Chapter 117:

Chapter 117: Chapter 117:

Chapter 117:

His movements seemed practised, like a seasoned stealth user. As he walked, he repeatedly checked the distance between them to ensure that he wasn’t getting too close.

He had no intention of being discovered before finding out what the armored man was doing.

The task itself had seemed simple enough when he first received it, but the longer he spent watching his target, the more curious he became about the man who lived in such an ordinary place while wearing a full set of armor.

The dark-clothed man shook his thoughts from his mind, remembering his objective.

The two soon headed deeper and deeper into the forest, with the armored figure continuing forward while his pursuer remained several steps behind.

The further they travelled, however, the more uncomfortable the dark-clothed figure became.

The trees grew thicker, the moonlight became harder to see through the branches, and the familiar sounds of the farm gradually disappeared behind them.

Before long, the only things he could hear were the occasional cries of nocturnal creatures and the soft rustling of leaves whenever the wind passed through the forest.

He had expected to follow the armored man for a short distance before getting the perfect opportunity, but the target showed no signs of stopping, and the path ahead seemed to grow more difficult with every passing moment.

At one point, the dark-clothed figure couldn’t help but pause, wondering what could possibly be pushing this man to wander so deep into the woods at night.

’What exactly is he trying to do out here?’

He looked toward the armored silhouette in the distance, trying to find some clue that might explain the man’s strange behaviour, but there was nothing particularly unusual about the way he moved.

The figure couldn’t even see his face because of the helmet covering his head.

’Could he be meeting someone?’

That possibility crossed his mind, and he immediately began paying closer attention to the surrounding area, wondering whether there might be other people waiting somewhere ahead.

However, after observing the trees for a while, he couldn’t detect anything that suggested someone else was nearby.

His discomfort gradually increased.

He had spent enough time in the forest to know that wandering too far into unfamiliar territory at night was not a particularly wise decision, especially when one had no clear idea of what might be lurking in the darkness.

Even ordinary beasts could become troublesome when encountered without preparation, and the possibility of stumbling across a demonic beast was something he would rather not think about.

He couldn’t help stopping in his tracks after going a good distance, thinking to himself that perhaps this wasn’t worth it.

He began wondering whether he’d already been noticed by his target, but he shook his head, believing there was no way he could be noticed. After all, he was sure of his stealth ability.

By the time he came through, the armored figure had already disappeared from sight.

’No, no, no, no, no...’ The dark-clothed figure felt nervous.

’This can’t be happening!’ ℯℯ𝑙.

He quickly began racing ahead in order to catch up, while pushing his movement technique to the limit.

But after looking around the area, he came up with nothing.

He eventually stopped beside a tree and clenched his fists.

’I should’ve simply focused on the job. But how come he’s nowhere to be found?’

’Is he some kind of magic user?’ He thought, only to shake his head upon realising the full set of armour the target wore.

If it wasn’t magic, could it be that his worst fear had been realised?

Had the man truly noticed him and deliberately changed direction?

That thought made the dark-clothed figure’s expression stiffen.

If the armored man had discovered that he was being followed, then the situation was far worse than he had imagined, because there was no telling what the other man might do now that he knew someone was watching him.

’I need to get out of here as soon as possible.’ He quickly began going from whence he came.

While running, he began realising that the target had been suspicious from the get-go.

If he truly hadn’t noticed him from the beginning, then why the full set of armour?

’I’ve been walking into his hands without even realising it!’ He gritted his teeth, but his thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly heard a whistling sound above him.

His head snapped upward.

A dark silhouette was falling toward him from above.

The dark-clothed figure’s eyes widened in shock as he realised that the silhouette belonged to the very person he had been searching for, and he hurriedly threw himself to the side, rolling across the ground just as the armored man crashed down where he had been standing.

BAM!

The impact sent dirt and dead leaves scattering across the forest floor, and the dark-clothed figure scrambled to his feet before putting some distance between himself and the man who had nearly crushed him.

Unfortunately, his attempt to escape didn’t go as planned.

His foot caught on a thick root hidden beneath the leaves, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward before he could take another step.

He landed hard on his ass, the impact forcing the air out of his lungs as he stared up at the towering figure standing before him.

Before he could recover, the armored man turned his helmet toward him.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

The dark-clothed figure could only stare at the helmet’s dark opening, suddenly realising that the man he had been following was far more dangerous than he had expected.

He tried to push himself backward, but before he could get very far, the armored man moved at an unnatural speed, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

"Arck!" Osborne reached down and grabbed him by the collar.

The figure’s feet left the ground as he was lifted effortlessly into the air, his hands immediately grabbing the arm holding him in a desperate attempt to free himself.

However, no matter how hard he struggled, the armored man’s grip remained firm, making it painfully clear that his strength was nowhere near enough to escape.