16: Chapter 15 — So Who’s Surrounding Whom?
16: Chapter 15 — So Who’s Surrounding Whom?
Kyle had already detected the approaching people through the skeleton warriors guarding the outer perimeter.
There were three of them.
Two were the archer and mage who had chased Nia that afternoon.
The third was a knight carrying a longsword and shield.
The three weren’t moving together.
Instead, they approached from different directions, maintaining a certain distance from one another.
One from the front.
One from the side.
And one from behind.
They were clearly following a plan they’d agreed on beforehand, intending to seal off every possible escape route and trap Nia from three directions.
What they probably hadn’t expected was that their positions had already been exposed before they even reached the campfire.
Kyle currently had forty-four skeleton warriors under his command.
Forty Black-Iron Rank.
Four Bronze Rank.
Only a few remained near the campfire.
The rest had long since spread throughout the surrounding forest to keep watch.
The moment anyone entered their patrol range, Kyle would know almost immediately.
Nia had sensed that something was wrong as well.
The faint smile she’d been wearing disappeared at once.
She stood up with her daggers in hand and glanced toward the woods.
“Seriously?
Them again?” She looked genuinely annoyed.
“They’ve been chasing me for days.
Why won’t they just give up?” Kyle looked at her.
“Why are they chasing you?” Nia gave a helpless shrug.
“Because of an Intermediate Skill Scroll.” She sighed.
“If I’d known it would be this much trouble, I wouldn’t have taken it in the first place.” Despite what she said, her grip on the daggers slowly tightened.
Her feet shifted almost imperceptibly as she angled her body, ready to launch herself away at any moment.
Kyle didn’t ask anything else.
Skill scrolls were among the easiest things for class holders to fight over.
Intermediate Skill Scrolls in particular were worth far more than ordinary skill scrolls.
Nia suddenly turned toward Kyle.
“They’re here for me.
This has nothing to do with you.” She pulled her face covering back into place.
“I’ll draw them away.” “If we get the chance, I’ll come find you again sometime.” With that, she turned to leave.
She had only taken a single step when a sharp sound cut through the forest.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot through a gap between the branches at incredible speed.
Straight toward Nia.
Her reaction was just as fast.
The moment she heard it, she stepped sideways and lowered her body.
The arrow skimmed past her shoulder, the force of its passage stirring the loose strands of black hair beside her face.
But just as the arrow passed behind her— a magical glow suddenly appeared along the shaft.
Bang!
The arrow burst apart in midair.
Two pale yellow streaks of light split away from it.
One flew toward Nia.
The other shot directly at Kyle.
Kyle’s eyes shifted.
A Black-Iron Skeleton Warrior beside him immediately stepped across to block it.
But the yellow light wasn’t a physical attack.
It passed straight through the gaps in the skeleton’s body without slowing and struck Kyle.
The next instant, bright magical marks appeared above both Kyle and Nia.
Nia looked up.
Her expression immediately darkened.
“Marking Arrow.” Kyle recognized the skill as well.
Marking Arrow dealt almost no damage on its own.
Its real purpose was to place a magical mark on a target that was difficult to remove for a short period of time.
As long as the mark remained, hiding one’s location became extremely difficult.
It also had a certain degree of effectiveness against stealth abilities.
For an ordinary class holder, that would merely be troublesome.
But Nia was a Shadow Assassin.
Concealing her presence and moving through shadows were among her greatest strengths.
Now that she’d been marked in advance, escaping the way she had that afternoon wouldn’t be nearly as easy.
“Let’s see you run this time.” A cold laugh came from ahead.
The shadows between the trees shifted.
The mage Kyle had seen earlier slowly stepped into view, still carrying the staff set with a mana crystal.
At the same time, another figure appeared in a large tree to the side.
The archer stood on a thick branch with one foot braced against the trunk for balance.
His longbow was already drawn.
The sharp arrowhead pointed directly at Nia.
The knight appeared last.
He emerged from behind them, pulled the shield from his back, and raised it in front of himself while drawing his longsword.
He had positioned himself directly across the easiest remaining escape route.
Three people.
Three directions.
Almost every path Nia could use to retreat had been sealed.
The mage’s gaze first landed on Nia.
Then it shifted toward Kyle, who was still sitting beside the campfire.
The moment he saw him, his expression darkened.
“So you really are working together.” Kyle didn’t bother explaining.
Nia frowned.
“He has nothing to do with this.” The mage sneered.
“You were together this afternoon, and now you’re together again tonight.” “You think I’m going to believe that?” For once, Nia had no idea how to answer.
That afternoon, she had merely passed near Kyle while escaping.
Tonight, she’d only approached because she’d seen his campfire and was starving.
