Ruda is Level 4, but she is a Solo Hunter who has received a Level 4 certification. Generally speaking, reaching a high-level while being Solo is more difficult than reaching that same Level in a Party.
She has been a Hunter for a short time, but even Ruda has a sense of pride. There was no way she would complain if 《Crimson Flame (Fire Gale)》 hasn’t said any complaints.
No matter what, I will come back alive. When she thought about it, what Ruda accepted this time was just to be a messenger. There was no way I would die in the middle of something like an errand.
As I regained my bearings and took a deep breath, Arnold, who was walking in the lead, stopped.
Suddenly, something noise-like entered my ears. The Members of 《Fallen Mist》 spread out and quickly took formation.
About ten meters away, in the direction where Ruda and the others were going to, darkness was wriggling.
The noise became stronger. The thin darkness gathered in one place took color and shape.
Carmine, who was behind 《Fallen Mist》, opened his eyes when he saw it and took a few steps back.
“A Phantom…… Emerging!? Impossible…… It shouldn’t occur in front of people?” (Carmine)
“Hi-hi…… Its Mana Material is too strong.” (Hay)
Hay broke out in a cold sweat and gave a half-hearted smile.
The exact mechanism was unknown, but it was generally believed that Phantoms are created after the accumulation of Mana Material reaches a certain amount.
In the case of a Hunter being present in a Treasure Shrine, the Mana Material would be absorbed by the Hunter, making it unlikely that a Phantom would appear in front of him. It was not an unheard case, but it was a unique and extremely rare phenomenon to high-level Treasure Shrine.
The Mage from 《Fallen Mist》 begins to mumble and chants offensive magic. Hearing this, the Mage from 《Crimson Flame (Fire Gale)》 hurriedly followed his lead. Ruda also regained her composure as her allies got ready for battle.
I was surprised, but when you think about it, it was fortunate that the Phantoms appeared in front of us. You can attack it before it can get ready. It would be a dull fight, but maybe we could defeat it unilaterally without allowing the opponent to counterattack.
The darkness gathered and what appeared was a knight. He was about the same height as Arnold. A dark knight with a jet-black helmet that completely hid his head and an armor covering his entire body1.
A knight with a jet-black sword at his waist.
There was ―― Two of them.
I thought, this was not good. Arnold is the only one who barely reaches the right Level for this Treasure Shrine. As for the other members, even inside 《Fallen Mist》, are probably far below the appropriate Level.
We still don’t know the strength of the Phantom, but it was already bad luck to encounter two of them in our first battle.
And on the other hand, I was glad that there were only two of them. If Arnold took on one while Ruda and everyone else took on the other one, then the numbers would match.
There is no choice, but to do it. I made up my mind. This isn’t the first time I have fought against a powerful enemy while betting my life.
Hay shouted at the moment when the Phantoms took shape.
“Do it!” (Hay)
Two Party. The magic the two Mages chose as their surprise attack was fire magic.
A blue flame blade and a storm of compressed fire bullets attacked the black knight who had just started to move.
The black knight received it without even showing any evasive movement. A muffled sound echoes continuously and the momentary light obstructs our vision.
“Did you get it!?” (Gilbert)
“Of course not!” (Hay)
Hay shouted back at Gilbert.
Before confirming the outcome, Arnold was on the move.
Even though he has a huge body and a huge two-handed sword, his speed was tremendous. The purple lightning enveloping him made him as majestic as the god of thunder.
The light cleared up. With a roar, Arnold swung his great sword down. The black knight intercepted it with the sword he pulled from his waist.
A high-pitched sound echoed through the air. Before we can be surprised by the outcome, Hay, who followed after Arnold, circled behind the other black knight and kicked him on the back of his knee.
The knights took the offensive magic head-on but didn’t show any scratch at all. Neither their helmet nor their armor had any scratch or speck of dust.
From what Ruda saw, the offensive magics packed a lot of power. If Ruda received it, even if it wasn’t a fatal injury, it would inevitably result in a serious injury, that was how strong it was.
To be hit by such a blow and remain unscathed ―― How hard can they be?
