Under Archangel's orders, the group began retreating toward Frostleaf Town.
"They're really just leaving? Cowards," Ethan muttered, watching from his hidden position with a hint of disdain. Only two of their members had died, and Archangel was already calling for a retreat. What about the 30 gold coins he was owed as compensation?
"No way, I can't let them leave. Wait, Archangel's falling behind…" Ethan's eyes sharpened as he noticed Archangel had slowed down, falling three meters behind the rest of his group.
"Perfect chance!"
Without hesitation, Ethan activated *Shadow Strike*, transforming into a blur as he dashed toward Archangel at a speed invisible to the naked eye. In an instant, he was upon his target, his blade flashing coldly as it sliced toward Archangel's neck.
*Clang!*
A metallic sound echoed unexpectedly, and Ethan's *Fanged Fish Dagger* stopped short against a golden shield shimmering around Archangel's body.
"Damn, it's *Holy Shield*!" Ethan's heart sank. His attack failed, and he quickly retreated.
At that moment, a red beam descended from above, landing precisely on Ethan's position.
**Ding! You've been marked by player 'Vet' with *Blood Track*. Effect lasts for 30 minutes.**
"Shit, I fell into their trap!"
It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was a setup. Archangel was bait, and the retreat was just a ruse to lure Ethan out and mark him with *Blood Track*. He had been too careless.
But Ethan wasn't panicked. *Blood Track* was troublesome, but it wasn't as bad as something like *War Chains*. He could always retreat and wait for the effect to wear off in 30 minutes.
"Haha, Dustwalker, let's see how you escape now!" Archangel burst out laughing, a look of triumph on his face. After all the time and effort, they had finally trapped Ethan.
"You're celebrating too early," Ethan replied coldly. With a quick somersault, he leaped away, reactivating his stealth ability. However, a faint blood trail now linked him to his pursuers, clearly marking his location.
"Everyone with ranged attacks, fire at him!" Archangel shouted.
Immediately, the air filled with spells and arrows—mages casting fireballs, hunters unleashing arrow volleys, and warlocks summoning infernal flames, all aimed directly at Ethan.
Ethan reacted swiftly, using *Blink* to dodge the barrage of attacks before diving into the nearby forest.
"Mad Dog!" Archangel called out, stopping his men from pursuing right away. He summoned one of his rogue players forward.
"Take a few rogues and track him. If you can kill him, do it. If not, just keep tabs on his position and report back."
"Got it, boss. I'll make sure he suffers," Mad Dog grinned, twirling his daggers with a sinister gleam in his eyes. As a fellow rogue, he was more than eager to go toe-to-toe with Ethan.
Leading a small group of rogues, Mad Dog darted into the forest, eager to confront their hidden foe.
"Everyone else, spread out and surround the forest. This place isn't large. We'll corner him here," Archangel commanded, confident now that Ethan's position was no longer a mystery.
…
Deeper in the forest, Ethan crouched behind a large pine tree. With a thought, he summoned his *Shadow Clone*.
In a few seconds, a shadowy figure materialized next to him.
**Ding! You have created a clone. Please name it.**
"Pick a good name," the clone said coldly, giving Ethan a hard stare.
"Uh…" Ethan scratched his nose awkwardly before coming up with, "How about 'King of Assassins'?"
"Good name," the clone nodded approvingly before stretching out its hand. "Give me your weapon."
Without hesitation, Ethan handed over the *Fanged Fish Dagger*.
"There are rogues on the way. Take care of yourself. I'll handle them," *King of Assassins* said before vanishing into the shadows.
Ethan watched his clone disappear, a grin spreading across his face.
"Archangel, you think *Blood Track* makes you invincible? Keep dreaming."
…
Elsewhere, Mad Dog and his small group of rogues were racing through the forest, following the blood trail that marked Ethan's movements. Their footsteps were light, leaving almost no tracks in the snow.
At one point, Mad Dog suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong, boss?" one of the rogues behind him whispered.
"We've got him," Mad Dog replied, pointing ahead.
The blood trail led directly to a large tree, where the trail abruptly ended.
"Why isn't he moving? Did he give up?" one of the rogues speculated.
"No way," Mad Dog shook his head. "We're practically sworn enemies. Giving up means losing everything. He's not cornered yet, so it's not over. There's probably a trap waiting for us."
His senses heightened, Mad Dog ordered, "You all wait here. I'll check it out."
Mad Dog was known as one of the most skilled rogues in *Third Heaven*. If there was a trap, he was confident he could avoid it.
"Be careful, boss."
Mad Dog nodded before activating his stealth ability, vanishing from sight.
But just as he disappeared, a dagger flashed out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, one of Mad Dog's teammates had his throat slit, blood spraying from the fatal wound.
"Shit! What the hell?" Mad Dog spun around, only to see his teammate collapse to the ground, dead.
Mad Dog instinctively glanced toward Ethan's last known location, seeing the blood trail still intact.
That meant it wasn't Ethan who had attacked.
"How's that possible? Are there more enemies?" Mad Dog thought, his mind racing.
At that moment, Ethan emerged from behind the tree, clapping slowly as he spoke in a mocking tone, "Oh dear, how unfortunate. Who could've done this?"
"You!" Mad Dog snarled, his anger boiling over. His fallen comrade had been a close friend, someone he had trained with for years. And now he was gone, his attributes lost for 24 hours. It would take forever to make up for that.
"Dustwalker, don't get cocky. I'll make sure you die today!"
"Will you?" Ethan taunted, as a cold voice suddenly whispered in Mad Dog's ear.
Mad Dog reacted on instinct, activating *Wind Step* just in time.
**Clang!**
The *Fanged Fish Dagger* halted just inches from Mad Dog's forehead.
"Hmm, *Wind Step*, huh? Lucky you," the voice said, as the blade vanished. Cold sweat ran down Mad Dog's face. That had been way too close. If his reaction had been even a split second slower, he would've been dead.
"All of you, go stealth! Now!" Mad Dog shouted. Without hesitation, the remaining two rogues activated their stealth abilities, vanishing into the shadows.
Ethan watched them disappear and sighed internally. It was a shame Mad Dog had *Wind Step*. The public skill boosted agility and granted one second of invincibility, which had saved him from certain death.
**Ding! Congratulations, you've reached Level 4!**
At that moment, the system notification chimed, and a ray of sunlight broke through the forest canopy, falling onto Ethan.
Morning had arrived, and he had reached Level 4.
…