This was Bloodclaw's strongest squad. The original team consisted of eight members, but for this mission, two powerful reinforcements had been added—Longbow Stalker Carlos, a skilled archer, and Krozzos, a level 6 fire-element mage.
By the time a mage reached level 6, they were already among the elite—within the top ten percent. Most mercenary groups either couldn't afford a mage at all or, at best, could only hire magic apprentice (levels 1 to 3). It was rare for a mercenary group to employ a mid-level mage (levels 4 to 6), let alone someone like Krozzos, who had been stuck at level 6 for years now, constantly striving to break into the high-level tier (levels 7 to 9).
Just days earlier, several smaller mercenary squads, upon hearing that Bloodclaw had deployed a level 6 mage, had turned tail and abandoned the mission altogether.
Now, however, Krozzos—who had remained calm and composed the past few days—twitched as the burn scar on the left side of his face spasmed slightly. For the first time, a serious expression crossed his face.
"That gray-robed mage has no combat experience at all. Judging from how she reacted to the first fire lizard earlier, even a magic apprentice would've done better."
Another mage in the squad, a 3 level wind mage, had gone pale. "But, sir… the wind magic she just used—that was mid-level. And it was instant-cast."
Krozzos let out a cold snort. "Exactly why I think she's bluffing. With her age, a high-level mage? Ha! Ridiculous."
A nearby assassin, who had just returned from scouting at close range, hesitated before speaking. "Sir, is it possible that… she's an omni-mage?"
"Idiot! The rest of the world might not know, but we sure do. That omni-mage born over a decade ago was a boy!" Krozzos spat angrily on the ground. Scanning the pale faces around him, he declared firmly, "Don't forget—aside from omni-mages, there's one other kind of person who can cast high-level spells beyond their current tier. That's a direct descendant of a magical noble family, out on their first solo training mission."
At this reminder, realization dawned on the others.
Of course! Those mage families, with their generations of wealth and resources, were known for showering their young heirs with rare magical artifacts. Especially when sending them out alone for the first time—they'd be loaded with powerful items. Like high-level spell scrolls.
The wind mage's eyes lit up. "Right! A mid-level mage can use a high-level scroll."
Krozzos sneered, "Exactly. Which means this idiot is just trying to show off in front of those three handsome pretty boys. Hmph. Wasting a precious scroll like that—utterly shameful. We've got nothing to worry about now. With a personality like hers, I bet she's only got a few scrolls left."
As Krozzos wrapped up his analysis, Carlos shook his head slightly. As a high-level archer and one of Bloodclaw's vice commanders, he was powerful, cautious, and thorough in his thinking. The moment he shook his head, everyone fell silent. Even Krozzos grudgingly held his tongue.
"If she's willing to burn through magic scrolls so casually, there's another possibility—she might have a lot more where that came from. So we can't afford to let our guard down. That said, Krozzos is right about one thing—she clearly has no combat sense at all. She didn't even cast any protective spells on her team. Which means…"
He trailed off with a sinister grin.
The rest of the team caught on immediately. They breathed a collective sigh of relief and broke into knowing smiles.
In the middle of the team, Ava was still riding the high of having just one-shotted the mother fire lizard. Looks like this game's pretty easy. Since she started, she hadn't run into a single enemy who could put up a fight. Every one of them got obliterated on contact. Heh.
Up front, Lorne was silently leading the way. He didn't dare chat with her as casually as before.
At the back of the team, Lucien felt an odd sense of unease. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was following them. That strange sensation had started last night—and what disturbed him most was the hunch that whatever it was… was targeting him specifically.
Ahead loomed the tunnel—well-known as the easiest place to fall into an ambush. In the past, their mage would always cast defensive spells before they entered any such spot. But now, even though they were almost at the entrance, Ava still hadn't made a move.
Lorne hesitated at the tunnel's mouth, unsure whether the powerful mage simply disdained defensive spells… or had forgotten altogether. Either way, he didn't dare bring it up.
Lucien might've said something—but his mind was elsewhere, distracted by the stalker he suspected was on his tail. Kyle, like Ava, was a complete newbie and didn't have a clue what was going on.
And so the four of them, clueless and unprepared, stepped blindly into the trap Bloodclaw had meticulously laid for them.
As Lorne hesitated at the tunnel entrance, Carlos and the rest of his squad held their breath.
If that airheaded mage cast even a single high-level protection spell on the group, the fight would be over before it began—they'd have no choice but to run for their lives.
Luckily, the entire party turned out to be total rookies—not one of them even thought about defense spells!
Relief washed over the faces of every Bloodclaw member. Smiles crept across their faces, unable to hide their satisfaction.
The tunnel ahead stretched for about a kilometer—a wide mountain cave with a narrow, easily overlooked entrance. Once Ava's team entered, their pace immediately slowed.