Chapter 20: The Bandit's Blood Oath
[Notification]: You've entered the Bandit Hideout.
Recommended Level: 85
[Skill Activated]: Ghost Shadow Cloak
Invisible to the naked eye for 4 minutes.
Immune to physical damage while active.
Cooldown: 20 minutes.
Buff Active: Invisible and Physical Immunity — 2:12 remaining.
The air inside the hideout was heavy with damp stone and iron.
Two bandits stood lazily by the entrance, their weapons resting on their shoulders.
"Ugh, nightshift again," grumbled the one on the left.
"Yeah, and I didn't even get to raid a merchant today!" the other snapped, slamming his blade into the dirt. "I wanna use my skills, damn it!"
"Don't worry. Tomorrow will be—"
The rest of his sentence never came. A wet sound—shhk!—and his vision spun.
His head hit the ground before his body realized it was dead.
The remaining guard turned, confused. "What the—"
A thin red line appeared across his neck. Slice! His world went black.
[Notification]: You've slain Bandit ×2
Penalty: No EXP gained during Ghost Shadow Cloak
Roy blinked. "No EXP?"
He opened his status window.
Buff Description:
Invisible to human vision. Immune to physical damage.
Cannot gain kills, assists, or souls while defeating enemies using physical damage.
"Tch. Whatever," Roy muttered, tightening his grip on both daggers. "Even without EXP, they'll all die."
He pushed open the creaking door and stepped into the dark corridor beyond.
---
The hideout's hallways were familiar—too familiar.
"This place…" Roy whispered. "In my past life, it turned into a dungeon. Hundreds of soldiers died here."
He swallowed, forcing the memory down. "The Elderitch Maressa… that was its boss."
His footsteps echoed faintly on the stairs. The silence was unsettling—no guards, no chatter.
"Too quiet. Something's off."
---
Outside, a patrol stumbled upon the bodies. Blood soaked the earth.
"Sound the horn!" their leader barked.
The scout dashed toward the tower—only to find the sentries already dead.
"What!? We were gone for barely a minute!"
He blew the horn anyway, and its scream cut through the forest.
"All patrols, intruder alert! High difficulty!"
Far in the woods, Pyrtho's eyes opened. "Hmm… that noise."
A grin spread across his face. "Heh. I found you, son of the Saint Hero."
He stepped into the shadows, alone.
---
Inside the hideout, the bandit boss was busy channeling mana into a summoning gate. The horn blared again.
He slammed his fist against the table. "Those idiots! Can't even guard a base!"
Grabbing his sword, he stormed toward the door. "Fine. I'll deal with it myself."
He yanked the door open—and froze.
The instructor of Veril knelt motionless at the threshold.
"What are you—wait…"
Blood trickled down the man's chin.
Shhk!
Roy's blade lunged for the boss's back—but the man spun, catching the strike with unnatural reflex.
"You think it's polite to stab someone in the back?" he growled, shoving Roy away with brute force.
Roy crashed into the summoning table, wood splintering. "Damn… he sensed me even under stealth!?"
The boss smirked, raising his sword. "You're a ranker too, aren't you? What's your level?"
Roy said nothing. He charged again, slashing with Exolus's deadly precision.
Steel clashed—clink! clink! clink!
The boss deflected every blow effortlessly. "Strong, but not enough to kill me!"
He slashed through the air, seemingly cutting Roy in half—but the attack passed harmlessly through.
> Buff Remaining: 0:30
The boss frowned. "I hit him… didn't I?"
Then realization struck. "So physical won't work? Let's fix that."
He stomped his blade into the ground.
Skill: Thorn Field!
The floor erupted with writhing, blood-red thorns.
"Let's see how you dodge this!"
Roy gritted his teeth as the thorns pierced his legs—pain searing. "Magic damage… damn it!"
"So that's your weakness," the boss laughed. "Perfect."
Skill: Magic Thorn Arrow Ray!
A barrage of crimson energy rained down. Roy's body crashed into the table again, smoke rising from his wounds.
Buff Expired: Invisible and Physical Immunity has ended.
Roy groaned, blood pooling beneath him. "I… can't… lose here…"
The boss approached slowly, blade dragging sparks across the floor. "Game over, boy."
Roy's fingers twitched. His system window flickered to life.
"Not… yet."
His cursed dagger pulsed. Blood spilled from his palm and eye.
A red aura exploded outward, staining the air itself.
Skill Activated: Blood Oath Contract (Unique)
Recovering Full HP...
Exolus Form: Half-Adaptation.
Stat Boosts:
STR +346%
INT +497%
VIT +644%
AGI +125%
DEX +200%
Roy stood. Blood coiled around him like living armor.
The boss took a step back. "What the hell…?"
"Still struggling!?" The boss unleashed another volley.
Skill: Magic Thorn Arrow Ray!
The blood surrounding Roy deflected every projectile.
He raised his dagger.
"Skill: Blood Thorn Sanguine(Ancient)"
Blades of liquid blood shot forward.
"Skill: Crimson Thornviel!" the boss countered. "You can't penetrate my magic defense—"
A massive crimson greatsword pierced his chest before he could finish.
The boss gasped, eyes wide. "Th-this… isn't possible!"
Roy's form was now monstrous, a reflection of Exolus's shadow—his weapon a blood-forged relic.
"Skill: Crimson Creation Weapon(Ancient)"
The boss choked, trembling. "Y-you monster…"
[Notification]: You've slain Bandit Leader – Lv. 95
Reward: Obtained.
You've level up
Roy stood silently over the corpse, breathing heavy.
He didn't even glance at the glowing notification.
"…Finally," he muttered, eyes dim but burning with vengeance. "I've stopped the monster wave."