Chapter 51: The Assassin Ruby

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Race: Toadman Lv 12-15

Job: Warrior Lv 2-5

Skills: 

• [Sharp Tongue]
• [Spear Mastery] or [Axe Mastery]
• [Agility Enhancement]
• [Aquatic]
• [Night Vision]
• [Mucus]
• [Lightning Weakness]

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Such was the status of the Toadman that had attacked us. In all honesty, they were no different from the Ratmen, and even weaker than the Lizardman fishermen, equipped poorly. Even the village chief, like us, could have easily mowed them down like a farmer harvesting wheat.

However, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Didn’t we defeat more than a hundred of them just now? If they were to be overwhelming in numbers, there was no doubt that the Lizardmen village would be easily crushed.

Although currently, their incursions into their territory were sporadic, if they were to launch a full-scale invasion, the village would collapse. However, If the Lizardmen were to be driven into such a desperate situation, I believe the Dragon Lord Agnasrelim would intervene.

“No matter how you think about it, their numbers are too great.”

This was the sole and most significant achievement of our investigation this time. Understanding why this abnormal growth occurred seemed to hold the answer to all the mysteries.

So, we explained the situation to the village chief, and though he struck me as a cunning fellow, he couldn’t hide his dismay. According to him, while it was true that the Toadmen had higher reproductive capabilities than their kind, having over a hundred warriors was highly unusual and unlikely.

In the Lizardman village, with a total population of about 500, they had around 50 warriors. The estimated total number of Toadmen was said to be around 1000, so if their warrior-to-population ratio was the same as the Lizardmen’s, there should have been around 100 warriors.

However, even after we defeated more than a hundred of them, they still appeared to have plenty of strength left. Most likely, their total numbers had swelled. It became even clearer that the abnormal behavior of the Toadmen was directly related to this situation.

“Our immediate goal should be to head towards the Toadmen’s nest. There must be something there,” 

“I get that, but man, with that many of them, there’s no way we can break through as we are now,” 

And that was the problem. It wasn’t realistic to advance while taking down countless Toadmen. It was evident that someone would inevitably fall, leading to the collapse of our lineup.

The safest approach seemed to be gradually leveling up everyone until they reached around level 30 before attempting the challenge. This way, they would have become significantly stronger through evolution, thus increasing the likelihood of overcoming the Toadmen.

However, the trade-off was that it would take a considerable amount of time. Currently, Iris had the lowest level at 24. How many hundreds of Toadmen would she have to hunt down to raise her level by 6? It seemed like a daunting task, reminiscent of common situations in online games.

“I’ll do it!” 

It was Ruby who spoke up. I see; Ruby was an assassin slime who specialized in stealth and was capable of moving silently even in water. She was the perfect human candidate, or rather, the perfect slime candidate, for the task. However, this plan also had its own set of issues.

“You alone?”

There was no other companion with the ability to hide at the same level as her. Consequently, it was decided that she would have to go on a solo mission. It would seem quite challenging, wouldn’t it? Even if she was discovered, she would probably manage to escape, but it was still undeniably risky.

“Don’t worry! I’m confident in my speed to escape!” Ruby said.

“Well then… Let’s use ourselves as a distraction and engage them in a flashy battle to divert their attention. Is everyone okay with that?” I suggested.

By causing a ruckus with the four of us remaining, we could lessen the burden on Ruby. It would be our best effort to support her, even though we couldn’t join her.

“Sounds good. It’s much better than mindlessly squashing the small fry one by one.” Jigoro said.

“Ruby, take care and don’t push yourself too hard!” Iiris said

“Do your best,” Genjuro added.

It seemed like everyone was on board with the plan. I thought Genjuro might object, but he seemed delighted by his granddaughter’s enthusiasm. Birds of a feather, I guess.

We decided to log out and take a break before setting out. The encounters with the dragon and the successive battles with the Toadmen had taken a toll on our mental stamina. Fortunately, this place was safe, and there was no need to keep a watch. So, we all logged out together.

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I’m back. Oh, looks like I’m the first one here. Well, I guess that happens sometimes.

