In the forest ahead, an enemy held a longbow, leaning against a tree. He had just shot an arrow but missed his target.
He didn't expect to hit anyone; their leader's order was to suppress the enemy's fire and prevent them from escaping.
Their plan was working well, with their continuous arrows making it difficult for the enemy to break out.
He nocked another arrow, observing the surroundings, and quietly stepped out to shoot again.
Suddenly, a sharp pain hit his forehead. He widened his eyes, realizing an arrow had struck his head the moment he exposed himself.
"Why am I so unlucky…" His consciousness faded into darkness, unable to understand why his luck was so bad even in his final moments. He couldn't believe the enemy had aimed at him in the dark; it had to be a random shot that hit him by chance.
After hitting his target, Helag nocked another arrow, aiming at another tree.
The moment the person behind the tree showed himself, Helag released the arrow, and the enemy fell.
"Charge!" Emil, without time to praise Helag's archery, led the charge.
With his knightly physique, Emil could see in the dark, though not as clearly or as far as Helag.
Seeing Helag take down two enemies in quick succession, Emil decisively chose to break through.
Using the forest trees as cover, Emil dodged arrows and quickly approached an enemy, decapitating him with a single slash.
Helag and the others followed closely, advancing while looking for opportunities.
Whenever an enemy showed himself, Helag would shoot an arrow, never missing.
[Warning!]
A red flash appeared in Helag's vision, with Deep Blue prompting him to dodge right.
Without hesitation, Helag rolled to the right.
A greatsword landed where he had just been.
"Huh?" The man who threw the greatsword was surprised, not expecting Helag to dodge.
Helag felt a wave of fear. If he hadn't dodged, the greatsword would have split his head open.
Thanks to Deep Blue's prompt, he avoided the attack, but others weren't so lucky.
The three pursuing knights each killed a guard.
Bearded Hagen clutched his neck, having been slashed by a thin man with a dagger, and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.
The third knight, wielding a slender sword, was a woman. She killed a guard with a throat stab and then turned her attention to Helag.
"Deep Blue, scan the opponent's body data."
[
Strength 2.1
Agility 1.3
Constitution 1.9
Spirit 1.2
containing unknown energy."
]
Helag put away his bow and drew his sword.
The opponent's agility was far superior, and running would expose his back, leading to a quicker death. He had to fight.
At that moment, a hand rested on his shoulder.
Emil, who had been charging ahead, turned back. He told the remaining guards, "You go first. They're after me."
"Emil, I thought you'd run away like a rat," the man with the greatsword laughed.
Emil remained expressionless, "Long time no see, Marco."
Marco gritted his teeth, pointing angrily at Emil, "You still act superior, looking down on everyone! I'm a knight now, and tonight I'll crush you…"
Helag didn't hear the rest. He and the remaining four faced another problem.
The three knights were fighting Emil, leaving two groups of archers to deal with Helag and the others.
The archers, hiding in the forest, suppressed Helag's group with arrows, preventing them from escaping.
Helag took his bow and told Jimmy and the others, "I'll take them out. You adapt as needed."
"Deep Blue, plot the best route to kill all enemies."
[Route plotted.]
A map with routes and enemy positions appeared before him. Helag observed from a top-down view and began the hunt.
Deep Blue monitored all enemy movements, predicting arrow trajectories.
Using the darkness, Helag easily dodged arrows, shooting one enemy after another in the forest.
At first, the enemies didn't notice, but as more fell, they realized their numbers were dwindling.
Helag moved like a ghost in the night, impossible to locate.
After killing the eleventh enemy, the remaining ones couldn't handle the pressure and began retreating.
"Help us, Marco! They have a knight-level archer!" one cried, running to the fighting knights.
Marco frowned, "Knight-level archer? That wasn't in the intel. Sean, take care of him!"
Sean, the thin man with the dagger, silently vanished into the darkness, using an assassin's stealth technique.
Assassins were the best counter to archers, a common knowledge.
[A knight-level enemy is approaching!]
The moment Sean entered range, Deep Blue warned Helag, marking the position on the map.
Helag looked but saw no one.
Without Deep Blue's warning, he wouldn't have noticed until the enemy was right behind him.
Hiding behind a tree, Helag pretended to shoot forward but suddenly changed direction, aiming at Sean.
Sean, moving silently, tensed and narrowed his eyes.
"At least a hundred meters away, how did he spot me?" Sean wondered.
The arrow approached his face, and Sean twisted his body in an unnatural way, barely dodging it.
Though his right arm was grazed, it was a minor injury.
Sean wasn't worried about the small wound.
Dodging the arrow gave him confidence.
"The enemy isn't a knight-level archer, just very accurate," he concluded from the arrow's speed.
Helag's surprise attack missed, and Sean felt more assured he wouldn't be hit again.
Meanwhile, Helag moved deeper into the forest after the missed shot.
"Trying to escape?" Sean smirked. Assassins loved hunting fleeing prey.