I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 121: Dungeon Competition [3]
Rumble.
The ground shook as the Holy Knights and the Militia charged down the slope.
From my vantage point on the cliff, it looked like a white spear piercing a black ocean.
Commander Valen was a force of nature. He didn’t just cut soldiers; he blasted them. Every swing of his sword released a wave of Divine Force, sending Imperial soldiers flying like ragdolls.
"Die, heretics!"
Valen was a whirlwind of golden light.
Bardon and his militia followed in his wake, screaming war cries, using the confusion to butcher the Imperial flank.
But the enemy numbers were too great.
"Commander! The Mages!" Bardon screamed, parrying a spear thrust.
The massive fireball on the enemy platform was pulsating. It was ready to launch.
The Imperial Mages sneered, looking down at the charging knights.
"Foolish rebels! Burn!"
The Lead Mage raised his staff to trigger the spell.
’Not today.’
I exhaled.
[Skill: Marksmanship Lv. 8] [Skill: Breath Control] [Item Effect: Eagle Eye Scope]
The world slowed down. The wind speed, the gravity drop, the rotation of the mana sphere—it all became numbers in my head.
I squeezed the trigger.
Thwip.
The silenced shot was lost in the roar of battle.
800 meters away.
The bullet flew through the chaos. It passed between two flying arrows. It skirted the helmet of a giant.
And it slammed directly into the Mana Gem atop the Lead Mage’s staff.
CRACK.
The gem shattered.
The containment field holding the massive fireball destabilized instantly.
"Wha—? No! The Mana flow is—!"
The Mage didn’t even finish his sentence.
KA-BOOM!
The fireball detonated on the platform.
A mushroom cloud of red flame erupted in the rear of the Imperial Army. The five Battle Mages were vaporized instantly. The shockwave flattened the surrounding archers.
"WHAT?!"
The Imperial Commander looked back in horror as his artillery support turned into a crater.
Up on the cliff, I cycled the bolt.
Clack-Click.
"That’s one."
I shifted my aim.
An Imperial Officer was rallying his troops to encircle Valen.
Thwip.
The Officer’s head snapped back. He fell.
Another Officer tried to take command.
Thwip.
He fell too.
From the perspective of the Imperial soldiers, it was terrifying. There was no sound of a gunshot. No muzzle flash. Just their leaders dropping dead one by one, as if the Reaper himself was walking invisible among them.
"Sniper! On the ridge!"
"I can’t see him! Where is he?!"
"It’s the Divine Punishment! God is striking us down!"
Panic, the most contagious disease in warfare, began to spread.
Down in the valley, Valen felt the shift in pressure. He looked up at the cliff for a split second, his eyes widening as he saw the smoking crater where the Mages used to be.
"The Mercenary..."
He grinned, his sword flaring brighter with Divine Force.
"PUSH! THE ENEMY IS BROKEN! DRIVE THEM BACK!"
[Current Points: 1,200] [Contribution Ranking: 4th]
I smirked behind my mask.
"This is easier than the game."
But just as I was about to line up my next shot, a chill ran down my spine.
[Warning: Hostile Mana Signature Detected.] [Direction: East.]
I swung my rifle to the right.
On a separate cliff, overlooking the battlefield from the opposite side, a figure stood.
He wore the black and gold armor of the Imperial Family—but customized for agility. In his hand was a longbow made of dragon bone.
Prince Valerius.
He wasn’t looking at the battle.
He was looking across the canyon.
At me.
He raised his bow. He didn’t nock an arrow. instead, a spear of pure golden mana formed on the string.
’He saw me?’
Of course he did. He was the Number 2 at the Academy.
He smiled, a competitive glint in his golden eyes.
Then, he released the string.
He wasn’t shooting at me. He shot at the Imperial General down in the valley—a target I was just about to aim for.
ZING!
The golden arrow crossed the valley in a blink and pierced the General’s chest, pinning him to his own command tent.
[General Eliminated.]
Valerius lowered his bow and gave me a slight nod.
’A contest, is it?’
I narrowed my eyes.
"Fine, Your Highness."
I reloaded.
"Let’s see who hunts better."
****
The Osius Empire’s forces didn’t just retreat; they shattered.
With their General pinned to a tent by a golden arrow and their Battle Mages reduced to ash, the remaining soldiers lost the will to fight. They threw down their spears and fled back toward the canyon entrance, trampled by their own panic.