Yet somehow, in this man’s mind, the two of them had become accomplices who had known each other all along.
At this point, explaining probably wouldn’t matter anyway.
Nia raised one hand.
A faint flash appeared in her palm, and a second dagger dropped into her grip.
She held one blade forward and the other back.
The casual expression she’d worn earlier gradually disappeared.
“You only want the Intermediate Skill Scroll, right?” “I’ll give it to you.” “You take the scroll, and this ends here.” The archer standing in the tree laughed.
“If you’d handed it over yesterday, maybe we really would’ve let you go.” “But now?” “Too late.” Nia’s eyes turned cold.
“What does that mean?” The archer didn’t answer.
The mage did.
“You’ve seen our faces.
You know who we are.” “If we let you leave now, who’s to say you won’t come back later with people looking for us?” As he spoke, he slowly raised his staff.
“So dead people are safer.” The last trace of ease vanished from Nia’s expression.
She finally understood.
They had never intended to let her leave tonight.
Even if she handed over the skill scroll now, nothing would change.
Then the mage looked at Kyle.
“As for you…” “You can only blame your bad luck.” Kyle had remained quietly seated beside the fire the entire time.
Only now did he raise his eyes.
“You’re going to kill me?” The mage looked as though he’d just heard something ridiculous.
“What?” “Don’t tell me you actually think you’re walking out of here alive tonight.” Kyle stared at him for a few seconds.
Then he gave a small nod.
“Got it.” Nia couldn’t help turning toward him.
How was he still this calm?
She was beginning to wonder whether Kyle actually understood the situation.
There were three class holders on the other side.
Every one of them was higher level than him.
The mage had even passed Level 20.
Kyle was only Level 10.
His summons might be unusual, but that didn’t mean he could deal with three class holders far above his level at once.
Thinking quickly, Nia stepped a little closer and lowered her voice.
“I’ll hold them off.” “When you get an opening, run.” Kyle turned his head.
“What about you?” “Me?” Nia lifted her daggers.
“I’m a Shadow Assassin.
Nighttime is my territory.” “As long as you get away first, I’ll find a way out.” Kyle glanced at the glowing mark still floating above her head.
He didn’t point out the obvious problem.
If escaping were really that easy, these people wouldn’t have managed to chase her for several days.
And with Marking Arrow interfering with the stealth abilities she relied on most, her chances were even worse now.
Her so-called way out was probably nothing more than an excuse to get Kyle to leave first.
The archer in the tree had clearly lost patience.
“Enough wasting time.” “Do it.” The moment he finished speaking, the mage’s staff lit up.
A beam of white light shot into the air.
The next instant, a massive sphere of light appeared above the forest.
Bright illumination poured down from overhead, lighting up a wide area around them.
Trees.
Bushes.
Even the fallen leaves scattered across the ground became clearly visible.
Most of the shadows that could have concealed someone vanished.
Nia’s expression grew even worse.
“Illumination…” Marking Arrow restricted her stealth.
Illumination removed the shadows.
They had clearly prepared specifically to counter her class.
Nia tightened her grip on her daggers and lowered her stance.
The playful look she’d had beside the campfire was gone.
Her eyes were sharp now.
She quickly assessed the battlefield.
The archer had taken the high ground, giving him an excellent field of fire.
The knight blocked the rear and could use Charge at any moment to stop her from breaking through.
The mage had positioned himself at the ideal distance for casting while remaining close enough to the other two for support.
Their positions covered one another.
No matter which one she attacked, the other two could immediately respond.
This clearly wasn’t their first time fighting together.
Breaking through by force wouldn’t be easy.
Then— Clack.
The sound of bones shifting came from beside Kyle.
A Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior stepped out of the darkness.
Its long blade hung at its side as it positioned itself in front of Kyle and Nia.
The mage glanced at it.
“So that’s your summon?” Kyle didn’t answer.
A sneer appeared on the mage’s face.
“A Level 10 class holder thinks he can interfere with us?” He pointed his staff forward.
Mana surged toward its tip.
The temperature around them suddenly climbed.
A mass of crimson flame appeared from thin air and rapidly expanded as more mana poured into it.
Within moments, a massive fireball nearly a meter across had formed.
Flames churned violently across its surface.
The surrounding air warped from the heat.
“Greater Fireball!” The mage thrust his staff forward.
BOOM!
The fireball shot toward them.
But at the exact moment it left the staff, Kyle suddenly felt his legs grow heavy.
An invisible mental force coiled around him from near the ground.
Like unseen chains, it wrapped tightly around his legs and instantly slowed his movements.
Mental Bind.
The mage hadn’t simply cast Greater Fireball.
His real intention was to restrict Kyle and Nia’s movement first, forcing them to take the attack head-on.
