Chapter 57: From Assault To Rampage - Part 1

The celebration for Arezu's adventurer rank promotion and his and Lynn's one-month anniversary—or more accurately, their party's one-month anniversary—wasn't celebrated by just the two of them. The residents of the Moon Pavilion also joined the celebration: the innkeeper, a young wife and a rabbit-kind beastkin; her bear-like human husband; their 9-year-old daughter; and their 3-year-old daughter. They had been looking after Arezu since he arrived in the capital of the Eileen Kingdom more than a month ago. So, when Lynn told them she was someone very important to Arezu, they told her which room he was staying in and agreed to prepare a feast for the occasion. The food served by the innkeeper's husband, who was also the chef of the diner, surprised Lynn—not only because of the appearance of the infamous Burger Queen and Fake Pizza that Arezu had once made for her, but also because of the other dishes like Fried Chicken and Potato Fries, and especially the Pudding and Cake for dessert. "Are you sure you'll be fine going home on your own?" "My, my... If you want us to spend more time together, don't hold back—just admit it, Mr. Arezu." Despite her playful teasing, Arezu couldn't help but feel concerned for Lynn's safety. Yet on second thought, maybe he didn't need to worry after all. I don't think there's anyone who would dare pick a fight against her anyway, Arezu thought, staring silently at Lynn. Noticing his gaze, Lynn threw another teasing remark. "I'm leaving now, but you can keep me in your thoughts—or perhaps even in your heart." "Just go home already!" "Pfft~Hahaha..." Satisfied by Arezu's flustered reaction, Lynn promptly took her leave, only to turn around once more to look at Arezu, who stood at the entrance of the Moon Pavilion, and offer one last playful yet sincere smile. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Arezu." "See you tomorrow, Lynn." It had already been an hour since the sixth bell, which rang at nine o'clock in the evening. As Lynn cheerfully walked along the dimly lit streets of the capital, carrying a bag filled with the Puddings and Cakes she had taken a liking to, a shadowy figure began following her—keeping its distance and carefully avoiding any light. The moment Lynn turned onto a deserted street—one without streetlamps, lit only by the moonlight—ths shadowy figure swiftly closed the distance behind her, drew a sword imbued with a combat skill, and aimed its blade at her neck. 'Cleave' "Obelisk" —Clang!— A loud, dull sound echoed through the dark street as the hooded assailant's blade struck a stone pillar that rose from the ground upon the activation of Lynn's mystic spell. "For thinking I wouldn't notice you stalking me—that was your first crime." As Lynn calmly delivered her warning, the assailant hastily retreated, leaping backward to create distance and prepare for another attack. Lynn slowly turned—not to face an opponent, but to face a mere prey she was about to hunt. "For aiming your blade at me—that was your second crime." The murderous aura radiating from Lynn engulfed the entire street—thicker and more suffocating than the darkness itself—causing the assailant to tremble instinctively in fear. While the assailant remained frozen, Lynn activated the unique ability of her eccentric eyes. She attempted to observe the flow of mana within her target's body, and even within the sword that had tried to strike her, to gauge their strength and detect any magic the enemy might use. But she was surprised to encounter interference with her ability. "Tsk!... That robe..." Lynn quickly realized the hooded robe was either an ancient relic or a dungeon artifact designed to conceal mana flow—an item used specifically to fight mages. —"Wargh!"— The assailant let out a war cry, breaking free from fear and continuing the assault. Multiple flame arrows materialized mid-air. As the flame arrows shot toward Lynn, the assailant rushed in, preparing to activate another combat skill with a swing of the sword. Though close combat wasn't Lynn's strength, she stood her ground. Just as the assailant closed the distance, Lynn activated her next mystic spell. "Freeze" It was only a basic-level mystic spell—not the advanced-level Glacier—yet Lynn managed to freeze her entire surroundings, stopping the flame arrows mid-air and catching the assailant in the ice as well. "Iron Chain" She immediately followed with another mystic spell, aiming to restrain and capture her prey. But the assailant broke free from the ice just in time and dodged the incoming chains. "Sheesh... When will this spell ever actually catch someone?" Sounding both annoyed and sarcastic, Lynn slowly walked toward her fleeing prey. "For making me late going home—that was your third crime." This time, the sheer murderous pressure Lynn exuded made it hard for the assailant to even breathe. With her mystic spell Tremor, each of Lynn's steps made the entire street quake. Combined with her overwhelming presence, she appeared to her trembling prey as a massive, fearsome predator. —"Wargh!"— Another war cry rang out as the assailant tried to overcome the fear, unleashing a cyclone of wind—an intermediate-level mystic spell, Whirlwind. The cyclone launched blades of wind in all directions, a clear sign the caster was panicking and had lost control—though the spell remained dangerous. "Obelisk" Lynn countered by raising a field of rock spikes around her, blocking every wind blades. Using the time it would take her prey to maneuver around the spikes, Lynn began gathering her mana to cast a more powerful mystic spell—Glacier. But as soon as she stopped attacking, the assailant used the chance to escape. "Hey! Get back here! You're the one who started this fight—don't you dare run away!" Frustrated that her prey escaped, Lynn dismissed the rock spikes by deactivating Obelisk. She was about to resume her walk home when an ominous feeling crept in. She hadn't been injured. Her Search scouting skill didn't detect anything suspicious nearby. Yet, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling that something was off—something critical. —GYAH!— A panicked scream escaped her lips as realization struck. A small fragment of a wind blade had slipped through the rock spikes and sliced the handle of the bag in her left hand—dropping its contents and ruining the desserts. Now, all the Puddings and Cakes lay wasted on the ground. "For wasting all my Puddings and Cakes... You're going to die for that!"