Chapter Twenty-Seven: Vile Society's Base (2)

Swish! Swoosh!

Lan Sol leaped from branch to branch like a ninja. His overall physique had improved so much—along with his vision, flexibility, and balance—that he could now land on a tree as if it were child's play.

From above, he looked down and saw a tangle of sprawling roots. These roots were covered in tiny, nearly invisible spikes. If one wasn't careful, they could easily overlook them.

However, they were razor-sharp. Not to mention, they might contain poison strong enough to kill even a Tier 2 being like himself.

Rather than risk going through the hazardous roots, it was safer to stick to the branches.

The leaves were green, yet they appeared dull, giving the forest a lifeless vibe.

Lan Sol scanned the entire area but found no signs of movement.

"Are they hiding? Using stealth? Or are they just late?" he muttered.

The best way to gauge an enemy's strength...

Was to observe the number and power of their guards.

It might sound ridiculous, but if the guards were weak, the base's overall strength wouldn't be that high.

However, if the guards were already strong enough to challenge him, then there was no way he could attack the base—even with stealth.

Swoosh!

"Speak of the devil." Lan Sol smirked as he heard rustling nearby.

From the branches, twelve guards leaped toward him.

Dressed in tight black assassin gear, they looked menacing. Their cold, ice-like gazes locked onto him, and without hesitation, they attacked, daggers in hand—carelessly, without assessing his strength.

Perhaps they assumed he was alone, so they didn't bother being cautious.

"Fools." Lan Sol's grin widened.

His eyes flashed as he instantly analyzed their stats.

---

[Name]: Lovis

[Race]: Native Human

[Level]: 5

[Grade]: Tier 1 - Ordinary Creature

[Class]: Assassin

[Health]: 260

[Mana]: 150

[Attack Power]: 13-20

[Strength]: 15

[Agility]: 20

[Spirit]: 15

[Constitution]: 13

[Skills]:

- Resilient: Can endure any level of pain and will not slow down even when severely injured. (Passive, no cooldown.)

- Quick Feet: Increases speed by 30% for five minutes when activated. (Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds.)

[Current Status]: Hostile

[Class Talent]: If five or more Assassins join the battle, stealth increases by 10%, attack power by 10%, and defense by 20%.

---

All twelve assassins lunged at him with their daggers.

But before they could strike, Lan Sol's body glowed red, and icicles hovered around him.

Zoom! Zoom!

The icicles shot toward the assassins. Since they were midair, they had no way to change their trajectory. The sharp projectiles stabbed into them, knocking them back.

Bang!

All twelve assassins were sent crashing into trees. However, there was a clear difference in experience among them—some reacted quickly enough to shield themselves from fatal blows.

But the novices, the inexperienced ones, weren't so lucky. Blood trickled from their wounds.

Lan Sol's agility had soared past 40 thanks to the buff from Unnatural Rage. Using his superior speed, he locked onto the bleeding assassins and bombarded them with a flurry of skills.

Icicles zoomed toward the assassins, followed by frostballs. Before they could react, the branches beneath them became dangerously slippery.

"Huh?!"

Startled, the assassins lost their footing and slipped. Caught off guard, they were struck by the incoming spells, their health depleting at a rapid rate.

[-10] ×5

[-10] ×3

[-10] ×8

As the icicles spread out like a relentless machine gun, firing without pause, the more experienced assassins managed to dodge or deflect a few. However, the less skilled ones took the full brunt of the attack.

Since the branches were already thin and unstable, many of them lost balance and fell.

They desperately reached out to grab onto something—anything—but the onslaught of icicles only sped up their descent.

At last, they crashed into the roots below.

The moment their bodies made contact, tiny thorns stabbed into their flesh.

What happened next was straight out of a horror movie.

The stabbed assassins lost their lives in an instant. Their bodies decayed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Within mere seconds, only bones remained. And even those disintegrated into dust almost immediately.

"As expected from an ancient tree…"

---

[Successfully killed Lenio (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

[Successfully killed Arnis (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

[Successfully killed Dovi (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

[Successfully killed Samu (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

[Successfully killed Kano (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

---

*"Wait… this counts as my kill? No way."*

An extremely devious idea popped into Lan Sol's mind.

The remaining assassins, now fully aware of his strength, quickly began formulating a strategy. The experienced ones wasted no time and launched an immediate attack.

