Chapter 13

Mister Backstab 

[It’s your turn.]

[Action Points : ■■■■]

The hourglass lit up.

I expected it, but experiencing it directly is even more frustrating.

Mister Backstab, that is.

The moment combat started, Backstab disappeared, and the hourglass automatically activated.

Just like when the Goblin tried to slash my throat right after entering the labyrinth, and when Yernil stepped on a trap.

It means a fatal crisis has approached.

I can’t even see Backstab with my eyes.

“Huuu.”

When I played this as a game, I couldn’t tell because it was in quarter view, but experiencing it first in person feels like this?

‘He’s probably behind me, right?’

What kind of skills would a rogue like Backstab have mastered?

For the past two days, I’ve been simulating combat with him in my head.

First, the skill I’m 100% certain this bastard has is ‘Leap Ambush’.

That technique, the beastman rogue Zikal used.

A skill that transforms into mist and instantly teleports behind the opponent to stab them with a dagger from behind. Backstab probably used that skill, which is why he disappeared from sight now, and why my hourglass activated.

‘I knew he’d use this as his first skill.’

Even in the game, when there’s an archer and wizard on the enemy team, rogues always target the wizard first, and if they’re in range, he uses Leap Ambush first.

That way, he can close the distance with the opponent, get behind them, use only 1 action point, and preserve long-range movement skills like ‘Shadow Leap’.

Of course, he’d use that first.

Besides, this bastard’s name is literally Backstab.

“Lightning Shock.”

[Action Points : ■■■□]

So I had my right hand tucked under my left armpit from the beginning. I positioned the wand to face behind me from the start.

While waiting for the cooldown, I chanted the spell repeatedly.

“Lightning Shock!”

Even with the Goblin, the blade tip lightly grazed my throat, but Fireball was much faster, so I succeeded in blowing the Goblin away.

“Lightning Shock!”

Lightning Shock is an instant skill that’s even faster than that, so your blade won’t be able to cut my throat, and you’ll take four consecutive lightning bolts instead.

“Yernil.”

Then I gave Yernil advance instructions on what to do next.

“When this bastard gets electrocuted and collapses, immediately pour oak barrel water on him!”

Die, you bastard!

“Lightning Shock!”

[All action points have been consumed.]

[Turn ended.]

[The hourglass has been flipped again. Cooldown: 60 seconds]

***

Pung! Peobeobung!

Four Lightning Shock bolts firing behind me.

And the cool sensation of a dagger grazing my nape and the sound of Black Hornet egg shell scraping away.

“Kheuk.”

Mister Backstab was afflicted with the electrocution status ailment and collapsed.

Electrocution doesn’t last long. Even in the game, being incapacitated by electrocution lasted only one turn, and here it’s just a moment. I saw it with the baldy.

But that moment is enough. If your legs give out and you collapse, it’s over.

Chwaaaaak!

Yernil tilted the oak barrel and poured some water out. Over Backstab’s head.

You’re now in ‘Wet’ status. And…

“Ice Spike!”

I quickly chanted a freezing spell on it. But.

“He disappeared!”

Suddenly, Backstab vanished, causing the Ice Spike to hit the ground and shatter.

“Even better! Yernil! How much water is left?”

Backstab disappearing means he used Shadow Leap. He had no choice.

I could see Backstab revealing himself about 20 meters ahead.

Now that bastard has no ambush and no Shadow Leap. I succeeded in removing both teleportation skills.

“Still a lot! Over 80% left!”

“Pour it all forward!”

“Yes!”

Yernil vigorously tilted the oak barrel, turning the wide area ahead into a sea of water, and I aimed the wand at it again.

White frost slowly gathered at the tip of the wand. Ice Spike has a 5-second cooldown like Fireball. Now 2 seconds, 1 second.

Tadatak!

Backstab, who had used up all his leap skills, started running straight at us, but.

“Ice Spike!”

The freezing spell created a massive ice rink between him and us.

“Got it!”

Yernil, who had equipped her bow at some point, shouted.

‘Now, Backstab. What are you going to do?’

Unless you came wearing crampons, it won’t be easy for you to run on this ice rink. If you fall even once, you’ll immediately freeze since you’re in wet status.

‘Probably Careful Steps, or Wall Walking.’

“Ca, Caleb. The back of the egg shell is completely shattered…”

Yernil spoke in a frightened voice from behind.

Earlier, along with Lightning Shock, Backstab’s dagger missed my throat and instead tore up the entire back of the egg shell.

I know too.

Because I can feel the wind blowing in from earlier.

This thing is incredibly sturdy, but seeing it get wrecked in one hit, the damage output is really insane…

Kwang!

Suddenly a magic dagger flew and embedded in my chest.

‘Fuck, that startled me.’

The skill Magic Javelin.

Now the front is wrecked too, not just the back.

But instead of Careful Steps or Wall Walking, he used this.

This was a bad move, Backstab! If I were you, I wouldn’t have used Javelin at that distance.

“Caleb!”

“I’m fine! It didn’t pierce through!”

The customization was amazing. If I had designed a more robust build, the blade tip would have pierced my chest.

But I blocked it this time too!

Chak!

When Backstab flicked his hand, the dagger was summoned back to Mister Backstab’s grasp, and he…

Pat!

Disappeared. If this were a game, [Invisibility] would have appeared as a message.

I expected this.

“Yernil!”

I roared the name of the god-tier emperor Sound Mapping ability user like a spell chant while aiming the wand at the caterpillar.

“Ice Spike!”

“Kkiek!“

I quickly burst the caterpillar, then.

