“In a short period of time, aside from technique, the only way to quickly improve strength is through external means…”

Although the Dark World has a general background reminiscent of medieval Europe, that doesn’t mean their weapons are weak… On the contrary, this is a world filled with mysterious powers—even a broken stick casually tossed aside might be hiding immense strength.

“Maybe I can find a blacksmith to custom-make some weapons?”

The first thing Ethan thought of was to make a gun, but the feasibility was low. Not to mention whether the blacksmith had the skills, the fact that he himself didn’t know the structure of firearms was a major problem. Even if he managed to make the simplest usable musket, how would he solve the issue of gunpowder?

“So, cold weapons imbued with magical power are the best choice… The question now is, how do I obtain them?”

Chapter 8: First Kill

Money? Ethan didn’t have any. Not only was he broke, but all his possessions were on him. Other than the clothes on his back, he only had that basic mental power cultivation book and the island pointer for Stat Island, along with some rations and fresh water.

“Robbing is out of the question—I don’t have the strength for that.”

After thinking it over, the most reliable way was to work for the Rogue Encampment, trading his labor for the things he wanted. That way, nothing unexpected would happen.

After a good night’s rest, early the next morning, Ethan went to find Agatha. Only Agatha could communicate with him, and he needed Agatha to convey his intentions to the others.

Agatha’s tent wasn’t hard to find. As one of the last high-ranking priests of the Sightless Eye Sisterhood, Agatha held a high status in the camp. In the northeast corner of the camp, there was a separate area for the sisters, and the largest tent belonged solely to Agatha.

Of course, Agatha herself also ensured the Rogues’ combat effectiveness with her outstanding healing and potion-making abilities. In every respect, she was one of the most important people in the entire camp.

When Ethan found her, Agatha was standing outside her tent, staring blankly at a few plants, seemingly deep in thought. It wasn’t until Ethan walked up and blocked what little light there was that she turned her head.

“Young mage apprentice, is there something you need my help with?”

“Hello, Priestess Agatha, I do have a few things I need your help with.” Ethan organized his words, then continued using mental power, “As you can see, I’m penniless and have nothing to trade for travel expenses. So I’d like to do what I can in exchange for some compensation, so I can buy some protective weapons and enough food.”

Agatha nodded, understanding Ethan’s meaning. “So, you want me to help convey your intentions?” Since Ethan couldn’t communicate directly with the people in the camp, he could only rely on her to translate—nothing strange about that. “I’ll write a few notes for you in a moment, and teach you some simple words. That should be enough to solve your problem.”

No sooner said than done, Agatha was a woman of action. After agreeing, she immediately wrote a few simple notes, such as “Do you need help?”, “I can do some work!”, “I need to earn money to go home!” and so on. She then told Ethan to write the words he recognized on each note to help him distinguish them.

At the same time, she taught Ethan simple phrases like “hello” in front of the tent. It took less than three hours to finish all this, and even Ethan was surprised at how fast he learned.

“I never learned English this fast in my previous life.”

Not only did he learn quickly, but he remembered everything clearly. Even after learning more than a dozen words, Ethan found he wasn’t confused at all.

“What the Ancient One said before about language learning not being a problem as your mental power increases is true.”

Stronger mental power directly enhances memory. While it doesn’t make you smarter, it does make it much easier to memorize large amounts of information. Eidetic memory, something many ordinary people envy, is actually a basic skill for high-level mages.

After half a day of study, Agatha realized that although Ethan hadn’t truly started down the path of a mage, his control over mental power and his memory already made him a qualified mage apprentice. Suddenly recalling her own current troubles, she began to consider whether the young man before her was a suitable candidate.

She only thought for a moment before making up her mind. The Rogues were already stretched to their limits just defending the camp. On top of that, they had to regularly patrol the area, clear out the ever-increasing dark creatures, and gather every usable resource they could find. The Rogues really didn’t have the energy to do anything else.

“If you really want to help, there’s something I need you to do right now.”

When Ethan heard this, he suddenly remembered that when he played the game, Agatha was the one who gave out the first quest in Act I. Now that she was suddenly asking for his help, could it be that quest from the game?

“That was a combat quest where you had to kill who knows how many dark creatures. Can I really do it?”