Even without the need to express a willingness to avoid harm, the minions and demon servants suffered no damage, making the task easier.
I left only Hwang Tae-wook and Mari at the sanctuary and moved with the other five demon servants to a nearby makeshift building to hide.
“You guys better not move a muscle until I give the signal, or else you’re gonna be in trouble.”
“Yes! Master!”
“Don’t make a sound either! Are you stupid?”
“Mmm…”
I wondered how long I had to wait with the demon servants turned into statues due to my reprimanding.
‘They’re here…! Thank goodness they arrived before the camouflage wore off. But that guy. He even came riding some kind of ridiculous vehicle.’
Vroom—
There was a grim reaper riding a small vehicle that emitted a light blue smoke.
It was a “Sky Craft,” a flying machine considered a rare failure among the inventions made by dwarves.
The invention of a flying machine powered by magic was truly revolutionary, but because of its terribly low efficiency, I heard that it soon disappeared without a trace.
‘I thought only a few of those were sold, yet he rides around on one.’
Just that alone allowed me to see the extent of his magic power.
– What’s going on…? This feels strange? What the hell is happening?
The “Grim Reaper” tilted his head as he approached the factory in the vehicle, despite being quite far away, immediately sensing something was off.
After circling the factory, he flew straight to Hwang Tae-wook and asked,
– Hey, Hwang Tae-wook. What’s going on? The factory’s on fire, and you guys are in a place like this? Explain what happened as concisely as possible.
‘He found it incredibly quickly. It seems he doesn’t just have a keen sense of smell… Did he have some kind of device attached to Hwang Tae-wook?’
His quick response made me suspect that. I’ll have to examine it carefully when I get home.
– Jung Tae-hyung! We have a big problem. I’ll explain, so come down for a moment.
Hwang Tae-wook mentioned the Grim Reaper’s real name, indicating that this was an unusual urgent situation.
The Grim Reaper, already feeling a sense of foreboding, seemed to fully realize something was wrong as he clutched his forehead and slowly descended.
– Hah… Tae-wook. Mari. What should I do with you useless bastards? Huh? Have I ever wanted to slice you up before? Why on earth have I endured it until now?
Though the Grim Reaper spoke in a casual tone, it was clear to see how his huge dual scythe trembled in his grasp, revealing his agitated state.
‘He’s really mad. If this goes wrong, he might just attack Hwang Tae-wook immediately.’
That couldn’t happen, so I needed to prepare myself in advance.
Thud—
The Grim Reaper lightly landed in a crater.
Suddenly, I yearned for the Sky Craft floating in the air but forced myself to ignore it.
‘Focus. Focus.’
– Haa… Go on, talk. Hwang Tae-wook.
The Grim Reaper walked slowly toward Hwang Tae-wook, and the conversation began.
– We were ambushed.
– …Hey, Hwang Tae-wook, you bastard. Do I have to go through the six Ws with you to get a detailed account?
– Wait a second. Just listen. They weren’t the ones who targeted our factory yesterday.
– What? Does that mean there are more besides the ones who executed the flanking operation?
– Yes, we really got caught off guard. Anyway, while dealing with them, we were able to narrow it down to one group we suspect.
– Seriously? You’re not just making up some excuse to avoid dying, right?
– No, it’s really a group we never even thought about. Anyway, we weren’t strong enough to stop them, so we managed to escape and came here to give you the intel.
– Ah, screw that, what’s the group’s name? What do they want? Is it the manufacturing secrets? Please tell me they didn’t blow it up.
– Do you think that would happen? Anyway, I suspect their identity might be…
– …?
– They’re the leftovers.
– What?
‘Blow up!’
Boom──!!!
With an explosion that felt like thunder striking right above, the whole island shook violently.
Hwang Tae-wook and Mari darted out of the sanctuary at the same time as the explosion, and oddly enough, I bolted forward in the same direction they came from.
Since Hwang Tae-wook and Mari were still recovering from the injuries inflicted by me, I figured they needed more time.
I had given them a few more bottles of Irmana’s water; it would be better to let them recover a bit more before joining up.
Of course, the five newly joined demon servants were in the same boat.
Honestly, them joining right now wouldn’t make much of a difference against an S-rank hunter.
As long as I didn’t give the signal, it was actually helping them to just remain still.
*Cough- cough! Kahack, spit! Aaaah!! You damn bastards!! How dare you hit me from behind?!!*
The Grim Reaper, who had taken a full force of the massive bombing attack, seemed to have sustained quite a bit of damage.
The flow of magic around him twisted greatly, and he struggled to stabilize it.
It truly was a severe ambush, and somehow that bomb felt more powerful than usual. Could there be some hidden effect from the sanctuary?
‘They said it was packed with artifacts and high-grade equipment; maybe the bombs actually worked better than expected? Since it’s an assassination type, their defense must be a bit lower. Looks like his health has also dropped… maybe this could be manageable.’
*Guuuuuuuh!*
Still coughing, the Grim Reaper shook off his clothes a few times before letting out a roar of fury.
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected ambush, his face was flushed red from anger and shame, yet he still managed to sense my presence while I was in stealth and assumed a defensive stance—not surprising for an S-rank hunter.
‘Still not activating the [Uneven Rage]. Maybe it only kicks in once I hit the First Escalon level?’
*Hoo… I won’t let you die easily.*
The Grim Reaper was all set to unleash his retaliation.
Whirr—
The air around him shifted as if the very flow of existence had changed.
