Chapter 18: Battle
'Hmm, I should save these skill points for now.' Charles thought inwardly and looked at his body status.
[Name: Charles Nightwind
Health Status: Normal (Inflicted by Amber's Curse)
Race: Human
Rank: 1
Class: Level 4 Apprentice Fire Mage (0/506)
Sub-class: Level 3 Trickster (0/337)
Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favourability of Riverdale Citizens)
Health Points: 91/91
Exp: 1006 Exp
Attributes:
Strength- 13
Dexterity- 14
Constitution-12
Wisdom-15
Charisma- 12
SP (Skill Points): 20
AP (Attribute points): 0
Class spells:
Fire Wings
Sub-class skills:
Trickster's hand- 20
Clown- 20
Sixth Sense- 50
Unique skills:
Snatch-51
Conceal- 50
Dark Vision- 44
Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50
Inspect- 40]
'Oh? Amber's Curse, huh? Tsk, do these guys think that they can suppress my growth by placing some curse?' He coldly snorted inside.
'Forget it, it's time for me to check a suitable magic spell model.' He nodded his head and then turned his attention to the spellbook option.
...
[Available Fire Spell models for the Host: Fire Orb (430 Exp), Fire Arrow (250 Exp), Fire Breath (250 Exp), Fire Shield (320 Exp), Flame Body (350 Exp), Flame Jump (540 Exp), Fire Wisp (240 Exp), Fire Blade (459 Exp), Fire Prism (310 Exp), Fire Mark (300 Exp), etc.,]
...
'I don't need any attack power for now. All I need is some supportive type spells.' He thought for a moment and soon turned his attention to the [Fire Jump] spell.
But after a slight pause, he shook his head and didn't choose to construct the spell model now.
'Once I choose the spell model, the system will automatically start constructing the spell model in my mind for the next few minutes. That will do no good for me in my current situation. Moreover, I don't have any information about how mages create spell models in their minds.' He recalled the system's warning and turned his attention to the citizens.
Most of them had already removed the ropes and started untying the nearby citizens.
'That Shadow Guard should be here at any minute by now.' He muttered inwardly and then looked at his Ghost Dagger.
[Inspect has been cast...]
[Wisdom Check...]
[Inspect Success!]
...
[Ghost Dagger (Observer's Dagger)]
Quality: Uncommon
Effect: Extra Sharpness, Freezing Edges, (Prober's Eye).
The requirement to see the hidden effects: 15 Wisdom
...
'I knew it!... That Russell... He must be observing me all this time. Is he probing my real strength? But why is he doing this?... Something feels off...'
'Does he have a link with this Divine Order organization?' Charles furrowed his brows and soon turned grim.
'It seems I entered a lion's den. Thankfully, I have a system to level up faster than normal humans. Still, I need to fool everyone and hide my strength for a while. I don't think that enemy doesn't have another way to check my real strength... Troublesome... Hmm, there must be some strange skills out there to hide one's real strength. I have to find a way and get it.' He thought to himself and turned his attention to the citizens.
"Get away from here." He said coldly and held the Ghost Dagger in his right hand.
Then, he held the 'Ring Sword' in his other hand and soon smiled as he saw that Shadow Guard was running in his direction from the right side alley.
Meanwhile, the citizens nodded in fear and ran in different directions while dragging the severely wounded ones.
In a few seconds, Shadow Guard arrived in front of him and looked at him in anger.
"You-" Just as Shadow Guard was about to curse at him in anger, Charles took the initiative and sprinted while shouting.
To be precise, he started acting.
"Why are you killing the poor citizens? Who are you?" His angry voice reverberated everywhere.
On the other hand, Shadow Guard was confused by his sudden outburst and soon furrowed.
'Is this the first time he sees someone dying? Naive fool.'
He coldly looked at Charles, raised his sword, and aimed his sword at his shoulder. Simultaneously, he activated [Killer's Thirst] skill and rushed towards the opponent at an unimaginable speed.
A second later, he closed the distance between himself and Charles using the [Shadow Step] skill and lunged at him.
Meanwhile, Charles turned his expression solemnly as he saw the upcoming attack and blocked the long sword with his dagger.