Now, what should I do in my free time? It’s a bit tricky to decide since it’s not much. Hmm…

Ah, right, I remember now! There were some skills I wanted to acquire when I had spare SP. They are stat-boosting skills: [Intelligence Enhancement], [Spirit Enhancement], [Health Recovery Rate Increase], and [Magic Power Recovery Rate Increase]!

Oh dear, I completely forgot about them. Since we’re going to have consecutive battles, and I have extra SP from the event, I should acquire them right away. The required SP hasn’t changed from before. Alright, let’s do it!

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You have acquired the [Intelligence Enhancement] skill by consuming SP. 

You have acquired the [Spirit Enhancement] skill by consuming SP. 

You have acquired the [Health Recovery Rate Increas] skill by consuming SP. 

You have acquired the [Magic Power Recovery Rate Increase] skill by consuming SP. 

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I had spent 26 SP! Along with [Scythe Mastery], that made it 38 SP used, but I still had plenty left. However, I thought I might need it later, so I decided not to invest anymore for now.

“I’m back.”

“Isam, you’re quick.” 

“Oooh, I’m pumped up!”

“Come on, settle down, will ya?”

Oh, everyone seems to have arrived here. It’s unusual that all four of them arrived almost at the same time, isn’t it?

Anyway, enough about that. It’s time to head to the territory of the Toadman. Well then, let’s go all out and rampage!

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“Gosh~, there are so many of them.”

I am Ruby, the Assassin Slime, specializing in assassination tasks for the monster-only party, ‘Night Parade’. Right now, I was sneaking into the nest of the Toadman, all by myself.

It was surprisingly easy to swim smoothly in the water and sneak in without being noticed. I took down all the Toadman I encountered along the way without raising any alarms, which helped level up my [Assassination] skill. Way to go!

The journey so far had been relatively easy, and I hadn’t raised any alarms…. However, the nest turned out to be much larger than I had expected, and there were more Toadmen than I anticipated. From this point on, I needed to be cautious!

“…”

Silently, I extended my slimy body thinly, crawling along walls, floors, and rooftops, deeper and deeper into the nest. The straw-thatched roofs made me nervous when they creaked, but I managed to avoid detection. Phew, that was a close call!

“Here we are.”

The building I had chosen was the largest of them all. It had to be an essential facility. As I observed from the shadows, the security was just as tight as I had expected.

Not only were there a significant number of guards, but they also appeared much stronger than the Toadman I had encountered before. Their muscular bodies and stern facial expressions made them seem formidable. I guessed they were around level 20, just like us.

One might think it’s impossible to sneak in when there are ten of them surrounding the area, right? But don’t worry! I had a secret plan!

“Liquidation, activate!”

This was a skill that turned my body into a complete liquid form. I obtained this skill when I received the blessing of the “Goddess of Wind and Exploration” Holluse. It was probably a unique skill that only I possessed.

I could only use it once a day in the game, and it wasn’t suitable for combat, but it was undeniably handy as it allowed me to infiltrate almost any place. Besides, the Toadman’s Nest shared a similar geographical layout with the Lizardman’s Village, so the current situation with water everywhere was perfect!

I blended into the water soaked into the ground and successfully approached the house, then managed to slip in through a gap in the earthen wall. It went smoothly!

“Whoa!”

“Geko?”

Oh, that was close! I had infiltrated some sort of hallway, and just as my liquid form was about to wear off, a patrolling Toadman turned the corner! I thought I had been caught!

Quickly, I jumped up and clung to the beam, moving along it. The structure of the house seemed straightforward, and by traveling along the beams, I could peek into any room. Time to explore and see what I could find.

Hmmm, there didn’t seem to be anything that looked like the cause of the mass spawning of Toadmen. There was a treasure room filled with decorative items made from monster materials and a weapons storage that seemed similar, but their contents weren’t all that impressive…

After all, Iris was really good at making accessories. Just the other day, she succeeded in developing an item that increased movement speed when equipped. Compared to Iris’s crafted accessories, the treasures collected by the Toadmen seemed quite disappointing.

“There’s only one place I haven’t investigated yet… Huh? I hear a voice.”

