Who Could Withstand This...?

Chapter 49: Who Could Withstand This...?

William brought Lotner, Nock, and Norton to find Eric and his son. The two lived simply, dressed in leather clothes tailored from monsters, and had always made a living purely by hunting. Usually, they did not like interacting with others.

When they had plenty of prey, the two men stayed cooped up at home all day. Who knew whether they could somehow make a child together or what? Anyway, they were especially reclusive. Both father and son stayed indoors...

The older Eric held a pitch-black longhorn bow. It looked ordinary in design, yet under the sunlight, it did not reflect even the slightest gleam.

Anyone with experience could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary item. It was an excellent weapon for an assassin, at least Gold-Quality.

The younger Alec carried two equally pitch-black daggers. The longbow in his hand was of decent quality, but it was merely Silver-Quality, which showed that it was only his backup weapon.

"My lord, if you wish to hunt, there is no need to bring the two of us along to slow you down. Lord Lotner is exceptionally strong and more than capable of protecting your life," Eric said, decisively refusing William's request.

Alec stood quietly beside his father, his hands resting at his waist as his eyes casually wandered. Though he appeared unconcerned, he was actually ready to draw his swords at any moment. He was also watching for anyone closing in around them, looking for a chance to truly kill whoever blocked their path and escape.

Assassins!

The most important thing was not killing the enemy.

It was escaping.

An assassin who could kill someone without dying himself was a true ace assassin.

Someone who killed an enemy only to die himself could not be called an assassin at all. He was merely a death warrior...

William had long expected their reaction. Not a single assassin from the Shadow Organization was simple, but he still smiled amiably. "I heard the two of you are quite capable. I'm heading up the mountain to deal with those Trolls. Perhaps you might be interested?"

"Quite capable? Who said that?" Eric asked cautiously.

William shrugged. "That's what everyone says. After all, while there are many professionals in this town, it seems that aside from you two, there really isn't anyone else who can hunt Mid-Tier Monsters."

"Hunting Mid-Tier Monsters? Isn't that nor—" Eric stopped before he could finish.

Ever since the father and son had arrived in town, they had kept mostly silent. Whenever they hunted, they chose larger beasts or monsters.

They did not pursue fine food, clothing, or housing. They only needed a few necessities.

So even when they hunted monsters, aside from keeping some meat and hides, they sold everything else cheaply in exchange for daily supplies.

Then they went back to staying indoors.

Yet because they interacted so little with others, they had no idea what people thought of them. They had gradually even forgotten the town's true situation.

They had come here in the first place because of William's father, seeking a safe shelter. Though they lived in town, they were more like people living in the wilderness, isolated from the world.

"But we're still not intere—"

"Father." Alec interrupted his father's refusal and said to William with a smile, "My lord, please wait a moment. We'll make preparations and set out with you."

William watched the two return to their house and shut the door tightly.

"Tsk..." Norton smacked his lips, his gaze strange.

"Alec, you're already a grown man. Tell me why you're doing this." Eric could not understand. Their lives had only just settled down, and they had finally escaped the organization's pursuit. Wouldn't drawing attention to themselves again make it easy to expose themselves?

Alec looked directly into his father's eyes and said without blinking, "Father, we can't hide forever. Or rather, I don't want to remain unknown for my entire life."

"You... you've grown up. You're a mature little assassin now." Eric sighed. It was as if all the spirit had suddenly drained from him, and he slumped dejectedly into his chair.

Alec slowly crouched down, took his hand, and said softly, "Father, you are still young too. I just don't want to keep hiding. Shadow is powerful, but it is ultimately an organization that operates in darkness. It won't be so easy for them to find us.

I want my existence to have value, rather than spending my life meaninglessly waiting, enduring, and hiding until I grow old...

"But..."

Alec shouted again, agitated, "Have you forgotten what they told us back then?

I still remember what our mentor once said.

'Assassins can only ever hide beneath the shadows. Once an assassin is truly exposed to the light, that is when the assassin disappears.'

Remember, we have killed many people, but all of those were secret assassinations, ambushes, poisonings, and the like.

There are many who wish to destroy the Shadow Alliance. Yet precisely because we have never had a fixed territory, a fixed training ground, or anything fixed at all...

We have always moved through the darkness, never stopping our steps. That is the true reason we have survived."

Recalling his mentor's words, Alec continued, "Shadow is powerful. It can be considered one of the top assassin organizations on the Legendary Continent, but it is not a top intelligence organization. Its influence in the Southeastern Corner is not that extensive, and it will not be so easy for them to discover us.

As long as we follow this Elf lord with great ambitions, there will come a day when we grow strong.

By then, with power behind us, we may not be unable to make the Shadow Alliance abandon its intent to kill us."

"Yes... we're only two assassins who fled," Eric murmured, nodding absentmindedly. Deep down, he desperately did not want to reveal his identity, yet he also longed to see the light of day again.

"Yes..."

When the two had regained their confidence and opened the door,

their bearing had become completely different in an instant.

Even Lotner became wary. It felt as though two shadows stood before him; the moment he closed his eyes, they would vanish completely...

"I hope we haven't kept you waiting too long, my lord," Eric said with a smile.

William smiled. "Not at all. This is a good chance to see your hunting skills."

"Haha, then I only hope we won't disappoint you, my lord." Eric smiled, and everyone entered the forest together.

A Troll cave.

There were roughly a dozen Trolls.

Barring surprises, they were all Low-Class, Mid-Tier, High-Class, and Grandmaster Bloodline monsters!

Trolls were not monsters.

They could speak and belonged to the intelligent races of the Dark Faction, but aside from their own kind, they could count almost anything as food.

Even Orcs and Demons of the same faction—so long as they were alone, Trolls would not mind tasting them.

Trolls stood between 2.5 and 6 meters tall.

They weighed between 750 and 2,000 kilograms!

Their weapons were generally massive spiked clubs...

The six hunters who had arrived at Rainbow Lake looked at the weapons in the Trolls' hands. They were not only thick and long, but covered in spikes. Even Lotner could not help swallowing as he muttered, "Who could withstand that?"

At the same time,

the other five silently turned their gazes toward him...

Thanks to Luo Jiayi, Mang Shamei~, Loli Moe Alliance Leader, and Shixi for the rewards.