On a dark, windy night, Helag sped through the forest, with Sean close behind.
Sean was faster, but the trees and obstacles in the forest hindered his movement.
"Damn it! How is this kid so familiar with this place?" Sean cursed under his breath.
Helag moved at full speed as if he knew every tree and obstacle by heart as if he had grown up there.
More frustratingly, Helag would occasionally turn and shoot an arrow back at Sean.
Each shot was perfectly timed, just as Sean was about to burst forward. The arrows forced him to dodge, widening the gap between them again.
This made Sean feel as if he had swallowed a fly. He couldn't understand how Helag's timing was so precise.
After several such encounters, Sean couldn't take it anymore. "Die, you brat!"
[Detected unknown energy surge in the opponent, estimated to increase strength by 0.7, agility by 0.1, and constitution by 0.5.]
Whoosh!
Helag felt a chill down his spine. It was the first time he had heard such a sound from someone moving so fast.
[Dodge left and roll forward!] Deep Blue prompted.
Without hesitation, Helag rolled left just as Sean's dagger struck where he had been.
"What? How is this possible?" Sean was shocked. His confident killing blow had missed.
Helag accelerated again, feeling he was at his limit.
Sean had used a special technique to greatly enhance his physical abilities, making his speed unmatched by Helag.
[Duck and roll forward!] Deep Blue prompted again.
Helag followed the prompt, performing evasive maneuvers at high speed, which required great physical control.
This was where the benefits of practicing the Earth Breathing Technique showed. Helag had perfect control over his body due to his daily practice.
Sean's dagger missed again, slicing a few strands of Helag's hair.
"This kid is strange!" Sean couldn't believe a non-knight could dodge his killing blows twice.
[Dodge behind the tree to the right and block with your sword!]
Helag did as instructed, dodging behind a tree and blocking with his sword.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out as Sean's dagger pierced the tree and struck Helag's sword, numbing his hand.
Sean was stunned. "How does this kid seem to know my every move?"
He thought about it. Theoretically, it was possible to predict his attacks by observing his muscle movements, but it all happened in an instant. How could Helag know without looking back?
[Block the front!]
Clang!
Sean appeared in front of Helag, aiming a dagger at his face, but Helag blocked it with his sword.
"Damn it!" Sean was frustrated. Every attack was being predicted.
"Wait!" Sean's breathing became erratic, and he clutched his head in pain.
Helag sighed in relief. "Finally, the poison is taking effect. I thought it wouldn't work on you. Your recent burst of activity must have accelerated the poison."
"That arrow was poisoned…" Sean recalled being hit by an arrow.
Helag's quiver contained two types of arrows: regular and poisoned.
The poison came from an inconspicuous herb outside the castle. Deep Blue had analyzed it, revealing that its dried and distilled roots produced a potent, colorless, and odorless toxin.
As an assassin, Sean was a poison expert, but this toxin was undetectable and had no initial symptoms, so he hadn't noticed.
It was a neurotoxin, and Sean's intense activity had sped up its effects.
"Die!" Sean, realizing his predicament, launched a frenzied attack, knowing he had to kill Helag to find an antidote.
But the poisoned Sean was much weaker, and Helag easily blocked his attacks.
"I need to escape," Sean thought, feeling his breath quicken and his limbs grow numb. If he didn't flee, he would die.
Sean glared at Helag before vanishing into the darkness, using his assassin's escape techniques.
Helag calmly nocked an arrow and aimed at an open spot in the distance.
Whoosh!
Sean screamed as an arrow struck his back, revealing his position.
With Deep Blue's precise calculations, even a healthy Sean would struggle to dodge Helag's arrows, let alone a poisoned one.
"How did you find me?" Sean asked calmly, accepting his fate.
Helag didn't answer, nocking another arrow.
Sean stared at Helag, unable to move his legs, and asked, "Why could you dodge my attacks? You're not even a knight."
Helag released the arrow and said, "Because… I've got cheats."
His words and the arrow pierced Sean's head, spraying blood as Sean fell.
In his final moments, Sean wondered, "What does 'cheats' mean?"
The obscure term puzzled Sean until his death.
After confirming Sean's death with two more arrows, Helag approached the body.
"So poor?"
Helag searched Sean but found no coins, only a pair of decent daggers.
After dealing with Sean, Helag, carrying his sword and bow, gazed into the forest, deep in thought.
He decided to return to Emil's location.
He remembered Jimmy and the others had likely gone to the castle for reinforcements, but it was a six-day round trip, too long to wait.
Even Emil couldn't handle two knights and the archers alone.
Helag moved swiftly and silently through the forest, like a ghost.