For some reason, I felt lighter than usual.
How long had it been since I last wandered around causing trouble so carelessly?
Recalling the broadcast now brings about an odd sensation.
Either due to wanting to be part of the highly impactful issue, or the war itself escalated rapidly.
First, the hostile alliance of the Crusaders, MoonStar, declared their intervention.
And the cycle of more parties getting involved repeated, creating a tangled structure.
Now, with the full attention of civilians drawn in… neither side can retreat anymore.
It was obvious that the losing side would suffer tremendous humiliation.
And typically, the dishonor of a guild directly correlates with the mass exodus of its members.
At this point, the rewards for the castle siege took a backseat.
For the losing side, it’s a guillotine match — heads will roll.
One of us, be it me or my rival, will become unable to make a living in this game.
[Guild Member ‘Yoru’ requests activation of ‘Operator’ mode. Y/N]
[Confirmation acknowledged.]
[‘Yoru’ is now within extended communication range during combat.]
[Shared vision and signal systems activated.]
Anyway, there’s still some time before the start of the siege battle.
From now on, it was necessary to start taking out hostile guild members in advance.
Our top priority is to disrupt the siege weapon production quest.
Preventing material gathering in the field and, if possible, taking out their commanders — that was my role.
In short, it was my job to fight anyone in sight.
– Hello. Did you hear?
“More or less.”
– Older Brother Yuhan. Ah, Soobin asked me to assist, so please take care of me.
“I know you from your name.”
– That’s great. And Sister Gawol, I enjoyed your broadcast. I became a fan since your Reaper competition…
I paused briefly.
The moment I heard the word ‘broadcast,’ my thoughts momentarily froze.
A chill ran down my spine.
I coughed a few times to keep my voice from sounding too awkward.
“Though I appreciate it, don’t bring up the broadcast in front of me.”
– Oh, I’m sorry. But could we at least take one screenshot together later?
“Depends on how well you perform. If you do well, I might even add you as a friend. We will likely work together often.”
– I’ll work really hard. Just give me the chance.
Well, it’s about whether I’ll continue playing the game further. But there’s no need to say that.
Soobin’s confident Ace card.
Yoru’s voice was brimming with enthusiasm.
Apparently, the motivation was already set correctly.
Desert shrouded in the evening shadows.
Our journey was interrupted by Yoru’s voice.
– Eleven o’clock direction. There’s an enemy 250m ahead. Total fifteen. Working on a drilling machine.
– No need to kill all of them. Just breaking the drilling machine will do.
– Our side has a party waiting in the nearby area.
– They said a party from MoonStar will arrive soon, what would you like to do?
“Are there any named characters? Especially Immaenglyang. Is that person’s location confirmed?”
– I checked before we came. You’re concerned about debuffs, right?
– Apparently, there’s currently no one who poses an immediate threat.
– Even so, we’re outnumbered. Are you sure you’re okay?
“It’s plenty. Tell our side’s party to just distract them for me.”
What is this?
This kid is actually competent.
There was no hitch in the briefing process.
He clearly understands what I need to be concerned about and prepares everything beforehand.
He was already a pass already as an Operator to sync up with or a guild officer.
I’ll evaluate his skills as a Sniper once the action begins.
[Field: Ruins of the Ancient Kingdom Territory]
[Operator refreshed the Minimap.]
The scene through the sniper’s eyes appears in a corner of my vision.
The starlit desert. An arrow fired from the crossbow split the dark-blue sky.
Two shots were more than enough to break the quiet that had settled.
Yoru had conveyed the orders properly.
Maintaining distance from the enemy, two archers were leading with suppressive fire.
The first ambush hit perfectly, turning an enemy warrior into a porcupine.
No voices were heard.
But the faint explosion and the vibrations that traveled through the air were proof of the engagement.
Our side is doing well for now.
Even though we’re still at a numerical disadvantage, the position of the lance knight is quite good.
They shouldn’t be wiped out so easily if it’s at this level.
“I’m going in too. Let’s see your skills.”
– Yes. I’m ready.
The desert turns out to be a surprisingly favorable place for surprise attacks.
Because of the sand dunes scattered everywhere and the limited light.
Footsteps don’t echo much on the accumulated sand either.
Even while properly guarding, it’s not easy to spot me in an environment like this.
In a one-on-one situation with a pro, an assassin securing the initiative is typical.
With a decoy to draw attention — my success rate for surprise attacks could be described as 100% without exaggeration.
