"It's really you?!" Yuna and the Professionals around her were visibly startled, their initial shock quickly giving way to an overwhelming sense of relief.
A look of joy appeared on Yuna's face. "You are Assassins?! That's fantastic! Quick, take advantage of the current chaos and use your stealth to get out of here!"
Assassins were, without a doubt, the most mobile Professionals in a world of combat. Their stealth skills were an ultimate tool for battlefield disengagement. Unless an Assassin was locked down by a special revealing skill, it was easy for them to vanish from a large-scale confrontation. The only caveat was that stealth wasn't absolute invisibility. Get too close to an enemy, and a faint shadow could still give them away, just like the faint outlines of Vincent and Thalia now.
Yuna was so overjoyed at the thought of them escaping that she didn't question Vincent's identity. But Vincent shook his head.
In truth, he and Thalia could indeed slip away at any moment. But as he looked at the battlefield, where human Professionals were fighting the Centaur Clan to the death, something shifted inside him. Many humans had already died, and it was all because of him and Thalia. These people, who didn't know them, were willing to sacrifice their lives. Even though Vincent had always considered himself a relatively selfish person, he felt an indescribable emotion swell in his chest.
Run? The thought was a bitter one. He felt a deep sense of responsibility. If he just ran away, he wouldn't be able to get past his own conscience. But he was only a Rank 0, a mere Level 3. He had the will but lacked the power to make a difference against these powerful enemies. In this situation, ensuring his own safety was still the most rational choice.
But then, he remembered something. The buff that Yuna had just given to the Zero-Rank Professionals. It wasn't a fixed amount of Agility added; it was a fifty percent increase based on his own attributes. Vincent's heart hammered with a sudden, electrifying realization. An Epic Professional's power was based on a percentage coefficient. What if that percentage-based buff from Yuna stacked with his own? The potential for exponential growth was staggering.
The path ahead was blocked again. If he left directly, the Professionals here would all die. This was his chance. Vincent made a decision, a choice that was both impulsive and coldly calculated. He was going to act. He had to. Others had already come to their doorstep to protect them. If he didn't repay them, even just a little, he knew his conscience would never be clear.
"I have a way to take down these Centaur Clan members, but I need a little help from you." Vincent interrupted her, his voice calm and steady.
Yuna was stunned. "What are you talking about?"
"My companion and I are currently too low in rank, so we can't deal much damage on our own," Vincent continued, his voice unwavering. "But if you have a way to temporarily boost some of our attributes, we are confident we can take down all these Centaur Clan members... and their support."
The Professionals around Yuna subconsciously turned to look at the female Centaur Clan member, Vera. She still maintained an elegant posture, her gaze distant and indifferent. Yuna was tempted. Vera was a Rank 3 Excellent Professional, a formidable powerhouse in her own right. But she couldn't believe a Rank 0 could take her on.
"Are you sure?" Yuna whispered, her voice tinged with both desperation and disbelief. "That's a Rank 3 Excellent Professional with a team-wide Soul Link."
"Whether it works or not, won't we know if we try?" Vincent countered, his logic unassailable. "Even if it doesn't succeed, at least it won't get any worse, right?"
Yuna's expression changed. She gritted her teeth, her decision made. "You won't be in any danger yourselves, will you?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
"No."
"Alright then! All support gather here!" she called out decisively. She looked at the faint shadow that was Vincent and said with a solemn tone, "I will cooperate with you. But you must also promise me... after one strike, leave immediately and don't stay here to risk it."
She paused, then, her voice a mix of awe and anticipation, asked the question that had been on her mind since she saw the astonishing power on his name card: "You... are Epic Professionals, aren't you?"
Vincent was silent for a moment before he gently nodded. "Yes."
"Good!" Yuna's eyes lit up, a determined smile on her face.
Soon, more than a dozen support Professionals from various departments gathered, while the others continued to desperately hold off the Centaurs. "Apply every beneficial buff you have to these two Assassins!" Yuna commanded.
The support Professionals, mostly young women, were stunned for a moment, but they didn't question her. They waved their staffs and began to apply buffs to the two faint shadows.
"Battle Standard Exaltation!" "Divine Speed Prayer!" "Eternal Comfort!" "Courageous Anthem!"
One buff after another stacked up, a furious, shining tempest of light swirling around Vincent and Thalia. Their attributes began to skyrocket, the terrifying power of an Epic Professional fully revealed for the first time. Some of the buffs provided a fixed value increase, while others, like the one Yuna gave, provided a percentage-based boost. And because Vincent and Thalia were Epic Professionals, these temporary percentage increases also enjoyed a massive Professional coefficient bonus.
Vincent, a mere Level 3, had a base attack power that had already reached nearly 3000. Under the blessing of his Night Walker passive, which activated in the nighttime environment, it approached 5000. And under this flurry of buffs, his attack power didn't just climb—it surged.
It directly reached 19,843! Nearly twenty thousand!
Beside him, Thalia, who had been silent and trembling, saw her own panel data soar from less than 2000 to over 8000! It was an astronomical increase in power that defied all logic. In addition to attack, their defenses, health, and agility all received massive, temporary boosts. The buffs wouldn't last long, with the shortest only two or three minutes, but it was more than enough.
It was enough.
Vincent's eyes gleamed with a cold, predatory light. He took a deep, steadying breath and bowed slightly, his voice filled with a profound sincerity. "Thank you all for stepping forward for us... Thank you." He then took Thalia's hand, and the two phantoms quietly retreated, melting completely into the darkness.
The Professionals were left in stunned silence. Yuna was a little startled herself, but a small smile of satisfaction soon appeared on her face. These two young ones, these geniuses, had not let them down. She took a deep breath and called out, "Everyone, pay attention. If the battle situation changes, cooperate immediately!" The Professionals quickly obeyed, their hope renewed.
Meanwhile, the Centaur Clan was still advancing. With their Soul Link, they were almost invincible in an environment without high-damage Area-of-Effect attacks.
Vincent and Thalia moved like ghosts. "Thalia, use your Professional Skill directly later, and leave immediately afterward," Vincent instructed softly. "If we get separated, you go straight home, and we'll meet there."
Thalia took a deep, shaky breath and nodded, her voice now filled with a calm resolve. "I understand, big brother."
"Okay, then... act!"
They moved silently through the chaos, positioning themselves. The two looked at the advancing Centaur Clan members, took a deep breath, and no longer hesitated. The moment the Centaurs were within range, the siblings simultaneously cast their Professional Ultimate Skill.
"Shadow... Void Slash!"
The next moment, two terrifying void energy slashes, each more than thirty meters wide, tore into existence from seemingly nothing. With a sound like the ripping of reality itself, they sliced directly towards the group of Centaur Clan members.
The twin void slashes hit their targets, and in an instant, a torrent of terrifying damage numbers erupted above the heads of all the Centaur Clan warriors. The sight was so impossible, so unbelievable, that the human Professionals gasped, their hearts stopping. They stared blankly at the numbers that appeared, as if witnessing a miracle.
- 19,843!
- 19,843!
- 19,843!
A countless number of these impossibly high red figures erupted over the heads of every single Centaur in the formation. They were almost dumbfounded.
After a long while, Yuna, her eyes wide, murmured a single, awe-struck question that summed up the impossible sight before them all:
"Is this... a Rank 0 Professional?!"