Read Novel Full Chapter 378 378: The Attack: Making Some Upgrades [10]
Chapter 378 378: The Attack: Making Some Upgrades [10]
In the first class area...
Hearing Gabriel's name, Alice at first wanted to ask how she knew it, but then she realized that ever since he joined the Adventurer Guild and later left, his name had been everywhere. People were bound to recognize it.
Because of Alice's talent, she could tell that everything Lin Xueyi was saying was nothing but the truth. This was the most interesting aspect of her ability.
Though many might consider her talent quite useless since it was not suited for battle, Alice knew better than anyone how terrifying it could be in the right situation. Strength could be measured. Skills could be seen. Levels could be compared. But information, especially truthful information, was something that could decide life and death long before blades ever crossed.
Alice stared at Lin Xueyi for a long moment.
The warehouse was quiet, unnaturally so. Lin Xueyi held her gaze without flinching, clearly prepared for either outcome.
Then Alice slowly lowered her dagger, sheathing it at her waist.
"I believe you," she said calmly.
Lin Xueyi's eyes widened before she could stop herself.
She had expected suspicion. Resistance. More questions. Maybe even an attack. After all, Alice had been hostile from the very beginning.
The sudden change caught her completely off guard.
"You… believe me?" she asked, her tone betraying a hint of disbelief.
Alice nodded. "Yes."
Lin Xueyi frowned slightly. "Just like that?"
Alice's lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
"What if this is all a ploy?" Lin Xueyi asked. "What if everything I said was carefully crafted just to lower your guard?"
Alice did not answer immediately.
Instead, she turned her gaze away, looking at the rows of weapons one last time, committing the final details to memory. Then she looked back, her eyes sharp but calm.
"Then that would mean you're either the best liar I've ever met," Alice said, "or you're telling the truth. And either way, I have my ways."
Lin Xueyi's frown deepened.
"Your ways?"
Alice did not elaborate. She simply tapped her temple lightly with one finger.
Lin Xueyi studied her for several seconds, then let out a quiet breath. A small, genuine smile appeared on her face for the first time since they met.
"You're even more dangerous than I thought," she said softly.
Alice smirked. "You should meet my sister first, then."
"Who is your sister?"
"Scarlet Voss."
Lin Xueyi's eyes widened in shock, her breath quickening.
"You mean the Hero Rank swordsman and the daughter of Thomas Voss is your sister?"
A smug expression appeared on Alice's face as she nodded. "Yup."
Lin Xueyi sucked in a sharp breath, as if everything was happening too fast for her to process.
A little while later, silence settled again, but this time it was different. It was no longer hostile or tense. It was the kind of silence that formed between two people who had reached an understanding without needing to spell everything out.
"We should leave," Lin Xueyi said eventually. "Staying here too long would invite unnecessary attention."
She turned and began walking toward the exit of the warehouse, her steps confident and unhurried. Alice followed closely behind, her presence suppression still active and her senses alert.
As they stepped back into the open streets of the first class district, something immediately became clear.
No one stopped them.
The guards they passed straightened slightly at the sight of Lin Xueyi, nodding respectfully or stepping aside without question. Some even greeted her quietly. Their eyes barely lingered on Alice, treating her like a shadow attached to Lin Xueyi's presence.
Alice took note of everything.
Status truly was power here.
They moved through the district without obstruction, crossing streets, passing mansions, slipping through checkpoints that would have been impossible for Alice alone. Lin Xueyi did not even slow down at the gates separating the first and second class areas.
The guards simply opened the way.
Alice kept her expression neutral, but inwardly she was already calculating how useful this information would be later.
By the time they reached the edge of the second class district, Lin Xueyi finally slowed her pace.
"This is as far as I go," she said quietly. "Any further and questions might start being asked."
Alice nodded. "Thank you."
Lin Xueyi turned to leave, but then suddenly paused.
"Also, tell him about me."
"Sure," Alice replied.
