Crisscross

(Why... can't... I... muster... any... strength...?!)

Wolf desperately tried to stand, but it was as if his mind and body had become disconnected. No matter how much he struggled, his body refused to obey, leaving him feeling as hopeless as someone experiencing sleep paralysis!

With his last ounce of strength, Wolf looked toward the distant figure. Even though Wolf was already down and unable to get up, the man remained cautious, not approaching and leaving no opportunity for Wolf to counterattack.

"Who... the hell... are... you...?"

Wolf gritted his teeth and asked word by word, as everything in his sight swirled chaotically. His throbbing temples and nauseating sensation filled his head. He dry heaved continuously, but nothing came out.

In extreme pain, Wolf involuntarily closed his eyes. His dizziness seemed to improve, but his consciousness began to fade, as if he were falling asleep... But Wolf knew he couldn't sleep; if he did, he might never wake up again.

He didn't want to die, but he had no other options left. He couldn't even muster the strength to open his eyes, let alone call for help.

(Help...?)

(Igor...?!)

(Could it be...?)

As his consciousness clung to its last moments, Wolf finally understood how he had fallen into this trap. Eliminating all other possibilities, there was only one possible identity for the shadowy figure who had come to kill him...

"Ban... it was... you... after all..."

Wolf couldn't finish his sentence. As his head tilted to one side, he lost all control over his body, and his consciousness slipped away.

It wasn't until now that the shadowy figure began to act. First, he opened the jar he held in his arms and took a deep breath. Then, he picked up a fallen bandit's machete, aimed at the closest bandit, and threw it. The sharp blade pierced the bandit's stomach, and the unfortunate man remained motionless as if dead. The figure repeated the action, throwing machetes at all four bandits, including Wolf. Although his aim was not perfect, hitting arms and heads, they all shared the same fate - lying still without any response.

At this point, the tense figure finally relaxed. He opened the jar again to take another breath and then made sure to slit the throats of all the bandits to guarantee their demise.

With each bandit killed, text appeared in the figure's field of vision.

"Successfully killed 'Neutral Evil' combat class 'Bandit,' assigning 'Lawful Neutral' combat class 'Junior Assassin' according to the killing method."

"Successfully killed 'Bandit - Lv3,' class experience +300, current experience 300/400."

"Successfully killed 'Bandit - Lv2,' class experience +200, current experience 500/400."

"Upgrade conditions met, 'Junior Assassin - Lv1' automatically upgraded to 'Junior Assassin - Lv2'."

"Successfully killed 'Bandit - Lv3,' class experience +300, current experience 400/600."

"Successfully killed 'Bandit - Lv9,' class experience +900, current experience 1300/600."

"Upgrade conditions met, 'Junior Assassin - Lv2' automatically upgraded to 'Junior Assassin - Lv3'."

After retrieving the knives, the shadow bent down to search the bandits' corpses for loot. As the shadow picked up the "Universal Stone," its glow illuminated his stern face, revealing him to be none other than Banning, the young man from Ira Village who was supposed to have died.

(Silly Nissen: Tyler, aren't you being overly cautious? You've already had-o Igor cooperate with you in the experiment-o. Why are you still so apprehensive?)

(Tyler: Defeat begins with underestimating the enemy.)

(Silly Nissen: Fine, what-o ever. You're amazing; your words are always right-o.)

Although the loli spoke sarcastically, her attitude towards Tyler had indeed changed.

During the course of these events, she was initially disappointed with Tyler's deception but eventually became impressed by his cunning strategy. Not only did Tyler fool the enemies, but he also deceived her, a close companion.

In this series of life-and-death predicaments, even a single mistake by Tyler could have resulted in his demise. Yet not only did he survive, but he also executed a counter-attack amid such precarious circumstances! Priscilla's limited vocabulary could not adequately express how incredible Tyler was.

Throughout the operation, she observed as Tyler used his mind-reading ability, masterful acting, and clever lies to sow discord between Wolf and Fuchs, and later exacerbate the rift between Igor and Wolf. Miraculously, Tyler managed to turn Igor to his side.

With Igor's assistance, Tyler explained the situation to the village chief, and the three of them set up a "charcoal trap" in an underground cave. When charcoal burns in an oxygen-deficient environment, it produces carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can bind to hemoglobin in the blood, causing tissue hypoxia and ultimately suffocation. The cautious Tyler even had Igor, who possessed combat occupation, participate in an experiment to ensure that Wolf and his men would meet a certain end.

Once the trap was set, the village chief led the villagers to safety in the mountains, while Igor took Tyler, who had been assigned a role in the scheme, back to the bandit's lair to lure Wolf. In the end, the cunning and devious Wolf fell helplessly in the cave.

It can be said that without his mind-reading ability, Tyler would not have been able to achieve this miraculous turnaround. However, if someone else had possessed this ability, few could have rivaled Tyler's accomplishments.

The stupid loli now understood why Tyler's adaptation to the Divine Eye of Transcendence had been so high in the gray space.

The young man possessed an extraordinary maturity and wisdom beyond his years.

·

At the entrance to the underground cave, only Igor remained on guard. The two other bandits who had been with him were now lifeless corpses, unable to move.

Before long, Banning, the youth from Ira Village, emerged from the cave.

"Is... it over?" Igor asked.

"Yes, it's over."

Banning showed Igor the dagger in his hand, a willow-leaf blade forged from wrought iron by Wolf himself. It had been his personal weapon, and its presence in Banning's possession spoke volumes.

"I'm sorry, Boss, but following you would have led to a dead end," Igor thought, feeling a little sad, but not regretful.

"Well then, let's part ways here, Mr. Igor. I wish you luck in returning to a normal life."

"Alright."

Without exchanging any further words, the two turned and went their separate ways, the events of the night dissipating with the dawn mist.

·

On the way to inform the villagers, the loli asked Tyler a question.

(Silly Nissen: Tyler, how can you be sure Igor won't change his mind and regret his decision? He'll be the leader of the bandits for a while, after all.)

(Tyler: I can't be sure.)

(Silly Nissen: Huh?)

(Tyler: People's hearts are not always constant, except when they're dead.)

Later on, Tyler and his companions never encountered the Crimson Cloud Bandits again.