The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 136 The Assassin in the Shadows
Almost the instant the alarm rang, Tang Qi heard a sharp, piercing shriek as the blade scraped against his ear.

It was fast and ruthless enough to almost tear the wind apart, as if breaking through the dark shadows and revealing a bright silver trail in the light.

Tang Qi didn't have time to draw his sword to defend himself.

[Alertness] urged him to lie down, so he pounced on Ambi and rolled around in the mushroom patch with her.

As he hastily rose to his feet, he raised his hand, shining the light emanating from the ring onto the wall, attempting to discern the source of the silver blade—

"No!?"

The throwing knife that should have been embedded in the stone wall has disappeared, leaving only a deep mark.

"Brother Tang Qi, your ears!"

Anbi saw a bright red stain on Tang Qi's earlobe. Warm blood dripped onto the mushroom ground, causing them to sway wildly, and the song that echoed throughout the cellar became more agitated.

But it's not over yet.

"Om-"

Before he could even feel the pain, the urgent sensation, like sharp needles piercing his pores, struck again, allowing Tang Qi to quickly assess the dangerous trajectory.

But his intuition told him that the danger came from all directions—

The six throwing knives, like assassins lurking in the shadows, were poised to strike when their only opportunity presented itself.

They pierced through the air almost simultaneously, transforming into chilling light that converged into intersecting lines.

The cold light ended abruptly in Tang Qi's chest—

Or perhaps it was Ambi, whom he was holding!

The throwing knives are unpredictable and tricky, varying in height.

It seems they had anticipated in advance which direction Tang Qi would dodge.

Whether he raised his leg, turned to the side, or rolled over, the piercing sense of alertness reminded Tang Qi that a sharp blade would eventually pierce his body.

He had nowhere to hide.

"I will use my sharp eyes as a measuring tool, and wield this blade as a defense!"

The moment the melody began, Tang Qi felt time stand still.

The singing in my ears grew increasingly quiet.

The five senses are thus heightened.

He had a similar experience—

At the very moment when the old goblin's [Mana Blast] was just about to reach his chest.

He clearly sensed the impending crisis, yet was powerless to offer any resistance.

But only for this moment.

The vibrations of the music seemed to seep into his blood, invigorating Tang Qi's senses with their vibrant energy, giving him an unprecedented lightness, and even making his vision exceptionally clear.

【Defense Sword Dance】!
Before him, everything seemed to have lost its color, even the environment itself, leaving only endless darkness and those six conspicuous, intersecting silver lines, like a spider web surrounding his side.

His limbs moved at will, and even drawing his sword only took a moment.

Tang Qi felt like an eagle, or a snake, sharp enough, nimble enough, and free enough.

This made him dance in response to the song, causing the black scimitar to move like a nimble serpent through the air, drawing a winding and beautiful arc before slashing halfway across the intersecting lines!
As the blades clashed, sparks flew, flashing brightly and dazzlingly, accompanied by a continuous clanging sound.

Several throwing knives were abruptly blocked in front of him and fell to the ground.

Amidst the crisp sound, he distinctly heard an incredulous gasp—

The opponent seemed completely unprepared for Tang Qi's ability to instantly sever six cunning flying blades.

At least he couldn't.

Tang Qi subconsciously looked down at his feet, only to find that the throwing knife seemed to turn into sand the moment it touched the ground.

"No wonder we couldn't find his direction..."

This throwing knife is clearly a magical item; it disappears after hitting or missing its target, leaving no further clues.
"who are you?"

He tried to negotiate, but the only response he received was the sense of vigilance conveyed behind his back.

"【Silver Light Sharp Words】!"

A short syllable burst from his lips and teeth, and a flash of silver light clung to the two incoming throwing knives, creating a wall of wind that deflected them both to Tang Qi's side.

He could see even more clearly the trail left by the silver light—

This confirms the direction from which the flying knife came:
"Got you."

With the [Light Spell] attached to his fingertips, Tang Qi no longer needed to worry about the dim light. He twisted his wrist, pointed the blade downwards, and thrust it straight towards the direction from which the flying knife was coming.

However, amidst the shifting light, he clearly felt a slight pushing force.

A faint silver light emanating from the blade seemed to be pulling at his blade and arm, trying to shift it to the right.

Tang Qi understood that this was the benefit brought by the 'silver light'—

It reversed the unfavorable situation, making an attack that would otherwise have been impossible possible.

So he followed his instincts, flicked his wrist, and turned the blade.

The radiance clinging to the ring shifted direction with the swing of the scimitar, slicing through the deep darkness as it tilted.

It illuminated the face hidden in the shadows, and shattered the hope in Night Wind's heart:

"How can it be!?"

He possesses the ability to merge with shadows; darkness should be his domain.

In low light or dim conditions, it can achieve an effect comparable to the caster's fourth-circle spell, Greater Invisibility.

His professional skills as a wanderer also allowed him to linger beyond the glow emanating from the ring with lighter, quieter steps.

This allows him to move freely in the shadows and launch attacks without fear of being tracked by his opponents.

So he anticipated that the attack would be ineffective and that the throwing knife might be intercepted, but he never considered that he would expose his presence.

