77~Information Warfare
“Stop laughing!………You guys! Which side are you on anyway?! Why are you laughing so much?? I’m a beautiful young man at the peak of my blossoming sixteenth year, for crying out loud!” The rat-faced man was so angry that he was hopping mad, his face now flushed red from its previous earthy hue, perfectly complementing his pointed features to resemble a chili pepper.
But lo and behold, the moment those words left his mouth, his three teammates laughed even harder.
“Beautiful young man? At the peak of blossoming? HAHAHAHA!………..” Tears were streaming out of the eyes of the three teammates from laughing so hard.
“Borton, are you being serious right now?”
“Beautiful young man? So this is how you’ve viewed yourself all along? HAHAHA………”
“You guys!………If you laugh again, I’ll use Divine Authority on you!” An irate Borton waved the steel claws in his hand threateningly.
“………..” At this, the three finally stopped laughing, though their pained expressions still gave away their current mood.
“Alright, alright, stop fooling around. The prey has taken the bait, guys, it’s time to get to work.” Seeing Borton about to blow his top again, the Male God had no choice but to change the subject, directing everyone’s attention to Tillysha.
“Hey, baldy, is the blonde chick around here all alone?”
“Watch your tone, I’m your captain, you hear me!” The bald man leading them pursed his lips.
“Hmph, like I care. Is their team really just this little girl? If so, let’s finish it quickly and get ready for the next bunch of unlucky fools to fall into our trap.”
“What’s your hurry? Speaking of which, this girl’s pretty cute, isn’t she? It’d be a shame to eliminate her so easily, wouldn’t it?” The slender youth with the bow leered as he scoped Tillysha with a somewhat lustful gaze.
“Cut the cr*p, you and your fantasies. Even if she was this beautiful, it’d have nothing to do with you, would it? You actually think she’d be into someone like you?” The bald Male God rolled his eyes at the bow-wielding teammate behind him.
“Hmph……….”
Watching these bickering fellows, Tillysha furrowed her elegant brows.
Just from their demeanor and vocabulary, she could tell this group was likely not of noble birth, from the Male God to the Female God and Mage. They were probably a ragtag crew of nouveau riche, grassroots Male God, and Wild Female God.
From their inadvertent banter, Tillysha learned these four had ambushed quite a few teams already. But this time, she failed in her sneak attack.
While they were bickering, Tillysha activated Divine Analysis Technique, starting with a scan of the rat-faced man.
Name: Borton
Realm: [Sand Protection]
Physical Resistance: 4.5
Alchemy Resistance: 3.5
Mage Resistance: 3
Divine Resistance: 1.5
Realm Effect: After burrowing underground, all resistances double.
Divine Authority: [Crust Stealth]
Grants the ability to burrow underground, swiftly moving through the earth, able to execute Divine Authority strikes upon surfacing.
Also, the other man with the bow turned out to be a Female God.
Name: Endy
Realm: [Burst Protection]
Realm Effect: Gain more propulsion from the aftermath of an explosion.
Physical Resistance: 4
Alchemy Resistance: 3
Mage Resistance: 2.5
Divine Resistance: 1.5
Divine Authority: [Bomber Rhythm]
A physical attack that leaves a trace of Divine Authority on the enemy; once the trace piles up to a certain quantity, an explosion occurs.
With a sweep of Divine Analysis Technique, Tillysha obtained all the details about both individuals, from their Divine Authority to Realm information.
So this was it. The key to their ambush on other teams was Borton’s Divine Authority. He could strike without warning, often bypassing the Female Gods and quickly eliminating the enemy Male God, Mage, or Alchemist.
This sandy terrain was practically his natural barrier.
The other Female God, Endy, had fairly average Divine Authority, nothing particularly remarkable or noteworthy.
As Tillysha predicted, both these individuals were Wild Female Gods without surnames.
“Hey, Blondie, why’re you staring at me so intensely? Now’s not the time, but once we’re out of the Secret Realm, you can stare all you want. How’s that sound?” The bald Male God smirked.
Of course, he had no inkling that Tillysha was using Divine Analysis Technique. A Female God with the Male God’s talent had no recorded precedent so far, or perhaps such an instance just didn’t exist.
“Everyone, listen to me!” The bald man struck a dramatic pose.
“Next, prepare to witness my unparalleled performance, the invincible Divine Analysis Technique!…………. AH!!” Before the bald man finished his dramatic act, the moment his gaze landed on Tillysha, he clutched his eyes and rolled on the ground in pain.
This was the third one.
After three consecutive Male Gods experienced this, Tillysha already had a hunch as to why.
It was possible she was covered in a strange protective layer that prevented any Male God from using Divine Analysis Technique on her. Of course, it could also mean these Male Gods weren’t of high enough rank to scan her.
If a Male God with a high enough level of Divine Analysis Technique were to scan her, would he be able to obtain her information smoothly?
This was yet unknown.
“Hey, baldy, don’t you dare choke now??” At the sight of this, the teammates were all baffled, not understanding why the bald man suddenly started behaving so bizarrely.
As the battlefield changed in the blink of an eye, Tillysha had already raised her longbow.
Golden wings unfolded, and with a sweep of her wings, a light arrow left the bowstring, slicing through the air.
Borton quickly burrowed underground, dodging the light arrow.
Tillysha gazed down at the ground, sensing something beneath her feet gradually displacing the mud.
The rat-faced man was preparing to attack her. Meanwhile, Tillysha keenly perceived that Endy and the Mage nearby were also locking their sights on her.
If she leapt up to dodge Borton’s attack, these two ranged attackers wouldn’t hesitate to target her in mid-air where she’d have nowhere to dodge.
This was a situation impossible to handle all at once. Clearly, after facing many teams, they’d built up some form of tacit understanding between them.
Fighting one against four, Tillysha held an advantage none of them had.
Information.
Tillysha could expose their weaknesses, stripping them bare down to the last detail, yet they, unable to scan her, were utterly clueless about her Divine Authority and Realm.
After a brief deliberation, Tillysha came to a conclusion.
She bent her knees slightly, and in the next moment, her legs, wrapped in white silk stockings, left the ground.
The following instant, Borton emerged from the soil, chunks of earth coalescing around his steel claws under the influence of his Divine Authority, thrusting them towards Tillysha.
Already having practiced the maneuver in her mind, Tillysha narrowly avoided the steel claws, tumbling gracefully in the air. Her torso bent backward, her legs resembling a fish’s tail. She took on an exceptionally challenging posture to string an arrow and aim her bow in an incredibly short span of time.
Meanwhile, noticing Tillysha leap into the air, the Ranger Female God and Mage naturally didn’t sit idly by. The Ranger Female God drew her bowstring taut, and the Mage tossed a scroll.
“Whoosh, whoosh!”
The flames from Mage magic and the arrows met Tillysha, but of course, Tillysha’s light arrow also struck the Mage.
The Mage’s eyes widened in shock, not expecting to be eliminated so prematurely. Without the protection of a Realm, the light arrow had already pierced through his neck.
At that moment, the Mage experienced the sensation of d*ath………
The remaining three were utterly astonished. None of them expected Tillysha to deliver such a high-difficulty counter-attack while dodging, nor did they expect her to hit so accurately.
They were the ones attacking, yet after a mere exchange, they’d lost a teammate.
The terrifying precision of those arrows made one question whether it was sheer luck or the effect of a Divine Authority.
