Chapter 13 (1/2)

Chapter 13: Rescuing the Legendary Assassin (3)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The MI3 outpost was just over 300 feet away.

As a department in charge of information, the location of its outpost was quite unremarkable. A two-story building with iron grills, it was vaguely visible underneath several huge trees.

The building had been built of stone and so it was extremely sturdy. Naturally, it would have been expensive to build.

On its left was a shop that sold armor, while a tailor’s shop stood on its right. The MI3 outpost sat before a wide square with a fountain in its center, lined with smooth pebbles. A small hotel stood opposite, flanked by residential units.

All the other buildings had been made of wood.

The buildings weren’t labeled; neither were there guards by the door. If it hadn’t been for Ardivan, Link would have never found his way here, even with his prior knowledge of the game.

A game was just a game after all. Compared to reality, many details were omitted. To avoid ridiculous costs, it was impossible for the game to duplicate Gladstone City exactly. The game had just given an outline of it.

Ardivan and Link hid in an alley towards the left of the fountain square. Link leaned against the wall as Ardivan stuck his head out to take a look at their surroundings every now and then.

After a while, he shrunk back into the shadows. Earnestly, he turned to Link. “The battle in the building is still going on. But the important streets are all guarded by Dark Elf Assassins. I found at least 20 hidden Dark Elves. They’ve taken over the vantage points around the fountain square and oil lamps. There’s no way for us to sneak in.

They had lit all the oil lamps. The fountain square was as bright as day, leaving not a shadow unseen. It had rendered Link’s spell of Lesser Invincibility ineffective.

Should they break through by force?

They would probably die as porcupines, pierced by the Assassins’ arrows, within ten steps of charging out. That would be nothing other than suicide.

Link frowned and thought deeply. Within a few seconds, he came up with a plan. “Why don’t the Dark Elves just attack with fire? Do they want to capture Commander Abel alive?” Link asked.

Although the three-story building was made of stone, it had still used a large amount of wood in its construction. Attacking with fire would have been enough to force the people inside to flee.

Ardivan paused. His expression grew heavy. “It’s very likely.”

Link said, “Even though they have no good intentions, it’s far more difficult for them to capture her alive. They’ll take more time to do it too. That’s our chance. Can you pinpoint the Dark Elves hidden around the fountain square?”

“I can. I am the best in concealment at this outpost. Even these Dark Elves are no match for me. Only one or two might manage to escape me.” There was a hint of pride in Ardivan’s voice.

But Link shook his head. “You can’t miss a single one. Can you promise that?”

Ardivan looked dismayed. Doing it alone would be too difficult for him.

“Then we’ll have to take advantage of some chaos if we are to meet up with Commander Abel safely.” Link wasn’t really surprised. People had their limits after all.

“What should we do?”

“Attack with fire,” Link replied.

“Alright. I’ll be relying on you…but wait, we’ll be seen once we light anything.” Ardivan suddenly realized that he had forgotten an important fact—Link was a Magician! Link had many more ways of conjuring fire than he did.

Link quietly stuck his head out from behind the wall and threw a quick glance at the fountain square. Then, he blended back into the shadows.

With that one glance, he had memorized the positions of all the oil lamps around the square. The image was as clear as day to him.

The Link before couldn’t have done that. But his soul had been fortified by the God of Light. Now, accurately recording every detail like a camera seemed as easy and natural to him as drinking water.

Against the corner, Link lifted his wand. Something shifted above its tip. Mana stretched out quietly and discreetly. With the Magician’s Hand, his Mana crept out slowly towards an oil lamp 50 feet away.

Very soon, Link felt his Magician’s Hand touch the oil lamp. But he didn’t make a move; he was waiting.

After about 30 seconds, strong gusts of wind blew, causing the oil lamps to swing and creak with noise.

Now!

Link pulled at the oil lamp in time with the wind. It fell from the lamp post, Link controlling its descent the entire way. The lamp, which should have smashed onto the floor, instead fell onto some firewood three feet away.

The oil spread out onto the firewood, and with a roar, it burst into flames.

Beside the firewood was a wooden house. Within moments, that too caught fire. The wind blew towards the outpost of the MI3. Fanned by the wind, the flames burned stronger than ever, quickly spreading to the other wooden buildings around the square.

Taking the chance, Link quickly stuck his head out from his hiding place again. He saw several figures jump down from the window of one of the wooden houses. They landed with a roll, deflecting the momentum of jumping from such a height—a clear display of their agility.