Fort Vindomora- Topmost Floor
Adam remained hidden in the shadows, invisible and vigilant, as the door to the room creaked open.
The high-ranking bandits entered, their voices low and conspiratorial. The Bandit Boss, a large man with a menacing presence, led the way. His underling, a mage with a staff strapped to his back, followed closely behind.
"We need to re-check the number of nobles," the Bandit Boss growled. His voice was rough, seasoned by years of commanding fear and respect. "The client expects an exact count, along with their names. I don't want any mistakes."
The mage, a wiry figure with sharp eyes, nodded but then hesitated. "Do you have any idea who this client is, Boss? I’ve been wondering. They’re paying a lot, but they’re secretive."
The Bandit Boss shrugged dismissively. "No clue. But from the way he talks, he sounds like someone from Murim. Could be one of those martial arts fanatics."
The mage frowned slightly but didn't press further. "Alright. I’ll make sure the men outside are alert."
"Good. Have them stand guard. I’ll stay here and write down a report," the Bandit Boss instructed as he moved to a desk in the room, pulling out some parchment. "The client demanded a written report for some odd reason."
The mage gave a brief nod and exited the room, leaving the Bandit Boss alone. He closed the door on his way out.
Under the effects of Search Presence, Adam could see seven bandits outside taking their positions, serving as guards. They were well-armed and alert but unaware of the invisible predator lurking within the room.
Adam’s lips curled into a smirk as he activated the first trap: Rune of Sealing. A once-invisible pattern on the door became visible, glowing with a silvery-white light. The Bandit Boss noticed it instantly, his eyes widening in alarm.
Rune of Sealing
Tracing Cost: 1000 Essence
Activation Cost: 3000 Essence
Description: Completely seals the room for 60 seconds. The duration will be shortened the bigger the room it is used in. Does not work in open spaces.
"What the-?" he began, but his voice was cut off. "Someone! Help!"
He tried to scream, to shout for help, but the Rune of Sealing had already taken effect.
It makes an entire room escape-proof for 60 seconds. No sound could escape the room, or for that matter- anyone, for the next 60 seconds. The Bandit Boss was entirely isolated from his guards.
This was all the time Adam needed.
He silently conjured his Sacrificial Dagger, its dark blade gleaming with a sinister edge.
Moving with the grace of a shadow, Adam approached the Bandit Boss from behind. The man was still desperately trying to make a noise, his eyes darting in panic.
Without hesitation, Adam plunged the dagger into the Bandit Boss’s heart.
STAB!
The Bandit Boss stiffened, his breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in shock as his life ebbed away. The room fell deathly still.
[You have slain Bandit Boss Rufus Lvl. 91. You have absorbed 819 Essence.]
The notification flashed in Adam's vision, but he dismissed it quickly. The Essence yield was disappointingly low, even with the Sacrificial Dagger’s effect of granting extra Essence upon a kill. It confirmed what Adam already knew: the system discouraged the senseless killing of people in Pangea for grinding purposes.
As the Bandit Boss crumpled to the floor, lifeless, Adam swiftly began searching his body. The Rune of Sealing had only a few seconds left before it expired.
Adam grabbed anything important with practiced efficiency- a set of keys, a small pouch of coins, a few documents- and stuffed them into his Spatial Ring.
The Rune of Sealing's glow began to fade, signaling the end of its effect. Adam finished his search just in time, leaving nothing of value behind. The Bandit Boss was dead, and his guards outside were none the wiser.
Adam’s invisibility had worn off, but it didn’t matter. His next move was already planned. He needed to strike before the guards became suspicious of their leader’s prolonged silence.
The rescue mission was far from over, and Adam knew the mission was just beginning.
Adam moved with a calculated calmness as he approached the door. When his hand touched the handle, he activated the pre-casted runes in the hallway.
Rune of Binding! Rune of Silence!
The runes took effect instantly as the door opened, and the bandits outside stiffened in place, their bodies locked by the invisible force of the Rune of Binding.
Rune of Binding
Tracing Cost: 2500 Essence
Activation Cost: 4000 Essence
Description: Holds targets in place for 60 seconds. The more targets are being held, the stronger the targets are, the shorter the restraining effect.
Panic flashed in their eyes, and they tried to shout for help, but no sound escaped their throats- completely silenced by the Rune of Silence.
Rune of Silence
Tracing Cost: 1000
Activation Cost: 2500
Description: Muffles the sounds from the area this rune is traced on. The effect lasts for 60 seconds.