Judging from the structure of the house, the central area must be the last room. As I approached it along the beams, I could hear voices coming from inside. There must be something in there! I made my body thin and slipped inside through a gap in the wall!

“Ugh! What’s that smell?! What is this? The sewers where our hideout is located also stinks, but the smell here is different; this smell is more like… Yes! It’s the smell of chemicals from a science lab! It’s that pungent and rotten egg-like smell!”

“Geroo… Gegogogo…”

Inside the room filled with the pungent odor, I encountered the largest “Toadwoman” I had ever seen. And how did I know it was female? Because it was currently laying eggs!

Ugh, each of these frog eggs is the size of a human head… Ugh! I’m starting to feel sick…

“Gegogo… Gee…”

I endured the discomfort… This female Toadman might be the cause. Every time she made that sound, she was laying these gel-like eggs. It seemed like she laid around ten eggs each time she did it. No wonder they multiply endlessly.

“Can I do it…? No, I’ll do it.”

If this female Toadman was the cause, then defeating her here should clear the quest. I’ll put an end to this!

However, I wasn’t just going on a rampage without reason. I genuinely believed that there was a good chance I could defeat her.

My [Assassination] Skill level was 13. By this point, I had acquired two types of martial techniques. The first one was “Night Raid”, which increased the success rate of surprise attacks during the night, specifically from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM in the game. It was around 7:00 PM now, so the effect was active. I was pretty sure I hadn’t been noticed yet, and I believed success was almost guaranteed.

The second one was “Bone Sever”, which made it easier for cutting attacks with bladed weapons to occur. It wasn’t explicitly stated, but I thought it might make it easier to decapitate and cause instant death. The great thing about this skill was that it worked even outside of surprise attacks, so it was quite useful.

As for my weapons, I had two daggers I obtained from the “Trial of the Azure Moon”. I had Isam appraise their performance, and here are the [Appraisal] results.

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• White Dagger – Quality: God, Rarity: G (God Class)

A white alabaster dagger that purges all monsters. Indestructible. Bound to its owner.

Its true power will surely be unleashed alongside the growth of its owner.

Initial Effects: [Enhanced Cutting Power] Lv3, [Enhanced Damage Against Monsters] Lv3

• Black Dagger – Quality: God, Rarity: G (God Class)

A jet-black dagger that consumes all monsters. Indestructible. Bound to its owner.

Its true power will surely be unleashed alongside the growth of its owner.

Initial Effects: [Agility Enhancement] Lv3, [Transformation]

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At first, I was bewildered. After all, I had two daggers, but their abilities seemed inferior compared to everyone else’s weapons. I even felt disheartened, thinking I was being treated unfairly, but that wasn’t the case. When I reached level 20, the [Transformation] skill was unlocked. That was the secret to these weapons!

“Shape-shift, Chaotic Black and White Blade!”

The black dagger could transform and combine with the white one! When merged, the weapon’s attack power increased, and I could harness both of their abilities. There was a time limit for the fusion, but it was sufficient for my surprise attack!

“Huuh!”

Silently, I descended from the beam behind the Toadman, and with a sweeping motion, I swung the Chaotic Black and White Blade. I could feel the sensation of cutting through its skin, flesh, and bones

Thud…

With a dull sound, the female Toadman’s head fell to the floor. Instant death was a success!

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Race level increased. Gained 1 SP. 

Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.  

The level of [Dagger Mastery] skill has increased.

The level of [Assassination] Skill has increased.

You have obtained the title “Invisible Assassin”.

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Oooh! Yaaay! It’s been a while since I got a title! I wonder what it’s about…

Brzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Huh, what’s that?! When I tried to strip the Toadman’s corpse and escape, eggs came bursting out of the body with tremendous force! I couldn’t tell the exact number, but there must be hundreds… This is no time to celebrate the new title! I need to crush as many of them as I can!

“Gero?”

“Geko-Geko?”

Uh-oh! The disgusting sound just now must have attracted other Toadmen! Even though I stealthily assassinated them all! But they still haven’t discovered I’m the culprit yet. I need to hurry and run! Then I’ll report this to everyone!

I intended to finish this quest on my own, but hidden quests are never that simple! It’s a bit frustrating, but I’ve done what I can!