Level Up Legacy

948 Whisker

"A cat?" muttered Arthur with surprise. "A talking big cat?"

"I am far superior to a cat, impudent human," said the cat with a scowl. Judging from his face and gruff voice, Arthur realized it was a man-cat. "My name is Whisker from the feline race."

"...you are called Whisker from the feline race but not a cat?" muttered Arthur with surprise as he tilted his head. "In any case, how come you are speaking?"

"Is it the first time you meet a humanoid monster?" said the cat with disdain as it gave him a sideways glance. Arthur was amused and had to hold back a smile. "Felines are monsters, too," said Whisker with a growl.

"I guess there are all kinds of things in the world," said Arthur before offering a handshake. "My name is Arthur from the human race. A pleasure to meet you, Whisker."

"Mhm," said Whisker before taking the hand and shaking it. Arthur realized that despite having fur over its body and claws for a hand, they were still humanoid in a way that a cat would not be. Whisker even had thumbs that resembled humans. "I apologize for dragging you into my business."

"Do you mean the business of stealing?" asked Arthur as he retracted his hand. "I heard what those people were shouting. You stole something from them?"

"A man needs to eat," said Whisker without hesitation as he took out a bag of food and glanced at Arthur. "I think you deserve some of it, too. You followed me well."

"You can keep it," said Arthur with a smile, but Whisker snickered as if he heard the funniest joke. "Is there something wrong?"

"That rejection tells me you haven't been inside the tower for long," said Whisker with a smirk as he opened the bag and took out a loaf of bread. "This bread is as rare as gold here. Food is the true treasure for those trapped here."

"And you are sharing it with a stranger?"

"Your smell is different from every other human, who all stink, especially inside this Red Tower," said Whisker as he offered Arthur the loaf of bread, which he accepted after some hesitation.

"And what smell is that?"

"None," said Whisker with an intrigued face. "I never met another creature without a smell. Although I should suspect you, I doubt you know enough about the tower to be a threat."

Whisker turned to leave as he hid his face again. Arthur was still confused at the loaf of bread before remembering that he had a quest to finish.

"Wait a second," called Arthur, and the cat turned toward him with confusion. "I have to find an old nanny on the outskirts of this town and give her this bucket. How do I get there?"

"An old nanny on the outskirts?" muttered Whisker with a frown as he seemed to think of something before looking in the distance and then at the bucket. "I remember someone like that, but you might be in for a surprise. Go north from here, and you will find an old house with a willow tree beside it."

After that, Whisker ran atop the roof and jumped toward another. Arthur saw the cat become a shadow as his eyes could no longer follow his figure. There seemed to be a great difference between their stats, and it made Arthur wonder what someone like him was doing on the first floor.

Arthur found his way down the roof and made his way north, following the instructions of Whisker. How he managed to prevent a single drop from falling, even while running from an angry mob, was a wonder.

It might be his balanced stats, or his reflexes did not change even after being weakened, but he found that controlling his body was still as easy as before.

Sith Town seemed bigger than Arthur expected but not big enough for him to get lost. He found the outskirts soon enough, following the cat and its instructions. On the way, he saw several confused challengers who just arrived at the Red Tower.

There were also shops inside the tower, but half were closed. These shops sold weapons, armor, necessities, and others. Arthur wanted to see the prices, but he feared for his bucket.

It took him another hour before he found the willow tree and the house beside it. It was indeed on the outskirts of this town, and Arthur could see great walls surrounding it. Looking above, he could not see the end of these walls.

Between the outskirts of the city and the last few houses, there were some farmlands. Arthur noticed people patrolling them with stern faces and dangerous-looking weapons. Thus, he had no intention of going there empty-handed.

"Is anyone here?" called Arthur as he knocked on the door, but it creaked open without him pushing it. The inside was dark, and no one answered him. Thus, he allowed himself inside with his bucket.

The house seemed old and dusted, with no signs of anyone living there. Arthur looked around in confusion as the sunlight made its way inside. After he tried calling the old woman again, he received no response.

"Is Whisker wrong about this address?" muttered Arthur with confusion as he walked inside and placed the bucket on the table. "I still have to look around. The old woman might have fallen or asleep."

Thus, Arthur kicked the nearest chair toward him, sending it flying.

14:07

His foot sent the chair hurling toward the source of the sound before it slammed into something, As soon as he placed the bucket on the table, it creaked, and the door slammed shut. It slammed with such a force that Arthur could feel the house shake, and someone locked it outside. Then, he could see a shadow dart through the window.

Arthur did not panic or lose his composure but raised the bucket again and placed it beneath the table. It would all be for nothing if he failed his mission. Then, another door inside the house was flung open before someone rushed toward him in the darkness.

His perception was no longer what it used to be, but Arthur could still judge where the person was coming from. If this assailant were on a similar level as him, then he would not see much either. Thus, Arthur kicked the nearest chair toward him, sending it flying.

His foot sent the chair hurling toward the source of the sound before it slammed into something, breaking with a resounding impact. A man screamed as he fell to the floor with a thud, and Arthur could hear him shout something to his comrades.

"Kill this bastard!" shouted the man who fell, seeming injured. Another door was flung open as a pair of footsteps rushed inside. Arthur determined their source and realized they were coming from behind the table.

Arthur no longer had the luxury of sending things flying at them and crouched beneath the table to grab his bucket. His eyes needed to adjust to the darkness before he could do anything further.

"He is beneath the table!" shouted the man on the ground as his accomplices rushed around it. Arthur squinted his eyes to see him and saw something reflecting some light. He realized it was a short sword.

Arthur rushed forward, his bucket in hand. He could feel the water sway inside and threaten to fall, so he placed it on the ground again and ran toward the man. There was no other choice but to hope these two would not go beneath the table.

The man seemed to realize that Arthur was rushing at him and tried to back away from him in time. His short sword was still in hand, which he used to slash at Arthur frantically.

His eyes began to adjust to the darkness as he managed to see the man swinging his sword. In response, Arthur picked one of the broken legs and hurled it toward the man, striking him in the face, which made him let go of his sword.

Arthur grabbed the sword in time and turned around to block the incoming two. He saw a tall shadow raise its arms at him, and Arthur used his sword to block the attack. A clanging sound echoed throughout the dark room as Arthur felt the man overpower and push against him.

This was the difference in their stats because Arthur had yet to level inside the tower. However, he did not expect an easy journey into this place.

Arthur kicked the man in the stomach, but he refused to budge. Instead, the kick weakened his stance and made him collapse to the ground as the man pressed harder.

"Kill him from the side!" shouted the man pushing against Arthur for his other friend to attack, who seemed scared but rushed anyway. Arthur realized the odds were against him and decided to use his only ability.

Colorless lightning crackled as Arthur gnashed his teeth in rage. The man flinched when he saw the change in his eyes, and the colorless lightning crackled before striking the two. It did not harm them, but Arthur grew stronger because his wrath chose a target.