In the swamp, inside a ruined building not far from the War Technology Experimental Center.
There was still no fire in the hunting squad's temporary camp.
“Are you sure the female knight is poisoned?” The captain's expression was grave as his gaze locked onto Shadow.
Shadow nodded. “I'm sure of it. The hydra's venom is extremely potent. It's already impressive enough that she managed to hold out until she killed it before the poison took effect.”
“You saw her get sprayed by the venom with your own eyes?” the captain pressed.
Shadow's tone didn't hold the slightest hesitation. “She was hit by at least two globs of venom, and her steps were clearly weak and unsteady afterward. My eyes do not deceive me.”
The camp fell silent for a moment.
“Captain, what do we do next?” Hawkeye asked, his voice filled with an eagerness he could barely suppress.
The captain pondered for a long moment.
His gaze swept across the faces of his team members, one by one, before finally settling on the silhouette of the distant ruins. He gave a firm nod.
“This is a great opportunity. While she's weak, it's the perfect time for us to strike. Gear up, we move out immediately!”
“Captain, could it be a trap?” a burly man asked, a hint of caution in his voice.
“I trust Shadow's judgment,” the captain said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
“Besides, as far as I know, hydra venom is extremely toxic. Any ordinary creature would die instantly upon contact. Even if she's a knight, it's impossible for her to emerge unscathed.”
The burly man said nothing more and stood straight up.
The others also began checking their equipment.
The atmosphere in the camp shifted from silence to the thrill of an impending hunt.
...
On the third floor of the War Technology Experimental Center, in the hall next to the stairs.
The dwarf had built a fire using dried vines and moss.
However, the makeshift firewood was a bit damp, producing a lot of choking smoke as it burned.
But the smoke had an unexpected benefit: it drove away all the surrounding swamp creatures.
“Do you think they'll take the bait?” the dwarf asked in a low voice.
He sat by the fire, turning skewers of hydra meat. The meat curled slightly over the flames, releasing a savory, charred aroma.
Rosie was sprawled out on a stone platform, looking half-dead.
“I don't know. But if I were them, I'd definitely come over to check things out first.”
The dwarf flipped the snake meat, turning the golden-brown side upward. He glanced at Rosie sprawled on the platform.
“For those people to sneak up on us in this kind of terrain, they definitely aren't ordinary huntsmen.”
“Of course they aren't. They must be highly professional wilderness survival experts,” Rosie whispered.
“Because of that, there's a high probability they'll come to test the waters. In their minds, even if they can't win, they can still run. If they do show up, it'll be up to you. You must lure them in.”
“Acting isn't exactly a dwarf's strong suit,” the dwarf sighed.
“Just do your best to make it look convincing. I'll handle the rest.”
Rosie paused, then added, “By the way, is the snake meat done?”
“It's done. Have some.”
“Don't mind if I do.”
Rosie opened her eyes, sat up from the platform, and took the skewer from the dwarf.
The snake meat was slightly charred on the outside and snowy white on the inside, carrying a unique fragrance.
She flipped up her visor, wolfed down the skewer in a few bites, then closed her visor and went back to playing dead.
The dwarf also picked up some meat and began to eat.
After finishing, he poked the fire to keep it burning.
Then, the two of them waited in silence.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Suddenly, the dwarf caught a faint, almost imperceptible sound coming from the direction of the stairs.
His muscles tensed instantly, but his face remained unchanged. Instead, he lowered his head and continued to poke at the fire as if he hadn't noticed a thing.
At the stairs, a figure flickered.
“Swoosh!”
An arrow shot toward him at high speed.
Reacting with lightning speed, the dwarf grabbed the crab-shell pot resting beside him.
“Clang!”
The arrow struck the crab-shell pot, ricocheted, and landed near the fire.
“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!”
Three more arrows came flying in.
The dwarf raised the crab-shell pot, shielding both himself and Rosie on the platform behind him.
The arrows struck the shell, producing a series of dull clattering sounds.
“Who's the coward ambushing your grandpa?! Show yourselves!” the dwarf roared.
His voice carried a hint of shock, anger, and panic.
No one answered.
A figure darted through the shadows from a completely different direction than the arrows.
“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!”
Three throwing knives shot in from the side, their cold gleam flashing momentarily in the air.
The dwarf tilted the pot slightly, and the throwing knives clinked as they bounced off, landing on the ground not far away.
Meanwhile, Rosie remained motionless on the platform.
“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!”
Another three arrows flew toward them, this time accompanied by a small, sparking sphere.
The dwarf's eyes narrowed. Instead of trying to block the sphere with his shield, he lunged forward, grabbed Rosie, dragged her off the platform, and rolled underneath it.
“Boom!”
The small sphere exploded.
Smoke and dust filled the room as shrapnel sprayed in all directions.
Before the dwarf could even catch his breath, another small sphere came flying.
It traced a low arc through the air, landing right at their feet.
The power of this thing was not as great as the bomb used by Knight John back at the Exhibition Center, but it was thrown much farther and with greater precision.
Without hesitation, the dwarf slammed the pot upside down onto the ground, completely covering the small sphere.
“Boom!”
The pot was blown into the air, flipping several times before crashing to the ground.
