Chapter 8: Assault in the Forest

"What is there to fear? It’s not like we haven't completed Grade A missions before. The powerful figures in the Order of Knights are all currently occupied with their own assignments, so I suspect Eric has only brought along a few intermediate knights!"

Fire Spirit, the mage of the Chosen One squad, spoke up. She patted the healer on the shoulder and added, "Don't worry. Once we set up an ambush along their only path, I’ll take the lead. I might even be able to take Eric out in one hit!"

Dodo, the healer, recalled the powerful fire spell she had recently learned, and her confidence grew. In the Kingdom of Nora—a world essentially devoid of magic and technology—Fire Spirit’s mage profession was akin to a dimensional strike, a true rookie killer. In their previous missions, the enemies they faced were often reduced to ash by her spells before they could even react, and many of those victims had been Chosen Ones themselves.

"I’m so envious of you. I wish I had a mage profession too," the heavy warrior muttered, scratching his head. His own initiation trial score had only been Grade D, and the meager rewards left him unable to afford any magic skills, forcing him to develop into the most miserable type of warrior. The cheapest mage profession inheritance cost 5,000 points just to start, and a fire mage profession like Fire Spirit’s was something a newcomer wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Within the Sacred Geometry, Chosen Ones were ranked by tiers. After passing the initiation trial, one automatically became a Tier 1 Chosen One. They would then be sent to Tier 1 worlds to carry out missions, earning points and attribute points to improve themselves, purchase items and profession inheritances, and eventually advance to Tier 2 to enter Tier 2 worlds.

According to the information provided by the Sacred Geometry, the Kingdom of Nora was currently at the pinnacle of Tier 1 worlds; with a few more centuries of development, it might evolve into a Tier 2 world. For a Tier 1 Chosen One, the difficulty of such a world was immense, and even Fire Spirit wouldn't dare take on a mission higher than Grade B alone. That was why she had reached out to friends she had met in a previous world to assemble this temporary squad.

Everyone has weaknesses, and a team can effectively compensate for individual shortcomings while maximizing each person's strengths. Most Chosen Ones operated this way. The Sacred Geometry actually encouraged Chosen Ones to form squads or guilds to execute missions together, aiming to secure the greatest benefits from world missions.

However, there was one thing to note: while the Sacred Geometry encouraged cooperation, it encouraged competition and mutual slaughter even more. Consequently, mission conflicts between Chosen Ones often occurred. For example, your mission might be to protect a high-profile figure, while another's might be to assassinate them. In extreme cases, two guilds with hundreds of people could end up in a bloodbath over a single world mission.

Fire Spirit and her companions already had over a dozen Chosen One kills under their belts, not to mention countless local NPC casualties. Even Dodo, the seemingly fragile healer, had long since grown accustomed to it and showed no mercy when killing. After all, truly kind-hearted people had long been eliminated by the Sacred Geometry’s selection mechanism, as such individuals did not align with its strategic interests.

"Then let’s take the job! High risk, high reward. After this world is over, I’ll finally be able to buy a blue-tier weapon," the black-haired teenage swordsman finally cast his vote in favor. He was in that cocky, rebellious phase of youth, believing that with a sword in hand, he was no longer an ordinary person. His sense of superiority was at its peak—how could he fear a mere Grade A mission? Besides, there were two pretty girls in the squad; it would be too embarrassing to back down now!

The four-member squad reached an agreement to accept the mission and set off to ambush Eric along his only route. After scouting the surrounding terrain, they chose to hide in a lush forest.

...

Eric’s convoy slowed to a halt before entering the forest. With dusk approaching, they began to set up camp and cook. The soldiers spread out to form a defensive perimeter; though they were just ordinary men, they were capable enough to fend off potential threats and keep wild beasts at bay.

Eric couldn't be bothered to leave his carriage, but Mo Xuanyu stepped out for some fresh air. Holding a map, he cast his gaze toward the nearby forest.

"Your Highness, I suggest we take a detour," Mo Xuanyu said after a moment of thought, knocking on the carriage door. "Visibility in the forest ahead is very low, and the terrain is narrow. If there is an ambush, we are likely to suffer heavy losses."

During his university years, Mo Xuanyu had excelled in Imperial Military Studies and was praised by his instructors as an outstanding commander, making him particularly sensitive to dangerous terrain.

"A detour?" Eric opened the window, frowning as he looked at the forest. This was the fastest route from the main city to the royal capital. A detour would add at least a day to their journey! For Eric, who was desperate to return to the capital to stage a coup and seize power, this was unacceptable. Every second delayed on the road increased the risk of his plans being discovered.

