The assassin turned around, preparing to head back the way he had come.
When he had passed by earlier, this dead wood forest hadn't been here.
Or rather, it had been, but nowhere near this tall or dense.
Now, these withered trees had sprouted abruptly, as if crawling up from deep underground.
There was no energy signature, nor any surge of magic.
Yet his intuition warned him that this was extremely dangerous.
On the wasteland, any lapse in vigilance could result in catastrophic consequences.
He was a High-tier Transcendent assassin, a powerhouse of the highest order in smaller city-states.
But here... he was nothing more than the absolute bottom of the demon food chain.
The two of them quickened their pace, moving cautiously outward along the edge of the dead wood forest.
However...
Though they wanted to leave...
Lin Gui, hiding in the shadows, was not about to miss this golden opportunity.
Aboard the raft, Lin Gui slightly narrowed his grey eyes.
He looked at the towering withered trees and inspected them carefully.
From his storage space, he fished out a leather pouch.
Cradling the pouch in his palm, he surged his magic.
Levitation activated silently, causing the leather pouch to float steadily, hovering less than an inch above his palm.
At the same time, the Shroud of the Gloomy Night enveloped it, making the pouch's outline disappear completely into thin air.
With a flick of his wrist, Lin Gui violently propelled the magic forward.
The leather pouch shot toward the ranger's face silently like a fired bullet.
It was swift, concealed, and lacked even the faintest sound of rushing air.
The ranger's reactions were astonishingly fast.
Yet it wasn't until the leather pouch was almost touching the tip of his nose that he actually perceived it.
His keen perception as a High-tier Transcendent allowed him to catch the anomaly right in front of him in that split second.
The airflow was wrong—something had closed in right before his eyes.
He assumed it was a blade, a hidden projectile, or a lethal ambush.
“Enemy!”
He roared, violently leaning his body backward while drawing the dagger at his waist with his right hand and slashing backhanded.
Slice!
The tip of the dagger precisely sliced open the leather pouch.
The pouch burst apart, splashing a strange liquid all over him in an instant.
The ranger froze, a stench of blood hitting his nose as his clothing was stained entirely red!
His face instantly went pale.
“Damn it! It's blood!!”
Cursing under his breath, he sprinted off without looking back.
He knew what that liquid was now, and he realized he had fallen into a trap.
The object he had just sliced open was a bait pouch, used by adventurers crossing the wasteland to lure away blocking demons!
The ranger fled outward as fast as he could.
Behind him, the dead, silent wood forest came alive.
Raspy, low growls emanated from the tree trunks, sounding like wails rising from deep underground.
It wasn't just one.
It was over a hundred.
Rising and falling, they merged into a wave of sound that made one's scalp tingle with fear.
At the same time, over forty formidable pressure signatures exploded forth.
Hero Rank.
At least forty Hero Rank demons.
Their combined aura bore down like tangible weight, turning the air thick and heavy.
The faces on the withered trees instantly twisted into fierce grimaces, the human countenances on the trunks distorting as their pitch-black mouths gaped open.
Countless roots burst through the soil, surging frantically toward the scent of blood like hundreds of venomous snakes.
The ranger ran with every ounce of his strength.
His body darted left and right among the dead trees.
The dense cluster of roots thrusting up from the ground and trunks repeatedly grazed his back, waist, and thighs, ripping through skin and flesh, yet he narrowly dodged them time after time.
His agility as a High-tier Transcendent reached its absolute peak, weaving through the cracks of death like a startled leopard.
Gradually, fewer roots whipped out from the earth.
The speed of the wooden spikes behind him slowed down as well.
The ranger's eyes lit up.
He knew he was about to escape the demons' range of attack.
The edge of the dead wood forest was right ahead.
Less than twenty meters.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
The roots behind him finally came to a halt.
The attack range of the wooden spikes had reached its limit, flailing uselessly a few meters behind him as if blocked by an invisible line, unable to advance even half an inch further.
The ranger's pace slowed down.
A look of relief from surviving a near-fatal disaster washed over his face.
Once he burst out of this forest, he would be safe.
Three meters.
One meter.
Without warning, a golden figure materialized out of thin air.
It was as though space itself had been torn open; the person appeared out of nowhere without sound, aura, or any sign of warning.
The ranger didn't even have time to make out their face.
A foot was already kicking into his chest.
It was blindingly fast and terrifyingly powerful.
Thump!
A dull collision sounded out.
