The sound of the wind shrieked in his ears.
Lin Gui sat astride his rapidly flying oak staff.
In his arms, he held Elvia, who was constantly coughing up blood.
Fixed to his back with rope was the unconscious Rona.
He moved like a phantom shadow.
He navigated and evaded through the tomb with extreme precision.
The golden blade energy Elvia had struck out with her life on the line and these ancient mechanisms that were suddenly fully activated, attacking friend and foe alike, became their only hope for survival at this moment.
“Cough, cough... Didn't you say... the other side wouldn't find us? It seems... everything you told me just now... was just bragging...”
Elvia, in his arms, coughed up another mouthful of blood, mocking him with a weak breath.
The wound on her abdomen was mangled and horrific.
Even with a simple bandage, bright red continued to seep out.
Lin Gui’s brow was tightly knit, his mind intensely focused.
He manipulated the staff to drift through the gaps between poison arrows and falling rocks at the limit of his control.
There were indeed many ways to see through the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
But most of them were extremely rare.
Wide-range Prophecy, top-tier Legendary perception magic, covering-type indiscriminate physical attacks...
None of these matched Gorn's class characteristics or his pattern of action from earlier.
Thus, the possibility pointed toward one final explanation.
His gaze swept over the special steel needles on Rona's back.
“Does that Legendary archer possess soul-type reconnaissance methods?”
Lin Gui asked in a heavy voice, his words sounding somewhat muffled amidst the wind.
Elvia shook her head weakly, her eyes starting to lose focus.
“I don't know... I only know... that anyone targeted by Gorn... has never... escaped his grasp...”
“Is that so?” Lin Gui’s gaze was as cold as a blade.
“Then does every prey he pursues have these steel needles struck into them?”
Elvia's unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened for a moment, understanding Lin Gui’s hint.
“You... you mean...”
“Rest well,” Lin Gui interrupted her, his voice carrying an unquestionable calm, “We’ll know... soon enough.”
He said no more.
He silently watched the darkness and falling rocks that constantly rushed past.
Finally, the path ahead opened up!
The staff carried the three of them, suddenly rushing out of the danger-filled tomb tunnel.
They returned to that vast and silent underground space.
Almost the instant they left the tomb tunnel entrance, Lin Gui immediately deactivated the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
They were visible for only a single breath!
A silver figure that had been waiting surged out from the shadows on the flank.
She grabbed the floating oak staff, using the momentum to steady herself.
It was Theia.
Her emerald eyes scanned the wounded in Lin Gui’s arms and on his back with sharp precision.
Without any waste of words, she simply tightened the bindings of Linno on her own back a bit more.
“Go!”
Lin Gui gave a low shout, pushing Levitation to its full power.
Bearing the weight of everyone, they climbed rapidly.
They returned to the stalactite gap.
The wooden box was still intact, and the cat-girl Luo Youyou, who had been knocked out, was still lying on it, sleeping soundly.
Lin Gui placed Linno and Rona on the ground.
He immediately went to Rona’s side and pulled the steel needles from her body one by one.
The unconscious Rona’s body spasmed uncontrollably.
Fine sweat broke out on her forehead, as if her soul were being dragged out with the needles.
On the other side, Theia hurried to help Elvia, leaning her against the rocky wall.
With her right hand, she cast the Mid Rank magic, Wood Healing.
However, Wood Healing did not have the slightest effect; it was as if it were being blocked.
It did not work at all.
Theia’s expression stiffened. Could Elvia’s injuries be so severe that...
Elvia spoke to Theia in a weak voice.
“Hey, half-demon... I think I’m going to die. Before I die... can you grant me one wish?”
Theia saw Elvia in this state and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
She grabbed Elvia’s hand and said sadly, “Tell me. As long as it is something I can do, I will complete it for you, even if I have to die!”
Theia’s gaze was full of despair. Elvia instinctively turned her head and said weakly, “I don't want to... die burdened by a demon's curse. So...”
“Can you... let Lin Gui... give me the antidote?”
Theia nodded heavily.
“Alright, I’ll go right—”
She suddenly reacted and stared at Elvia.
Elvia quickly coughed up a few more splashes of blood to prove she was at death's door.
At the same time, she turned her body, revealing the gap in her equipment that had been shattered and “pierced” by the arrows.
Theia stared with sharp eyes and then pushed aside the fragments at the equipment's gap.
There, she saw a slightly damaged... inner armor worn underneath.
Although this inner armor was battered and dimmed from losing the nourishment of energy, its quality was high—it was at least a piece of Stellar-tier Armor.
Theia silently moved her gaze away and stared at Elvia.
Elvia gave an awkward smile.
“Well... at the very least, I really was almost killed. That was a Legendary arrow, after all. If I hadn't found this inner armor in a pile of corpses, I would have died long ago.”
Theia gave Elvia a cold look.
Elvia broke into a cold sweat under that gaze.
It was strange; she clearly had no real relationship with this half-demon, yet after deceiving her and being looked at like that, she felt as if she were on pins and needles.
In all her years growing up, this was the first time Elvia had ever felt such a sensation.
Even when no one invited her to dance at the noble balls, she had never felt this uncomfortable.
“Cough, cough. Actually, I was just making a... little joke.”
“This isn’t funny, Elvia. Do not make jokes about your own life.”
After saying that, Theia ignored Elvia.