"A drow elf?" Even though he was completely shrouded in darkness, the piercing light still illuminated his face beneath his hood, allowing Tang Qi to see Ye Feng's greyish-black skin.
"It's so rare."

With the entire race of elves now extinct, the subspecies of drow elves exists only in legends—

According to oral tradition, the arrogant elves angered the gods, who punished them by making them forget history, ceasing to bestow blessings upon the earth and believers, and causing this long-lived race to be erased from history.

However, a portion of the drow elves, hiding underground, escaped this catastrophe and eked out a living in the Underdark...

Unlike the noble and elegant children of the forest, the drow elves are almost the embodiment of cold-bloodedness and evil.

In Tang Qi's knowledge base, these elves worship the Spider Queen [Lose]—the goddess who holds the power of 'spider' and 'deception'.

Their faith has instilled in this group an inherently evil nature, and because of their dark skin, they are often referred to as "dark elves."

Given that all the 'history' circulating on the Forgotten Continent contains fabricated elements, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, Tang Qi could not explain why this drow elf had appeared on the surface.

But he didn't think the man in front of him had much good intentions.

So he kept raising the knife.

"Thorn-"

While he was still in shock, Ye Feng hurriedly dodged, but the black blade slashed his left arm, drawing a line of bright red blood, but it failed to harm him fundamentally.

In an instant, he stepped onto the wall, used the momentum to leap into the air, rolled once in mid-air, and landed safely on one foot.

Almost simultaneously, with a flick of the wrist, two throwing knives attached to the wrist guards on the cuffs popped out and landed on the fingertips with a "whoosh".

Ye Feng swung his arm behind him, and the throwing knife flashed with a cold light, turning into two bright silver torrents that aimed straight at Tang Qi's brow in the dazzling light!
Without the support of the shadow, and with the added boost of [Alertness], Tang Qi was able to handle the situation much more easily than before.

But the throwing knives were still ruthless; their tricky angles forced Tang Qi to intercept one while simultaneously twisting his waist to barely dodge the other.

The night wind, taking advantage of this lull, will once again hide in the shadows.

The first rule of the "Wanderer's Code"—

Never engage in direct confrontation with your opponent.

By hiding in the shadows, he will have the upper hand!

"Ouch!"

But a snow-white figure pounced like a jackal, knocking him to the ground!
She bared her sharp teeth, ready to bite his neck—

"boom!"

Night Wind frantically tried to block her with his wrist, barely managing to stop her from speaking:

"Damn it, where does a little girl get such strength?!"

He never considered Ambi a rival.

Now, all I could do was kick her in the waist and abdomen in bewilderment.

The girl suddenly felt a jolting sensation in her stomach, and the pain caused her tear ducts to burst open, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Despite the agonizing pain in her stomach, she managed to slash Ye Feng's chest with her sharp nails before being kicked away!

Intense pain penetrated his skin, assaulting Ye Feng's entire body.

He was astonished that the claws could tear through his inner soft armor, and even more terrified by the identity those claws implied:
"A beastman!?"

Blood flowed from his chest along with the three claw marks, and a searing pain surged from the bite mark on his wrist.

That was clearly a curse that began to fester in the blood!

"What the hell is this bad luck..."

The spread of a curse is a probabilistic event.

But he was a wanderer, not a savage.

He dared not gamble with his physical condition.

Therefore, a judgment was made in an instant:

"We can't keep fighting—we have to escape!"

"How could I possibly give you a chance!"

Tang Qi sensed the other party's intention and rushed forward while he was distracted.

With a swift movement, the knife pierced through the night wind's chest—

"[Intuitive Evasion]!"

The anticipation of death caused Ye Feng's blood to surge for a moment, and the adrenaline surged, making him forget the pain for a short time. He quickly rolled to one side.

Tang Qi's scimitar fell, barely managing to pin his cloak down.

The night wind, unwilling to linger, hastily untied the knot of its cloak and slipped out.

He was a skilled lock picker; his fingers were his most dexterous limbs, so it didn't take him long at all.

So much so that when Tang Qi raised his arm to continue the slashing motion, he had already lost the opportunity to press his advantage and was able to dodge the attack.

Without hesitation, Ye Feng took a packet of powder from his waist and slammed it to the ground.

In the dissipating smoke, glittering points of light occasionally flashed, instantly enveloping his entire body and gradually turning his figure into a phantom until even the glow of the ring could no longer pinpoint his location.

"Ahem—[Invisible Powder]!?"

Things covered by this fine, sand-like powder will remain invisible for up to 10 minutes, depending on the amount of powder.

Only spells like [Detect Invisibility] have the potential to identify it.

Without a doubt, this is a common tactic used by assassins to escape—

Tang Qi assessed the situation and reacted quickly, turning the lute behind him around, strumming the strings, singing a song, pointing towards the stairs, and using his last spell slot:

"Let drowsiness stop the robber from committing the crime, forcing him into an eternal slumber."

Amidst the mournful song, a cluster of petals exploded in the center of the cellar ladder, scattering flowers across an area of ​​dozens of meters.

This is the only way for that drow elf to escape!

(End of this chapter)