Ice and Ibex moved from building to building in haste. They were headed towards the hiding place of one of the people who sniped at them with crossbows earlier.

"The Trace scrolls really came in handy." Ice remarked with a wry grin.

"___Just like I told you right? Now we can safely keep track of the positions of those we've tagged as long as they don't use a Trace Off scroll to cancel the effects.

Honestly, I just can't believe they'd actually not use such a convenient item themselves. It would have allowed them to lock on to us quite easily. Though we do have Trace Off scrolls ourselves as a countermeasure." Ibex replied and criticized their attackers for not using such an orthodox method.

He gave Ice a questioning gaze as they moved along.

"___You sure you're really up for this kid? I can't have you hesitating at the eleventh hour."

Ice nodded resolutely. He had already considered the possibility after the run-in with Nigel in the forest testing grounds. And right now, he had finally been forced to face that possibility head on. He had already decided to see it through to the end.

They had no chance of surviving if they waited it out in a battle of attrition. The attackers had numbers on their side. They only had to keep harassing them until Ice and Ibex ran out of steam and close in for the finish.

He had to disrupt their momentum and reduce their advantage in order to increase his chances for survival. That meant slowly reducing the opponent's numbers.

He couldn't just knock them out or immobilize them. Potions and negative status curing items would easily remedy that. He can't just place hopes on them actually not preparing such items. They could also have someone capable of healing. He had to assume the worst case scenario.

And that meant one thing...

He had to kill them.

***

"___Keh! Just look at the damn amateur! Not even the least bit wary of his surroundings. If the rest of them are actually like this idiot, we wouldn't really have this much trouble if not for their numbers." Ibex spat out, ridiculing the cloaked man crouching on top of a nearby building that they have marked as their first target.

Even Ice was amazed at how easily they had sneaked up behind the man without raising any alarm. They had not even practiced stealthy movements all that much, so he had expected to at least have a little trouble. But contrary to his expectations, the target remained oblivious to their presence even after closing in to a distance of only a couple meters while remaining hidden behind some cover.

Not that he was complaining though. The easier things got for them, the better.

They were initially worried about the situation being a trap. But after confirming the fact that the man was truly caught alone and unawares, Ice and Ibex had finally committed to go through with a sneak attack.

"___You ready for this kid? Hesitate, even if just a little, and you're as good as dead y'hear." Ibex warned.

Ice gripped his Stiletto firmly and narrowed his eyes, sporting a resolute expression. He then opened the Item Menu and took something out.

The item name read 'Royal Ginseng'. It's the rare consumable that dropped from the Don Pon-Pon mini-boss Ice had defeated while grinding near Maleena village. It raised ones total HP by 30% and Str by 20 points for 1 hour.

The individual damage dealing potential and defense of their assailants were still huge unknowns. Since their robes concealed their equipment for the most part, Ice had a hard time even getting a rough estimate.

That's why he didn't want to take any chances. He unhesitatingly took the Royal Ginseng, activating its buff effects.

He could have saved it for later if and when he was one and truly cornered. But he ultimately decided against it.

There was no point in being too stingy about putting up safety nets in a situation with so many unknown variables like this one. They would just need to make sure to thin out their opponents numbers effectively. This was to lower the chances of a situation where they would be cornered and overwhelmed from all sides occurring.

"___Easier said than done." Ice thought as he sported a bitter smile.

"___Let's go. We're on the clock." he told Ibex telepathically.

Ibex nodded in the affirmative and the two moved in to make their first kill.

***

"?!!!..."

Death came fairly swiftly for the target. Ice muffled the mans screams by covering the mans mouth with his left hand. He then drove his Stiletto vertically from the side of the mans neck; executing a critical hit and instantly reducing his HP to zero.

Ice had been worried that his Atk wouldn't be enough to break through their opponents defense and HP and that he would fail to deliver a fatal blow. But it seems those worries were unfounded for now.

The man slumped down onto the wooden floorboards, his body slowly turning ash gray, signalling the beginning of the 10 minute count down to permanent death. The blood on Ice's weapon however, remained bright crimson.

It still seemed so surreal to him. The smell of iron that permeated his nostrils and the warmth transmitted from the red liquid that now dripped down on the hand that held the Stiletto undoubtedly felt real. But ultimately, it still looked animated.

Somewhere in Ice's heart, he still could not reconcile his current perspective of the world with the possibility of injury and death. The game-like interface and mechanics added to the creeping sense of unease.

Somehow, all of it still didn't feel 'real' to him. Though admittedly, this had led to him having less trouble taking certain measures like killing people.

And that was precisely the problem.

He was afraid of getting used to it. Even now, after ending the life of one person, Ice surprisingly felt nothing. His breathing was calm and his hands never trembled. The sight of blood even seemed like a joke, considering how it actually looked to him. And this was supposed to be the first time he took a persons life.

Did he truly treat all of this as nothing but a game?

"___Kid!" Ibex called out.

"___This isn't the time to be brooding. We have to move now! We can't risk the chance of our position being discovered. Not just yet."

Ice nodded almost mechanically, shaking off his current thoughts. He followed Ibex towards the location of their next target. A slight buzzing sound was intermittently ringing within his ears. But it did not bother him too much. Unexpectedly, it actually seemed oddly pleasant.

Before he knew it, Ice had already killed off five more people.

