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Chapter 77: The Leopard's Hunt
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 23:13:35 +0000 UTCThe Orc Assassin Alliance's martial techniques include many vicious airborne strike moves that involve leaping high before pouncing.
In mid-air, during that split-second life-or-death moment, he sensed danger. His body twisted impossibly, forcing a sudden mid-air change of direction. The Anti-magic armor-piercing round brushed past his shoulder and shot into the distance.
Before the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin could celebrate, a sharp pain erupted in his side as blood gushed forth.
Charlot's strike had landed, but before he could press the advantage, the assassin tore himself free from Blood Rose's blade. With a shrill howl, his speed surged as he bolted toward the outer districts.
Charlot connected mentally with the three Clever Cat cubs. Though they'd just fired a shot, they were still newborns. Exhausted, they flopped over, their tiny tongues lolling out as they lay on the wall, completely out of energy. Unable to deliver the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle, they could only watch regretfully as the assassin escaped.
"There's no way to tell which concealment or ambush spell he used since there are far too many options. But the spell that suddenly boosts his speed—those kinds always last for very short bursts. Since this is commonly used by orcs, it’s likely 'The Leopard's Hunt'."
"This extraordinary ability doesn’t last as long as Swiftstep Technique, but its explosive burst is incredible. If it weren’t for the fact that each burst only lasts two or three breaths, I probably wouldn’t have lasted this long."
Charlot's keen combat senses had helped him recognize a pattern during the fight: every time the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin launched a rapid flurry of attacks, he would utter some mocking remarks. At first, Charlot thought the assassin was simply cruel and enjoyed toying with his opponent. However, he quickly realized this wasn’t the case—his opponent couldn’t sustain his onslaught.
Charlot seized on a brief moment when the assassin was recovering his energy, directing the three Clever Cat cubs to launch a surprise attack while countering fiercely. He came within a hair’s breadth of killing his opponent.
Watching the assassin disappear into the distance, Charlot muttered regretfully, “What a pity.”
After a few quick leaps, he found the three exhausted Clever Cat cubs sprawled on the wall. He first stored the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle into his Battlefield Cane, then gathered the three cubs into his arms with a smile. "Good work, you three. Let’s get you something delicious."
He returned to the restaurant where the battle had taken place, paid for the damage, and left an extra twenty centimes as compensation. Then he picked another restaurant. After ordering a fresh meal for himself, he asked for the most tender raw beef for the three Clever Cat cubs, requesting the kitchen chop it finely.
This restaurant didn’t serve fruit wine; its house drink was ale. Charlot took a sip, and his brow relaxed slightly. The ale had almost no bitterness—refreshing and clean, perfect for drinking in quantity.
As he dined, Charlot smiled warmly at the sight of the three Clever Cat cubs happily devouring the beef.
He hadn’t expected these little creatures to play such a crucial role in the battle. Without that single shot from the Clever Cats, there would have been no way to force back such a formidable assassin.
Though the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin was only a mid-tier Transcendent, his strength far surpassed the previous assassin and even Warden Magru Trell.
Once the meal was over, Charlot leaned back comfortably, while the three Clever Cat cubs lay on the table with their bellies round, mewing contentedly.
Charlot gestured to the restaurant’s waiter. “Your ale is good. I’ll take three barrels. Have them delivered later.”
After paying for the meal and the ale, Charlot carried the cubs and strolled back to 58 Elysée Avenue.
On the first floor, he greeted Mrs. Nancy, who was on watch. "I’ve bought three barrels of ale. When the restaurant staff delivers them, send two barrels to the basement and bring one up to me."
With that, Charlot ascended directly to the third floor. After settling the three cubs with some water, he left them to play on their own. Stepping onto the terrace overlooking the Lukavaro River, he pulled up a lounge chair and gazed across the river at the scenery. Reaching into his pocket, he took out the Mask of the Cat.
This extraordinary artifact could mimic the forms of six different creatures and randomly extract one skill from the chosen target. However, it could only replicate beings Charlot had previously encountered. The mask also provided a slight boost to agility and served as a token of identification for the Orc Assassin Alliance.
Having fought the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin earlier, Charlot was curious to see whether the Mask of the Cat could mimic his appearance.
As his fingers brushed the thin, mask-like face, six different forms appeared in succession. Three of them were ordinary people, whose extracted skills included cooking, driving, and night patrol.
With a mental command, Charlot replaced one of the ordinary forms with that of the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin. Immediately, dozens of Throwing Knife Techniques flooded into his mind.
Charlot couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t expected to gain such a "skill."
The Mask of the Cat couldn’t extract "extraordinary abilities," only "skills," which was indeed a limitation. However, if it could extract extraordinary abilities, the artifact would simply be far too powerful.
Throwing Knife Techniques were not extraordinary abilities but honed skills—built on practice, talent, and the elusive “feel” for the blade.
The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin must have poured countless hours into mastering this technique. It wasn’t limited to throwing knives but also included close-quarters combat techniques with short blades. Every move was sharp, refined, and purely designed to kill.
In terms of complexity and grandeur, the assassin’s knife skills paled in comparison to the Arsilo Family's famed Angel’s Thorn.
The Angel’s Thorn was not just an extraordinary technique but also a renowned swordsmanship technique, holding legendary status across the Old Continent.
The Old Continent boasted six or seven versions of unparalleled sword techniques, including the Five Divine Swordsmanships, Seven God-bestowed Sword Techniques, and Twelve Overlord Sword Techniques.
Each version featured the Arsilo Family's Angel’s Thorn.
And each also included the Robin Family's Eagle Swordsmanship.
Yes, the Robin Family—the family of Saroses Robin and Zimourman Axel Robin.
However, the assassin’s Throwing Knife Techniques were superior in one aspect: practicality. Whether for assassinations, alley skirmishes, close combat, or sudden encounters, it offered ingenious solutions tailored to real-world combat. It was the quintessential assassin’s blade technique.
Charlot didn’t have throwing knives, but he did have a dagger. Donning the Mask of the Cat, he flung the dagger, summoning it back with his Bloodflame Qi after it flew away, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Though he didn’t particularly like the dagger—taken from the previous assassin—he had tested multiple times and found that Bloodflame Qi could manipulate ordinary extraordinary weapons, albeit not as smoothly as Vampire Weapons. He hadn’t used it in combat so far, but it was perfectly suited for practicing throwing knife techniques.
After over an hour of practice, Charlot was already an “expert” at throwing knives. He could perform all kinds of flashy moves, and his dagger always hit the mark.
When he removed the Mask of the Cat, the Throwing Knife Techniques vanished. Testing his skills without the mask, Charlot found that while his proficiency had dropped considerably, his accuracy remained higher than expected.
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