What poses the greatest threat to Ah-rin isn’t an enemy charging at her with brute force.
Rather, the very idea of being tracked is far more dangerous to her safety. Just knowing that someone could exploit her vulnerabilities and take her life at any moment is chilling.
Even with the same skill, the duration of its effect varies from person to person. I’m not sure how long that [Reconnaissance] ability will last, but just by eliminating that woman, I could reduce the risk to below half.
So, while exchanging lessons, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to offer this much help.
– KWOAAAAAH!
As I organized my thoughts and nodded, I spotted a horde of orcs charging madly at us from the hilltop, roaring like wild beasts.
Thousands strong.
Their fierce momentum surged without a glance back or hesitation.
Other hunters, overwhelmed by the pressure, were merely swallowing their saliva.
Wuuuuuuuuuuu—
Yeon-hee had already summoned all available summoned creatures, and at the same time, we began to move forward.
There was no need to just stand there stupidly and take the full brunt of their charge.
“Ahrin! Try not to use Lightning Step if you can! Just in case!”
“Got it!”
Joo-ah and Ah-rin seemed to be saving their power for any unforeseen circumstances.
The Apex Guild is known not to easily remove prey from their list once targeted, so their cautious approach was understandable.
Feeling reassured by their careful tactics, I gazed steadily at the first target, waiting for the chaos to unfold.
Apex guild members were positioned within a distance where they could assist at any moment, surrounding the current target.
They were continuously confirming their pre-established signals while maintaining their formation.
Those guys aren’t just some careless amateurs. My evaluation of them was only rising as time went on.
I looked again at the woman who had cast a skill on me.
Support-type hunters with [Reconnaissance] abilities are rare, so I figured she must be managed at the guild level.
‘One… Is there something else going on?’
Still, it was a bit strange that only one guard was attached to her. A support-type hunter like Ham Eun-young wouldn’t easily guarantee safety with just one person in a battle of this scale.
‘I don’t know. Should I just toss a variable into the mix?’
I vaguely noticed the thread of magic connecting her to me, thinly stretching between us.
Casually, I pulled out my dagger and infused both mana and sense into the blade’s tip.
As I did, a thin, black haze began to rise slowly from the blue-glowing blade.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve done this.’
I took a moment to appreciate Arhen’s dagger before swiftly swiping at the thread of magic.
Thud—!
– ………..!!
By infusing both mana and sense into the ancient artifact, such miracles are possible.
Compared to the red-haired elf I met in the Lizard Swamp, who brushed off the waves of my sense with a mere gesture, this was child’s play. But for her, it must be utterly shocking, as if the world had turned upside down.
As expected, she panicked and began to flounder. She turned her head to check on me, but I was only fixated on Yeon-hee’s vibrant profile.
With her [Reconnaissance] ability rendered useless, she wouldn’t be able to prove her worth to her comrades at least for now, which must be quite troubling.
She quickly relayed the situation to her guards, who darted off to share the information with the guy with the snake tattoo, who appeared to be the leader.
(What?! What the hell is that! Suddenly my ability was cut off?)
Since the battle hadn’t started yet, information exchanged hands quickly.
– You’ve seemed a bit too chill for a while now, haven’t you? A mental fortitude where you can’t even maintain one skill? That’s amazing.
– It’s not my fault! It just suddenly got cut off like—
– You gotta be joking! Is there someone here who can use that ‘Calibra’ that’s supposed to only work for top-level hunters?
– W-well… I’m sorry! I’ll try again—
– Enough! Drop your guard and get into the fight. It wasn’t even a directive from the guild. Just like your useless ability, help from the back or something.
– Yes!
– …Okay.
With ten mouths, she could say nothing. Her boyfriend, who looked concerned, came over to comfort her, but she seemed close to tears, utterly confused about what had happened.
– Just focus on taking down the boss first. Don’t worry too much about it, okay?
– Yes… Be careful, honey!
‘The effect is better than I expected.’
In the end, she was left alone. Granted, she kept a safe distance from her party members, trying to play a support role rather than diving into the fray. This made it considerably easier for me to approach her.
Kukuku-!
– KWOAAAAAH!!
‘The orcs are starting.’
[Skeleton Bomb]
[Dagger Throw]
KABOOM!!
Carefully aiming for the target, I tossed the skeleton bomb.
With the explosion of the bomb, the boss battle commenced.
– Fwoosh!
The orc intermediate warriors, leading the charge, stumbled and were thrown off balance by the blast I had tossed.
Thanks to that, the momentum of the attacking orc squad significantly decreased, and the hunters, who had been prepared, began unleashing their skills in quick succession, solidifying our initial advantage.
Boom, boom, boom—!!
‘I’m not even hoping to level up today, just this week…’
With that thought, I began firing Fireballs as fast as I could. Just one level up, and yet, why was it taking so long?
– Whoa! That’s the Grim Reaper, Iro-ra!
– The fact that it has a name confirms it must be a first-pick summon. But it looks pretty fierce—is it a female?
