Lure the Enemy In Deep!

A heavy, forceful punch came whistling through the air. Rena had no time to dodge and could only twist her body slightly, barely avoiding a vital spot.

Bang!

Stars danced before Rena's eyes, and her head rang from the heavy blow. The searing pain left her unable to focus at all.

"Cough... cough cough..."

Rena coughed repeatedly. Before she could recover, another punch came smashing straight at her!

Bang!

This time, Rena failed to evade it and was sent flying, crashing through a wooden tavern table. Several tears had been ripped across the chest of her coarse linen shirt, exposing a glimpse of pale skin beneath.

Yet the lead thug paid it no mind. Ever since accepting that restless energy at the Blood Roulette, he had felt his temper growing more and more violent, and he had become increasingly unwilling to think.

Moreover, whenever he started fighting, he was seized by an urge to destroy everything in front of him.

The Bloodfang Gang thugs' sudden surge in strength had thrown Rena's plan into disarray.

She had originally intended to take one of them out with a sneak attack, lure the rest away, then either shake them off or use Stealth's concealment to pick them off one by one.

But now, she could barely protect herself.

The enemies' physical abilities, far beyond those of ordinary people, had become an unforeseen variable in the plan.

And with five enemies, the already unbalanced situation had become even worse!

In Rena's current condition, let alone facing five people, even dealing with one of them one-on-one would be extremely difficult.

Strictly speaking, although Rena had rapidly learned the [Stealth] combat technique through the knowledge Noven had given her and could be considered a first-rank rogue,

her actual strength was still far from first-rank level.

Strength consisted of two parts: "foundation" and "technique."

For paths such as warriors, rogues, and rangers, the foundational part referred to overall physical ability—whether one's body was strong, movements nimble, and reactions quick.

Of course, for mages, warlocks, and priests, one also had to consider whether their mental energy was sufficient and whether they were intelligent enough.

The technical part tested one's mastery of various combat techniques, spells, and divine arts.

The knowledge Noven granted his followers allowed them to quickly achieve the "technique" portion, the most difficult part for others.

They only needed to follow the guidance within that knowledge to gradually learn and master it.

But the foundational part was a fatal weakness that Noven had no way to change for the time being!

Such things either required the blessings of divine power from a god or long-term training by mortals themselves.

Noven could not do the former, while the latter had no threshold of difficulty—but it required time to accumulate!

Having technique without foundation led to the awkward situation where, when facing enemies with a "solid foundation" like these Bloodfang Gang thugs, one's attacks could not even break through their defenses.

Seeing his daughter harmed with his own eyes, Moni could no longer stay hidden.

Afraid that his daughter would be beaten badly, Moni instinctively decided to sacrifice himself to draw the thugs' attention.

"Don't hurt my daughter! Whatever you want, come at me! Otherwise, I'll fight you to the—"

Before Moni could finish, a furious shout suddenly rang out from outside the tavern at the critical moment:

"Arcane Missile!!!"

Three spindle-shaped missiles glowing with brilliant violet light traced elegant arcs through the air, striking the lead thug advancing toward Rena at the same time.

"Rena, don't be afraid! We're here to help you!!!"

Pete and Gale, who had rushed to the tavern, happened to arrive just as the conflict erupted.

Pete's eyes immediately lit up.

Wasn't this exactly the "criminal activity" required by the limited-time event?

Without another word, he chanted an [Arcane Missile] and fired it straight at them!

Seeing Pete's practiced casting movements, Gale's envious gaze practically lingered on him!

He wanted to master offensive magic too—to wave a hand, unleash powerful attacks, and defeat enemies with effortless ease.

But his talent was limited. In the past, like Pete, he could at most learn simple support and everyday spells. He simply could not understand offensive magic.

Although he had now become a follower of Noven, the God of Knowledge, he only had the 10 knowledge points from the newcomer benefit. Exchanging for a first-rank spell required a full 15 knowledge points.

Remembering the rewards related to the limited-time event,

Gale's gaze toward the Bloodfang Gang thugs immediately turned heated as well.

These weren't enemies. They were clearly walking justice points!

However, although the lead thug staggered several steps from the tremendous impact after taking an [Arcane Missile] head-on, his body unsteady, he was not knocked down and incapacitated as before. Instead, a savage glint appeared in his eyes, and his imposing aura grew even stronger.

Pete immediately sensed trouble.

This was not quite what he had expected!

The last time he dealt with these thugs, each [Arcane Missile] had taken one down.

But this time, they had grown much stronger!

When ordinary people were hit by missiles condensed from arcane energy, they would at the very least be knocked unconscious on the spot.

Yet these men could take a spell head-on and still retain the ability to fight. That meant their physical strength was at least at first-rank level!

"Heh heh... I remember you! You were the mage who ruined our plans last time!"

The lead thug's brutal aura grew stronger and stronger. He felt the restless energy in his abdomen becoming harder and harder to suppress, while his urge to tear the other party apart grew ever more intense.

Unable to think, having lost all reason, he only wanted to rip apart and destroy the enemy before him.

They had already formed a grudge against Pete during the previous conflict.

Now that they had met again, enemies truly did cross paths on a narrow road!

"So you're the mage, huh? So you can use magic, huh? Go on, cast another one and see what happens!"

The lead thug viciously threatened him, forcefully smacking his own head.

Inside the tavern, Rena struggled to draw a breath and shouted a warning:

"Mr. Pete, they're very strong now. Be careful!"

She had suffered several attacks in succession, and her whole body felt as if it had fallen apart. Agonizing pain radiated from her internal organs, and even standing up was difficult. She could only place her hopes on Pete.

Having gone through quite a few things these past few days, Pete had grown somewhat. He would no longer panic so badly that he lost his head. He could remain rational enough to calmly search for a way out.

His thoughts raced.

Use that third-rank spell?

No. Its casting time is too long. They'll close in and interrupt me before I can cast it.

These thugs' strength has skyrocketed for some reason!

At this distance, if I fight them head-on, I can probably only take down two or three at most!

Comparing the strength of both sides, none of the methods available to him seemed capable of breaking the deadlock.

An ordinary person might already have been thinking about what posture to use while begging for mercy.

Pete... was naturally no ordinary person.

He decisively began praying!

"Great God of Knowledge!"

"Please tell your faithful follower what I must do to resolve the trouble before me!"

Back in the interrogation room, Pete had already discovered that the God of Knowledge's power could not only grant knowledge, but also provide followers with the information they needed!

When he encountered trouble, the solution was also a form of "information."

After receiving the notification that it required 1 knowledge point, Pete did not hesitate to spend the point and exchange it!

[Suggested plan: Lure the enemy in deep!]

After quickly reading the contents of the divine revelation, Pete's heart settled.

"Just as expected of the God of Knowledge!"

He had a way!

Thanks to PassingByToLook000, Hank2016, and ColdSilkworm for their 1 monthly vote each; thanks to Lianxin C for 2 monthly votes; and thanks to all the readers who cast recommendation votes. Thank you for your support.