Chapter 239 Shadowstep Stealth and Shifting Characters

"Rustle—"

Near the Molten Scale Mountains, sparse shrubs and tufts of grass dotted the dark, reddish-brown wasteland.

There was nothing special about it.

It was the most common, ordinary stretch of wasteland imaginable.

But if one possessed the Perception of a high-level Class Holder and knew a few adventurer tricks for observing their surroundings, they would be able to detect a near-invisible, blurry figure amid the breeze and the fine grit it kicked up.

"Tap."

The barren soil depressed slightly and dust danced, faintly revealing the outline of a right foot.

Oddly enough, whether due to its owner's extraordinary stealth, a special ability enhanced by shadow powers, or perhaps both—even though one could clearly see the right foot press against the ground to propel the body forward in a complete step, it left absolutely no trace in the dirt beneath its sole.

Traceless and invisible.

It was a stealth technique of the highest caliber.

A masterful concealment that an ordinary person wouldn't notice even if they stood face-to-face with him.

Suddenly, the air twisted, shadows flickering as if a layer of paper had been peeled away from the very space itself.

In the blink of an eye, a figure dressed in a tight black suit, as short as a toddler, materialized on the wasteland.

He was a gnome Rogue.

Following the principles of being as light and undetectable as possible, he wore only a convenient set of light armor. His waist pouch was tightly bound with the most flexible leather cords, wrapped around his waist multiple times to eliminate any chance of it dropping and making a sound.

Even the soft shoes on his feet were specially crafted from high-grade materials to silence his footsteps.

He had even left his two most frequently used sharp stilettos with his teammates before setting out.

After all, given his stealth abilities and the strength of the enemy they might encounter on this mission, if he were actually discovered with no chance of escape and forced to fight, holding a weapon wouldn't make any difference. Bogu knew this very well.

Against the scale strength of that adult red dragon, even if it lay motionless and let him strike with his most powerful combat technique, he would barely be able to scratch it.

And with just a slight opening of its jaws, the flames spilling from its sharp teeth would easily reduce his fragile body—which had lived for nearly two centuries—into black ash that would scatter in the wind.

But equally, the immense risk of certain death upon exposure was matched by an exaggerated reward beyond normal imagination, one that even experts of the Transcendent Tier would struggle to obtain.

The gnome Rogue Bagu looked around, quietly waiting for something.

His hand constantly brushed against a bulge beneath his shirt on his chest. Even though he kept it close to his body, feeling its hard, cold touch through the silk fabric at every moment, he still couldn't help but repeatedly confirm its presence.

Bogu didn't know the use of this item, nor did he fully grasp its exact value.

But considering that to get it, their party of six Level 3-5 adventurers had sacrificed half its members just to buy the opportunity of the red dragon leaving its lair. They had nearly exhausted the team's entire savings to narrowly bypass the magical traps at the entrance and send him inside, only for him to barely extract this single item from the dragon's mountainous hoard of gold and silver.

Thinking back to a few hours ago, to the small hills of gold coins that had almost dyed his eyes gold, Bogu couldn't help but swallow hard.

It was only thanks to his relatively firm willpower that he had controlled his hands. Otherwise, had he taken even a single extra gold coin, he would never have made it past the dense array of detection traps inside the dragon's lair.

Under normal circumstances, forget "small fries" like them; even parties composed of veteran Class Holders who had advanced to the Transcendent Tier would need to think carefully before attempting to enter an adult red dragon's lair.

With their strength, let alone sneaking into the lair to steal treasure, just looking at the red dragon from afar would leave them shivering under the suppression of its Dragon Might.

Bogu had never imagined that he would one day set foot inside a dragon's lair.

But as fate would have it, two years ago, after he advanced to Level 5 in [Gloomswamp Thief]—an obscure subclass of the [Rogue] profession—he gained a unique Feat granted by his class: while using "Shadowstep Stealth", the probability of being discovered by Detect Magic was drastically reduced.

"Shadowstep Stealth" was a combat technique Bogu acquired at Level 3. It was an exceptionally effective stealth ability, far stronger than what ordinary Rogues possessed, though it came with the restriction that he had to hold his breath while using it.

Around the same time, Duke Morton of Sticky-Tree Territory posted a bounty for the adult red dragon named Kraugbari on the quest wall of the Association Second Floor.

