CHAPTER 6: A VULGAR DISPLAY

Surprise flickered on the girl’s face. Her bright red eyes, full of combativeness only seconds earlier, were now staring wide with confusion and shock.

It all had taken place too quickly for her to make sense of. She stood frozen still in her position, her head still pointing towards where the bullet had disappeared as she attempted to understand.

Just then, a message flashed into Allen’s line of sight with a gentle blue light.

[+20 XP!]

Allen’s eyes sparkled. A small, almost indiscernible smile twisted his lips upwards.

So I can still get XP for killing people? Even if it’s not part of a quest?

Right then, the system responded with its emotionless voice echoing in Allen’s mind. Unlike the last time when it had remained silent.

[Affirmative. Non-quest eliminations grant baseline XP. Quest eliminations grant additional rewards such as CP and Perks.]

Hearing that a rather thrilling thought sparked in his mind.

Wait... if I get XP for any kill...

He looked at the girl. She was powerful, skilled, and clearly important enough to have someone send assassins after her.

Therefore, if going by the logic of RPG games and the novels he’d read the XP from killing her would probably be substantial.

For a fleeting moment, he considered it. It would be easy. She was still reeling from the shock, and her guard was completely down. One more bullet was all it would take.

But he crushed the idea before it could fully form.

No. That’s a stupid way to die.

I only won our little scuffle because I caught her by surprise with the vest. That was a one-time trick. She’s already seen most of my toys, she’ll adapt to them soon enough.

He immediately dropped the idea. It was a foolish, short-sighted impulse.

Some XP isn’t worth my life.

I’m the one in a new world here. I’m at the disadvantage. I know nothing about this place, its people, or its rules.

Hell, I was just lucky my gun even worked. What if the laws of physics were different here? What if magic could stop bullets? I’d be a corpse right now.

If she pulled out a fucking Excalibur on me, I would be the one getting my ass handed to me.

Besides, a much better prize was waiting right in front of him. An opportunity far more valuable than a handful of experience points.

The mental smokescreen I’ve created...

He had shown her a power she couldn’t understand. He had killed three of her attackers with an invisible force from a distance she probably thought was impossible.

He had created an aura of mystery and overwhelming strength. That was a weapon in and of itself. A psychological weapon.

There’s no way I’m letting this go to waste.

With that thought, Allen relaxed his hands. The gun and vest dissolved into motes of light and vanished from sight as if they were never there.

"See?" he said calmly, his voice steady and confident. "If I wanted you dead, I would’ve let him take his shot. He had the perfect chance while you were focused on me."

The girl just stared at him, her expression unreadable. Her mind was clearly racing, trying to make sense of the strange, contradictory man in front of her.

He had saved her, but he had also attacked her. He was powerful yet he showed no killing intent. At least for now.

Silence stretched for a few long seconds, broken only by the gentle sound of the waterfall.

Finally, she closed her eyes and a long, weary sigh escaped her lips. As if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

When she opened them again, the suspicion that had hardened her features was gone and was replaced by a reluctant and slightly fearful acceptance.

"It seems the fault was mine," she said, her voice much softer now with all the previous hostility gone. "I apologize for my behavior."

She gave a slight, formal bow, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders like a silken waterfall.

"Yeah, yeah, all that can come later," Allen said, brushing her off with a wave of his hand, his tone casual. "First, wear your clothes. I don’t think we’re in a life-or-death situation anymore.

Her eyes widened a bit as a look of realization flashed across her face.

"You’re right, my apologies for such a vulgar display. It’s just that I did not have the luxury to worry about my clothing when my life was on the line," she said.

"It’s fine, just change now," Allen said, turning around.

Well, it’s not exactly a "vulgar display" to be honest. He thought to himself as the pistol in his hands vanished back into the armory.

Now then, what should I do from here on out? Whatever just happened was too random, and I kinda went with the flow but that can’t last.

I need to get serious and make a proper plan if I don’t want to get caught up in some mess like this again.

Let’s break down the current situation first to see what I know for sure.

Magic is real. No doubt about it. Those assassins moved way too fast for normal humans. They were using something to boost their speed and strength, and their daggers were also giving a strange glow.

Some kind of enhancement magic? Maybe. It’s just a guess at best. I need more data.

Then the most important fact, it doesn’t seem like this world has reached the stage where they can produce modern weaponry to even modern tech. After all, those men were using daggers to fight and even this girl uses a sword.

But... their weapons are probably enchanted. Magic swords versus a pistol... that could get complicated.

Wait a second. Maybe they never invented guns because they never needed to. Why bother with technology when you have magic that’s just as good, or even better?

Allen closed his eyes and let out a long, frustrated sigh. A headache was starting to form behind his eyes.

He had been caught up in quite a unique predicament. He had way too much new information that he had to process, yet at the same time he knew ever so little about this world.

It was a strange contradiction.

Well, one thing’s clear. I need to find a way to get more information about this world. However...

He looked around himself, remembering the fact that he was currently in the middle of an unknown forest with no sense of direction whatsoever.