The kick didn't pierce his flesh, shatter his bones, or even inflict substantial internal damage.
Yet the force was pure, brute power, shoving his entire body backward.
His body flew backward out of control, feet leaving the ground as though he had been hit head-on by a stampeding bull.
He arced through the air, hurtling back toward the center of the dead wood forest.
In his field of vision, only a streak of dazzling gold remained.
He hadn't even clearly seen the person's face.
Meanwhile, the roots that had been flailing helplessly near the edge snapped back to life like sharks sensing blood, surging madly toward him once more.
His pupils reflected the final scene:
Dozens of roots impaled him from every direction, piercing his chest, stomach, and thighs, lifting him high into the air.
Blood dripped down along the roots.
His mouth gaped, trying to say something, but only a torrent of bloody froth surged up his throat.
Then, more roots wrapped around him, submerging him entirely.
Meanwhile, the assassin who had attacked Irene had already made his decision the moment the ranger yelled, “Enemy!”
He didn't turn back, didn't hesitate, and didn't even cast a second glance at his companion.
He retreated rapidly.
Tapping the toe of his foot, he shot backward like an arrow.
Assassins were inherently the fastest among the physical classes.
With the ranger drawing away the vast majority of the demons' attacks, he easily broke free from the dead wood demons' web of roots, skimming low to the ground as he darted out of that land of death.
Behind him, the ranger's screams and the roars of the dead wood demons faded into the distance.
Yet he did not stop.
Once outside the attack range of the dead wood demons, his speed increased even further.
It wasn't relief—it was terror.
A profound, uncontrollable fear seeping from the depths of his bones.
The blood pouch suddenly launched at them, the terrifyingly precise scheme, and the enemy lurking in the dark whom even he couldn't detect...
He had no idea who the enemy was, but their execution of murder by borrowed sword was swift and ruthless.
This method was far from benevolent.
Even though he was now far away from the dead wood forest, the hairs on his back remained standing, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.
His instincts warned him that the danger had not passed.
He activated Secret Concealment at maximum capacity.
Battle force blanketed his entire body like flowing water.
Swallowing, absorbing, and eliminating his aura, body heat, heartbeat, and even the faint breeze generated by his steps.
His outline blurred into the air.
Like a moving shadow or a silent ghost, he darted through the woods at high speed.
The route he chose was exceptionally tricky: sometimes hugging rocks, sometimes diving into bushes, sometimes gliding beneath the shadows of massive trees.
Every change of direction was unpredictable, and every step was taken with extreme care to avoid making sound.
He didn't even dare run in a straight line, fearing his path might be predicted.
Yet that sense of foreboding, far from dissipating, grew thicker and heavier.
It felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him coldly from high above.
No matter how he hid, he couldn't escape that gaze.
Sprinting with all his strength the entire way, he didn't dare relax for even a fraction of a second.
The dead wood forest behind him had long since vanished beyond the horizon, the roars, energy pressure, and thunderous bursting of roots left far behind.
It wasn't until he was ten kilometers away...
...that the assassin's pace finally slowed down.
He leaned against the trunk of a thick withered tree, his chest heaving violently as sweat dripped down his temples.
With most of his battle force depleted, he needed to rest.
However...
Just as he prepared to deactivate his concealment and catch his breath...
Several figures appeared in the woods ahead.
The assassin's pupils contracted sharply, every hair on his body standing on end instantly.
Instinctively holding his breath, he pulled back, merging completely into the shadows cast by the withered tree.
Secret Concealment was still active, erasing his form completely into the darkness.
He narrowed his eyes, peering out through the gaps in the branches and leaves.
The mage from the Ross family.
The target.
And the blonde knight who had suddenly appeared and interrupted his hunt.
None of the three had high energy signatures; the strongest was merely a Low-tier Transcendent.
The assassin's gaze ultimately landed on the leading black-haired mage.
With no attempt to conceal his presence, his power level was laid bare at a glance.
High-tier High Rank...
The person who could bypass his perception, set a trap for them, and use the demons to kill the ranger could absolutely not be a High-tier High Rank.
That level of stealth capability could only belong to a Legendary.
He looked around, sweeping his gaze across every tree, bush, and shadow.
Nothing.
There was nothing at all.
He inspected his own body, thoroughly checking every inch of skin and every strand of battle force from the hair on his head down to his toes.
There was no trace of magical tracking.
He recalled the sarcasms and taunts from his family over the Transmission Stone.
