Chapter 25: Thief's Skill Pick-Pocket

Gracie snorted as she rolls her eyes at Head Butler, "Humph! We'll see about that after I try. Since you bought him here already, I'll forgive you for being late. Now go and don't disturb me, I've 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 Miss' every order if you want to live. Don't displease her in any way, now go."

Ace ignores Kylan's warning and follows Gracie with his head down. However, they both didn't notice an astute glint flash past his eyes, 'I didn't think; this Gracie would deliver herself to me this early and so easily.' He thought gloatingly.

Gracie saw Ace following her attentively and couldn't help but nodded in satisfaction after seeing this 'respectful' 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 don't waste my time and pick any weapon and attack me with everything you have."

Ace didn't move and meekly said, "May I speak few words with Third Lady first?"

Gracie frowns as she knitted her brows after hearing Ace's request, but didn't attack him immediately. she only smiles darkly and said, "Speak but if I don't like what you said, I will cut your tongue so you can't speak anymore."

Ace pretends as if he didn't see her dark smile and said respectfully, "Young Miss here's a thing; ever since I was little, I can use a special skill."

When Gracie heard Ace's words her eyebrow raised a little, she didn't think this barbarian of wastelands can use a special skill. Moreover, she didn't feel any strong Qi in Ace's body, he was clearly a mortal so how could he use a skill?

Gracie can't feel Ace's 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.

That's 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 can't 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, it's not like mortals can't learn or use the skills, it's just they these kinds of characters were extremely rare and all of them were geniuses among geniuses. 

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

However, Gracie was still hooked and said playfully, "Mmm, A 'special skill' you say? Fine show me and if it isn't something special you know what's going to befall on you."

Ace hurriedly shook his head, as if he was panic, "Young Miss I didn't 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 doesn't matter if it's me or someone else because if I didn't 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 'Pick Pocket'. The moment the skill is active, a formless thread shots from his finger straight towards Gracie's waist like an arrow.

Gracie didn't 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 Ace's hand appears a small yellow pouch. 

Ace knew this would happen so he wasn't shocked by this but what happens next thoroughly shocks him when heard a sweet voice in his mind that he didn't 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, "You're telling me if I can pick someone's pocket, I get TP as a reward?!" He shouts in his mind dumbfoundedly because he didn't know he can earn TP with this skill.

Ace was just acting according to his plan and didn't know that pick-pocket has this kind of use. This skill was his weakest because he didn't 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 'Soul Qi' as well.

Actually, it works more perfectly with Heavenly Soul Qi than Heavenly Qi, because he didn't 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 touch's the target it instantly takes the target's most important belongings and sends them to Ace's hand directly. The most astonishing thing was the target can't 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 didn't imagine that this skill can help him collect TP.

Ace calms his excited heart because he was in front of Gracie and didn't want her to find something was wrong with his acting.

When Gracie saw the little yellow pouch appear in Ace's hand her eyes went wide and nearly pop out of her eyesockets with shock. She subconsciously touches her waist and bewitches because she didn't find her yellow money pouch. Because it was already in Ace's 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 can't 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 Ace's 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 I'll think about not punishing you!" She wasn't angry at all, on the contrary, she was very excited.

'If I learn this kind of skill, with it I can steal from others without them knowing anything.' 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 don't want to teach you, it's just that I can't teach you or anyone at that. This is a skill that I learn unknowingly even I don't know how I can do it. This skill came to me when I was five years old."

Gracie's face fell and angry surfaced on it after she heard Ace reply, "Then why did you show it to me if you can't teach it to me?? Do want to steal from me?!" She grips her sword's hilt more strongly. If Ace didn't tell her a reasonable answered she would attack him without holding back.

Ace told her his 'original motive' with a horrified-sicken face, "Young miss I didn't want to steal from you! I showed it to you because I'm not good at fighting and after I came here, I saw all those other 'brothers from wasteland' 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 'brothers' in that building." He shook his head vigorously as he explains his real 'purpose.'

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

Gracie also didn't suspect any lie in Ace's 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 Ace's cunningness. 'Is he saying he will be mute in other people's 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?' 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 Ace's decisiveness.