[Battle of Ash Valley: Victory]
Up on the ridge, I lowered my Winchester. The barrel was smoking slightly.
I looked across the canyon to the opposite cliff. The figure in black and gold was gone.
"He moves fast," I muttered, slinging the rifle over my shoulder.
I checked the [Tournament Scoreboard] floating in the corner of my vision.
[Current Rankings]
1. Valerius Aurelian: 2,500 Pts
2. Lucien Ashborne (Hidden): 1,850 Pts
3. Kael Terra: 1,200 Pts
4. Elisha Ravenscroft: 1,150 Pts
...
"Second place," I grunted, sliding down the scree slope to rejoin the main force. "Not bad for a late start. But that gap..."
Valerius had likely been solo-clearing elite squads while I was babysitting the militia.
****
[The Valley Floor]
By the time I reached the burning command post, the celebration was in full swing.
"We lived! We actually lived!"
"The Goddess protected us!"
Militia and Holy Knights embraced, weeping and laughing. Bardon, the Militia Leader, was sitting on a crate, chugging water like it was fine wine.
"Mercenary!" Bardon roared when he saw me. He tried to stand but winced, clutching a bandaged leg. "You crazy bastard! I saw that explosion on the ridge! You blew up the sun!"
"Just a lucky shot," I said, walking past him toward Commander Valen.
Valen stood over the corpse of the Imperial General. He wasn’t celebrating. He was staring at the arrow protruding from the General’s chest.
It was a construct of pure mana, still humming with golden light.
"This power..." Valen whispered, his eyes wide. "It feels like the legends of the First Emperor."
He looked up as I approached.
"Mercenary. Did you see who fired this?"
"An ally," I replied, keeping my voice low. "He was on the eastern ridge."
Clip-clop.
The sound of hooves silenced the celebration.
From the eastern path, a single rider approached. He rode a white stallion that looked untouched by the mud and blood of the battlefield. His armor was black and gold, pristine and regal.
It was Prince Valerius.
Behind him, a dozen other participants—nobles who had seemingly pledged loyalty to him immediately upon spawning—followed like humble retainers.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The NPC soldiers instinctively knelt, sensing the aura of royalty even if they didn’t know his face.
Commander Valen straightened, bowing deeply.
"Hail, noble warrior. Your arrow saved us from a prolonged siege." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Valerius dismounted gracefully. He didn’t look at Valen.
His golden eyes scanned the crowd, bypassing the cheering militia, the wounded knights, and the burning wreckage.
They locked onto me.
He walked forward. The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
He stopped three paces away.
"A lucky shot?" Valerius repeated my words to Bardon, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips. "Destroying a Siege Formation from 800 meters with a projectile weapon... I wouldn’t call that luck."
I looked at him through the mask of my Shadow-Weave Suit.
"Skill, then," I replied, not bowing.
The nobles behind Valerius gasped.
"How dare a lowly mercenary speak to His Highness like that!" "Kneel, you insolent—"
Valerius raised a hand, silencing them instantly.
"It is fine. On the battlefield, rank is determined by capability, not blood."
Valerius took a step closer. The pressure he emitted was different from Rumina’s. Rumina’s was a crushing weight; Valerius’s was like standing next to a nuclear reactor—warm, bright, and terrifyingly powerful.
"I saw your work on the ridge," Valerius said softly. "You engage targets with efficiency. No wasted movement. No hesitation."
He extended a hand.
"I am Valerius. May I know the name of the phantom who steals my kills?"
I stared at his hand.
If I shook it, he might sense my mana. If I refused, I’d draw more attention.
I didn’t take his hand. Instead, I tapped the barrel of my rifle.
"Names are dangerous in this war," I said, deepening my voice with a mana trick. "Just call me Shadow."
Valerius paused. Then, he chuckled, retracting his hand.
"Shadow. Fitting."
He turned to Commander Valen.
"Commander, I bring news. The main Imperial Army is regrouping at the Fortress of Dawn. If we want to end this war, we must strike now."
Valen nodded vigorously. "With your aid, and the Shadow’s aim, we can do it."
Valerius glanced back at me.
"Indeed. Let us see if you can keep up, Shadow."
[Quest Updated] [Final Objective: The Siege of the Dawn Fortress] [Participants Remaining: 620/848]
******
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