Shortened Strides

The Red Marker on the map is getting closer and closer.

Fifteen minutes later, the target appeared.

The heavy snow made it impossible for Linsey to see their faces clearly, but three blurry figures had already emerged under the detection of the [Decryption Game].

"..."

Linsey's gaze was fixed in this direction.

Immediately afterward, amidst the complex and chaotic sounds of wind and snow, some subtle noises were identified as "clues" and whispered in Linsey's ear.

"Reptiles... snow... death..."

"Lord... Shen... Victory... Attack..."

"Humanity... is still here..."

I heard some discussions.

Although the sounds were faint and indistinct, Linsey was able to distinguish the corresponding syllables thanks to her skill.

The reason the dialogue was intermittent lies in the language itself.

The language these people use is somewhat similar to Beast Language, but only some syllables are the same; the rest is completely indistinguishable.

Based on Linsey's understanding of language use.

This feeling is like a language that has evolved and undergone significant changes.

Only some of the same syllables and nouns remain.

They are still proving the relationship between the two.

"The evolution of Beast Language..."

"Dan didn't teach me this in class."

Linsey frowned as he perched the Sapphire Glasses on his nose.

These humans were not moving in the same direction as Linsey, and within a few words, they were about to drift away from Linsey's location.

Linsey has no intention of giving up such a rare opportunity.

He rose from the shallow snow pit, braving the blizzard, and quietly approached the humans.

The three of them were completely unaware of Linsey's arrival.

They dared to move in the snowstorm, which of course meant they each had their own abilities, but compared to Linsey, who had a whole host of equipment and skills, their perception and Scouting Skill were still far inferior.

Crunch—Crunch—

In the blizzard, only the faint sound of footsteps echoed on the ground, almost completely hidden in the background noise.

Linsey continued to eavesdrop on the conversation of the three people in front of her.

Unfortunately, it is still too difficult to distinguish an unfamiliar language.

The only thing he was certain of was that these three guys were complaining, perhaps because of the snowstorm brought by the Dragon Beast.

Should we go up and say hello?

We can communicate using animalistic desires or common human Common Language, right?

Three or four minutes later, Linsey still hadn't gotten anywhere, and he began to consider whether he should negotiate with the three people.

But just then, Linsey suddenly discovered something.

[Decryption Game] In addition to highlighting the figures of these three people, even their footprints have begun to mark the snow.

"Why is that?"

Linsey was somewhat troubled; the skill of "Analyzing the Game" wouldn't present clues that weren't valuable.

Although there are no subsequent skills to analyze these clues.

But he was certain that this was some kind of very important reminder!

With that in mind, Linsey turned her gaze to the surroundings, carefully examining the obvious footprints.

He noticed something was wrong—his stride had become shorter.

All three of them maintained a relatively steady pace before using it.

But in that very minute, they slowed down, and thus subconsciously shortened the distance of each step.

Why slow down suddenly in such a heavy snowstorm? Linsey focused her gaze forward and found that the three figures were beginning to disperse, as if they were about to form a triangular arrow.

The conversation that had just been going on also disappeared without anyone noticing.

"...I?"

Linsey immediately realized what this change meant: somehow, the three people had discovered her and were vaguely forming an encirclement formation!

Red hostile markers, an unknown language, and bizarre timing of appearances.

—We must strike first!

The thought flashed through Linsey's mind, and the arrow in his hand flew off the bowstring.

The Armor-Piercing Arrow sped through the wind and snow.

Without making a sound, it smashed through all the wind and snow blocking its way, and in the next second it arrived in front of the figure directly in front of it.

"Ah!"

The surprise attack was effective.

The arrow penetrated deep into the bone marrow and pierced the torso.

The combined effects of the Essence took effect, immediately stripping him of his ability to move.

The figure clutched his left shoulder and knelt in the snow, howling in pain.

His companions on either side of him.

Without hesitation, he charged toward Linsey.

swish swish —

Amidst the heavy snowfall, two dark gray beams of light appeared.

The two men, one wielding a knife and the other a gun, were shrouded in an ominous mist, and moved with the swiftness of two snow leopards hunting.

A battle is about to break out.

Linsey's first impression was of the opponent's Source Material Skill.

That was the first thing I realized.

He was very familiar with this power; the technique that Red used to practice with Linsey every day had the same effect.

A gray-black mist representing death and slaughter!

Without any doubt, a thick earthen wall, more than a meter thick, appeared instantly beside him.

At the same time, one of the men with the gun threw his spear.

The originally swift and precise strike landed squarely on the earthen wall, sending dirt flying everywhere.

For a time, the fierce wind and snow could not even suppress the shattered soil.

This javelin throw was incredibly powerful, instantly blasting even a meter-thick layer of soil into fragments.

Unfortunately.

Linsey understands this skill.

He First Strike blocked the opponent's attack.

Immediately afterwards, the magic runes on the back of Linsey's hand suddenly changed, the snowflake patterns transforming into the shapes of mountains and rocks.

Linsey took a step to the left.

He was buried under the snow and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

"Um?"

Where are they?

Both of them were seasoned veterans.

Linsey's disappearance only made them hesitate for a moment. The next second, the two rushed towards each other, their backs touching, forming a protective stance for each other.

"That arrow... it looks somewhat like the Forest Guest?"

"But he disappeared as soon as he went into the snow, so maybe he's from the Element Faction?"

Boom! In an instant, a violent explosion erupted from beneath their feet, and intense flames engulfed the surrounding area.

A Flame Bomb was sent from underground and placed under the two men.

The snow made them completely unaware of this small change.

The impact of the explosion and the intense heat scorched their hair and clothes, leaving them charred black.

But they moved extremely quickly.

Suppressing the pain with astonishing willpower, they rushed out in the blink of an eye, shouting out their judgments:

"Flame, this guy really is Element Faction!"

"He's underground! Find him quickly and kill him!"

The two men stood ready, trying to find Linsey from beneath the ground.

Although there are some differences in judgment.

But the facts just happened to match their judgment.

Seven seconds of Earth Escape a type of escape technique) time is indeed not long enough. Linsey can no longer hide underground and has been forced to come out.

However, Linsey did not behave as the two had expected.

Continue to attack them.

Linsey chose to emerge from the ground in front of the figure who had just been shot by an arrow and was unable to move.

"Although this is somewhat despicable..."

Linsey kicked him to the ground, his weapon already pressed against the man's head. "However, gentlemen, considering the safety of your companion, I advise you to put down your weapons immediately."