Sora began descending toward the clearing, leaving his friends concealed behind the veil.
His left foot touched the ground first as he released the effect of the concealing technique, revealing himself a few dozen ters away from Rachel.
Noticing his sudden appearance, Rachel's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting soone to get so close without her noticing. Straightening up, her gaze locked onto him, and her face froze the mont she fully registered what she was seeing.
He appeared as a level 49 player, sword in hand, every piece of his equipnt identical to what he'd worn in the past. Even the way he moved was a perfect replication of his past self. His face and the na above his head had been altered, ensuring she wouldn't mistake him for anyone else.
He pushed the disguise further, feigning injury. Blood seeped from his stomach, as though he'd been stabbed in the back.
"Am I having the sa fucking nightmare again?" Rachel cursed, her voice shaky. Her expression twisted as if she believed she was seeing a ghost from her past co to haunt her.
Sora fought the urge to smile as he sensed her activating her ntal defense skill. 'She really thinks she's dreaming...'
"This has to be an extrely high-level illusion," she murmured, her voice barely audible but clear to Sora's sharp ears. "Or soone is trying to ss with …"
Frowning, she unsheathed her sword, taking cautious steps toward him. "Who are you?" she demanded.
Sora had replayed this mont in his mind thousands of tis. He had dread of it, prepared for it, and planned dozens of responses to the questions she might ask.
But to her first question, his answer was silence.
Her frustration visibly grew, her veins bulging as she closed the distance between them.
Spitting her anger, she snapped, "Who the hell sent you here? Do they think sending a nobody disguised as him is funny? That they can ss with my nerves like this?" Her tone turned venomous. "To imitate his appearance and even display a fake na above your head, you must be using an Innate or Supre Skill, right?"
Sora stayed silent, keeping his expression neutral. He didn't want to risk missing any information she might unintentionally reveal.
"Don't throw your life away. Tell who sent you. It can't be one of the witnesses. Those clowns would never have the guts to co after ."
'Witnesses?' Sora thought, intrigued by the term. He decided to prod further. "Witnesses?" he asked simply.
"You don't know about them?" she scoffed. "It doesn't matter. Most of them are already dead." Her sword was now fully raised, ready for combat.
"There's no one who could know about your appearance except for him," Rachel said coldly, her eyes narrowing. "Admit that he sent you, and I might spare you. Otherwise, you're dead."
Sora sighed softly and raised his sword, swinging it slowly in her direction. 'I'm curious... Who are you referring to ? It's a sha I'm not planning on chatting with you. Not while you're this arrogant.'
Rachel reacted instantly, her sword slashing through the air toward him—but it t nothing. Her blade cut through empty space, and she stumbled slightly as the montum carried her forward.
Her eyes darted around, searching for him. "Nightmares aren't enough? Now I'm hallucinating?" she muttered under her breath, frustration evident. Shaking her head, she sheathed her sword. "What the hell is wrong with today?"
Still unsettled by the strange encounter, Rachel turned her thoughts toward leaving. "I need to get back to Tokyo," she muttered under her breath. But as she took her first step, a chill ran down her spine.
A sinister aura filled the clearing, and she turned around to see a skeleton spearman erging from the shadows at the far edge of the clearing. The creature's empty eyes glowed faintly, its large fra wielding a spear crackling with dark energy. Rachel's eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on her sword as she assessed the monster.
"A level 180? Here?" she murmured, disbelief written all over her face. Her gaze scanned the clearing, searching for an explanation. Monsters above the zone's level were exceedingly rare, usually only appearing during announced events in the [Adventurer's Guild]'s main hall. She hadn't heard of anything happening in this area.
If you co across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Dismissing her confusion, Rachel activated her buffs, her aura rising as she readied herself for combat. Confidence radiated from her as she said, "Whatever. A low-tier undead can't stop ."
Hidden nearby, Sora floated in silence, watching her with detachnt. 'You can already take on max level monsters? I really can't let you grow.' he thought.
The battle was intense. The skeleton spearman's strikes were strong and brutal, forcing Rachel to defend for a while. Every thrust of its spear sent shockwaves through the ground, making her footing unstable. She parried and counterattacked, her blade cutting through bone, but every swing left her arms trembling. The monster's higher stats tested her limits.
