Chapter 266: Episode 266

[You have entered High-lon Forest.]

They passed through the entrance corridor and emerged into the first forest. Though the territory was divided into five sections, this was where the real battle would begin. The land itself was vast, but they were veterans of field combat. The raid leader, Hyacinth, calmly spread out a map.

[High-lon Forest]

[The Revived Plains]

[The Forest of Silence]

Their final destination was the Forest of Silence, but first, they had to cross two combat zones.

“What’s the troop count?” Hyacinth asked.

“Looks like over five hundred,” one of her party members reported. “A hunter, two mages, a priest… and a small human? Anyway, their main forces are on standby just beyond them.”

“Hmm. They deployed them even knowing about my Clairvoyance,” she mused. “Is there a unit in Balak with a movement skill?”

“Probably. With only three combat zones, they’ll try to inflict as much damage as possible right here.”

As long as Clairvoyance was active, vision items were unnecessary. What they needed was a detection network.

[Wide-Area Radar Detection Network has been cast.]

[The wide-area detection network will operate for a certain period.]

[All beings that enter the detection network’s range will be automatically discovered.]

A detection grid twice the size of a standard one spread out, rendering stealth and invisibility useless.

[A soldier in a stealth state has been detected.]

[Soldiers in an invisible state have been detected.]

As if on cue, hidden enemies were revealed. A bat perched on a branch tried to take flight, but it was too late.

Perun had already loaded a bolt. In a fluid motion, he spun and fired his hand crossbow.

[S-rank Raider Perun’s Induction Shot has been cast.]

[A bolt imbued with electricity strikes the bat.]

“Aargh! It stings! It stings, you bastards!” the bat shrieked.

“A talking bat,” Perun noted dryly.

“He may look like that, but he’s probably one of their main forces,” Hyacinth said. “An assassin type. Don’t let him get away.”

The other invisible soldiers began to move. With ambushers closing in, they had to eliminate the assassin first. Hyacinth’s gaze fell on McPain, who scratched his head under her sharp stare before declaring his domain.

[S-rank Raider McPain has cast Slaughter Zone.]

[Enemies will be unable to escape the declared area.]

[Slaughter Zone Usage Limit 1/2]

A section of the forest was bathed in a crimson light. The bat, still convulsing from the electric shock, face-planted as its escape route was sealed.

“Krrgh! To think I would be trapped in a mere domain! This is the greatest of humiliations!”

“You talk too much,” McPain sneered. “You’re all alone now. You’re not going to fight back?”

“You’ll regret this! Just you wait!”

“So there is a unit with a summoning skill,” Perun deduced. “But the bolt I hit him with wasn’t just imbued with elemental power.”

He had anticipated a unit with a movement skill and had prepared the special bolt in advance.

[A-rank Hero Guardian Raviz, Pioneer of Space, has cast Mass Summon.]

[Crodin will be moved to the Revived Plains.]

[Movement Impossible!]

[Mass Summon has been canceled due to the Skill Immunity Bolt.]

As expected, a summoning skill was cast, but to no avail. An enemy struck by the Skill Immunity Bolt was immune to the effects of other skills. The bat, finally sensing the true danger, reverted to its original form.

[S-rank Named Guardian Crodin the Assassin has appeared.]

He was their only stealth assassin. The A-rank raiders instinctively formed a battle line.

“I will never forgive you! I’ll kill you all!” Crodin roared.

“He’s only one, but he’s still an S-rank Named Guardian,” Hyacinth commanded. “Stay sharp and focus your fire.”

It was a hundred and fifty against one, but Hyacinth refused to let her guard down. The shadow clones flickering into existence among the dense trees were clearly one of his main skills. Perun and McPain flanked him, methodically cornering their prey.

—

Taehyun had anticipated they would use a radar to counter stealth, but the Slaughter Zone and the Skill Immunity Bolt were unexpected. His plan to use Crodin as bait had backfired, handing the raiders an opportunity.

’I have to discard one: Position Shift, Effect Conversion Card, Effect Confusion Card, Soldier Summon Coin, or Forced Relocation.’

An assassin stripped of his stealth couldn’t possibly face the entire raid party alone.

“That fleeing look of yours is quite a sight!” McPain taunted.

“Kugh, don’t make me laugh!” Crodin shot back.

“Whoa. You can move through shadow clones? Interesting. Just as I’d expect from an S-rank Named Assassin.”

Having sealed the area with his Slaughter Zone, McPain relentlessly pursued Crodin, herding him toward the main party. With Perun the Giant Slayer closing in from the right, Crodin had no choice but to fight.

“Master, the soldiers can’t enter the Slaughter Zone! Sir Crodin will die!” Riel reported urgently.

“…Riel, cast Sacred Prayer first,” Taehyun commanded.

He needed to buy time. As a supporter, she could cast skills through the interface, so reinforcing Crodin’s health was the first priority.

[A-rank Hero Supporter Riel, the Angel in White, has cast Sacred Prayer.]

[The designated target’s unique life force will be doubled for a certain period.]

Light suffused Crodin’s body, bolstering the assassin’s inherently low vitality. Taehyun quickly dispatched Raviz, Karon, Eclat, and Riel to High-lon Forest.

[A-rank Top Raider Norman’s Sacred Hammer has been cast.]

[A-rank Top Raider Repilier’s Gravity-imbued Arrow has been cast.]

[S-rank Raider Perun’s Induction Shot has been cast.]

Meanwhile, the raiders unleashed a merciless barrage of skills. With even their limited-use abilities hammering down on him, Crodin’s shadow clones became useless.

