28: A Bold Idea

Orson was just debating whether to chase after the boss when he felt a chill race down his spine. A shadow flashed past him at incredible speed.

"Madman? No… I haven't seen this rogue before," Orson thought, startled. They were on the third floor of the lord's mansion—at least twenty meters above ground. Yet this rogue had leapt out of the opening that the boss had smashed through without a second thought.

"Wow… giving up life for loot?" Madman exclaimed, peering out to see if the thief had survived. To his surprise, the rogue landed, tucked into a smooth roll, and disappeared into the night.

"A stealthy rogue with such a low presence… could it be him?" Orson wondered.

Turning to the Empress, Orson gave a slight smile and said, "Consider the favor returned. Let's catch up later." With that, he leapt through the broken opening.

"Damn! What are you guys made of?" Madman shouted as he watched them jump one after another.

While airborne, Orson summoned a Sunshield as a makeshift platform, using it to break his fall and land gracefully.

The other players stared, astonished. It was one thing for a rogue to leap down like that, but a mage? They could hardly believe what they'd just seen.

"Move out! Meet at the boss spawn!" Usher barked, following Orson's lead with a leap. Dragon's Kiss Guild wasn't going to miss this chance to claim the kill now that the boss was critically wounded. All they had to do was follow the city guards and swoop in for the last hit.

But what Usher and his team didn't know was just how treacherous the battlefield could be.

"Mind holding onto some loot for me?" Orson messaged the Empress.

"Loot? I thought you'd already nabbed it all?" she replied, bewildered.

"I mean what's coming next," Orson said with a smirk.

Instead of heading for the boss, Orson waited outside the lord's mansion, watching as Usher gathered a six-man team.

"Thinking of snagging the final blow, are we?" Orson muttered, releasing a precise Touch of the Flame Serpent spell that exploded right over Usher and his team.

The blast scattered them, each player scrambling to escape.

-780!

-1550!

Blinding flashes of light signaled instant kills. All of Usher's teammates, except himself, were sent straight to the respawn point, leaving a pile of gold and gear behind. Even Ivy's prized hero-level staff was among the spoils.

The Empress, witnessing this, couldn't help but feel a chill. She finally understood Orson's earlier message—this guy was playing on a different level.

"So he does have a way to save himself," Orson noted, watching as Usher's "corpse" morphed into a charred mannequin, while the real Usher reappeared a few meters away.

"A dummy talisman… takes one fatal blow in the user's place," Orson muttered. This item, a rare treasure from special bosses, allowed the owner to avoid death once every 24 hours, though it came with a hefty cooldown.

"Orson, you'd better hope you never fall into my hands!" Usher growled. Helplessly watching his team's demise, he vowed vengeance, his frustration boiling over.

Seeing that Usher didn't dare pursue, Orson chuckled to himself and resumed his path toward the boss's location.

As Orson left the city, a group of elite NPC guards caught up to him, ready to assist with the boss fight.

"Brave adventurer, we are here to help you defeat the cursed Butcher!" the leader of the guard squad announced.

[Armored Swordsman: Luka] — Level 20

HP: ???

Attack Power: ???

Skills: ???

[Earth Mage: Longtao] — Level 20

HP: ???

Attack Power: ???

Skills: ???

The group consisted of two melee fighters, a mage, and a healer—but Hazel was nowhere in sight.

After a brief pause, Orson nodded and accepted their aid. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up shortly."

The armored swordsman nodded and led the squad forward with their torches lighting the way.

As they moved on, a sudden flash of steel streaked out from the bushes nearby.

Orson's expression hardened—he'd expected this. Summoning his Sunshield, he blocked the incoming dagger strike, but the impact was powerful enough to shatter the shield, which could absorb up to 700 damage points.

Instantly, Orson sensed a deadly presence behind him and unleashed a volley of fireballs without looking back.

The rogue, anticipating his reaction, deftly flipped out of the fire's range with a series of agile backflips.

Orson narrowed his eyes, and in the fire's flickering light, he finally caught a glimpse of his assailant.

The rogue wore a snake-patterned mask and a dark cloak, with purple hair peeking out, and her gaze was icy cold.

"First a feint with throwing knives, then a backstab to go for a critical hit. Classic rogue tactics," Orson said, shaking his head with a hint of mockery. "So, do all rogues enjoy staring at a mage's back?"

Though Orson looked calm and collected, he was busy layering himself in as many shields as he could cast.

If this was indeed Blank, he couldn't afford any slip-ups. Despite his Heavenly Spirit's Right Eye—a Super God-tier soul seal—this rogue's agility and damage were proof that she was packing at least one Divine-tier soul seal of her own.

The rogue seemed frustrated; her dark attack had shattered only one of his shields, yet the mage was now encased in nine more layers, looking practically impenetrable.

"You're strong," she said, her cold voice muffled by the mask.

"A… girl?" Orson blinked in surprise. The legendary Blank, a ruthless killer? A woman?

"I can still kill you," she replied evenly, widening the gap between them to remain out of his casting range.

"Mind telling me why you're so bent on this?" Orson asked with a smile.

"Red name, boss loot, and I could use the skill points," she answered bluntly.

"Oh? Then by all means, go ahead and try." Orson gestured dismissively.

But Blank didn't rush in. She smiled behind her mask and replied, "Keeping those shields up must be draining your mana, no? I'll just stay at a safe distance and wait you out."

Orson clapped mockingly, giving her a thumbs-up. "You're clever, little sister."

"You know, I think I enjoy your feigned bravado more," Blank retorted, cheeks flushed behind her mask.

Though Orson said nothing, he could tell Blank was far from her peak form as a God-tier assassin. Her tactics, even her thought process, were still too raw.

With her keeping a "safe distance" of around 20 meters, Orson saw no reason to rush. Instead, he stretched out on the ground and began watching the stars. "Alright, let's see who gives in first."

"You…" Blank stammered, glancing anxiously toward the boss's spawn point. Time was slipping away.

"What's his mana pool? How is he maintaining all those shields?" she wondered.

"You're wasting your time," Orson said, reading her mind. With a mana pool nearing 17,000, he had plenty to spare for shield upkeep.

"A few hours, huh…" Blank mumbled, realizing he wasn't bluffing.

An idea forming in his mind, Orson looked over at her. "How about a partnership? Split the loot fifty-fifty. You seem like you're after skill points too."

Blank hesitated, then replied, "Alright, what's your idea?"

Orson's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Don't you feel like we owe the lord a little payback for using us as bait? I don't know about you, but I'm not just going to let that go."

Blank raised an eyebrow. "And what do you propose?"

"Not just revenge," Orson replied, dusting himself off as he stood. "They say killing NPCs has some decent rewards too."

"You're not suggesting…" Blank's eyes widened.

"First the NPCs, then the boss. It doesn't conflict with our mission objectives, so what do you say?"