Their conflict had already crossed the point of no return. Raen had humiliated Everhold Dominion repeatedly, and worse—he had done it publicly. If Gravemind let him walk away again, not only would their guild's reputation be irreparably damaged, but his own ambitions would be finished.
Raen must be eliminated here and now.
Before he grew into something untouchable.
....
While the others tried to inspect Raen's information, the man himself was already in motion. Calm and efficient, he bent down and picked up the five pieces of equipment scattered on the ground, swiftly storing them in his inventory. Among the loot, his eyes gleamed as they landed on a glowing scroll.
The Isolation Array Scroll.
With this, he wouldn't need to rely on his Cryo Core Bombs after all. A small win. The longer he could keep his trump cards hidden, the better.
Watching Raen casually collect five Level 10+ items right in front of him, Gravemind trembled with fury. These items belonged to Everhold Dominion, and Raen didn't even hesitate to loot them under his nose!
He's completely ignoring me!
"Originally, I thought you were someone cautious and hard to lure out," Gravemind said, his voice cold, eyes narrowing. "But to think you're just a fool... Since you've come here yourself—good. I'll bury you right here!"
A freezing glint flashed in Gravemind's eyes. He raised his hand and barked out his order, "Aside from Shield Warriors, Knights, and Healers—everyone else, kill him!"
He didn't know how Raen had entered Gale Valley undetected, nor how he found them mid-battle against the Nether Leopard King. But it didn't matter.
Charging into this place alone?
He was just begging to die.
Gravemind's silver-ranked longbow locked onto Raen in an instant.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three arrows whistled through the air, aimed straight at Raen's vitals.
At the same time, the Nether Leopard King's berserk phase had ended. Its HP was now below 30%, and the two Elite Nether Leopards it had summoned earlier were already dead. Victory over the chieftain-ranked monster was only a matter of time.
As Gravemind saw it, Raen's interference was nothing but a fly's distraction.
All at once, attacks rained down on Raen.
Fireballs. Frost Arrows. Dark Arrows. Charge skills.
Every offensive and restricting move in their arsenal was thrown at him.
And yet—Raen simply stood there, unmoving.
Then—
Flash.
Raen vanished.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared behind Everhold Dominion's healers—his expression calm, his blade already poised.
Using Mana Steps.
Not a single spell hit him.
Kaito's Mana Steps allowed him to teleport behind any target within a 40-yard radius. Although its cooldown was longer than an Elementalist's Blink, it had far superior range—and more importantly, it required no gestures or verbal cues to activate. It was silent, seamless, and almost impossible to detect in time.
"No—!"
"Run!"
Gravemind's sudden bellow shattered the tension as he scanned the formation and spotted Kaito—already behind their healers.
The startled healers turned around in confusion.
Why was Gravemind shouting?
Run? From what?
"Too late."
Kaito didn't waste even a second.
He didn't use a skill.
With nothing but raw speed and precision, he conjured twelve sword images, each one slashing through a target like a ghost through mist.
Four healers fell instantly.
Not a scream. Not a struggle.
Just death.
"Raen!!" Gravemind's furious roar echoed through the forest, his eyes burning with murderous rage.
With the healers gone, fighting the Nether Leopard King would come at a massive cost—and the risk of a total team wipe loomed large. And it was all because of him.
Gravemind's hand blurred as he pulled five pitch-black arrows from his inventory and unleashed them without hesitation.
Fatal Shot.
The arrows cut through the air like reapers, locking onto Kaito's vitals. There was no escape.
Kaito simply chuckled, casting a backward glance.
"You guys have fun. I'll take my leave."
Before the arrows could reach him, Windveil Steps activated.
A shimmering afterimage remained in his place.
By the time the arrows struck, Kaito was already gone.
The forest rustled as he vanished into the distance, his figure melting into the underbrush like mist in moonlight.
The pursuing players froze in place.
"He's gone…"
Gravemind's fists clenched, veins throbbing on his forehead.
"Abominable…!"
His eyes followed the empty path Kaito had escaped through.
"Boss Gravemind… should we still give chase?" an Assassin asked tentatively.
Gravemind exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
"No."
With the healers dead, any attempt to split forces would be disastrous. They were still mid-battle with the Nether Leopard King. Without healing support, a team wipe wasn't just possible—it was inevitable. And when that happened, Raen would be the one to sweep up the spoils.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Kaito wasn't just fast—he was terrifyingly efficient.
Sending a single party after him?
They might as well gift-wrap their loot and toss it into his inventory.
In this forest…
Kaito was the hunter.
And they were the prey.
And Gravemind knew exactly where that hunter was headed next.
He had seen Raen pick up the isolation scroll from Rhine's corpse.
If Raen really had left, it was only to save his teammates.
Without wasting a second, Gravemind sent a message to Rhine.
"Order your men to kill all of Raen's teammates inside the array—immediately. Raen is already on his way there."
Gravemind's expression darkened.
Even if they couldn't stop Raen directly…
At the very least, they could make him bleed.
"Everyone, fall back! Forget the Nether Leopard King—we're switching focus. Prepare to ambush Raen!" Gravemind ordered in a steady tone, masking the fury simmering beneath. "Notify the other teams. Tell them to regroup at the array's entrance immediately. If he thinks he can take advantage of me... he's sorely mistaken."
...
Meanwhile, Kaito was tearing across the forest, already en route to the Echoing Deep's entrance.
He had managed something outrageous—combining Mana Steps and Windveil Steps simultaneously, layering the teleportation burst with acceleration. The result was a frightening explosion of speed.
Too fast.
So fast that if he lost focus for even a moment, he risked slamming headfirst into a tree or injuring himself from the momentum alone.
But he didn't care.
He had no time to waste.
After what he'd done, Everhold Dominion would absolutely retaliate—and their first target would be his team.
He couldn't let that happen.
Within just two minutes, Kaito reached the entrance to Echoing Deep. A journey that would take even a full Agility Assassin over thirty minutes… he covered in two.
He was shocked by his own speed.
But now wasn't the time to marvel at it.
Without hesitation, he pulled out the Isolation Array Scroll.
The shimmering light barrier before him wavered—and then, as if responding to his will, it parted, forming a narrow passage just wide enough for him to slip through.
....
At the same time, Rhine had already relayed Gravemind's orders.
"Kill all of Raen's teammates. And be ready to ambush him when he arrives."
Upon reading the message, the Assassin acting as temporary leader in Rhine's absence turned toward Mei Rin and the others with a cruel smirk.
"Looks like it's time to send you all on your way," he sneered. Then, with a mocking laugh, he added, "Don't worry! You won't be alone—we'll be sending your boss over soon too. Hahaha!"
"Kill!"
At his barked command, the Everhold Dominion players surged forward, each unleashing their skills to end the battle quickly.
Mei Rin and the others tensed, readying themselves for the oncoming storm of attacks. Just then, their group interface lit up.
Group Message:"I'm here." —Kaito
At the very moment they read the message, a thunderous boom echoed in front of them.
They looked up—only to be met with a blinding explosion of fire and lightning. The ground that had just been packed with Everhold Dominion players was now scorched and glowing, empty save for the flickering remnants of the blast.
The single move had instantly wiped out a dozen enemies, catching the nearly two hundred Everhold Dominion players completely off guard.
Through the smoke and embers, a lone figure stepped forward, his presence suffocating, silent, and absolute.
"Not to mention killing…"
"I dare you to even touch them."
Kaito had arrived.