Chương 107: THE FINAL EVALUATION (10)

Inside the Rift- The party had been experiencing the true crushing weight of Jimin's absence. When he had been anchoring their formation, even the largest hordes of mutated monsters felt like manageable milestones. But without him, the waves of creatures felt like an actual nightmare. The physical and psychological pressure was suffocating. Every member had to force themselves to focus, instead of being hung up on the fact that their strongest member had been portaled away to somewhere unknown.

The group was clearly pushing past their absolute limits. Their gear was battered, their breathing was ragged and their movements were slowing down. Yet, through sheer grit, they had somehow managed to push through and reach near the Boss's lair. They were fighting the last horde of almost double a dozen corrupted kobolds before they could finally reach the Boss's lair.

"Min-ji, now!" Yu-jun roared. His voice was hoarse as he drove his battered, chipped shield forward, successfully knocking two feral kobolds back. Right beside him, Min-su parried a sword slash and kicked it square in the chest with a desperate burst of strength. The three creatures flew backward, crashing heavily into the tightly packed front lines of the feral horde behind them. The momentum of the charging pack staggered for a moment. That was the only opening they needed. Min-ji didn't waste a heartbeat.

"Fire bomb," Min-ji murmured. A raging sphere of condensed flame launched forward from her raised staff, traces of Yuna's blue mana lingering around it. The projectile slammed directly into a kobold at the center of the horde and it instantly detonated, an explosion followed instantly. Half a dozen were blasted on the spot, the remains splattering everywhere. The thick smell of burned fur, flesh and blood filled the air. But the explosion didn't break the monsters' rabid morale.

The surviving kobolds screeched in mad fury, charging over the smoking ashes of their packmates and the party didn't back down either.

"Charge!" Yu-jun roared. Both sides slammed into each other with relentless, desperate grit. Weapons clashed, arrows flew and blood splattered. The party of teenagers continued to fight tooth and nail just to survive. However, every moment of this chaotic and desperate struggle was being silently watched by a lone figure hiding seamlessly within the deep shadows of a tree nearby. The robed assassin. He casually leaned against a branch, his hood casting a dark shadow over his face.

His eyes glinted with a cold, sadistic amusement as he stared down at the struggling students, having an unsettling wide smile on his face. Ja, fight harder… Show me more of that desperation and hope.

Meanwhile- Jimin stopped in his tracks, as he eventually managed to get a view of the portal user in 'Hawkeye' vision. I finally see you. The portal user had a very basic stealth. Jimin's 'True vision' helped him see through it easily. The target was wearing a similar black and red robe, sitting on a tree branch, as if meditating. Without wasting a moment, Jimin climbed up a tree with the help of 'Telekinesis'.

Though he had 'Stealth' activated and his boots gave him 'Silent steps', the leaves and twigs on the ground rustled too much, giving away his presence. Moving through the trees solved that issue. Jimin stealthily made his way forward like a phantom, jumping from one tree to another, until he was just one tree behind him. He's within range. He concentrated 'Telekinesis' on his daggers, activating 'Weight Distortion' and 'Pierce' on top. But a sudden brief moment of hesitation caught up to him.

Until then, he had already taken a few lives. But they had been either by accident or the result of triggering a curse. He hadn't directly killed anyone with proper intent to kill. Then-"This crazy sadistic motherfucker," the man suddenly muttered to himself, his voice dripping with intense boredom. The abrupt and crude mumbling pulled Jimin right out of his looping thoughts.

"Just kill those bratty kids already so we can leave," the portal user added, letting out an annoyed sigh as he adjusted his position. That single sentence was more than enough to completely shatter Jimin's lingering hesitation. No. You're the one who'll die. He immediately shot his daggers toward his target. The four daggers shot through the dark like bullets, cleanly slicing through the neck of the completely unaware enemy in an instant, blood splattering everywhere.

The strike was so fast that the target didn't even get a chance to let out a groan. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. As the severed head slipped from the body, Jimin caught it mid-air with telekinesis to stop it from making a sound. Jimin slowly let out a long, quiet sigh. That went smoothly. One major nuisance down. But suddenly- The freshly severed head and torso began to twitch violently, releasing the familiar ominous energy.

The head, body, scattered blood and gear started melting rapidly. Jimin immediately released his telekinetic hold, throwing the melting head away from himself. Within a few seconds, the portal user's entire body, along with every single piece of his gear, vaporized completely into thin air. The branch was left entirely clean, as if the man had never existed in the first place.

"Tch," Jimin clicked his tongue, his face pulling into a sour grimace. I should really be getting used to this shit by now. Right then-"Warning, Master. One of your party members has just been heavily injured," Mimi's urgent voice suddenly boomed inside his mind.

"What?!" Jimin muttered, his entire expression twisting. Shit! That robed bastard has already started his attack! Without wasting another moment, Jimin rushed toward his party at full speed, following the glowing golden line into the dark fog.

Around that time- Yu-jun blocked a frantic slash from the last remaining kobold with his shield and thrust his sword straight into its chest, the creature shrieking. As he pulled his blade back, its lifeless body slowly fell onto the ground. Yu-jun dropped to one knee. He was gasping for air, supporting himself by driving his sword into the earth. This was more or less the condition of the entire party. They were completely pushed to their limits, but the frontliners were undeniably in the worst shape.

