Alista Tudor knew exactly who Orphne of the Nine was. She was one of Sunny's strongest Shadows from the original Shadow Slave webnovel—a formidable, lethal creature who had fought and lost to the protagonist by the slightest of margins in the Shadow Realm. Her reputation was staggering; she had even killed the Weaver twice, though the second time was a stage-managed event by the Daemon. Alista remembered her as an intensely skilled hunter.
'So, this is one of the initial phase,' Alista reasoned, his mind racing. 'This is where she starts to learn about the Weaver and begins her hunt. And she will likely kill me for her ulterior goal.'
He quickly scanned the debris left by the dead soldier. He spotted several useful items: a few sturdy boots and a spare sword.
"At least I need an armor," he muttered, immediately putting on the boots, which were a good fit, and securing the spare sword. He tied the boots firmly.
"I need to move fast," he told himself, urgency tightening his chest. "If she is a Hunter, she must be good at tracking prey." He took off, moving quickly and deliberately through the tangled forest.
As he traveled, Alista keenly observed his surroundings. The forest seemed eerily quiet; there was little sign of steaming animals or wildlife.
'If I remember correctly, her Dormant ability was to communicate with animals and understand all human languages,' Alista realized. 'She must be using the animals to track me.' He continued his line of thought: 'And her Awakened ability must enhance her senses. Moreover, all this information was revealed while she was a Shadow Creature, I need to take a pinch of salt.'
He paused for a brief, ragged breath. "I wonder what rank she is? If she's already Transcendent, I am good as dead." He took a deep breath, and with a familiar, sardonic reverence, he shouted into the quiet woods:
"Bless me with Luck, Mr. Fool!"
Alista continued his journey, maintaining a fast, steady pace. He never stopped moving forward. Whether it was a blessing of luck or a prolonged execution, he hadn't yet spotted Orphine.
Then, he saw a sight that broke the monotony: a dozen soldiers marching in a tight, disciplined sequence.
'Maybe I can seek their help,' he plotted. 'I can plot an escape from them later if they turn out to be dangerous, but for now, they are a temporary shield.'
He moved toward the marching column and hailed them loudly. "Hey! I'm from the military camp in the south! We were attacked by a creature! I need to send you guys as reinforcement there, and please, take me to the War Temple!"
All the soldiers stopped. They stared at Alista, then, with sudden, deadly coordination, raised their swords.
Alista was genuinely confused for a moment. One of them barked a command: "Kill the guy in the name of the Storm Goddess!"
'Damn you, Amanises! Why are you screwing me, a fellow transmigrator like you?' Alista thought in despair, referencing the goddess from the other novel. He had no choice. He drew the spare sword he had just salvaged. He possessed no swordsmanship skills whatsoever, but he was backed into a corner.
Just as he was about to attack, he felt a sharp, piercing sense of danger hovering directly over his head—his [Instincts] attribute screaming.
Alista immediately ducked down.
An arrow, which had been aimed at him from behind, zipped harmlessly over his back and struck the soldier who was just about to swing at him. The man dropped instantly.
Alista spun around to see Orphne standing on a distant ridge, her bow pointed directly at him.
In this chaos, Alista saw his loophole. 'Maybe I can turn these Storm followers into meat shields if possible,' he quickly decided.
As Orphine drew her next arrow and released, Alista strategically hid behind the soldiers, letting their bodies intercept the lethal shots. Simultaneously, he utilized the confusion, quickly and awkwardly stabbing one of the soldiers who was trying to flank him.
The metallic voice of the Nightmare Spell confirmed his kills:
[You have killed a Dormant Beast, Unknown]
[You have killed a Dormant Beast, Unknown]
...
The remaining soldiers, now utterly confused, concluded that the woman shooting at them must be Alista's ally. The group split: half of them, seeking revenge, immediately ran toward Orphne. The other half, continued to pursue Alista.
Alista took the opportunity to bolt in the opposite direction from the larger conflict. He ran until he reached a steep slope, giving him the advantage of the high ground. He turned to face his pursuers. Thanks to the combined effect of his [Instincts] preventing surprise attacks, his [Battle Analyzer] spotting their crude tactics, and the [Lawyer] to see the loopholes, he was able to kill all of the remaining soldiers which pursued him.
Wiping sweat and blood from his brow, Alista leaned on his sword. "I need to learn swordsmanship, period," he declared, his exhaustion absolute.
He immediately got to work, salvaging everything from the dead soldiers: food, a pouch of unknown poisons, more weapons, the arrows Orphne had shot, and, most importantly, a decent piece of armor. He created a makeshift bag from the soldiers' cloaks and hoisted his newfound supplies.
He continued moving, now equipped and slightly better prepared. After a short trek, he spotted a structure in the distance: an empty temple with a sharp, towering point rising from its center. At the very tip of the spire was a huge bell.
"I wonder which god is it," he murmured, his curiosity piqued.
He entered the temple. Inside, the massive space held a huge, empty throne and the visible ropes connecting to the large bell above. The place was vast and seemed to hold a better potential for resources or at least defense. Yet, it was completely empty, which lent it an unsettling, eerie feeling.
Alista Tudor surveyed the space, his mind already calculating possibilities.
"Let's set a trap," he decided.
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