How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

He didn’t expect to use this retreat so soon, but it was part of Carlyn’s plan.

There were three intentions behind it.

One was to check for any potential observers.

Silent observers.

Occasionally on certain missions, there are those who simply watch from afar for intelligence gathering purposes, no matter what unfolds.

Of course, it’s highly unlikely for an observer to evade Carlyn’s detection with his Winds ability.

But there was a possibility they were outside his sensory range.

‘Just in case. This is about pursuing the Devil’s Blood too.’

Considering the safety of his group and himself, it was something to confirm and move past. He was confident in his speed.

Without letting the enemies catch him, Carlyn made several abrupt changes of direction.

Maintaining a certain distance, teetering on the edge of being caught, it looked like a harrowing chase from a glance.

Yet he sensed no trace of any observers.

‘Ruling out observers then.’

The second reason was to ensure the enemies didn’t become suspicious of the battlefield Carlyn had prepared.

If he fled and immediately stopped at a specific location, it could raise unnecessary caution.

And the last reason was to attack if an opportunity presented itself during the pursuit. There could be openings during the abrupt direction changes.

However, contrary to Carlyn’s expectations, Pelia and Mori never moved hastily.

Though only two of them, it was a systematic pursuit. Even as Carlyn distanced himself, they maintained a range to support each other.

Carlyn felt a tinge of regret, wondering if it was because of some detection device.

‘I thought the bald guy would get a bit too eager at least.’

With no more reason to continue the chase, Carlyn gradually adjusted his speed and caught his breath.

At least he had managed to lure them into the battlefield he had prepared.

Seeing Carlyn stop, Pelia and Mori also slowed down to steady their breathing.

“What’s this? Giving up already? Good call.”

Mori chuckled. Carlyn maintained a stony expression, focused on acting. Deliberately keeping his breathing slightly ragged.

Feigning composure but appearing winded. A perfect act.

Carlyn studied the enemies.

Mori looked a bit excited while Pelia remained as stoic as ever.

‘Huh.’

Carlyn felt the tension rising again. Ines’ prophecy weighing on his mind.

A slight ache near his solar plexus.

A prepared battlefield. This wasn’t his first such experience. No need to be tense. Carlyn steeled his resolve once more.

The only thing to be wary of was any potential trump cards the enemies might have.

“What? Cat got your tongue? Too tired?”

Before Mori could finish, Carlyn stomped the ground, charging at Pelia.

Pelia stood his ground, readying his defense, while Mori took Carlyn’s rear again.

The same pattern as before.

But now it was Carlyn’s prepared battlefield. With his Winds, he enveloped the concealed traps around them, ready to mobilize at any moment.

It’s unwise to use them immediately.

That would give away too much information. Better to wait for an opportunity. The coordinated assault resumed.

Amid the sharp attacks, Carlyn moved precariously. Still an arduous fight.

But slightly better than before.

The densely wooded space restricted the enemies’ movements. Even Pelia sensed it.

‘He’s no ordinary guy. Did he intentionally stop here?’

He too felt the tension. While they had the upper hand, it’s no easy task to stay on the defensive like Carlyn.

The two had coordinated their joint attacks for quite some time.

Mori’s textbook swordsmanship paired with Pelia’s dual-wielding daggers.

The opponent had to constantly check front and rear without respite. Their sense of direction should be dull over time.

But Carlyn’s resistance didn’t wane.

Even in peril, he kept deflecting their attacks, as if he had eyes at the back of his head.

‘Remarkably composed guy. Most would get flustered and make mistakes by now.’

For a moment, Pelia felt something dawning on him. But it didn’t become clear.

Carlyn’s sword sent Pelia’s hairpin flying. He continued pondering in another direction.

Should they change their pattern?

He was aware of his own rising impatience. But why? He couldn’t pinpoint the reason. Had he missed something?

Pelia’s thoughts didn’t linger long.

For Carlyn had decided to disrupt the balance, lunging with all his might in a sweeping sword strike.

‘Blocking it with one hand would be difficult.’

His charge combined with that full-force swing created a massive motion that would leave an opening at the rear.

Pelia too sensed the weight behind the attack. And inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

‘As expected.’

An exhausted attempt to break through one side, even recklessly, was a familiar sight for him and Mori.

Clang! Pelia blocked Carlyn’s sword with his two daggers.

Mori targeted the rear opening. He was wary of the earlier coat trick, but it didn’t seem threatening.

Initially surprising enough to evade, but ultimately just clothing. He judged a sword strike would inflict greater harm than cloth.

Just as Mori was about to thrust his sword, a chill ran down his nape.

A split-second hesitation.

Mori moved on instinct, abandoning his sword path to roll on the ground instead.

“Mori!”

Pelia’s cry came a bit late, but it was a wise choice.

For three silent traps came flying at Mori through the rain. Two narrowly pierced the air.

But the remaining one was sharp, grazing Mori’s left forearm with a swish. A couple drops of blood mingled with the falling raindrops, but it wasn’t a major wound.

‘He dodged that?’

Carlyn was mildly dumbfounded. Does he have animal-like senses?

He hurriedly tried altering the traps’ trajectories, but it was difficult to make drastic changes at close range. Still, managing to graze one was fortunate.

…I wonder if it will have any effect.

Carlyn studied Mori. The traps had been coated with a paralytic toxin. But the issue was the rain.

Hidden under a thin cloth in the grassy undergrowth, the cloth wasn’t waterproof.

It had been raining heavily.

