Arrows from the Shadows
Whoooosh...!!
As soon as Yeomhwa-ryeong spoke, the Threat Detection cast by Black Eye mapped out the entire forest entrance into view. Two glowing dots blinked on the newly formed map in his field of vision, moving steadily.
I recognized them instantly.
'Jin-su and Chan-ho must've arrived.'
Tension eased slightly, but watching the fast-moving dots, I thought,
Their arrival also means G. Basel is close behind.
'I wonder if those two slipped past Basel's watch without getting spotted... Let's see what they've got.'
I walked slowly toward the bound Jang Il-mun, pondering.
"Start."
At my command, Baek Yiheon drove his sword toward the assassin's remaining leg without hesitation.
"Argh...!! Aaaargh!!!"
But despite the agonized scream, the blade merely grazed the skin.
"Nice scream."
Baek Yiheon smirked at Jang Il-mun's exaggerated writhing.
"Come on, you know better than anyone how suspicious and cautious G. Basel is. Your role is key if we're both getting what we want."
"A-Argh...!! Spare me!!"
No sooner had he finished than Jang Il-mun started shrieking like a madman again.
"Hmm, too weak."
Baek Yiheon shook his head in mild disappointment.
Squelch—
Then he plunged the blade mercilessly into the assassin's thigh.
"Argh! Aaagh! You bastard!!!!"
"Now that's more like it."
"Y-You actually stabbed me...!"
As Jang Il-mun thrashed his head side to side, Baek Yiheon grinned in satisfaction.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh—!!
Whoooosh—!!!
An arrow pierced through the underbrush.
Watch out. The arrow didn't register on Threat Detection. Looks like it came from beyond range.
Boom...!!!
The arrowheads must've been rigged with explosives—they detonated on impact with the ground.
The blasts rivaled the thunderclap arrows used by Northern Plateau hunters, but infused with magic, the erupting green flames burned relentlessly without dying out.
Baek Yiheon and I scattered to the sides.
Left alone, Jang Il-mun instantly recognized the shooter and yelled,
"H-He's here!! Basel...!! Save me!!"
Rustle—
Baek Yiheon launched himself at the sound of shaking leaves.
Swoosh—!!!
Swinging Seizure horizontally with full force, he sliced through waist-high grass, sending leaves flying everywhere.
"Where are you!"
Thud!!
But his overzealous swing lodged the blade in a thick tree trunk.
In that instant, a barrage of arrows targeted his exposed back.
"Damn it!"
No time to dodge, Baek Yiheon raised his sword.
Bang!
Boom!! Boom!!
Explosions erupted around him, scorching his skin with intense heat.
Savagery Lv2 activated!
Baek Yiheon's health is recovering.
Thanks to his efforts, the trait had leveled up, but the flames from the arrowheads ate away at his HP faster than Savagery could heal.
Caution: Special flames. Cannot be extinguished by normal means.
"Damn it! Why won't this fire go out!!"
Baek Yiheon snarled, slapping at the flames on his shoulder and arm.
"Alright, let's play."
Ignoring the unquenched fire, he scanned for the archers, growling.
Thwack—!
"Guh!"
Suddenly, a long arrow—sniper-grade—embedded precisely in his shoulder.
Unlike the previous ones, this was from a greatbow.
"Got you."
A low voice echoed from somewhere.
But as the bowstring twanged again, the staggering Baek Yiheon vanished.
"...!!!"
Divine Art - Fire Command used!
I snatched Baek Yiheon's waist, hurling him out of sight, and backtracked the arrow's path.
Whoosh...!!
Bouncing off surrounding tree trunks in a wide arc through the forest, I hunted the shooter.
Shing—!
In the dense foliage, I drew Amur's shortsword instead of Tesaro's.
Formless Lv2 activated!
The assassin, sensing my presence, whipped around—his eyes locked in mine.
Time seemed to freeze. I rolled forward in midair, thrusting the reverse-gripped blade into his thigh.
Stab! Stab! Stab!!
Not stopping, I tumbled across the ground, spun behind him, and severed his Achilles tendon again.
Sizzle—!!
Rising, I stabbed his body repeatedly—blood poured from wounds like a poked beehive.
"Guh... kuh..."
As the assassin wheezed and collapsed, I yanked his nape.