Without another word, Lin Xueyi turned and disappeared back into the darkness, blending seamlessly into the camp she secretly despised.
Alice did not linger.
She moved swiftly but carefully, retracing her steps toward the perimeter of the first class area, her body already shifting back into infiltration mode.
...
Back at the entrance to the first class area, Sniperbowlegend was crouched low behind a stack of crates, his eyes never leaving the guarded checkpoint.
A few minutes earlier, he had realized something that made his heart sink.
He still had the map.
Geoffrey's crude but detailed drawing was folded neatly inside his clothes, untouched.
He cursed himself silently.
Alice had gone in without it, and for a brief moment, he considered trying to reach her, but reality quickly crushed that thought.
There were two reasons he could not.
The first was simple. He did not have assassin type skills. No blink. No stealth talents. No killing intent suppression. Nothing that would allow him to slip past the perimeter unnoticed.
The second reason was even more damning.
The guards here were not fools.
Unlike the third class area, the patrols around the first class district were alert, disciplined, and armed with mana rifles that could tear through him before he could even raise his bow.
Trying to force his way in would only get him killed and expose Alice at the same time. So he stayed where he was.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he saw movement near the gate and looked up.
Two figures emerged.
He recognized one immediately, and his breath caught when he noticed the other was not clearly part of the Broken Dawn or the camp.
Alice was walking openly, not hiding or sneaking, escorted casually as if she belonged there. Guards stepped aside for them. No weapons were raised. No questions were asked.
Sniperbowlegend felt his mind go blank for a moment.
What in the world did she do in there?
When Alice finally reached him, she stopped and turned slightly, waiting until Lin Xueyi was far enough away before speaking.
"You look like you saw a ghost," Alice said.
"Who is she?" the archer asked immediately.
In low, rapid whispers, Alice explained everything that had happened.
Sniperbowlegend listened in stunned silence.
"And you believed her?" he finally asked.
Alice nodded. "Yes."
He frowned. "Just like that?"
She glanced at him, her eyes calm and confident. "I have my ways."
Sniperbowlegend did not press further.
After that exchange, the two did not stay any longer and began to leave.
They did not try to sneak out this time, as that would have drawn more attention.
Instead, Lin Xueyi assigned someone to escort them, giving them safe passage toward the outer gates of the camp. With that presence, the guards did not even bother inspecting them thoroughly.
They passed through the gates as if they belonged there. Only when the heavy iron gates closed behind them and the camp lights faded into the distance did Sniperbowlegend finally let out a long breath he had not realized he was holding.
Alice looked back once and then spoke quietly.
"Let's report. According to Lin Xueyi, they will head out in about forty eight hours. We need to attack them before then."
...
While Gabriel was waiting for Alice and Sniperbowlegend to return and report the situation in the Eastern Camp, he was busy preparing as well.
Although his recent increase in stats and newly acquired indestructible body gave him a significant advantage, Gabriel had a habit of pushing himself beyond his limits so he could completely overwhelm his opponents.
"I still have about 700 hundred extraction points left after the last hunt," he deduced as he took a quick glance at his status.
It would have been more than that, but he had expended more EP than he had gained.
Naturally, the first item he decided to extract was his greatsword.
Without hesitation, he summoned it.
[Crimson Judgement (Gold)]
[Durability: 59/400]
Description: A semi conscious weapon that requires 100 Strength to wield. Each strike builds Crimson Pressure against the same target. After three strikes within fifteen seconds, it triggers a true damage explosion. All three strikes must be made within fifteen seconds.
Seeing the remaining durability, Gabriel's frown deepened.
Crimson Judgement was one of the very first treasures he had obtained. It had followed him through countless battles, cleaving monsters, players, and elites alike. Naturally, it had taken the brunt of everything.
He ran his hand along the flat of the greatsword, feeling the faint cracks and reminiscing about all the battles he had fought.
"You've carried me long enough," he muttered.
With his hands hovering over the blade, he whispered,
"Extract."