Eternal Thief

Chapter 25 - Thiefʼs Skill Pick-Pocket

Gracie snorted as she rolls her eyes at Head Butler, ”Humph! Weʼll see about that after I try. Since you bought him here already, Iʼll forgive you for being late. Now go and donʼt disturb me, Iʼve learned some new skills that I want to practice.” she enters her house after giving Kylan an unfriendly glance. 

Kylan pretends to not see anything and quickly warns Ace, ”You have to follow Young Missʼ every order if you want to live. Donʼt displease her in any way, now go.”

Ace ignores Kylanʼs warning and follows Gracie with his head down. However, they both didnʼt notice an astute glint flash past his eyes, ʼI didnʼt think; this Gracie would deliver herself to me this early and so easily.ʼ He thought gloatingly.

Gracie saw Ace following her attentively and couldnʼt help but nodded in satisfaction after seeing this ʼrespectfulʼ lad. Because most of the wastelandians would stare at her with hatred and resentment when they first come here.

”Mhmm, A slave should behave just like this.” She mutters loudly to aggravate Ace, but he only grins coldly.

She opened a door and Ace saw a big open space in the back of her house. There were sharp swords marks on the ground and rows of weapons were arranged on the side. It was clearly her personal training ground.

Gracie said indifferently, ”Quickly donʼt waste my time and pick any weapon and attack me with everything you have.”

Ace didnʼt move and meekly said, ”May I speak few words with Third Lady first?”

Gracie frowns as she knitted her brows after hearing Aceʼs request, but didnʼt attack him immediately. she only smiles darkly and said, ”Speak but if I donʼt like what you said, I will cut your tongue so you canʼt speak anymore.”

Ace pretends as if he didnʼt see her dark smile and said respectfully, ”Young Miss hereʼs a thing; ever since I was little, I can use a special skill.”

When Gracie heard Aceʼs words her eyebrow raised a little, she didnʼt think this barbarian of wastelands can use a special skill. Moreover, she didnʼt feel any strong Qi in Aceʼs body, he was clearly a mortal so how could he use a skill?

Gracie canʼt feel Aceʼs cultivation base because of Heavenly Qi, only someone with two major cultivation realms higher than Ace can feel his true cultivation base. Others would only think of him as a normal mortal.

Thatʼs was also the reason why Ace was not worried about others finding out about his status as a cultivator because someone with two whole realms higher them Ace canʼt be founded in 2-Star City or even in 1-Start City easily. Of course, he finds out about this after paying Thief Points to the system while gritting his teeth, when he was anxious about this fact.

Furthermore, itʼs not like mortals canʼt learn or use the skills, itʼs just they these kinds of characters were extremely rare and all of them were geniuses among geniuses. 

ʼCould it be this barbarian is a genius?ʼ Gracie promptly shook her head, ʼHow could someone from wasteland be a genius? Maybe he was just lucky.ʼ This was the only explanation.

However, Gracie was still hooked and said playfully, ”Mmm, A ʼspecial skillʼ you say? Fine show me and if it isnʼt something special you know whatʼs going to befall on you.”

Ace hurriedly shook his head, as if he was panic, ”Young Miss I didnʼt dare to use it on you and only need some other person to show it to you.”

Ace was showing fear towards Gracie and also probing her character to see if he could really move forwards in the next step of his plan with her or not.

Gracie loss her patient and rebuke angrily, ”Now use it already, it doesnʼt matter if itʼs me or someone else because if I didnʼt like what I see, you are dead!”

Ace quiver a little acting like he was afraid and hurriedly close his eyes and begin to use ʼPick Pocketʼ. The moment the skill is active, a formless thread shots from his finger straight towards Gracieʼs waist like an arrow.

Gracie didnʼt seem to notice that formless thread and stand still in her place waiting for Ace to use his skill. When the formless thread touches her waist, it suddenly disappeared and in Aceʼs hand appears a small yellow pouch. 

Ace knew this would happen so he wasnʼt shocked by this but what happens next thoroughly shocks him when heard a sweet voice in his mind that he didnʼt hear for quite some time,

”[Pick Pocket succeed. Host steal 2 trash grade pills and 100 ruby coins.]

