Chapter 90 - Preparation

We finally got our composure back. Even though that didn't make us feel defeated, it was still a disappointing point where we are supposed to think wisely. We can't be driven by our emotions in this situation.

I breathed out and thought of a possible plan on how to oppose the coming wave of possible hunters. They would come up with a plan of grouping since she was rumored to be a dangerous and mysterious person. And it is their only advantage.

However, they were too immature to think it was enough. They don't know Ellena and just listen to rumors about her. They can't defeat her easily since she's powerful, enough to defy a high-ranking rune owner.

But I can't be complacent. This isn't the time to be arrogant and ignorant of threats. If I can turn this perfectly to our benefit, we can earn a massive number of points.

Thus... Ellena must be cruel this time.

"Ellena... Do you think you can go aggressive this time? I mean, cruel?"

Ellena paused to maintain her sword. She put the cloth by her side and looked at me with a confident smile. "Why wouldn't I? They are threatening my life, so it's just reasonable."

It made me feel relieved. This means that everything might go well.

However...

"Do you have a plan?" I asked her. I can't let myself do the thinking every time. Since I wanted her to develop her brain and using this situation as her practice, she might be able to think of a plan depending on her IQ's growth.

"I have. But it's mediocre compared to your plans. I'm still bothered by the fact that I must kill them. They are just used by that voice, right? They're clueless."

Sighs... This again... But I can't just push my ideals on her. She must naturally attain it.

Okay... I'll just watch her closely and guide her appropriately. Since I can't drag my idea to her, I'll let her use her own ideals.

"It's okay. Tell me what it was. You don't have to feel small." I said to her. She just smiled, then revealed her plan.

"I was thinking of showing my location to them. If they become tempted by my location, they won't find other teammates, right? They'll think that they must grab a prize immediately." she first said.

Wow... That was surprising. She also thought that as well? Hm... I think I don't need to make a plan, huh?

Anyways, I have to focus on her ideas.

"And after that, being tempted, I will attack them with my stealth ability and my sword. In that way, I can minimally use my stamina and not waste it. And when it comes to their abilities, I will activate Pressure Aura to weaken their abilities." she continued.

"I can do it, right?" she followed.

I'm so proud! Why wouldn't it be enough? Even though it was simple, it covered up the possibilities. However, even though there were still a few variables, it was still good.

"You're genius, Ellena!" I praised her, slightly blushing after hearing it. And seeing it, my heartbeat skipped one. That was cute!

"Thank you. Was it still lacking?" she asked.

"Hm... Yeah. You haven't thought of the location and the escape route in case of failure. But still, that was brilliant." I continued praising her.

I feel like she needed this, and even if she didn't, I felt the urge to compliment her on every action.

"Okay... Sorry, I haven't thought of it. Can you help me with it?"

"I can. But be sure that you'll remember this. In plans, you must have secured plenty of escape routes and plans aren't just for one time. There must be different phases and back-up for every one you make." I said to her.

She nodded and continued to find someplace where she can easily hide. Even there's no assurance when they will come, it's still important to be prepared as if it will happen in the next hour.

Ellena found a location where there were plenty of trees and lumps of dirt. In this case, the presence of the mini hills will be a good place to hide. Having an advantage in geography is the number one variable in winning a fight. Even in wars, it is the most vital piece of information that any party should know.

When we noticed that there were also plenty of plants in the area, we gathered some of them and covered them on three short hills of dirt. In this case, they would be wary of each direction since Ellena might be hiding there.

However, it's just a decoy. That will be the emphasis on geography. If they tried to think in Ellena's shoes, they would believe that she'd be hiding anywhere among these three. Thus, we can only be defeated if we get to encounter a brainy individual and not a simpleton.

My only concern was the different abilities that exist in this world. I still don't have a grasp of them as they could be random. Others can see through walls; it would be a problem. And the range of success rates varies from person to person. Even if there's a similarity with abilities, the chances are the ones that differ.

What a troublesome situation. If someone can negate Ellena's stealth, the plan would fail. That's why the escape route is important since there are still unknown variables.

In a case like this, you can't act all-knowing since you don't know every person's potential.

Even though it created a problem for me, I still need to find a solution... And let us not forget about the ease of use! Mage abilities are extremely cheap since they cost a lot of stamina and require high maintenance!

However, the problem is Ellena. Since this ability in my mind might be different from the abilities she's used to, it might take time to use it.

"Ellena, I have an idea. Would you like to buy [Perceiving Eyes]?"

Perceiving Eyes... It's an ability that makes the rune owner see through any target's potential. It can easily assess any proficiency by showing a gauge of their proficiency.

For example, if she looked at Isabella, above Isabella's head, a futuristic gauge bar would appear after activating the ability. It will show two things: the type of rune and the proficiency of Isabella in using her ability. If it's below 30%, there's nothing to be worried about since they just had a grasp and can not use their ability expertly. However, the problem will start if their proficiency exceeds 40%.

After taking some time, I explained the ability to Ellena. She already had an idea of what I mentioned.

"I think it's a nice ability. How much it costs anyways?" she asked.

"30 points and currently, depending on your stamina potential, it will use 20% per minute."

"Not bad. I bet if I only use a small amount of my stamina to activate it, it won't last a second. But I already had an idea of what you said."

Well, it might not be a problem for her, but she must know that having plenty of abilities will not be easy in the long run.