Chapter 98: Midterm Evaluation (2)

At that moment, a shadow dropped from above.

It landed without a sound, without a ripple.

Though masked, I immediately recognized his identity.

High Cleric, Galbart.

One of the top two assassins among the Darkness Council’s high Clerics, and the subordinate most trusted and favored by Bishop Lutus.

“Shadow’s Master?”

The voice, like nails scraping iron, made my brow furrow involuntarily.

“I wasn’t informed anyone else would be coming here.”

“That’s not it, but we don’t know your face or name.”

“So you’re saying I should prove myself here? You’ll find out naturally when you see me in action later.”

Galbart shook his head.

“I don’t like loose ends.”

At the same time, another shadow dropped behind Galbart.

A silent landing, just like Galbart’s.

Then, the figure gracefully raised their upper body and, upon seeing me, curved their eyes into a smile.

“Long time no see?”

It was Rachel.

“You said there’s a way to verify his identity?”

“Of course. We’ve worked together on a few operations, after all.”

“Check if it’s him.”

“Got it.”

Rachel approached me and suddenly brought her face close to mine.

It was as if she was trying to peer through my mask.

Her nose nearly touched my mask, but she stopped just short.

She alternated looking into my eyes, and a grin spread across her lips.

“Still as stoic as ever, huh?”

Then, out of nowhere, she took off her mask and held it out to me.

“What’s this?”

I didn’t know what she was up to, but I answered what I saw.

“A mask.”

Rachel’s brow furrowed.

“Who doesn’t know that?”

That’s what I wanted to say.

It’s obviously a mask, so why ask?

“Look closely. Don’t you remember this?”

Only then did I grasp the true meaning of her question.

She wasn’t asking about the mask itself but about the story tied to it, something only we shared.

That was the mask I gave her during the Ged rescue operation.

She should’ve just asked clearly from the start.

“You still kept that?”

Rachel’s face finally brightened.

“Why would I throw it away?”

“It’s something I used. Isn’t it dirty?”

“You don’t get it? That’s the point.”

Exuding charm, Rachel revealed her peculiar taste, twirling her body and waving her arms.

“This is the guy.”

At that, the Clerics who had been hiding began to appear in the clearing one by one.

Exactly eleven of them.

Among them was the unidentified hidden card.

I scrutinized their faces, but honestly, it was hard to tell who the hidden card was.

Not surprising, since they were all masked, dressed in black night gear, with Black Swords at their waists.

They all looked like Darkness Council Cleric editions.

Damn it.

It seemed impossible to identify him by appearance.

“Are you the one in charge of this operation?”

“Galbart.”

“Alright, Galbart. I heard there’s someone not affiliated with the Cult in this operation. Who is he?”

Galbart tilted his head to one side.

I turned my head in that direction.

My eyes met the gaze of the one watching me.

At that moment, I noticed a difference I couldn’t discern from appearance alone.

Every person has a unique aura and presence.

Unlike the Dark Clerics, who seemed like sharp blades, this man felt like a heavy boulder.

While the Dark Clerics stood in disciplined formation, he seemed oddly isolated.

And he was strong.

Just meeting his eyes made the hairs on my skin stand on end.

“Do you know his name?”

Galbart tilted his head.

“Why are you curious?”

“Pure curiosity. Call it an occupational hazard. Knowing the details of the team helps with the operation.”

Seeming to find my answer plausible, Galbart nodded.

“I don’t know much about him either.”

What kind of nonsense is that?

“You’re the operation leader, and you don’t even know the names of your team?”

“It’s true.”

Is he doing this on purpose?

It’s like some kind of power play.

The Darkness Council’s dislike for me is something even Guartes’s zombies would know.

They had no choice but to entrust me with this request due to the faction agreement, but they clearly weren’t happy about it.

But.

“….”

It didn’t look like he was lying.

There was a brief but unmistakable contempt in Galbart’s glance toward the man.

There must have been some conflict on the way here.

Now that I looked, the other Clerics were all keeping their distance from the man.

Unlike how closely they stood together, they stayed far from him.

‘No choice, then.’

I approached the man to ask directly.

“What’s your name?”

The response was something else.

“Take off that stupid mask first. Then I’ll think about answering.”

“….”

For a moment, I was speechless, dumbfounded.

“This is Shadow’s Master and Shadow has a tradition of not revealing their identities.”

It was Rachel.

She spoke up on my behalf, having approached unnoticed.

But.

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“Why wouldn’t it matter? We respect their rules so they’ll help with our work…”

“Ugh, enough. Should I just rip it off here? The more I look, the dumber it seems.”

As he rubbed his chin, seriously considering it, I understood why Galbart looked at him with contempt.

This guy had a rotten personality.

“What do I do? It’s so stupid, my fist just wants to fly. Should I close my eyes? No, why should I? Just rip it off. Yeah, let’s do it. Heh heh.”

But what can I do?