I knew from the 【White Wolves Den】 that Phantoms wearing armor were hard, but their rank was too different.
It was the most incompatible opponent for Ruda.
“You don’t have the time to be dumbstruck!” (Hay)
The black knight turned over his sword. Its speed couldn’t be seen even with Ruda’s dynamic vision.
Arnold tilted his great sword and received with minimal movement, his blow was delivered at an ultra-high speed. The sound from the exchange between their swords became a repetitive one as if it were unending.
Arnold’s face was red and had a rugged expression, while the black knight’s expression wasn’t even visible.
However, the problem was the second one Hay had attacked.
The battle on that side was almost one-sided. The black knight attacked and Hay had to avoid it. The knight’s armor, which covered his entire body, was impervious to Hay’s attacks and even the initial attack on his leg didn’t do any damage despite being a surprise attack.
But, only the plan had been successful.
The reason why Hay rushed after Arnold was probably because he thought that even Arnold wouldn’t be able to deal with both of them at the same time.
One of the black knights was focused on chasing after Hay and showed no sign of joining the other one.
The reason why Hay managed to avoid the sword slash that couldn’t be seen with your eyes, was because the black knight body movement wasn’t that fast. The speed of his sword was considerable, but if you get behind him, he will need to turn around. When he takes your back, you will have to turn to chase after him. Always changing your position and never colliding head-on, unlike 《Absolute Shadow》 this is the true road of a Thief.
In the meantime, three Swordsmen from 《Fallen Mist》 joined Hay. Surrounded by three large Swordsmen, the black knight stopped his hands to see their course of action.
Gilbert and the other Members of 《Crimson Flame (Fire Gale)》 were unable to keep up with their brilliant cooperation that didn’t need any signal to communicate.
“Fuck… You monsters…… And you are telling me that those are only small fries……?” (Swordsman 1)
One of the Swordsmen surrounding the black knight points his sword at him while breathing roughly. Hay smiled deeply at what he said.
“Haa…… It seriously is a big deal. But…… He understood their pattern.” (Hay)
“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!” (Arnold)
While Hay and the others had fallen into a stalemate, the battle between Arnold and the black knight was intensifying.
The one with the advantage was the black knight who showed tremendous speed in his sword slash and boasted an armor that was impervious to any offensive magic.
A great sword is a weapon that emphasizes the strength of a single blow. As long as that blow can be easily prevented, it is inevitable that Arnold will have a hard time with his great sword.
―― That was what Ruda and Gilbert thought.
The battle had taken an unexpected turn.
In the formation where Hay left to follow after Arnold, the Mage who was free pointed his short wand at Arnold and shouted.
“Here we go Arnold-san! 『High Accelerate (High Acceleration)』!” (Mage 1)
A white beam of light pierced Arnold. It was magic that strengthens your physical abilities.
Body-strengthening magic is a double-edged sword. Many Hunters are reluctant to use them, especially those that enhance muscle strength and instantaneous power because those completely change the way you feel your body.
Ruda was also surprised when she received it once.
At this moment, Arnold’s body would be incredibly light. So light ―― That he wouldn’t be able to control his sword very well.
“Kuh……!” (Arnold)
However, seen from Ruda’s perspective, Arnold’s behavior didn’t change at all. He caught the ultra-high speed blow with minimal movement.
For a moment, I thought it was a dud, but I soon realized I was wrong.
He was used to it. He was used to having to suddenly change his body’s sensation.
It takes blood-spitting efforts to adapt to the unusual change in your sensation. He had probably trained countless times in doing this. Receiving the body strengthening magic over and over again, so he can cope with it at any time.
In addition to this, his strength, durability and defense were all being strengthened one-by-one in turn by body-strengthening magics. The way Arnold was receiving his sword while being hit by the body-strengthening magic looked like he was enduring not being able to explode in all of his anger.
Perhaps realizing that the current situation was bad, the black knight that Hay and the others were holding back started to move. A blow that had hardly been blocked ―― One of them failed to block the ultra-high speed blow which had the same strength as the one Arnold was facing and their formation started to collapse.
Even so, 《Heavy Lighting Strike》 didn’t help.