A loud, clanging sound resounded in the middle of the dirt road.
A moment later, Charles was pushed back and soon got blown away.
Simultaneously, his Ghost Dagger was sent flying in a different direction and landed one hundred meters away from him.
A grim look appeared on Charles's face as he stood up hurriedly and gripped the Ring Sword tighter.
He then turned around and started running in the opposite direction.
On the other hand, Shadow Guard curled his lips upward and chased after him.
Charles continued to run on the dirt road and soon arrived near Pine Town's exit.
Although many Shadow Killers appeared in his sight along the way, he didn't have any luxury to even look at them.
As he arrived closer towards the town's exit, he suddenly increased his speed and ran towards it.
Meanwhile, Shadow Guard was shocked by his speed and became more resolute about his original mission.
'Lord Black's guess is right! He is hiding his strength.' A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he locked his eyes on Charles's back.
Both soon moved out of the Pine town like a cat and mouse and entered the nearby woods.
After confirming that no one was following them, Charles heaved a relieved sigh and soon began to look for a suitable place to battle.
'I need to capture him.' He became firm about his decision.
After running deep into the woods for a while, he came across a large grassland-like area and halted his footsteps.
"Are you tired of running?" Shadow Guard's mocking words came from behind, causing Charles's lips to twitch.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Charles switched the Ring Sword to his right hand and turned around with a mysterious smile on his face.
Puzzlement appeared on the Shadow Guard's face as he saw Charles's mysterious smile.
"You still didn't get it, did you?" Charles chuckled as he looked at the dumb Shadow Guard and then cast [Inspect] skill on him.
[Inspect has been cast...]
[Wisdom Check...]
[Inspect Success!]
...
[Name: Ian Adams
Race: Human
Rank: 2 (Uncommon)
Class: Level 3 Shadow Guard
Sub-class: None
Title: Murderer, Killer, Black's Loyal One.
Health Points: 99/111
Exp: 0
Attributes:
Strength- 14
Dexterity- 15
Constitution- 14
Wisdom-12
Charisma- 10
Class skills:
Shadow Steps-70
Shadow Teleport-63
Killer's Thirst- 57
Unique skills:
Basilisk's Eyes- 50
Basic Sword Arts- 38]
...
'He is still stronger but not strong enough to kill me. My only worry about him is his unique skill [Basilisk's Eyes]. Now, I understand why Lady Emilia told us something about familiarity when seeing him.' He nodded inwardly and moved closer towards the Shadow Guard.
"Quite an arrogant tongue you have, kid," Ian said in a cold tone and turned into a cloud of smokes.
A moment later, Charles's shadow moved on its own and formed into the black-robed Ian.
Before Charles could mutter another word, Ian clenched his fist and threw a punch at him with full force.
If it were before, Charles wouldn't have been able to dodge this punch at such a close distance. But after he leveled up twice, he became much stronger.
He calmly took a step back and blocked the punch with his hand.
A moment later, a look of astonishment appeared on Ian's face.
'He blocked my attack!' He squinted his eyes sharply.
Ian then muttered strange words and stared deeply into his target's eyes.
It was the incantation of the [Confusion] magic spell!
Ian learned this spell incantation from a magic book called Starfall Codex book and used it often against his opponents to catch them off-guard.
Meanwhile, Charles felt confusion feeling that appeared in his mind. But due to his high wisdom, he managed to resist the Confusion spell and became clear-headed.
After that, he took a step back and avoided his stare.
'I must be wary of his [Basilisk's Eyes] skill.' He thought to himself and slashed the Ring Sword at Ian's neck.
Ian Adams grew more alert and blocked the Ring sword as he noticed the incoming attack.
He then took two steps back and parried against his skillful sword strikes while pondering deeply.
'He managed to resist my [Confusion] spell and also seems to be cautious of looking into my eyes! From his earlier attack, I can tell now that he has the strength of a rank 2 Mystic!' Ian got startled inside and soon backed away using [Shadow Steps].
At the same time, Charles gripped the Ring Sword and cast [Conceal] skill on himself.
Meanwhile, Ian turned his face solemnly and cautiously looked at the surrounding grassland.
At that moment, he realized that something was wrong.
