23: You Shall Die, Insect!

As DarkSaber tore open the scroll, a beam of divine light swept over the Granite Hills.

Simultaneously, Jerobi's massive fist descended, smashing him into oblivion. He was sent straight back to the respawn point.

But DarkSaber didn't care.

In fact, he welcomed it.

From the safety of the respawn point, he eagerly anticipated Blackshade's demise. He refused to believe Blackshade could maintain Stealth under the power of the scroll.

Meanwhile, Tristan also received the system notification.

He wasn't surprised in the slightest.

He had already guessed what DarkSaber's secret weapon was the moment Drake mentioned the scroll.

[Light God's Gaze (Black Iron Grade)]

A.K.A. The "Reveal Scroll."

The name alone was enough to make it seem prestigious. After all, anything associated with the Light God had to be powerful, right?

Wrong.

Tristan smirked to himself.

If only he could tell DarkSaber, "You've been scammed."

In ExoGenesis, any item tied to the gods was at least Dark Gold Grade.

A Black Iron Grade scroll claiming to wield the Light God's power?

Pure nonsense.

To be fair, the Reveal Scroll wasn't entirely useless.

It could dispel Stealth effects below Bronze Grade, making it a solid counter against most entry-level assassins.

The problem?

Tristan's Shadow Stealth was already Bronze Grade.

DarkSaber's so-called "ace in the hole" was nothing more than a fancy light show.

From the shadows, Tristan watched calmly, completely unaffected.

However, Drake, observing from a distance, was far less composed.

He worried about what might happen if Blackshade's Stealth were exposed.

"If Blackshade gets caught out, he won't be able to solo the boss," Drake muttered.

Worse yet, Shadow Legion had already surrounded the respawn point, waiting to bombard Blackshade with AOE attacks the moment he showed up.

Drake clenched his fists.

"If things go south, I'll rally the Iron Fist Alliance and break their siege myself."

He quickly relayed everything to Blackshade, urging him to retreat.

"Blackshade, you should leave for now. The boss isn't going anywhere. Once the scroll's effect ends, you can come back and finish it off."

At the same time, Drake scanned the area, hoping to spot Blackshade.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find a trace.

"Do any of you see him?" he asked his team.

"Nope."

"Not at all."

"Nothing here."

Drake felt a wave of relief.

"Good. He's already left. That's the smart move."

But Holy Fire Priest Sophie had another theory.

"Boss, is it possible… that Blackshade's Stealth is already Bronze Grade?"

Drake froze.

At first, he wanted to dismiss the idea, but the evidence was hard to ignore.

The Reveal Scroll could dispel Black Iron Grade Stealth, yet Blackshade had yet to reveal himself.

If he hadn't left, then there was only one explanation:

Blackshade's Stealth was on an entirely different level.

And then it happened.

Far in the distance, Jerobi's health bar dropped by another chunk—over 6,000 damage.

Drake's jaw dropped.

"He's still here…"

At that moment, he knew.

Blackshade's Stealth wasn't just good—it was untouchable.

Drake let out a long sigh.

"DarkSaber just wasted two million for nothing."

Jerobi, the Obsidian Lord, roared in frustration.

No matter how hard it tried, it couldn't pin down the elusive shadow.

"How can this be? The shadows were supposed to be purged by the Light God's gaze!"

Jerobi's fury mounted with each passing second.

It hurled massive boulders, tearing through the air with deafening sonic booms.

Nearby Granite Giants were plucked up and used as makeshift projectiles, their massive forms crashing into the ground and scattering debris everywhere.

Any unlucky players caught in the chaos were instantly obliterated.

In less than 30 seconds, over a hundred players had been wiped out, sent back to the respawn point without ceremony.

And their attacks?

Completely useless.

Most couldn't even scratch Jerobi's defenses.

The rare few who managed to deal single-digit damage were immediately swatted like flies.

DarkSaber had led hundreds of players to this battle, but they were nothing more than ants beneath Jerobi's feet.

Tristan, meanwhile, continued his methodical assault.

From the shadows, he unleashed Shadow Daggers, each strike landing with precision on Jerobi's weak point.

Despite the seemingly calm exterior, every attack was a calculated risk.

Jerobi's reaction time was lightning-fast, and its counterattacks were devastating.

The boulders it threw were massive, weighing several tons, and traveled at speeds that produced sonic booms.

Even with 145 points of agility, Tristan barely managed to evade the deadly projectiles.

"Good thing I upgraded my Stealth."

Without it, he would've been reduced to a pancake long ago.

If anyone had been able to see him, they would've laughed at the sight of Tristan frantically dodging and weaving, his usual cool demeanor replaced by frantic survival instincts.

Jerobi's patience wore thin.

It could still sense the pesky insect hiding in the shadows.

Despite its best efforts, the wretched creature remained alive and continued its relentless assault.

"Insect… you shall DIE!"

With a thunderous roar, Jerobi shifted its attention to the remaining players.

Its massive hands crashed down, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.

Drake, watching from a distance, wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Thank goodness Blackshade warned us. If we'd been any closer, we'd be toast by now."

He had just seen players get flattened from over 200 meters away.

Jerobi's precision was terrifying, its attacks as accurate as guided missiles.

The once-pristine Granite Hills were being turned into a smoldering crater.

Just then, Drake received a message from Blackshade.

"How much cash have you prepared?"

Drake nearly choked.

"Bro, this is a Silver Grade BOSS! Can you take it seriously for once?"

"Your casual attitude is really demoralizing, you know that?"