Ruda is Level 4, but she is a Solo Hunter who has received a Level 4 certification. Generally speaking, reaching a high-level while being Solo is more difficult than reaching that same Level in a Party.
She has been a Hunter for a short time, but even Ruda has a sense of pride. There was no way she would complain if 《Crimson Flame (Fire Gale)》 hasn’t said any complaints.
No matter what, I will come back alive. When she thought about it, what Ruda accepted this time was just to be a messenger. There was no way I would die in the middle of something like an errand.
As I regained my bearings and took a deep breath, Arnold, who was walking in the lead, stopped.
Suddenly, something noise-like entered my ears. The Members of 《Fallen Mist》 spread out and quickly took formation.
About ten meters away, in the direction where Ruda and the others were going to, darkness was wriggling.
The noise became stronger. The thin darkness gathered in one place took color and shape.
Carmine, who was behind 《Fallen Mist》, opened his eyes when he saw it and took a few steps back.
“A Phantom…… Emerging!? Impossible…… It shouldn’t occur in front of people?” (Carmine)
“Hi-hi…… Its Mana Material is too strong.” (Hay)
Hay broke out in a cold sweat and gave a half-hearted smile.
The exact mechanism was unknown, but it was generally believed that Phantoms are created after the accumulation of Mana Material reaches a certain amount.
In the case of a Hunter being present in a Treasure Shrine, the Mana Material would be absorbed by the Hunter, making it unlikely that a Phantom would appear in front of him. It was not an unheard case, but it was a unique and extremely rare phenomenon to high-level Treasure Shrine.
The Mage from 《Fallen Mist》 begins to mumble and chants offensive magic. Hearing this, the Mage from 《Crimson Flame (Fire Gale)》 hurriedly followed his lead. Ruda also regained her composure as her allies got ready for battle.
I was surprised, but when you think about it, it was fortunate that the Phantoms appeared in front of us. You can attack it before it can get ready. It would be a dull fight, but maybe we could defeat it unilaterally without allowing the opponent to counterattack.
The darkness gathered and what appeared was a knight. He was about the same height as Arnold. A dark knight with a jet-black helmet that completely hid his head and an armor covering his entire body1.
A knight with a jet-black sword at his waist.
There was ―― Two of them.
I thought, this was not good. Arnold is the only one who barely reaches the right Level for this Treasure Shrine. As for the other members, even inside 《Fallen Mist》, are probably far below the appropriate Level.
We still don’t know the strength of the Phantom, but it was already bad luck to encounter two of them in our first battle.
And on the other hand, I was glad that there were only two of them. If Arnold took on one while Ruda and everyone else took on the other one, then the numbers would match.
There is no choice, but to do it. I made up my mind. This isn’t the first time I have fought against a powerful enemy while betting my life.
Hay shouted at the moment when the Phantoms took shape.
“Do it!” (Hay)
Two Party. The magic the two Mages chose as their surprise attack was fire magic.
A blue flame blade and a storm of compressed fire bullets attacked the black knight who had just started to move.
The black knight received it without even showing any evasive movement. A muffled sound echoes continuously and the momentary light obstructs our vision.
“Did you get it!?” (Gilbert)
“Of course not!” (Hay)
Hay shouted back at Gilbert.
Before confirming the outcome, Arnold was on the move.
Even though he has a huge body and a huge two-handed sword, his speed was tremendous. The purple lightning enveloping him made him as majestic as the god of thunder.
The light cleared up. With a roar, Arnold swung his great sword down. The black knight intercepted it with the sword he pulled from his waist.
A high-pitched sound echoed through the air. Before we can be surprised by the outcome, Hay, who followed after Arnold, circled behind the other black knight and kicked him on the back of his knee.
The knights took the offensive magic head-on but didn’t show any scratch at all. Neither their helmet nor their armor had any scratch or speck of dust.
From what Ruda saw, the offensive magics packed a lot of power. If Ruda received it, even if it wasn’t a fatal injury, it would inevitably result in a serious injury, that was how strong it was.
To be hit by such a blow and remain unscathed ―― How hard can they be?
