The Dark part 05: The Unseen Slayer!

-"Connor-sama, I reached my father's domain and I need your advice!"-

Alice suddenly called Connor as he was on the hunt, he had to retreat to answer her call.

He didn't mention that he was in a fight since Alice would feel bad about interrupting him.

"An advice? What is that about?" Connor replied thinking it might be a problem with her father or something.

-"An army of undead is stationed behind the western mountains of the city, their numbers are larger than we can handle and we want to avoid a long siege!"-

"Wait! A what of what? Why and who started this?" Connor was visibly confused as he was informed of the existence of an entire army of undead, this is a thing that he thought was only end game.

{Notice: Let me handle this!} Ariel joined the conversation.

-"Ariel-san, I was intending on having your opinion of the matter!"-

Alice's father Alen was looking at her talking in a prayer pose, a lot of questions came to his mind just from this brief conversation.

"I can tell that this 'Connor-sama' is the hero but who is Ariel?" Lord Alen asked Alva who was standing beside him.

"It's hard to explain but you can say she is the hero adviser and someone with great intellect!"

"So she is someone who we can trust?" Alen asked.

"Of course, she is!"

…

Alice finished telling Connor and Ariel about what she knew about the undead army, Connor thought it was a desperate situation but Ariel didn't think the same way.

{Notice: If they have to pass the mountain then lit it on fire when they are on it!}

-"Wouldn't that cause a wildfire?!"-

As lord Alen heard this he panicked, What wildfire?! we won't be able to put it out easily and after that, we won't have firewood for the winter either!! he said.

Alice was with her father so she asked Ariel for another alternative method but she was faced with denial.

{Notice: Choose, have your people die by the hand of the undead, or bet on your chances of importing firewood! Since your city doesn't have enough military power to face the approaching danger nor time to call for help, relying on your natural environment to deal a huge blow to the enemy is all you can do!}

Alice relied on what Ariel told her to her father, he was silent.

"Since All of the fields are outside the wall, a siege means that we will lose a huge portion of our food supply for the next year, what most is that we are facing Undead. The spawn of death emits necrotic mana that harms all living so if their armies rested on our field they can become infertile for years and that's a huge problem, that is why we have to avoid a siege no matter what! I also can't send soldiers to confront them directly since that necrotic mana will hurt them badly!" Alen said.

"Father, can't we do something about it with holy water or something?"

"We can't produce such a large amount, it will take us months!!" He replied.

After just a moment of silence, Dolrig talked.

"M'lady, redhead here didn't rot after the Zombie troll hit her so can't we just use people with holy mana to lead the fight?"

"What?! Holy mana? in Alva?" Steve yelled.

"After Alice-sama became the holy maiden, I and Lydia became paladins to the holy maiden" Alva replied.

"I and Alva have holy mana so we can endure it, but what about the full army? how are we gonna protect it?" Alice adds up.

{Notice: From your memories, gods regularly interact with people in this world, can't you just ask the god Avander for help?}

As Alice heard this she thought for a moment.

-"I only pray to the hero and have never been known to have a strong faith. Do you think he will listen?"-

{Notice: You're asking on behalf of the whole city! A whole city of his dedicated believers!!}

-"Then I will do it, I hope he listens!"-

"You seem to have forgotten that I am here too!" Connor said as he felt out of the conversation.

Kya~! Alice jumped as she heard Connor's deep sad voice ringing straight into her brain.

"Connor-sama I'm sorry for forgetting you, do you have any advice…" Alice tried to fix her mistake.

"It might be simple but make wooden pickles and soak them in what you have of holy water. After that hide them inside bushes so as the undead army approaches, lift them using ropes, that will mow quite a few of them!!"

-"As expected of Connor-sama, that's quite manageable. We will do that as soon as possible!!"-

"Now if you don't have anything else I need to keep moving!"

-"Of course Connor-sama I will call you again if we need anything!!"-

… Connor cut the call and looked at his minimap.

Ariel those are people, right?

{Notice: It's the first that you guessed something right, 20 of them are intelligent humanoids, the last one is an undead!}

I see two new colors. What is that about now?