One of the bandits, a burly man with a scar running down his face, tried to break free.
"What the—? I can’t move!" he tried to say, even as the rune's effect silenced his voice.
Instead, his eyes screamed in silent terror.
Another, a younger bandit who had barely drawn his sword, could only widen his eyes in fear as he realized he was utterly defenseless.
The mage, realizing the danger but unable to move, let his eyes look around wildly for the source of the attack. His fingers twitched, trying- and failing, to form a spell.
Adam stepped out of the room, his demeanor as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll in the park.
Despite the unfolding conflict around him, he remained unfazed, knowing the rune traps he had prepared ensured that no one could disturb him, nor would the other bandits be alerted to the slaughter happening in this silent corridor.
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Slash! Stab!
Slash! Stab!
Slash! Stab!
Adam moved with lethal efficiency, eliminating the guards with his Sacrificial Dagger.
The mage was his first target; a swift slash to the throat ended his life before he could even register the attack. The others followed quickly, their lives snuffed out by Adam's blade, their struggles pointless against the Rune of Binding.
Once the last guard fell, Adam cleaned his blade and surveyed the bodies.
"I guess I should leave the ones on the main floor alone for now," Adam said, though the silence swallowed his words. "I should head towards the dungeons."
The Rune of Silence was still in effect, masking the sound of his voice even from himself.
Adam knew how to take advantage of having preparation time.
While he had a rough idea of where the bandits might be, the fort's layout was too huge to predict every move they would make.
That’s why he had spent nearly three hours meticulously tracing rune encryptions on every room and floor.
Every door was marked with a Rune of Sealing, ready to be activated. Every hallway had Rune of Binding and Rune of Silence strategically placed to ensure that any fight would be contained, preventing the rest of the building from being alerted.
But all that pales compared to his preparation on the main floor.
The main floor was a masterpiece of invisible rune encryptions, with dozens of patterns etched into every conceivable spot to ensure the bandits could not escape or call for help. Additionally, he hid various flasks in strategic nooks and crannies so the bandits would never know what hit them.
He booby-trapped the main floor with the premise that should he be discovered, he could use the main floor as his fighting ground.
The bandits walked inside the building without realizing Adam had turned it into a death trap.
With the guards at the topmost floor dealt with, Adam made his way towards the dungeons. The true challenge lay beneath the dungeons, but with his preparations, he felt confident. The bandits had no idea what awaited them.
After reaching the second floor, Adam quickly drank another invisibility potion, knowing he needed to maintain his stealth. He moved swiftly, descending to the main floor where the bandits were gathered in groups of twos and threes, engrossed in their conversations.
Adam paid them no mind; he had already secured the documents from the Bandit Boss, the only items of real value among the bandits. Nothing else was worth hearing, especially not their vile plans for the captured maids.
With precise and swift movements, Adam reached the stairs leading to the dungeons just as his invisibility began to wane. He opened the door and immediately drank another invisibility potion, ensuring he remained undetected as he approached the hostages. The set of keys he acquired at the Bandit's Boss room proved useful in helping him open doors.
After several moments of careful navigation through the dungeon, Adam finally reached the level where the hostages were being held. He stopped just before turning the corner, ensuring he remained concealed even though he was still invisible. Once more, Adam activated the Search Presence scroll to assess what lay ahead.
The effects of Search Presence revealed that inside the room where the hostages were kept, five armed guards were stationed, vigilantly watching over them. Judging by the hostages' positions, some were chained to the wall- likely the guards- while the majority were kneeling on the floor with their feet bound. Only the five bandits stood, clearly guarding the captives.
Outside the room, seven more bandits were lounging near the door, distracted as they played cards. Adam calculated the situation quickly- eleven guards in total. With a steely resolve, he decided to proceed.
Activating the Rune of Binding and Rune of Silence, Adam quickly dealt with the guards outside the door, just as he had with those near the Bandit Boss’s room. It was effortless, leaving the bandits unable to react or call for help.
However, the room where the hostages were held presented a more complicated scenario. Adam had only encrypted a Rune of Sealing on the door; he hadn't placed Binding or Silence inside. The reason was simple: his current rune patterns he can use weren't advanced enough to differentiate between hostile and non-hostile targets. If a Rune of Binding were activated inside, it would ensnare everyone, including the hostages, significantly shortening its duration and limiting its effectiveness.
Storming the room immediately would risk the lives of the hostages- a risk Adam wasn't willing to take. But he had anticipated this complication. Instead, he carefully opened a vial of Sleeping Perfume and released its mist through the small gap under the door. The gap was narrow, so it took time for the mist to infiltrate the room thoroughly.