*The killing intent is no joke. I’m scared… but I guess that attribute related to smell is real after all.*
He couldn’t pinpoint my exact location, but he seemed to turn his body toward my general direction, readying his scythe to strike at any moment, which raised my tension even more.
‘Did my body retain a lingering smell even after burning it?’
Even though I thought I was prepared, I felt a bit lacking.
Vroom— whoosh—
The Grim Reaper spun his scythe like it was a dance, licking his tongue.
There was something oddly playful about his movements, but chills ran down my spine any time his killing intent seeped out.
‘Hah… this is maddening. Just getting close to that would probably break my armor in half.’
Just by looking at the scythe he wielded, I could vividly picture myself being cleaved in two.
That monster exuded such an absolute presence.
*Hehe— It’s been a while since I’ve felt this excited. A user of stealth abilities, huh? Hwang Tae-wook surely didn’t recruit you; did other guys already set you up as bait?*
‘Oh… he’s sharp. He’s almost got it right.’
[Flame Shot]
‘Here’s a gift in return.’
I quickly moved behind him and fired a Flame Shot precisely aimed at the back of his head.
But.
Bang──!!
‘Tch…’
*Oh? Not bad for a hit!*
He nonchalantly deflected the Flame Shot with his scythe.
But I could see that he had been pushed back a fair amount during the defense.
*But to think you’re a sorcerer? How bold of you to push me, the Grim Reaper, to handle a sorcerer! Hah… my reputation has taken a hit. I need to re-enter the field and engrave who I am back into the minds of people.*
He shook his head and suddenly created an illusion that made it seem like he had multiple arms.
*What the hell?! Dangerous—!*
For a moment, the image of the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe flashed through my mind.
Fear rooted me in place, but somehow I managed to leap into the sky to evade his attack.
——
At that moment, two waves of scythe energy sliced past my legs, stretching endlessly and piercing straight through the island beyond the horizon.
‘──?!’
He couldn’t figure out my location, so he just indiscriminately swung in that direction. The sheer destructive power was incredible.
‘Hah… has he really lost his marbles? Shooting scythe energy? Isn’t that what Middle-aged Uncle could do?’
I had thought he was just a lunatic caught up in his Grim Reaper persona, but he was a master of that weapon.
*Huh? No reaction? You dodged that? For a sorcerer, your reflexes are quite impressive.*
He twirled his gigantic scythe in the air with flair and all of a sudden closed his eyes and began murmuring something.
[Flame Shot]
Of course, I had no intention of letting that slide.
“Ah!”
Boom──!
With a short exclamation, the Grim Reaper batted away my Flame Shot once more.
The fact that he was pushed back about 30 cm while blocking it showed he was definitely of a lighter build.
‘But up close, it would be a whole different headache. Is he faster than Escalon?’
Evading attacks was an issue, but it felt like hitting him would be even tougher.
*Hey, where’d you learn such a lack of manners to attack when someone is trying to use a skill?*
‘Is there any reason I should bother with manners against a jerk like you?’
In a life-and-death struggle, where’s the place for manners? Once your neck is severed, it’s game over.
*So what now? You already called for backup, huh?*
‘?!’
Before I knew it, something humanoid was hovering right above the Grim Reaper’s head.
‘Is that a headless woman? Is that the skill Hwang Tae-wook mentioned that calls upon souls?’
It was definitely someone who had been killed by the Grim Reaper, and judging by her outfit, she appeared to be a sorcerer.
[Calm Pulse]
‘Indeed!’
The pulse emanating from the headless sorcerer’s body quickly enveloped the area.
I instinctively sensed danger and froze like a statue, keeping an eye on the Grim Reaper’s movements.
‘This is definitely a vibration detection magic. If I move even a little, I’ll get marked instantly.’
I was a skeleton.
If it comes down to being still, I knew I had the upper hand.
*… Seriously! Are you going to keep playing it boring like this? You started with a bang, and now you’re hiding like a rat!!*
He attempted to provoke me into revealing myself, but it wasn’t doing much damage.
*Damn it, if I had known this, I should have captured Mari somehow… Wait? I can just grab her right now, can’t I?*
Even after summoning a soul, not getting any effect out of it, the Grim Reaper decided he would go find Mari.
Crackle──
*Huh? What’s this? When did the barrier…?*
But the Grim Reaper had no choice but to stop in his tracks, blocked by the sanctuary’s barrier.
In a surprising situation, the expression on the Grim Reaper’s face shifted to one of confusion.
*… This is genuinely surprising. Hey, can you just tell me who you are? I’m very curious now. Stealth, flame magic, and now barrier magic as well… As far as I know, there’s only one guy with so many diverse abilities!*
I had a feeling I knew who the Grim Reaper was referring to.
‘It must be Jo Gi-man. Rumor has it he has hundreds of skills at his disposal.’
The Grim Reaper attempted a few things against my escape prevention abilities, but they all went to waste.
However, it was only a matter of time before it would break.
For now, the escape prevention effect of the sanctuary was still minimal.
*Hmph! You think something as shabby as this barrier would hold me?!*
He swiftly shattered the sanctuary’s boundary.
But I still had plenty of tricks up my sleeve.
If you want to make an attack, they say to wait for the moment your enemy gets distracted by something else.
– When converted to combat type, you deal powerful flame damage to the first enemy that comes into your field of vision.
Focusing on the Grim Reaper’s face, I activated my ability.
Boom──!!
*Gyaaahh!! It’s hot! Aaaaah!!*
A massive explosion erupted with a burst of crimson flames that shot up from the Grim Reaper’s face.
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