Child of Destiny

...

"We already weakened their forces to a certain amount. They shouldn't have enough strength to face us head-on when we encounter them later," said Shin to the others as sat under the nearby tree.

"We may not be able to take down the key figures within their group, but we have already done enough to create a clear advantage in the future," he added while looking at everyone.

The rest of the group was currently checking their equipment. They were also calculating if they still had enough potions for later.

Aside from Chaotic Luck who expended almost every Master Class Potions that he had during his fight against Immortal, the rest didn't burn their supplies.

"They needed to reorganize themselves for quite some time given the losses that they suffered just now. They will not make a move against us too soon, so we have enough window to prepare for our next move," said Black Hand after assessing the current situation.

"The only problem is those guys from the Earners Mercenary Group," said Lawless from the side.

Hearing that, Shin turn to Zero and asked. "Speaking of those guys – how is the situation on that side?"

"Seven just contacted me, he said that the Sweepers managed to take down three members of Earners," answered Zero.

"Tsk! Tsk! Those guys sure are something. To think they are able to hit that group of Master Class Players that much? Their organization is really not something that can be underestimated," commented Lawless as he found that feat impressive.

He was familiar with the strength of those Master Class Players, so it was not an exaggeration when said those words.

On the other hand, Zero raised his brow a little before continuing. "But those Sweepers suffered greatly in that exchange. It shouldn't be an overstatement to say that they already run out of 'expendables', Tsk!"

Lawless paused for a moment before nodding his head in silence. It was true. If the Pandemonium Descendants didn't pay that much, then those monsters from Earners Mercenary Group will not be able to live up to their reputation.

"That means, they only have their most elite people left, right?" ask S.Tigris.

"Based on the reports that Seven sent me, it is most likely the case," answered Zero. But he quickly added after a brief pause. "But it seems like they also hid some of their remaining forces deep in the Frozen Kingdom."

"He overheard their conversation, and it seems like they are requesting some backup from the other force," he added.

"That means, we still can't disregard them, am I right?" asked Arthur with a deep frown. He felt like these people from the Pandemonium Descendants were like a pest that was hard to wipe out.

"Actually, we can at least forget about them now. The gift that we receive from Immortal is more than enough to take care of them later," said Shin with a mystifying tone.

Hearing those words, the others immediately understood what he meant. Arthur even voiced out the thoughts of the others. "You mean to say – we can now have enough reinforcements?"

Shin shook his head and answered. "Not exactly. After all, they still need to take care of the other side. But at the very least, we can expect a reinforcement coming to our aid during the most critical situation."

"For example, during the final stages of our quest when we are most vulnerable to get backstabbed by those cunning wolves," he added, clarifying his point.

"Tsk!" Arthur clicked his tongue in disappointment but still accepted the answer nevertheless. After all, it was better than nothing.

"So, what's our next move then?" asked Cloe who was sitting near Shin.

Shin thought for a brief moment before replying. "I am thinking we should guard this place until Big Sis finds enough people to take over the job."

"We can't just leave this place behind since Immortal and those guys can always come back here and claim it," he added while sweeping his gaze over the surroundings.

With his skills alongside Cloe and Black Hand's assistance, they were able to completely hide the teleportation formation as if it was not there in the first place.

The other understood his intention and nodded their heads in agreement. They also could use this chance to rest a little more.

Moreover, they could also reflect on themselves and reevaluate their performance in the previous battle. Especially for Chaotic Luck who should be the one that gained the most during his battle against Immortal.

He might have won that battle in the end, but he knew that he was completely suppressed by Immortal in almost everything. He knew that he was just lucky to have the time on his side.

The others also gained considerable experience, but compared to him, their gains would not be able to affect them much.

Leonard and Faker might have familiarized themselves with the Reality Manifestation to a greater degree since both Jugo and Elise were thought opponents who underwent a specialized demonification with their contracted demons.

But those battles might be a little intense but they were far too short for them to properly explore the real mysteries of those states.

Ding!

While everyone was lost in their thoughts, Shin suddenly received from a certain person. And when he saw to whom it came from, he couldn't help but wear an even larger grin.