Almost at the same moment Mental Bind took effect, the archer released his bowstring.
Twang!
The taut string snapped forward.
An arrow became a dark blur as it flew through the gaps between the branches.
Halfway toward them, light flashed across its shaft.
The single arrow instantly split into two nearly identical afterimages.
Three arrows now approached from the left, center, and right.
Every route for a sideways dodge was sealed.
Triple Shot.
The knight moved at the same time.
He drew his longsword behind the shield and lowered his body.
His right foot slammed into the ground.
Bang!
Dirt and dead leaves exploded beneath his boot.
White light covered his body as the skill activated.
With his shield held in front of him, the knight charged forward at high speed.
A direct magical attack from the front.
Arrows sealing off their dodging routes.
A knight charging into close range.
The three had barely spoken, yet their attacks linked together almost perfectly.
Nia’s expression finally changed.
The massive fireball was already closing in.
Heat rushed toward her face, blowing the hair across her forehead backward.
“Dodge!” She instinctively grabbed Kyle’s arm and tried to drag him away.
But Mental Bind was still wrapped around her legs.
The moment she tried to move, her body reacted a fraction too slowly.
Even more surprising— Kyle didn’t move at all.
“Kyle!” Before the word had even left her mouth, a dense clattering of bones erupted around them.
The first Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior stepped sideways.
It gripped its blade with both hands but made no attempt to strike the incoming fireball.
Instead, it lowered its body and placed its entire skeleton directly in front of Kyle.
At almost the same moment, a second Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior rushed in from the left.
It had barely taken position when Triple Shot arrived.
Clang!
The first arrow struck its chest.
The impact snapped its upper body backward, but the arrowhead scraped across the blue-gray bone and left only a clear white mark.
The second arrow struck its shoulder.
Clang!
The skeleton shook again.
The third came from a far more troublesome angle, flying past its side toward Kyle.
The Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior snapped up its left arm.
Crack!
The arrow struck its forearm.
Several tiny sparks scattered from the impact before the arrow ricocheted away and buried itself diagonally in a nearby tree.
Then the Greater Fireball struck the first skeleton head-on.
BOOM—!
Crimson flames exploded outward.
The blast swept through the clearing, throwing dead leaves into the air.
Several nearby bushes caught fire almost instantly.
Nia instinctively raised an arm to protect her face.
Through the gaps between her fingers, all she could see ahead was fire.
Before the flames had even cleared, another heavy collision erupted from the right.
The knight had arrived.
A third Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior stepped directly into his path.
The knight clearly didn’t think much of a skeleton.
He didn’t slow down.
His shield slammed directly into its chest.
BANG—!
The impact echoed through the forest.
The two forces collided head-on.
Dirt tore backward beneath the skeleton warrior’s feet.
Its body slid less than half a step.
And stopped.
Only half a step.
The knight’s expression changed instantly.
The scene he’d expected—of the skeleton being sent flying—never happened.
Instead, a powerful recoil traveled back through his shield.
His palm went numb.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
“What the hell is this thing?!” The knight gritted his teeth and started to pull his sword free.
The Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior moved first.
It didn’t use [Savage Strike].
It simply raised one hand— and grabbed the edge of the shield.
Five blue-gray skeletal fingers locked around the metal.
The knight’s pupils contracted.
The next instant, an overwhelming force came from the other side.
His entire body was dragged forward by a full step.
“Not good!” The knight immediately released the shield and used the momentum to retreat.
Almost the instant he let go, the skeleton warrior’s blade swept horizontally.
Whoosh—!
The edge passed just in front of the knight’s chest.
It didn’t actually hit him, but the force of the swing was enough to make his light armor scrape sharply.
The knight retreated several steps before regaining his balance.
The contempt on his face was gone.
On the other side, the flames from Greater Fireball were finally beginning to fade.
The Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior at the front slowly came back into view.
Its chest and arms had been scorched black.
Several tiny cracks had appeared along the surface of its bones.
But its overall frame was still intact.
Its weapon hadn’t fallen from its hand.
And the soul flames in its eye sockets continued to burn calmly.
It had taken damage.
But it was nowhere near losing the ability to fight.
The mage’s fingers tightened around his staff.
“Impossible…” Even a melee class holder around his own level wouldn’t dare take that Greater Fireball head-on without proper defenses.
Yet this skeleton— had actually blocked it.
Nia’s eyes were wide as well.
She had seen Kyle’s skeleton warriors that afternoon.
But those had been old, battered skeletons with gray-white bones covered in cracks.
These were completely different.
Their strength, speed, and durability were on another level entirely.
“Kyle.” Nia stared at the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior in front of them.
