Chapter 70
Chapter 70
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Fruits of Scouting
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Why had he stayed quiet the entire time while conquering the dungeon?
Simple.
To scout the trio's possessions.
To figure out what they had on them.
And what they might be hiding.
The process had gone smoothly, in fact.
'Ah, I usually keep my profile private. My class is Thief. Level 40... no, 50.'
'...I see. Got it.'
Pretending to brag, he'd inflated his level by one step on purpose.
'Ugh, I can't hold out much longer!'
'Crazy, that blade?!'
'O-oppa, are you okay?!'
'Yeah, I'm fi... ngh!'
He'd even staged dangerous situations to continuously emphasize how insignificant he was.
Thanks to dismantling their guard early on, scouting had been that much easier.
That was the result of luring them into dropping their guard.
Temporary gear.
Potions, flasks, scrolls, and more.
He could confirm everything they had.
What each item's purpose was.
And the intentions behind bringing them.
And then?
Well, obvious.
Scouting always ends in theft, doesn't it?
So he stole everything in sight.
That was all.
Of course, he didn't act rashly.
Tracking scrolls that marked a target's position for a set time.
Plunder scrolls that designated one piece of a target's gear and forcibly boosted its drop rate.
All essential items for a backstab.
Stealing the scrolls too early could complicate things if plans changed midway.
So he'd steadily pilfered only subtle items that wouldn't draw notice.
'Huh?'
'What's up?'
"No, just... seems like the potion count dropped a bit."
'Probably just your imagination.'
'Hmm, maybe.'
Even if they noticed something missing, he made sure it didn't reach the certainty stage.
He calmly adjusted his thefts, biding his time to snatch the scrolls.
The moment they revealed their true nature.
Right before that, he'd steal the scrolls.
So, when exactly would that be?
The moment the group was most off-guard.
And when backstabbing would be easiest.
Probably right before entering the boss room.
'Whew, finally at the boss room.'
'Ah, this is...'
'Yes. Open this door, and the boss fight starts immediately.'
And his guess hit the mark perfectly.
'Huh?'
The group collapsing from paralysis poison.
'You probably wouldn't know what that person means to me. Ah, of course you wouldn't.'
Lycan going full fanatic mode.
'What the hell?'
'Still haven't figured it out? Sigh, Deer, you can't do that. Not focusing during a dungeon clear? That's a one-point deduction.'
'Lycan suddenly...'
The women panicking.
'Trash.'
'Huh?'
'Disgusting trash that isn't even human. That psycho bastard and his followers. All the same maggots.'
Of course, Rabbit's sudden shift in attitude was completely unexpected, but it wasn't all bad.
It drew their attention at just the right moment, after all.
Being stabbed twice in a row by Lycan's blade let him comfortably acquire the paralysis poison.
'What the hell is this? Suddenly something's missing?!'
'The scrolls!'
'Scrolls...'
'The scrolls we prepped from the lawless zone are gone!'
All that remained was to secretly set the stage for hunting them amid the confusion.
To do that, he'd torn a Fire Wall scroll beforehand and leaped into the flames.
Switching to his true gear, hidden from the group until now.
To comfortably farm these humans.
"God is dead?"
Lycan's face crumples nicely.
One might expect confusion at the situation, but he zeroed in on Luke's words first.
God is dead.
Well, not a lie.
He'd actually been killed once by Gu Hwi.
'And yet here I stand before you all again.'
Did they even know that?
No, they didn't.
Of course not.
"Yeah, you retard."
"Did you just deny God's existence?"
"Ears clogged? Didn't hear? I'll say it again: God's dead. Croaked long ago, you retards."
"Youuuu-!"
Hit a nerve, huh?
"Hey, Lycan!"
"Something's off. This isn't the time to charge blindly..."
"Shut up!"
Ignoring his comrades' warnings, Lycan charged in a frenzy.
'Still green as they come.'
Getting swept up in emotions.
'Well, since we're here, might as well poke more.'
Luke spun around.
Braincleaver aimed left.
At Lycan, burrowing into his side via the Assassin skill Snake's Ambush.
Clang!
As expected.
'Predictable.'
He'd once been a high ranker Assassin himself; no way he'd miss such a basic opener.
"Pathetic. And you call yourself Luke's devotee?"
"Iiiiik!"
"Tsk tsk, Luke must be crying."
"Shut that mouth!"
"If I were you guys..."
"I said shut iiiit!"
Blade grazing past his throat.
This time, the Thief skill Wind Cutter.
Swish!
Next, Piercing Strike.
Then Tail Cutter.
And after that...
No.
Thwack!
No need to count anymore.
"I didn't even bother with this tedious crap."
Luke drove a knee into Lycan's face, shattering the clown's arrogant world.
"Kuhk!"
"Whoa, not done yet."
Grab!
Trying to fake a knockback and retreat?
Luke yanked Lycan's collar, pulling him back in.
Then proceeded to teach him reality, plain as day.
Thud!
Shaking jaw.
The shock triggered Mental Confusion instead of concussion from the vital hit.
"Villain this, villain that?"
"Kek!"
"Delusional retard, what are you, a chuunibyou? Spouting 'villain' like a kid."
"Guh!"
"Not embarrassed at your age?"
"Cough cough!"
"What happened to that energy? Tired already? From this little? I haven't even started."
No.
Don't.
He hadn't even swung Braincleaver properly, and he was already like this? Useless.
"Hah... hah... you dog..."
"Huh? What?"
