The better the skill, the higher the potential. The higher the potential, the harder the application difficulty.
It meant that a userâs competence was important in pulling out all the potential of a skill.
Nevertheless, there were skills that couldnât be solved with the problem of competence alone.
Super Sensitivity was a representative example of this.
It was a skill to predict upcoming crises and the behavioral patterns of targets.
It predicted when someone became a target of a skill already used, when to target the opponent, when they would encounter the opponent, when to move to a specific place, and so on.
The skill functioned under all conditions and was given the âsystem assistance.â
The system alerted users to the predictions through a notification window or voice message.
It was hard for even a genius to handle the flood of information that came in real time. How many people would tolerate the voice guidance or notification windows in a sober manner?
As such, there were restrictions.
A great swordsmanâs Super Sensitivity only had a duration of a few seconds while Kraugelâs Super Sensitivity had many functions limited. Every time the stat increased, the limits of the functions would gradually unlock, giving the player time to adapt.
The same was true for the Shadow Technique that belonged to Lantierâs Methods.
This top-rated skill that had to partially control the shadows and their weapons reduced the playerâs burden by limiting the number of weapons and shadows that a player could raise.
Previously, Faker studied the skill from Kasim, and only six shadows could be raised when the skill was level 3.
However, Kasim was different.
Just as Mercedes could handle Keen Insight which was the higher version of Super Sensitivity, Kasim was able to control the shadows perfectly.
It was the ability of the named-grade NPC with the setting of âKing of Shadows.â
Hundreds of thousands of shadow troops filled the battlefield.
They emerged from the feet or from the back, stabbing the imperial soldiersâ necks and backs.
The basic characteristic of the Shadow Technique where the âpower is weakened when summoning a large number of soldiersâ also applied to Kasim, and it was rare for an imperial soldier to be fatally wounded or killed by the shadows.
â
Uh... Uwahh...
â Still, the morale of the imperial forces sank completely.
The sudden appearance of hundreds of thousands of troops was more shocking than any natural disaster.
Just one person...
The center of the stage, which had been naturally created, contained the calm Drunk Duke Diworth. No, he was amused.
He precisely captured Kasimâs image hiding in the darkness.
âYou were a black cat survivor.â
Diworth threw Noll, who was held in his hand, to the ground.
Noll coughed up blood.
He was unable to recover. The unidentified alcohol absorbed into his body prevented his magic power and organs from functioning.
Tong!
Diworth kicked Noll in the direction of the knights and shook his head.
âThere werenât any duty officers at headquarters at the time, so it was my job. I used my brain. Unfortunately, I was too excited and made a mistake. You will die by my hands and wonât be able to get revenge on the empire...â
âTake back those words,â Kasim interrupted Diworth in the middle of his speech.
Kasimâs stealth disappeared, and his eyes shone with killing intent.
Diworth scratched his head. âWhat words?â
âDonât call me black cat!â
âBlack catâ was the name the empire used to refer to the Nero.
The skin of the Nero was black and their actions were clandestine, so they were nicknamed âblack catâ.
There wasnât a âdemeaningâ intention behind it.
Why would they demean insignificant beings? It was just easy to call them by this name.
âWe arenât black cats but the Nero! We are humans, not beasts! Humans!â
Then the empire trampled on the Nero, brutally murdering them regardless of whether they were adults or children. Only Kasim survived.
Kasimâs shout rocked the battlefield.
In the midst of the imperial soldiers, the shadow soldiers poured toward Diworth.
Diworth swung his hand.
âTrivial things.â
The magic shield destroyed all the shadow weapons that flew at it.
The scattered shadows returned to their places.
âIn order to deal with a duke of the Saharan Empire, did you increase the number of shadows to this point?â Diworth didnât know Kasim, but he knew the King of Shadows.
The empireâs intelligence network which spanned the entire continent was well aware of the fact that the King of Shadows was Lantierâs disciple and that he used shadows.
