Path of Spirit (Disgardium Book #6): LitRPG Series by Dan Sugralinov (best free e reader .txt) 📗

a target. I launched my strikes directly ahead because I’d taken wounds to the chest and stomach, but I hit nothing. I threw my shield forward, but it came back without hitting anyone.

The weapon that cut into my body was invisible too. With no hint of what was hurting me, I decided to escape the battle and activated Flight. But as soon as I started to ascend, the attacks stopped. My health hovered in the orange zone.

Below me, a figure slowly appeared, shrouded in black cloth armor like the kind assassins usually used. The man knelt down, took off the mask covering his face, bowed his head and put his hands up.

“Hiros begs forgiveness for this audacious demonstration, Scyth-san. Hiros asks for understanding and mercy.”

What a careless moron I was! Why didn’t I have an escape plan? What were my friends for? I didn’t have Immortality any more! Dis maintained balance; if a fish in their pond got out of control, they could always throw in bigger fish… I mentally upbraided myself and ground my teeth as I looked at the man, frozen in a pose of submission. My emotions boiled inside. Belated fear mixed with panic, anger that I’d been caught unawares, shock at how easily Hiros had nearly killed me, even though he was below me by…

Hiros, human, level 342 Ninja

 

Over 200 levels! How had he survived Reflection? How had he taken so much health from me so easily? What about the penalties?

I saw no clan information — either he was solo, or it was just hidden. Curiosity overcame anger and fear. The situation was in hand, but I had to keep my distance from that ninja. I flew away a little, cleared my throat just in case I squeaked in embarrassment, then got ready to teleport away just in case, and answered shortly:

“What’s going on?”

“Hiros will explain his impudence.” The ninja rose and approached, continuing to speak without raising his eyes. “Hiros needed to confirm that you were the right man. That you are Scyth-san and not a fraud. Hiros had to be certain. Hiros is certain.”

“I could have killed you!” I said, unable to resist bluffing.

“With the greatest respect, Scyth-san could not kill Hiros. Hiros is special, like Scyth. The fifth letter of the alphabet speaks of Hiros.”

The fifth? So he was an E-class Threat. Strong. His potential was only one level lower than Crag’s.

“What’s special about you?”

“Hiros has shown.” He gestured to the holes in my armor. “A temporary escape to another dimension, with complete immateriality. Then Hiros’s attacks cannot be reflected, they ignore all defensive skills, all level penalties, armor stats. None are invulnerable to Hiros. Scyth-san now knows it.”

“Uh-huh…” I bit back a mention of the Nether. “I know it. What is it you want, Hiros… san?”

“Protection. Scyth-san knows very well what threatens those like us. Hiros is tired of always hiding. Hiros knows that if Scyth-san managed to survive even after the whole world learned his name, then that means Hiros must be by Scyth-san’s side.”

“Are you in a clan?”

Hiros looked at me blank-faced and shook his head.

“Sorry, dumb question. But I need to know — have you been in a clan before? How long have you had the fifth letter of the alphabet? Who else knows? Who are you afraid of?”

“Hiros will tell his story…”

He turned out to be a young man, twenty years old. Unlike me, he was lucky — he got his ability only after he left the sandbox. It had happened over two years ago, back when I was just waiting for my fourteenth birthday so I could start playing.

Hiros had planned to level up his craft, but once he got the ninja class, he changed his plans and focused on combat skills.

“The Mercenary Guild pays good money,” he explained.

But he never did join the guild. His class of invisible assassin allowed him to explore even top-tier dungeons alone. It was in one of those, in a hidden cache, where he found Astral Fury, a skill with the effects I’d already experienced. Hiros didn’t go into great detail. With that skill, he could not only loot dungeons on his own, he could clear them too. The hour-long cooldown for his thirty-second skill meant it took a long time, but it was always effective. Thanks to his total invulnerability for that half a minute, Hiros leveled up this skill with daggers and crossbows to rank three. And it was the nature of this skill that prevented Reflection from dealing him any damage.

After hearing his story, I paused to think. If I could be sure of his honesty, there would have been no question — no clan would refuse a damage dealer with such power. He’d make my team lethal beyond measure. But taking in strays was too risky.

My fears fought with an idea that had been rattling around in my head a while — to unite the Threats. The Preventers had the Alliance? Fine. We’d call ourselves the Union. The Union of Outstanding Threats! Pursued prey who once hid from all — together, we would be the hunters!

“Are you looking for work in Dis only?” I asked, still doubtful.

“Yes, but…” The ninja hesitated. “Hiros’s former friends suspect something. Hiros began alongside them and completed quests with them. It was hard to explain why Hiros began to play solo. When the man meets with them in real life, friends ask as if in jest whether Hiros has become a Threat. And those jokes become more and more serious. The man was foolish, showed off a new flyer. The man moved to a better home, more expensive, and this did not go unnoticed. The man invited an ex-girlfriend there and she told others.”

We were both silent for some time. He was waiting for an answer while I stood, thinking. I couldn’t