Chapter 103: A Fight Measured in Blinks

The Night Reaver Stalker was a tall, humanoid beast with an unnaturally slender frame and elongated limbs.

Its arms stretched far past what should have been anatomically possible, ending in curved, obsidian-black talons that gleamed faintly even in the absence of light.

Its body was semi-transparent, as though it were made of shadow given form. When it stood still, it blended seamlessly into the surrounding darkness, becoming almost indistinguishable from the void itself.

If not for Thoren’s second talent, the Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt. He would never have known how he died.

For a brief moment, everything froze.

No movement.

No sound.

Not even the faint whisper of air.

It was as though the world itself had stopped breathing.

Then.

Whoosh!

The Night Reaver Stalker moved.

Thoren reacted instantly.

The creature’s speed was beyond absurd. In a single blink, it crossed the distance between them, its form flickering as it surged forward.

Its elongated talons slashed toward Thoren’s throat, aiming to cleave his life away before he could even process what was happening.

But Thoren had already moved.

Four undead servants materialized in front of him in an instant, their bodies forming a living wall between him and the incoming strike.

Bang! Bang!

The curved black talons slammed into the chest of one undead servant with terrifying force. The strikes were rapid, too fast for the naked eye to track, each blow landing with deadly precision.

Under the relentless barrage, the undead staggered backward, its armor denting and cracking.

Yet it did not fall.

The undead remained standing.

For a split second, shock flashed through Thoren’s eyes.

Then he recovered.

His mind snapped into motion, issuing commands without hesitation.

The undead responded immediately.

They moved as one, each brandishing a different weapon as they counterattacked.

A sword flashed.

A spear thrust forward.

A heavy hammer swung downward.

An axe whistled through the air.

Sensing imminent danger, the Night Reaver Stalker abruptly halted its assault.

Its body twisted at an impossible angle, joints bending in ways no normal creature could endure, allowing it to evade the coordinated strikes by a hair’s breadth.

Thoren’s brows furrowed.

’What the hell…?’

Even so, he did not stop.

His mental commands continued to flow, precise and relentless.

The Night Reaver Stalker hissed silently, its semi-transparent face contorting with something close to frustration.

It attempted to retreat, melting backward into the darkness as it had done countless times before.

But this time, it failed.

The illusory soul lantern hovered silently, its ghostly flame illuminating the area and stripping the darkness of its sanctuary. Under its pale glow, the creature’s outline became painfully clear.

There was nowhere left to hide.

The four undead servants closed in from all directions, tightening the noose.

A perfect pincer formation.

The Night Reaver Stalker attempted to activate its second trait—Shadow Glide.

Its body blurred, darkness rippling around it as it tried to slide through the shadows and escape.

But the effect was severely weakened.

Under the influence of the Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt, its movement slowed drastically.

The lantern was the bane of all dark beasts and shadow-based abilities.

Bang!

Losing its momentum, the Night Reaver Stalker stumbled.

its serrated jaw opening wide as if to roar but no sound emerged from its throat.

Instead of waiting to be surrounded and torn apart, the Night Reaver Stalker made a desperate decision.

It attacked.

Its talons flashed toward the undead wielding the hammer.

The undead swung first.

The hammer descended with immense force, the space screaming under its weight.

But the Night Reaver Stalker twisted aside at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the blow. Its talon struck the undead’s chest in retaliation.

Slash!

The undead was sent skidding backward, deep gashes tearing through its armor. Though the plating absorbed part of the impact, the talon still pierced through, slicing several ribs cleanly in half.

For a human, the strike would have been instantly fatal.

For an undead, it was merely damage.

And that moment of commitment cost the creature dearly.

While it focused on the hammer-wielding undead, another attack arrived.

An axe.

Bang!

The heavy blade crashed into the Night Reaver Stalker’s side, cleaving through its semi-transparent body. The impact sent it hurtling backward, nearly half its torso severed.

The creature staggered, its form flickering violently.

Before It could get the chance to recover.

The undead servants pressed forward relentlessly.

A sword flashed in a clean arc.

Slash!

The blade sliced through the Night Reaver Stalker’s neck.

Its head separated from its body and tumbled across the ground, rolling several feet before coming to a stop. The body convulsed once, then collapsed into formless shadow.

Thoren finally released the breath he had been holding.

“That was close…” he muttered under his breath.

Had he reacted even a fraction of a second slower, he would have died without ever understanding how.

Slowly, the Night Reaver Stalker’s corpse dissolved into black ash. Wisps of soul fire drifted upward, drawn irresistibly into the floating lantern.

[Experience Gained: +1000]

[Summoned Entities: Experience Gained +500]

Thoren did not relax.

His eyes remained sharp, sweeping the darkness for any sign of movement.

And then.

Two more Night Reaver Stalkers emerged.

His pupils contracted.

’So that’s how it is.’

“Attack!” he commanded instantly.

The calm shattered.

Without hesitation, Thoren summoned additional undead servants. Five more bodies clawed their way into existence, their presence solidifying in the lantern’s glow.

Two were Level 15 undead.

Three were Level 14.

With the reinforcements, the battlefield shifted immediately.

The two Night Reaver Stalkers were driven back, forced into the center as the undead surrounded them. They lashed out wildly, attempting to exploit their speed and fear-inducing abilities.

But Fear Pulse had little effect on mindless undead.

And Shadow Glide was crippled.

Bang! Bang!

One of the Night Reaver Stalkers failed to evade a hammer strike.

The blow landed squarely on its head.

Its skull exploded, fragments of shadow scattering in all directions before dissolving into nothingness.

The second creature reacted differently.

Instead of attacking directly, it relied on its agility, weaving through the gaps between attacks with unnerving precision. It danced back and forth, narrowly avoiding blade after blade.

But no matter how swift it was, its fate was sealed.

Against nine undead servants acting in perfect coordination, it could not escape.

An axe struck first.

A spear followed.

A sword finished it.

The Night Reaver Stalker collapsed, dissolving into ash.

[Experience Gained: +2000]

[Summoned Entities: Experience Gained +1000]

Thoren ignored the notifications.

His gaze remained fixed on the darkness around him.

Seconds passed.

Nothing emerged.

Finally, he exhaled deeply.

“This Dark Tide is different…” he murmured.

He had survived because of his second talent but what about everyone else?

A chilling thought crossed his mind.

Just as he prepared to retreat, something felt wrong.

He blinked.

And realized he was no longer inside the inn.

“When did I get outside?” he whispered.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

He had been so focused on the fight that he failed to notice when or how he had moved.

Bang! Bang!

Just then, the distant sounds of battle reached his ears.

Thoren surged forward toward the noise, his expression darkening. Without seeing who was fighting, a guess already appeared in his mind.

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