“Uncle Drew, let’s go,” Kent said, jumping into the cart.
In the end, the bandits knew nothing. According to Orlan, who sang like a bird when Kent’s sword was at his dick, a man occasionally came to assign them tasks. Once the jobs were completed, he would return with their payment.
It was the same man who had placed the kill order on Kent. The bandits didn’t know who he was or where he came from—they only cared about the money.
Kent killed Orlan afterward and confiscated their assets before leaving. Although the Tower managed to connect the dots, linking the bandits to three noble families, it was clear they were merely pawns.
Kent didn’t have time for that. As the disciple of a powerful Saintess, he knew the Alderford family wouldn’t be in any danger. After all, he planned to use them to get rich—and who wouldn’t want to ensure their future money mill was well-protected?
Soon, they left the Old Mines and headed back to the mansion.
A short while later, a figure arrived at the mine, only to find everyone dead. He wandered through the scene, inspecting the carnage, but in the end, not a single soul had survived.
“Who could have done something like this?” he muttered to himself.
Approaching Orlan’s body—the only one still with its head attached—he noticed a note pinned to Orlan’s chest. The handwriting was unmistakably mocking.
“Hello, mysterious person,
I know you know who did this. But even if you don’t, worry not—we’ll meet soon enough. Scratch that. What I meant to say was: Have fun in the afterlife.”
Before the figure could comprehend the meaning of Kent’s message, Orlan’s body exploded, consuming him in a fiery blast. As the figure was obliterated, a series of powerful explosions erupted all around, rocking the mine and collapsing it entirely.
The explosion was something the Tower had helped Kent orchestrate. Being in a mine, the place was already a natural powder keg, practically rigged to blow with the right catalyst.
Kent, now arriving at the Alderford Mansion, disembarked from the cart and made his way to meet his master. Unbeknownst to him, his actions at the mine had resulted in the death of a Peak Root Grandmaster.
However, because the Tower wasn’t a true system, it didn’t reward him the points that should have come with such a significant kill.
But that was beside the point. Kent had made a fortune from the massacre, and his point system now displayed:
[Tower Points: 700,000]
[Attribute Points: 0]
[Skill Upgrade Points: 6100]
For now, Kent had no use for the Tower Points, as the Tower Store would only unlock once he became a Root Grandmaster.
Essentially, all the Tower’s features would unlock—or more accurately, awaken—once he reached the rank of Grandmaster. He didn’t know how that transformation would feel like, but Kent had a good feeling about it. What excited him more was what would happen when those features finally awakened.
“You’re back already,” Sword Saintess Selene said the moment Kent stepped into the room.
“Don’t act like that, Master. I knew you followed me,” Kent replied, smirking. As someone in possession of a Celestial-grade treasure, not even a god could sneak up on him unnoticed.
“How did you know?” Saintess Selene asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You don’t have the qualifications to know, Master,” Kent said with a sly smile as he took his seat.
[Once you join the harem, everything will be made known.] The shameless Tower chimed in, making Kent chuckle to himself.
<You know the drill, Tower,> he responded inwardly, his grin growing wider.
“You’re stronger than I anticipated. Tell me, where did you learn swordsmanship, and who taught you?” Saintess Selene asked, her gaze sharp and curious.
“Self-taught. And, well… I’ve only been using the sword since last week, actually,” Kent replied, casually shrugging.
Selene’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him, clearly skeptical.
“I’m not lying, Master. I started using it less than two weeks ago,” Kent added, meeting her gaze confidently.
“You’re telling me that you—a person capable of wielding both sword intent and sword aura—have only been practicing swordsmanship for less than a month?” Selene raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with disbelief.
“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to unlock sword aura, let alone sword intent? It takes most people years to achieve even one of those, and you’re saying you did both in mere days?”
“I don’t know what to say, Master. I guess I’m just a special case.” He smirked, leaning back slightly. “Of course, if you don’t believe me, feel free to give me a task—or better yet, test me yourself. I’ll prove to you just how talented I am.”
Kent smiled, clearly enjoying the direction the conversation was taking.
[Master, although this one is a little tough to crack, she seems fascinated by the sword. I trust you know what to do.]
<I know, Tower. I know,> Kent thought, his smile widening as he relished the challenge ahead.
Saintess Selene watched Kent for a few moments before reaching into her space ring and pulling out a skill book.
“Take this. There’s a single skill in it. Since you’re so confident, use a week to master it. Until then, I won’t believe the talent you claim to have,” she said, handing him the book.
Kent took the skill book and read the title: [24 String Weaving Strike]. He flipped it open, confirming his suspicion—only diagrams filled the pages, with no accompanying text.
<Tower, since we don’t want to reveal too much, I suppose I can’t learn this the traditional way. Do you have a workaround for me?> Kent asked inwardly.
Since he couldn’t simply absorb the skill directly by touching it to his forehead, he needed an alternative approach.
[Master, since you possess the Sword Mind technique, all you need to do is apply it to the skill book as you would with a sword. This will allow you to comprehend and master the skill. It’s just an Earth-grade technique; you can handle it easily.]
Kent nodded, following the Tower’s instructions. A few seconds later, he had fully learned the skill.
“Master, let’s say I manage to learn it before the seven days are up. What would I get in return?” he asked, though he held back his true desires for now.
After all, he didn’t know Selene well enough yet. Not that he had hesitated with Vexthra or Unity either, but this was a different game.
She is a Saintess, someone who is known by many and holds great power in the kingdom.
Selene, raising an eyebrow, replied casually, “Whatever you want, as long as it’s related to swordsmanship and within my capabilities to provide.” She was certain the task wouldn’t be completed so easily.
Even if he were talented, it would take at least five to ten days to learn the skill—or so she thought.
“I’m done, then,” Kent said, closing the book with a faint smile.
“Are you serious?” Selene’s disbelief was almost palpable as she stared at him, her composure momentarily faltering.