Rana stood next to the body of the enemy marked one. It was a scout and no doubt a rogue-class. She then returned her gaze to the enemy soldiers now frozen in fear. Their previous blood lust was no more, their unrelenting dedication to their chase now gone along with the two lives she had just taken. She would not allow them even a moment to recover.
She dashed forward towards the fastest one among the survivors. He was barely able to react as she stole his knives and stabbed his heart with his own weapon. She heard a small yelp behind her and swiftly turned around to throw the dagger towards the soldier that reacted. The metal edge slid smoothly into his throat and he collapsed while futilely clawing for air. The last soldier was already on the floor. His legs gave out and she could smell him soiling himself. She picked up the spear he dropped and pierced his heart, putting him out of his misery.
Rana heaved out a weary breath. She should be far away that no one would be able to notice the two Mana Blasts she fired off. However, for extra caution, she made sure to finish off the remaining soldiers with nothing but the physical difference between one with the mark and one without the mark. Whenever she killed those without the mark, it always reminded her of how important the blessing was. She was a mage-class, a marked one that specialized in Spells and long-ranged combat, and she was still able to best a group of heavily armed and trained soldiers.
Still, with this fight, she was able to dismantle the enemy patrol perimeter and make entering the guarded parts of the forest easier. The system the enemy patrol used was simple to understand once she realized the reason behind its changing pattern and routes. There were two possible explanations. One was that the soldiers were taught a code that once learned would be able to easily execute elaborate and precise patrol patterns. However, there was no reason to believe that the instant the new captain arrived, she was able to distill all of the necessary knowledge within a few hours. The second was that the soldiers received new instructions that varied their patrol routes. However, even then there would be some form of pattern and could not explain the intricacy behind their new patrol perimeter. That was unless someone was giving instructions throughout the day. It was someone who had the skill needed to devise a plan to deal with arising situations and the authority to make a judgment.
It was a marked one scout, and once she realized that her approach became easier. All she had to do was lure a patrol squad away and kill them and the scouting marked one in one fell swoop. When she pretended to be a desperate and cowering runaway, there was no reason for the enemy scout to call for help. With the weather making the terrain difficult to traverse, the opening in which she could use and lure the soldiers widened.
However, that was only the first obstacle. She intentionally chose the weakest patrol squad and an inexperienced scout, her zombie sense was truly useful in this situation, but the overall issue was still not solved. She created an opening towards the area of the forest where the soldiers were guarding, but the soldier’s fighting force was not really meaningfully decreased. There were still marked ones and more elite soldiers guarding the site.
Rana turned away from the bodies and walked away. The air was beginning to thicken with a repugnant sweetness. She still had something to do, and she used that thought to steel her mind from the wasted essences of life she spilled. It was now onto phase two of her plan.
It was nightfall and she could feel the enemies panicking. When their allies did not report back, they began searching for them, only to find their bodies. They lost a patrol squad and a scout. They were under attack, and the more astute would realize the assailant was also targeting their weakest link, that whoever did the deed knew of and was deliberately dismantling their patrol perimeter. Good. That was what she wanted them to know.
The enemy soldiers began their manhunt. They did not wait for the sun to rise. It was urgent. They were under attack and it was clear what they had to do. They needed to find the intruder and silence them. They had to keep the location and what was within the forest a secret. However, in order to maintain their secrecy, they could not blare flares or employ less subtle approaches. Still, they thought they were the ones with the advantage. They had marked ones adept at scouting and had the manpower. They were wrong. With her mana sense and zombie sense, the night was her ally. It was as if she had the entire map of the forest and where the enemy patrols were. She was able to avoid detection wards and scouting Skills long before she was in range.
As the night went on, so did the enemy's discipline waned. What drained morale and diligence the most was not expending energy, what led to carelessness and mistakes the most was not the lack of training, it was the absence of results. The enemy soldiers searched for hours and found nothing. It was as if whoever they were trying to find knew exactly where to escape to. It was either that or they were long gone. If the intruder was long gone, what was the point of their search? However, they could not stop. They were ordered to continue. When soldiers questioned why they fought, that was when their work became sloppy.
