembly which will uncover the true reason you have all been summoned here.}

The next morning a meeting would be held, Julius slept without thinking much of the matter.