Su Yao, standing near the back of the room, felt a bit nervous.
The battle was almost one-sided; the soldiers’ formation was shattered, and it seemed she didn’t need to intervene.
Come on! Big brothers from the enemy nation, she’s still waiting for a hero to save the beauty!
These well-trained soldiers had probably planned for the frontlines to “tank” the damage, while the magic-user soldiers in the back provided support damage.
But plans couldn’t keep up with changes. After dodging the initial few magical attacks, Sofia leapt up and jumped behind the group of spear-wielding soldiers.
The plan to block her outside the formation using weapon length, then attack her with magic, failed.
The magic-user soldiers in the back were forced to put away their wands and attack with swords and knives.
The white-haired, red-eyed beauty danced elegantly amidst the crowd, every slash of her blade drawing a spray of blood.
Wearing leather armor, she moved far more nimbly than the iron-helmeted soldiers, her excellent footwork always helping her find opportunities to close in through the gaps between their spears and swords.
Her lack of armor penetration was compensated by her superb swordsmanship; her blade always struck precisely in the weak points between the soldiers’ armor plates.
The white-haired, red-eyed girl was like a beautiful grim reaper, reaping the lives of these invaders.
But something was off. Su Yao didn’t doubt Sofia’s strength—in fact, her skill was perfectly normal.
Yet the blonde girl felt a vague, indescribable sense of discord. These soldiers kept throwing themselves at Sofia relentlessly, even though they feared her.
It was as if they were following some kind of plan…
She tried to use Mana Perception, but the mana seemed evenly spread throughout the area where Sofia was fighting, like a mist filling the space.
They were turning the air itself into some kind of “Mana Source” to interfere with Mana Perception.
Su Yao didn’t know exactly how they did it, but they definitely had.
Something was definitely wrong!
Sofia hadn’t told her everything about the grudge between her and Balder.
For Sofia, being defeated and captured by that man was probably a shame she didn’t want to mention.
Su Yao only knew they had little contact, and Sofia herself was unclear about Balder’s abilities.
But the opposite was true on Balder’s side. The Roland Family was famous for their knights, and the young, famous Sofia’s reputation and abilities were practically public knowledge.
They were at a disadvantage in intelligence.
That said, clues existed. The most common gossip in the boring King’s Castle was about nobles and celebrities.
Rumor had it that Balder had once been ridiculed by the Royal Guard—not just because he was a commoner, but because of his fighting style: hiding in the shadows and striking decisively.
But Chlor’s Father called him the “Invisible Guardian” because he never failed in battle.
Such a person would be called an “old six” in the original world.
Su Yao had thought he was hiding among the soldiers, but now it seemed otherwise.
An excellent warrior wouldn’t lose track of an enemy’s position nearby; just by sight alone, they could know.
Why did they deliberately interfere with Sofia’s Mana Perception?
A cunning old six wouldn’t prepare something useless, so what was his plan for the sneak attack?
Could he really “turn invisible”? But that trick wouldn’t work against Sofia’s Mana Perception…
“Clang!”
The white-haired, red-eyed beauty blocked two soldiers’ downward strikes of long swords.
Even Su Yao, who had never fought, knew this stalemate during a clash was a weakness.
“Sofia! Watch out!”
There was no time for a hero to save the beauty now; she could only shout a warning.
Hearing the call, Sofia exerted force to parry the two soldiers’ long swords and used their momentum to leap back.
A black sword shimmering with cold light suddenly appeared beside her.
Su Yao’s guess was right—this guy’s trump card was literally “invisibility.”
Whether his ability was true invisibility or like hers, adjusting an object’s light reflection with magic, she didn’t know.
But such an ability was indeed troublesome for sneak attacks.
“Don’t get hurt by that sword!”
At the moment the killing intent appeared, she warned again.
As a proper old six, this sword must have some other effect—“paralysis” or “poison”?
Uncertain, but she could guess.
Sofia’s mana erupted around her as massive vines sprouted from beneath her feet, pushing her back while striking toward where the sword appeared.
The trump card that was supposed to catch the enemy off guard was thus used up, and both sides lost a card.
Honestly, they lost out more—this “Magic Restriction Collar” was a fake that could only be used once, while Balder’s invisibility could likely be used repeatedly.
The “old six” who missed his chance to sneak attacked leapt backward.
The battle briefly paused.
Su Yao moved forward to join Sofia, while Balder retreated to the front of the remaining soldiers.
The man wore a cloak and hood, wrapped up tightly, even his sword-wielding hands covered with gloves, as if afraid of the light.
“A member of the Glenweir Royal Family?”
“Sort of.”
Su Yao noticed his subtle hand movements. His request for dialogue was probably just to stall for skill cooldowns. That worked perfectly.
“Let me introduce myself—I’m the Dungeon Master of this dungeon. My name is Su Yao. You might not believe it, but I’ll show you a trick.”
With that, she snapped her fingers. Light gathered, and soon an antique wooden chest appeared in the room.
“Don’t be surprised, this is just the first one.”
“Snap.”
A second snap, and this time not one chest but a dense pile appeared before them, almost covering half the room.
“Quite the spectacle. Miss, are you trying to bribe me?”
“Something like that. Don’t you want to open the boxes and take a look?”
Balder hesitated before waving two soldiers behind him to step forward and open the chests.
White powder quietly lay at the bottom of each box, but unlike before, there were no packaging bags.
Moments later, all the boxes were opened, but they contained no treasures the soldiers had hoped for.
“Are you messing with me?”
“Why would I? If you’re willing to leave with this ‘Flour,’ I might consider letting you go.”
The man laughed like he’d heard a joke—a laugh worthy of a certain Hero King.
“I forgive you. Once I catch you all, I’m sure you’ll satisfy me.”
“Ignorant.”
Balder had bought enough time.
Su Yao had completed her preparation. Forget about the hero saving the beauty for now—this old six who almost hurt Sofia couldn’t stay.
Whether he cloaked himself with light magic or true invisibility, he wouldn’t escape a large-area attack.
Although a seventh-rank fire spell could do it, the spell’s prelude might alert the crafty man, making him take precautions.
Thinking this through, Su Yao decided to use a large-scale magic only “modern people” knew—Dust Explosion.
“Sofia, move these boxes upstairs.”
The white-haired, red-eyed girl nodded and cast magic again, expanding the range to cover half the enemy’s area.
A small patch of the Marsh of Trees transported all the chests onto the roof.
“Dispel the magic!”
The boxes that crashed to the ground raised a cloud of “white smoke.”
The flour falling from the roof formed “white smoke,” with some drifting like mist.
Soon, dust unevenly filled the entire room, from floor to air.
The soldiers instinctively covered their mouths and noses to avoid inhaling the powder, unaware of Su Yao’s true purpose.
“Spend 20 DP to summon [Slime—Fire]?”
“Yes!”
“Spend 80 DP to summon [Large Slime—Water]?”
“Yes!”
The water slime enveloped the two of them the moment they appeared.
A huge explosion roared, scorching flames filling most of the room.
The blonde girl seized the moment the slimes vanished to cast several Water Walls.
Sofia’s white hair fluttered in the heatwave…