"Dogggooo-!"
"Can't hear youuu!"
Thud!
Another fist to Lycan's temple as he flailed.
Not the shadow itself.
"Wh-what?!"
"Eyes wandering?"
"Impossible, you were hit by paralysis poison..."
"Oh? And?"
"Just a cowardly nobody!"
"Tsk tsk, not beat enough yet. Don't worry, I'll wake you from your dream."
The devil flashed a cruel smile.
True madness.
Worlds apart from that clown's fake frenzy.
But at that moment.
"Damn it, Lycan!"
"That filthy bastard!"
Beth and Howler belatedly joined, hurriedly covering for Lycan.
Vines sprouting from the ground.
A massive greatsword swinging wildly forward at the same time.
Just like that, a 3v1 seemed to form in an instant.
But.
'Can't let that happen.'
Luke wouldn't just watch.
A blade flying straight ahead.
A throwing dagger enchanted with the freshly acquired paralysis poison.
Thuk thuk!
Caught off-guard by the unexpected dagger?
Lycan and Beth failed to dodge, taking direct hits.
Clang!
Meanwhile, the dagger bounced off Howler's plate armor.
"Ugh, this is..."
"Paralysis poison? No way, how did that guy?!"
Still, forcing two out of the fight was more than satisfactory.
'Effect seems solid.'
All that was left.
"Haaap!"
Just the Warrior-class Howler, thrashing like a pup that doesn't fear the tiger.
Luke easily sidestepped the greatsword slicing through the air.
'This guy's gear is all wrong from the start.'
Warrior is a strict dealer-tank hybrid.
Yet here he was, wrapped in plate and swinging a greatsword.
Obviously, his speed would suck.
Swish!
Once.
Swish!
Twice.
Rumble!
Swish!
Even spamming charge to close distance, the greatsword never touched Luke.
'Can't even grasp his own weapon's reach.'
And amid it all, all he did was yell.
'At least medium armor would've avoided this mess.'
Gear weight affects physical stats big and small.
"Damn it, why won't it hit?!"
The guy himself seemed oblivious.
'That's why he's just mindlessly charging.'
Not even knowing his greatsword was high-risk, high-reward.
Clang!
He didn't adapt to terrain at all, either.
"Kill him, Howler! He's cornered. Crush him flat!"
Lycan's belated shout.
Seems the others were clueless about terrain shifts too.
'Me, cornered?'
As if.
Clang!
Cling!
Claaaang!
If anything, Howler was the one struggling to press.
"Ngh, swinging the sword is..."
"Tough, right?"
Luke sneered.
There was only one reason to fight backed against the wall.
To nullify the long, heavy greatsword's range.
Otherwise, he'd never let himself get cornered.
'Only thrusts left, but...'
Ting!
Even that was an easy upward parry path.
Luke parried the greatsword effortlessly, then thrust Braincleaver into the exposed gut.
"As if!"
"Plate means no damage?"
Sure, plate blunted the edge.
Without penetration, piercing that defense for real damage was tough.
But he didn't need to pierce the plate.
Pu-pu-pu-puk!
"What nonsense."
Just stab the gaps precisely.
"H-how?!"
"Luck?"
"Kuh!"
"Not luck."
He stabbed Braincleaver again.
Puk!
To shatter the guy's delusion.
Puk!
In one go.
Crackle!
Braincleaver's electrocution effect triggered right on cue.
Howler's body shuddered violently.
His heavy knees hit the floor simultaneously.
Last one down.
Luke fully subdued Howler too, ending the fight in a flash.
"What the hell just..."
Lycan muttered blankly at the sight.
Big shock, apparently.
"What? Got schooled by me. 3v1, even."
"Ahh."
"What, spaced out?"
Well.
The prey he thought paralyzed suddenly walked into a soaring wall of fire.
And that prey turned the tables and hunted them. Of course he'd be dumbfounded.
"This isn't the setup I planned. No way this happens. How did it come to this."
"Quit mumbling."
"Me, God's devotee, losing to a nobody like you."
"You lost."
"No, impossible..."
"And one misunderstanding..."
Riiip!
Scroll tearing in midair.
Red light bursting from the shreds, striking the trio.
"The real game hasn't even started."
The curse magic Blind, blinding the foes.
"Ugh, suddenly can't see?!"
"Wait, this is Blind?!"
"Impossible, how do you have that scroll?!"
The now-blind trio panicked hard.
Well, justified.
Their own prepped scrolls suddenly used against them.
Tracking, Binding, Plunder scrolls couldn't be traded or auctioned; had to go to the lawless zone and clear annoying steps to buy.
But curse Blind could be obtained other ways.
Though still tricky.
Anyway, he'd already used one Fire Wall to block retreat.
"Scrolls aren't exclusive to you."
So he could brazenly lie right in front of them.
"...You tricked us this whole time?"
Finally sensing something off?
"Faking your level."
"Acting weak the whole dungeon."
"Even collapsing from paralysis poison."
"All an act?!"
Lycan trembled in fear as he asked.
Yes.
Being duped by a criminal like him was terror itself.
But no obligation to answer.
Just naturally pull out more scrolls.
'Vision blocked now; can't see a thing.'
Meaning, no immediate system message checks even if skills or items trigger.
They could check after Blind ends, sure.
But forced logout before that meant no way to see prior messages.
So kill them before Blind wears off.
With their exact intended ploy.
'Thanks for the meal.'
The devil licked his lips greedily.