Episode 97
Boom!
The arrows were rigged with magical explosives.
Fortunately, the shield on Zeke’s iron armor activated just in time, protecting him from the blast.
“Are you alright, Karus?”
Karus spat out the dust from his mouth and nodded.
Zeke quickly led Karus out of the room.
Boris and Simon were already prepared, waiting for his command.
“Simon, there’s a sniper! Protect Karus. I’ll handle this!”
Boris and Simon escorted Karus outside.
Zeke headed straight for the window and climbed onto the roof.
He expanded his senses, searching for the sniper.
‘Where are you?’
Just then, another arrow flew towards Zeke.
He drew his iron sword and sliced the arrow in half.
Swoosh!
This time, instead of an explosion, a cloud of poison powder scattered.
But for Zeke, who was immune to all poisons, it was harmless.
He pinpointed the sniper’s location from the direction the arrow came.
‘Five hundred meters to the left, just below the rooftop of that building.’
Unleashing his wind technique, he dashed between the buildings.
Arrows rained down on him as he ran.
Boom!
Explosions erupted around him, but Zeke paid them no mind, charging straight towards the sniper.
Crash!
Zeke burst through the building wall, rolling inside.
The startled sniper fired an arrow at him.
Ting!
But with his iron armor and dragon scale skill activated, the arrow was useless against Zeke.
He lunged at the sniper.
Thud!
With a powerful shoulder charge, he slammed the sniper into the wall.
“Ugh!”
Having subdued the sniper in one blow, Zeke grabbed him for interrogation.
“Who sent you?”
The sniper clenched his teeth, attempting to bite down on a poison capsule to end his life.
But Zeke was quicker.
Crack!
He dislocated the sniper’s jaw and extracted the poison capsule from his molar.
Snap!
After realigning the jaw, Zeke asked again.
“Talk. Who sent you?”
The sniper glared at Zeke and shouted defiantly.
“The spirits of Pavela will haunt you forever!”
Zeke kicked the sniper in the stomach.
“Ugh!”
Grabbing the sniper by the hair, Zeke pulled his head back.
“Who do you think you’re fooling? Since when did Pavela train snipers? You reek of Salmak. Did your boss tell you to say that if you got caught?”
The sniper, realizing Zeke had seen through him, was taken aback.
‘What kind of guy is this?’
In his career as an assassin, he’d encountered all sorts, but never anyone like Zeke.
Zeke struck the sniper’s throat.
“Ugh!”
“Don’t roll your eyes, punk. If you’re from Salmak, you didn’t come alone. How many of you are there? Spill it.”
Before the sniper could answer, Zeke drew a dagger and activated his electric skill.
Buzz!
“Aaagh!”
Even a trained assassin, accustomed to all forms of torture, found the electric shock unbearable.
“Th-three! Three of us!”
As soon as Zeke got the information, he stabbed the dagger into the assassin’s neck, ending his life.
There was no point in further interrogation; Salmak assassins never revealed their clients.
‘If Salmak’s involved, this is going to be a headache.’
Salmak was a traditional assassin group based in the desert region, notorious in the underworld alongside the Scorpion Clan of dark wizards.
Zeke stepped outside, heightening his senses to locate the other Salmak assassins.
He sensed something in the direction where Simon and his group were fleeing with Karus.
‘The Salmak assassins are after Karus. Did the Empire commission this hit?’
Zeke leapt across buildings, pursuing the Salmak assassins.
Whoosh!
Sensing Zeke’s pursuit, one of the Salmak assassins stopped and turned to face him.
Swish!
A shuriken flew towards Zeke.
Thwack!
Zeke caught the shuriken between his fingers.
The blade’s surface glinted blue, indicating it was poisoned.
Zeke infused the shuriken with his energy and hurled it back at the assassin.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The assassin, unable to dodge, was hit in the thigh and tumbled across the rooftop. Zeke approached and stomped on the assassin’s neck.
Crunch!
The assassin’s neck snapped instantly.
Confirming the kill, Zeke immediately pursued the remaining assassin.
Ping!
Boom!
Each arrow that flew sparked an explosion.
Boris and Simon, riding with Karus, couldn’t shake off the assassins’ relentless attacks.
Simon shouted to Boris.
“Boris! Protect the prince! We’ll hold them off!”
Boris nodded, urging his horse to speed up with Karus in tow.
Simon and his men slowed down, scanning the rooftops for the pursuing assassins.
‘Where are they?’
The assassins were so skilled that they were nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Suddenly, a small orb rolled to Simon’s feet.
“Get down!”
Boom!
The explosion was far more powerful than the previous ones.
The blast left Simon’s ears ringing, and the shockwave made it hard to regain his balance.
He steadied himself and shouted to his men.
“Tend to the wounded! I’ll go after them.”
Drawing his dagger, Simon scaled the building wall.
As soon as he reached the rooftop, an arrow flew at him.
Thwack!
He deflected it with his dagger, but a cloud of poison powder burst forth.
“Ugh!”
Inhaling the sudden poison, Simon felt his breath growing short.
‘Damn it.’
Determined to take the assassin down with him, he charged at the approaching figure.
Whoosh!
As he swung his dagger, the assassin retreated, firing arrows.
Even among assassins, Salmak’s methods were distinct from those of the south.
Salmak assassins prided themselves on killing targets without them even realizing they were dying, considering it the highest form of assassination.
In contrast, southern assassins preferred to confront their targets, explaining the reason for their death before killing them brutally.
“Ugh!”
Simon felt his strength waning.
