Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

The night was especially dark tonight, but for him, it was the perfect cover.

Based on the secrets provided in Jeff’s Codex, he moved like a ghost through the shadows of Graystone Town.

He had already cleaned up those 【Town Informants】, as well as the 【Hyenas】 responsible for combat ambushes.

Graystone Town was actually divided into two areas. One was the northeastern district where Adventurers were active, which was also the bustling commercial area.

The southwestern district, on the other hand, was the residential area, where administration and patrols were the strictest. The northeastern district only had basic patrols.

Because Adventurers were a mixed bag and vendettas were common, the patrol office didn’t like interfering in this area, which gave Lance the opportunity to act.

As those names were filled into the Codex one by one, Lance had practically grasped all the details of the “Ghoulhound” gang.

In Jeff’s eyes—a small-time thief who had never seen much of the world—the Wayne before him was a mysterious senior from a major organization, possessing unfathomable strength.

However, when Lance pieced together the truth using the secrets of other members, he realized it was nothing but a joke.

This so-called “Gold Washer” was merely someone who had stolen money from his former organization due to dirty hands, and fled here like a stray dog.Years of alcoholism and indulgence, combined with living in a comfortable environment like Graystone Town where he only handled fencing goods without fighting—

This person’s attributes had likely deteriorated to the point where he was worse than an ordinary Adventurer.

Thus, Lance sat on the sofa with peace of mind, quietly waiting for his prey to return.

But what he never expected—

Was that this man would put on such a show after coming back.

First, he started taking off his clothes. Then he rolled on the dusty ground. Finally, he threw daggers and performed thrusts toward the back of that broken wardrobe.

When Lance lit the kerosene lamp, he even discovered that after all of this, the guy actually revealed a crooked, victorious smile at empty air.

Lance was completely stunned watching the whole thing.

“You shouldn’t…”

Wayne stared at the figure sitting under the lamplight, his brain completely shutting down.

This didn’t make any sense at all.

This was not how an assassin who had infiltrated someone else’s home at night should behave.

Shouldn’t a normal person hide in the shadows and launch a sneak attack?

Why would he light the lamp and sit there watching a show?

Lance sighed.

Why? Because he had already confirmed that Wayne was weak.

He could now be one hundred percent certain that this man matched exactly what the others’ secrets described.

Mentally unstable, suffering from severe paranoia, lacking strength yet full of blind confidence.

And the speed of that thrust just now—in Lance’s eyes—was on par with a Goblin.

Since it was confirmed that the opponent was a useless piece of trash, there was no need to waste time.

“Bang!”

The floor beneath his feet exploded with a sharp sound.

Lance’s figure instantly disappeared from where he stood.

The agility boost from 【Dragon-Hunting Breathing Technique】, combined with the unique force application of 【Azure Dragon Ultimate Flow】, turned him into a human cannonball.

Wayne didn’t even have time to react.

His vision blurred.

A large hand like an iron clamp had already locked onto his throat, preventing him from making any sound.

Lance didn’t waste a single word.

The muscles in his arm tensed instantly. With a burst of skillful force, he yanked the opponent’s head forward, while his right elbow smashed into the opponent’s chest like a heavy hammer.

“Crack.”

A crisp, teeth-gritting sound of bones breaking rang out.

It was the simultaneous shattering of the cervical spine and sternum.

The light in Wayne’s eyes faded rapidly in terror. Before he could even let out a scream, his body went limp and collapsed.

【The opponent you defeated belongs to a group with a certain level of local notoriety. Recorded into the Codex.】

With the notification flashing across his vision, Lance casually tossed the corpse aside and skillfully opened the system panel.

The informants and enforcers he had killed earlier were all poor—aside from a few silver coins, they had nothing of value.

But this one was different.

As the “Gold Washer” responsible for handling the gang’s fencing operations—and having just completed a transaction involving goods accumulated over half a month—

This was a true fat sheep.

Lance crouched down and deftly pulled out an exquisitely crafted money pouch from Wayne’s chest.

He weighed it in his hand.

It wasn’t particularly heavy.

Lance’s eyes flickered as he opened the pouch slightly to take a look.

A dazzling golden glow shone under the lamplight.

Gold coins.

These were likely the “public funds” from the recent transaction, not yet handed over to that boss, Buck.

Lance unceremoniously pocketed it, then stood up and turned his gaze toward the wall in the corner of the room.

According to the secrets in the Codex, Wayne had a bad habit he couldn’t break—

Petty theft.

Every time he handled a large transaction, he would secretly skim off a portion and hide it in a concealed compartment somewhere in this room.

Lance walked to that section of the wall and lightly tapped it with his fingers.

“Knock, knock.”

The sound was hollow.

He drew his Shortsword and pried along the seams of the bricks.

Several loose bricks were removed, revealing a small hidden compartment behind them.

Inside lay a bulging leather pouch.

Lance reached in and pulled it out. It felt heavy in his hand.

Opening it, he found that most of it was silver coins.

“All mine.”

Lance stored both money pouches with satisfaction. From a quick glance, if he wasn’t mistaken, today’s gains amounted to 3 gold coins and 57 silver coins.

After looting the money, Lance’s gaze fell on the messy bed.

Aside from money—

There was something else he was quite curious about.

According to the secret hints, this man seemed to have a certain… special hobby.

Lance walked over and lifted the greasy pillow.

A finely packaged album lay quietly beneath it.

On the cover, embossed in gold lettering, was a line of elegant script: 【Starry Journey Commemorative Album】.

Lance raised an eyebrow.

Judging by the material and craftsmanship of the album alone, it could probably sell for at least 2 gold coins on the market.

He opened the album.

There were no pages inside—instead, there were palm-sized, wafer-thin transparent crystal sheets.

Each one was carefully slotted into specially designed compartments.

Lance recognized this item.

It was a high-end collectible jointly released by the “Bards Association” and the “Cartographers Association.”

Among noble ladies and young women in the kingdom, this was considered hard currency—an object of obsessive collection.

If one had to make a comparison—

It was roughly equivalent to those irresistible blind boxes that girls in his previous life couldn’t get enough of.

But its origin was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

This item was first created during the Demon King subjugation war of the Third Hero generation.

Originally, it wasn’t a toy at all, but a tactical device developed by the Royal Mage Corps called 【Miniature Terrain Imprint Crystal】.

Scouts carried it deep behind enemy lines or into unknown Underground Dungeon Labyrinths, using it to record complex terrain, troop deployments, and even dynamic changes in mana density.

Later, after the war ended, some sharp-minded cartographers saw its commercial potential.

They funded the research of a certain legendary mage, improving the originally bulky imprinting method and technology, miniaturizing it into single-use trigger cards.

The tactical crystals that could once only display black-and-white outlines were upgraded into “panoramic cards” featuring vivid colors, sound, and even environmental temperature sensations.

The associations packaged these cards as high-end commemorative items and released them across the continent.

The result—

Was a frenzy that has continued to this day.