Kevin flew toward Sebastian like an arrow.

  Sebastian’s instincts kicked in, and he immediately drew upon his [Swordsmanship] Skill. He jumped back and parried the dagger.

  Kevin followed up by continuing to swipe at Sebastian with his two daggers.

  Each attack was parried or dodged. It was difficult to

  accurately parry daggers as opposed to swords, but with the guidance of

  the [System] it mostly worked out.

  The [System]’s guidance was always subtle, like an aimbot

  at a low setting, or a slight pitch correction on someone’s singing. It

  worked best for someone who actually knew what they were doing.

  Sebastian was in a strange position with his

  [Swordsmanship] Skill. He had only trained with his sword for a few

  weeks. His Talent and Titles let him learn faster than most, but he was

  still pretty much a beginner when it came to true fights.

  The same was true for Kevin. He had only trained with his

  daggers for a few months at most, and from what Sebastian could see he

  had only gained a few specific Skills rather than a general one like

  himself. Like Cadmar, Kevin seemed to lack a completed Sword Style

  Skill. Kevin was stronger and faster, but Sebastian had his unique Sword

  Art. That slight edge from the [System] made them mostly even.

  Sebastian imbued more and more intent with every stroke of his sword.

  His movements became cleaner and more efficient.

  It only made Kevin angrier that he couldn’t land a good

  hit. Kevin had combined some basic boxing technique with the dagger

  techniques of this world to form a style of his own. It hadn’t gained

  the recognition of the [System] yet, but it was still a force to

  reckoned with.

  He threw jabs followed by straights and spun his daggers around and swiped at Sebastian as he dodged the punch.

  What kinda [System] bullshit is that? Sebastian thought as Kevin consistently switched his daggers between forward and a reverse grip with a magical ease and speed.

  If not for his [Mind’s Eye], Sebastian would have been

  killed several times over. Worst of all, it wasn’t just the blades of

  the hero candidate’s daggers that were dangerous.

  During Sebastian’s fight with Cadmar a few days ago, he

  had learned the dangers of a simple punch while distracted by the weapon

  moving to kill you. With Kevin, his fists were capable of just as much

  damage as his daggers. His arm guards had brass knuckles built in. They

  crackled with some kind of energy as they passed less than an inch above

  Sebastian’s head.

  Damnit! I can’t keep this up

  forever. My broken arm is mostly healed, but it’s still not at a 100%.

  It’s just a matter of time before I lose a battle of attrition.

  He took a deep breath and reminded himself of Silas’

  teachings. “A glancing blow is nothing. Avoid dangerous hits, of course,

  but don’t hesitate to take a small wound if it lets you get a clean hit

  it yourself. The best defense is a good offense.”

  Sebastian drew on his [Intergalactic Sword Art] and went on the attack.

  Every gap between Kevin’s quick clusters of attacks were

  windows for counterattacks. The ducks and weaves of boxing were better

  suited for a fist fight than a sword fight, and Sebastian forced him to

  keep a distance beyond his preferred range. The exchange caused a

  [System] alert to pop up which distracted Sebastian for a moment causing

  Kevin to draw some blood before he refocused.

  A hit needed intent behind it to truly matter.

  Kevin got more hits in with his daggers, but none of them

  wielded any strong intent beyond a wild rage. They drew blood but

  didn’t cause any real damage. On the other hand, Sebastian’s intent was

  sharp. Every grazing hit did more damage than they otherwise would have.

  Kevin ducked under a backhanded swipe of Sebastian’s sword, and Sebastian sensed a sudden force that emanated from Kevin’s body.

  “Rising Tide!”

  His dagger swiped upward like reverse lightning in a

  clean arch. Sebastian saw it coming with his [Mind’s Eye] and jumped

  back the moment the force began to build up. The blade missed him by an

  inch, but when Sebastian landed, blood spurted out from this chest.

  What in the hell was that?! I definitely dodged the blade.

  Must have been some bullshit Skill

  to extend his cut. If not for my physical cultivation I probably would

  have died right there. And did he really just call out his finishing

  move? I didn’t think that was something people did, maybe it’s not, to

  be fair. Could just be him being a pretentious ass. Whatever, focus!

  Kevin’s jaw dropped, and his eyes widened in shock when

  he realized that his finishing move, the Skill he had worked the hardest

  on since he began his training, failed to kill his enemy for the first

  time.

  In that moment of distraction, a shadow descended from above and smacked him into the ground.

  POV Bishop, five minutes ago.

  Bishop got up after having been tackled away from his

  team. He grabbed the great battle axe strapped to his back, ready to

  fight Raphael Bronte to the death if necessary.

  “Calm down, Mr. Bishop,” said Boss Raph sternly.

  The two men stared at each other for a moment. They were

  both roughly equal in size, except Boss Raph had the physique of a

  roided out bodybuilder whereas Bishop’s muscles, while still very

  pronounced, were far more natural.

  They stood on the grassy fields of the western region,

  between the city’s mines in the northwest on one side and a forest on

  the other. The sounds of fighting erupted in the distance.