Tadadadak!

I quickly turned my head toward the sound coming from the wall. Wall Walking!

Yernil was already firing an arrow in that direction.

Kaang!

Mister Backstab deflected Yernil’s arrow while his invisibility was dispelled.

Backstab’s hand moved to his waist as he fell from the wall doing a somersault. While lifting his cloak.

To the grenade on his belt.

I was waiting for just that!

‘You won’t be able to throw it.’

I quickly raised the wand to eye level. While closing my left eye.

[It’s your turn. Time remaining: 60 seconds]

[Action Points : ■■]

I flipped the hourglass.

***

Special ability, ‘Killing Momentum’.

In the game, it’s an ability that recovers 2 action points when defeating an enemy.

Now that the game has become reality, it was slightly different. The explanation I saw in my dream was as follows.

[Special Ability]

▶Killing Momentum

-When defeating an enemy, you acquire a temporary hourglass worth 2 action points that lasts for 60 seconds. This hourglass must be activated manually. Also, this special ability can only be used once per battle.

I brought the caterpillar all the way here, sharing bacon with it and desperately keeping it alive just to use this.

Now that I’ve finally activated the temporary hourglass, what’s my posture?

It’s similar to a pistol shooting stance.

I quickly threw away the Ice Spike wand I was holding in my left hand and raised the Lightning Shock wand to eye level. My right arm extended straight forward with my left arm supporting my right wrist.

Head tilted slightly toward my right shoulder, left eye closed.

So that the direction my right eye was looking and the direction the wand was aiming matched exactly.

I aimed at Mister Backstab’s waist in the pistol shooting stance from American TV shows.

‘I must hit it.’

So far, against over a hundred Goblins, the bald slave team, Venomic Spider, and even the explosive oak barrel the dwarf threw.

I’ve put on magic shows with nearly 100% accuracy against countless targets, but this time won’t be easy.

‘The target is a ping pong ball-sized bomb floating 10 meters ahead!’

What’s the method for a 2-person archer and wizard combo to take down a high-level rogue in the game?

First is to control the area using things like ice rinks. To prevent easy approach.

Second is to drain the opponent’s movement skills as much as possible. We already removed both Ambush and Shadow Leap.

And third.

‘Block the bomb at all costs.’

No matter what crazy thing you have to do, absolutely.

Because in higher game difficulties, the moment you take one hit from that, it’s total annihilation.

In the game, the best strategy is to cast crowd control so they can’t even think of throwing it. If that doesn’t work, the middle strategy is to tank it by layering various defensive measures.

The worst strategy is ‘restart game’, so that won’t do.

Unfortunately, we have nothing, so we can’t use either the best or middle strategy. Maybe if defense scrolls had dropped abundantly during our two days of farming.

The already tattered egg shell won’t block the bomb. And Yernil would probably be in a state where even Soul Preservation couldn’t revive her.

In the worst case, I could use the remaining Magic Armor to at least save my life, but the chances of winning would be slim.

‘I absolutely have to intercept it midway!’

Use 1 action point from the temporary hourglass to fine-tune the shooting angle, and use the remaining 1 point to fire Lightning Shock.

The moment the turn ends, the opponent will move too, but Lightning Shock is an instant skill.

Against negative charges flying at 100,000 kilometers per second, Mister Backstab and the bomb are like standing still.

The problem is the angle the wand is aiming!

What if the lightning doesn’t hit the bomb when I chant?

‘I don’t even want to imagine it.’

If I’m lucky, I might incapacitate him with electrocution and stop the immediate bomb throw, but even then, if he takes out another bomb after my hourglass runs out, it’s the same doom.

‘I have to hit it here and end it.’

[It’s your turn. Time remaining: 28 seconds]

[Action Points : ■□]

“Huuuu…”

I feel cold sweat dripping as I fine-tune the wand tip.

This is probably how the protagonist in disaster movies feels when choosing between cutting the red wire or blue wire to defuse a bomb.

Please, please, please.

Master Jin Jong-oh.

Give me strength!

“Lightning Shock.”

***

Kwagwang!

A roar accompanied by erupting flames.

Bomb fragments flew up and fell down thud thud thud.

“Kyaak!“

Yernil screamed in surprise, and I clenched my fist and shouted in excitement.

“Got it!”

Even though I did it myself, I think it’s really amazing.

“Got it!”

The lightning hit the bomb precisely, and Backstab was blown away dozens of meters along with the intense explosion.

When I was in the military, my stamina was bad, but I was an expert marksman, you bastard!

“Yernil!”

“Yes!”

Yernil caught the sound of Backstab falling to the ground with a thud through the explosion’s smoke and flames.

“Over here!”

I quickly took out the Ice Spike wand, and Yernil grabbed my hand and arm to help me aim.

“Ice Spike!”

I chanted the spell.

So far, everything has worked out perfectly, almost miraculously.

Then what about Ice Spike?

Kwaang!

As the smoke cleared, I could see the Ice Spike embedded in the lower abdomen of Backstab, who was staggering on the ground.

“Got it!”

To succeed even with this!

I can see the possibility.

Now this bastard has only a few skills left.

“Kheuk…”

And I could see white frost settling on Backstab’s lower abdomen where the Ice Spike was embedded. He was frozen.

The fourth method to catch a rogue.

‘High damage after crowd control.’

“Yernil!”

I quickly finish the calculation in my head. Now Backstab has used up all his movement skills, and even if he tries to dodge with agility, he has an evasion penalty because he’s frozen.

This has to hit.

“Shoot!”

A deadly poison arrow was fired from Yernil’s bow.