Chapter 31

Nathan and Sophie followed the boy, Whom they found out was named Nitis, as they moved through the slums, sticking to the shadows and trying not to arouse suspicion, as the made their way to a very normal looking hut near the edge of the slums, close to the city walls.

Nathan noticed along the way that as they got closer, the number of rather healthy looking thugs on the streets also increased, making him more certain that they were on the right track.

They hid in an abandoned hut as they looked at their target building,

"There are a lot of people around here, so there is a high chance we are at the right place. Let's split up and keep watch till the moon rises. We need to get a general idea of how their security works." Nathan said.

"Then, I'll be looking around for any possible hidden entrances, while eavesdropping on the thugs! Maybe I can get some useful information from them!" Sophie giggled mischievously. She was definitely up to no good.

"Alright, but be careful. If anyone notices you, take them out quietly. Don't put yourself in danger." Nathan said sternly. He was sure she was going out to cause trouble, but his only concern was her safety.

"I'll be fiiiine~ they're only small fry anyway…" Sophie was already itching to leave!

"… Anyway, I'll keep watch over the front. Nitis, go around and watch over the back. Anyone who enters or exits is considered suspicious, so don't neglect any small detail, got it?" Nathan said.

"Understood." Nitis nodded seriously. He was determined to be as useful as possible to these benefactors who saved the life of his dear Mother.

After making sure everyone knew their roles, they moved out.

Sophie, in particular, had a 'genius' plan!

'Now… who to choose… who to choose… what a dilemma… let's see if I can find anyone who is alone…'

Sophie continued searching the huts in her way, while looking for a perfect target, and it didn't take long for her to find him.

Sophie hid in a corner and observed as the thug ordered two others to go on errands for him, while drinking cheap alcohol. He was clearly not in the best of shapes but that was enough.

After making sure no one else was nearby, Sophie sneaked up behind the man,

[Stealth]

The skill was very useful. While it didn't hide things like scent or footsteps, the convenient part about it was that it didn't get canceled when sneak attacking someone. The only way to reveal them was to hit them with a physical attack or an energy one, in order to interrupt the skill.

So with that in mind, Sophie quietly sneaked up to the man, and silently drew her sword. She took a deep breath and hit the man on the back of his head with all her might!… with the bottom of her sword.

"Ghah!"

*Thud*

 The drunk man couldn't even scream before he was knocked unconscious.

'Phew, that went far more smoothly than I expected! Now… for the best part…hehehe' Sophie giggled silently as she bound the man with the rope she brought, before dragging him to one of the less noticeable abandoned huts.

Of course the scene of a little girl dragging an adult like he was a sack of potatoes was simply unimaginable, but Sophie was not a normal girl anymore! Her Strength Stat surpassed that of an average adult by a large margin!

After making sure that no one would interrupt them, Sophie closed the door and turned to the man.

'I wonder how Nate will react if I can get some useful information from this guy!' And so she began a 'friendly conversation' with the poor guy. Of course he was blindfolded which scared him even more, to the point that he didn't even notice the childish tone of voice of his captor! 

***

Many hours later, the sun had long since left the sky, plunging the slums into darkness, the gentle light of the moon shining equally to all, bringing forth a sense of peace and comfort… Unlike other parts of the city, the slums had no lighting whatsoever.

This was not a problem for Nathan and Sophie however. Their [Enhanced Senses] let them see as clear as day during the night, turning them into ghosts that lurked in the shadows…

Nitis was also born and raised here so he had no problem moving around in the darkness of the night.

Nitis had already returned from his post and had given his report to Nathan, while Sophie returned slightly later…

Nathan turned to her, "What did you find?"

Sophie grinned proudly. Although her eyes were covered by her mask, Nathan could clearly see her eyes twinkling.

"This is indeed the right place! The Supervisor had disguised himself as he entered the building around midnight yesterday! Turns out there is an underground facility here that has many entrances. I only know of three of them! Also the underground facility doesn't have many guards. They mostly pay the thugs here to keep watch over the entrances sneakily!" Sophie finished her report with a 'praise me!' look.

"Wow… that is a job beautifully done! I suppose you took care of him so that no one would ever find why he went missing right?" Nathan said nonchalantly.

"Yeah! He was a real scum! He had hurt so many people! So I showed no mercy." Sophie suddenly froze, "Eh? How did you know!?"

"I know you better than yourself. Of course I'd know… It's good that you disposed of him. Not everyone deserves to live." Nathan said while patting her head.

"I know, I'm not feeling guilty or anything." Sophie said, 'I am already prepared to do whatever it takes to follow you, my Prince…' She thought secretly.

"Now then, Nitis, prepare a place where some people can hide without getting discovered. You are the most familiar with this place, so I'll leave you to it. Meanwhile, me and her will get ready to infiltrate." Nathan told them of his plan.

"I'll get it done sir." Nitis still didn't know their names, as they made sure not to mention it in front of him. He also didn't question his orders, something Nathan found very pleasing.

After Nitis went to get ready on his side, Nathan turned to Sophie, "We will make our move after midnight, when they are most tired. Our goal is to capture Supervisor Ezra and take the reports. Our secondary objective is to free any slaves we can. Any questions?"

"No. Let's do this!" Sophie replied enthusiastically when suddenly they both received a notification,

[Ding]

[Quest: (Liberator) Free as many slaves as you can! Additional rewards will be granted depending on the number of slaves freed.]

[Difficulty: Normal]

[Reward: Level +4, Stat Points +90, Skill Points +20]

"Oh, so we finally got another quest! And it looks like the rewards increased after our evolution too! How convenient!" Nathan said.

"Although we planned to free anyone we came across, this just makes me more motivated! Let's get ready!" Sophie said happily.

"Yeah, freeing all the slaves without drawing attention is going to be a difficult task. We will have to knock out as many guards as possible. Get some rest. We'll need it."

They didn't feel tired or sleepy, thanks to their high stamina, so after waiting for a few hours, they started their plan.

Nathan looked outside and after making sure no one was nearby, turned to Sophie and nodded. They both activated [Stealth] as they cautiously walked over to the hut.

Nathan already knew that there was no one inside, so they entered from the window while trying to make the least amount of noise. Once inside, Nathan walked over to the obvious trapdoor on the ground, that was slightly covered with mud and dirt. A lousy disguise, in his opinion.

He opened opened the trapdoor, and they both jumped in. Beneath the trapdoor was a hole big enough for two adults to fit comfortably, and the fall itself was a short one. The moment their feet touched the ground, they both crouched down and hid in the corners immediately, before looking around.

The room was dark, as there was no torches placed there. The entire place looked like a cave system, and from his senses, Nathan noticed that there wasn't anyone nearby.

Deactivating their [Stealth], they used the shadows to their advantage as they sprinted along the cave walls. Their goal was to explore this place as fast as possible. Nathan took out his map, and started to draw a map of the place on its back, counting his steps to measure the distance.

After going through many corridors, they finally came across the guards of the place. Two men stood guard in front of a door, but Nathan was sure that they were already asleep with their eyes open… they were standing still like a statue!

Nathan noted the room on his map and they sneaked past the guards without even using [Stealth]!

'This is going to be easier than I thought…' Nathan was very surprised with the lack of security in this place.

He and Sophie continued exploring the caves, while checking any room without guards, and marking other who had them, while also finding a few dead ends and the other entrances. After Nathan checked his map one last time, he nodded to himself, and decided to continue their mission more boldly…

The night was still young after all!