  Uncertain what to make of the crime boss’ unexpected

  words, Bishop gripped the handle of his axe but didn’t draw it from his

  back just yet. He looked around, and he realized that there was probably

  a reason why they were so far away from the others.

  “Alright, you have my attention, Mr. Bronte.”

  “I have an offer that I think you’ll want to hear,” his

  eyes glanced over to Bishop’s hand, still on the handle of his axe. “Or

  we can always fight the death if that’s what you really want.”

  Bishop’s eyes narrowed with a mix of confusion, relief, and suspicion. “Is a fight to the death not what you all came here for?”

  “It’s what the guards came for, that’s for sure, but I don’t work for them. A notion which Interim

  Commander Wadley seems to have forgotten.” He spoke the word ‘interim’

  disdainfully, making a point of how little respect he had for the man.

  Bishop relaxed, to some degree at least, and released his grip on his axe. “So, what do you want? What’s this offer of yours?”

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  “Simple. You go join your team and take out the elites, while I take down Wadley.”

  Shocked but intrigued, Bishop wanted to believe him but

  felt the offer was a bit too good to be true. “Why would you turn on

  them like that? I get that you don’t work for them, or even really like

  them given your line of work, but why help us? Surely whatever rewards

  the commander has offered you would be better than turning on them like

  this? You could be named traitor, like we were. Besides, I thought you

  had beef with our newest member.”

  Boss Raph’s face remained blank throughout, not giving Bishop any chance to read him.

  “I only care about two things in life: Money and

  reputation. Your friend means nothing to me. He beat my worthless

  half-brother, and he killed a fool who disobeyed me. My reputation is

  not so weak that it would be impacted by the failure of losers. I did as

  Wadley asked when he wanted your friend lured out, it was good money

  for no effort after all, but then he got greedy. Arrogant. He believes

  that the courtesy I extend to the general and his vice-generals apply to

  him by proxy.”

  A look of understanding, mixed with some relief, washed over Bishop’s face as Boss Raph continued his explanation.

  “The general is over level 70, his vice-generals are both

  over level 60. Dogs of the crown or not, power is respectable. Wadley

  is a cowardly 57 with very little experience, even at my own level 54 I

  could break him like a twig. If you and I take this window he so

  graciously presented, you and your team can escape the city without

  issue, and I get free reign of the city. It’s only a matter of time

  until the general returns from the front in the East, but until then I

  get to spread my influence, uninterrupted.”

  Bishop looked at the crime boss, conflicted. This was

  probably the only way to ensure that he and his team get out in one

  piece, but leaving the city in the hands of a criminal wasn’t exactly

  his dream scenario. While he didn’t feel much love for the kingdom at

  large, the city of Luxendorf had been his home for most of his life. He

  shook his head and smiled at his own silliness. Beggars can’t be

  choosers.

  “Fine, but what about reinforcements? Surely there will be more coming.”

  “About two dozen more coming on land bound mounts from

  nearby outposts. All level 40 something, perhaps one or two barely over

  level 50. Not a threat in and of themselves, but with the Commander and

  the others, not to mention some of their high end weapons, you’ll be

  overrun.” Boss Raph gestured with his hand toward the others. “That’s

  all this is, why he needed me. We fly out to intercept you and stall

  until the rest show up with enough firepower to lock you down. They’ll

  be here in about 15 minutes. If we hurry we can take them down in time

  for you and your team to escape and for me to be gone before they

  arrive.”

  “15 minutes, huh. That’s more than enough,” Bishop said.

  They shared a nod of understanding and the two of them took off like bullets toward the others.

  The battle between the hunting party and the city guard elites

  The hunters were outnumbered four against five. Unlike

  the guards, however, they’d had years of experience fighting as a team,

  even if they mainly fought against monsters rather than other people.

  All of them were over level 40 with Dolan and Silas at the top, both at

  level 49, and the others in the mid-forties. The guards, with the

  exception of Interim Commander Wadley, were of a similar level to the

  hunters.

  The hunters quickly leaped into their roles when the

  fighting began. Carvell took the front and protected the others while

  Dolan and Rafi stayed back to offer support.

  Interim Commander Wadley stayed back as the four elites

  brandished their swords and stepped toward the hunters. One by one, down

  the line as if rehearsed, the elites vanished in a blur. They’d gone

  invisible. They had a Stealth Skill of some sort.

  None of the hunters panicked. Their eyes scanned their

  surroundings in search for the hidden guards. Without missing a beat,

  Rafi called on a spell and swung his wand. It was longer than a

  traditional wand, but he still insisted on calling it that. The wand was

  the length of a baseball bat but uniform in thickness, like a basic

  stick with a pommel.

  A flash of energy erupted from the wand and a thin fog

  covered the area. It was spread too thin to hinder any of their enhanced

  senses, but as their invisible enemies passed through the fog, their

  bodies formed a clear outline which rendered their Stealth Skill

  useless.