Out of the seven left, four charged at him.

Their blades struck his barrier, but even when attacking simultaneously, they failed to break through.

Not that it mattered—his barrier would regenerate almost instantly.

Lan Sol had little to no concern about their attacks. Instead, he was searching for the other three assassins.

While fighting them head-on was fine, he didn't want them alerting reinforcements. Not yet.

And more importantly…

They were his EXP.

There was no way he was letting them escape.

This was his chance to level up.

---

Swoosh! Swoosh!

More icicles fired toward the assassins, while the branches beneath them were coated in an even slicker layer of ice.

As long as something could be stepped on, it counted as a floor—which meant his slippery terrain skill applied to the branches as well.

However, maintaining it drained his mana rapidly.

His remaining mana dropped below 200.

Not that it mattered. He would recover it within an hour or so.

One of the fleeing assassins was struck in the back—he hadn't expected Lan Sol to target him so aggressively.

Not one or two, but dozens of icicles rained down on him.

Fueled by Unnatural Rage, Lan Sol dashed after him.

The other assassins tried to stop him, stabbing at him with their daggers—

But to their dismay, his barrier blocked every single attack.

Not to mention, his mage robe had an additional protective barrier of its own.

Moving at blazing speed, Lan Sol reached his target almost instantly, completely unscathed.

The slippery floor caused the fleeing assassin to hesitate.

His eyes darted around, searching for another route.

The only option was the tree trunk.

He kicked off the trunk, trying to jump to another one—

Only to be met by a barrage of icicles.

Lan Sol continued firing while simultaneously grabbing the assassin by the neck—

And hurling him downward.

There was no time to hesitate.

Giving an assassin even a second to react was dangerous. He wouldn't give them the chance to try a "If I die, I'm taking you with me" move.

The assassin plummeted straight into the thorns, propelled by ten frostballs. These frostballs weren't meant to deal damage—only to push.

---

[Successfully killed Lovis (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

---

One down. Two to go.

Perhaps anticipating this outcome, the remaining two assassins split up, running in different directions.

But it didn't matter.

They weren't fast enough.

Lan Sol caught the next one within seconds.

The assassin suffered the same fate.

However, before he could pursue the last one—

Four assassins lunged at him again.

Like tigers pouncing on a deer.

"Hah."

Annoyed, Lan Sol surrounded himself with a spinning barrier of icicles, rotating at high speed.

The assassins' daggers clashed against the swirling ice—only for the impact to slice into their arms.

More icicles shot forward, pushing them back.

Before they could react, Lan Sol grabbed an assassin by the neck and hurled him downward, bombarding him with a barrage of frostballs.

One by one, the remaining four assassins met the same fate.

---

[Successfully killed Jarvo (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

[Successfully killed Onio (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

…

[You have leveled up! Current Level: 8]

[Your stats have increased! Strength +2, Agility +2, Spirit +3, Constitution +2]

---

"Yeah!!!"

A rush of exhilaration filled Lan Sol. Leveling up not only brought him joy but also enhanced his base strength, speed, and defense.

His eyes locked onto the last assassin, who had fled quite a distance away.

Not far enough.

Within a minute, Lan Sol caught up to him.

"W-Wait! Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!"

The assassin, having witnessed the gruesome deaths of his comrades, collapsed into a sobbing mess.

"Nope."

Without hesitation, Lan Sol grabbed the man and casually tossed him off the branch.

"Nooo!"

The assassin flailed, desperately trying to grab onto something—anything.

But before he could, icicles and frostballs rained down on him, ensuring his swift descent.

The moment he landed on the thorns, his fate was sealed.

Just like the others, his body withered away in seconds.

---

[Successfully killed Keviar (LV. 5). Gained 2,500 EXP!]

---

"Phew."

Lan Sol exhaled, finally allowing himself to relax. He sat on a sturdy branch, letting his mana slowly recover.

As for the cold-blooded kills and the lack of information, it wasn't that he didn't want to gather intel. It was simply that Lan Sol didn't want to take any chances.

What if the assassin died because he revealed something important? Or worse, what if there was something poisonous on him that could affect him too?

Not to mention, he wasn't about to waste 2,500 EXP—especially since he needed a large amount to level up.

"Now, time to scout a bit."

With that, Lan Sol moved deeper into the forest, heading toward the giant tree Ria had mentioned.