[S-rank Named Guardian Crodin the Assassin has reached a state of moderate injury.]

“Hah… hah…” Crodin’s ragged breathing came through the link. “Those damn bastards did a fine job of putting me in this state.”

“Calm down,” Taehyun advised. “Don’t face them head-on. Your only advantage is assassination. If you charge now, you’ll be exposed to their ranged attacks.”

“Then what do you want me to do? In a narrow place like this, even I, the king of assassins… ’Kugh!”

He was at his wit’s end, running for his life with an arrow embedded in his arm. Taehyun confirmed the arrival of his four reinforcements and gave his orders.

“You’re about to receive a series of buffs. The moment Raviz’s skill activates, that’s your chance. Inflict as much damage as you possibly can.”

“Kilk-kil…’ I like the sound of that,” Crodin rasped with a sinister chuckle. “Time to show those bastards what I’m made of!”

“Get ready!” Taehyun commanded.

He was only one man, but for an assassin, that was more than enough. If they blocked his escape, he would simply have to carve a new one.

[A-rank Named Mercenary Eclat the Crybaby has cast ’Melody of Harmony’.]

[A-rank Top Raider Hendy the Great Explosion Mage has cast ’Great Explosion’.]

[A-rank Top Raider Eleonora the Mind Dominator has cast Sacred Blessing.]

[A-rank Hero Supporter Riel, the Angel in White, has activated the special ability ’Source of Life’.]

A cascade of buffs washed over Crodin. With six effects stacked, his movements became a blur, leaving the raiders bewildered. But it still wasn’t enough. Taehyun ordered Raviz to cast his next skill.

[A-rank Hero Guardian Raviz, Pioneer of Space, has cast Constraint Space.]

[A space with rules is created within the Slaughter Zone.]

[All beings except allies must travel in pairs.]

[If the rule is not followed, a critical hit penalty will be received.]

The stage was set for the assassin. The raiders scrambled to pair up, but some were too slow.

“This is the power!” Crodin cackled. “Kilk-kil…’ I can feel it! The demon in my right arm is roaring!”

“It’s not over yet,” Taehyun added.

“What?! Ooh… this darkness!”

Night began to fall over the forest.

[A-rank Hero Soldier Big Dream the Lich’s Curtain of Darkness has been cast.]

[The field within the designated range is dyed in darkness.]

The skill he had remade specifically for Crodin was now active. Taehyun watched Hyacinth, who was peering through the chaos with her Clairvoyance, and a smirk touched his lips.

“Let’s see if your Clairvoyance can pierce through true darkness.”

—

She had even brought the rare Return item just for her Clairvoyance, but in this oppressive darkness, even a vision that could see for a thousand leagues was useless.

[Ziksha has broken the rule. A penalty is applied.]

[Besroth has broken the rule. A penalty is applied.]

[Dos has broken the rule. A penalty is applied.]

A skill that imposed rules. The raiders hesitated, even after seeing the messages.

“What is everyone doing?!” Hyacinth snapped. “Get in pairs, now! The enemy has hidden himself with a skill our radar can’t detect!”

They had cornered a field mouse, only to become its prey. An assassin would undoubtedly use the darkness to strike. His primary targets would be the raiders now afflicted with the critical hit penalty. With 154 members in her party, Hyacinth frantically tried to organize them into pairs. Just then, a shield bearer who had been hesitating had his throat slit.

He died without a sound, unable to even mount a defense. His comrades fired blindly at the silhouette in the darkness, but the assassin had already vanished, moving on to his next target.

“Kuaargh!”

“Gaaah!”

“Cough… cough!”

One by one, the penalized raiders fell. The assassin moved as if he were part of the darkness itself, his presence completely concealed. Empowered by stacked buffs, his movements were too fast to follow.

“If it weren’t for this rule, I think I could catch him,” McPain grumbled.

“I agree,” Perun said. “But a critical hit penalty in this situation is too risky. We need to establish a defensive formation.”

“What a pain,” McPain muttered. “By the way, Turner, what have you been doing all this time?”

All eyes turned to Turner. Though he was a new S-rank, his skill was undeniable. Yet he hadn’t cast a single ability since entering the forest.

Turner looked at his comrades, his expression unreadable.

“I must protect my comrades. I will take no other action, so do as you see fit.”

“Hah. Even worse than me,” McPain scoffed. “On our last commission, you at least did something. Had a change of heart?”

“Think what you will.”

At this rate, one of their S-rank raiders was completely out of the fight. Seeing the death toll climb past ten, Hyacinth made a swift decision.

“I’m using the Effect Conversion Card. Perun, how much time is left on the skill immunity?”

“It should be over by now,” Perun replied. “They’ll probably summon him the moment you use it.”

“I know. But I think the mage with the summoning skill is inside the forest. Sir McPain, the moment I use the card, release the Slaughter Zone.”

If he released the domain, the waiting soldiers would ambush them. But if the summoning unit was in the forest, they had no choice but to engage.

“Putting a lot of faith in that Clairvoyance of yours,” McPain noted. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Then get ready.”

She produced two items. First, she activated the Effect Conversion Card.

[Effect Conversion Card has been used.]

[The effect of Curtain of Darkness has been converted.]

The opposite of darkness was light. The oppressive gloom vanished, replaced by blinding radiance. Crodin, who had been one with the shadows, was instantly exposed. But the summoning skill remained. As Crodin’s form began to fade, McPain released his domain.

“Alright,” he growled, a savage grin spreading across his face. “Come at me all at once.”

—

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