Shadow Stealth

After defeating the hobgoblins, Jake and Warren walked together while evaluating Warren's fight. He gave pointers about what better moves Warren could have done. Warren trusted Jake after receiving a manual from him, so he listened to him.

"Creativity, huh. I agree that I am lacking in this area after looking at your fight with the orc. Heck, how did you penetrate through his heavy armor and his thick skin?"

"Penetrating the heavy armor was easy. The orc only wore ordinary items. Non magic objects can be broken easily with aura."

"Weird, you haven't learned [Aura Ignition], have you?"

"Nah, I have a technique that allows me to use my opponent's power against them. That's what I did to defeat the orc."

"Your technique is really good. You should teach me, man."

"I would if it was suitable for you. Soft technique doesn't suit you. You should just learn the [Way of Unifying Gravity] that I have written in your manual to perfect mastery."

They had further conversations about techniques and fighting styles, giving Warren deep insight.

As they walked, Jake suddenly felt a stabbing feeling on his neck, as if someone was watching him from behind. His perception was high, so he believed his sense. He activated his [Akashic Eyes] and looked back. Behind him, a status window was floating.

[Name: Cody Hall. Talent: Shadow Stealth.]

Jake could only see the man's status window, so he guessed Cody had increased [Shadow Stealth] to another grade. He could stay invisible while moving.

"I know you are following us, Cody. Reveal yourself."

Cody turned off his ability and appeared behind them, making Warren surprised. He smiled bitterly and said, "How did you sense me before activating your eyes?"

"It's because my sense is good, but don't be dejected. Your steps are quiet. You have mastered the steps technique I have given to you. With your current ability, you can ambush almost everyone in the class except for me and two other people."

"What? You actually gave him a high evaluation?" Warren exclaimed in surprise.

"I guess the other two are Reina and Misael, right?"

"No, you can assassinate her easily right now. The two other people I mentioned were Devina Foster and Dion Foster. Devina's [Barrier] ability can automatically defend herself. You need enough firepower to penetrate her defense. As for Dion, his perception stat is A grade like me."

"I can assassinate Reina?" Cody asked in disbelief.

"Sure, I will kill you though if you kill your classmates." Jake ignored Cody's pale expression and continued walking.

Accompanied by those two, Jake felt a warm feeling in his heart. He felt happy when those two were growing stronger. It felt like watching his kids grow up.

Jake smiled and thought, 'this is not bad.' At least, coming to the Academy was not so boring.

"Where are we going?" Cody asked.

"Finding people. We can't conquer this gate alone."

"Have you met anyone?" Warren asked.

"Nope. I was teleported near here. I managed to kill a few rabbit monsters and level up," Cody replied.

'So ogroids aren't the only living creatures in this gate,' Jake thought as he overheard the conversation.

"I also saw a giant snake, but it was level 13. I felt it could sense me, so I didn't dare to approach it."

In this world, the system allowed someone to see another person's level, but the limit was ten levels higher, and one couldn't see invisible beings' windows. That was how Warren and Cody could know someone's level. Of course, Jake's eyes were superior. Not only could he see the other party's level, he could see everything as long as things were related to the magic and the system.

"Which direction did you see the snake?" Jake asked.

Cody pointed at the left path of the forked path ahead. "There. We absolutely can't go there." As he said that, they heard a feminine scream from that direction, making him panic. "We won't go there, right?"

Jake smiled. "Let's go."

"Wait, Butler. It is too dangerous!" Cody exclaimed. "Besides, they won't die if the snake defeats it."

"Precisely. We won't die. That's why we don't have to be scared. We will only fail this event."

"But...."

"If you are scared, feel free to run away, but don't expect any help from me in the future." Jake walked calmly to the left turn.

"So you heard him. I will go because it sounds fun," Warren said, patting Cody's shoulder.

As both of them continued walking, Cody gritted his teeth and said, "Wait! I don't want to be a coward anymore. At least, let's proceed with a plan. I will scout the situation first."

Jake smiled and replied, "Go ahead."

Cody murmured something, and a black sphere expanded out of his body. This was the rank 0 spell Jake had given in his manual, [Dark Sphere]. It did nothing aside from making things dark, and that was why it was easy to learn.

Even though this spell sounded useless, it was compatible with Cody's [Shadow Stealth]. After reading grade E with his ability, he could move around while in stealth mode. However, he needed to completely surround his body in darkness first.

After the dark sphere disappeared, Cody was nowhere in sight, but Jake knew he was just turning invisible.

Jake couldn't hear any footsteps, but he knew Cody had moved. Thanks to a certain footwork technique in [Star Way], Cody could move without producing footsteps.

Jake trusted Cody to come back safely, so he waited for his return. After a while, Cody turned off his invisibility and looked at Jake with a panicked expression. "Reina, Claymore, and Remington are fighting the giant snake. They will lose if we don't do something."