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Rana soon found the opening she needed. She slipped past their net and now the enemy patrol was behind her, fruitlessly searching for someone who was no longer there. She continued forward, and it was smooth sailing for about half an hour. However, then she saw him, a figure clad in armor. It was a marked one warrior-class.
Surprisingly, it was not the newly arrived captain. She hoped that it would be the woman who managed to improve the soldier’s patrol and perimeter guarding. Slaying her here and now would’ve proved to be beneficial when she needed to exit the forest. However, it was inconsequential. It simply meant that their fight would be postponed. The marked one before her was no doubt sent to intercept her. It was as if he knew she would’ve made it past an opening. She guessed that the one giving him the instruction was the woman captain, and she had no doubt he was strong.
However, he had no experience in fighting someone like her. His fearlessness was born out of confidence towards his own strength, and it would prove to be folly when facing Rana. If only he knew the terror of facing a Sapphire Order inquisitor, especially one that also had the Foundation Ring. He was now before a Grand Inquisitor, and he would know why no one dared stand against them
Rana was not conceited enough to think she commanded the power she once had in the past. What would’ve been an easy fight for her past self was no guarantee that it would be the same for her now. To reach her old level of power, she needed far more levels and equipment than what she had currently. Still, her technique has not waned and her experience had only increased since her slumber. Not to mention she had her Foundation Ring. If only the enemy knew what it meant to face someone wielding such a powerful artifact.
“I’m surprised the old bat was right,” the enemy marked one said. He was rather young, but his scarred armor and sword indicated that he was experienced. His voice was youthful and confident, most likely believing that the possibility of his defeat was nil. “I would’ve liked to bring you back alive for questioning, but orders are orders. Think of it as a gift from me to you. You get to die instead of being tortured!”
With a yell, the enemy charged in. He moved fast, despite his cumbersome appearance. He was definitely a warrior-class marked one with quite a high level. She stepped back as he swung his blade downward, breaking ground and splattering dirt. He was strong, the damage it done to the ground could be compared to a low-level Ground Slam.
“Oh? You didn’t counter-attack and that was the perfect opportunity too. I guess the old bat pegged you wrong as a mage-class,” the man said. He sure liked to talk. Was it to intimidate her? How pointless. The only thing he did was give away crucial information. “I told her that only a rogue-class could break through our perimeter, but no, she didn’t listen. Or maybe she did and only stationed me alone so that you have an opportunity to escape, so she could pin the blame on me. However, she underestimated me!”
With another roar, the enemy closed in with his arm raised. Mana began generation from his arm and into his weapon. His eyes also flashed a spark of light that was visible to only the most observant. Strange. He should not have enough mana or focus for any of his Skills or Abilities. Not bad. He started generating mana before Rana even arrived, knowing that he would soon be in a state-of-combat. It was risky but also smart, illustrating his youthful arrogance quite well. Not to mention, that for all his complaining, he somehow trusted this old bat of his.
Unfortunately, that was his mistake. If he had traded blows with Rana a bit more, he would’ve realized that she was a mage-class and then use his superior physical stats to create a better condition to launch his Skill. He rushed in, confident in his ability to achieve victory in one shot. The sword came down but all it did was swipe at the air. He missed.
His Skill Three-Step Slash was supposed to make him rush speedily towards the target and cleave them in half. Along with his Ability Sure Hit, there was no way he would miss. However, the ice tendrils stopping his movement said otherwise. The Sure Hit Ability augmented the next Skill or Attack to always land on the enemy regardless of distance and enemy quickness. The issue was that the Skill was never cast. Three-Step Slash required him to take three steps before it was considered a successful cast. The man never took even one.
“How,” the man muttered, but before he could realize what happened, Rana commanded the blades of ash to fly and sneak into its helmet and straight into his eyes. Her staff was hidden somewhere near. She also wouldn’t allow him an opportunity to scream. She unsheathed the dagger tucked in her belt and stabbed it into the helmet. She then surged her mana into the equipment that should’ve protected him. Crimson lightning crackled and ignited within the metal. With a loud burst, the man slumped into the ground and pools of blood leaked into the dirt.
“What sort of idiot uses a Skill with a long cast form before staggering the enemy?”