Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Doubts About the Iron Mask Man
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'Why is he only throwing daggers?'
Just like in that video back then.
Something more impressive.
More flashy techniques, surely.
So why was he just flinging daggers like that?
It was disappointing.
And frustrating.
That wasn't what she'd been hoping for.
At the very least, the Iron Mask Man she'd seen wasn't like that.
Maybe that's why.
Even in the midst of battle, her eyes kept drifting over there out of sheer disappointment.
Things will be different now, she told herself.
"Amazing. So that's why everyone's calling him Lukiluki."
"Without Roxy and Baek, we really would've been bled dry midway through."
"Compared to them, the Iron Mask Man..."
"Hasn't done much yet. Is he doing it on purpose?"
"He's not a fake, is he?"
"Wasn't it just luck during the war? Maybe he's dragging it out because he's scared his true skills will be exposed."
But all she heard were the players' suspicious murmurs.
'No way.'
At first, she didn't believe it.
He just hadn't shown his true skills yet.
That's what she thought.
But what was this growing doubt rising within her?
By then, even she wasn't so sure anymore.
Was that guy really a fake?
Or was even the skill from that video all an illusion?
Just pure luck?
'I don't know.'
Irritation surged for no reason.
The Iron Mask Man standing there motionlessly hurling daggers.
And herself, still glancing over without letting go of her expectations.
None of it sat right.
She wasn't even that big a fan.
But actually meeting someone she'd been curious about for so long seemed to make it worse.
Maybe she'd built up some vague fantasy.
Thinking back, it was ridiculous.
Her, who never paid much attention to anyone, suddenly acting like this.
'Just ignore it.'
So Roxy shook off the thoughts and focused on the battle.
They were in the middle of wiping out bandits on the viscount's orders, after all.
To claim the quest rewards, she had to steadily rack up contribution points.
Roxy charged back at the enemies in front of her.
Kaboom!
An explosion erupted right in front of her.
Thanks to her Explosion Fist class trait, she was safe from her own blasts, fortunately.
But that wasn't the problem.
'Shieldbearer?!'
The real issue was the enemy shieldbearer who wedged in at the perfect timing.
Thud!
The counterattack that followed.
Her body reeled back from the shield's impact.
At the same time, enemies sprang out from all sides, as if they'd been waiting for the chance.
She was surrounded.
Without the slightest warning.
In an instant, they closed in around her.
This was bad.
Of all the timing.
"Roxy? Hold on, I'll head over right— Huh?!"
"Whoa, Guardian Wall?!"
"These bastards came in a full swarm on purpose!"
"C-Careful. There are some new faces mixed in!"
The others seemed to be in the same boat.
Even tighter coordination than before.
As if someone was directing them in real time.
'Black armbands?'
Was that guess right?
Amid the bandits, black armband wearers were visible here and there.
Executives.
Commanders with real leadership skills.
They must have ordered this concentrated assault on one spot.
To take out the troubleshooters on the battlefield first.
But they were just level 100-range NPCs, nothing more.
Roxy's eyes flashed as she activated her necklace's hidden option.
[Explosion effect ON!]
[Flame Rampage cast!]
[Fire attribute power amplified for a set duration!]
[Boom Dash cast!]
[Explosions occur at the soles of the feet!]
[Propel a set distance instantly using explosion recoil!]
Flames engulfed her body.
An explosion rocked beneath her feet at the same time.
Her form shot forward like an arrow.
Straight toward the black-armband executive.
'Take out the executives first.'
She blew past the shieldbearers' position.
All that remained were low-defense grunts.
Blocking her after the Boom Dash acceleration wouldn't be easy.
Roxy had no doubt.
But then, something astonishing happened.
Bam, kaboom!
The grunts threw themselves in the way, blocking the attack with their bodies.
'...What?!'
Her acceleration dropped.
Her form braked suddenly, losing balance and toppling over.
A dizzying moment.
She tried to regain her footing, but the executive wasn't about to let her.
"Die, adventurer!"
"Kuh!"
Sparks flew into the air.
Her cutlass clashed against his gauntlet by a hair's breadth.
Any slower, and it would've been a fatal blow.
Roxy sighed inwardly in relief and quickly readjusted her stance.
Then she unleashed a furious barrage on the executive.
Clang!
Boom!
Once.
Cling!
Boom, kaboom!
Twice.
Cling cling cling!
Kaboom kaboom boom!
Dozens of clashes in rapid succession.
Explosions ripped through the fierce exchange.
Yet the executive kept swinging his sword unscathed.
Less damage than expected.
The explosions were landing, but his higher health pool let him tank it better than the grunts.
'This guy's tough.'
Of course, she could win.
It would just take time.
