Chapter 149.
Hiding was a particular skill for Sylph race players who mastered the unique combat style that contained the art of reconnaissance and ambush. If the dungeon were like a game, one could simply shout, “I want to become a thief!” when choosing the class, but classes were given in the Sky Castle based on a player’s achievements, records, mana, and attributes. Thus, there weren’t many thieves.
The same reason applied for why few magicians could handle high-class magic and priests dealt with holy magic. Therefore most players in the Sky Castle obtained classes that excelled in close combat.
‘And meanwhile, one thief died and left me with the hiding skill.’
The hiding technique wasn’t simple. It was an ability that always controlled the aura outside the body to hide the user’s presence. In some way, it had some similarities with the Dragon’s Dignity that controlled the spirit and communicated with the outside so that Jung Si-woo could hide among the skilled warriors with his low-level hiding.
Moreover, the key to the sanctuary that he owned provides a hiding skill as well! The abilities of these two hiding skills were helping one another to allow Jung Si-woo to erase his presence.
‘This feels a bit awkward.’
Jung Si-woo was always at the center of people’s attention, so he was never out of their interest. And that was why enemies not being aware of his presence in the middle of the battlefield made him feel very weird. But he had to get used to the ignorance for now. He wasn’t the destroyer but rather Sniper A.
“Whew.”
He maintained his hiding skill and entered deep into the battlefield. It was meaningless to kill the small fries. He had to acknowledge the situation of the battlefield and balance the flow so that neither of the sides gained the upper hand. Controlling the battle with just three people, including Jung Si-woo, where several hundreds of warriors were clashing against one another, was on another level compared to the sea battle.
‘First, I need to maximize the Dragon’s Dignity. While maintaining the hiding skill, I will feel the heat of the battlefield…the powers of the legion god and the flame god.’
The legion god, Dweseir’s, power was already acknowledged in his battle with the teddy bears. And he had watched the power of the unknown flame god through Kim Ha-ryong in New York. Grasping the power limit of the two gods where their strengths were colliding was pretty simple for Jung Si-woo.
“It’s weird to sense the power of God, yet he is even comparing their powers…”
“As expected, the flame god’s side has taken superiority right now.”
The reason was simple. It was because Jung Si-woo has annihilated the village of Red Tibade, the central force of the legion god, and stole their sacred object. Considering how the intervention of the gods to claim the world had become less active based on Jung Si-woo’s perception, the number of investments that the two gods had made in the Potupou were generally equal. In other words, the two gods were consistently spending the same amount.
“But I’m the one benefitting from the investments made by the legion god.”
“That means you knew that you were a thief.”
“So for now…”
Jung Si-woo’s attention was concentrated on the humans with a slight heat of mana. They might not have realized, but humans slowly developed amid the battle. As they accepted the gods and their barriers were broken down, they gradually changed from their human forms. However, they couldn’t feel it due to the battle fever. The realization would hit them once things were settled down, but it would be too late by then.
“Shall we crush them?”
“Those people…are still humans. Are you okay with that?”
“From the moment they’ve entered the battlefield, they weren’t humans anymore. Although they are maintaining their forms…”
They were merely monsters in human forms. And it was no different from when the Emperor’s guild members went on a rampage while shouting out the name of Louisos in the Grand Canyon. So in this world, the only people that could be regarded as humans were the small number of resistors hiding in the corner of the world and the humans protected by them. Perhaps when the war was settled, they would either be turned into monsters or be destroyed.
‘I don’t have any sense of duty to save them. All I want is to take care of those who have been converted into the hounds of the gods and lessen their power…by preventing them from entering the earth.’
And at the same time, he would become more robust. For all this, Jung Si-woo had to fight with those who looked like humans. Although he had experienced something similar to Otaru and the Grand Canyon, it still hurt him.
“I’m sorry, Oppa. I’ve made you conscious…”
“Nah, it’s fine. It’s better to acknowledge it and move on.”
Jung Si-woo confirmed the location of the elites blessed by the flame god, and he held his sharp sword. Though it was a mass-produced item, its sharpness and durability were the highest since it was made by Beto.
“Hide well.”
“I’ve gotten quite used to it now.”
After formally exchanging few words with Soo-rin before the battle, Jung Si-woo charged head in. His Combat Charge mana maintained for several months blasted him forward like a cannon with just straightening up his stance! If he wasn’t familiar with maintaining his Combat Charge, his hiding might have been inactivated, but his several months of training worked out.
Jung Si-woo moved in a flash without getting spotted, then struck hard while concentrating his mana at the end of his sword, and the target’s head flew into the air. What came out from the neck was gore, twisted muscle, blood-stained bone pieces, and blood that was on fire! It was evident that he had surpassed the limits of a human.