"Calm down. We will save them. First, we need a plan first. I will lure the snake away from them. Then, you will save them."

"What happens after that?" Cody asked.

"I don't know. I am lacking information about the battlefield."

"It's dangerous for you, Butler," Warren said in a worried tone.

"Don't worry. It's not the first time for me to deal with giant creatures. Let's go. I am going first. You look at the situation. After I lure the snake, you save them."

As he said, Jake went first. At the end of the path was a spacious space with many sharp boulders and three other tunnels. No wonder a giant snake could live here. He guessed the snake was the mid boss.

Jake looked around and found his classmates. Reina was facing a black-scaled snake while protecting her two friends behind her. She was the only person who could use [Aura Ignition] from level one, so she could buy time for a while. However, even she couldn't defeat the snake alone.

As for her friends, they couldn't help her. Olympia Claymore was lying down while grabbing her leg. There was a thick ice layer on her leg that Jake assumed was Anastasia Remington's doing. It seemed they were trying to stop Olympia's bleeding wound. And, judging from the treatment, it might be a heavy wound.

"Reina, I am done. Take Anastasia and run away from here," Olympia said.

Reina didn't answer her, but she didn't move from her spot, showing her unwillingness to leave her friends. It was a tough decision, but she didn't hesitate. Even if she has to fight the giant monster, she wouldn't leave them.

"Don't be a fool. We have promised. If we fail, we will fail together," Anastasia scolded.

At this moment, Jake entered the battlefield and said, "What are you doing, Anastasia? If you still have the energy to talk, help Reina. Cast the [Ice Blast]!"

The [Ice Blast] was the spell Jake had given to her in the magic class. Anastasia, who had [Ice Manipulation] talent, should have learned it easily.

Anastasia was bewildered when she saw Jake, but she snapped back to her senses when Jake shouted at her again. She extended her hands forward and murmured something. A blue light gathered in her hands, and she launched it as a giant ball. It exploded when it hit the snake and spread a thin frost layer on the creature's head.

Anastasia immediately coughed from the bottom of her lung and dropped to the ground after using the spell.

Jake guessed she had used the spell a few times against the snake, but it could only affect the creature for a moment, and the last spell was really her last effort. "Good job, Anastasia," he decided to praise her, even though she probably had fallen unconscious.

Those girls' jobs were done. It was his turn to face the snake.

Jake propelled his body upward with [Repulsion Force]. After that, he pierced the snake's eye with his halberd.

At the same time, the ice layer around the snake's body shattered. The snake whipped its upper body violently as a halberd pierced its eye. Meanwhile, Jake clung to his weapon and tried to endure the snake's violent moves.

"Jake... What should I do to help you?" Reina asked, nervous.

"Take those two away first. I will be fine!" Jake shouted.

Reina nodded and carried her friends in each of her arms. As she was running, she saw Cody and Warren ahead of her. Those boys were peeking behind a certain boulder and waving at her.

"Young Mistress, come here," Cody shouted.

In this situation, Reina didn't doubt her classmates. She rushed toward the boulder. When she arrived, she put her friends gently and looked at Jake's situation.

Reina could see the snake going berserk as it banged its head against boulders and the ground. However, she couldn't find Jake. "Where is Jake?" she asked in a worried tone.

Suddenly, Jake appeared from atop of the boulder and landed before them. He sighed in relief and said, "That was dangerous. The snake actually has [Ice Manipulation] talent too. No wonder Anastasia's ice spell could only affect it for a moment."

Jake looked at everyone and then knelt in front of Olympia. He checked her leg and found out there were two holes in her leg. "I see. The snake has bitten you. Luckily, its venom only affects ogroids, so your life shouldn't be in danger."

"What should we do, Jake?" Anastasia asked. "If I wasn't too careless, Olly wouldn't get bitten. It was all my fault."

Olympia shook her head weakly. The light in her eyes was fading, and her hand missed Anastasia's face a few times before the latter grabbed her hand toward her face. "This is not your fault."

Looking at Olympia's weakened state, the others were panicking, except for Jake. Jake assessed the situation calmly. Even if he looked emotionlessly in other people's eyes, someone had to make the calm decision.

"I am sorry, Olly, but I can only ask you to endure the pain. I am sorry." Jake apologized twice, showing he was sympathetic toward her.

"If I was right, this is the mid boss room. Other people who strive to conquer this gate will enter this room. We can only wait for Marilyn or Lisa Machbell from class B. They are the only people who have the power of healing in elite classes. You can wait for them, or I can end your pain by triggering Mr. Whitehound's protective spell. Your choice, Olly."

Olympia grabbed Jake's shoulder weakly and whispered, "I won't give up because of this pain. If there is hope, I will cling to it. I won't waste my opportunity to get strong in this place!"