Elvia stared blankly at Theia’s back.
Was she... worried about her?
Theia went to Lin Gui’s side and found that he had already pulled out all the steel needles.
He tied them together, mounted his oak staff, and prepared to fly back down.
Beside him, Rona and Linno were floating.
Theia hurried over and hugged him from behind.
Feeling the softness behind him, Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.
“You don't need to follow me. I’m just going to verify why the Shroud of the Gloomy Night was seen through.”
Now that he had reached the Mid-tier High Rank, his proficiency with the Shroud of the Gloomy Night was maxed out.
In theory, even if he waved his hand right under that Legendary archer’s nose, the other party wouldn't notice him.
But he had been discovered.
Lin Gui had to figure it out; the other party was a knight of the Royal Capital.
It was very likely they would cross paths again later.
“Let me go with you. At a critical moment, I can also help you block a few arrows... like that... liar.”
Theia said with a dark face. She hated it when those she cherished made jokes about their own lives.
Lin Gui did not refuse.
He manipulated the oak staff to fly back down.
The tomb tunnel entrance had already collapsed, but a sudden explosion sounded as Gorn rushed out in a rage.
Seeing this from above, Lin Gui used Levitation to manipulate the bundle of steel needles, firing them toward the distance.
He also manipulated Rona and Linno, who were floating beside him, to fly out as far as his Levitation could reach.
To avoid revealing his location, he had applied the Shroud of the Gloomy Night to both the steel needles and the two women.
Since Lin Gui’s proficiency with the Shroud of the Gloomy Night had been maxed out, not only was he able to perform chantless casting, but more derivative effects that he had anticipated were also unlocked.
After completing the Special Commission to deliver the letter to Rona, Lin Gui’s personal information was as follows:
【Host: Lin Gui】
【Class: Mage】
【Rank: Mid-tier High Rank Mage】
【Mana Reserve: (3270/4256) - 1,744 mana points until the next stage of advancement.】
【Magic Techniques:】
【High Rank Magic: Shroud of the Gloomy Night LV10 (MAX) - [Chantless / Casting Movement Liberation / Temporary Attachment]】
【Mid Rank Magic: Sharp Wind Slash LV7...】
【Low Rank Magic: Levitation LV9...】
【Ding! Host rank increased!】
【Mana capacity increased by 100%! Mana restoration speed increased by 50%!】
【Ding! High Rank magic 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 proficiency is full; level increased to LV10!】
【Unlocked effects: Chantless Casting! Casting Movement Liberation!】
【High-degree physical movements can now be performed without affecting spell maintenance!】
【New effect: 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 can be attached to non-living objects or others for a short time.】
Attaching the effect of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night to other objects also included his own attacks.
Elvia’s blade energy had been struck by surprise because he had applied the effect of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night to it.
Theia, from behind him, watched with wide eyes as the steel needles and the two women vanished into thin air after flying out of the range of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
She asked Lin Gui about it, and he did not hold back with the person he could trust with his back.
After hearing about the various breakthroughs of Lin Gui’s Shroud of the Gloomy Night, Theia took a deep breath.
She looked into the distance, where the Legendary Gorn was grinning sinisterly, drawing his bow and pouring arrows into a corner.
A red light flashed in her emerald eyes, which now held a hint of madness.
It was this man who had injured Elvia and forced Lin Gui into a desperate situation.
No matter how well Lin Gui masked it, she could still smell the blood on him.
The strike of a Legendary arrow had rendered Elvia, a High-tier High Rank knight, unable to rise again.
Even if the arrow hadn't directly hit Lin Gui, the energy's aftershock had still caused him significant harm.
She had almost lost everything...
She could not let the man before her leave so easily.
She leaned close to Lin Gui’s ear and spoke.
“I have an idea.”
“No, you don't,” Lin Gui immediately refused.
Looking at the bewildered Gorn who was searching in all directions, Lin Gui knew his goal had been achieved.
The other party’s soul perception could only sense the fluctuations of the steel needles.
As for Rona and Linno, the other party had not tampered with them.
Manipulating the two of them, Lin Gui prepared to flee.
Theia leaned against his back and said to him, “Lin Gui, 50 shots. Give me a chance with 50 shots, and I can kill this Legendary.”
Lin Gui was not moved. Instead, he said to Theia, “You must realize that while 50 of your shots might kill him, a single shot from him is enough to kill us.”
“I don't want the person who hurt you to live. I must kill him!”
Lin Gui frowned. Theia was always calm and listened to him. Why did she seem to be losing control of her emotions now?
A sharp murderous intent surged out uncontrollably.
Her blood-red eyes broke through their disguise, and a black mist constantly seeped from the silver-haired elf.
It was... demon power, the most violent and difficult-to-control dangerous power among the five great energies of the Akara Continent.
Lin Gui sighed. The main reason half-demons were accepted by the City-State Alliance was that they did not possess demon power within them.
Yet Theia was not only able to control demons but could also unleash demon power.
It seemed that her other relative, the one who gave her half of her Demon Race bloodline, was absolutely no ordinary figure.
Lin Gui did not know if Theia had realized it, but at this moment, her eyes were filled with madness.
The hands gripping his shoulders continued to exert force.
That suddenly awakened power was controlling her mind; she needed to vent.
“Five minutes... I will create five minutes for you, but we have to send Rona and the others back first.”
“...Alright.”
Rate on N.U.