{Notice: the difference in strength is just too high that giving them the same color will mislead you to think they are weaker.}

19 red, 1 purple, 1 black. I guess the reds are the henchmen, the purple is the undead and the black is their leader?

{Notice: The black one is the undead, I suggest that the leader is the purple one!}

But how can they subdue an undead that is stronger than them?

{Notice: I don't have an answer, but the undead movement seemed monotone so I guess he is close to being called a robot in your world, a mindless, controlled puppet!}

Which means that I have to at least take care of the purple one to disable the undead? but with 19 red ones, I don't think I can get closer!

{Notice: Especially since they are intelligent!}

Don't you have any plans?

{Notice: 19 red ones, aren't they generous with their exp? Let's slowly pick them one after another! This will ensure fear in them as well as helping us get stronger for the next fight!!}

Won't they know that I'm close then? they can just stay alert!

{Notice: They won't be alert about their own men! Use your shapeshift to take the figure of who you kill and infiltrate their ranks!}

I won't have enough time to scan the bodies for shapeshift!!

{Notice: Since I got an analysis I can scan them in less than a minute, then you can use their look and voice, for their personalities I can squeeze a thing or two from their brains before they die!}

You can learn information directly from someone's brain? I thought it only applies to those who are linked to me?

{Notice: I can do it since I got an analysis! It's not an ability nor a skill, I can analyze their brain for information. The problem is that I will end up destroying it. which means if I use it on someone who is alive they will become brain dead!! but if they are already dead… it doesn't matter anymore!}

You're kind of cruel, but it doesn't matter. We are already seeing them as enemies but can they just be travelers of something?

{Notice: Travelers? Underground? with an overpowered undead? this close to the city of criminals? If those 19 ones were green then I would think they might be slaves moving their slaves so we need to save them but they are not!!}

Then let's do our plan, first, we need to get close to confirm they are enemies then we need to pick the first one that strays from the group. Mei will follow us and stay within the minimap boundaries!

{Notice: That's doable, we just need to be careful!}

After he finished his plan meeting with Ariel they started the hunt immediately.

Slowly but steadily Connor got closer to them using [Earth glide], camouflaging the sound with sound magic to keep the silence and using wind magic to keep his smell away. In the wall by their side, he was listening to them talking as they walked, looking for any proof that they are enemies. A wrong word will be them picking a fight with the hero.

"I have a creepy feeling, it's as if we are watched!" A snake-looking beastmen of them said under his breath.

"Vipermen instinct?" Vanessa heard him and replied.

"No, woman instinct!" She replied.

That thing was a woman Connor thought to himself. I was just looking because I was curious. Do all the people in this world are that sharp?

{Notice: In a world dominated by monsters, people probably had to evolve like that to survive!}

Always with a satisfying answer! thanks, Ariel!!!!

After a few minutes of following them, they finally talked again. It was the same viper woman.

"I can't get this feeling off me, hey rangers are you doing your work right? nothing is following us right?"

A dark elf answered her question immediately.

"If there was anything moving around us I would have heard it!! don't underestimate my skills!!" He was a little be annoyed at her remark

"Me here also, if I smell anything other than a monster I would have said something! right now only earthworms are around us!!" A dog-looking person said.

Connor was sweating in the wall, thank god I used magic to conceal both of my smell and sound.

"Even if it's just a feeling we need to keep alert!! Since we are facing the hero no one knows what he will do!!" Vanessa said and sealed their fate.

{Notice: Hostility Confirmed! start the hunt!!}

I know I did hear her but let's wait for the right moment! Also, she seems like the leader right?

{Notice: She is the purple one! Those are her stats.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Name Vanessa. Level: 30

Age: 145 Race: Demon.

Social stats: Mercenary.

Class: Shadow Assassin.

Titles: Shadow Walker, Cold-blooded killer, relentless hunter.

Health: 510/510.

Mana: 640/640.

Stamina: 393/420.