Their party captain, Lawson, who had once worked as a guard on Duke Morton's estate, seemed to know that the ancestral heirloom the Duke had lost was not merely an ornamental piece for display.

According to him, it supposedly contained the secret of the Morton family's rise to power, transforming an ordinary farmer into a great hero who expanded the borders for the King of Servia.

Lawson had even mentioned that compared to the loss of dignity suffered from the red dragon's attack, Duke Morton cared far more about his lost heirloom.

Even if they ultimately discovered that the so-called treasure hiding the secret of the Duke's rise was just an ordinary collectible, simply bringing it back to Sticky-Tree Territory would earn them a reward from Duke Morton sufficient to let them live out their twilight years in respectable wealth—even considering that Bagu, going by the average lifespan of the gnome race, could live for another two hundred years. It would even secure enough resources for them to continue climbing the ranks and advance to the Transcendent Tier.

A suddenly acquired stealth skill, a lost heirloom, and the potential for a massive payout that made ignoring the risks worthwhile...

And so, under the intense planning of their party captain Lawson, a practically insane scheme had slowly unfolded over the past two years.

The twists and turns, along with the preparations made for it, went without saying.

Until today, when it finally blossomed, bringing the sweet fruit of success.

"Rustle—"

A sudden rustling sound came from the nearby shrubs. Bogu, who had been waiting at the rendezvous point for a long time, immediately grew vigilant. He shut his mouth and nose, and the shadows beneath his feet twisted with a swamp-like texture, giving off an odd sense of viscosity. He was fully prepared to cast "Shadowstep Stealth" and flee at a moment's notice.

But a second later, the two figures that appeared in his line of sight made him heave a sigh of relief.

It was none other than the party captain, Lawson, and the only other surviving teammate besides himself—the half-orc Haugerk.

Contrary to his expectations of them being covered in wounds, although the two looked a bit disheveled on the surface, covered in broken leaves and grass clippings, neither had actually suffered any obvious injuries. They didn't even have minor scratches.

Come to think of it, for Class Holders of their level, if they really had encountered that adult red dragon, there wouldn't be minor or even major injuries—there would only be "death."

The fact that they were alive to meet him meant they hadn't crossed paths with the red dragon at all, so naturally they couldn't be injured.

"How did it go? Did you get it?"

Before they even got close, Haugerk's deliberately lowered, gruff voice drifted over on the cold wasteland wind.

Having planned this for two whole years, they had finally reached the last step. Even the most composed person would inevitably feel excited, let alone this young half-orc from a tribal background.

Without hiding it, Bogu straightforwardly took the object from his jacket and peeled back the silk cloth, carefully handing it over with both hands.

The item wasn't large; it simply rested heavily in the palm, enclosed by his fingers.

It was entirely silver-white, yet didn't glare under the sunlight, revealing a gentle, subdued metallic luster.

Its smooth, flowing lines stretched from one end to the other in a unified whole, much like a cobblestone polished by stream water for countless years. Not a single sharp edge could be seen on its oval surface.

Judging solely by its appearance, it was just a Metal Block forged from pure metal.

But looking closely, upon its pristine, lake-like surface that reflected the surrounding scenery, one could catch sight of tiny, rapidly shifting characters.

At a single glance, it was clearly no ordinary item.

"We're rich, we're totally rich!"

Two tusks poking past his thick lips, the half-orc Haugerk cheered excitedly in a low voice.

If not for the fear of drawing the red dragon's attention, he probably would have howled like a wild beast right then to vent the surging emotions in his heart.

His large, calloused hands tightly cradled the Metal Block, yet his posture was exceptionally careful—forming a stark contrast with his massive, muscular frame and the excitement on his face.

Watching the half-orc's excited yet cautious demeanor, Bogu felt a surge of pride.

He narrowed his small eyes, carefully examining the treasure in his teammate's hands.

He had been in such a rush all the way here; just the thunderous roar of the dragon from the sky had nearly made his heart leap out of his chest, leaving him no time to examine it closely.

Now that he had regrouped with his trusted teammates, the gnome Rogue felt slightly more at ease.

He took two steps closer and stood on his tiptoes.

