124 Chapter 29.7 – Banquet
<nulli>-TAK!
Team Fox moved in a coordinated manner, each of them knowing their roles and responsibilities well.
The Blackthorn family’s vault was vast, with rows upon rows of display cases, shelves, and secure containers holding priceless artifacts, relics, and treasures.
A scanned the room, his eyes behind the mask analyzing the layout and figuring out where they should start searching.
Since they didn’t have any information regarding the location of the ‘item’ they had been searching for, they needed to operate as fast as possible.
He whispered orders through the communication device in their ears, ensuring that they covered the most ground efficiently.
“Z, head for the eastern section. X, west. Y, take the central area. I’ll go straight for the safe in the back,” A commanded, his voice calm.
The team split up as they began examining the contents of the vault. The artifacts ranged from enchanted weapons to rare spellbooks and intricately crafted magical trinkets. Each one held immense value and power, but they were not here for them.
Even though they were all valuable, it was as if they were here to confuse those who didn’t know much about the thing.
‘And that is the goal.’
I thought, slowly moving in the shadows.
‘As expected, they didn’t send their strongest members.’
My eyes observed every bit of their movements, picking up the small details that were giving away their strength.
My trait [Perceptive Insight] was doing its work. The members were all fast and precise at analyzing, continuously looking for small details. But their posture and the weapons they held weren’t strong.
It was because they were not focused on combat but rather originated as thieves. Professionals who stole artifacts from vaults.
The combat-oriented ones were probably focusing on the attack on the banquet hall right now to make it seem like this was just a terrorist attack, but in fact, it wasn’t.
It will later be revealed that Kaiser was abducted, but that isn’t my concern.
‘I should start moving.’
I had been trailing them from the moment they made their appearance by the portal, and that was how I found the location of the vault.
I started moving in the shadows, masking my presence as much as I could.
The item they were looking for was something that would break the grounds of magic engineering and the ethics of higher-ranking families if it was known.
<nullb>The Project of Mana Nucleus.
In other words, the project of using human bodies as sources of energy.
Truly an inhuman act for power. But that wasn’t even surprising. Which superpower in the world didn’t have the ambition to be the absolute power?
The desire to become a god? Wasn’t this the reason why we humans are waging wars on others?
So, those who are strong and the ones whose words count as history don’t need to have the ethics we normal humans have.
And this applies to not only humans but also demons.
This is one of the reasons why I was here in this place.
‘I will never let it go into the hands of demons.’
In the game, this moment marked the first appearance of him, even though it was implicit.
Even then, as one of the highest-ranking villains and one of the most dangerous ones, even his implicit appearance had a vast effect on the story of the game.
Because the moment the incomplete<nullb> Mana Nucleus was stolen with all the research materials, demons would get their hands on one of the most dangerous future weapons in the game.
Even though the research was stopped for the time being because of the lack of ‘brains,’ however the demons didn’t have that problem at all as they did have the Mad Scientist on their side.
And, thanks to him, the research would be completed, which would lead to immense amounts of destruction.
“A, I think I have found something.”
Just as I was thinking about that, suddenly, my ears perked up as I looked at the black-clad guy before me.
He was pointing to a peculiar display case with a subtle grin behind his mask. The case had an ornate design, just like the other containers in the room.
However, it was as if he knew something I didn’t, as his hands immediately started moving precisely.
<nulli>-TAK!
And, in a matter of seconds, suddenly, the shelf started moving upwards.
Revealing a small corridor.
“This is it.”
The leader and the strongest member of the group, A, immediately came to the location they had discovered.
‘This is really it.’
The energy that was being released from the corridor was so enormous that I could feel my skin grazing.
‘I guess that marks the wait.’
With that thought, I slowly reached for my gun stored in my bracelet and also grabbed my daggers, putting them on my belt.
Thanks to the fact that this bracelet had the unique property of not being detected, I could bring whatever weapons I needed, even as a waiter. And, I could also bring some necessary items I would need.
Like a jammer to block the signal going outside.
And that was the most crucial part of the plan.
“Let’s go.”
The leader, A, motioned for the other intruder to proceed. That was my cue.
<nullb>Eyes of Hourglass.
I activated my skill, Eyes of Hourglass, and time around me began to slow. The world moved at a languid pace as I assessed the situation.
‘I shouldn’t waste any more time.’
I recognized the weaker of the two intruders, the one who had found the hidden corridor. They were momentarily distracted, and I seized the perfect moment. With a deep breath, I aimed my gun with the silencer, steadied my hand while also putting my mana into the gun, and fired.
<nulli>-PIU!
A silenced gunshot echoed.
However, I was yet to be done.
<nulli>-PIU!
Immediately, I fired another bullet without wasting any time. Even though my body was also moving slowly, at the very least, I could process the information a lot faster thanks to my skill.
<nulli>-SPURT!
The moment I had deactivated my skill and time returned to its normal flow, the sound of blood splashing echoed, followed by a thud sound.
