Chapter 59 - Found

The group of players was level 13, and one of them was level 14. Those were really high levels. In fact, it meant they were at the top of the current level rankings. They were among the best players.

Arthur stood completely still. Yuki was curled around his neck, also invisible because of the skill. Luckily, Stealth worked for both of them.

"You’re going crazy, Chris," one of the players said. "There’s nothing here."

Chris kept staring in Arthur’s direction. He felt like something was off, but he couldn’t see anything strange. It was just his gut feeling.

"Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s focus on this raid. We need a solid plan, because if we die, we’ll respawn all the way back at the border town."

That piece of information was great. Arthur gave a slight smirk as soon as he heard that.

The trio of players walked through the camp to the main tent in the middle. That was where the captain was, a level 30 NPC.

’Better stay away from the captain, since there’s a high chance he’ll notice my presence.’

Arthur walked through the camp, catching bits of conversation between the soldiers while counting how many were in the camp. It wasn’t an exact count since he didn’t check every tent, but it gave him a general idea.

Around 120 soldiers... That was a pretty high number. The elves had no way to defend against that. At least not conventionally. Maybe a trap to wipe out most of them. But even then, it would be tricky...

The worst part was that even with help from Arthur and Point Blank, taking on that many soldiers would be hard.

’What do I do now?’ Arthur thought.

The best move was to head back to the elven settlement, share the intel he had gathered, and figure out what to do.

By all accounts, the attack was close, but it wouldn’t happen within the next 24 hours. That group of soldiers was still clearing a path toward the elven settlement, and at their current speed, it would take some time.

Arthur returned to where Thalindra was still waiting for him. She looked surprised when he got back undetected.

He whispered, "Let’s head back. I managed to count 120 soldiers, so we’re at a brutal disadvantage."

Hearing that number, Thalindra couldn’t hide her shock. She already knew there were a lot of soldiers. Anyone could tell just by looking at the camp. Still, hearing the actual estimate was another story.

"Let’s get out of here before they spot us," she said.

Arthur nodded. There was no point in trying something, attacking the soldiers, and blowing their cover. But what about killing the soldiers clearing the path?

As they headed back, leaping from tree to tree, he brought up the idea to Thalindra.

"They were clearing a path through the brush toward the elven settlement. Maybe we should kill them. It could buy us some extra time. What do you think?"

The idea sounded interesting. Thalindra liked it, though she was still a bit hesitant about it.

"Orin or Captain Len might get pissed about this. Are you sure?" she said.

In fact, they would be disobeying orders. The mission was strictly reconnaissance, and they weren’t supposed to attack any soldiers.

But at the same time, things had changed, and the situation was much worse than expected. Maybe acting on their own was necessary.

Arthur was torn, unsure of the best way forward. How he handled the situation could change the fate of the elven settlement, and maybe even keep him from accessing the dungeon he wanted so badly...

They headed back the same way and spotted that small group of soldiers cutting through the brush toward the elven settlement. The 2 of them stopped and watched from a safe distance.

"Ah, screw it," Thalindra said. "Let’s do it. But if Orin objects, I’m telling him it was your idea."

Arthur thought that was fair, considering she was going to help him fight.

"Deal," he said. "Let me take one out before we get close."

He activated his Stealth again to secure the 100% damage bonus on his next attack, which was an absurdly high buff.

Arthur then pulled the bow off his back, a chilly breeze brushing past his body. The bow’s icy aura pulsed, catching Thalindra off guard, since weapons enchanted with elemental damage were rare.

He activated Sniping Shot, taking aim at one of the soldiers. Against the level 15 crocodile, Arthur had dealt over 900 damage, and that was without using Stealth.

The soldier was level 20, so he definitely had more HP and armor, but even so, the damage would be insane.

A strong gust of wind started swirling around his body, but because Stealth was active, no one could see or feel a thing. Not even Thalindra, who was standing right next to him.

The moment he finished channeling, Arthur released the arrow. It flew at blistering speed straight into the back of one of the soldiers. He aimed for the soldier carrying a staff on his back. The mage was the squishiest in the group, and also the main damage dealer. Taking him out first was the obvious choice.

The arrow pierced the mage’s back, tearing easily through robes that offered little defense.

[1820 damage dealt]

The damage was brutal! The only thing the mage could do was look down at the hole in his chest. The arrow had punched straight through his body and embedded itself in a tree ahead. That was how powerful the attack was.

He died. Arthur received around 470 EXP for killing the soldier, which was pretty generous.

The other soldiers quickly drew their swords, spinning around to face Arthur and Thalindra up in the tree. Once he attacked, his invisibility had vanished.

"Who the hell are you?" a soldier in heavy plate armor roared.

Thalindra drew her sword too. It was 2 against 4, which wasn’t ideal, but Arthur stayed calm.

"Go on ahead," Arthur said. "I’ll attack from range again, and I’ll jump into melee with you in a second."

She just nodded and leaped toward the soldiers. The soldier in plate armor stepped forward, raising his shield to block any incoming attack.

Arthur drew several arrows and activated Arrow Rain. A shower of arrows rained down on the soldiers.

The damage was much lower than Sniping Shot, but it still mattered. After 4 waves of arrows crashed down on the soldiers, Arthur managed to deal around 250 damage to each of them, making things much easier for him.

He then sheathed his bow on his back and drew his sword. Now it was time to fight alongside Thalindra and finish off the soldiers as fast as possible. It didn’t look like it would be a tough fight. After all, Thalindra was skilled, and Arthur was way stronger than an ordinary level 15 player.

However, a noise came from behind him. Arthur quickly leaped away. The tree he had been standing on burst into flames. A mage had hurled a fireball at it, and he had dodged just in time.

"I told you I wasn’t crazy," Chris complained to his 2 friends. "My perception is sharp. Looks like we found 2 Chosen Ones from the enemy kingdom!"