Strength: 20 , Dexterity: 26 , Speed: 34 , Magic: 26 , Luck: 16

Constitution: 26 , Wisdom: 25 , intelligence: 26 , charisma: 26 , Will: 28

Skills:

[Dagger Arts: Level 28], [Claws Arts: Level 36], [Throwing: Level 21]

[Shadow Magic: Level 24], [Poison Magic: Level 20], [Life Stealing Magic: Level 18]

---------------------------------------------------------------------

}

What? I overpower her in stats? How is she purple?

{Notice: The skills! They are the biggest contribution to an individual's power, she has a level 36 claw arts with other skills at the high tire!!!}

Oh! So that's it! But where is the undead?

{Notice: it's the large person beside her, I can't appraise him since he is dead!}

But you appraised the zombie troll right?

{Notice: It might be that I can't appraise a corpse that has been dead for a very long time or if it holds very powerful magic! All I can get from him is that he is a corpse and that he has a load of mana in him to keep him moving!}

Then let's just wait for a suitable moment!

About an hour has passed until something happens. A lizard woman called to Vanessa.

I need to use the toilet. That was the gist of what she said. She was really saying it in a roundabout way, so much that even Connor was about to get confused. maybe it was seen as unprofessional to ask about it in their work?

Anyway, it was the awaited moment, a sheep had strayed from the pack.

"Just hurry, you have only about ten minutes!" Vanessa said to her.

"Thanks, boss!" the lizard woman said with a happy face.

The lizard woman hurried back behind a cave corner when no one would see her.

Vanessa felt a slight pain in her chest, I'm making a mistake by letting her go? After this, I should be more strict with them or the hero will take advantage of that. Unknown to her, this was the last time she heard the real her.

…

behind the cave corner. The lizard woman named Lisa looked around her to just check, no one was looking.

As she leaned toward the ground to take care of her business she was engulfed in silence and darkness, a swift blade pierced her from the stomach to the neck. Feeling her life dripping with her blood she realized that she was taken by the hero, her last thought was… I really should have listened to Vanessa and never eaten that… she died

Ariel, I still feel bad about this, just get the information quickly!

{Notice: I already started… five, four, three, two, one… finished!! You can now shapeshift to her as well, use her voice, don't bury the body yet since I'm still extracting information from her brain, use this time to wear her clothes!!}

I already got naked beforehand so just wearing her clothes won't take much time, washing them from blood with water magic and using wind magic to dry them and keep the blood smell away.

{Notice: Finished… you can bury the corpse!}

Now lastly using earth magic, Connor buried the corpse underground in a tightly sealed stone box with RIP engraved on it.

"Lisa! You're taking too long!! Hurry up or I will come to you!!!" Vanessa called.

"Sorry boss, just give me a moment please!!" Connor replied in Lisa's voice.

He has already shapeshifted hiding the glow with dark magic, as he finished changing he walked toward Vanessa nervously.

Shit! I'm nervous, will this really fool them or will it be just a full-on fight now!

"Why did you take this long? and why are you acting like a stranger?!" Vanessa asked.

Shit! I'm busted.

{Notice: Repeat after me…'Sorry boss, I did eat an Avany plate before I came here to work'}

"Sorry boss, I did eat an Avany plate before I came here to work!" Connor said in Lisa's voice and body.

Vanessa's face palmed as she looked at Lisa(Connor).

"I told you to not eat it, didn't I? it always ruins your stomach which can affect your work! It can even get you killed, you know?"

"Am sorry boss!" Lisa showed a sad face, Vanessa thought she regretted what she did but Connor was sad for something else.

Sorry Vanessa, if she just followed your advice she really might have survived today.

"Now let's keep moving!!" Vanessa called to the other members.

After that they kept moving, not knowing that the hero was already with them…

What is this Avany plate?

{Notice: It's an extremely spicy dish from Roa, The individual named Lisa you're impersonating now used to like this dish too much even though it always gave her stomach pain… before this mission Vanessa told her to not eat it because it can interfere with her mission but Lisa didn't listen!!}

Well, it worked for the best for me in the end. But I don't have my sword and I'm not used to this body, especially the tail!! the weapons Lisa had were just two daggers and some veils? what is in them?