“These skeletons of yours…” “Got them today.” Kyle’s tone remained calm.
Nia turned toward him.
“Today?” “Yeah.” For once, Nia had no idea what to say.
The three opponents, however, were no longer interested in figuring out what kind of skeletons these were.
The mage took half a step back and began gathering mana again.
The archer drew two arrows from his quiver at once.
The knight had lost his shield, but his longsword was already in hand as he lowered his stance, clearly preparing to attack in a different way.
But just as the three prepared to launch their second assault— a faint sound came from deeper in the forest.
Clack…
Clack…
At first, it came from only one direction.
Then the same sound began appearing from the left.
The right.
And behind them.
The mage paused.
The archer in the tree noticed first.
He snapped his head around.
Between two trees in the distance, a pair of blue soul flames appeared in the darkness.
Then a second pair.
A third.
A fourth…
More and more.
Pale figures slowly emerged from deeper within the forest.
Battered frames.
Cracked bones.
Broken blades in their hands.
These weren’t the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors that had blocked their attacks.
These were the far more numerous Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors.
Individually, none of them seemed particularly threatening.
The problem was— there were too many.
Six emerged from the woods on the left.
Eight more appeared on the right.
The bushes behind the mage rustled continuously as skeleton warriors stepped out one after another, battered blades hanging from their hands.
The archer had the highest vantage point.
Which meant he saw the situation more clearly than anyone else.
His expression slowly changed.
These skeletons weren’t gathering randomly.
They were moving with purpose.
Two shifted to close a gap on the left.
Three blocked the rear.
Several others were circling from farther away, cutting off the remaining routes of escape.
They were forming a perimeter.
And it was tightening.
“Uh…” The archer finally spoke.
“You two might want to look around.” The mage spun around.
The knight turned as well, longsword still in hand.
The escape route that had been completely empty moments earlier was now blocked by seven or eight Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors.
And farther between the trees, even more pairs of blue soul flames were approaching.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty…
Eventually, all forty Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors closed in from the outer perimeter.
They didn’t mindlessly rush forward.
Under Kyle’s control, they spread out and completely surrounded the small section of forest.
Forty pairs of blue soul flames burned in the darkness.
And inside that ring stood four larger, far more complete Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors.
Forty-four.
Not a single one missing.
Only then did the three class holders finally realize something.
They had indeed approached from three directions and surrounded Kyle and Nia.
But from farther out— they had been standing inside a much larger encirclement the entire time.
The mage’s grip on his staff slowly tightened.
For the first time, he realized just how badly he had misjudged the situation.
This Level 10 Necromancer wasn’t wandering through the forest with a handful of summons.
The entire forest around them— was filled with his undead.
Nia slowly turned around.
Left.
Right.
Behind them.
Skeletons everywhere.
She looked down at the daggers in her hands.
Suddenly, her earlier words— I’ll hold them off.
You run.
—felt a little unnecessary.
Nia turned toward Kyle.
“You already knew all three of them were coming?” “Yeah.” “Then why didn’t you tell me you had this many skeletons out there?” Kyle thought for a moment.
“You didn’t ask.” Nia stared at him.
“…” She opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Annoyingly enough, she couldn’t even argue with that.
She really hadn’t asked.
Kyle stopped looking at her and turned his attention back to the three opponents.
The mage, archer, and knight no longer looked nearly as relaxed as they had before.
Especially the knight.
His eyes remained fixed on the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors.
That single head-on collision had already shown him exactly how terrifying their physical strength was.
One had stopped his Charge directly.
What would happen if all four attacked together?
And that wasn’t even counting the forty skeleton warriors sealing off every route around them.
Only then did Kyle slowly rise from beside the campfire.
He brushed a few pieces of grass from his clothes.
There was nothing hurried about the movement.
But as he stood, all forty-four skeleton warriors seemed to receive the same silent command.
Clack— Forty Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors tightened their grips on their battered blades at the same time.
The four Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors at the front slowly raised their weapons.
Cold light reflected from the blades beneath the white glow of Illumination.
The dense sound of shifting bones spread through the forest.
The mage’s expression finally changed completely.
Kyle looked at the three of them.
He still remembered what the mage had said.
Dead people are safer.
Since they had already made it clear that they intended to kill him, the situation had become much simpler.
Kyle raised his right hand.
All four Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors stepped forward at once.
Thud!
Their feet struck the ground.
The forty Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors remained in position around the perimeter.
Not a single obvious gap was left open.
Only now did Nia fully understand the situation.
The three of them had indeed completed their encirclement.
They had surrounded Kyle.
But Kyle’s army of skeletons— had surrounded them.
So who exactly was surrounding whom?
By now, the answer was obvious.