Chapter 149: Haunted House

The crowd watched in shock as the body of Mr. Fallow fell down and crashed into the dusty pavement with an audible thud. Silence ensued the crowd, they looked at the motionless body lying on the ground as the dark red liquid started to pour from his orifices and paint the pavement under it.

The couple on the cart looked even more stunned than the crowd. They saw as the greedy man reached for their wares, but then suddenly a darker colored shade briefly appeared than left with a small gust of wind. As soon as this mysterious phenomenon appeared in front of the merchant, he was suddenly flung back. It was so fast that, that if they weren't watching everything playing out in front of them, they wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Soon, however, their shock turned to happiness. They rejoiced, they were happy that the tragedy that almost befallen onto them was resolved. Eventually, as the first group of guards appeared at the scene, the crowd started dispersing.

Aiden turned around and entered a nearby small street as well. He took off the mask and placed it back into his inventory. He quickly dusted his attire and crossed a few small streets before eventually, he came out back to the wide main street and leisurely marched towards the marketplace once again. 

Maybe he was careless, but he didn't notice as a pair of eyes were watching him even leave. The figure who was standing in the shadows on the side, had a thoughtful look as he watched the strange bronze-skinned boy quietly leave the scene. 

Although the figure had a slick, shiny silk cape over its body, ending with a hood that diligently hid the figure's facial features. Even so, the figure had a certain feminine silhouette to it. It didn't make any sound, and as the boy's figure eventually vanished amidst the busy crowd in the distance, it turned and left as well.

Others did not notice it, but the figure did. It saw as the boy's figure flashed, vanished for a fraction of a second just as the henchmen and in the end, the merchant itself reached for the cart's contents. Even if the boy's movements were so incredibly fast, the figure's eyes still managed to catch this tiny bit of detail. It was sure that the boy was the culprit behind this mysterious event. 

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Aiden was quite content, he had such a great opportunity to further work on his technique. Not only did his speed increase by a large margin, but it was silent and light. If he focused, he felt as if he was flying just above the ground. What was the most wondrous thing about this change was that he didn't actually felt that he became faster, it was as if the world itself became slower instead.

When he walked forward and hit the first guy in the chest with his right palm, it felt as if everything was moving forward in slow-motion. When he went back to his spot and stopped using the technique, the world returned to its normal pace and the guy was suddenly jolted backward.

Although he did want to help that poor, unlucky couple, the main reason he decided to assist was that he just wanted to work on his skills. Also, besides helping them out, he also benefited, as new, previously unseen notifications appeared in his system. 

[The skill [Mystic Martial Arts - Level 1] gained 5 XP.]

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[The skill [Mystic Martial Arts - Level 1] gained 5 XP.]

[The skill [Mystic Martial Arts - Level 1] gained 5 XP.]

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[The skill [Mystic Martial Arts - Level 1] gained 10 XP.]

For some reason, every time he used the skill, he received some experience from the system. He didn't know what changed, or why did the system reward him for such small actions. It felt vaguely similar when he was studying other's work, like when Granny was working on her alchemy, or when Master used one of her skills. 

Still, even if the gains weren't big, this showed him a new path to move forward. The new martial arts skill he gained from his time training with Master was truly wondrous, magical. Another thing that surprised him was that the merchant guy seemed to give double the points that his guards the trained soldiers did. What was the reason behind it? He did throw him back differently, he grabbed his throat… Did that change double the amount he earned? 

With so many thoughts occupying his attention, he only came back to reality when he arrived at an intersection. The road continued three different ways, one went to the right, one to the left, while he could also continue forward like before. He knew that the marketplace was just ahead, he already visited there and besides, he had his map in the system that assisted him in case he had forgotten.

Towards the right, he saw a slew of houses curving all the way till his eyes could reach. He also remembered that it was that direction where the Slums were. He was certain that the Hall wouldn't be close to it, it was an important spot in the city, the destination of many, be it travelers, the distressed and troubled, and people from all social standings. They couldn't associate themselves with a rotten part of the city like that.

He turned towards the left fork. The only difference compared to the right fork was that there was a sign placed here that had the sigil of a shield and a sword on it, pointing towards that direction.

Keeping his leisurely pace, he strolled through a long-winded residential area with the occasional food stalls, groceries, and general stores. After a while, the residential houses were replaced by all kinds of shops. Aiden could see apothecaries, bookstores, blacksmiths, tanners and leatherworkers, tailors, and other stores that catered for special audiences and adventurers.

At the end of this alley, a huge wooden building stood out, serving as the core of the entire street. The crowd here is noticeably different as well. They weren't your average citizen, they all had the posture of experienced people, be it adventurers, or someone of higher social classes. He could see people walking around in steel armors and thick shields and large weapons, or simply colorful light robes. Regardless of their attire, they all carried the aura of proudness, something they collected through their years of experience.

With casual steps, he walked towards the big wooden building with the giant double doors. He could also make out the same sword and shield emblem painted on the door. Meanwhile, he checked out displays and windows. Most of the items he could see could not interest him a bit, he didn't spend much time in front of the stores. 

As he crossed by the windows, his eyes spotted a ran-down smaller building between two larger, wealthier ones. Nobody bothered with it, from the outside it looked as if it was deserted. Aiden, however, was surprised, his [Dark Sense] couldn't scan the premises, it was bounced back with the same warding technique that he saw and noticed in the underground pit in the Slums.

Surprised by this fact, he felt that there was something special about it. Still, why did nobody even give as much as a glance? Was it truly abandoned? If so, why didn't a new store open in its place? 

Deciding to give it a look, he crossed the street and approached the three buildings. As he arrived, he stopped and took another, a closer look at it. It seemed to be an old two-storey mansion that couldn't withstand the ravishing time. Their black paint was pale, the wooden walls were dilapidated, the windows were broken. Clearly, it felt like it was long abandoned.

"Why is this building here? If it's abandoned, why didn't anybody move in yet? It's barely standing…" He muttered, seeing the state of the place.

A crisp, male voice came from the side, answering his rhetorical questions, surprising Aiden.

"That place has a legend. Nobody dares to approach it anymore."

Aiden looked to his right where the sound came from and saw a short and brown-haired boy with a friendly smile on his face looking at him. His similarly brown eyes gave him an average face, with a similar average build. He was about the same height as Aiden, maybe a bit taller but it wasn't a noticeable difference. He wore a leather vest above his butter-colored long-sleeved shirt. He had a mace attached to the side of his belt that also served to hold his dark-brown pants in place.

Seeing as how the boy looked at him, the brown-haired boy reached out with his hand.

"Name's Phamas, Cole Phamas."

Seeing the friendly look on Cole's face and that Aiden felt no ill-intention from him, Aiden accepted the gesture and shook his hand.

"Aiden." He pointed towards the old mansion and asked with an innocent face. "What is this place? Do you know anything about it? Why is it here and why did nobody bother with it?"

"That place?" Cole looked at the building as well. His friendly smile turned into a troubled expression as he continued. "That is a very dangerous place, they say it is haunted... "