{Rewards: 0 Thief Points}”

Ace was flabergasted by this unexpected system announcement, ”Youʼre telling me if I can pick someoneʼs pocket, I get TP as a reward?!” He shouts in his mind dumbfoundedly because he didnʼt know he can earn TP with this skill.

Ace was just acting according to his plan and didnʼt know that pick-pocket has this kind of use. This skill was his weakest because he didnʼt practice it much however, recently he has found out that this skill was not a normal skill at all. Because this skill can be used with the ʼSoul Qiʼ as well.

Actually, it works more perfectly with Heavenly Soul Qi than Heavenly Qi, because he didnʼt have to be close to the target and can use this skill from afar.

Just like now, he has to active pick-pocket with his Soul Qi, and the moment his soul Qi touchʼs the target it instantly takes the targetʼs most important belongings and sends them to Aceʼs hand directly. The most astonishing thing was the target canʼt notice it at all.

Ace found this peculiar side of this skill when he was getting used to his Heavenly Sense. He discovered; he can use the pick-pocket within his Heavenly Sense Range by using soul qi. He was very happy at that time, but he didnʼt imagine that this skill can help him collect TP.

Ace calms his excited heart because he was in front of Gracie and didnʼt want her to find something was wrong with his acting.

When Gracie saw the little yellow pouch appear in Aceʼs hand her eyes went wide and nearly pop out of her eyesockets with shock. She subconsciously touches her waist and bewitches because she didnʼt find her yellow money pouch. Because it was already in Aceʼs hand.

Before she could recover from her shock Ace quickly spoke first, ”My lady this one apologized for his offense but the Young Lady was the one who gives her command so this lowly one canʼt disobey her. I hope Young Miss can show some grace and forgive this small person offense.”

Ace bows lightly and politely give her yellow pouch back to her. He was shivering a little as if he was afraid she would kill him so he was begging for mercy first.

Gracie finally snapped out of her trance and quickly took her yellow pouch from Aceʼs hand and stare angrily at him, ”YOU! You... dare to steal from me.... and now you dare to beg for forgiveness? T-tell me how you do it... and teach me that skill, then Iʼll think about not punishing you!” She wasnʼt angry at all, on the contrary, she was very excited.

ʼIf I learn this kind of skill, with it I can steal from others without them knowing anything.ʼ These were her actual thoughts.

Ace was expecting this so he quickly answered with a panicked face, ”Y-young Lady, i-it is not that I donʼt want to teach you, itʼs just that I canʼt teach you or anyone at that. This is a skill that I learn unknowingly even I donʼt know how I can do it. This skill came to me when I was five years old.”

Gracieʼs face fell and angry surfaced on it after she heard Ace reply, ”Then why did you show it to me if you canʼt teach it to me?? Do want to steal from me?!” She grips her swordʼs hilt more strongly. If Ace didnʼt tell her a reasonable answered she would attack him without holding back.

Ace told her his ʼoriginal motiveʼ with a horrified-sicken face, ”Young miss I didnʼt want to steal from you! I showed it to you because Iʼm not good at fighting and after I came here, I saw all those other ʼbrothers from wastelandʼ conditions. I was afraid of death so I thought that if I showed enough value, I can be spared from this fighting and live a little easy life from all those ʼbrothersʼ in that building.” He shook his head vigorously as he explains his real ʼpurpose.ʼ

As expected Gracie seems to calm down a bit after she heard Aceʼs explanation because it was extremely reasonable; if he wants to live, then he has to show his worth,

Gracie also didnʼt suspect any lie in Aceʼs answer either. Because she, herself has already killed more than ten wastelandians. 

Gracie finally calms down and said in a deep voice, ”Then what your mean is; you can steal from others and give those things to me. In return, you want better treatment from those other slaves? Do you think you are in a position to negotiate with me?!”

”Who said I give my stolen thing to Young Miss? If I got caught no one knows where their stolen things are, right? And no one knows I can speak did they, young miss?” He respectfully smiled at Gracie after he said those meaningful yet meaningless words.

Gracie was astounded by Aceʼs cunningness. ʼIs he saying he will be mute in other peopleʼs eyes and give all those stolen things to me, and no one knows? But if he betrays me, and spills the beans I will be in huge trouble. So how can I trust him?ʼ She mused.

Ace quickly spoke as if he read her mind, ”Young Miss you can plant one of those slave marks on me!”

Once again Gracie was startled by Aceʼs decisiveness.