Are you kidding me? Bandits again? Even cliché stories don't repeat this kind of shit.

The leader stepped forward. He looked at us like we were livestock at market, assessing value, calculating profit.

"Well, well," he said, his voice rough with amusement. "Academy students. Rich little brats traveling without proper escort." His smile was all teeth, predatory. "This'll be a good haul, boys."

The driver raised his hands slowly, his weathered face pale. "Take the carriage. Take whatever you want. Just let the passengers go."

"Oh, we'll take the carriage." The leader's smile didn't reach his eyes. "And the bags. And anything else valuable you're carrying." His gaze swept across us, lingering on the noble students. "Might even take a few of you for ransom. Noble families pay well to get their children back."

One of the other students, a girl with blonde hair, made a small sound of fear.

The leader's smile widened. "Smart girl. You understand how this works."

I let out a quiet breath and activated my debug vision.

The world shifted, overlaying information across my field of view.

[Entity Analysis]

entity_id: "bandit_leader"

type: "human_combatant"

level: 11

threat_level: "moderate"

combat_stats: {

strength: "above_average"

agility: "trained"

combat_experience: "high_for_civilian"

}

abilities: {

intimidation_presence

weapon_proficiency

}

...

[Entity Analysis]

entity_id: "bandit_unit"

type: "human_combatant"

level_range: "6–9"

threat_level: "low_to_moderate"

Level eleven leader. Five underlings between six and nine.

I set my bag down carefully and drew my sword, the familiar weight settling in my hand.

The leader's attention snapped to me. "Bold one, aren't you?" His expression darkened, amusement replaced by irritation.

"Put the sword down, boy. You're outnumbered. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"Make me," I said flatly. After all the shit happened to from all those months. I had enough.

His jaw tightened. "You brat!"

He gestured sharply to his men. "Kill the stupid one first. Make an example."

Guess we're doing this.

Two bandits moved forward, weapons raised, one with a rusted sword, the other with a heavy club.

I shifted my stance, centered my weight, and ran quick calculations.

Their levels are low. I should be stronger than them.

The first bandit swung his sword in a diagonal slash, the movement telegraphed and predictable.

I brought my blade up, parrying.

Steel rang against steel, and the force of the impact jolted up my arms, making my shoulders burn.

He's stronger than I expected.

But I held. Muscles straining.

Then quickly, I opened my stats and allocated all the free points I had:

[STATUS]

Name: Jin Raith

Age: 17

Class: Debugger

Level: 16

EXP: 885/2,350

Rank: E

MC (Mana Capacity): 58/100

HP: 350/350 —> 500/500

MP: 134/134

STR: 18 —> 28

VIT: 19 —> 29

AGI: 17 —> 22

INT: 69

WIS: 40

LUK: 16

Allocation Points: 25 —> 0

I twisted my wrist and redirected his blade, then stepped inside his guard and drove my elbow into his face.

His cartilage crunched, stumbled back, blood streaming from his nose.

Okay. So I can handle this.

The second bandit came at me with the club, bringing it down in a wild overhead strike.

I sidestepped, let momentum carry him forward, and slashed across his exposed back.

My blade bit through cloth and leather, drawing blood, but not deep enough.

Damn it. Not sharp enough.

I disengaged quickly, putting distance between us, and opened my debug interface with a thought.

[Equipment Edit]

Weight: 2.1kg —> 1.6kg

Sharpness: Standard —> Enhanced

[Confirm changes?]

Yes

The sword's weight shifted in my hand, becoming lighter, more responsive. The edge gleamed with a faint shimmer as the modification took effect.

Much better.

"What are you waiting for?!" The leader's voice cut through the chaos. "All of you, kill!"

The remaining bandits surged forward.

Behind me, I heard the driver curse and draw his knife, a small, practical thing meant for cutting rope, not fighting. But he charged anyway, old legs carrying him toward the nearest bandit with desperate courage.

Two of the students drew their weapons too, trembling hands, wide eyes, movements stiff with fear. A boy with a short sword. A girl with a practice wand.

They are spoiled brats, sheltered by their rich parents. And this probably is their first real fight, outside training. They've probably fought beasts in controlled environments, but these are humans. People trying to kill them.

This is going to be bad for them.

The bandits split their attention, three coming for me, two going for the students and driver.

I moved.

The first bandit swung at my head. I ducked under the blade, came up inside his guard, and drove my sword through his ribs. The blade slid through leather and flesh like butter.

He gasped, eyes going wide with shock, and I pulled the sword free and kicked him away.

The second came from my left, blade high. I parried, twisted, and slashed across his throat in one smooth motion.

Blood sprayed. Hitting my face. And he dropped.

Two down.

The third hesitated, his confidence cracking as he watched his companions fall.

I didn't give him time to reconsider.

I lunged, feinted high, then swept his legs out from under him. As he fell, I brought my sword down through his chest.

Behind me, the driver was struggling, his knife caught on a bandit's guard, his old muscles straining against younger strength.

The two students were faring worse. The boy with the short sword was being driven back, his parries desperate and uncoordinated.

The girl was trying to cast something, but her hands shook too much to complete the spell properly.

Damn it.

I raised my free hand and activated my skill.

"Light Orb."

A sphere of brilliant white light materialized above the battlefield, washing everything in harsh illumination.

The bandits flinched, instinctively looking up, their eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness.

Three seconds. That's all I need.

I crossed the distance to the driver in two strides, grabbed the bandit by his collar, and yanked him backward. My blade found the gap in his armor, sliding between ribs.

He made a wet, choking sound and went limp.

The driver stumbled back, breathing hard, blood on his knife. "Thank you—"

"Help the others!" I snapped, already moving toward the students.

The bandit fighting the boy raised his sword for a killing blow...

But I slammed into him from the side, shoulder driving into his chest, sending him sprawling.

He tried to recover, rolling to his feet with surprising agility.

The girl finally completed her spell.

A bolt of flame shot from her wand, crude and unrefined, and it caught the bandit square in the chest.

His clothes ignited, and he screamed, dropping his weapon and frantically trying to put out the flames.

The boy with the short sword saw his opening and thrust forward, his blade punching through the bandit's side.

The screaming stopped.

Well, they got one.

I turned back toward the leader.

He stood in the center of the road, sword drawn, watching me.

The amusement was gone. Now there was only focus, the predatory awareness of someone who'd survived by knowing when to fight and when to run.

"You've got training," he said, his voice steady despite the carnage around him.

I didn't respond, just adjusted my grip on my sword, looked around the students, still frozen in fear.

And then started walking toward the leader, without any shred of terror.

Internally, I couldn't help it... I laughed.

Guess that solo exam and getting beaten to shit by Victor paid off after all.

The leader raised his sword, settling into a proper stance. "I've killed Academy brats before. You're not special."

"Probably," I admitted.

Then smirked.

"But I'm still alive, and your men aren't."

His jaw tightened.

Then he lunged.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.