[Item: Ashen Sect’s Stepping Stone]
[Consuming the item creates a floating platform at the desired location for 2 seconds.]
[The created platform does not produce footsteps.]
A little magic power is used to create a floating panel in mid-air.
I leapt up vigorously but, unfortunately, I don’t have wings.
As I fell vertically, I used the warrior’s head as a landing spot.
The forceful impact distorted his posture.
With his guard weakened, my assassination target was left defenseless.
I carved a huge slash into the confused warlock’s neck.
The crimson blood created a spray but, as expected at the spec level of a siege guild member — he didn’t die with that one hit.
Well, he’s still just a mage-type body after all.
Throwing my dagger into his chest sufficed, and he collapsed.
Behind me, the opposing Kunoichi reacted sharply…
CLANG—!
Blood spurted from her masked face as a gunshot finally sounded late.
That’s some considerable firepower.
– Hostile Kunoichi eliminated.
“Nice.”
– Next will be the Flare shot. Watch out for the splash.
Before the weakened kunai hit the ground,
It was my turn to finish off the warrior lying beneath me.
I pressed down on the back of his head again and plunged my blade into his neck and temple.
This guy seemed significant as he had a stubborn amount of life.
Just as I grabbed his hair to slice his throat,
The warrior groaned weakly and said,
“Miss Gawol….”
“Hmm?”
“Could you possibly…lick my toe once?”
“HIEK!”
What kind of crazy thing are you saying.
Shocked, I withdrew my blade. Fortunately, the warrior’s life was finally severed.
In the distance of the battlefield appeared what looked like a red laser,
So close it almost grazed me.
It’s the trajectory of an ally sniper’s bullet marked by the system.
I used the warrior’s corpse as a shield to block the bullet’s landing zone.
Together with the delayed gunshot, roaring flames filled the battlefield.
Everyone’s visibility was momentarily obscured.
Given this, my course of action was clear.
– An assassin is likely to jump towards my side.
– Can you deal with it?
– If it’s too difficult, I’ll move positions.
“It’s fine. I’ll take care of it.”
Who do they think I am?
Since the sniper protects me, it’s my responsibility to protect our sniper as well.
Before the flames die out, I disappeared into hiding.
One assassin passed through the flames and headed my way.
Even in my stealth mode, skipping a proper greeting from a senior is unacceptable.
The junior needs some education in etiquette.
As part of the education, I pushed his face into the ground and mercilessly stabbed the ribs.
While rupturing internal organs, bleeding poison, paralysis poison, and severing the hamstring, I shifted into the shadows.
As my figure disappeared, the warrior charged forward with a powerful leap, only to lose sight of his target.
A round bullet struck the bewildered warrior.
– Warrior critically injured. I’ll finish him off.
– By the way, the opposing fighter is quite strong, what should we do?
– That’s the perverted guy in the Hundoshi.
– For now, shall I destroy the drill machine first?
“I’ll take care of it.”
I know who they’re talking about.
A fighter who tried to restrain our party, then spun violently — it’s a quite familiar face from the bulky exposed muscles.
“Long time no see, Hundoshi-sama. I didn’t expect to meet you as an enemy. I heard you used to be at the top guild upstairs.”
“I’m paying for my poor choice of friends.”
“Is that so? Then, let’s not have any feelings about this.”
“Of course.”
Hundoshimania.
He was a mercenary dispatched from the top-tier guild during the conflict with Dongmicham.
Apparently, he’s now assigned to the hostile Venom Guild.
We’ve done several party hunts together.
Aside from his bizarre attire and his choice of Fighter class, he was a pretty decent guy.
“You seem to have leveled up significantly.”
“Could I ever match Miss Gawol? I thought I’d give it a try anyway by using my skills.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“In the Arena, I always wanted to fight like this someday. As a challenger.”
Hundoshi clenched his fists.
The guarded stance was a clear sign of readiness for battle.
I, too, lifted my dagger to my upper body.
“Are you challenging me to a one-on-one?”
“Yes. If you’ll accept.”
“And why wouldn’t I?”
“Huh?”
“Why would I fight here when I’m done with my job?”
The sniper’s bullets fiercely hammered against the drilling machine.
The attitude was that of delivering all firepower.
While Yoru was destroying the machine, I took the opportunity to flee with dagger in hand.
I only fight battles I can win.
I don’t get involved in dangerous fights.
That’s my rule in field battles.
That was the reason I chose to be an assassin.