'Wait. Did this kid lure me here?' A foreboding thought appeared in his mind.
At the same time, he also recalled Charles's naive action and soon realized his situation.
'He is planning to kill me here and also seems to be aware of our action. Sh*t! I need to warn Mr. Black.' He muttered under his breath and took out an eerie black-covered book from his void pouch.
It had strange letters engraved on the cover and appeared ominous.
Meanwhile, Charles felt an unknown fear upon seeing the eerie black book and cast [Inspect] on it.
[Inspect has been cast...]
[Wisdom Check...]
[Inspection failed!]
...
'An artifact?' Charles frowned as he saw the eerie book and backed away from Ian. At the same time, Ian Adams let out an evil laugh and opened the book.
After that, he looked at the book and started chanting in a weird language.
'Isn't he afraid of assassination?' Charles got shocked by Ian's confidence and soon sprinted towards him at an unimaginable speed. He appeared in front of Ian in two seconds and thrust his sword towards his heart.
But to his amazement, a thin layer of transparent force field appeared around Ian's body and completely blocked his attack.
Meanwhile, Ian made strange hand signs using his other hand, flipped the page, and chanted continuously.
Before Charles could back away, he felt that the space around his body began to distort and soon pulled him into the void!
'What is this?!' He was baffled for a moment and soon noticed that he was standing 100 meters away from Ian Adams!
'Forceful teleportation?' He was deeply surprised for a moment and soon froze.
At that moment, he saw that Ian had already turned around and started running into the woods.
But Charles still heard a weird rhythmic incantation from Ian, which gave him goosebumps.
'What happened?' Puzzlement appeared on his face.
'Follow the Shadow.' Eve's words once again appeared in his mind.
He hesitated for a moment and soon chose to trust her words. But before he could take a step forward, he saw dense grey clouds that came out of the eerie book and soon turned into daggers and swords. In a blink, all those weapons were aimed in all directions and flew everywhere at an unimaginable speed!
A grim look appeared on Charles's face as he jumped up and avoided a dagger that appeared in his direction.
'It seems he is planning to retreat. If I let him escape now, he might inform his employer about my original fighting capabilities. I need to capture him and learn more information about the situation. I'm still dancing in the dark like a dumb fool.' He grew annoyed inside and soon chased after Ian.
Meanwhile, Ian's face grew solemn as he held the mysterious black book in his hand.
'Damn it; I feel fatigued after reciting a single Rank 3 spell.' He gritted his teeth in anger and soon went towards the eastern direction.
It's where his secret hideout was located. Although he was afraid of the exposure, he didn't put much thought into it.
'My current goal is to escape and inform Lord Black about the target's real strength.' If it were another person, he would have stopped earlier and killed his target using various means. But his owner warned him not to kill the target, which frustrated him inside.
'I can't kill him. Lord Black had already made many preparations to catch A-O35. I can't mess up the plan.' He grumbled inside and then moved faster.
Charles also pursued him while looking at the interface in contemplation.
'I still have 1006 Exp. Tsk, I thought of using this exp to construct spell models, but it looks like I need to delay that for some time. Hmm, once I use the Exp to maximize my Trickster Class, I will be able to overwhelm him and kill him swiftly.' He nodded his head in enlightenment and soon added 843 Exp to the Sub-Class.
...
[337 Exp deducted from the Host!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You became a Level 4 Trickster!]
[1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]
[20 skill points rewarded]
...
[506 Exp deducted from the Host!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You became a Level 5 Trickster!]
[1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]
[20 skill points rewarded]
...
'I have two free attribute points and 60 skill points in total.' He checked the interface while avoiding the incoming [Acid Arrow] spell attack and added one attribute point to Dexterity. After that, he pondered deeply for a moment and added the remaining attribute point to strength.
In a blink, he noticed the changes happening in his body and smiled.
If not for the wooden branches and vines obstructing his path, he would have already caught up with Ian.
'Ian appears to have an escape plan...' A thought appeared in his mind.
At the same time, he also analyzed the situation and added 30 skill points to his [Trickster's Hand] skill.
A heartbeat later, a massive amount of information about hand tricks appeared in his mind.