‘Damn it! I’m definitely gonna find that jerk who named it and teach them a lesson.’
By rapidly channeling over 50% of my mana, naturally, the attention of the hunters shifted towards me.
– So, does a skeleton soldier level up to a lich? I seriously don’t get how the evolution of monsters works.
– Think you’ve got time to run your mouth about that?!!
They were making comments about me as they glanced my way, but it was short-lived.
Minutes passed, and we soon found ourselves surrounded in a crescent shape by overwhelming numbers of orcs, leading to the chaotic melee I had anticipated.
Once hunters and orcs began to mix it up to the point where they were indistinguishable, the ranged attackers would inevitably have a hard time hitting anything.
Melee fighters fared a bit better, but even they found it challenging to clash with born warriors like orcs. Considering their overall improved levels, it was even tougher.
But amidst all this, I had my own task to fulfill. I needed to be in and out quickly.
I signaled to Yeon-hee and momentarily slipped away. Thankfully, she respected my intent without asking a single question.
“Just come back quickly. Got it? Your mana is definitely gonna run low!”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
The massive battle between orcs and hunters raged on. I spotted a severed head soaring into the sky in the distance. How long had it been since we started for someone to already be leaving this world?
In any case, I took the chance when no one was watching to hide my body.
[Stealth]
‘My body feels light.’
When the battle with the orcs commenced, a surge of strength erupted from my body like molten lava.
[Skeleton Mage Il-wol – Lv.50]
Strength: 217(+30) Agility: 199(+30)
Health: 153(+30) Wisdom: 187(+20)
Magic Power: 181(+30) Resistance: 35(+20)
Sense: 91(+20) Recovery: 75(+30)
(Irmana’s Blessing applied imperfectly: Strength, Agility, Health, Magic, Recovery +10)
(Achievement [Orc Competitor] applied: All Attributes +20)
All abilities skyrocketed, and an unprecedented exhilaration surged through my entire being. It felt like I was experiencing hundreds of climaxes condensed into one.
‘Whew… this is electrifying.’
And I wasn’t the only one feeling that sensation. Yeon-hee and Bae Joo-ah staggered on the shoulders of a lizardman, their knees pulled close, their faces reddening.
– Ugh… Urgh…
It was a natural reaction to the sudden surge in physical capabilities, so they weren’t at fault. It was also a sign that we hadn’t fully fused with the mana yet.
As we moved up to become higher-tier hunters, this sensation would likely diminish. Let’s think of it as a memory from our rookie days.
But regardless, the sheer boost in abilities greatly relieved some of the burden in my heart about being separated from my party members.
I glided through the chaos between the hunters and orcs in stealth, following smooth curves.
The sound of slicing through the wind felt distinctly different. It was as if the air brushed past me, almost slicing my face, leaving me with an overwhelming desire to crush the orcs’ heads with my bare hands.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but be filled with the desire to test my strength.
As I weaved past hunters and orcs, I struck at their vital points with my daggers whenever a chance arose, taking them down one by one.
Since I was not too far from the Apex party, I promptly reached my destination.
However, what awaited me there was an unexpected scene:
The supposed support-type [Reconnaissance] user was duking it out with orcs, brawling with her bare fists!
‘Oh? She’s using knuckles? Haha, she’s a fighter after all. Was that part of her strategy?’
Typically, you’d expect support types to be weak in close combat, but she held her ground against the orcs with impressive strikes.
Fighters are a rare breed, and I momentarily found myself absorbed in watching her fight.
While her capability wasn’t enough to completely overwhelm the orcs, she had enough strength and sense to defend herself. Pitting her against Lizardman 1 would make for quite a show.
A fighter with [Reconnaissance] abilities… how rare indeed.
But I quickly shook off my distraction and dashed straight toward her.
As predicted, once the battle began, the attention of the Apex party’s members was vastly diverted. I had enough qualifications for an assassination.
They wouldn’t bat an eye at human lives as long as they were making money. Even if they got killed by monsters in the dungeon, they wouldn’t feel any regret.
[Flame Cut]
Swoosh—!
“Gyaaaaah—”
My dagger sliced cleanly across her neck, and droplets of blood splattered outward, forming a fan shape as they burst apart, creating a barrier between us.
With her throat partially slit, she staggered, clutching her neck as she fell to the ground, dancing amidst the crimson rain.
“Gack—gak…”
– Eliminate 10,000 enemies using daggers while in stealth. (322/10,000)
‘Tch… so I can’t raise both stats at the same time, huh?’
Clearly, Flame Cut is a fire attribute skill, yet no matter how many times I used it, it seemed the counts for the elemental quest weren’t rising. Achieving multiple objectives simultaneously seemed impossible.
Killing ten thousand enemies while juggling those conditions is an exhausting task. Really, it’s poorly designed. I fervently prayed to Irmana that I wouldn’t encounter such a quest again.
‘Honestly, I’d rather face an extremely strong foe head-on.’
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