He could see that the probability of an ambush in the forest was high, but Eric had his own judgment. Currently, the elite forces of the Kingdom of Nora were deployed to the front lines, and the private armies of the regional nobles all supported his claim to the throne; their interests were aligned, so they wouldn't betray him. As for the Freedom Commune and the rebels, they were too busy guarding the main city they had fought so hard to capture and implementing new decrees to bother coming to this dangerous area to ambush him. Therefore, Eric concluded that even if there was an ambush, it would be minor—it was impossible for any "transcendent" beings to be involved!

He flatly rejected Mo Xuanyu’s proposal, saying coldly, "No detours. We eat and move immediately! We will cross the forest tonight!"

He looked down at Mo Xuanyu with arrogance. "As an intermediate knight, do you lack even this bit of courage? Or did you get your position because of that face of yours?"

"Very well." Mo Xuanyu did not try to persuade him further, put away the map, and turned to leave. He completely ignored Eric’s trash talk, as he had realized throughout the journey that Eric was a stubborn tyrant who refused to listen to anyone. Moreover, since the Sacred Geometry had issued the mission, the assassins would come eventually. He wanted to use this opportunity to clash with the other Chosen Ones mentioned in the mission; if he could accumulate some free attribute points, that would be for the best. Before entering the capital, he wanted to push his panel attributes as high as possible.

"Sir Knight, please have something to eat!" Among the personnel responsible for cooking, a blond youth handed him a bowl of hot mushroom soup.

"It’s you." Mo Xuanyu took the soup, recognizing the blond youth as the administrative staff member he had helped out in the lobby of the Knight Order’s office building earlier.

The boy gave a shy smile. "I’m surprised you remember me, sir. My name is Will. I’m in charge of logistics, accounts, and recording this operation." He was very timid in front of Mo Xuanyu, blushing with shyness, as he was still just a child who hadn't reached adulthood.

Mo Xuanyu took a sip of the mushroom soup. It tasted decent. Leaning against the carriage, he asked casually, "The trip to the capital is very dangerous. Why did you come along?"

Will sat on a nearby haystack and said, "It’s dangerous, yes, but the bonus offered by the Order of Knights is quite generous." He seemed worried that Mo Xuanyu would think him greedy, so he quickly explained, "My older brother was an intermediate knight who sacrificed his life in a mission. Although Lord Weilun generously gave me a job in the Order, the compensation money never reached us."

"My parents passed away last year, and I still have a younger sister and brother who are attending primary school. That’s why I wanted to earn more money..." Will sighed as he spoke, wiping sweat from his cheek with his sleeve. "Prices are getting higher every day, but the money I earn buys less and less. I don't know when these days will ever end."

This was the status quo for ordinary people in the Kingdom of Nora—a collapsed economic system, years of war, and a populace suffering in misery. Mo Xuanyu listened silently to his troubles and finished the soup.

Realizing he had been rambling, Will quickly took the empty bowl. "I’m sorry, Sir Knight! I talked too much!" With that, Will ran off.

Mo Xuanyu reached for the knight’s sword at his waist, reflecting on his current identity. Moravenas had been willing to be shunned by his peers, turning from a revered master assassin into a traitor, all to overthrow this rotting kingdom. Perhaps the people he wanted to save were exactly the thousands of ordinary folks like Will?

After dinner, Eric ordered the convoy to cross the forest at top speed. Will, who had no combat ability, quickly clutched his record book and hid inside the carriage, praying for a safe journey.

As the convoy entered the forest, everything was calm at first, but Mo Xuanyu soon perceived the subtle gazes directed toward them—the benefit of having a high Intelligence attribute. He immediately ordered everyone to be on guard. The three primary knights nearby were obedient and immediately tightened the formation.

*Whoosh!*

A cold arrow shot out from the darkness. As it pierced the curtain and was about to strike Eric, Mo Xuanyu drew his sword and slashed it in mid-air. Eric was shocked; he hadn't expected Mo Xuanyu’s swordsmanship to be so good. He hadn't even seen the movement of him drawing his blade.

It had to be said that the Sword Mastery skill was truly powerful; even Mo Xuanyu was surprised by his own lightning-fast reaction.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

A volley of arrows followed, but thanks to Mo Xuanyu’s warning, the guards surrounding the convoy immediately raised their shields, resulting in almost no casualties. Seeing the surprise attack fail, a squad of rebels hidden in the shadows ceased their concealment, rushing out to clash with the guards.

"Rebels? How is that possible?!" A confused Eric wondered why the rebels would attack him when they had already reached an agreement.

But Mo Xuanyu felt he might have guessed the answer. The mastermind behind this rebel squad was likely the traitor within the Freedom Commune. He was on the side of the Sun King, and this move was intended to destroy the cooperation and trust between Eric and the Freedom Commune. As long as Eric no longer trusted the Freedom Commune, the Sun King would have more time to deal with the nobles backing Eric, eventually dismantling Eric’s power base entirely.

Mo Xuanyu didn't believe for a second that this hadn't been orchestrated by the Sun King. The ruthlessness and far-sightedness of that old lion were more terrifying than anyone could imagine.