125: assassin

From the crackling fire in the small fireplace, an occasional pop from the firewood would send a few sparks flying into the air, only to gradually extinguish.

My breathing echoed rhythmically in the quiet private room.

After an afternoon of experimentation, the Qiankun Ring's ability to simulate my phantom was perfect in its realism—the young lord “Ryan” on the bed had a regular chest rise and fall, and it even simulated the shallow dream brainwaves unique to Half-elves. This illusion, combined with the hunter’s “Original Consciousness” trait, perfectly deceived the rogue’s “Detect Life.”

I was curled up in the shadow of the side table, invisible energy threads maintaining the phantom's rhythm.

The moment the first poisoned dagger pierced the phantom's back, the Bard Angel’s lute strings on the beam vibrated at the last possible second, emitting sound waves that outlined four human figures in the void.

Swordsman Green's surprise attack was a work of art.

He leaped into the air, pushing off the wall with his crouched legs, and like an arrow leaving a bowstring, he burst through the “fake wall” I had simulated with Qiankun Ring energy, flying fiercely towards the enemy and striking down with his sword at their head.

However, the Northern Barbarian Grom was much more direct. The moment the four enemies revealed their outlines, he charged straight at the largest one, his rapid charge knocking over the bed in the middle of the room, and my illusion vanished like foam.

“It’s a trap!” someone from the other side shouted, and several people turned to leave.

“Slow!” The Sorceress Edeline’s spell enveloped the four figures; the flow of time around them was distorted, and the running movements of three of them visibly slowed down.

The figure in the robe had already flashed to the doorway before the Slow spell in that area took effect.

He turned around, clutching a white feather in his hand, and transformed it into an extremely terrifying scene that instantly surrounded me.

I saw myself standing in that forest clearing from before, with the Mad Apes’s drooling fangs lunging towards me.

The scene shifted, and I was standing at the entrance of Eileen Village, with villagers passing by me, yet none of them could see me.

No matter how I called out, no one heard me; no matter how I pulled, I couldn't touch a single piece of their clothing.

Until the people turned into skeletons, the village transformed into desolation, civilization vanished, plants vanished, the entire planet became barren, and I still stood there.

The scene before my eyes changed again. I stood in space, surrounded by endless darkness, and looking up, the massive Blue Planet was directly above me.

I reached out my hand, trying to grasp towards the planet, but found that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move an inch. Then, the Blue Planet began to shrink and recede in my vision, becoming smaller and farther away.

It seemed I could never go back.

“Pfft!”

I bit my tongue.

It was a Fear spell!

Now clear-headed, I flipped my hand and retrieved the “Dire Wolf King Bone Flute” from my system space, bringing it to my lips and blowing with all my might.

A circle of silent ripples emanated from me. Swordsman Green, the Northern Barbarian Grom, and Sorceress Edeline, who had been panicked by the spell, instantly sobered up. They stopped their frantic movements.

Most of them had dropped their weapons to the ground.

At this moment, the “Slow” area magic in front of them also expired.

My invisibility had failed during the brief moment I was affected by the Fear spell.

The true faces of the four opponents were revealed to me—

Farthest away was the slender male mage who had just cast “Fear”;

In front of him was a woman dressed as a cleric in black clothes and black armor, holding a meteor hammer;

Further forward was a burly male warrior in armor, holding a sharp sword;

And at the very front was a masked female assassin in black, holding a poisoned dagger.

She was charging towards me again.

They didn't seem to be here to kidnap me!

It was more like they were here to kill me!