I’m no different when it comes to a rotten personality.

“Rip it off.”

“What?”

“Don’t just talk. Rip it off.”

The air around us went silent in an instant.

* * *

The guy’s expression was a sight to see.

At first, he tilted his head slightly, as if he misheard.

Then, he looked into my eyes with a strange expression, checking if I was serious.

Once he confirmed I meant it,“Puhahaha!”

He burst into laughter.

“What? Rip it off? Are you serious?”

“What else? You said you were thinking about it. Too much thinking gives you bad dreams.”

“Hoo.”

He strode toward me.

Galbart moved to block him, but I grabbed his shoulder instead.

Galbart’s already cold expression filled with displeasure.

“Pointless conflict. The night is short.”

Not pointless at all.

Officially, I’m here to help with your operation, but my real goal is to gather info on this guy.

This is part of that.

To gauge his skill level, I didn’t ignore his provocation but instead egged him on.

So I tightened my grip on Galbart’s shoulder.

Surprisingly, Galbart backed off easily.

I smirked.

This guy was pretending to stop it, but he was curious about my face too.

Sneaky bastard, despite how he looks.

Well, no surprise.

That’s how all Cult guys are.

As Galbart stepped back, the man’s face suddenly appeared right in front of me.

Though masked, I could feel his excited, heavy breathing.

He was enjoying this.

“Let me be clear, I only thought about it. You’re the one who said to rip it off.”

“Scared now? Worried about trouble later?”

“Worried you’ll backtrack later.”

He licked his lips and looked around.

Galbart had already pulled all the Clerics back.

Whether intentional or not, the Clerics surrounding the clearing formed a wall, creating an impromptu arena.

Either caught up in the moment or just a betting maniac, he set an unnecessary condition.

“Alright, let’s heat things up. If I can’t rip off that skull mask in five tries, I’ll tell you my name.”

Five tries were too few to gauge his skill.

“Let’s make it ten.”

“Crazy bastard. I wonder how long that confidence will last!”

The attack came suddenly, without any preparatory motion.

The first was barehanded.

Planning to ramp up the difficulty? He didn’t draw his Black Sword, instead thrusting his spread fingers at me.

I dodged with a light Backstep.

But as if he expected it, his arm stretched out, following my face like a snake’s head.

Then it gradually fell behind.

His body couldn’t keep up with my dodging speed.

“As expected of the thief boss, pretty fast! But!”

A sharp whistle of air came from below.

Faster than before, I spun my body backward before my eyes could confirm it.

Something sharp grazed past me by a hair’s breadth.

That was the second.

The third was a downward strike from above, and only then did I realize what the sharp object that cut through the air was.

A leg.

More precisely, a foot.

The seamless transition from a surprise upward kick to a downward strike was fluid like water.

For someone with little combat experience or poor dynamic vision, it was an ambush they’d fall to without any defense.

The problem was, his opponent was me.

“That’s it… Huh?”

His eyes widened as he shouted confidently.

“It’s what?”

“You. When did you get there…”

“What? Too fast to see? Want me to slow down?”

His expression hardened.

His aura shifted.

“Don’t blame me if something breaks.”

“You’ve been talking too much. By the way, seven tries left.”

He charged again.

Whether he was drawing up an aura or using an artifact, his form seemed to stretch and shrink momentarily.

That’s when I confirmed his Vision.

Not swordsmanship.

Martial Art.

The Black Sword at his waist was just for show.

Pabat!

But whether he used an aura or an artifact, he couldn’t touch a single thread of my clothes.

The agility gap was too wide.

Unless he was bishop-level, no matter who he was, his detailed stats affected by agility—movement, flexibility, body control, dynamic vision—were all below mine.

Honestly, I thought I could even take on Bishop Lutus of the Darkness Council now.

In the end, he blew all his chances.

But his attacks showed no sign of stopping.

They continued.

Past ten, then eleven.

When his attacks exceeded thirteen, unease rippled through the surroundings.

“Stop!”

Galbart shouted, but the guy seemed to hear nothing.

His breathing grew rough with excitement.

His eyes, glinting with madness, tracked only my movements.

Yeah.

This guy had turned into a complete battle maniac.

Literally.

The kind of guy who goes wild once a fight starts.

A combat addict, that’s him.

A martial artist tied to the Darkness Council with an antisocial personality.

Who was someone like that?

My thoughts were shattered by a fist coming at me.

I quickly twisted my shoulder to dodge.

But an inexplicable sense of danger washed over me.

This was different from before.

The rough airflow from his fist felt alien compared to earlier.

For the first time, I used [Ghost Step].

It was an instinctive decision, and it paid off.

An intangible force sliced through the space along the fist’s path.

Shwaaak!

The thought that my forehead would’ve been split along with my mask if I’d been a moment slower filled me not with fear but with cold anger.

My hand moved to my back in an instant.

Raven, emerging from the darkness, let out a sword cry.

Kiiing──

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