Chapter 44 -44-The Shadow Archer Appears! What Is His True Identity?

Chapter 44: Chapter44-The Shadow Archer Appears! What Is His True Identity?

As soon as they had walked some distance away, Zoey could no longer suppress her curiosity.

"What emblem?"

"Why don’t I remember us ever finding the city lord’s emblem?"

John took out a silver-white insignia.

A frost-covered flower and a longsword were intertwined across its surface.

"The Frostsilver Order emblem Irina gave me."

"The guards in Sunset City recognize it."

"With this, meeting the city lord shouldn’t be difficult."

Realization dawned on Zoey.

"So you really do have one."

John put the emblem away.

"I have a feeling."

"We’ll encounter the Shadow Archer along the way."

Both girls stopped at the same time.

"You know who he is?"

"For now, it’s only a guess."

"When he appears, you’ll naturally understand."

Zoey felt as though a cat were clawing at her heart.

She questioned him throughout the entire journey.

John refused to reveal anything.

The three of them rented a carriage from the relay station.

Although the southern trade route was far flatter, John insisted on taking the remote Old North Ridge Trail.

The three of them drove the carriage out of Giantwood Town.

The scenery on both sides of the road gradually became more desolate.

Two hours later, there were no longer any villages or merchant caravans in sight, either ahead or behind them.

[You have discovered a new area: Old North Ridge Trail!]

[Title "Forerunner" activated!]

[Until you complete the exploration of this area, all damage you deal is increased by 20%!]

John glanced at the map and deliberately slowed the carriage.

Just as the carriage passed a withered forest, Nonoa’s expression suddenly tightened.

She abruptly raised her Staff of Mercy.

[Holy Light Barrier!]

A golden shield instantly enveloped the carriage.

Whoosh!

A black arrow shot out from deep within the forest.

Dark-red flames burned across its surface as it slammed violently into the center of the shield.

Crack!

The golden barrier lasted for only an instant before shattering beneath the arrow.

The horses reared in terror, raising their front hooves high into the air.

John brought the carriage to a stop and looked toward the road ahead.

A man wearing a black cloak stood in the middle of the path.

A pitch-black mask covered his face.

Shadow-like mist continuously churned around him.

In his hands was a black-and-red longbow.

There was no arrow on the bowstring.

Yet a new shadow arrow was slowly condensing within the black mist.

That aura was exactly the same as the monsters inside the Land of Fading Silhouettes.

John activated [Scan].

[Shadow Archer · Glen]

[Level: Lv23]

[Rank: Ten-Thousand-Player-Tier Boss]

[HP: 80,000/80,000]

[MP: 96,000/96,000]

[Physical Attack: 4,200]

[Physical Defense: 1,800]

[Magic Defense: 2,400]

[Skills: Silent Snipe, Shadow Arrow Split, Shadowstep Swap, Soul-Devouring Rebirth]

[Passives: Long-Range Hunt, Shadowveil Last Stand]

[Long-Range Hunt: When the distance between you and your target exceeds fifty meters, final damage dealt is increased by 100%.]

[Shadowveil Last Stand: The first time you receive lethal damage, your HP is forcibly locked at 10%. All control effects are removed, and you attempt to recover 50% of your maximum HP. Can only be triggered once.]

[Description: A former subordinate of Charon, Exiled General of the Shadow Realm. He has remained hidden in Giantwood Town for many years, maintaining the surface passage and eliminating anyone who discovers the truth.]

John pointed toward the figure standing in the middle of the road.

"There he is."

"And he’s an old acquaintance."

Zoey and Nonoa stared at the figure simultaneously.

John’s body suddenly became incorporeal.

[Void Shift!]

Ripples spread through space.

He instantly appeared in front of Glen.

Glen had only just begun to retreat when the Void Staff in John’s hand swept upward.

Bang!

The mask flew into the air before crashing onto the roadside.

Glen had no time to react.

