Chapter 186 186: Behind The Shadows Of Invisibility!
Val had only just finished going through the notification and understanding what he was supposed to do when he felt his sixth sense tingle.
A throbbing sensation appeared on his forehead.
Without wasting a moment, he looked ahead and noticed a flash of white light. It moved so fast it was barely discernible.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been caught off guard by this sudden threat, but not Val. He already knew it was a danger to his life. He knew where it would strike. From that, he was able to calculate its trajectory and take appropriate actions to save his life.
With just a slight tilt of his body, the arrow missed him by a significant margin.
After flying past him, the arrow thudded into the wall behind him, embedding itself in the stone, evidence of the danger he had just narrowly avoided.
'If that had hit me, what would have become of me? Maybe I would have died. Nah. I would've definitely died!'
Val corrected himself after realizing the walls of the tunnel were sturdier enough to withstand his punch with a simple inspection.
What was it that attacked me?
Val looked ahead.
He was staring in the direction where the attack came from.
However, there was nothing there.
He was alone in the tunnel.
Again?!
As he was searching for the source of the attack, another flash of white light shot towards him seemingly out of nowhere, nearly catching him off guard.
He already knew it was an arrow lethal enough to claim his life. So he immediately ducked to avoid it. It flew from over his head, also embedding into the wall like the previous arrow.
The two sneak attacks so far were incredibly swift. Forget about a level 3 bloodline user, not even an intermediate-stage warrior would have been able to react to it in time.
If they were in Val's shoes, they would've already died!
The only reason he managed to avoid them was due to his Detect Trait. It didn't just warn him of impending danger but also indicated where the attack would land. In addition to this, his exceptional agility and reflexes far surpassed those of his peers, enabling him to respond to the warnings in time and successfully dodge the attacks.
'The Class Advancement Dungeon is no joke.'
'This is the second time now that I failed to notice who attacked. Could they be launching the arrows from another dimension or are they just invisible? Whatever it is, won't I find out after using the Heavenly Eye Skill?'
As soon as Val activated the Heavenly Eye Skill, his perception expanded drastically, giving him an omniscient view of his surroundings.
The first change was that everything became translucent as if he were looking through a piece of clear glass.
He found himself indeed inside a cave, just as the system had mentioned.
The structure of the cave was relatively simple.
It was composed of several tunnels running parallel to his own.
These tunnels were designed for mining "mana" stones, essential for mages of all races to amplify their magical powers.
All these tunnels led to a massive open chamber, which in turn connected to the mouth of the cave. It was the only way out of this place.
With the Heavenly Eye activated, his camouflaged enemy was also unveiled.
It was entirely dark as if made out of the solidification of shadow. And it was humanoid in shape with elongated, slender limbs.
Casting Detect, Val found out it was an Archer of Obsidian.
This fact was quite evident as it held an arrow in its hand.
The Archer's entire form was composed of pitch-black obsidian. This suggested a formidable defense, against which normal attacks would prove futile. He would need to employ brutal, decisive means to take it down.
Not to mention, its danger level hovered between 3 to 4, and it had a permanent invisibility skill!
'No wonder I couldn't see it before using the Heavenly Eye skill.'
Oddly enough, no bow or quiver was to be seen in its possession.
'How is it conjuring arrows? By magic?' Val wondered.
The Archer of Obsidian, on the other hand, was still unaware that its position had been compromised.
'This pesky bastard is too good at dodging. But he won't be able to dodge what's coming next. I will put 200% of my strength into the next attack to ensure he dies.'
The Archer Of Obsidian thought as it pulled back the string of its bow. Almost immediately, specks of white materialized out of thin air, coalescing into a white arrow.
Observing this scene, Val realized that the arrow was of a magical nature with its special effect being unlimited ammunition!
'Such a nice thing should belong to someone worthy. I will take it after killing the archer,' Val decided.
However, it was also clear that the Archer would release the arrow once it was fully formed.
Val's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Like hell I would let you!"
Saying so, Val swung his arm in a powerful arc.
Despite the archer being dozens of feet away, it was suddenly hoisted off its feet and flung to the side with immense force. It smashed into the wall of the tunnel, creating a strong tremor and a resounding reverberation.
The Archer of obsidian groaned, 'What the fuck just hit me?'
It was disoriented and confused, unable to make sense of what had just occurred. All creatures, humans and monsters alike, fear the unknown. The inability to comprehend a situation would naturally breed apprehension, a survival instinct deeply rooted in their nature.
This was especially true for this variant of the Shadow Drakes.
It was always accustomed to instilling fear and confusion in its enemies.
Now, the tables had turned.
The Archer of Obsidian found itself on the receiving end of the fear and confusion it usually dealt out. It was the one under attack, caught off guard by an unseen enemy. The predator had become the prey. For the first time, it experienced the uncertainty and terror its victims often felt. And it didn't know how to cope with this unexpected turn of events.
"Its incompetence will be its downfall! I will make sure of that," Val murmured to himself, eyes glinting with deadly resolve. "Since wizardry wasn't enough to kill it, I guess I'll have to put in a little more effort."
The next moment, Val's black eyes with unfathomable depths turned crimson.
As that happened, blood swirled out from his palm, condensing into a sharp javelin.
His muscles flexed and veins popped up on his arm as he threw the javelin forward with all his strength
Whoosh!
The javelin hurtled through the air with unbelievable speed, charging straight towards the bewildered Archer of Obsidian who was still struggling to get back to its feet.
In the blink of an eye, it was already upon the enemy.
Despite the Archer's body being tougher than metal, the javelin pierced it cleanly.
The Archer's eyes widened in shock before it collapsed to the ground, its eyes lifeless.
Val panted slightly, watching as the system notification popped up:
[Archer of Obsidian killed! +500 EXP gained. You've received an Orb of Darkness. Consuming this orb will initiate the construction of a Darkness Core. Do you wish to consume it?]