Several cracks appeared on the hard shell, and a large chunk was chipped off the edge.
The dwarf hoisted Rosie onto his back and turned to run.
“After them!”
A low voice called out from the shadows.
Seeing that the female knight had remained completely unresponsive, the hunters finally cast aside all restraint, closing in from different directions to surround them.
Footsteps echoed through the empty interior of the building.
Ginli the dwarf, who was known as a long-distance running champion, ran at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary dwarf.
Yet, his path was still blocked by several arrows at a corridor turn, and he was ultimately cornered into a large room.
The room had only one exit; the dwarf was trapped with nowhere to run.
The four pursuers entered the room one after another with weapons raised, blocking the doorway.
“Captain, what do we do with these two?”
Hawkeye kept his bow aimed at the dwarf, his tone filled with condescending ease.
The captain glanced at Rosie on the dwarf's back.
“Sever the female knight's tendons and keep her alive. She might know something.”
He paused, then looked at the dwarf.
“As for the dwarf, throw him into the swamp to feed the fish.”
“Are you the Count's men?!” the dwarf's voice shook with terror.
Hawkeye grinned, his smile carrying the smug confidence typical of youth.
“That's right! We are the Count's most elite hunting squad, specialized in dealing with his Lordship's prey!”
The dwarf seemed to resign himself to his fate.
“Behind you,” he uttered, a seemingly nonsensical remark.
None of the four immediately understood what he meant, assuming he was referring to Rosie on his back.
Immediately after, a flash of sword light gleamed.
Blood sprayed.
Out of the shadows, a masked head flew into the air. Shadow's eyes were still wide open, wearing an expression of utter incomprehension.
Her body materialized from the darkness and collapsed to the floor, her hand still holding her dagger in a thrusting posture.
“It's a trap!” the captain roared.
Shadow was dead.
Shadow had followed him for ten years and had never failed.
Yet this time, her position had been anticipated before she could even strike.
The female knight, who had been half-dead just moments ago, was now standing behind the dwarf, holding her sword in a striking stance.
“Swoosh! Swoosh!”
The captain and the scout shot their bows simultaneously, arrows tearing through the air toward her.
But the arrows struck empty air.
For the female knight had already vanished.
“Bang!”
The sound of an impact and a muffled groan echoed from the side at the same time.
Gopher, who was standing to the side, was sent flying by the suddenly appearing female knight. While he was still mid-air, a flash of sword light swept across.
His body was sliced in two in mid-air, blood and organs spilling everywhere. The two halves of his corpse crashed to the ground one after another, kicking up a cloud of dust.
A small sphere he had been clutching rolled away into the corner.
The female knight stood there, fresh red droplets of blood clinging to her blade before dripping from the tip onto the floor.
Her gaze, piercing through the visor of her helmet, locked onto the remaining three, radiating a bone-chilling intent to kill.
The hunting squad had turned from hunters into prey.
“Captain, I'll hold her off! Run!”
The burly man roared. With bloodshot eyes, he raised his sword and shield, charging at the female knight like a mad bull.
The female knight said nothing. Gripping her sword with both hands, she swung it in a fierce, circular arc.
“Clang!”
A piercing screech of tearing metal rang out.
The shield in the burly man's hand shattered into two. The blade's momentum carried forward without slowing down, slashing directly across his chest.
A deep, bone-exposing wound tore across his chest, and blood sprayed outward.
The burly man groaned, but his steps did not falter. He raised his sword and swung it at the female knight.
The female knight didn't even bother to dodge. She parried his strike and followed through with a clean backhand slash.
A head flew off, blood geysering from the neck of the headless corpse. It swayed for a moment before collapsing.
“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!”
A barrage of arrows tore through the air.
With a sweep of her blade, the female knight deflected every single incoming arrow, letting none pass.
“Ah!—”
At the same time, a brief, sharp scream rang out.
Unbeknownst to them, the dwarf had crept up from the corner.
While the remaining hunters' attention was entirely fixed on the female knight, he severed Hawkeye's leg with one axe strike, then delivered a backhand blow to finish him off. The scream cut off instantly.
The captain's face was pale as death.
His fingers trembled slightly as he held his bow.
He finally understood why Lady Anna had warned that the female knight was "dangerous."
She was not just incredibly powerful; she was also a master of disguise and deception.
Before launching their attack, he had specifically inspected the hydra carcass downstairs.
He had even simulated the battle in his mind to confirm that she had indeed suffered from the venom.
But now, it was clear that everything had been an act.
The opponent was not poisoned at all.
Even an experienced veteran like him had been completely fooled by her performance.
What was even more terrifying was her decisive, ruthless efficiency.
Shadow, the best stealth attacker in their squad, had died without even getting a chance to strike.
Gopher, who possessed the most lethal explosive power, was killed in a single strike.
Mad Dog, who usually spearheaded their frontal assaults, couldn't even withstand two blows before his head was taken.
How could such a person be a knight? She was a monster.
They had all been blinded by the title of "knight."
The moment these thoughts flashed through the captain's mind, a blade swept across his neck.
He felt no pain.
Only his vision began to spin, and then the world went dark.
Rate on N.U.