***

After noticing the loss of six comrades, the assassins finally changed their tactics. They had grouped themselves into teams of two or three. They had also positioned themselves in such a way that allowed for the teams to assist each other swiftly in the event of an attack. They were following the trail of bodies and were slowly tightening the noose.

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Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone capable of revival spells or had revival potions, so the dead had stayed dead. That was a major oversight for sure. But considering the various amateurish mistakes that piled up, Ice and Ibex weren't all that surprised.

They were, of course, prepared to launch a swift attack the moment they encountered someone capable of revival or healing in order to eliminate them. But that danger has not yet come to pass - at least, for now.

Still, the situation hadn't improved by much. The chase was still on. And it was getting more frantic.

"___Tch... Things just keep getting more and more troublesome." Ibex complained in annoyance.

"It's not like we didn't expect this much to happen." Ice chimed in. His earlier uneasiness was now driven far in the back of his mind. The rush of a life or death battle and pulsing adrenaline had gradually taken over.

They were currently leaping from building to building, never remaining in position for too long.

"___Looks like we need to change things up a bit ourselves kid." Ibex suggested.

"Yeah. They've committed more people to chase after us. We've only been going through the safest routes available and eliminating the enemies who are unavoidable but the blockade is slowly tightening up. We have to get away before they completely surround us." Ice replied.

"___Mm. We need to reach the castle fast. I doubt they'd dare cause trouble anywhere near it, considering the knight garrisons stationed inside. So we need to hurry and launch an attack on the spot where the numbers are thinnest and forcibly break through." Ibex added.

"I've actually been trying to contact Sea, but I'm not getting any reply. Think something happened?"

As he was about to answer, Ibex suddenly fell silent. He seemed to be lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" Ice asked.

"___No... It's nothing. Just focus on what's ahead kid. We'll get through this yet." Ibex replied.

It still seemed like he was keeping something. But Ice had let it pass. There was time enough for discussion after they've survived through their current ordeal.    

***

The sound of weapons clashing rang throughout the air. Ice had set Frost Charge as an Extra Skill and had used it to launch an attack on one of the assassins barring their way towards the castle area. Surprisingly, the one he targeted managed to parry his attack. The assassin still lost 20% of his health, but Ice's momentum had been broken and he was driven backward in surprise.

"___Damn! Of all the times to encounter someone who's actually got some skills..." Ice thought, a hint of worry evident in his expression. Ibex had also cancelled his charge and positioned himself near Ice.

"___This one looks like trouble kid." Ibex warned.

"Tell me something I don't know." Ice quipped while sporting a wry grin. He fixed his stance and readied his weapon once more, preparing to launch another attack. They could not drag things out any longer. The counters for Royal Ginseng's buff effects were slowly winding down. The other assassins were also catching up. They had no time.

The assassin gave them a smile filled with malice and signaled for his other two companions to get into position. He wielded a short sword while the other two had a crossbow and mace respectively. They also prepared to take Ice and Ibex down.

Ice decided to go for the one with the crossbow first since ranged attacks were troublesome. If Ice succeeded in killing him, he and Ibex would break through and head full speed straight towards the castle.

Each group launched their respective attacks without warning. Ice headed straight for the crossbow wielder. But the other two assassins reacted swiftly and blocked his path.

Ibex then breathed out a jet of icy cold air towards the face of the mace wielder. He had used Frost Breath to distract him and kicked him out of the way soon afterward.

Ice had drawn closer to the one sporting a short sword that blocked his attack earlier. When he was only a few paces away, Ice had also unexpectedly used Frost Breath on the assassins face, surprising him and allowing Ice to shove him down from the roof. Direct confrontation with someone like him could prove difficult after all.  

Ice had practiced manipulating his Item and Skill Menus till late in the evening everyday ever since he started training. He wanted to improve his speed in selecting and equipping Items and Skills to a level that allowed for practical usage in live battle. This was the result of that.

He could now freely select and enable Extra Skills on the fly in mere seconds. Once he acquires more summons (and more Extra Skill selections as a result) he would have to accustom himself to it once more. But right now, it had proved to be truly effective.

The crossbow wielder was attempting to take some distance as he prepared to fire his weapon. Ice did not give him a chance and did the unexpected: He actually threw his Stiletto at the assassin.

This was rarely done because it opened up the chance for ones weapon to be taken by the enemy. Any weapon was forcibly unequipped and considered a Drop if one actually decides to throw it aside from the ones designated as Throwing weapons such as certain daggers, axes and boomerangs. Arrows and bolts are treated as Ammunition (Ammo) and are separate Items from a bow or crossbow.

Normally, a weapon is not able to be taken or separated from the wielder unless Skills like Weapon Steal or Disarm were used. But the act of throwing invalidates this.

Ice, however, still opted to throw his weapon that hit squarely on the chest of the assassin, effectively stopping his actions for a couple of seconds - just enough for Ice to close in and deliver the finishing blow.    

Before the opponent could recover, Ice had launched himself straight at him and kicked the base of the hilt of the Stiletto embedded in the opponents chest, driving it further into the assassins body.

The assassins HP was depleted instantly and he fell from the roof as he turned gray. Ice had of course retrieved his weapon before the body fell. Since it was now considered a Drop Item, the dagger disappeared as soon as Ice touched it. The Stiletto was now safely within Ice's Inventory once more.

The path was now pried wide open. Ice and Ibex didn't miss the chance and fled swiftly from the area without looking back, heading straight for Ricksvale castle.    

-Part 1 End-