Chapter 47 : Battle at The Forest (1)

It was night.

After a whole day of training, Raka was already back at the boarding house. His body was aching all over. There were even bruises apparent on the surface of his skin. He didn't believe that his uncle only taught him a thing or two. The training was too godd*mn serious!

The housekeeper was playing with his phone when Ragna entered the house. In this day and age, phones were something that had been improved upon continuously. No one used the same phone people used years ago. Everything was wearable or embedded in their skin.

Raka noticed the housekeeper and greeted him. The housekeeper was a man in his 30s. He responded to Raka by nodding slightly. It seemed like he was deeply immersed with the game he was playing. 

Raka paid no further attention toward the housekeeper. His room was at the 2nd floor of the building. Even though the place was a bit huge, it only accommodated for less than 10 people.

Raka looked at the stairs in front of him, even though there were only a few of them, it still posed quite a challenge to the current him. He was already exhausted to the point of nearly passing out after all.

Right when he was about to climb the stairs, the housekeeper spoke to him, "Raka, someone moved in just now. His room is beside yours, go and greet him"

Raka paused a bit before powerlessly replying, "Okay, Mr. Anton. I'll be sure to greet him later"

Ignoring Mr. Anton's words, he continued his way toward his room. It wasn't that he didn't want to be polite, it was just because he was too tired to do it now. In the end, he decided to greet the new resident tomorrow.

Raka quickly put on his helmet. Even though it wasn't 9:00 PM yet, he could still use it to browse for information. At least, he wouldn't feel tired while doing it.

He needed a plan, and it was currently the best time to make one.

...

Inside the game.

Ragna once again found himself at the center of Prawk City's plaza. He immediately made his way toward the portal. Even though he had done it very quickly, he could feel someone following him. It seemed like Crane really had some powers backing him.

He paid no further attention toward the stalkers and quickly dashed toward the portal's entrance.

Portal.. Base.. Perimeter.. He scurried his way through without stopping. He knew that he couldn't afford to be surrounded. Otherwise, no matter how strong he was, he would still be dead.

Ragna kept running while being chased by the group of scouts. Even if Ragna had more movement speed or had used his Shadow Wolf's Set, he still wouldn't be able to shake those people. They were genuine scouts after all. All of their stats were poured into Agility and Dexterity, making them very suitable to assassination and pursuit.

He could see that there were three scouts following him. One of them was Drom who had chased him yesterday. He was unwilling to let him go thus he joined the scouting team for today. Even though Drom has the highest level compared to his comrade from the yesterday's group, he was the lowest here. It was apparent from his position which was in the back, that he had been unable to match his speed to the other scouting members. It was apparent that the team was qualitatively higher compared to yesterday.

They were going deeper and deeper until no other player could be seen. Ragna scanned his surroundings and found out that the path in front of him was blocked by a huge tree. He paused a bit and a flustered expression could be seen on his face.

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the pursuers. An opportunity!

One of the scouting members, a level 24 scout, suddenly threw a hidden weapon toward Ragna! It was one of the thieves-related profession attacks, throwing weapon!

Ragna saw the attack coming and dodged it miserably. Even though he managed to evade the attack by a hair's breadth, he was still sent stumbling to the ground.

The pursuers' lips turned into a cold smile. They sped toward him with their weapons brandished. In their eyes, Ragna was as good as dead. Even though they wouldn't kill him, they would put him in a powerless state. The decision whether to kill him or not was in Crane's hand and he was already on his way toward them.

The scouts used their best speed to pounce at Ragna. At the front was the scouting leader who was currently level 26. He was the strongest in the team and had the best close-combat ability. 

Drom sensed something was amiss. How could that expert suddenly become noob? Don't tell me..

"Wait! I think it's a trap!" Drom shouted at the party channel. Unfortunately, his comrades ignored him. Their levels were separated by a huge margin and Both of the thieves also held a bit of contempt toward Drom.

If not for the fact that Drom's innate attributes were higher than theirs, the guild wouldn't even allow him to join their scouting team. They had started earlier and had been unwilling to be passed by him. They needed to perform well in this assignment. 

If they hesitated, there'd be a chance for Ragna to run. Based on his speed alone, it would be hard for them to catch up again. They had to deal a blow to prevent him from escaping!

It was at this moment that an earth spike suddenly appeared on the ground in front of them. The spike was pointing toward them as if it was welcoming. them. Ragna had picked the best timing to make sure that none of the scouts could dodge.

They were deceived by him!

In fact, such measly use of throwing weapon wouldn't be able to hit him. He didn't even need to turn back to dodge that kind of attack. However, he purposefully showed them that he was having a difficulty to let them fall into his trick.

The spike skewered through the body of the level 26 scout leader. Because of the perfect timing and situation, the attack triggered a critical hit!

The scout leader's health immediately fell into a critical state. As a scout, he needed to put his stats into Agility, Dexterity, and Strength to provide him the necessary speed and attack to kill a target. His endurance and defense were designed to be enough to barely survive a few strikes. 

The other scout was being thrown back from the force of the Earth Spike. He didn't get hit from the front, unlike the scout leader. Even though he suffered some damage, his health was still at 65%

He then grabbed a dagger from his bag and immediately charged toward the skewered scout. It was normal for an Agile-Mage to bring a small weapon instead of a staff. He plunged the dagger into the scout leader's head, immediately ending his life.

Seeing the death of his leader, the 2nd scout let out an enraged howl. He quickly charged toward Ragna while throwing all of his hidden weapons.

Ragna swayed his body to the left and right while retreating backward in order to dodge the 2nd scout's attack. The scout could only watch with wide eyes when he saw all his attacks were only resulting in misses. 

Wait.. is he.. chanting? FOOL!

Seeing his opponent was chanting a spell in a close-combat fight, The scout's lips turned into a mocking smile. He increased his speed and brandished his weapon. He knew that he could kill Ragna before Ragna could release his spell.

1 second..

2 seconds..

The scout managed to close in to Ragna's position. Because he was constantly throwing hidden weapons, Ragna had to retreat by moving backward, thus hindering his speed greatly. 

3 seconds..

The scout was finally in front of Ragna. He immediately swung his dagger toward him. He couldn't afford to let Ragna chant for 4 seconds because it was enough for an earth mage to create an Earth Wall or Earth Spike.

It was at this moment that a mocking expression also appeared on Ragna's face. He pointed toward the scout's body and silently said..

Earth.. Spike..!

Before the dagger could hit him, an Earth Spike sprang from the ground beneath the scout and hit his body. The scout's attack was interrupted while his body was being skewered like a barbecue.

The scout could only stare powerlessly at Ragna. His expression was one of shock and confusion.

"No way... How..?"

Ragna didn't answer the scout's question. He quickly thrust his dagger toward the scout's head, ending his life. His action was Savage and without mercy.

It was one of the principles his uncle taught him. When facing the disadvantage in number, you need to add an element of surprise to your attack. The moment the enemies let their guard down, that would be their end.

Drom stopped in his tracks when he saw both of his comrades being killed by Ragna. His expression was one of shock but he was still able to keep his calm because he had predicted it already. The only thing in his mind was to stall Ragna until the reinforcements arrive!

Ragna's expression changed when he heard the sound of footsteps nearing him. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to escape safely.