Chapter 510: Assassin of Lakarion

“It’s getting dark. Isn’t it bad to arrive there at night?” Layla asked. “I’ll look really suspicious. They won’t let me in.”

“Yes, you’ll look very suspicious, Layla. So what? You want to spend the night in this creepy forest?”

They kept walking.

“You swear this isn’t some plan where I get used as bait to distract everyone while you secretly sneak inside?”

Luke stopped and gave a light cough. “Layla, do you really think I’d be cruel enough to use a poor girl as bait, surround her with armed lunatics itching to kill an intruder, just so I can safely complete my objectives?”

She paused, thinking it over.

“You’re right… nobody would be that cruel.”

Luke tapped open the notification for his new Witch level 30 skill. Five options appeared.

[Cursed Aura (Rare)]: The witch shrouds her body in cursed energy, causing the [Curse] to pulse with every movement. While active, anyone who touches her suffers [Curse] damage, as if the witch’s very skin repels life itself.

Interesting. Useful if someone tried to grab him in a fight. He moved on.

[Spellguard (Rare)]: The witch raises an arcane seal before herself, wrapping her body in a layer of condensed mana. For a short time, the barrier absorbs part of incoming spell damage, reducing magical damage taken before dissipating.

Definitely a buff.

[Witch’s Lover Slave I (Ultra-Rare)]: By kissing a man with low willpower, the witch casts a seductive curse that poisons his mind. Overwhelmed by an illusory passion, the target obeys her as a temporary servant until the effect ends or the curse is broken. Only one slave may be maintained at a time, and the charm cannot be cast again on the same target.

He froze for a moment.

What? What the hell is this? No. Absolutely not.

‘Pick that one, Luke. You know… it’s always good to have a secret weapon’, Artemis said in his thoughts, laughing softly.

Luke chose to ignore the annoying soul.

[Evil Hex (Rare)]: The witch conjures a curse that weakens the enemy’s magical defenses, corroding their arcane protections and leaving them more vulnerable to spells for a short duration.

That one clearly fell into the debuff category.

[Witch’s Thread (Rare)]: The witch enchants a knife so that when thrown and embedded into a solid surface within a five-meter radius, it generates a thread of condensed mana connecting the blade to the witch’s hand. This allows her to pull herself forward or rapidly change position during combat. The thread can be used to reach elevated areas, evade enemy attacks, or reposition amid battlefield chaos. Its structure is unstable and dissolves after a few seconds, requiring precision and mana control to use effectively.

None of the skils were especially offensive. So he picked the one with the most practical value.

[You have acquired the Second Class skill: Witch’s Thread.]

***

Luke moved through the trees, drawing a throwing knife from his holster as he focused his magic.

[Witch’s Thread activated]

The knife flew into a tree, and a thin, shimmering thread formed from the blade’s tip straight to Luke’s hand. The pull yanked him upward. He hurled another knife into the next tree, grabbed the new thread, and swung forward, moving from tree to tree through the forest like a pendulum, until he landed near Layla.

Luke pointed his hand toward the ground.

[Teleportation Circle 1 activated]

“Isn’t that your crazy teleport magic?” Layla asked.

“It is.”

“Then why are you placing it here? You’re not planning to use me as bait, invade the place, and teleport out, are you?”

“Of course not, Layla.”

He rested a hand on her back and gently urged her forward. “Go ahead. Keep your bow in your hands.”

“With my bow out? That’ll make me look suspicious.”

“Walking in with your bow visible tells them you aren’t hiding any weapons.”

“Are you sure this won’t be dangerous?”

“Absolutely sure.”

He let Layla move ahead while he slipped into his assassin gear. The stairs were long, just like the other temples, built high above the land. Forest stretched out in every direction, a mix of ordinary trees and, oddly enough, coconut palms. Nature rarely followed logic in alternate worlds.

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Luke climbed alongside Layla, keeping to the forest instead of the path. Franky followed behind.

[Soul Infiltration activated]

A black cat leapt from Luke and vanished into Layla’s body. Luke’s control over the cat had limits. He could not send it far on its own to scout for people. The farther it strayed, the more it began to dissipate. The only way to extend its range was through a host. From there, he could make it jump to someone else.

The plan was simple. Use the cat to monitor Layla’s situation while he infiltrated the temple separately. But the moment Layla reached the top, she froze, then stumbled backward in fear.

Luke saw it instantly.

What the hell happened here?

He burst from the undergrowth, grabbed Layla, and dove back into the bushes on the opposite side.

“D-d-danger,” Layla stammered.

They stayed hidden.

“D-d-did you see it?” she whispered.

“I did. Stay here.”