  Two guards descended on Carvell, swords striking with the

  intent of cutting him in half. In the brief moment where Rafi’s spell

  allowed him to see their attack, Carvell expertly maneuvered his shield

  to block both attacks, one high and one low.

  The clang of metal on metal was quickly accompanied by

  the shrill sound of an arrow cutting through the air and striking one of

  the two elite guards in the stomach. He stumbled but it didn’t stop him

  for long. The guard dashed toward Silas who was busy defending against

  the other two. But before he even got a step in, Carvell had tackled him

  away.

  Silas kept the other two at bay with a superior

  swordsmanship. At times Rafi would use the fog to form bolts of water to

  assault the elites fighting Silas, and the swordsman took advantage of

  every opportunity. He tore through the elites defenses but failed to do

  as much damage as expected. Their enchanted armor was too strong to

  pierce with just a few attacks.

  As soon as Silas realized, his primary focus shifted to

  defense, using Rafi’s buffs to maintain a level of control of the fight

  while trusting Dolan to look for openings.

  Dolan didn’t disappoint.

  There were no trees for him to hide in or jump around on,

  but he moved through the fog like a ghost, perhaps more hidden even than

  the invisible elite guards. Arrows of pure essence came flying at the

  guards from whichever angle was hardest for them to defend against.

  BAM

  Carvell came tumbling through the fog toward the others.

  There was an indent of a large fist on his shield. He leaped back to his

  feet and blocked a yellow, flying fist of essence. This time, he angled

  his shield to the side to disperse the impact rather than take it head

  on.

  The commander was a coward who stayed back while his

  subordinates fought, but he was still over level 50 and certainly

  stronger than all the other guards. He had joined the battle when it

  became clear that his elites were slowly losing. With his help, the

  tides turned.

  Even so, the hunters held on.

  They even adapted to the commander joining the fray and

  managed to wear down the enchantments on the guards’ equipment. It still

  wasn’t enough. They were out-numbered and out-gunned, and the guards

  were increasingly careful as the fight dragged on.

  Dolan was the first to take notice of the fact that the

  guards weren’t taking any unnecessary risks. It dawned on him that their

  objective was to stall for time until reinforcements arrived.

  Fortunately, he was also the first to notice another variable.

  He fired an arrow toward the knee of one of the guards fighting Silas to make him jump back.

  Before the guard even had a chance to land, he was

  smacked by the flat side of a battle axe and swatted away, rag-dolling

  across the broken field.

  The closest elite turned around in shock at the sudden

  development and was punished by his distracted attention by Silas’ sword

  piercing his thigh. He barely had time to let out a yelp of pain before

  Bishop’s fist struck his face, knocking him out.

  The third elite turned to run toward his commander, but

  an arrow caught his foot and brought him face first into the dirt. Dolan

  leaped into the air and landed with his knee directly on the guard’s

  neck, which immediately rendered him unconscious.

  The four hunters shared a quick look of acknowledgment

  before running over to help Carvell who had been pushed farther away by

  the commander and the last elite.

  When they reached him, Boss Raph was already there, beating Interim Commander Wadley into a crater.

  Without the level 57 interim commander, the final elite

  guard couldn’t hold his own against Carvell. The other hunters didn’t

  even have time to give him a hand before Carvell’s massive shield was

  used as a weapon to knock the guard out.

  Carvell looked up and gave the others a quick nod before they hurried over to Sebastian.

  Bishop dashed up behind Kevin and smacked him into the

  ground with his axe. The hero candidate was half-buried in the newest of

  many newly formed, massive craters in Luxendorf’s outer region.

  POV Sebastian

  Sebastian quickly shook Bishop’s hand in gratitude for

  the rescue, and the group took off toward the watch tower on the outer

  wall. None of them spared so much as a glance at the continued beating

  of the guards.

  Boss Raph wasn’t quite as merciful as the hunters and had

  ruthlessly moved on from the commander when a couple of the elites had

  woken up. Violent rumbling and echoing thuds rolled over the fields

  behind them as the crime boss’ fists descended on the poor guards behind

  them.

  Soon, the group reached the watch tower.

  They had been worried that it would be heavily manned,

  but they were in luck. With the exception of a couple of low level

  scouts to keep an eye out, the watch tower was mostly empty. The city

  truly was under-manned.

  The guards at the watch tower didn’t even offer up any

  resistance, they were scouts for a reason. Their eyesight was better

  than most. They had witnessed the fight and knew that they stood no

  chance if they tried to resist.

  Attached to the ground floor of the watch tower was a

  small stable, in part to help with matters within the outer region but

  also for anything that might be needed outside the outer wall.

  Dolan kept watch to make sure that the guards’

  reinforcements weren’t catching up to them, but they all felt pretty

  good about their odds. They hurriedly packed up a couple of carts with

  various supplies stored in the watch tower.

  Rafi and Carvell then each took the reins of the two

  extraordinarily buff horses and the group headed out, toward the

  Silvervale Woodlands.

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