It was too cramped.
It was like a bus during the holidays, so packed that Shen Ye could barely breathe.
So many fully armed human soldiers-
Had the Undead lost?
"Kill it!"
A soldier barked.
"Wait! I told you, I'm one of you!" Shen Ye abruptly pulled off his faceplate, revealing his human face.
Another soldier raised the saber in his hand and shouted angrily:
"This isn't the first time we've seen a spy who submitted to the Undead!"
Weapons of every kind pressed against Shen Ye.
A spear pressed against his chest, its tip already slipping through a gap in his tattered leather armor and piercing his skin.
Shen Ye's expression remained unchanged as he said in a low voice:
"I'm looking for an Undead commander in hiding."
He drew that human Scout's Short Sword-
Nightfall.
"This short sword of mine has 'Silent Sanctity' on it. I hope you'll make your judgment quickly, then leave this place and stop getting in the way."
Shen Ye spoke gravely.
Several soldiers exchanged looks.
"Sir!"
One soldier turned his head and called out.
Soon, an officer in a full suit of armor entered the secret passage, approached Shen Ye, and glanced at the short sword in his hand.
"There's nothing wrong with this sword. Only a human scout whose soul has not fallen can wield it."
"He's one of ours."
The officer spoke.
The soldiers lowered their weapons, whispering among themselves:
"What the hell? He was one of us all along."
"Yeah, no wonder he didn't fight back just now."
"So young, too. Tsk, I hear being a scout is particularly tough."
Shen Ye looked at the officer, only to find the officer studying him with an inscrutable gaze.
"All right, everyone out, quickly! Keep hunting down the remaining Undead!"
The officer shouted.
The soldiers lingered no longer, jostling their way out of the secret passage.
Only the officer and Shen Ye remained.
"Brother, do you need any other assistance from us?"
The officer placed a hand against his chest, shielding it from others' view, then curled his ring and middle fingers inward, extended his thumb, index finger, and little finger, and quickly made a gesture.
Shen Ye froze.
On Blue Star, that gesture meant "I love you."
Were you people in the Nightmare World this trendy?
No.
This gesture had to have some secret meaning.
Following the officer's gaze, Shen Ye looked down and discovered that he was examining the faceplate in Shen Ye's hand.
Got it.
This faceplate apparently did more than simply conceal a face. It also represented something.
Damn it.
Big Skeleton had screwed me over again.
That troublemaker had handed over some random thing, and it turned out to be a special item.
I'm draining half the water from the fish tank when I get back.
"Go ahead. Don't stand on ceremony."
The officer added this, his gaze returning to Shen Ye's face as he waited for his reply.
Thoughts flashed through Shen Ye's mind, and he said:
"As you can see, I'm in a difficult situation right now. If you have anything that could help, I certainly won't refuse."
The officer seemed to understand what he meant. He pressed his lips together firmly and said loudly:
"I'll leave you an Individual Combat Pack."
He tossed a brown cowhide bag onto the ground.
"Thank you. Please tell me your name. I'll repay you someday," Shen Ye said.
"Roman," the officer said.
"All right, Roman. See you later," Shen Ye said.
"See you later."
Leaving the Individual Combat Pack behind, the officer nodded to him, turned, and walked out of the secret passage.
Suddenly, rapid hoofbeats sounded outside.
"Make way for the Baron!"
Someone shouted.
The next second, several men on Ironclad Warhorses raced over, dismounted, and rushed into the secret passage.
The man in the middle wore a full suit of armor and shouted:
"What happened? Roman, you've lingered here too long. Are you deliberately delaying our operations?"
"Not at all. I encountered one of our scouts in the secret passage," Roman explained.
"A secret passage? A scout?"
The man snorted, strode forward and shoved Roman aside, then scrutinized the scene inside the secret passage.
Piles of white bones filled the passage.
A human scout stood inside, holding a Nightfall short sword.
"Arrest this scout! I suspect he's a spy for the Undead!" the man shouted.
Roman hurriedly said, "Wait! He has a Nightfall Sword. That's-"
"Shut up! Of course I know anyone who can hold a Nightfall Sword hasn't sold his soul, but I want to know what his mission is," the man said.
Shen Ye could no longer stand it and asked:
"I was talking to Roman. Who are you? What gives you the right to ask about my mission?"
The man laughed loudly, then said viciously, "I'm Baron Warren of Southern Eagle Castle. A mere scout like you dares ask my name? Just watch me strip you, give you twenty lashes, then get to the bottom of your little secret."
Shen Ye's heart jolted.
This guy was so brutal. He actually liked playing with whips?