Squelch! Thud! Thud!!
That was when arrows rained from all sides, treating him like a target dummy.
I kicked his now-porcupine back with full force.
Boooom—!!!
The explosives detonated in unison, reducing the assassin to unrecognizable ash instantly.
"Turning your subordinate into a pincushion. Ruthless as expected from the Six Truths' Basel—no blood, no tears."
As I stepped to loot the items from the vanished corpse,
Whoosh—!!
An arrow stabbed the ground before my foot, like a warning.
"Kim Do-hyun."
The voice came from the bushes.
But it wasn't one voice—multiple overlapped.
'Clever.'
A ploy to conceal his position.
"Show yourself. Don't care what happens to Jang Il-mun? Mutsa won't sit idle if his devotee suffers."
I pressed my sword to the bound man's side and shouted.
"That fool doesn't matter. I'm here solely to fulfill Lord Mutsa's command. Hand over the Fairy's Eye, and you can do whatever with him. I'll handle Grom's mess quietly too."
"...What?! Don't lie!! Lord Mutsa wouldn't abandon me! You bastard...!! I get it! You're stealing my credit!!"
Jang Il-mun, listening quietly, sensed the trap and yelled.
I couldn't help but chuckle at his pathetic display.
"Wow, the mighty Yukhap leader showing me such consideration... Scared of Mutsa, huh."
"Even if you have the Fairy's Eye, you can't use it. Servers tacitly agree not to poach quests early on."
"True. But I got a quest from Geshutalt too."
"...What?"
"Help the ambushed Hidden Eater. Reward: Fairy's Eye."
"Don't mess with me."
Did my bait work? G. Basel emerged from deeper in the forest.
Like Jang Il-mun, he was a top-tier assassin, but the massive greatbow on his back stood out.
'That...'
I eyed the familiar jet-black bow, recalling a Yulmun assassin.
'Fox Eye.'
Among Yulmun's killers, he excelled in archery—famous for his identical black greatbow.
'Unlike Grom or Jang Il-mun, this guy's got a hidden class.'
Fox Eye took no apprentices, so for G. Basel to be under him meant exceptional skill.
Twang—
He drew the greatbow, aiming at me.
"Reckless. Hiding, then popping out over one line?"
"Hardly."
Click! Click! Click! Click...!!
As if answering, sharp arrowheads glinted from the bushes.
"To kill me for sure. Fire!!"
Whiiiish—!!
A volley poured from the forest.
"Not on my watch!!"
Charred black, Baek Yiheon leaped in front, deflecting the arrows.
"Ngh?!"
But dozens packed real power—his body staggered.
Swoosh!!
Despite his sword net, some slipped through.
"Watch out!!!"
He shouted. I slashed the air—
Whoosh!!
Flame bottles blocked my front.
Boom—!! Bang!!
They shattered under the arrows' force.
Not ordinary arrows. Seems infused with spirit-sealing curses.
Black Eye noted as the flame bottles vanished instantly.
Twaaaang—!!!
Deflecting the rest, a sharp whistle pierced—a black arrow from Basel straight at my face.
Black Eye flared blue flames to manifest, but from the opposite woods, a light-trailing arrow flew.
Clang...!!
Crack!!
Incredibly, it struck Basel's arrow dead-center, snapping it in two.
"...!!!"
Everyone witnessing the impossible gaped—Basel included.
Tang! Clang—!!
Two more arrows followed the broken shaft, shattering the fragments into dust just before they hit the ground.
"..."
G. Basel stared at the powder of his arrow, face frozen—speechless.
As an archer-class user, he knew better than anyone how absurd this was.
"You guys filming a movie? Assassins sure love to talk."
That was when it happened.
"Don't move. Unless you want your head blown off."
The air shimmered like a veil lifting—revealing Jin-su behind Basel, silver bow trained on him.
"...How?"
Shock filled Basel's eyes.
'He didn't detect my stealth?'
Assassins had innate stealth and detection. As a top-tier, he'd never missed one before—his pride cracked.
"...What sorcery?"
Basel glanced back at Jin-su.
"None of your business."
Jin-su pressed the arrow to his nape instead.
"But nice bow you've got."
"...What?"
He grinned at Basel.
"Wanna trade?"