Chapter 143: Stealthy, like a shadow.

The silence of Strax and his presence were imperceptible. He was merely a remnant of something that wasn't really there, like the shadow of a tree that simply lingered, observing what was happening.

"Let's go! Protect the lady! Don't let them get close to her!" shouted one of the knights fighting against the bandits. Their armor was not like the knights of Vorah; on the contrary, it was more ragged. However, the helmets they wore indicated they were a protective force, perhaps mercenaries hired for the job.

They were people Strax had never seen in his life, so it was normal for him not to know what they were up to. What caught his attention was the main carriage of the convoy, which was far more luxurious than the others.

He gathered some information from observing that convoy, especially upon realizing they were protecting someone... Strax's greed began to act up, "If it's someone important and we help... rewards may arise... if this acts like a game due to the system, I can gain more things..." He thought, truly, he was being too greedy.

Suddenly, a shout from one of the knights echoed through the environment again, while Strax slinked closer, hiding behind bushes and trees to see and hear better.

"To the right!" Strax turned to see what he was referring to. His eyes widened as he saw a two-meter-tall brute advancing like a fanatic, kicking and punching everyone in front of him with apparent ease.

Strax analyzed with his eyes, feeling a great concentration of Mana coming from that fanatic. He had a lot to assess, but he had already seen something that caught his attention: that carriage being protected... there was someone inside with as much strength as he had. But if it was just that person, he wouldn't gain anything from it.

If everyone were defeated, he could lose the chance to obtain any benefit.

"Time to intervene," he murmured to himself. Moving silently, he blended into the shadows of the trees, the strange and dark jungle serving as the perfect stage for him to blend into the environment. He slithered through the foliage, getting even closer to the battle, finding a vantage point even better than the previous one.

The caravan guards were indeed putting up a fierce fight, but the attackers from the guild were relentless. It was clear the guards were outnumbered.

Strax watched the massive Brute Fanatic advance again, this time towards a group of guards trying to form a defensive line.

"Are you really going to interfere in this?" Tiamat's voice echoed in his mind.

"I'm thinking ahead. Did you sense that person inside? A cultivator on the verge of breaking into the Grandmaster Realm, and they're not even interfering... it seems suspicious," Strax murmured, watching the soldiers gather around the Brute. The brute was relentless, sending several knights flying as Strax conversed with the sword.

"That's not what I meant. I'm asking if it's worth interfering, knowing that person is here," Tiamat said, sounding worried about something.

"Take their cargo! We need those supplies!" shouted one of the Zaratz men, but his command was interrupted by a golden sword piercing his heart. "Sorry, my friend, it's time for all of you to die," Strax said, smiling as he mercilessly killed him, pulling his sword downward from the heart to the stomach, letting his guts spill out.

"Camouflaged enemy!" one of the hooded men said, but how could he find Strax? His mana couldn't detect him, so with a swift shadowy advance, Strax delivered a horizontal slash, causing the man's head to fall.

"And there go two..." Strax said, retreating to the forest shadows. Having observed how Cristine's Assassins worked, he absorbed some techniques. Even though he had been blinded by rage when invading that clan, whose name he couldn't remember, he had gained a completely new perspective on assassin combat. That's why he didn't blame Carlos for not fighting—he knew how it worked, at least visually.

"When I find her, I'll ask her to train me... Once I master Shadow Manipulation or Dark Manipulation, I'll be nearly invisible in stealth... I need to build a foundation for all those skills," he said to himself. Again, he disappeared and reappeared, killing another guild member.

The Zaratz members attacking the knights began to notice the absence of some of their comrades. Even in the midst of the apparently fierce battle, some of them had time to think about what was happening instead of focusing on their enemies.

"Hey, John! These men are weak, let's finish this!" one of the guild members shouted to another, who was locked in a fierce duel with a knight, their swords clashing in a barrier of strength. "Tsk, stop celebrating too early!" When this John turned around, the man's head was already on the ground...

"Hello," Strax said, waving as he looked at this John, who stared back in confusion. This momentary lapse in attention...

"Ugh!" he grunted in pain, feeling the other knight's sword pierce his stomach. He fell, bleeding, and the knight plunged his sword into the man's head. "Phew, that was close," the knight said, seeing that Strax was not an enemy. He was exhausted.

"Who are you?" the knight asked, still panting from the battle. "And why did you help us?" Strax pulled back his hood, revealing an enigmatic smile. "I'm Strax, another escort of these folks attacked me not long ago," he explained. "And let's just say we have common interests. I'd love to exterminate these guys," Strax said with a grin. "I'll be back later.

I'm going to continue cleaning up these guys. That big guy over there really wants chaos." He said, referring to Kang, who was being somewhat effectively held off by the knights.

"As they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall," Strax said as he vanished, leaving the knight confused. One moment he felt Strax's presence, and the next, he had completely disappeared.

Strax looked towards the carriage the defenders were protecting. He began to silently kill those who were more isolated, keeping his presence hidden. He intended to deal with Kang last.

"Look at this... what do we have here..." Strax murmured, noticing up close that many of these men had spoils hidden in their clothes. "I almost feel guilty..." he murmured, stealing a fully silver sword that seemed quite expensive.

"Just kidding," he said, using [Inventory] to store the valuable items from those he was silently assassinating.