Ah, it was all my fault for being handsome.
No, analyzing it seriously, this guy probably had a feud with Roman, so he'd come to ruin Roman's business.
"Warren? I'll remember you."
Shen Ye flexed his wrist, casually swinging the short sword in his hand as he spoke.
Warren froze, then flew into a rage.
A mere scout dared threaten me?
"Men, get-"
His furious roar had barely begun before it abruptly stopped.
Right before everyone's eyes.
The scout in the secret passage grabbed the Individual Combat Pack, suddenly sank into the ground, and vanished from everyone's sight in an instant.
Gone?
How was that possible?
"Quick, go check!"
Baron Warren and several subordinates drew their weapons and charged straight into the secret passage.
They reached the spot where the scout had stood.
There was nothing there.
A soldier swung his spear and thrust it hard into the ground.
Thud.
The spear sank deep into the earth.
Holding the spear, the soldier gave his hand a slight shake and knew what lay below.
He looked up and said, "My lord Baron, there's solid earth underneath. No traps or secret passages."
"I don't believe it!"
Baron Warren snatched a halberd from one of his men and struck the ground with all his might.
Crash-
With that single blow, countless clods of earth flew up, swirling like a tornado deeper into the secret passage.
There really was nothing underground.
But how had that scout disappeared?
Suddenly, a voice rang out:
"I heard some Assassins concealing their identities have also joined this Battle."
Baron Warren abruptly turned to see Roman standing with his arms folded, speaking as though enjoying a show:
"They're experts at hiding in shadows and carrying out assassinations."
"Warren, you were so brave just now. You actually gave him your name."
Baron Warren's face turned pale.
I knew about that too.
A scout really was nothing much.
But if he was an ace Assassin on a secret mission, and I'd humiliated him in public, what if he came looking for trouble after the Battle ended...
I couldn't spend every day and night on guard.
Damn it.
I'd clearly come for Roman. Why had I provoked someone like that?
No...
Wasn't the battlefield actually the most convenient place to kill someone?
What if he tried to assassinate me in the chaos? What would I do then?
He could vanish right before my eyes...
There was no guarding against an Assassin of that caliber!
Baron Warren's heart clenched. No longer concerned with making trouble for Roman, he shouted:
"Let's go!"
He led his men quickly out of the secret passage, leaped onto his warhorse, and rode off in a flash.
Elsewhere.
The Main World.
Shen Ye tumbled onto the ground with a heap of bone fragments and dust.
"Disperse!"
Without even getting up, he immediately recited it silently.
The Gate in midair vanished at once.
The situation had been critical just now. Without hesitation, he had activated the "Gate" ability on the ground, kicked the Gate open with a little force from his foot, and fallen back through.
Damn it.
Baron Warren, was it? There was something seriously wrong with you. Why come after me for no reason?
I'll remember you.
"Hey, do me a favor and put all this away. These things can't appear in my world."
"All right," Big Skeleton said.
A faint ripple emerged from the Ring.
All the bone fragments and dust were drawn inside.
"Damn you, there's something wrong with that faceplate! Didn't you see that guy making hand gestures at me?"
Shen Ye reproached Big Skeleton.
"You can't blame me! How would I know all the ins and outs of the human army? Besides, you made it back safely, didn't you?" Big Skeleton argued.
"Hmph."
Shen Ye couldn't spare the attention to argue and looked straight into the empty air.
Streaks of faint white light had begun gathering into small words, forming today's trait assessment:
"Assessment trait obtained from this Gate opening:" "One of Us." "Green trait (excellent)."
Shen Ye couldn't help freezing.
Why was it the green trait "One of Us" again?
He looked down and saw more small text appear:
"Evaluation: As an Ordinary Human, the highest-grade entry you can obtain is white. But in circumstances where you could not defeat anyone at all, you used others' strength to resolve your predicament and make it back safely. This is the fundamental reason you were able to obtain this entry as an exception." "Entry effect: omitted." "You may retain this evaluation entry and upgrade it in the future; you may also devour this evaluation entry to obtain Basic Attribute Points." "Attention!" "This is the second time you have obtained this entry as an exception." "Currently activated Special Event:" "If the next evaluation entry you obtain is still the green entry 'One of Us,' you will receive the Special Honor Entry 'An ordinary person who obtained the same evaluation entry as an exception three times in a row.'" "This honor entry will trigger a powerful resonance, summoning a Hidden Ability." "You have one and only one chance to obtain this Hidden Ability." "Please proceed with caution."
(Thank you to Mu Bai Jinyu for the alliance leader donation. I'll post extra updates for you after the novel goes premium. Thank you again!)