With more than a thousand Agility shared through Voidwalker, the difference in their speed had become completely insurmountable.

Without the mask concealing him, that familiar face was exposed before the three of them.

Zoey’s eyes widened.

"Glen?"

Nonoa also froze.

"The Guard Captain..."

John rested the Void Staff across his shoulder.

"You hid yourself quite carefully."

"You spent ten years blending into Giantwood Town and finally managed to become the Guard Captain."

"You probably never expected everything to end here, did you?"

Glen slowly backed away.

Black mist once again covered his body.

"When did you begin suspecting me?"

"You refused to enter the giant tree’s shadow. That could be explained by your need to remain behind and command the army."

John’s gaze swept across Glen’s hands.

"You constantly carried a sword at your waist, but there were obvious bowstring marks on the index and middle fingers of your right hand."

"I was willing to overlook all of that."

"But you revealed far too much when it came to the Command Stone."

Glen’s expression gradually darkened.

John continued,

"The mayor was attacked last night."

"Every member of his escort was killed, and everything they carried disappeared."

"Yet the moment we entered the office, you already knew the complete outcome."

"You were one of the people who knew when the mayor would depart and which route he would take."

"And just now, you were also among those who knew that we planned to travel to Sunset City—and which road we intended to use."

John spread his hands.

"Do you really believe there can be this many coincidences in the world?"

The grief had long since vanished from Glen’s face.

He let out a quiet laugh.

"You used yourself as bait based on nothing more than those minor details?"

"You’re even more troublesome than I imagined."

"Unfortunately, you made one mistake."

Countless black arrows appeared throughout the forest.

"You should not have chosen a road where no reinforcements could reach you."

John did not answer.

The golden patterns across the Void Staff had already lit up layer by layer while the two of them were speaking.

[Overcharge Stacks: 10!]

[Charging has reached its limit!]

Glen’s pupils contracted.

"You were charging an attack this entire time?"

"You only noticed now?"

John raised the tip of his staff.

"Void Spear."

Boom!

A black-and-gold spear tore through the air.

Glen immediately activated [Shadowstep Swap], his body passing through three separate shadows in rapid succession.

The Void Spear curved through the air and followed him like an inescapable phantom.

The next second—

The spear pierced straight through his chest.

[Projectile Amplification triggered!]

[Overcharge triggered!]

[Forerunner remains active!]

[Cleave triggered!]

[-573,600!]

Glen’s body was carried backward by the spear, smashing through several withered trees.

He crashed heavily onto the ground, a massive hole torn through his chest.

[Shadowveil Last Stand triggered!]

[This instance of lethal damage has been forcibly locked!]

[Target’s remaining HP: 8,000/80,000!]

"No wonder..."

"No wonder you were able to kill General Charon..."

Black mist surged toward the wound.

[Soul-Devouring Rebirth!]

[Recovery failed!]

[Target is under Healing Prohibition!]

Glen’s expression abruptly stiffened.

He activated the skill again.

[Soul-Devouring Rebirth!]

[Recovery failed!]

"Why is my recovery ability not working?"

Standing beside the carriage, Zoey wore an oddly familiar expression.

"I feel like I watched this exact scene yesterday."

Using his longbow for support, Glen struggled to stand.

"If you kill me, Giantwood Town’s entire defensive system will collapse!"

"Without my command, the next monster tide will be enough to destroy the entire town!"

"The others in the Land of Fading Silhouettes will not let you go either."

"You will be hunted endlessly by the entire Shadow Realm!"

John nodded.

"Oh."

"Then I look forward to seeing them."

The Void Staff lit up once again.

Just as Glen attempted to flee into the shadows, a second black-and-gold spear pierced through his body.

[Coldblooded Strike triggered!]

[Projectile Amplification triggered!]

[Forerunner remains active!]

[Cleave triggered!]

[-430,200!]

Boom!

Glen and the longbow in his hands exploded into black mist that scattered across the sky.

[You have successfully killed Shadow Archer · Glen!]