He turned to Zero and then to Faker, calling them out. "Zero, Brother Faker, come with me for a minute. Let's meet someone."

The two turned to him with a confused looks on their face but still followed after him. They might not know who they were going to meet, but they could at least make a guess who it was.

"Are we going to meet Diablo?" asked Faker as he caught up to Shin.

Shin slightly nodded, confirming the guesses of the two. "Yeah. He just contacted me. He just got online."

"How are you going to ask for his assistance? We can't just openly work with him since we have a deal with the Pandemonium Descendants," asked Zero after catching up.

"That's true, but we also can't just waste the chance of having his assistance since he is too skilled," responded Shin.

Faker knitted his brow before asking. "So, what are you planning?"

Shin shrugged his shoulders at that question. "Not sure, it is up to him. I've already sent him our contract with the Pandemonium Descendants and also mentioned a part of our plans briefly, so we can only hope for the best."

Faker and Zero gave him a weird look when they heard those words. The part regarding the contract with the Pandemonium Descendants was understandable but mentioning their plans was unnecessary, after all, they were still not working with Diablo to trust him that much.

Understanding the meaning behind their gazes, Shin waved his hand in the air. "Don't worry, I know what I am doing."

"I may not be familiar with Diablo since I only meet him once, but I can at least tell what kind of person he is during our previous duel," he added.

Faker shrugged his shoulder, indicating that he didn't care anymore. Zero, on the other hand, just nodded his head and said that he was going with his plans.

Nothing serious happened yet with all of Shin's arrangements no matter how strange it was, so everything should be fine.

…

After walking a few minutes, the three finally arrived in a secluded part of the forest where the bushes were the densest. It was a perfect place to hide and launch an ambush, especially when the fog within this place was quite thick

Aside from the layout map that Shin and the others had drawn, they were still unaware of the names of the places within the Frozen Kingdom. But given the different environments and types of monsters that they had encountered so far, they were able to partially divine the whole region and drew an imaginary border between them.

Shin observed the surroundings for a brief moment before slightly nodding his head. "The maps within this Kingdom will most likely open only after we are done with the quest."

Faker nodded his head, agreeing with Shin's comment. He was also observing all of the regions that they went though earlier and he found certain differences and unique characteristics between them as well as their similarities.

Such knowledge was necessary when looking for hunting grounds in the future. If this place was going to be unlocked by them and they were familiar with all of the resources available within the place, then their advantages over the rest of the players would definitely be great.

Faker was observing the surroundings when a certain spot attracted his attention. He squinted his eyes and locked his gaze on that place, observing it carefully.

A moment only past at that time, but Faker quickly made his move. He disappeared from his spot and instantly appeared on that particular spot while swinging his daggers in the process.

Clang!

Aside from that place being an empty space, there was nothing remarkable in it. But despite that being the case, Faker's daggers seemed to collide against something and created metal sparks in the air.

"It is sure hard to fool the senses of the former best assassin of the virtual world," then a voice suddenly sounded alongside a person materializing in front of Faker.

"You are not that bad either. Getting this near given our senses is no easy feat," said Faker as he stared at the person in front of him.

"I must say that reaching thirty meters away from us unnoticed is something that not everyone can achieve," he added before retreating away, putting enough distance between that person and himself.

Seeing that, Diablo couldn't help but smile inwardly. Those movements might be simple but they were essential for a top-class assassin.

Diablo only developed such habits after playing assassin-related classes in all games that they previously played. But what he saw from Faker was something that was built up properly and drilled within his body.

'This is what a real assassin looks like,' thought Diablo to himself before sheathing his weapons and greeting three in front of him. "I am sorry for the little prank. I just want to see how far my stealth can get me in against the current 'bests' of the game."

"We can save the introduction for later since we have a much urgent business to take care of," said Shin as he walked forward, planning to get straight to the point.

He paused for a moment before asking in a tone that was neither demanding nor polite. "Will you lend us your strength? Of course, we will also help you at achieving your goal in return."

...