Rachel fought fiercely, using every skill and tactic in her arsenal to turn the tide. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she delivered a decisive blow, shattering the spearman. The undead crumbled into a pile of bones at her feet. She stood over it, panting heavily, her sword trembling in her hand.
"Too easy," she muttered, trying to steady her breathing. However, her expression changed almost imdiately.
Sora's lips curved into a faint smile as he observed her closely. 'She noticed it. No notification. No experience points. No reward...'
Rachel's unease grew, her gaze moving to the remains of the skeleton. She turned on her heel, ready to leave the clearing. But before she could take more than a few steps, another surge of energy halted her. Two more figures erged from the trees' shadows—skeletal swordsn, their blades glowing with a faint purple light.
"Two of you now?" Rachel cursed under her breath, frustration clear in her voice. Noticing their equipnt, she was taken aback, "And why do they have epic items? Aren't they supposed to be common monsters?"
The second fight was difficult. The two undead moved in tandem, their strikes coordinated, forcing Rachel to fight defensively. Despite her skill, she took several hits, their blades slicing through her armor and leaving deep cuts.
Yet, survival instincts were strong, and her talent in combat impressive. Fighting on a thin line between recklessness and control, she managed to dispatch one of her opponents. The second fell a few minutes later, her blade severing its spine.
Rachel staggered, blood dripping from her wounds. Her hands trembled as she held her sword. For a mont, a flicker of triumph crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced with fear.
'She's starting to panic,' Sora thought, watching her body language closely.
Rachel didn't waste ti tending to her injuries. She turned and ran, her movents fueled by fear. But after flying a few hundred ters, she collided with an invisible wall. The impact sent her flying to the ground.
"What the—?" she gasped, her hand reaching out to touch the barrier. Her bloodied fingers pressed against the smooth, impenetrable surface, and her heart began to race. She pounded against the wall, her strikes growing more frantic. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire
"No, no, no…" she whispered, her voice trembling. She activated skill after skill, but nothing worked. The barrier remained intact.
Spinning around, she tried another direction, but the sa barrier stopped her again.
"Who the hell is doing this?" She muttered under her breath. Her hand shook as she retrieved a teleportation scroll from her inventory. Activating it, a faint glow enveloped her—but nothing happened. The scroll disintegrated into ash, leaving her in the sa spot.
Coughing a few mouthful of blood, but she did not even try to wipe her mouth, her gaze looking for whoever was targeting her. "What did I do? Let out!" she scread, slamming her fists against the barrier.
Sora watched her from his hidden vantage point, his cold gaze unrelenting. 'Let's see how far you'll fall, Rachel,' he thought, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword.
Sora watched as a dozen skeletons materialized from all directions, encircling Rachel.
Her chest heaving, Rachel scread in frustration, "Get away from !" She activated an area-of-effect skill, her blade releasing a shockwave of energy that staggered a few skeletons. But the effect was short-lived; they advanced again, unfazed.
Feeling her impending doom, her panic reached a breaking point. Rachel fumbled through her interface, opening her friend list. Her trembling finger scrolled desperately through the nas, muttering under her breath, "Roger... Stella... Pedro... Clénce... Asia... Maxwell… Emily... Anyone, please respond."
Sora's cold gaze narrowed, his lips forming a small, cruel smile as he recognized so of the nas. 'So those are the ones you still rely on. And begging for Emily's help after leaving her guild? Already that desperate?' he thought.
While Rachel frantically tried to call for help, Sora summoned several clones. He thodically began customizing their appearance, his efficiency and calm contrasting with Rachel's panic and despair.
Rachel's trembling hand closed the interface as she gritted her teeth, her sword raised in defiance. She activated another skill, releasing a burst of radiant light that briefly blinded the undead. Seizing the mont, she escaped the encirclent and started treating her injuries.
1 free chapter in early access and more than 50 advance chapters ahead available on Patreon /Mimou2006)
Thanks for the support ! I'll see you guys tomorrow !
Reviews
All reviews (0)