âThe more shadows that are dispersed, the more cloudy they become. If you intend to kill a duke of the empire and get revenge on the empire, you shouldâve gathered all the shadows at one point and aimed for my heart. Like this.â
Magic power condensed around Diworthâs fingertip and aimed at Kasim.
Goosebumps appeared on the skin of Noll, who got caught by the imperial knights.
âA human has such power...!â
The desert split apart.
A straight line of magic power pierced Kasimâs heart and didnât stop as it disappeared beyond the desert horizon.
No one knew where it flew to.
There was no sound.
Then Kasim fell to his knees.
He looked like a broken doll.
âKasim!!â Chris, who had been hopeful after Kasim appeared, shouted desperately.
He belatedly realized things had gone wrong and used the Tyrantâs power.
Chris hoped that Kasim would be alive and that Noll would escape while he attracted Diworthâs attention.
He rushed through the imperial forces toward Diworth.
Then a hand protruded from a gap between the soldiers and stopped Chris.
A voice rang out, âTeacher didnât die.â
Kasim lived due to his desire to get revenge on the empire.
He had protected a babyâs side for years while only thinking of revenge, and it wasnât easy for him to lose his composure.
Kasimâs fury when creating the shadow army was an act.
It was a sacrifice to announce that there was a Nero survivor.
He attracted Diworthâs attention and didnât reveal that this was a falsehood.
It was all for one purpose.
â...?â
It was to rescue Noll.
Knights fell from a few flashes of light as Kasim appeared among them to grab Noll.
âCatch him!â
The great knights fought back against Kasim. The magicians also supported them.
However, Kasim was the best assassin, and ordinary knights and magicians couldnât stop him.
Kasim was faster than anyone else as he held Noll in his arms. The Shadow Technique combined with the Nero characteristics meant it was more covert than normal shadow skills.
âDisappeared?â
Kasim appeared and disappeared like a ghost.
He rescued Noll and hid in the shadows, making it hard for even Duke Diworth of the Seven Dukes to detect him.
âI was tricked.â Diworth was less intoxicated after releasing his magic power.
Once his drunkenness was gone, he lost interest and handed matters over to Marquis Fulbas. âCatch the one you can grab.â
He was going to do it anyway.
Marquis Fulbasâ gaze turned toward Chris.
He didnât intend to miss capturing Chris.
âCommander Chris of Reidan, you are valuable as a hostage.â Marquis Fulbas swung his sword and so did the four earls by his side.
Every one of them was more powerful than Chris.
They were leaders who led hundreds of thousands of troops.
In the first place, there was no way for Chris to break through hundreds of thousands of troops.
âI canât be a hostage.â
If he was a hostage, he would grabbing at his teammatesâ ankles.
The time wasted would also increase.
It was better for him to die neatly.
Kasim and Noll had escaped safely, so there was no need for regrets.
Chris judged and released all of his armor.
He intended to passively die from the enemiesâ next attacks without letting them capture him alive.
The death of the commander would greatly reduce morale, but it was better than being a hostage.
At this moment, the wind blew.
There was a gust of wind that made the imperial soldiers split apart like the Red Sea and form a barrier in front of the marquis and the earls.
There was only one magician Chris knew who could completely control the wind.
âZednos!â
He was an early member of the Overgeared Guild.
Zednos, former Tzedakah member and 1st ranked wind magician, sent a whisper to Chris.
-
I can only maintain it for three seconds!
Use this gap to escape!
A miracle didnât happen easily.
Zednos squeezed out all his mana, but only managed to tie up the feet of a few of the troops.
One of the earls was gathering aura at the end of his sword.
The wind barriers were already losing momentum and were destined to shatter.
-
I understand!
His colleague had risked himself to come help, so Chris couldnât passively die.
Chris wore his armor again and rushed through the rain of arrows.
The soldiersâ gazes were dispersed as Chris saw his companions everywhere.
Jishuka and Yura covered him with arrows and bullets. Pon, Regas, and Peak Sword attacked the enemies while Vantner and Toban used wide-range taunt skills. His other colleagues like Zirkan and Laella were doing their best to secure the path of retreat.