“You say you failed? Ruined by an outsider?”
“Liar!”
“The compass shows that the light-colored target's location has been moving, following the exact same route as your return!”
“The target is right on your person.”
At the time, he had thought his family was deliberately giving him a hard time.
Now he understood.
It wasn't that his family was giving him trouble.
It was this group of people—they had been tailing him all along, locking onto his trail through some unknown means.
It wasn't magical tracking.
Then what the hell was it?
His teeth gritted audibly, irritability and fear churning in his chest.
He didn't want to stay tangled in this any longer.
He intended to flee again.
Channeling battle force into his legs, he leaned forward slightly, preparing to spring.
Whoosh.
A sharp sound of rushing air whistled past his ear.
It wasn't wind; it was a razor-sharp blade formed of magic.
A Wind Blade brushed past his ear, embedding itself precisely into the ground half a step in front of him.
Boom!
Dirt splattered, and stone fragments cracked apart.
A half-meter-long, bottomless slash was left in the earth.
The assassin froze in place.
Slowly turning his head, his eyes met a pair of grey pupils through the gaps in the foliage.
Those eyes were quietly staring at him through layers of withered trees.
The black-haired mage stood at the front of the raft, holding a staff in his hand.
The staff was made of plain oak, devoid of ornamentation.
Yet his presence was as still as stagnant water.
“Come out,”
Lin Gui said calmly.
“If you don't want to die.”
The assassin fell silent for a moment.
Then, he deactivated his concealment.
His figure materialized from the shadows of the withered tree, stepping out one stride at a time.
He didn't look at Irene, didn't look at Guy, and didn't even look at Elvia.
His gaze was locked firmly onto Lin Gui before shifting away to scan their surroundings.
Treetops, rocks, the sky.
Every place where someone might be hiding.
Then, he sneered.
It was a cold grin, filled with the ferocity of a cornered beast.
“You just send a few greenhorns to talk to me?”
His voice echoed through the woods as his eyes continued to scan ceaselessly.
“My Lord Legendary Mage, hiding out of sight from start to finish—isn't this a bit too rude?”
He shouted loudly, filled with provocation.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the “Legendary” hiding in the shadows to show himself.
Yet all that answered him was the rustle of dead leaves blowing in the wind.
Irene instinctively looked around.
Guy nervously looked up at the sky as well.
Elvia, however, let out a soft chuckle.
She leaned close to Lin Gui's ear, whispering in a low voice,
“No wonder you didn't bother hiding the existence of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night from Irene and Guy.”
“Turns out you planned all along to use it to bluff people.”
Elvia remembered well how Lin Gui had kept that spell of his tightly under wraps back when he was at Low-tier High Rank.
When he rescued Rona, he had even knocked that cat-girl out cold just to cover up the spell's existence.
Yet now, he was becoming increasingly open about it.
Lin Gui leaned into her ear, his lips almost touching her earlobe, his voice equally hushed.
“I told you I wouldn't expose the Shroud of the Gloomy Night too much before reaching Transcendent.”
“And now, I am gradually lifting the concealment over my abilities.”
“What that implies... I imagine you know, my dear Princess.”
Elvia's eyelids twitched violently.
Her pupils contracted slightly, and she unconsciously lowered her voice even further.
“You're freakin' about to break into Transcendent?”
Lin Gui neither nodded nor shook his head.
He merely let out a faint smile.
It was subtle, but Elvia read clear affirmation in it.
“So, if you really want to beat me up, this hunt is your only chance.”
“Elvia.”
“And as it happens, right now there's an opportunity to hone your skills.”
Lin Gui's eyes twinkled with amusement as he turned his head toward the assassin.
Elvia shuddered all over.
Following Lin Gui's gaze, she looked at the assassin nervously scanning his surroundings.
High-tier Transcendent...
Then, she whipped her head back, pointing at her own nose and then at the assassin.
“You freakin' expect me, a High-tier High Rank knight, to fight him???”
Her voice pitched up several octaves, her golden eyes wide with utter disbelief.
Lin Gui said softly,
“Not me.”
He paused.
“It's your so-called teacher.”
Elvia froze.
Deep inside her mind, Shadow Blade Lynn's lazy voice echoed.
“What you lack most right now is a high-quality battle.”
“Don't you want to pin your man down underneath you?”
“Go all out and fight to kill.”
The corners of Elvia's mouth twitched, and she couldn't help but curse under her breath.
“What the freakin' hell...”
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