Broken rushed out of the inn as soon as he got the message from Subaru. He took the quieter streets to move quickly, slipping out of the city before hopping onto his Petal Charger. The battle between the Shadow Wolves and the Blade Phantom was taking place outside the city, so he needed to cover ground fast.
When he finally arrived, he saw the members of the Shadow Wolves standing in a circle around someone-clearly their target.
As Broken approached, he noticed a few of the members glance in his direction. But what caught his attention most was the figure at the center of the group. The person was wearing a black cloak strikingly similar to Void Reaper’s. Was this just a coincidence?
The figure was shrouded in a shadowy aura, making it difficult to discern their true form. Yet, despite being surrounded, they seemed calm, almost unfazed by the situation.
Subaru sent another message to Broken.
“Broken, I think this is going to be a tough fight, but you should only join us if you’re absolutely sure,” the message read.
But instead of diving into the battle, Broken did exactly what Maylock had asked of him-he activated the recording feature on his system. It would capture everything through his eyes. Maylock had suggested that the Blade Phantom might be on his side, but why? Sometimes, the things Maylock said only made sense when the time was right. But now, the person surrounded by Marlene and the others seemed to be deliberately presenting themselves as Void Reaper, possibly to divert Marlene’s attention and help Broken escape?
“You won’t get away from us. I’ll make sure you die over and over again until you’re sick of living,” Marlene’s voice rang out.
But the Blade Phantom, whose identity and even gender were obscured, simply readied their twin daggers, preparing for battle without uttering a word.
The inevitable battle finally erupted. Every member of the Shadow Wolves cast their buffs, and the melee fighters charged in first. But the Blade Phantom moved with incredible speed, flipping through the air and darting away from their attacks. In a flash, they aimed to strike at the support players, knowing their importance in the fight. However, Marlene’s wolf quickly intercepted, launching a swift attack.
The Blade Phantom vanished, only to reappear in a new location, now targeting Calista, the healer. But another melee fighter was already there, countering the attack with precision- their teamwork was seamless.
The fight was a testament to the coordination of the Shadow Wolves. They skillfully protected their support players while the melee fighters maintained relentless pressure on their target. Yet, what stood out most was the Blade Phantom’s ability to hold their ground, deftly evading and countering attacks from so many opponents at once.
Despite being outnumbered, the Blade Phantom prevented the battle from becoming a one- sided affair, displaying exceptional skill and agility throughout the encounter.
It was truly incredible-an assassin able to hold their own against so many opponents was extraordinary. It was clear that this person was highly trained in combat. Every movement the Blade Phantom made was precise and efficient, expertly countering enemy attacks and using the momentum to propel themselves toward a new target. It was as if the Blade Phantom was dancing through the battlefield, seamlessly weaving between threats.
However, the fight didn’t last long. Despite their skill, the Blade Phantom was gradually cornered. Realizing this, they decided to make a break for it. The assassin’s body blurred and shifted through shadows, rapidly changing locations as they distanced themselves from the fight. In the end, the Blade Phantom vanished completely, slipping away so swiftly that even Marlene’s two wolves couldn’t keep up with the pursuit.
Broken was still in awe after witnessing the fight. The Blade Phantom had been incredibly difficult to pin down! He shut off the recording and approached the others, overhearing their complaints.
“Damn, that asshole! I should’ve gone for his neck,” one of them grumbled.
“Now that we know exactly who’s infiltrated our expedition, we’ll keep hunting this guy down!”
Marlene’s face remained expressionless, as usual, not saying a word.
“Ehehehe, everyone…” Subaru spoke up, breaking the tension. “How about we head back to the inn to discuss our next move? We’ve got the auction to attend tonight.”
With that, the team regrouped and started making their way back to the city.
As they traveled back to the town, Broken found himself imagining what it would be like if he could acquire a Costume Skin that would allow him to conceal his identity while still wearing his full gear underneath.
The Obsidian Shroud wasn’t a good option, as he had already used it frequently in front of the Shadow Wolves. He needed something different. The Void Reaper costume he had worn earlier was just a set of normal clothes that replaced his Sloth Armor, meaning he couldn’t fight at his full potential while wearing them.
What he really needed was a costume that could overlay his existing gear, letting him maintain his full combat abilities while still disguising who he was. Such a skin would be invaluable, especially in situations like this where his identity needed to remain hidden. In the game system, there was actually a gacha feature for costumes, but the results were completely random. The designs weren’t particularly special, and they were commonly used by many players. He wasn’t really interested in that, and besides, none of the available costume skins truly met his needs. So, he’d have to wait until another option presented itself.
For now, he’d bide his time and keep an eye out for something more suited to his requirements—something unique that could both conceal his identity and allow him to fight at full strength.
After returning to the inn, Broken sent the video recording from earlier to Maylock, waiting to see what his response would be. Meanwhile, the group was busy preparing for the auction later that night. It promised to be an exciting evening-who knew what interesting things he might find there?
***
Maylock, Elincia, and Goldrich immediately began analyzing the video Broken had sent. It was clear that each of them had drawn their own conclusions from the footage.
“I don’t think I can keep my suspicions hidden any longer,” Elincia said.
“Khi khi khi…” Goldrich chuckled. “Isn’t this good news, Elincia? We’ve been wanting a Divine Champion among us for quite some time.”
They hesitated to reveal everything, still somewhat uncertain, before all eyes turned to
Maylock.
“What do you think?” Elincia asked.
Maylock sighed. “I’ve actually been analyzing this for the past few days, and my confidence has been growing. Although I needed footage like this to confirm it… Yes, we can confirm it.”
Elincia said, “That the new Envy Champion is truly part of the Ass Guild?”
“Yes.” Maylock nodded. “I can confirm that the person in the video is Charmelyn.”
They fell silent for a moment after hearing the confirmation, pondering why Charmelyn hadn’t revealed this information to the others yet, especially since it was such a significant
revelation.
“Maybe she needed more time before opening up about it?” Elincia suggested. “But why would she go to such lengths to follow Broken into Hell?”
Maylock sighed before answering. “It seems Charmelyn knows Broken from outside the game, though Broken hasn’t realized it yet.”
“What? Really?” Elincia looked surprised.
“Yes, maybe she’s someone he knew before, perhaps from his past or even a friend from university. What’s clear is that Charmelyn has shown an interest in Broken. More likely, it’s love. You can see it in how her behavior has changed since Broken appeared. She might even
be his ex from the past; I’m not sure.”
“Damn, are you sure about that, Maylock?” Elincia asked.
“Thirty percent for the overall situation,” he replied. “But seventy percent sure that Charmelyn has feelings for Broken, or at least some kind of connection to him.” “Khi khi khi…” Goldrich chuckled. “You’re quite skilled at reading people, huh? But I wonder why you’ve chosen to be a loner when you could have plenty of friends if you wanted?” “I’m good at reading people, even manipulating them to do what I want, but I’m just too lazy to bother. And I don’t like being surrounded by people who aren’t important to my life. I prefer not to get close to those who don’t serve a purpose,” Maylock responded calmly. Elincia then stood up. “Alright, everything’s clear. At least we know Broken has someone he can rely on in Hell. At least he’s not alone.”