Chapter 128 : Ambush (3)
Ambush (3)
The sound of footsteps by her ear gradually became clearer. A few seconds later, a swordsman player, whose face was also pixelated, cautiously poked his head out from around the corridor corner.
Bang!
The moment he revealed himself, Cecilia pulled the trigger of her flintlock pistol without the slightest hesitation.
Before the swordsman player could react, a blinding flash of silver rapidly expanded in his eyes, and in an instant, it was right in front of him!
-1474!
The next second, a crimson critical number floated high above as the swordsman player felt as if a speeding train had slammed into his face. The tremendous force hurled him through the air, and his vision went black as he was completely knocked out.
Seeing that she had killed another, Cecilia couldn't spare a moment for celebration. She quickly stepped back a few paces and reloaded a Blood-Infused Silver Bullet.
Throughout this process, her eyes never left the front. Her keen hearing told her that at this moment, five or six assassins using Stealth were rushing toward her from both sides of the corridor.
These assassin players were not weak at all; their levels were only two or three below hers at most, all around level 14 or 15—definitely among the elite of national server players.
Previously, Cecilia wouldn't have been so cautious. As long as she was equipped with the Rose Maid set, her Physical and Magic defense would both exceed 800 points, rendering these people utterly unable to break through her defenses.
However, that would be far too unfair.
This time, Cecilia wanted to test whether she could wipe out all twenty-plus plotting players without relying on equipment suppression—aside from her weapon, she was basically fighting as if naked.
At this moment, her base HP was a little over 1200, and both defenses a bit over 60. Should she become surrounded, she wouldn't be able to withstand the high burst damage from the assassins; with each unleashing a chained skill combo, it would take less than two rounds for her to be instantly killed.
Masters exchanged blows with every move aiming to kill. These intruders were no ordinary people, and she had to be extra careful.
In Kaloran's Portal, while assassins could learn Stealth at level 5 to enter an invisible state, the skill's level determined how much of a threat they posed in combat.
Novice assassins, though able to turn invisible, could only sustain it for three to five seconds. Moreover, during Stealth, footsteps and breathing could not be masked. Even if they got close, detection was easy, and thus they often lost the initiative to ambush.
However, several of these assassins had already mastered the art of silencing their footsteps—clearly, their Stealth skill was leveled unusually high, and they had likely undergone relevant training in real life as well.
If not for Cecilia's keen hearing, which barely picked up their breathing and the faint sound of the wind as they moved, she likely wouldn't have been able to detect assassins closing in nearby.
Knowing that the enemy was about to strike, Cecilia was never one to sit and wait for death. She sidestepped back a few paces, pressing her back firmly against the wall to prevent anyone from attacking from behind. She set down her now reloaded flintlock pistol, making no defensive posture, simply standing there quietly.
Most assassins, after entering Stealth, wouldn't rush to attack but would patiently observe for a while. This tactic not only placed immense psychological pressure on their target but also allowed them to wait for a lapse in vigilance before moving into the enemy's blind spot. Then they would unleash Ambush, backstab, and Penetrate in a deadly combo.
These assassins who had arrived, following the screams and gunshot, were no exception. Having seen what happened to several of their comrades already, they did not immediately launch a surprise attack against Cecilia. Instead, they spread out in a semi-encirclement along both sides of the corridor, holding their breath as they observed the silver-haired girl just a few meters away.
First and foremost, what attracted them most about Cecilia was naturally the weapon she gripped in her right hand—an old-fashioned flintlock pistol with a silver bayonet mounted beneath the barrel. The craftsmanship was exquisite, as delicate as a work of art, making one wonder: was this a dagger, or a gun?
Besides, Cecilia's attitude at this moment was equally puzzling. She looked neither left nor right, nor showed any tension, which indicated she was not the least bit flustered. Back against the wall, she stood at rest, hands relaxed and full of openings everywhere.
Ordinarily, this would be the best opportunity to attack. Yet the lead assassin hesitated, frowning in silence.
With Stealth about to expire, after five seconds someone finally lost patience and tentatively took a step forward.
It was meant to be an insignificant move, but, unexpectedly—it was at that exact moment that Cecilia fired.
Bang!
No one could even clearly see her raise and aim. The silver projectile shot out from the barrel in a split second. At such close range, even if anyone reacted, the body had no time to dodge. The assassin's forehead was pierced straight through; only after the corpse thudded to the ground did the bright red critical damage number slowly rise over his head.
-1291!
"Attack!"
A second later, the lead assassin growled in anger, raising his dagger and leaping over his fallen comrade's corpse, lunging at Cecilia from several meters away.
He had initially held deep fear toward Cecilia, knowing that this seemingly frail girl was actually a monster who devoured people without spitting out the bones. That was why he had hesitated to order an attack. But his teammate's sudden death stoked his rage, prompting a reckless assault.
However, he was not a fool. He had already noticed from the intervals between each gunshot that Cecilia's flintlock pistol was not automatic; between shots, there were likely several seconds of reloading.
Which meant, after firing once, she could not use the pistol to fire a second shot for the next few seconds.
With the leader's signal, the other four assassins immediately swarmed her. At the crucial moment, not a single one dropped the ball. Some among them feared Cecilia, but quite a few were eager to prove themselves and desperately wanted to claim the legendary assassin's first-kill.
Taking down Cecilia would be as prestigious as being the first-kill of a world-class boss.
As all five elite assassins disengaged Stealth, Cecilia stopped standing still. She forcefully stomped the wall behind her with her right foot—the stillness of her stance giving way to explosive action. Her table knife traced a silver arc through the air, carrying a lethal edge as she seemed to dance straight into the encircling attackers.