{Notice: paralyze poison, pain poison, and a bunch of other poison that can kill people}

As expected from a hired killer, those things were prepared to be injected into the poor me!!

After a few minutes of moving, The viper woman Approved Lisa and asked her!

"Why is your tail wiggling all the time? Did you by any chance get an interest in one of the guys working with us today?"

Connor was a bit confused about how to answer but Ariel was there to help.

{Notice: whisper this to her…}

Connor got closer to the viper woman and whispered to her.

"It's quite embarrassing to say but… my butthole is screaming from all the spices!"

The Viper woman almost laughed but she managed to hold it.

After a few uneventful hours, they stopped to rest. Connor was looking to take another one of them.

Just a few minutes in the rest, the dog beastman excused himself to take care of his business, this is Connor's golden chance of killing their team's nose.

{Notice: We need to make this flashy to scare them, the more they are in terror the more mistakes they will make, I will give you the right coordination you just fire a stone spear from the ground at max speed!}

Roger!!

Lisa(Connor) was sitting by the wall eating some jerky that was in her bag like the other did.

The dog beastman turned behind the corner and just a few moments later.

{Notice: Now!}

Without showing any signs, Connor activated his magic silently as if he did nothing[Earth Magic: Ultrafast Stone spear]

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFF!" That dog beastman bark was so loud he even surprised Connor who expected it.

Vanessa used her shadow magic to instantly teleport to where the beastman is as everyone else rushed to check.

What they found was just his twitching corpse; a stone spear had pierced him from his rear end to his shoulder. Everybody was terrified, even Connor made a disgusted face at this horrible scene.

Ariel, couldn't you have aimed for another place other than that hole?

{Notice: I could, this is more brutal, more terrifying, so they quit searching for you. It's like saying this is the fate of whoever makes an enemy of the hero!}

"Everyone be on high alert, the hero is close!!!!" Vanessa screamed trying to calm her men.

"Stay together! Mages dig into the wall, the hero might be hiding there but don't expend more than half your MP since that might be his plan!!!!"

Lisa drew her dagger as she heard Vanessa's orders as everyone did.

Vanessa was confused, from when he was close? How long has it been? Can it be from when Yan got that weird feeling of being watched?...

"Boss!...Boss!" Lisa(Connor) was calling Vanessa.

Pointing toward the large undead Lisa(Connor) spoke as per Ariel's advice.

"Can't he just use that big sword on his waist to stab the wall instead of having the mages expand their mana?"

"Nice Idea, good thinking Lisa!!" Vanessa pointed with her finger toward the huge undead and the ring on her finger started glowing.

"Death Knight, stab the wall until you hit something alive!!"

Just after getting the order the Death Knight started mindlessly stabbing the wall over and over with great power and speed.

Is he just spamming the left-click? Connor thought.

{Notice: Now cause a collapse!}

Connor again cast his magic without batting an eye [Earth Magic: Violent shake]

As Vanessa felt the shaking she yelled.

"Shit! Did we do it too much? The cave is about to…" Before she could finish the ceiling fell on them.

Just a few minutes later after they dug themselves up Vanessa began to count how many survived.

The result was 13 survived not including the Death Knight, six died in the Collapse seven if they counted the dog beastman.

Lisa and the dark elf ranger were from the people that died in the collapse, from the six that died in the collapse five of them had been pierced with stone spears. They were killed by the hero and only one died in an accident.

Vanessa started to panic at the thought of losing seven men in the blink of an eye.

She started to roughly scratch her head but Yan the viper woman came to calm her down.

"Keep your wits together, you're the leader!! if you panicked we are destined to die all! Calm and let us keep moving!! We are sitting ducks for that bastard!!"

Vanessa collected herself and ordered them to start moving.

"Fuck this shit! The tables have turned on us!" Vanessa cursed under her breath.

{Notice: You have leveled up,

Notice: You have leveled up,

Notice: You have leveled up,

Notice: You have leveled up,

Title: Merciless has been gained}

To think I can even change other people's looks using shapeshift!!!!