Chapter 73.1: Part 1

Bonus chapter thanks to '@Talosfanboy' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.

I followed Besaha and thought hard.

How could I kill Besaha and enter the lab?

Besaha's lab had security devices installed.

To disable the security devices, one needed a tremendous level of proficiency in mana manipulation.

'There's no way I have that.'

Even Samuel's power was insufficient to disable Besaha's security devices.

The guy's power was still too weak to match Besaha's.

At least at Robolt's level, he would be able to destroy the security devices without leaving a trace.

However, Robolt was in the Demon World, and there was no one in the Human Realm who could help me in the first place.

That's why.

I waited for Besaha to open the security devices.

I had a trick up my sleeve for this as well.

'He'll definitely let his guard down.'

He seemed to have guessed that someone was watching him.

But he would relax if he confirmed that the lab's security devices were working.

So I waited with bated breath.

Until Besaha opened the lab.

And soon after.

Thud.

Besaha stopped in front of a tree.

He muttered to himself and began to undo the magic on the tree.

Then the tree transformed into a giant.

Not only that, but the surrounding area shook and revealed its true form.

I noticed the secret lab appearing and my eyes flashed.

'As I thought, I wouldn't have had enough time if I had tried to find the lab on my own.'

I might not have found it at all.

Of course, I have a description of Besaha's lab in my head.

It was set up by modifying a tree near the Imperial Academy forest.

But it didn't describe the exact location in detail.

It only described that it was around this area.

It was similar to when I borrowed the power of the information paper to find the gate of the Arsene Forest when I escaped to the Demon World.

I curled my lips slightly as my judgment was correct, and I looked at the tree that appeared in front of Besaha.

'It's definitely huge.'

It was a small tree until just now.

But when Besaha cast the spell, it changed into a size that could accommodate hundreds of people.

That must be its original form.

'Now's my chance.'

I glared at Besaha, who was about to enter the lab.

I gripped my dagger and strengthened my Stealth skill.

Creak-

Besaha didn't notice my presence until I moved behind his back.

It was partly because of my excellent Stealth skill, but Besaha was so focused on the lab that he couldn't concentrate on his senses.

Just like that.

Stab-

My dagger pierced Besaha's neck.

However.

"What a pity."

I muttered, looking at the rippling barrier that had blocked my dagger attack.

"I could have killed you."

The Mana Shield that Besaha had cast on his body had automatically activated, nullifying my attack.

Besaha opened his eyes wide like a rabbit and looked back at me.

"Who... who are you?"

Besaha began to look me up and down as if he was trying to assess my identity.

But I wasn't going to wait for him to do that.

The moment I realized that I had failed to kill him.

Swish-

My figure blurred.

"Stealth!"

Besaha exclaimed in surprise.

I let out a chuckle.

It wasn't Stealth that had activated, but rather a movement so fast that it left only an afterimage.

'From now on.......'

A head-on confrontation was impossible.

Besaha was a mage who wielded the Wind attribute, so even if I charged at him head-on, he would just push me away.

Just like now.

"Oh wind that surrounds me, tear my enemy to shreds!"

As Besaha chanted his incantation, the wind swirling around him began to condense.

Crash-

And a gust of wind swept through the area.

I used Position Exchange to evade Besaha's gust of wind.

I swapped places with a leaf and landed on a tree branch, my expression hardening in frustration.

'Damn it.'

The bastard's response was better than I expected.

Besaha had spread the wind in order to take control of the forest area.

"Oh wind that roams the forest, find him."

At Besaha's spell, the wind surged, filling the space between the trees.

I could feel the intense determination in that wind to pursue me at all costs.

I'll be caught if this keeps up.

It seemed like he thought I had run away and was trying to chase me down.

I hadn't run away.

I had just been waiting for the right opportunity.

'Designation.'

The wind that was swirling around Besaha.

I could see branches and stones caught in that wind.

I designated one of them as the target for my swap.

And as the arrow unfurled.

"Move."

I settled inside the whirlpool that enveloped Besaha.

And immediately, I held the dagger in reverse and manifested the Sword Lacquer.

Soon, the dagger was dyed black.

"No......!!"

For a split second.

Besaha, who let out a tongue-clicking sound as an incomprehensible situation unfolded, shrugged.

I seized the opportunity and struck down on Besaha's nape.

Buzz-.

However, the Mana Shield wrapped around Besaha did not allow the attack to penetrate easily.

It was only thanks to the Sword Lacquer that the attack hadn't simply failed

If it hadn't been imbued with Sword Lacquer, my entire body would have been torn to shreds like a rag by the Mana Shield's recoil.

I immediately released Sword Lacquer and initiated a Position Exchange.

I realized that I couldn't deal any significant damage to Besaha with my current attack.

I climbed back up to the tree where I had been.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak-!

The gust of wind that Besaha unleashed swept away the spot where I had been.

There were hundreds of marks on that spot, as if it had been hacked at with a rusty axe.

If I hadn't been able to get away from him even a little bit faster......

It was a horrifying sight to imagine.

I calmed my rising creepiness and reviewed the recent fight.

'He's quite something.'

I was impressed by Besaha's thoroughness.

Besaha had wrapped his body with a whopping 'ten layers' of Mana Shield.

I couldn't help but be amazed by his preparedness as if he was trying to completely block any assassins' attacks.

However.

'I've gotten rid of two so far.'

One when I first ambushed him.

One using Position Exchange.

With this, there were only eight Mana Shields wrapped around Besaha.

I had managed to remove two layers of Besaha's shield in an instant.

If I removed the remaining shields, I could deal significant damage to Besaha.

The shields wrapped around Besaha's body were not the kind that could be created in a short period of time.

It would take several hours of work to create just one layer.

Besaha had created ten layers of it.

'Still, it's fortunate that Besaha is the instructor.'

Originally, high-ranking Mages who focused on combat would stack dozens of these shields.

Besaha was a Mage who was more focused on theory than combat, so he had stopped at ten layers.

I was surprised that it was more than I had expected, but it wasn't unbreakable.

The problem is,

'What should I do?'

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