The real problem was that there were several like him.
All with solid leadership too.
"Gaaah!"
"D-Don't fall back!"
"Damn it, these guys are too strong!"
"Where did they get this tactics from all of a sudden... Ack!"
As expected.
Her prediction held.
The viscount's forces were starting to get pushed back.
"Oh man, I'm done for!"
"Wait, Sacred Power Ring! Everyone, just hold on a sec..."
The hired adventurers and mercenaries weren't faring any better.
They were being overwhelmed.
Without even mounting a proper defense.
In moments, the viscount's entire army was falling back against the bandits.
This wouldn't do.
To reverse the tide, they needed reinforcements.
The Hawk Knights were the most likely candidates.
No, they were the only ones left.
So why hadn't they moved yet?
In this dire situation.
'Don't tell me these guys...?'
She'd forgotten.
The viscount's army.
They'd already retreated from here once before.
They must have known about these executives already.
Viscount Chainver had probably hired them with that in mind.
That explained why the knights hadn't shown up.
Level 90 range.
But fully geared, their power rivaled level 100+.
There was only one reason such knights hadn't appeared.
'They're worried about losing knights.'
That had to be Viscount Chainver's orders.
No sense sending his territory's elite into a hopeless battle and losing them for nothing.
'They don't think it's time to deploy yet.'
The knights had made their call.
Their side alone couldn't turn this around.
'That's why they didn't warn us about the executives.'
Roxy bit her lip.
"What are you doing? Protect me with your bodies if you have to!"
"For the sacred cause!"
"Die!"
The executive whipped his underlings into action again.
They became human shields completely.
But they didn't mind at all.
No, they welcomed it like an honor.
At this rate, her health would hit zero before she took him down.
The executive seemed to sense it, sneering vilely.
"Stupid adventurer, this is what you get for interfering with our sacred mission..."
That was when it happened.
Thud!
The executive suddenly collapsed.
Had someone snuck up from behind?
His underlings quickly checked, but no one was around.
Thump!
Thud thud!
Instead, executives were dropping one after another.
Some even badly wounded.
Bandits and viscount's forces alike stared in confusion.
"What the hell just...?"
"Fuck if I know, but stomp 'em. They'll be a pain if they get up!"
But quick-thinking players wouldn't miss the opening.
"Protect the executive!"
"Block with your bodies!"
The bandits scrambled to respond, but chaos like this wouldn't resolve easily.
"Hawk Knights, advance!"
And then the Hawk Knights charged into the fray.
The tide turned in an instant.
'What in the world.'
Roxy finished off the executive in front of her and blankly scanned the surroundings.
'Huh?'
Then she noticed.
A throwing dagger by the executive's corpse.
A familiar shape.
Roxy whipped her head around.
But no matter where she looked, the Iron Mask Man was nowhere.
Meanwhile.
The Iron Mask Man Roxy was searching for.
Luke had already infiltrated the bandit stronghold.
Just as planned, he'd paralyzed the executives with poison, creating an opening to sneak in.
'Essence of Poison for the win, you bastards.'
A few resisted due to level difference, but he'd gifted them fatal blows instead.
Satisfied, Luke checked his minimap.
Internal layout.
Enemy positions.
Smaller range now, but nearby was marked clearly.
'Can't see the upper floors yet, but security on the first floor's definitely laxer.'
The stronghold's structure on the minimap.
His blue dot.
Red dots for enemies.
But thanks to the chaos outside, only two or three reds nearby.
Meaning lax internals.
Luke wouldn't miss it.
'Quest or whatever, first the rest of the secret map...'
That was when.
"Poko!"
Poko burst out of his bag, as if tired of being cooped up.
"Wha—?!"
"Pokopoko!"
It started sniffing and dashed off somewhere.
"Hey... Hey, you!"
Luke panicked and chased after Poko.
Even if security was lax, this was a temporary stronghold crawling with level 100+ bandits.
Detection penalty was doubled too.
Getting spotted would mean instant pursuit.
And that would make finding the map way harder.
'Stayed quiet all this time, why now?!'
Incomprehensible.
Especially since Poko usually obeyed well.
Fortunately, no red dots nearby yet.
Luke finally sped up and caught up.
Grab!
At the corner, he seized Poko with both hands.
"Hoo, you little..."
"Poko!"
Poko didn't struggle.
Just pointed forward emphatically.
Luke sighed deeply and looked up.
"What could be here that... Huh?"
Rusty iron bars.
People inside.
All shackled at the ankles.
A prison.
One holding the people the bandits had captured.
The prisoners appeared to be Jeremi residents.
Luke scanned the haggard group.
And finally spotted them.
"..."
A mother and daughter trembling in the corner.