33 Chapter 33: Lockdown

At the outskirts of Star City was a large observatory. The observatory looked aged, with various cracks covering its walls and vines growing all over it. However, even with all those cracks, the wall was perfectly intact and didn't look like it would fall down anytime soon.

Inside the observatory was a group of people sitting inside an empty room. These people all looked helpless and depressed as they looked at the ground.

*Sigh*

Romero released a small sigh as he took the occasional glance to check on everyone's condition. "How the hell did we end up in this mess…"

Around a week ago, they had arrived at the client's destination, this strange and abandoned observatory. At the time, the mission was going well and it looked like they would be able to finish it sooner than expected, which greatly boosted the morale and confidence of everyone there.

Romero's guild was already celebrating their success on the competition of such an easy mission when they were suddenly ambushed and surrounded by a large group of monsters, consisting of a mix of monsters from various species, completely shocking Romero and the rest. However, what was even more shocking to them was the strength of these monsters. Most of the monsters that had surrounded them were Rank one monsters while a few of the monsters were Rank two! That level of strength had completely stunned Romero's group for a few moments; however, it was still within the range of what they could handle. Although a Rank two monster was said to be on the same level as a Martial Warrior, which was the same realm as Romero, he knew that he could still barely manage to deal with the group of Rank two monsters, leaving his team to deal with the Rank one.

However, when Romero was still contemplating on how to engage the approaching battle, his willpower along with everyone else was completely shattered when they saw "it" standing on top of the back of a rank two bear monster.

The creature was a slightly bigger wolf with beautiful black fur. Atop the wolf's head was a small white bird that seemed to be resting on top of it.

All the wolf did was stare at Romero and the rest with its calm blue eyes, but just that alone was enough to leave them shaking in fear as they all felt an unbearable pressure descend on them. This was the pressure of a Rank Three Monster! A creature that was the equivalent to a Martial Master!

Fortunately, Romero was both a skilled Martial Artist and hunter, so even in the face of this terrifying foe, he was able to stay calm and prepared to fight to the death for even a small chance of living, even if it meant that everyone, including himself, would die.

However, what shocked him the most was what happened next. Instead of attacking them, the monsters stayed still, only staring at them with sharp eyes. As Romero prepared to attack, he felt the pressure on him increase tenfold as the black wolf suddenly appeared in front of him and suppressed both him and his group with one move.

Seeing that he had been suppressed so easily by the wolf, Romero knew his death was quickly approaching. However, to both Romero and the group's shock, instead of killing them, the wolf threw them into a room in the observatory and locked them in.

This had originally pleasantly surprised the group, but after more than a week had passed, the reality of them being held captive by the monsters had finally set in.

"Romero… what do you think the wolf wants with us?" The blonde-haired woman that had sat with Romero inside the jeep asked weakly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Romero remained silent for a while before he replied softly, "I don't know."

Releasing a sigh, Romero looked at the group of people inside the dark room and then looked at the remaining supplies they had left. After checking over one more time, Romero confirmed once again that they only had three days worth of supplies left. Once their supply ran out, well, Romero didn't wish to think further about what would happen after.

Instead, he silently raised his head as he closed his eyes to rest.

…

A few days had passed since Lake started back hunting. In that time he had managed to kill numerous groups of spiders, earning him a large sum of RP at a much faster rate than before.

[RP Points = 430.139]

The reason he was able to gather so many points so fast was thanks to the addition of the Soldier Spiders who were worth 10 points each and the massive increase in his strength, which allowed him to hunt and kill larger groups of spiders more efficiently and quickly. These two factors allowed him to gather up almost the same amount of points that originally took him a week in less than half the time.

Unfortunately, good times don't last long. After hunting for only three days, the spiders seem to have been sent on even higher alert, not sending out a single hunting group even after more than a day had passed.

At first, Lake was slightly surprised at their reaction but was able to figure out their reasoning soon after. In the short time that Lake had been hunting the spiders from the nest, their numbers had already been halved!

This sudden drop in their numbers to an unknown predator must have sent the entire nest into a panic, causing them to put the nest on lockdown. Fortunately for them, the spiders were smart and already had plenty of food stocked up in the nest. From what Lake had seen through their fates, they had enough food to keep the nest running without hunting for at least a month.

Lake didn't have that much time to wait around and had already come to a decision. With his current strength and skills, he would have no problems dealing with the General Class Spiders in the nest and would easily be able to slaughter a group of regular spiders and Soldier Class Spiders regardless of their numbers. With the knowledge of the nest that he had also gained from the various spiders' fates, he also had a deep understanding of the layout and various traps of the nest and even a deep understanding of the spiders themselves including their habits, sleeping patterns, patrol routes and even how they defecate. It can even be said that Lake knew the spiders better than they knew themselves.

With these factors in mind, Lake felt that he could openly raid the spider nest without much difficulties. The only thing he would have to watch out for would be the Spider Queens who Lake estimated to be on par with High Rank Martial Apprentices. However, he didn't feel like they would be too big of a problem as Lake knew their exact location as well as the fact that they never leave their positions, usually staying behind to give birth to new spiders and manage their nest. As long as Lake avoided those areas, he wouldn't have any problem freely hunting inside the nest.

All that's left would be to just find a way down into the spider nest.

With a thought, Lake pulled up his status screen as he turned his gaze to a particular skill in his skill list.

[Parkour Master lv. 1 - Sometimes to assassinate your target, you need to reach places that are simply unreachable or cross barriers that are impossible. As a master assassin you are able to freely cross these terrains and obstacles and oftentimes use it to your advantage. At the current level you can freely scale almost any structure and move past most obstacles. (This skills scales with the host's stats)]

Although Lake didn't want to part with the 200 Points required to upgrade the skill, when he thought of the amount of points he would earn after upgrading it, he didn't hesitate again.

[200 RP Points have been deducted.]

[Beginning the upgrade process…]

With that, Lake felt that familiar feeling of his vision going black as he lost all his senses. Thankfully, this time it didn't seem to take too long as Lake opened his eyes a few seconds later. Lake could already feel the difference after upgrading the skill as he felt the wind caressing against his cheeks.

[Parkour Master lv. 2 - Sometimes to assassinate your target, you need to reach places that are simply unreachable or cross barriers that are impossible. As a master assassin you are able to freely cross these terrains and obstacles and oftentimes use it to your advantage. At the current level you can freely scale any structure and move past all obstacles. The wind has become your ally and will aid you in your movements, capable of greatly boosting your speed and can even help to control your movements while in the air. (This skills scales with the host's stats)]

Looking at the upgraded skill, Lake smiled lightly. After resting for a few moments, he made his way to the top of a building that was next to the ravine. As he stood on the edge of the building and looked down into the ravine, Lake could see the numerous spider webs covering the gaps between the walls. Thanks to his body being strengthened from Steel Body level two, Lake didn't feel tired even after upgrading the Master Parkour skill to level two. He also theorized that it was due to the fact that not much change had actually happened to his physical body from the upgrade unlike when he upgraded Steel Body back then.

Looking down at the ravine that was roughly five hundred feet deep, Lake didn't hesitate as he leaped off the ledge of the building.

As Lake fell through the sky, he stretched out his arms and legs as his body fell through the sky. As he fell, Lake could feel the wind gently wrapping around his body as it pushed against his body, controlling his descent as he fell.

When Lake was about to hit the ground, he repositioned his falling body upright as his body crashed heavily into the ground, causing a small cloud of dust to form around him. When the dust had cleared, Lake had already vanished from the area.