His eyes were glued to the shifting characters on the Metal Block's surface, as if trying to discern a pattern and discover the reason why the name Morton was crowned with the title of Duke.

'Hmm... these characters don't look too complicated, but they definitely aren't the common language,' he thought.

'Could it be the dragon language, or elvish?'

Just as Bogu was thinking this...

The pair of hands holding the Metal Block in his line of sight suddenly went stiff.

"Squelch."

His cheek suddenly grew wet, and an all-too-familiar metallic scent bloomed in the air.

His gaze trailed upward along those large, green hands.

From the knotted muscles on the arms, to the thick, solid shoulder armor, and finally to...

...that sharp flash of silver-white piercing straight out from the vital spot at the base of his neck.

The joy and excitement of their successful plan still lingered on the half-orc Haugerk's face, yet his life force was rapidly draining away along with the blood gushing from the wound in his neck.

Words of sheer disbelief echoed in the icy air:

"Lawson... Captain?"

The red dragon flying overhead, radiating the terrifying Dragon Might of an apex predator, had plunged the entire escort party into a state of paralysis.

It was only after resting in place for nearly half a day that everyone finally recovered.

Xia Nan was affected the most deeply due to his sharp Perception, but precisely because of this, when faced with such an irresistible force, he had actually managed to maintain a good state of mind.

He wasn't even as nervous as when he first faced that Owlbear.

The impact was minimal.

Although Verol looked very young, she seemed to have seen quite a lot and possessed excellent composure.

Aside from the way she looked at him growing a bit stranger again, she was basically fine.

As for the half-elf Hai'an and his two guards, they were severely shaken by the Dragon Might. They sat and rested for a long time before gradually recovering. The one in the party who was most deeply affected by the red dragon, however, was the dragonborn Sava.

But unlike Luca or Wood, her reaction wasn't just physical exhaustion and profuse sweating; it was far more internalized and profound.

She rarely spoke to begin with, but now she was completely silent, her eyes frequently losing focus and her mind seemingly drifting.

She couldn't even control her footing while traveling, constantly bumping into Luca, who was clearing the path ahead of her, and making him stumble.

Though he didn't ask, when considering the racial history of the dragonborn, Xia Nan could roughly guess the reason for her reaction.

In the history of the Aifala Continent, the dragonborn were an independent race with their own myths and epics. In all likelihood, they held no subordinate relationship to true dragons, even though they shared the same origins by bloodline.

However, during ancient times, the dragonborn had been servants to the dragons, enslaved generation after generation.

For a highly intelligent race with independent consciousness, historical heritage, and immense pride in their bloodline, this was undeniably a humiliating and unforgettable chapter of their history.

It was exactly the dragonborn's resilient and unyielding racial trait that allowed them, through the efforts of countless generations, to finally break free from the dragons' control via an incredibly tragic war, becoming an independent and autonomous race.

Countless years had passed since then. The dragonborn had long been able to roam the continent freely like humans, dwarves, Elves, and many other races, but their hatred for dragons remained forever etched into their souls.

With this as the backdrop...

When Sava raised her head and helplessly watched the red dragon fly across the sky above—while she, like a mere ant, failed to attract even a shred of its attention and was left trembling and speechless under the reckless release of its Dragon Might...

...her feelings were easy to imagine.

Of course, this was only Xia Nan's guess based on the dragonborn history he knew. Nobody actually knew what Sava was thinking.

Perhaps she hadn't thought that deeply at all and had merely been terrified out of her wits by the Dragon Might, needing a while to recover.

Xia Nan and Sava were only temporary teammates. Their relationship wasn't even as close as his and Verol's—after all, the young mage had spent a full four hundred gold to buy his Resonance Relic and had helped purify his Lycanthropy curse.

Naturally, it was impossible for him to take the initiative to ask what was on her mind. In any case, they were less than ten days away from their mission destination, and he didn't plan on getting involved in anything else.

Safely escorting Hai'an to Sticky-Tree Territory and getting his hands on the reward was the most important thing.

After a brief rest, the party of six resumed their journey.

Although Sava was out of sorts, perhaps because they were nearing the Molten Scale Mountains, the dangerous beasts and monsters in the forest had become much rarer.

The journey was smooth.

By the morning of the second day, they arrived at their final resupply point before crossing the mountain range:

Molten Scale Town.