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“Luring them out is impossible. They will never come out of there.”

The inquisitor who had been fighting against the Followers of the Moon in the Misty Forest said.

“We also tried our best to draw them out. Their stronghold is so narrow that even just entering caused a lot of damage. But we can’t enter through other entrances. They’re even narrower and magically sealed…”

With luring them out essentially impossible, a head-on confrontation was the only answer.

“When Sir Kazinska was here, we kept pushing them back in frontal assaults, but the power of the star fragment they possess is so great… After that, it’s been a continuous war of attrition.

But in this ongoing war of attrition, they gained powerful reinforcements, while we lost Sir Kazinska, who could be considered our core strength.

Even if we got reinforcements on our side, it was questionable whether we could win.

“Realistically speaking, retreating now… would be the right choice.”

In fact, retreating was the correct answer now. There was no one who could handle an Apostle.

Neither Director Jeryd nor the veteran inquisitors who came with him could guarantee victory against an Apostle.

“Do you think this operation will fail?”

“Yes, we probably won’t be able to return. Let alone luring them out, it’s difficult to be confident we can even hold out.”

The inquisitors who were dispatched to the Misty Forest first didn’t know in detail what Ethan had done as an instructor.

But whatever results he achieved didn’t matter.

“I heard he’s an academy teacher…”

The forest inquisitor shook his head.

“It will be difficult.”

He thought it was a waste of time, and moreover, a waste of precious lives. Therefore, the forest inquisitors simply couldn’t understand the director’s decision.

Weren’t all the heresy inquisitors waiting here and setting traps looking only to Ethan?

While wasting time like this, the Followers of the Moon would be steadily carrying out their objectives.

If they couldn’t even stop that, let alone escape, they would inevitably lose the initiative in future battles.

“Don’t worry.”

However, the Erant branch inquisitors who had experienced Ethan over the past week weren’t worried.

“Sir Ethan will surely lure them out.”

The forest inquisitors looked at the director and the Erant branch inquisitors with bewildered eyes.

“I just don’t understand.”

“That’s to be expected.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s natural that you don’t understand.”

At the director’s words, the other inquisitors all nodded. Especially the new inquisitors trained by Ethan nodded more vigorously.

***

Ethan was disguising himself very naturally.

‘Of course it’s natural. I’m currently active as a First Order in the academy, and when I was still playing MePan, I went deep into the Followers of the Moon and carried out orders.’

Although he didn’t become an Apostle, he went right up to just below Apostle.

Of course, he wasn’t sure if that was really right below Apostle, but at least Ethan held a lot of information related to the Followers of the Moon.

‘First of all, the most important thing to consider is which numbered Apostle has come.’

The Followers of the Moon continue their influence under the powerful Twelve Apostles.

‘1st Apostle, 2nd Apostle, 3rd Apostle wouldn’t be directly deployed for missions like this, so it must be one of the lower Apostles.’

Even if it was a lower Apostle, their side was at a much greater disadvantage in terms of combat strength.

‘In the end, what’s important is whether I can win or not.’

It was difficult for Ethan to objectively assess his current strength.

‘It’s hard to gauge because the power of the New World has been added.’

While Ethan was continuing his growth from MePan in his own way, he might as well be considered to have almost no mana due to Extinction.

‘I’ve grown without mana. I can’t gauge if I can defeat an Apostle now.’

That’s why he needed to check his strength even more.

Ethan didn’t have much time.

Extinction would threaten his life moment by moment, and the more actively he moved to treat it and build fame, the more enemies he would make.

‘Ironically, to meet the Saintess, I have no choice but to risk danger.’

Therefore, he had to become stronger even while bearing Extinction.

‘I’ll check how much stronger I’ve become and what points are lacking.’

Ethan focused his eyes.

Then he could see the Followers of the Moon standing guard in the distance.

‘I can even see their expressions.’

Although they were wearing black robes, some had their hoods off.

They were saying something, and Ethan could easily understand the content just by reading their lips from afar.

-Since the Apostle has gone inside, we must absolutely defend this place until he comes out.

-Yes!

-Anyway, this is the only entrance. They can’t come in from anywhere else. It’s so narrow, it’s perfect for us to annihilate them.

As the Followers of the Moon said, there were several entrances to enter this place. But the other entrances were too narrow for more than ten troops to move.

‘Magic is cast widely around this area.’

It was magic that would activate the moment someone approached.

‘Great Thief’s Mastery.’

Ethan decided to test the power of Hong Gil-dong. Great Thief’s Mastery was a skill specialized for stealthy infiltration.

If so, it should not be affected by magic either.

“Huff.”

Ethan took a deep breath and moved. The moment he entered the range where magic could detect him.

‘As expected.’

Great Thief’s Mastery suppressed the magic.

‘Hong Gil-dong isn’t called a Great Thief for nothing.’

He’s a person who established a nation through thievery alone.

Ethan quickly entered inside.

‘I wondered what they were guarding.’

What the Followers of the Moon were guarding was an earthen cellar hidden in a corner.

The Followers of the Moon were standing guard in formation near the earthen cellar, with only its entrance slightly visible.

‘There must be something inside.’

And it was certain that an Apostle was inside.

‘Well then, shall we begin.’

If so, the priority was to deal with those Followers of the Moon before the Apostle came out.

Ethan immediately drew his bow.

“Counter-Radiance.”

Following drawing out powerful strength throughout his body, he imbued lightning power into his bow and arrows.