Just then, something approached.
Whoosh!
Blinded by the poison, Simon swung his dagger towards the presence he sensed.
Thud!
But the figure caught Simon’s arm and flipped him aside.
“Ugh!”
Then, the figure forced something into Simon’s mouth and poured liquid into his eyes.
“Gasp!”
Suddenly, his vision and breath returned.
As he regained his senses, he saw Zeke standing over him.
“Are you alright, Simon?”
“B-boss. I’m sorry. We need to chase the assassin…”
Zeke shook his head.
“I’ve already taken care of the last one.”
Looking around, Simon saw the subdued assassin at Zeke’s feet.
Zeke and Simon gathered the assassin and descended.
Fortunately, there were only injuries, no fatalities.
Zeke turned to Simon.
“It seems the Empire hired Salmak.”
At the mention of Salmak, Simon’s expression darkened.
“If it’s Salmak, this won’t be the last time. The Black Market is practically their home turf.”
Zeke nodded.
“Is there another route across the border besides the Black Market?”
Simon pondered for a moment.
“There is one, but it’s further away. The tunnel exits near Ishtar’s territory.”
At the mention of Ishtar, Zeke hesitated, then nodded.
“Let’s head that way. If it’s near Ishtar’s territory, neither the Empire nor Salmak will act recklessly.”
In the worst-case scenario, Zeke considered crossing into Ishtar’s territory, through the forbidden Forest of the Forgotten, and into the Duchy of Troy.
Though it would take longer, ensuring Prince Karus’s safety was the priority.
Simon instructed his men to take the captured Salmak assassin and the wounded back to the cartel.
Thus, Zeke, Boris, Simon, and Karus set out to cross the lawless wasteland.
“We have enough supplies. Let’s move out.”
Zeke had already stocked his inventory with everything necessary for survival.
The four quickly prepared and left the village, heading into the wasteland.
The relentless sun beat down on the endless expanse of barren land.
Unsurprisingly, Karus, the least physically fit, was the first to tire.
“Ugh. Zeke, can we take a short break?”
Though Karus rarely asked to rest first, the wasteland was merciless.
Zeke opened his map, searching for a suitable resting spot.
Finding a shaded hill, Zeke led the group there for a brief respite.
He retrieved food and water from his inventory and handed them out.
Boris watched Zeke and commented.
“Every time I see it, I’m amazed at how much your spatial artifact can hold, boss.”
Zeke recalled explaining it away as an ancient relic imbued with space magic.
He replied nonchalantly to Boris.
“That’s why money is important, Boris.”
“Indeed.”
Boris nodded, accepting Zeke’s explanation.
As they rested, a dust cloud appeared in the distance.
Zeke and Simon stood, alert and ready.
Zeke scanned the approaching group with a wary eye.
“Are they outlaws?”
As he described the group’s appearance, Simon’s expression hardened.
“They’re notorious bounty hunters from the lawless zone. It seems the Empire has spread word about the prince not just to assassins but to outlaws as well.”
Hearing this, Boris joined them, readying himself for a fight. Karus, standing behind, also raised his crossbow in preparation.
The sound of hooves thundered in the distance as a dozen riders brandished their weapons, charging toward Zeke and his companions.
“There’s a hundred thousand gold on the line! Get them!” The bounty hunters shouted, spurring their horses forward with excitement.
Zeke quickly shouted to Simon and Boris, “Close your eyes!”
He then unleashed a flashbang skill toward the bounty hunters.
A blinding light erupted, assaulting the hunters’ eyes.
“Aaargh!”
While Zeke protected Karus, Boris and Simon sprang into action, dealing with the disoriented bounty hunters.
With a swift, decisive strike, Boris, a knight of the blue order, and Simon, whose skills were nearly on par, easily dispatched the blinded outlaws.
Once Simon and Boris had finished off the attackers and returned, Zeke spoke up.
“We need to hurry. With a bounty of a hundred thousand gold, every outlaw in the area will be after us.”
The group mounted their horses and galloped across the wasteland once more. As Zeke had predicted, outlaws appeared from all directions, pursuing them.
Most were easily handled by Boris and Simon, who dealt with them swiftly.
Zeke watched as Boris and Simon returned from dispatching the outlaws, checking the map.
“We still have half a day to go before reaching the tunnel. I’m not sure if Karus can hold out.”
Karus was already at his limit, both physically and mentally exhausted. Simon and Boris, having had little rest, were in no better shape.
Realizing they couldn’t push on much longer, Zeke decided to find a place to rest.
“We’ll set up camp here.”
He dug out a space beneath a large rock and set up a tent to shield them from the sun.
Karus, utterly spent, collapsed and fell asleep immediately.
Zeke turned to Boris and Simon. “I’ll take the first watch. Get some rest.”
Impressed by Zeke’s stamina, Boris and Simon reluctantly lay down beside Karus and closed their eyes.
Zeke consumed a preserved leg of crocken to replenish his energy, stamina, and mana. Then, he summoned Gurav, the chimera.
Gurav, emerging from Zeke’s shadow, seemed thrilled to be outside and darted around energetically.
“Gurav, keep an eye out. If you find anyone suspicious, bite them. If they survive, bring them to me.”
With a gleeful screech, Gurav bounded across the wasteland.
It wasn’t long before a cry rang out.
“Argh!”
Gurav returned, dragging a suspicious figure behind him.
Zeke examined the captive, who was still alive, as per his orders.
He rifled through the man’s belongings and discovered his identity.
“An imperial hound,” Zeke muttered.