All team members turned to look at him when they heard Ash's statement.
"Are you serious?" asked Hank, with a disbelieving expression.
Dawyne chimed in, "Hey, kid. This isn't a game. You're still level 4, right? You could die."
"Yeah, they're right. Those Thieves don't get combat Skills assigned by the System. But they might have cheat items," said Milo, supporting her teammates' comments.
"I'm level 5 now," Ash replied calmly. "Besides, all of you or Jagu can jump in right away if something goes wrong."
He was determined to sharpen his combat skills and stop relying on his cheat items all the time.
Milo and the rest of the team exchanged glances, then she turned to him with a serious expression.
"Okay. But you must not push yourself too hard. If the situation becomes unmanageable, you have to let us know immediately," she ordered firmly.
Ash nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he replied with a smile.
***
On foot, they spent two days crossing the river in front of the castle using the only bridge and then reaching the mountain.
They didn't use the jeep because they didn't want to just leave it behind at the base of the mountain.
On the third day, they began climbing the mountain quietly. They didn't want the Thieves to become immediately alert to their arrival.
According to Milo, the request to eliminate the Thieves came directly from Drogo. This was due to numerous reports from residents who had lost their belongings despite living inside the castle, which was heavily guarded by "police" and The Unveilers.
This indicated that the Thieves had very high levels, as their actions could no longer be detected.
Therefore, the best option to approach their base was to move quietly and on foot.
During the climb, the entire team remained mostly silent. Jagu took on the role of scout for the team, and with the view he shared with Ash, their climb became slightly easier.
However, heavy rain suddenly poured down just as they were getting very close, forcing them to take shelter in a cave near the thieves' base.
They waited for the rain to stop while eating the food they had prepared earlier at the castle, avoiding lighting a campfire to prevent detection by the Thieves.
Jagu curled up on Ash's lap affectionately, this time wanting him to stroke his fur. As Ash complied, Jagu fell asleep, softly snoring.
Milo adjusted their plan, deciding they would attack the Thieves' base at night instead.
So, they rested while waiting for the rain to subside.
That night, they moved stealthily toward the base. The heavy rain made the mountainous terrain muddy, slowing their steps and making it a bit harder for them to move.
But before long, they reached an open clearing amidst the trees.
The open area consisted of simple huts made from wooden branches, shaped either in circles or squares, with roofs made of straw or dried leaves.
A few people could be seen walking among the huts, but there wasn't a single woman or child in sight, which brought Ash a sense of relief.
He had no desire to harm women or children there.
Milo signaled for all team members to spread out, including herself. Hank and Mia quickly climbed the trees on the left and right sides of the base to position themselves for more accurate arrow shots.
Before leaving, Milo whispered to Ash, "Be careful. Don't try to play the hero. Signal us immediately if you run into trouble."
He nodded to her. "Don't worry, I won't," he replied.
After the entire team was in their respective positions, Ash took a deep breath, stood up, and walked alone toward the base.
He instructed Jagu to stay at their original spot, even though the large cat whimpered sadly, wanting to follow him.
The ground within the base was quite slippery after the heavy rain earlier in the day, but Ash paid no attention to it.
Drawing his sword, he stepped into the Thieves' base.
Several people outside the huts turned to him in surprise.
They immediately shouted, "Who are you?!"
"Stop right there!"
Ash ignored them completely, charging straight at them and skillfully swinging his sword, taking them down.
"ARGH!!"
"HELP!"
The screams drew everyone from inside the huts out, each carrying their own weapons.
Everyone living in the area quickly surrounded Ash, who remained calm as he wiped the blood off his sword onto the clothes of the thieves he had just killed.
"Who are you?!"
"Why did you kill them?!"
Angry shouts echoed around him, but he paid them no attention.
He scanned his surroundings, estimating the number of people who had gathered.
'Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, including the ones already dead... hmm, still missing ten people,' he thought, his mind working quickly to assess the situation.
He looked in all directions but couldn't find the remaining ten people.
However, before he could finish searching for the rest, the angry Thieves began attacking him.
Even though he was facing so many people alone, he had no trouble fighting them.
With agility and precision, he danced through their strikes, skillfully wielding his sword and cutting down most of his attackers with ease.
However, when one of them, wearing armor, stepped forward, this person managed to block Ash's attacks and even counterattack.
The others, who had been swarming Ash, stepped back and began cheering for the armored fighter.
"Go! Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
The fight lasted longer than he had anticipated. However, he assessed that the fighter's combat skills indicated they were a Hunter by profession, though still below the Advanced level.
'Maybe the player's level is slightly higher than mine, but their sword skill level is still below mine,' Ash thought as he deflected the swing of the opponent's sword.
The slightly slippery ground created some minor difficulties for him during the fight, but it was not significant. His experience in BlizzViel had prepared him to anticipate such conditions.
However, suddenly, a few people ran toward him, carrying something.
As they got closer, they threw a net at him, trapping him inside it.