Chapter 515: A tense process
(Inside the apartment, Leo’s POV)
From behind the thick concrete pillar at the end of the staircase, Leo remained crouched in absolute stillness, his body still cloaked in invisibility thanks to [Vanish].
Just twenty feet ahead, the two Grandmaster Guards stood completely alert, as they protected the corridor with unwavering focus.
’Should I just try to knock them out cold?’ Leo wondered at first, his mind coming up with strategies to get past them without killing them, but knocking them out did not seem to be the solution either.
Knocking them out would leave blunt force trauma microfractures or faint bruising on the neck—small enough to go unnoticed by the average soldier, but not by the seasoned investigators. Which could be a problem for him down the line if discovered.
’Should I put my trust in [Vanish] and try sneaking past them soundlessly?’
He wondered next, but soon dismissed it as well.
[Vanish] was potent, but not infallible.
If either guard had even a semi-decent perception technique under their belt, his location could be exposed and the entire mission could spiral into chaos.
’I need to distract them without making my presence obvious...’ Leo concluded finally, his eyes narrowing as he slowly turned his head, scanning the area behind him for something, anything, he could use.
That’s when he spotted it.
A mana lamp mounted on the far end of the hallway wall, glowing steadily as it pulled regulated power from the switchboard built into the base of the staircase where Leo was hiding.