Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48: Looting the Corpse
He smiled at Grace and said gently, "It’s not really much for me to help you awaken your skill. So don’t think too hard about compensation. As your Captain and your man, this is only natural."
Grace’s golden eyes shimmered with emotion as a bright, happy smile bloomed on her face.
"Thank you..." she whispered, her voice thick with gratitude and affection.
Jake gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, his expression soft but serious.
"Then let’s do it."
He opened Grace’s status window again and focused on the dormant skill, pouring Upgrade Points into it.
[Ding!]
[Light Manifestation has been upgraded!]
[Lv.0 → Lv.1]
Grace’s body trembled.
A faint golden glow began to emanate from her skin, especially around her eyes.
Her golden irises shimmered brighter for a moment before returning to normal.
She looked at Jake with awe and tears of joy.
"I... I can feel it. A small spark... it’s really inside me. The same power my father had..."
She leaned forward and hugged him tightly, careful of his injuries, her voice full of emotion.
"Thank you, Jake... Thank you so much."
Jake smiled weakly and stroked her back.
"This is only the beginning. We’ll keep growing even stronger together."
They stayed like that for a while longer... resting, recovering, and basking in each other’s warmth.
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After some time, Jake slowly sat up.
Thanks to the recent upgrades to his Endurance and... Grace’s gentle, devoted care, his body was recovering noticeably faster.
He pulled up his pants and got dressed while speaking to her.
"Come on. Let’s go back up. I want to loot the corpses and see if they have any gold coins... then we’ll discard the bodies and clean up the mess as best as we can."
Grace, who had just finished licking the remnants of his cum from her fingers and lips, gave a serious nod.
"Yes!"
She clenched her fist cutely, clearly feeling the new strength coursing through her body.
Jake had already explained her upgraded stats to her earlier, and it had filled her with fighting spirit.
Her golden eyes shone with determination.
"I’ll help too! I’m stronger now... I won’t be useless anymore."
Jake smiled faintly and patted her head.
"You were never useless. But yes, this time, let’s do it together."
Soon, they climbed the ladder.
Jake went up first, relying on his superior strength and sharp Instinct skill.
If he sensed anything wrong, they would immediately retreat.
When they reached the top, Jake carefully pushed open the hatch and peeked out.
"..."
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the surroundings. freewebnøvel.com
The forest was quiet.
The sky had turned a deep orange as the sun slowly set, casting long shadows between the trees.
The bodies of the subordinates and the scarred leader still lay where they had fallen, partially hidden by bushes and undergrowth.
There were no signs of movement or additional enemies.
Seemingly safe for now, Jake let out a sigh of relief.
"Looks clear," he whispered. "Let’s move quickly."
Grace nodded and followed him out.
Her movements were noticeably lighter and more confident after the stat upgrades.
She stayed close to Jake, ready to support him if his injuries acted up.
They moved cautiously toward the corpses.
Together, they dragged the bodies deeper into the bushes, away from the obvious path to the shelter entrance, and began looting them one by one.
While searching the corpses, they gathered a decent haul.
In total, they found around 152 gold coins, most of which came from the leader’s pouch along with several daggers, short swords, and a few silver and copper coins.
Jake’s eyes turned into crescents as a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Not bad at all."
With this, he should be able to upgrade his class to Rare and bring Grace’s class up to Common at the very least.
But then he frowned.
Now that he knew upgrading his class required gold coins, this amount was still far from enough for the next major step.
He slowly glanced back toward the still-burning town, where thick black smoke covered half the sky.
With his sharpened instincts, Jake could tell that the fighting was still ongoing.
A small, dangerous idea gradually formed in his mind.
"...Should I try looting while the chaos is still going on?" he murmured.
After all, he had just gotten a taste of how profitable looting could be.
If he played it smart and focused on the fallen corpses amidst the chaos, he might be able to amass even more wealth in a short time.
But after a moment, he shook his head.
"Maybe not right now. Let’s wait until I upgrade my class or get a bit stronger first."
Jake wasn’t in a rush.
And for some reason, he had a feeling the chaos in Nasha Town wouldn’t end anytime soon.
Then they gathered all the corpses into a large sack taken from the shelter.
Together with Grace, they carried the heavy load through a hidden path toward the coast.
The journey was slow and painful for Jake, but Grace supported him the entire way, refusing to let him carry everything alone.
When they finally reached a rocky cliff overlooking the sea, they threw the weighted sack into the deep water below, watching it sink without a trace.
They stood there for a moment, the sea breeze cooling their skin as the sun continued to set.
Grace looked up at him, her golden eyes filled with quiet resolve.
"We did it," she said softly. "No one will find them easily now."
Jake nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah. Good work."
Soon, they made their way back to the shelter under the cover of dusk.
But the moment they approached the area...
"...!"
Jake hurriedly grabbed Grace and pulled her behind a cracked wall.
Grace blinked but stayed silent, noticing his serious expression.
Jake’s face darkened as he peeked out.
"Fuck..."
Just near the hidden entrance to their shelter, a large group of armed men had gathered.
And among them was a familiar face Jake immediately recognized.
...It was Scarlet.