I knew from the 【White Wolves Den】 that Phantoms wearing armor were hard, but their rank was too different.
It was the most incompatible opponent for Ruda.
“You don’t have the time to be dumbstruck!” (Hay)
The black knight turned over his sword. Its speed couldn’t be seen even with Ruda’s dynamic vision.
Arnold tilted his great sword and received with minimal movement, his blow was delivered at an ultra-high speed. The sound from the exchange between their swords became a repetitive one as if it were unending.
Arnold’s face was red and had a rugged expression, while the black knight’s expression wasn’t even visible.
However, the problem was the second one Hay had attacked.
The battle on that side was almost one-sided. The black knight attacked and Hay had to avoid it. The knight’s armor, which covered his entire body, was impervious to Hay’s attacks and even the initial attack on his leg didn’t do any damage despite being a surprise attack.
But, only the plan had been successful.
The reason why Hay rushed after Arnold was probably because he thought that even Arnold wouldn’t be able to deal with both of them at the same time.
One of the black knights was focused on chasing after Hay and showed no sign of joining the other one.
The reason why Hay managed to avoid the sword slash that couldn’t be seen with your eyes, was because the black knight body movement wasn’t that fast. The speed of his sword was considerable, but if you get behind him, he will need to turn around. When he takes your back, you will have to turn to chase after him. Always changing your position and never colliding head-on, unlike 《Absolute Shadow》 this is the true road of a Thief.
In the meantime, three Swordsmen from 《Fallen Mist》 joined Hay. Surrounded by three large Swordsmen, the black knight stopped his hands to see their course of action.
Gilbert and the other Members of 《Crimson Flame (Fire Gale)》 were unable to keep up with their brilliant cooperation that didn’t need any signal to communicate.
“Fuck… You monsters…… And you are telling me that those are only small fries……?” (Swordsman 1)
One of the Swordsmen surrounding the black knight points his sword at him while breathing roughly. Hay smiled deeply at what he said.
“Haa…… It seriously is a big deal. But…… He understood their pattern.” (Hay)
“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!” (Arnold)
While Hay and the others had fallen into a stalemate, the battle between Arnold and the black knight was intensifying.
The one with the advantage was the black knight who showed tremendous speed in his sword slash and boasted an armor that was impervious to any offensive magic.
A great sword is a weapon that emphasizes the strength of a single blow. As long as that blow can be easily prevented, it is inevitable that Arnold will have a hard time with his great sword.
―― That was what Ruda and Gilbert thought.
The battle had taken an unexpected turn.
In the formation where Hay left to follow after Arnold, the Mage who was free pointed his short wand at Arnold and shouted.
“Here we go Arnold-san! 『High Accelerate (High Acceleration)』!” (Mage 1)
A white beam of light pierced Arnold. It was magic that strengthens your physical abilities.
Body-strengthening magic is a double-edged sword. Many Hunters are reluctant to use them, especially those that enhance muscle strength and instantaneous power because those completely change the way you feel your body.
Ruda was also surprised when she received it once.
At this moment, Arnold’s body would be incredibly light. So light ―― That he wouldn’t be able to control his sword very well.
“Kuh……!” (Arnold)
However, seen from Ruda’s perspective, Arnold’s behavior didn’t change at all. He caught the ultra-high speed blow with minimal movement.
For a moment, I thought it was a dud, but I soon realized I was wrong.
He was used to it. He was used to having to suddenly change his body’s sensation.
It takes blood-spitting efforts to adapt to the unusual change in your sensation. He had probably trained countless times in doing this. Receiving the body strengthening magic over and over again, so he can cope with it at any time.
In addition to this, his strength, durability and defense were all being strengthened one-by-one in turn by body-strengthening magics. The way Arnold was receiving his sword while being hit by the body-strengthening magic looked like he was enduring not being able to explode in all of his anger.
Perhaps realizing that the current situation was bad, the black knight that Hay and the others were holding back started to move. A blow that had hardly been blocked ―― One of them failed to block the ultra-high speed blow which had the same strength as the one Arnold was facing and their formation started to collapse.
Even so, 《Heavy Lighting Strike》 didn’t help.