âChris! This way!â
âRun away!â
âIn any case, Iâm foolish.â
Chris laughed as he swung the greatsword to the side and sliced the enemies.
The members of Overgeared were positioned in oasis around the desert.
Those who pursued guerrilla warfare or physical strength and maximum efficient now entered the battlefield.
They were trying to save Chris, just as Chris tried to save Noll.
They didnât think life was worthless.
They just believed that their colleaguesâ lives were more important than their own.
This was all because of Grid.
It was all learned from watching Grid.
Magic rushed toward Chrisâ back as he rushed to escape.
The imperial army didnât miss this gap when Chrisâ body was reeling from the powerful force.
Spells quickly poured out and reduced Chrisâ health.
If the marquis hadnât given the order to capture him, Chris wouldâve already died.
Chris felt the earls approaching and shouted with all his might, âGive up on me and run away together!â
âNo.â
â...?â
Then Chrisâ shadow moved.
The shadow spoke,
âThe commander shouldnât die.â
The shadow grew, and black hair fluttered.
âFaker!â
One of the earls reaching out to Chris fell down.
Faker jumped out and inserted a dagger into the earlâs side.
It was a destructive technique linked to speed.
The move was reminiscent of the living Doran who only Grid knew.
âNot a chance!â The fallen earl rose again.
A total of four earls stabbed at Faker at the same time.
Faker avoided one knife in exchange for thrusting a dagger into one personâs abdomen.
His body was torn apart.
The sight of Fakerâs blood was unfamiliar to Chris.
Faker was strong even to Chris.
âF-Faker!â
âGo.â
However, Faker didnât look back.
He summoned six shadow soldiers to protect Chris.
Faker had to disperse his mental power in order to control the soldiers.
This meant that his body was weakened, but he didnât care.
He was the shadow that protected the Overgeared Kingdom.
It was his duty to serve and sacrifice himself for the light while not letting others know him. His death wouldnât affect the war.
âEclipse.â Faker completely assimilated with the darkness, but he didnât have full control due to the six shadow soldiers.
The earls didnât lose sight of Faker, and Faker continued to grab their ankles while being cut.
âNext time... Next time, I will protect you!â Chris was escorted by the shadow soldiers and barely escaped the enemyâs encirclement.
The members of Overgeared gathered in one place and helped him.
However, Marquis Fulbas was closely chasing Chris.
âIt isnât a bad situation.â
It was the opportunity to strike down the enemy commander.
Marquis Fulbas welcomed the golden opportunity and was about to release his ultimate technique, only to stop.
It was because Noll appeared with Kasim from the shadows and threatened him. âGet lost!â
Marquis Fulbas realized that Noll had removed most of the alcohol and quietly lowered his sword. He had to give up the chase as the Overgeared people fled neatly. Then he resented Diworth.
âIf Sir Diworth fought to the end, we couldâve wiped out the enemies.â
Diworth was lazy when he wasnât drunk.
He didnât show passion toward any particular situation.
Diworth wasnât in a position to condemn the young nobles for being cowards.
The grim truth was that most of the Seven Dukes were like Diworth.
The empire that had been prosperous for so long was decaying from the top.
Marquis Fulbas sighed and commanded the entire army, âGet sufficient rest.â
â
Wahhhh!
â It was an order to take a few days of rest. The soldiers cheered upon hearing the command of the marquis, who judged that the Overgeared members and Noll wouldnât attack again today.
At dawn on that day, a strong wave of magic power was detected over Reidan Castle.
âMass Teleport?â Marquis Fulbas rushed out of the barracks and felt a strange apprehension.
Earl Baget approached him. âI guess reinforcements have arrived.â
The earl had been seriously wounded by the Overgeared Kingdomâs young assassin during the battle.
âI was worried, but Iâm glad you are healing well.â
âThank you for your concern.â
The smell of chicken poop coming came from the earlâs body as he answered.
He mustâve sweated a lot on the battlefield.
If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.