Chương 50: First Blood

Drake charged forward with one of his Mid-tier Swordsmen. The other Swordsman immediately fell back, moving to intercept Cyr, who had already slipped into their formation. Marcus raised his shield in front of him, but he had no chance of stopping Drake's charge. A body reinforced with Aura was on an entirely different level from a lower-tier warrior.

"BOOM!" A deep, thunderous impact echoed through the clearing. Marcus felt like he had collided head-on with a charging rhinoceros. He was sent flying backward together with his shield, his vision spinning from the impact. Gark, meanwhile, met the other Swordsman head-on. With a furious roar, he brought his broadaxe crashing down. Standing at over two meters tall, with monstrous natural strength far beyond ordinary humans, the force behind the strike was terrifying. But the Swordsman didn't dodge.

Instead, he raised his blade upward to meet the descending axe. Gark's expression changed. The axe handle… Was cut apart. The blue-white Aura wrapped around the sword edge tore through the thick wooden shaft like it was nothing. The iron axe head crashed onto the ground. Gark's strike had completely missed, leaving only a bare wooden stick in his hands. The Swordsman twisted his wrist. The blade suddenly reversed direction. The upward parry transformed into a diagonal slash!

If this strike landed, Gark's entire right arm would be severed from the shoulder down. At the critical moment, Gark relied on his sharp battle instincts and violently retreated. But the sword still carved a brutal wound across his body. From his right shoulder all the way down to his chest, flesh split open. Blood gushed out, soaking his armor and clothes. Gark fell onto his back.

"Get away from him!" Grey roared and charged in from the side. His sword thrust carried a desperate, life-or-death momentum, forcing the Swordsman to retreat before he could finish Gark off. The Swordsman stepped back several paces, a mocking smile appearing on his face. Aura once again wrapped around his blade. He prepared for another attack.

"Tch. You two actually think you can—" Before he could finish speaking, violent lightning tore through the air.

"BOOOOM!" Vaelis's Thunderclap Arrow arrived at the perfect moment. Direct hit. The terrifying destructive force blasted a hole straight through the Swordsman's chest, destroying his lungs and heart in the same instant. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The Mid-tier Swordsman died on the spot. On the other side, after sending Marcus flying, Drake didn't give him even a moment to recover. His battle-blade continued raining down strikes, aiming to split Marcus in half.

Marcus had no chance to stand. All he could do was desperately roll across the ground, narrowly avoiding each deadly slash. Every strike came dangerously close. Then suddenly— A brilliant blue flash shot in from the side. Drake instinctively raised his shield to block. But the magic contained overwhelming power. The spell exploded against him, tearing apart his left arm and shield together.

"BOOM!" The violent explosion swallowed half of Drake's body. He collapsed onto the ground, clutching the ruined stump of his arm and screaming in agony.

"AAAGH!!!" What was that?! How could something have such terrifying destructive power?! Drake turned his head in horror. Only then did he realize— It was Zelier's magic. Earlier, one of the rangers' arrows had grazed Zelier's arm. Another had torn into his lower leg. Fortunately, neither had struck a vital point. Zelier was still able to fight. Now, his expression was ice-cold. The tip of his ashwood wand began gathering magic once again.

"Drake…"

"Go to hell." Before Drake could even beg— An invisible Wind Blade flashed through the air. His head spun several times in midair before crashing onto the ground. The final battlefield was between Cyr and the remaining Mid-tier Swordsman. Assassins possessed an overwhelming advantage when it came to surprise attacks. But in a direct confrontation, blade against blade, they were naturally inferior to warrior classes. The Swordsman completely overwhelmed Cyr in raw strength. His attacks came like a raging storm.

Cyr could only rely on her agility to constantly evade, unable to find an opening to counterattack. Then— A surge of magical force erupted from above. The external interference slowed the Swordsman's movements. It lasted only for a brief moment. But for an Assassin of Cyr's level, that was more than enough to decide life and death. She stepped forward. Dodging the incoming sword strike, she closed the distance instantly. Her dagger drove straight toward his throat.

"Shhk!" Empowered by her Aura, Cyr's thrust possessed terrifying penetration. The dagger pierced through his throat in a single motion. Blood sprayed into the air. The Mid-tier Swordsman's eyes widened. Then his body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground. From the beginning of the battle to the end… Less than one minute had passed. Yet six corpses now lay scattered across the forest clearing. Zelier lowered his ashwood wand and breathed heavily.

The previous Gravity Press had drained the last traces of mana from his body. A wave of exhaustion surged from deep within his soul. He looked down at his hands. They were steady. No trembling. No nausea. No urge to vomit. His first time killing someone… Wasn't too bad. But soon, the pain in his lower leg came rushing back. During the battle, his adrenaline had suppressed everything. Now, the sharp pain repeatedly stabbed at his nerves. Zelier couldn't help but inhale sharply.

"Hiss…"

"Are you insane?! Why did you kill him?!" Vaelis finally came back to his senses after the battle. Everything he had done earlier was purely instinctive. He turned toward Cyr and shouted angrily.

"Did your Assassin instincts malfunction?"

"You had a dagger at his throat and still couldn't resist cutting it?"

"They were the ones who decided to kill us first." Cyr casually kicked Richie's corpse.

"You really think they would have just walked away?"

"You think they wouldn't have come back for revenge later?"

"When you have the advantage, you strike first."

"That's how you survive."

"Enough!" Marcus struggled to stand and stopped the argument.

"Deal with everyone's injuries first!" Among the team, Gark had suffered the most severe wounds. The sword strike had cut from his chest all the way to his right shoulder. The bleeding was heavy. Immediate treatment was necessary. Then there was Zelier. One arrow had grazed his left arm. The other had torn into his lower leg. The leg wound was obviously worse. Several centimeters of flesh had been ripped open, blood still slowly leaking out.

"Lie down. Don't move." Cyr pressed a hand against Zelier's chest. Then she immediately cut open the damaged section of his pants. The arrowhead's barbs had torn through the surface of his skin, leaving the flesh exposed. The wound looked rather frightening. Cyr carefully examined it. The blood was bright red. There was no strange purple or green coloration. Her eyebrows lifted slightly.

"You're lucky."

"The arrow only grazed you, and the tip wasn't coated with poison."

"I've always been lucky." Zelier forced out a weak smile. For this kind of flesh wound, there was no special treatment. The process was simple. Disinfect the wound. Stop the bleeding. Wrap it with clean cloth. Cyr was clearly very experienced at this. And now, Zelier finally understood what Grey had felt back when he was drenched in Firethroat Ale. The cold liquid poured onto his wound. For the first half-second, Zelier felt nothing.

Then— A pain like countless steel needles piercing his flesh exploded through his nerves. The burning sensation of alcohol made his entire body tremble. A suppressed groan escaped his throat. He clenched his fists tightly, forcing himself not to cry out. The disinfection process lasted only a few seconds. But to Zelier, every moment felt unbearably long. Only after the pain gradually faded could he finally control his breathing again. He gasped heavily.

His clothes were completely soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his skin.