My Players Are So Fierce

The newly opened plot faction “Blood Rat Gang” currently only consists of four people including Doris.

The moment they set up their stall just outside the entrance to the seventh sewer, a dozen or so players who had been waiting excitedly for a long time surrounded them.

These were characters planning to go down the path of thieves and rogues.

They had been anxiously anticipating such role advancement, but were disappointed when the option was only made available up to this point!

Pah!

The game experience sucks!

However, as the enthusiastic players came in droves, one by one they left disappointed.

Their fantasies of being stealthy assassins, who could kill within ten steps without a trace of blood, seemed far removed from this game’s reality.

“What?

What did you say?

Stealth?

Yes, I know stealth, but the visual concealing effect you’re talking about isn’t something an ordinary professional can learn!

To summon shadows for full body cover so smoothly, you have to reach the Black Iron Rank at least.”

“I can teach pickpocketing skills too, but don’t you need to practice this stuff?

If your technique isn’t up to scratch when stealing on the street, you could get beaten to death!

See that pot over there?

Once the sand in it is heated up, pull it out with two fingers.

If you can do it successfully once, you’ve gotten the gist of it.

After that, practice picking up soap in a basin of hot water.”

“Who’s been randomly throwing flash powder like a smoke bomb?

Your technique is awful!”

The incessant questions from players have made the four members of the Blood Rat Gang quite exasperated.

It wasn’t until then that Miss Doris realized what kind of hot potato she had picked up.

She had a splitting headache from the players’ odd and various requests.

Recalling techniques learned during her “Public Officer Basics Course,” she let out a shout to quiet everyone, then clumsily used the Calculating Pearl in hand to assign the players their daily task of exterminating ghouls.

Want to learn skills?

No problem!

Bring me ten sets of ghoul teeth and claws first.

This tactic brought the four members of the Blood Rat Gang some temporary tranquility.

After the noisy players left, Doris, exhausted, sat on a barrel and told the three subordinates watching her somewhat resentfully:

“What are you looking at?

Get to work!

Set up our camp.

Daisy, once they return, you’ll teach them shadow walking.

Freeman, teach these guys pickpocketing and cutpurse skills.

Old Peter, teach them how to search and disguise.

Once they’ve all learned, I’ll teach them how to connect with shadows.

Where the hell did these noobs get the idea that they could disappear into the shadows instantly?

Damn, that advanced technique is rumored to be performed by Shadow Elves.

Even I took several years to master it, okay?”

Doris voiced her complaints, but the work still needed to be done.

While instructing her three subordinates, she noticed someone cloaked in black slinking along the wall toward them.

She was thoroughly amused by his getup.

“Oi, you over there, are you dressed like this so people can’t help but notice you in a crowd?

You’ve been reading too many third-rate knight novels, haven’t you?

Get that damn outfit off.”

Sitting on a barrel, she spoke to the player who was standing still:

“The first step to becoming a thief is learning to disguise, but definitely not like this.

I suggest you go look around the streets.

See what the average person looks like and make yourself appear like them.

When no one notices you anymore, that’s when you’ve reached entry-level in our line of work.

The lower your presence in this line of work, the better.”

“Ah.”

The player was quite obedient.

After Doris finished speaking, he promptly removed his “night-rider costumes,” revealing the novice escort’s leather armor he wore underneath.

He looked quite young, but seemed very reluctant to make eye contact with Doris.

“That won’t do.”

The Rat Gang’s boss shook her head as she said:

“Your posture might be fitting for a thief, but not for us in the Rat Gang.

Come on, stand tall, tell me, what’s your name?”

“Frost…Frostfang’s Claw.”

The novice replied honestly, but he was clearly playing his cards close to his chest.

By the plug-in microphone on his Calculating Pearl, it seemed that this guy was a “wealthy” player.

After all, few novices could afford to spend 20 Gold Coins on plug-ins as soon as they entered the game.

“You want to be a thief?”

Doris questioned again, to which he nodded vigorously in reply.

“Go get the ghoul’s teeth and claws to prove your determination and potential.

Of course, as a thief, you shouldn’t only think of fighting.

You could also try stealing our wooden box hidden amongst the ghouls in the third layer of the sewer.”

Miss Doris waved her hand and continued:

“We rushed out previously and left a lot of stuff there.

If you can bring it back, that would suggest you have the talent for this line of work.

But let me tell you, stealing from places where ghouls wander is much more dangerous than fighting them directly.

Those ghouls are very sensitive to smell and living beings.

You should weigh your options.”

“Is it fine if I bring just one of them?”

Frostfang’s Claw asked in a low voice, to which Doris nodded.

After giving it some thought, she took off a special wooden tag from her waist.

It was an identity marker, carved in the shape of a rat.