“Grrr…”
As the weaker intruder collapsed, a bullet wound in their chest, A gritted his teeth, feeling the wound in his shoulder.
The bullet found its mark, but it didn’t infect too much of a wound since A was a higher-ranked Awakened.
‘I knew that would be like that.’
He was the leader of the group that was sent to the vault; there was no way a bullet, even coated with mana, would be enough to pierce his skin.
<nulli>SWOOSH
Before A could react to the unexpected attack, I sprang into action, drawing my daggers.
With uncanny speed, I closed the distance between us. A turned to face me, his mask hiding his surprise.
<nullb>Eyes of Hourglass.
Time slowed down once again, as I could also see the weak points with my skill.
The skill allowed me to move with unparalleled speed and precision. I aimed for vital spots, seeking to incapacitate the opponent rapidly.
But it was only for a second, as mana consumption was high.
“Code D,” A muttered into his earbuds as my first dagger descended towards him.
<nulli>CLANK!
In that instant, his sword rose to meet my attack, blocking it with precise timing. His training and experience were evident as he parried my assault, his mask concealing any expression.
‘He is a professional.’
Even though his strength wasn’t that high, the way he parried my blow showed he was at least on the level of academy cadet, and that itself was an achievement and danger.
<nulli>-SWOOSH! 𝑽xt.𝒸𝗆
However, I was still at an advantage.
‘He is injured.’
Because he was injured.
I pressed that advantage, with my movements fluid and deliberate, as I aimed for his exposed areas.
<nulli>SWOOSH!
A tried to remain calm and composed.
He deftly dodged and blocked my strikes, his movements calculated and efficient. Each blow I delivered was met with a swift counter, as A used his sword both for defense and offense.
But then again, he wouldn’t be able to keep that for too long.
<nulli>-CLANK
“Hkk….”
As he deflected another one of my attacks, he spilled blood from his mouth as the momentum of my attack put a strain on his body.
<nulli>SWOOSH!
At that exact second, I could feel a projectile coming from the sides. My highly developed [Intuition] parameter enabled me to sense the projectile.
<nulli>SWISH!
With a unique footwork, I immediately avoided the attack coming my way. It was a compressed lightning bold.
<nulli>CIZZT!
As it went past my face, the bolt hit the wall.
“Tch.”
I could see the other two had already reached this place.
<nulli>CRACKLE
‘Lightning will be troublesome.’
One of them was using lightning psions around them, and the other one had his sword clad with mana.
They were here to reinforce their leader, A, but I had no intention of allowing that to happen.
With a swift, practiced motion, I retrieved a smoke bomb from my concealed bracelet and hurled it to the ground.
<nulli>PUFF!
The bomb burst with a hiss, releasing a thick cloud of smoke that quickly enveloped the vault.
A dense, obscuring fog now concealed the battlefield, blocking their vision and disorienting the intruders.
“What?”
“Be careful.”
I could hear their voices, as my traits enabled me to see a lot better, even in the smoke.
Activating my [Shadowborne], I masked my presence and started moving rapidly, grabbing my gun again.
<nulli>-PIU! -PIU! -PIU!
Bullets tore through the hazy air, a barrage of surprise attacks. The intruders were forced to rely on their instincts, unable to see their assailant clearly.
And that was what exactly I was aiming for.
The sound of suppressed gunfire echoed in the vault, making it a terrifying battlefield for those who had ventured into my domain.
“Where is he?”
<nulli>CRACKLE!
The lightning wielder’s powers crackled.
<nulli>SWOOSH!
However, before he could even move at any moment, I immediately dashed to his face and raised my gun.
<nulli>SPURT!
Quick and precise shots found their mark on his forehead before he could react.
“He is here!”
<nulli>SWOOSH!
The mana-clad sword user attempted to retaliate; however, with my eyes, I could already see the trajectory of the attack on the way.
With the smoke covering their sigh and them being not good enough, I sidestepped the sword swing in a matter of seconds.
<nulli>STAB!
And then my dagger stabbed the man by the neck, and blood spurted from the wound.
<nulli>-THUD! -THUD!
The intruders crumpled to the ground, one by one, incapacitated by my calculated and unexpected assaults.
But the battle was not over yet. A had healed himself with a potion, and he was now closing in, his sword still radiating with dangerous mana. However, I had a final ace up my sleeve.
As he lunged toward me, we clashed once more. A’s blade met my daggers, and we engaged in a swift and deadly dance of strikes and parries. But I knew that this battle wouldn’t last long.
<nulli>SWOOSH!
Just to prove my point, the moment I swung my daggers coated with crimson mana, I could feel A stagger for a second.
<nulli>CLANK!
He managed to block my attack, but that made him lose his balance more.
<nulli>THUMP!
“Burgh-”
As suddenly blood spilled from his mouth, A fell to the ground.
“Hrrrrr….What did you do?”
He tried to stand up, but he found no strength in his body.
“Don’t you know?”
With a simple tone, I slowly approached him, with my gun pointing at his head.
“It was poison, wasn’t it?”
“It was.”
<nulli>PIU!