Chapter 49: Hunting the Hunters (1)

Shortly after Alexander left Church's side, he made his way to the South Woods and entered the forest through a complicated path. When he entered the forest, hundreds of people with baskets and scissors were competing with each other to pick plants from the ground. These were plant collectors sent by guilds and companies. They were trying to collect as many Origin Herbs as they could.

Alexander continued without looking at them. When he reached a densely wooded area, he stopped and started digging in the ground. He was so calm and vulnerable. He didn't care, as if he didn't care about anything.

At that moment the cold wind blew.

Just after the wind started blowing through the trees, a high-pitched metal sound echoed through the forest. The wind changed direction and a terrible energy was released.

Alexander was thrown like a ball ten meters away from where he was standing and tumbled to the ground. The Asura Katana in his hand trembled, his feet pinned to the ground. From behind his mask, he studied his opponent with cold eyes.

The man before him was tall and thin. His skin was pale and his eyes sunken. With a single glance, he gave the impression of a poisonous viper snake. He had a look that made onlookers feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

In his hand was a knife as thin as a hair.

After a glance at Alexander, he said nothing. He took a step back and disappeared into the wind. Then a knife appeared on Alexander's back, moved relentlessly forward, and aimed for his heart.

At the same moment, a shadow appeared under Alexander's feet. There was a muffled sound as the knife plunged into Alexander's heart.

The man's eyes widened in fear and he suddenly turned his body. Unfortunately, he was too late. The blood-red katana mercilessly pierced his lung. Blood spilled onto the ground and a puddle formed instantly. But Alexander didn't stop there. He grabbed the man's face and slammed him hard to the ground.

Boom!

Dust rose into the air. After the blood drained from the man's face and the last light went out of his eyes, Alexander pulled his katana from his chest. After cleaning the blood off, he sheathed it and looked at the trees.

He knew that someone would come after him the moment he set out to do this. That was why he had chosen a narrow terrain where his superior numbers would be useless and he could use his assassination skills. But even in his wildest assumptions, he had not expected so many people to follow him.

"Both sides underestimated each other."

He looked down at the dead man on the ground, sighed, and lunged forward.

As Alexander met the assassin's attack, two mercenaries known as the Twin Swords stood on a tree, watching the pair.

The taller of the two stood with his arms crossed. He wore a white mask over his face. The black sword at his waist was very striking. His physique was solid, the black eyes behind the mask fearless and fierce. He was the Black Sword of the Twin Swords.

Looking at the assassin's sword, he sighed.

"An assassin from Skyrobe? This is bigger than we thought."

There was another man with him. He too wore a black mask and had a white sword. He was a little shorter and had sly eyes. He was a mercenary known as the White Sword of the Twin Swords.

Both were martial arts experts at the peak of the fourth level. They were experienced soldiers who had accomplished many feats over the years. Now they were doing the bidding of a top alchemy guild. Their mission was to capture and bring back the supplier of the Origin Herb.

"The Origin Herb is a very important resource. Many people have tried to do what this man did, but this is the first time anyone has survived this long. Naturally, a lot of powers were interested. There is a possibility of having more Origin Herbs. That's why he became a target not only for us but for many organizations."

Realizing the strategic importance of the Origin Herb, some opportunists did what this man did. But before they had a chance to bring the plants to market, he was executed and his head was put on display as an example. And this man was a level six expert.

As White Sword was voicing his thoughts, the Skyrobe assassin made his second move. He appeared behind Alexander and stabbed him with his knife.

"Ah~ There's nothing else to see. We can't interfere with Skyrobe's business."

Taking the target alive was impossible for the moment because Skyrobe, one of the greatest powers, had been assigned a level-five assassin. The duo could protect the target, but there was no way out of the forest.

They were not the only ones who came here.

Many people were watching the show. The news that a large number of Origin Herbs had appeared in a lowly company spread quickly, and in just an hour all large-scale forces were mobilized.

White Sword and Black Sword were about to leave when they heard a muffled sound.

When they turned around, they felt goosebumps run down their spines.

A level five Skyrobe assassin was nailed to the ground.

"Is that... Shadow Twin?"

White Sword had managed to detect the skill the target was using at the last second. Unfortunately, the skill he had discovered was only available to the top assassination clans. Moreover, it required extremely precise energy control.

"This guy can use Shadow Twin even though he's only at the second level? He also seems extremely experienced in one-on-one battles."

Black Sword was also extremely surprised. As a mercenary, he had the blood of many fifth-class experts on his hands, but he had managed to kill them all at the peak of the fourth level. At the second tier, he could at most counter the third tier.

"We underestimated the opponent."

"What do we do?"

Black Sword looked at White Sword.

He was the smart one in the group, so he made the decisions.

White Sword nodded thoughtfully.

"We will retreat and observe the situation. We will leave the stage to the others."

The prey had already overpowered one of the hunters.

And it was already moving toward them.

For now, they would be patient and observe the situation. After all, there were tons of people here who were not as patient as them.

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