They stood battered and bruised, with fresh blood dripping out from shallow cuts all over their bodies. In the rear, the mages and healers were also running low on mana and the backup healing and stamina potions they had provided were completely gone. They were almost out of resources. Yu-jun's ragged breathing slowly began to stabilize. This is bad. We've come so far, but I don't think we can continue any further by ourselves. Jimin… Where the hell is he? Is he even alright? Suddenly-"Yes!"

Min-su shouted, forcing himself up on shaky legs. Every pair of eyes drifted toward him.

"We've finally reached the Boss's lair… No more hordes for a while," he added, a tired grin spreading across his face.

"We can finally rest for a bit." It felt as if he was using the last shred of his energy just to blurt those words out. But the statement had an instantaneous effect on the group. Everyone suddenly felt a strange wave of energy wash over them. They had successfully crossed a brutal series of hurdles and the realization gave them a profound sense of hope. Yu-jun laughed quietly, shaking his head in relief, while Gun-woo let out a tired chuckle sitting on the ground. But right then- Tshhhk!

With a sickening tearing sound, Min-su's feet violently lifted off the ground, blood scattering out of his chest. His entire torso bent into a backward curve. As if it was the perfect recreation of the attack on Jimin. Only this time, the victim was Min-su. A strangled groan escaped his lips as blood gushed from his mouth. Before anybody could process what they were witnessing, the stuck dagger slowly shimmered into existence alongside the robed assassin.

Panic and utter confusion spread through the party like wildfire.

"What?"

"Min-su!" Min-su's body crashed onto the ground, as the assassin pulled his dagger back in an instant, letting out a loud menacing laugh that echoed. Left in the dirt, Min-su curled his body tightly into a ball, desperately trying to press his arms over the open wound as his entire body shivered.

"I don't want to die…" a quiet murmur escaped him.

"Who the hell are you?!" Hye-jin shouted, her eyes widening with pure rage and disbelief. Her best friend was lying in the dirt, bleeding out, while a shady robed stranger stood near him laughing like a maniac. Without a single second of hesitation, she drew an arrow, locking onto the assassin. But before she could even release the string, the assassin instantly dashed away, vanishing into thin air.

"Where did he go?" Gun-woo yelled, scrambling to his feet.

"It's invisibility!" Yu-jun shouted back, forcing himself into a guard stance.

"Be careful, everyone! Stick together!" Everyone went on high alert, prepared to strike at any moment. For a few agonizing seconds, the forest fell completely still. Hye-jin had already run over to Min-su, but she couldn't check on his vitals yet. It was simply too dangerous. She kept her arrow drawn, her eyes wandering frantically between her dying friend and her surroundings. Eventually, the suffocating pressure made her lose her patience.

"Show yourself, you coward!" she screamed aloud. A moment later, the assassin suddenly appeared out of thin air before the party, standing at a distance, his figure visible through the fog. The party didn't waste a moment. Hye-jin released her arrow, while Yu-jun and Gun-woo instantly launched into a desperate frontal charge. Naturally, the flying arrow was faster, hitting the target first. However, the moment the arrow made contact, instead of drawing blood, it thrust through cleanly.

The entire figure instantly dispersed into a cloud of red shadowy mist.

"What the hell!" Everyone was caught completely off guard. But before their brains could process anything, two small, spinning rings of shadowy mist appeared out of thin air, on both of Yu-jun's left and right flanks. A dark blade materialized from each vortex, simultaneously lunging at him from his blind spots. Unfortunately, he could only spot the one to his right and the blades were too fast. He managed to swing his shield, blocking the strike with a clang, but the other blade drove cleanly into his back.

He let out a sharp, painful groan, his knees buckling. Every pair of eyes drifted toward him in horror.

"Yu-jun!" But suddenly- The real assassin shimmered into existence, his twin daggers raised as he charged directly at Hye-jin.

"Say that again, bitch!" he shouted beneath his hood, his voice dripping with venomous spite, yet amusement. Hye-jin was caught completely off guard. She was in no position to counter the attack. Her eyes widened, locking helplessly onto her rapidly approaching death.

"Hye-jin, no!" everyone frantically shouted. But right then- Four daggers shot out from the dark forest, locking onto the charging assassin with terrifying precision. He noticed the sudden projectiles instantly. The incoming blades were fast enough for the assassin to consider them dangerous. Giving up on his target, he was forced to stop in his tracks and vaulted backward to create distance.

"Those daggers…" he muttered, his eyes narrowing. Swoosh! Jimin suddenly jumped out of the forest, instantly dashing in front of Hye-jin like a wall. His gaze was cold, locked tightly onto the robed killer as he put up his 'Telekinetic Barrier'. The daggers flew back to him, spinning and hovering in the air around him.

"Surprised… Motherfucker?!" he muttered, his voice echoing with heavy spite. Looking at Jimin, the assassin's arrogant expression instantly twisted.

"What the actual fuck!"