“Co-commander!?”
“The commander is dead!”
A commotion was expected since he planned to kill the leader from the start. Jung Si-woo took the head when his hiding faded; then he rushed into the crowds. The disciples of the legion god considered him an ally, so they didn’t go after him, and those under the flame god blocked him for revenge, so things were becoming hilarious.
“There’s a mana stone.”
Jung Si-woo succeeded in re-activating his hiding skill amid the chaos he made, smiling bitterly after escaping from the humans and retrieving the red mana stone. However, it was better to leave personal opinions behind. He had no time to spare on the battlefield, cursing the gods.
“Whew.”
“Kregggh!?”
“A-another man down!”
Jung Si-woo’s attempts became bolder and swifter after one successful result. Taking the targets’ lives like a viper while creeping through, going with the flow of the mana and the situation. He felt beauty that he never had before in his assassination movements that used mana.
“Krrrrgh!”
“A-another one!”
Moving his body through the countless overlapping threads of mana in the empty air and swinging his sword at the place dense with it! Different kinds of mana analysis and manipulations were needed aside from the swift movements, and this helped in training his Dragon’s Dignity.
“Kill him! Prioritize him!”
The forces of the flame god came to realize the presence of a perfect assassin on the battlefield, and another vast loss was dealt with them in the meanwhile. To the point that the force of the legion god started to question whether they had fostered an assassin!
“That guy, with a normal sword…”
“You’re mine!”
“Tsk, don’t you dare stay behind me.”
“Krgggh!?”
There were several times when he got himself discovered through failing his mana control amid the chaotic situation. Still, everything became of help to him as it leveled up his Dragon’s Dignity by three levels. And, of course, his hiding skill became far more substantial.
[Hiding Skill has reached Lv35.]
[Hiding Skill has reached Lv36.]
“Woah, I wish other skills could increase as fast as hiding.”
“I’m not going to butt in. Understood?”
Jung Si-woo’s role turned the battlefield upside down. By assassinating the elites with ghost-like speed, the chain of commands on the battlefield was paralyzed! At one point, the force of the legion god started to take over the battlefield. Jung Si-woo smiled in satisfaction while feeling the turning tide.
“Great. Everyone seems to do their roles well.”
“Although you’ve made this happen all by yourself, Oppa…”
Caina’s role was also splendid like Jung Si-woo since she slaughtered the disciples of the flame god while pretending to serve the legion god. Yong Se-ha did a good job, too, but he couldn’t surpass those two even when he had become stronger.
“Then shall we help Se-ha from now on?”
“Oppa, you really look like a villain.”
From that moment, Jung Si-woo changed his mechanic. Since using the same long sword might reveal his identity, he started firing Critical Bullets at the disciples of the legion god as a gun-less sniper. Of course, it was weaker than his triumph card in close combat, but most of them died as he barraged them using his endless mana pool larger and his overwhelming mana recovery rate.
“Krggggggh!”
“Ma-magic Bullet! An enemy with Magic Bulle-argh!”
He could have made an even fancier showdown if he had the Gatling, gun but ten fingers were enough for now. It was better for him to barrage them and hide to maintain his hiding skill.
“But I should have brought the Gatling gun, though…”
“What about modern weapons?”
The modern weapons might have been effective if the enemies were players from the earth. Low-leveled players didn’t have much mana in their bodies, and the quality of their armor was low, so the resistance against modern weapons wasn’t that high. But naturally, the humans of this world already had their bodies wholly mutated, although their appearances were humanlike. The gods’ powers were strengthening their body parts, so there was a limit in destroying them with a purely physical force that wasn’t imbued with mana.
They also had high resilience, and they wouldn’t die from blood loss, bone fractures, and internal organ damage, which rendered modern weapons useless. On the other hand, the Critical Bullets fired by Jung Si-woo easily penetrated their reinforced skin and muscles while disrupting their internal mana flow after getting stuck inside them. It had similar mechanics in terms of firing, but the method of destruction on the body was different.
“I’d like to increase the Critical Bullet as well.”
“I got you.”
When Jung Si-woo killed one of the elites with five Critical Bullets and turned around, someone charged him to pierce his stomach with a longsword. He easily avoided it with his Dragon’s Dignity since his synchronization speed of mana and the body was faster than before through Caina’s training. Jung Si-woo was surprised by the ridiculous speed, but it wasn’t something unexpected considering the attacker’s identity.
“Oh well.”
Jung Si-woo shrugged his shoulder after looking at the angry person in front of him.
“Aren’t we too early in our encounter?”
“He has informed me…that you are the thief who took away what was mine!”
Unlike Jung Si-woo’s deceitfulness, the attacker was bursting with rage. This was when he came across the most beloved person of the legion god, Kenato.
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