Chapter 139: Finding the Answer

The three of us delved deep into the dungeon. We met some weak monsters around level 40 but I can kill them with just one shot.

I'm still dwelling on what Zieglind said earlier. He was desperate and his eyes were scary even if the other one of his is hidden. I felt fear. Absolute fear. It felt like he was disappointed of our growth.

Which made me curious why he's incredibly desperate for us to grow even stronger. But it's not my place to counteract what he wants. But this situation is annoying nonetheless.

We went even deeper into the dungeon and we finally found some worthy opponents. I guess it's around level 60 or 50. Seeing how everyone behind it is following this giant monster's orders.

I didn't hesitate and I looked at Feran a d Helga and nodded.

Feran was the first one to give buffs, "Dark Damage UP, Dull Pain, Strength Boost!" Several flashing lights appeared on my body then disappeared indicating the buffs were given to me successfully.

Helga did the same, "Regeneration!" Just a small buff to heal me continuously.

I rushed in and the monster is a ghoul. But this one is a giant one. It has its ribs showing, flesh outside and barely any skin on the outside, its eyes were only white and it seems to be feeding on its own kind. Driven by hunger. And ten other dog ghouls were behind it and some normal sized ghouls.

"Shadow Dive!" I phased through inside of the rocks below and began to walk through the ground and walls. I could see everything around me. I looked up and tried to find which target I'll be going first. I picked the ghoul in the very far left.

I jumped out of the Shadow Dive and sliced the ghoul's nape which killed it instantly. I reactivated, "Shadow Dive!" And went in the ground again. This skill has a long cooldown but it resets when I kill an enemy.

[Shadow Dive, phase through solid objects but you can't go through walls to go to other rooms or exit any place. You can move around anywhere in a selected room. You can reactivate this skill to launch out of the solid object you're in, this skill will automatically activate if you're in for 3 minutes. This skill resets when you get a kill 10 seconds after exit.]

I jumped out of the Shadow Dive again and tried to get another ghoul so I sliced its nape and I thought I succeeded.

"SKREEEEEEE!!!" But the ghoul was extremely loud when I missed its nape. I followed it up with a stab on the back. Which sealed it completely. I jumped down the ground again but all the ghouls went to the direction of where it died. It seems that my plan to take them down one by one will be difficult.

I jumped back out again of the Shadow Dive, "Uncontrollable Rage!" An AOE buff that I got from leveling up.

[Uncontrollable Rage, increase the attack and strength by 100% in a large area in exchange for losing control over one's body.]

The ghouls got stronger definitely but they all turned on each other.

The ghouls devoured each other while the dogs pounced and bit everything that went around them. To my surprise, Uncontrollable Rage is a lot stronger than I thought. When one of the dog ghouls bit one of them, it tore of their arms with ease.

I waited for some time and the giant monster which I guess is the boss of this dungeon is obviously the one that survived. It's heavily damaged so this would be an easier fight. And it seems that the buff I planted on them has disappeared.

I dived into the ground again using Shadow Dive and to battle it out with this giant ghoul. I jumped out and slashed the back of its knees which caused the giant ghoul to slowly outbalance itself and fell on one knee.

I didn't overlook this chance and went ahead and went for the other back of the knee by launching myself, "Supersonic!" and gain an immense speed boost in which I did a slice drive by on his back of the knee in which I succeeded.

The ghoul faltered and dropped from the ground with both of its knees.

I ran from his giant back up to the nape and tried to slice it but the ghoul suddenly shouted a large cry. "URKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" It called its allies and every ghoul in the dungeon came. Seems like I need to kill this ghoul first to eliminate everything.

"Barrier!" I heard Helga's voice. I didn't even notice but several ghouls jumped at me. The giant ghoul then smashed the barrier along with me. "Urk… Heal!" But my body recovered its injuries with the help of Helga.

"Clone!" I multiplied myself into several clones of myself and every clone of mine rushed at the gigantic ghoul.

"Barrier!" Helga casted again. Several mage ghouls were at the ground casting low level spells at me but I can charge in with the help of Helga.

"Swap!" I swapped with the position of the clones and appeared behind the ghoul's neck. But the giant ghoul anticipated this and slapped his own nape with his hand. Good thing I managed to get back but my clones were all obliterated by the mage ghouls. "Shadow Dive!"

Once again, I tried to jump into its name by phasing through the ground and working my way to the ceiling and dropping there. But the giant ghoul cancelled my pursuit again with the same method as he used.

The giant ghoul shouted again and released a toxic gas throughout the whole dungeon. It was an incredibly foul smell.

"Dull Sense of Smell!" Helga casted on all of us to turn off our sense of smell. "Poison Resistance!" This'll only help for a little bit. The gas the ghoul released is slowly corroding our skin. "Barrier! Great Heal!" Helga did her best to heal and protect all of us. The barrier will last on them for longer so I don't have to worry about them for now.

I can focus on the ghoul. "Supersonic!" I ran through up to his back and tried to aim for its nape again. But this ghoul anticipated my every move. Everytime I tried to go to his back, he continued releasing toxic gas and began punching everything crumbling and shaking the whole dungeon.

"Why!?" I'm extremely confused. Are ghouls intelligent? How could they possibly know every pattern of my attack? How could it deflect everything I threw at them?

Then I remembered my fight with Afal. The same thing happened. Every time I targeted his back for a critical strike I was blocked with ease. It's the same with Zieglind. He fought me with nothing and I barely won by striking him with a random attack…

"That's it!" My attacks are incredibly telegraphed and easy to read because I only target their backs for a quick one kill strike. I thought that was my job all the time I became an assassin. Take care of things quickly and swiftly.

But I forgot that I'm in a completely different group now. These monsters and people like Zieglind and Afal, I'll face enemies stronger or as strong as them.

All this time I've only killed enemies extremely weaker than me. Using the method of one hit kill on the back. But this time, enemies that will be far from my reach will be the enemies I'll face in this journey. I'm an assassin. And that doesn't mean I need to kill them in one quick strike.

I need to bring my enemies down bit by bit.

"Bound Leap! Supersonic!" A buff on my feet, allowing me to jump extremely high. I jumped way to the ceiling and combined with Supersonic, I'm unstoppable.

I jumped around the room moving at the speed of sound. The ghoul was confused, looking around. And that time was the time to strike.

I jumped off the wall and did a drive by on its eyes by slashing it while jumping through the air. I cut off its sight. Now he'll turn berserk.

I leaped again now to target both of its arms. I ran to its shoulder and cut off the tendons there. So its arms will now be useless.

I moved in front of its helpless body just to take in everything Afal and Zieglind has given and taught me. "Your head is too high."

With the ghoul's whole body completely useless, its arms and feet and sight are all gone, I went in for the kill.

For a critical strike on its back, there needs to be a setup. And everything I've learned… "IS FOR THIS!" I sliced its nape off with a clean hit killing it completely.

"So you found the answer." A voice was suddenly heard and I turned around and it was Zieglind.

"Wha-" I was speechless.

"What?"

"…" I was silent for a moment. "Yes, I found the answer. Thank you for guiding me."

"Good. Let's go home."

You're a monster Zieglind. For you to sneak up on an assassin and act like it's nothing. Heh. It seems that I still have a lot to learn.