The toxin would likely have been washed away. No way to know how much effect remained.

Deflecting the incoming daggers again, Carlyn increased the distance.

Pelia and Mori didn’t pursue.

Three more traps came flying from behind them. Implying they had an ally.

‘Mercenaries?’

That was a strong possibility. Solo mercenaries are rare. Moreover, with skills of this caliber…

The level of their companions would be high too. In which case, the situation changes.

Yet, suspicion was natural. They immediately deployed allies the moment they sensed something amiss?

How many people would make such decisive plans the instant they felt the blood’s reaction?

Moreover, no other people were spotted during the pursuit. Amidst such doubts, a tense standoff ensued.

Pelia expanded his senses, but all he felt was the fierce patter of rain.

“None.”

“None.”

Pelia and Mori spoke simultaneously, having reached the same conclusion. Their combat senses weren’t that dull.

The remaining option pointed to the traps Carlyn had set beforehand.

‘Did he expect us and set those traps?’

But that didn’t make sense either. Their movements had been spontaneous. Impossible to predict without prior knowledge.

And the traps had come with uncannily precise timing, without any forewarning. Pelia arrived at a conclusion.

‘That guy controlled the traps.’

It wasn’t magic. Which left only one possibility. In an instant, he realized what he had been missing.

Only one person came to mind.

“Carl Schurtafen.”

“Carl Schurtafen? Why bring that bastard up suddenly?”

The oblivious Mori asked beside him. What an idiot. Pelia inwardly cursed and ignored him.

Carlyn was no different.

The moment the traps missed, his identity should have been exposed. Yet he maintained his composure.

Even if the effect was uncertain, buying time until the paralytic toxin spread would be advantageous.

“Took you long enough to figure it out.”

Carlyn spoke calmly.

“You damn mutt, shut your trap.”

Realizing he was being ignored, Mori clicked his tongue with a hardened expression. In contrast, Pelia was grave.

Come to think of it, there were several signs. The number of pursuers during their journey here.

It was after dealing with the ruffians Mori had quarreled with.

Those pursuers hadn’t uttered a word, even under torture. They were thought to be imperial dogs.

But now it was clear. Those guys were Haisen. And that meant they had fallen into a trap.

Of course, the devil worshippers, unaware of Carlyn and Haisen’s connection, would naturally reach that conclusion.

“Were you waiting for us?”

“Hard to say.”

Pelia’s senses continued probing the surroundings.

Of course, not comparable to Carlyn’s Winds, but still a decent level.

No traces nearby. But it was unlikely he had acted alone in setting such a trap.

Perhaps they had been tightening the encirclement, unaware it was about the Devil’s Blood.

Pelia realized their disadvantage would only grow with time. He considered another option.

‘…Can we escape?’

They should live if possible.

After the incident of Carl Schurtafen’s attempted assassination of the empress, the devil worshippers’ movements had been severely crippled.

Not only were their extended branches being retracted, but even the already extended ones were being severed.

Pelia and Mori were valuable assets. Now was the time to preserve their strength.

And yet, they had come for the Devil’s Blood.

For the devil had manifested, but another blood was needed to fully unleash its power.

‘The longer this drags, the slimmer our chances of survival.’

Not an ideal situation for taking risks. Which left them with only one option.

Kill the guy in front of them.

Losing the Devil’s Blood would be regrettable, but better than meekly dying. Kill and escape.

If even that was impossible, they had to resist as much as possible to weaken the enemy’s strength.

“Mori.”

“What’s even going on here? Is that bastard really Carl Schurtafen?”

“Yes. It’s Haisen’s trap. Our odds of surviving might be slim. Let’s kill that guy first… we’ll think about the rest later.”

“Alright.”

Uncharacteristically grave, Mori nodded. Following Pelia’s words. His orders.

Seeing the murderous glint in their eyes, Carlyn sighed.

‘Should’ve hit him with that trap earlier.’

The fight seemed bound to get tougher. Oh, well. Carlyn summoned Moonlight with his Winds.

Moonlight flew in from a nearby bush, into Carlyn’s grasp.

He glared at the enemies. He still had some tricks left. A few more traps too.

But not many.

They would be wary of the traps too, so reckless use was unwise.

Better to feign openings while genuinely attacking, to create opportunities for the traps.

‘Hm?’

For an instant, Carlyn saw Mori signal Pelia with a glance. What could it be?

As the pensive Carlyn saw Pelia nod stiffly, he guessed the situation. Promising news.

‘Seems the toxin is taking effect?’

Perhaps they sensed physical abnormalities and communicated it.

In which case, targeting the weaker one first would be wise. Carlyn charged at Mori.

But unlike before, Mori didn’t assume a defensive stance. He ran straight at Carlyn instead.

And Pelia, who should have taken the rear, was retreating further away.

Closing the distance.

Carlyn realized something was amiss. A precaution he had been mindful of flashed through his mind.

‘Oh no…’

The potential trump card those guys might possess. Elated that the neurotoxin was effective, he had forgotten about that.

Of course, even if he had remembered, this confrontation might have been unavoidable.

Carlyn put force into his legs.

But they were already charging at each other. Slowing down to change direction 180 degrees.

Even with Winds assisting his movement, Mori closed in a bit more.

In an instant, Carlyn perceived his vision turning ashen gray. A warning from Death Avoidance.

And then.

KABOOOOM!

The magic bomb wrapped around Mori’s portly waist exploded from within his baggy clothes.

Author's Thoughts

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