Chapter 108: One Shot (Part 2)

Evan was examining the barrier that covered the small settlement when suddenly, he noticed three figures emerging from a small building.

Evan raised an eyebrow when he saw the three people, and his eyes narrowed.

Similar to Alice and the others, those three were also elves.

However, their skin was dark, metallic black, unlike Alice and the others’ skin.

’Dark Elves...’ Evan immediately recognized them according to the basic information that Liam had told him while traveling earlier.

Evan and the others were actually some distance away from the barrier and didn’t get close to it as they didn’t want to get noticed by the people inside the barrier.

But when those three dark elves emerged from the building, their gazes were already fixed in their direction, with smiles curving at the corners of their mouths.

’It seems they really knew about Alice and the others even before they arrived,’ Evan thought and spoke in a low voice.

"I think your earlier guess is correct, and they already knew you were coming."

Hearing Evan, all of them followed his gaze and also saw the three dark elves.

Noticing their gazes fixed in their direction despite the fact that they were still hidden behind the trees, they were now also certain that these people knew about their arrival.

A cold light flashed in Alice’s eyes, and she clenched her fist.

’Very few people knew about this task. Who informed these guys about us?’

Alice’s mind raced, but without any clear direction, she couldn’t reach a conclusion.

"What should we do?" Kevin asked in a serious voice.

Alice thought for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Since they already know, let’s go meet them."

As she spoke, she took a step forward and emerged from behind the trees, walking towards the barrier.

Erza and the others looked at each other and followed after her.

Seeing them coming, the smile on the dark elf’s face widened even further.

"You people sure took your sweet time. We have been waiting for you for quite some time."

One of the male dark elves spoke in a teasing voice.

Alice and the others stopped a few meters away from the barrier.

"How did you know we were coming?" Erza asked in a cold voice.

"Are you stupid?" The only female among the three dark elves sneered when she heard Erza. "Do you think we will tell you just because you asked?"

Erza was speechless when she heard her response and felt that it made sense.

"You think you are safe just because you are standing in this turtle shell?" Alice spoke in a calm voice, her eyes narrowing.

The three dark elves looked at each other upon hearing Alice before they shook their heads.

"We actually know you people are capable of breaking this barrier..." One of them spoke in a flat voice.

"But it will take a lot of time and energy for you people to break it. Not to mention whether you will have any energy left to fight us after breaking the barrier. By the time you are done, our reinforcements will definitely arrive here."

The female dark elf smiled, and a sneer appeared on her face.

"If you don’t want to be buried here, you should all return to where you came from. We don’t want to have any major conflict for now. As long as you go back, we can forget about this matter."

Alice’s eyes flickered slightly when she heard their words, but she remained silent.

Evan listened to their conversation while examining the three people closely.

Although he couldn’t clearly feel it because of the barrier, he still sensed a strange, chaotic aura coming from the three dark elves.

This aura was very different from anything he had ever felt from other people.

It was filled with complexity and, most importantly, it gave him a feeling that was very different from Mana.

’This strange aura... Could it be the Chaos Essence that Liam and the others told me about?’

Evan wasn’t certain about the level of the three people as most of their auras were blocked by the barrier.

But he could tell all of them were still Rank One Evolvers, meaning none of their levels exceeded Level 50.

’I wonder how much of a boost this so-called Chaos Essence provides to these people?’ He thought and glanced behind the three people, wondering if there were more people like them in the buildings.

"What should we do, Alice?" Erza asked in a low voice.

Alice fell into deep thought as she stared at the three people inside the barrier.

After a moment of thought, she spoke in a deep voice.

"You people received news about us not long ago, right? If you had known about us since the moment we accepted the task, you people would have either left before we came or you would have prepared some traps to take care of us..." Alice’s eyes narrowed.

"But because it hasn’t been long since you received information about us, you guys can only activate this barrier to keep yourselves safe from us."

The expressions of the three people inside changed for a moment before they sneered.

"You are right. If we had received information a bit earlier, we would have left even before you arrived here. But..." The dark elf shook his head and sighed.

But his expression recovered the next second, and he spoke in a calm voice.

"Even though the information was late, we still requested help from our companions. If you don’t believe us, you can stay here and try to break the barrier until they arrive and slaughter you."

Alice stared at the calm expressions of the three people and, for a moment, didn’t know whether they were telling the truth or were just bluffing.

If they were just bluffing, it meant there was no one coming to help them, and once the barrier ran out of energy, they would be able to complete their task.

But if they were not bluffing and their reinforcements really arrived, they would be in danger if they stayed here.

’What should I do?’

Just as Alice was in a dilemma, a calm voice reached her ears.

"How about I break this barrier for you guys?"