Crackle-!

He aimed at the Followers of the Moon clustered in front of the earthen cellar.

Swoosh-!

Ethan’s arrow struck the Followers of the Moon directly.

Thunk-.

Crackle-crackle-!

The Followers of the Moon looked surprised at the lightning spreading from the arrow.

Ethan continued to shoot arrows at them in succession.

‘I need to shoot at least several hundred.’

Mana was needed for that.

Ethan actively utilized Anisida’s Bracelet.

‘Since I can store mana in the bracelet.’

Bang-bang-bang-bang-!

After shooting almost several hundred arrows, even the mana stored in Anisida’s Bracelet ran out. Ethan immediately took out a decoction from his spatial pouch and drank it.

-You drank a Lucarage decoction stained with holy water!

-Vitality fills your whole body!

“Hoooo.”

Now was the beginning.

Ethan immediately used Great Thief’s Mastery and approached the bastards from the opposite side with all his might.

“Damn!”

“An ambush!”

“The magic didn’t react at all! Did those heresy inquisitor bastards get in!?”

The Followers of the Moon were thrown into confusion because of the arrows Ethan shot.

Some were seriously injured and collapsed on the ground, while those who weren’t injured were checking the direction the arrows came from to figure out what happened.

Taking advantage of that commotion, Ethan naturally joined them.

“Check where they came from!”

“It’s that way! They came from over there!”

Ethan quickly recognized the First Order and stepped forward.

“First Order, I was watching that direction. The arrows definitely came from over there.”

“Damn it. Do they have the power to ignore our magic and enter?”

Seeing as they haven’t used it until now, reinforcements must have arrived on their side too.

The First Order frowned as his thoughts reached that point. That’s when Ethan quickly approached him and took on a characteristic posture.

It was a posture of kneeling on one knee and raising both arms, a kind of reporting posture often taken by the Followers of the Moon.

“I will go scout immediately. Please allow me.”

The Followers of the Moon have that unique coldness. That coldness could be easily imitated with the power of Moonforce.

Moreover, with abundant knowledge, the First Order leading this group gave orders to Ethan without suspicion.

“Don’t go too far. We must protect this earthen cellar above all else.”

“Yes.”

Ethan answered and brushed past the First Order.

Then he naturally went to where he had just shot arrows from and came back. From now on was the most important part.

“Huff… huff… B-big trouble.”

When Ethan returned with an urgent expression, the First Order and other followers’ expressions hardened.

“Th-they’ve appeared! Those heresy inquisitor bastards came in through a side path! They’re trying to surround us now!”

“So reinforcements came for them too. To think they could ignore the moon’s magic and enter.”

The First Order lowered his head as if thinking for a moment. That’s when Ethan continued speaking.

“Now’s our chance. From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t seem like a large number has come over.”

“Was shooting a large number of arrows meant to hide the number of troops?”

“Yes, that’s right. It seems reinforcements have arrived, but not many.”

After pondering for a moment, the First Order seemed to make a decision and gave instructions.

“We can’t be surrounded here. It would be better to lure them to a different area away from the earthen cellar.”

Then he looked down at his hand and said.

“Besides, we have this, so we should be able to hold out until the Apostle returns.”

In the First Order’s hand was a magic stone.

That was the forest’s treasure, the star fragment, that they were trying so desperately to protect.

Whoosh-.

A deep blue moon’s aura flowed from the star fragment. It was so concentrated with powerful mana that it could be felt at a glance.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Ethan took the lead immediately with a gloomy expression.

“Quickly subdue them and receive a reward from the Apostle. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, First Order.”

***

“They’re coming!”

Jeryd stared blankly at the inquisitor who had been consistently claiming it was impossible.

The inquisitor’s eyes were shaking.

No, it really shouldn’t be possible.

“No, why is this… This really shouldn’t be possible… I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

Seeing the flustered inquisitor, the director smiled slightly.

“It happens. But from now on, don’t doubt.”

It was the moment when trust in Ethan surpassed 100 percent.

The director gestured, and the inquisitors stood ready with their maces.

A calm anger arose.

The forest inquisitor saw the Followers of the Moon that Ethan had lured out. Quickly counting their numbers, it seemed like all the followers who had been waiting inside had come out.

“How on earth…”

“Charge!”

As soon as the director’s order to charge fell, the heresy inquisitors pounced on the Followers of the Moon.

“Huh!”

“Why are all these bastards here?”

“Second Order!”

But Ethan was already gone from there.

“Damn it! What the hell is this situation!”

“W-were they lying in ambush?”

“N-no way.”

The First Order urgently searched for the follower who had led them, but that follower’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

“You mean… he wasn’t a follower?”

The First Order gritted his teeth.

But it didn’t matter. Rather, it was an opportunity to wipe out these bastards at once.

He had the star fragment imbued with moon’s aura. With this power, he could overcome even these heresy inquisitor bastards.

“Huh!? W-where did it go?”

The First Order who was trying to take out the star fragment from his bosom was flustered.

The star fragment that was definitely there until just now had disappeared.

“This can’t be, this can’t be happening.”

“First Order! The star fragment!”

“We can’t hold out any longer!”

“N-no way.”

Of course, it was that ‘no way’. The star fragment was already in the hands of someone who had learned the techniques of the Great Thief Hong Gil-dong.

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

Jeryd’s mace rushed towards such a First Order.

Author's Thoughts

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