After a few minutes, Adam sensed the bandits inside becoming uneasy, their movements sluggish.
One of the bandits grumbled, "Hey, do you feel... sleepy all of a sudden?"
Another responded with a yawn, "Yeah... what's going on? We shouldn’t be this tired..."
As the mist took effect, Adam waited patiently, ready to move.
One of the bandits inside the room began to rub his eyes, struggling to stay awake. "Why am I feeling so damn sleepy? This isn’t right..." he muttered, his voice thick with drowsiness.
Another bandit slumped against the wall and groaned, "Yeah... it's like something's... wrong with the air... We shouldn’t be this sleepy..."
The third bandit, now alarmed, staggered as he tried to stay alert. "This isn't normal! We’ve been drugged or something... Someone’s-"
Before he could finish, Adam activated the Rune of Sealing.
The once-invisible pattern on the door lit up, glowing with a silvery-white light. The sealing rune locked the room in a magical barrier, ensuring no sound, air, or person could escape for one minute. This forced the bandits inside to inhale the remaining mist of the Sleeping Perfume fully.
Panic set in as the realization dawned on the bandits, but their attempts to resist were futile. One of them tried to shout, but no sound escaped the room. Another reached for his weapon, only for it to slip from his grasp as his strength faded.
Adam observed calmly, watching from the opposite side of the room via his Search Presence effect.
The hostages, though also affected by the sleeping mist, were not a concern for him. He could easily awaken them once the guards were dealt with.
As the seconds ticked by, the bandits grew weaker, their resistance crumbling. Adam knew it was only a matter of time before the sleeping agent fully incapacitated them, making his next move effortless.
Sixty seconds later, Adam sensed the Rune of Sealing's effect fading. He carefully opened the door and found all the bandits- and hostages- asleep inside the room.
As an alchemist with a high tolerance for toxins, Adam was unaffected by the Sleeping Perfume. He quickly moved into the room, ensuring his objective was swiftly accomplished.
He quickly dispatched the five Bandit Guards, plunging his dagger into their chests while they remained oblivious in their slumber.
Afterward, he closed the door and barricaded it with a log to prevent interruptions.
Adam then pulled out a potion from his Spatial Ring, carefully dripping its contents onto the mouths of the hostages.
One by one, they began to awaken. Confusion and fear were evident on their faces as they looked around.
"W-what's happening? Where are we?"
"Who are you? What are you doing?"
"What are you doing you-!"
Adam stepped forward, his voice calm and reassuring.
"I'm an adventurer," he said, "and I'm here to help. Stay calm, and I'll get you out of here safely."
His words provided a glimmer of hope to the frightened captives.
The frightened hostages gradually calmed down as Adam introduced himself as a friend. They watched anxiously as he continued to pour drops of the potion onto the mouths of the still-asleep captives.
After several minutes of careful work, all the hostages had finally awakened. Adam used the key he took from the Bandit Boss to unlock the chains binding the guards to the wall.
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
"We thought we were done for. We owe you our lives."
Adam gave a courteous nod in response to their words of thanks as he freed the guards from their chains. Most were relieved, expressing their gratitude with a simple "Thank you" or "We owe you our lives."
But one of the guards had a rather unusual thing to say.
"Thank you, friend. I will see to it that you are rewarded for this handsomely," the guard declared formally, almost regally.
Adam blinked, slightly taken aback by the guard's choice of words. "Um, you're welcome, friend," he replied, his voice laced with a hint of confusion.
The way the guard expressed his gratitude struck Adam as odd, almost as if he were speaking not just as a simple guard but as someone of higher standing. It was a small detail that Adam mentally noted as he continued to assist the remaining hostages.
While Adam is busy freeing the guards, one of the nobles tied on the floor, clearly agitated, speaks up.
"You there, peasant! Help me first! Can't you see I'm a noble?!"
Adam glanced at him but chose not to respond. He focused instead on unlocking the chains holding the guards.
Once all the guards were freed, Adam turned his attention towards the hostages bound on the floor.
He conjured a few daggers from his Spatial Ring and handed them to the freed guards.
"Here, help me untie them," he instructed.
A few of the guards took the daggers with expressions of gratitude and immediately began to free the remaining hostages.
"We'll get you all out of here. Just hold on a bit longer."
The nobles and other hostages, now receiving attention from the guards, watched as their bonds were cut, their faces reflecting relief and renewed hope.