BOOM!

Lu Cang always made it a habit to keep his Protective Barrier active.

This constant vigilance saved Lu Cang’s life.

The invisible barrier was impossible to see with the naked eye.

One would only discover the barrier around him when they got close enough to touch him.

Even without a warning from the Observer.

The barrier was always active.

CRACKLE—

The barrier didn’t completely block the attack, but it did slow its advance.

It also gave Lu Cang a chance to react.

He reacted instantly!

Lu Cang instinctively unleashed Wind Roar!

To push the enemy away!

And at the same time, to blast himself away.

Creating a safe distance!

Lu Cang flew backward over the city wall as Ice condensed beneath his feet.

Gathering all his Qi, he yelled, "An Assassin is trying to kill me!"

’You’d have to be an idiot not to scream when you’re being assassinated.’

Maneuvering an Ice Shuttle, Lu Cang fled backward at top speed!

At the same time, a masked Assassin could be seen being blasted away toward the Demons!

But she wasn’t blasted very far.

Instead, she immediately spun in mid-air, righting herself.

She kicked off the air with a powerful stomp!

An Assassin.

And definitely not a Level 2 Assassin.

’She broke through my barrier in a single strike, righted herself the instant my Wind Roar hit, and even used the air for leverage.’

’She has to be at least a Level 4 Assassin!’

’Why try to kill me?’

’Who are my enemies?’

As Lu Cang retreated at top speed on his Ice Shuttle, he ran through a list of all possible enemies in his mind.

’Did Meizer hire someone because he found out I got the Secret Scroll last night?’

’That man named Meiser?’

’Pari? She’s the least likely Possibility. I can’t think of any grudge she’d have against me.’

’Or...’

Lu Cang looked toward the distant Beast Tide.

’Someone who doesn’t want me to stop the Beast Tide.’

The formation of this Beast Tide was completely unnatural. Even though he had only recently arrived in this world, Lu Cang could already smell a conspiracy.

’The Possibility that it was orchestrated was too high.’

’Whoever orchestrated the Beast Tide definitely wouldn’t want it to be stopped.’

’In that case, since I’m the one who’s contributed the most to stopping the Beast Tide...’

’...it makes sense that I’d be targeted for assassination.’

Having run through all the possible culprits in his mind,

Lu Cang turned and flew straight into the distance at top speed!

At the same time, he sent another twenty-eight Ice Shuttles shooting toward the pursuing Assassin!

A Breathing Wind Swarm blocked her path in mid-air!

BANG!

CLANG!

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—

’She’s catching up so fast!’

She was also treading on air, sprinting wildly.

She shattered every Ice Shuttle with her Dagger, but their explosions left a layer of frost on her arm.

The Breathing Wind Swarm also left countless bloody gashes on her body.

While an Assassin wasn’t as tough as a Warrior, a Level 4 Assassin’s body was not nearly as fragile as one might think.

’If she doesn’t have any other tricks up her sleeve, I could definitely wear her down and kill her before long.’

However, Lu Cang had no intention of fighting her head-on and gave the Assassin no openings.

He just wanted to stall for time.

’The area is full of teammates. I’m a Mage fighting an Assassin; why would I need to get into a direct confrontation?’

Lu Cang saw that in the distance, the Level 4 Adventurers had also noticed the situation.

They were already heading over to support him.

"Tsk..."

The Assassin chasing him seemed to realize the situation was turning against her.

She dove down abruptly! 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Sensing her intent, Lu Cang immediately stopped, turned, and gave chase!

He sent Ice Shuttles hurtling after her!

Of course, Lu Cang didn’t want to fight her if he could avoid it.

’But if I let this Assassin escape...’

’...will I ever be able to sleep soundly again?’

’I’d never be able to rest easy!’

There was no way he was letting her get away!

CLANG!

An Ice Shuttle collided with the Dagger!

With so much intense scrutiny on her, there was no way she could use Invisibility.

’This Mage...’

’...is a real pain to deal with.’

Twenty-eight Ice Shuttles assailed her from all angles, their Speed impossibly fast.

If she weren’t so nimble and agile, she would have been riddled with holes by now.

But an Assassin whose Movement has been exposed is already at a disadvantage.

The ground grew scorching hot!

Earth Fire had already formed!

Seeing this, the Assassin immediately began Sprinting toward Lu Cang!

However...

RUMBLE—

A massive Heavy Wall rose up, three stories high, completely blocking her path!

Lu Cang was terrified she might have some kind of ranged attack, like a Hidden Weapon, poison, or something of the sort.

That’s why he only ever used his Protective Barrier for self-defense.

Otherwise, when she was chasing him, Lu Cang would have just used the barrier to block her path.

He was afraid she would use some underhanded tactic the moment he lowered the barrier to attack.

’Who could have possibly thought...’

’...that this Mage, Lu Cang, would be so shameless.’

With her path blocked on three sides, her only option was to fly up!

But as she looked toward the sky,

BOOM!

A storm instantly bore down!

And with it came a massive Falling Stone!

For Lu Cang, it wasn’t a question of whether he could win or not.

It was that if he could avoid fighting an Assassin, he would.

Even if he could win, he wouldn’t fight.

And if he had to fight, it would only be to stall for time and wait for others to come support him.

Earth Fire erupted toward the heavens, and stone pillars plummeted toward the earth!

At the same time, a powerful storm forced her down toward the ground!

SWOOSH!

BOOM!

Although his opponent was sealed within the three-layered Heavy Wall, Lu Cang could still clearly feel his Earth Fire being cleaved apart.

He could also feel the definite feedback of the stone hitting its mark.

’A few more seconds, and I could probably kill her myself, even without backup.’

But just then, the Level 4 Warrior arrived.

Lu Cang opened one of the walls.

The Warrior charged straight in.

It was the Warrior who fought with his fists and feet. Lu Cang remembered him.

BOOM!

The Dagger and the fist collided.

Lu Cang provided ranged support with Magic, while a Curse Arrow also struck her body.

It made her lose a great deal of her strength.

CLANG!

After just a few clashes, her Dagger was sent flying.

The Warrior grabbed her directly by the throat.

"That’s taken care of."

"Thanks a lot, Warrior!"

"Haha, don’t mention it. We’re only able to fight so smoothly thanks to you."

He turned to look at the Assassin in his grip. "We should definitely interrogate this Assassin and find out where she came from."

Lu Cang nodded slightly.

’Someone wants me dead. This isn’t good.’

"Who sent you?"

’Is asking like that really going to get an answer?’

Lu Cang was doubtful.

As he asked the question, the Warrior tore off her mask.

’It’s a shame I don’t know the Warrior’s name, but since he saved me, I’ll definitely make a point to get to know him after the battle is over.’

Beneath the mask was a twisted face.

Beneath the skin of this face writhed countless worms, a sight so nauseating it would make anyone want to gag.

"A Face Worm."

"It’s a Demon..."

Looks like they wouldn’t be getting an answer. Only screeching sounds came from its mouth.

"This is not good."

The Warrior suddenly tightened his grip.

CRACK!

He snapped the Assassin’s neck, then threw a devastating punch!

He obliterated the worms pouring from the broken neck, turning them all to a bloody powder with a single blow.

"This Beast Tide... is no ordinary Beast Tide."

"It’s an invasion from a Nest."