Reigns blocked again, but the force made his arm tremble slightly.

However, something changed.

Each time the blade struck, his Callous Hand absorbed the impact, and the strength behind his body forced the assassin to take a step back.

The effect of Reaping and his physical power became clear.

The assassin’s eyes glowed dangerously as he stared at Reigns, trying to assess him.

Just what the hell is up with this guy.

He stepped forward again and moved in to clash directly.

But at that exact moment, two attacks came from the side.

He dodged one, twisting his body sharply, but the other slammed into his legs.

"What!"

He staggered slightly.

There was another one.

He shrieked in frustration and turned his head, only to see Reigns smiling faintly.

Before he could react.

"BLOOOM!"

"SWISH!"

Around them, dozens of Splash Shooters suddenly appeared, forming a wide circle. One after another, they began firing bursts of pressurized shots toward the assassin.

The ground shook as the attacks landed.

The assassin tried to dodge and run, moving through the shadows again, but the number of attacks made it difficult. Every direction was covered, and each step he took was met with another incoming strike.

Reigns did not give him time.He rushed forward, chasing him closely.

The assassin suddenly turned around at the crucial moment and struck, aiming directly for Reigns’ neck.

But to his surprise, Reigns did not defend.

Instead, Reigns let go of his scythe.He stepped in and grabbed the assassin’s blade with one hand and wrist with another.

The blade made a screeching sound as it stuck the palm.

The sudden move shocked the assassin.

Reigns slammed his arm downward with force, causing him to stumble. The assassin reacted quickly and swept his leg in mid-air, trying to break free and regain balance.

But Reigns grabbed him again and activated the Berserker skills that loaded his body with overwhelming strength.

The assassin’s hidden blade extended as he tried to strike at close range.

Then he heard a voice.

"Peak a booo;"

"What!"

Before he could understand, something burst out from behind his shoulder.

A Splash Shooter suddenly emerged from behind him and fired at point-blank range.

The impact struck his face directly.

The force snapped his head violently to the side, and his neck twisted from the blow.

His body staggered.

But there was no notification indicating it’s death

Reigns did not hesitate.

He stepped forward and slammed his foot onto the assassin’s chest, pinning him down. His grip tightened on the assassin’s wrist that held the hidden blade.

Then, with a sharp motion, he turned the weapon around.

The assassin struggled, but it was too late.

Reigns drove the hidden blade straight into his neck and tore it across with force.

Blood spilled out as the body went still.

A notification finally appeared.

[You have killed Lv6]

[You have gained 650 lifespan.]

Reigns stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. His body was tense, and his eyes were still sharp, scanning the surroundings to make sure no other threat remained.

The next moment, the assassin’s body blurred slightly before going still, and a few items dropped onto the ground. There was no time to check them properly.

Reigns turned immediately, his grip tightening as he prepared to go after the remaining archers.

But when he looked ahead, he saw them already retreating.

The two archers had completely abandoned the fight and were running deeper into the forest without looking back while being chased by Arvin who threw something and managed to strike down on.

Reigns took a step forward, intending to chase them, but suddenly his body felt heavy.

The moment the fight ended, the strain hit him all at once.

His legs weakened, and his breathing grew rough. His vision blurred slightly as exhaustion settled in. He clenched his jaw and tried to push forward, but his body did not respond the same way anymore.

He dropped to one knee.

In close range he shouldn’t have a chance but what the assassin didn’t expect was Reigns brute power.

This battle also made him aware of his shortcomings.

Rolling down,he grimaced with a pained smile.

"It seems I can only use Berserker twice.Thrice might get me killed."

If only he had leveled up again, he would have recovered some stamina.

Taking a deep breath, he forced his voice out.

"What about Lira!"

Arvin turned toward him and spoke, his voice calmer now but still serious.

"She had been revived, however..." He stepped aside slowly.

Reigns followed his gaze.

He saw Mira sitting beside Lira. Mira’s face was pale, and her hands were trembling slightly as she tried to say something but could not find the words.

Lira sat there quietly. Her expression was shaken, and her eyes were unfocused for a moment.

Reigns looked at her and understood.

For a support role, this was their greatest weakness. Their usefulness in battle was clear, but without proper self-protection, they were always at risk.

He walked closer, even though his steps were still heavy.

"It’s okay Lira. You don’t need to take it to heart. You can buy skills or some protective measures."

Lira looked up slowly.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Then Ren stepped forward, his voice softer than usual."You reacted fast. That was not your fault."

Kellar scratched the back of his head and spoke in a more awkward tone."Yeah... next time we just smash them before they even get close."

Mira took a small breath and nodded slightly.

"We will be more careful. We will cover you better."

Arvin crossed his arms and gave a firm nod.

"We need to adjust and move forward. That is all."

Lira blinked a few times, then gave a small nod.

"Okay..."

Her voice was quiet, but it was steadier now.

After that, the group moved to collect the loot.

Reigns walked back to where the assassin had fallen. As he checked the drops, his expression changed slightly.

To his surprise, they had dropped some skills.

First, there were some pieces of equipment, and the assassin had even dropped skill items.

Swift Cloak (Tier 0): Physical Defense +9, All Elemental Resistance +5. Speed +15%.

Shadow Guise (Tier 1): Enter a stealth state lasting 5 seconds; launching an attack will reveal you. The stealth-breaking strike increases Attack Power by 50%. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

Seeing this, Reigns did not hold back.

He immediately absorbed the skill.

The skill book glowed faintly in his hand and then disappeared.

"What... How did you do it?" Kellar’s sharp voice suddenly rang out, startling Reigns.

Reigns looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean how?"

Kellar frowned slightly as he pointed at where the book had been."I mean it should be an assassin skill, so there should be class restrictions, and only classes having compatibility with it can absorb it, so how did you?"

Reigns paused for a moment.

He had not expected that.

’I shouldn’t have done that before them.’

He let out a small breath and spoke calmly.

"It might be because of my class or Tier. You see I am quite anomaly. Even with farming class I have fighting talent."

Kellar opened his mouth slightly but then closed it again.

"That..."

He did not know how to respond.

"Enough. Let’s talk about other." Arvin spoke, cutting the topic short. He pointed toward the remaining loot from the two archers along with some miscellaneous items.

"I don’t need them." Reigns shook his head.

The group discussed briefly.

In the end, it was decided that most of the loot would go to Reigns, and Lira would receive extra compensation in the form of cores and other materials.

"The sun is setting down. We should camp." Arvin said as he looked at the sky.

The group agreed.

.......

They moved to a safer spot and began preparing for the night. A small fire was lit, and they started setting up their camp while preparing food.

The atmosphere slowly calmed again.

The night proved uneven and with Reigns splash shooter guarding the fray,everyone had a proper sleep.

The next day,they woke up early and started preparing for the hunt.

But before they could finish preparing a loud howling sound echoed across the forest.

Then came more sounds of screams and shrieks.

Reigns suddenly froze.

His expression changed as he activated his Inspect skill.

His eyes widened.

"DAMNNN!"

"WHAT HAPPENED!" Kellar shouted, instantly standing up and grabbing his shield.

Reigns looked around slowly, his voice turning low.

"Which idiot stirred the hornet nest."