Chapter 33: Encirclement

The city of Vulsini was in total chaos, and the Black Mountain Army took advantage of the turmoil to advance. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind it all, Robin, was relieving himself beside a piece of machinery...

"Tell me, is this really working?" Genis asked, turning her back shyly, not daring to look at Robin.

"Why do you think we haven't encountered a single enemy in the last two hours?" Robin replied, his voice raspy.

Two hours had passed since Robin had impaled himself, perfectly synchronized with the protests raging above. Throughout this time, Robin had been relying on the nearly derelict machinery within the tunnels to track the enemies' positions. In truth, even knowing where the enemies were, if they had simply run normally, they would have been captured three times over by now. Robin’s strategy was clever: he navigated in repeating loops, treating this vast underground complex like a giant labyrinth. With the system map providing a god's-eye view, the group didn't have to sprint continuously; they just needed to maneuver skillfully, which was how Matthew and the others managed to keep going. Robin had experimented with leaving trails of blood and urine, and the enemy was being led by the nose, following the scents Robin left behind.

The first time Robin had relieved himself, Genis had turned away in embarrassment, while Jennifer had covered her eyes, peeking through a sliver between her fingers. By now, Jennifer had developed her own verdict on Robin. She had once thought Vincent was invincible, but she had never imagined there was a prodigy like Robin, who could handle two of Vincent's caliber! Even in this perilous situation, Jennifer couldn't help but let her imagination wander, wondering how heroic Robin might be in bed.

"Phew, everyone, stay sharp. Our people will definitely find a way to reach us," Matthew said, exhaling in relief. "We’ve been truly lucky not to have run into any enemies from start to finish."

Although Robin's strategy was effective, to Matthew, it felt like nothing more than a gamble. As they wandered blindly, they could have run into the enemy at any moment. They had to remember, the enemy's numbers were far greater than theirs.

"Yeah."

Robin’s complexion was pale, looking quite sickly. For the past two hours, he had mostly been relying on the magic power provided by a magic crystal. While the crystal was embedded in his body, he still had to travel, monitor the map, and meditate... Throughout the journey, while others walked normally, Robin had to be supported by Jennifer just to move. Even though the wound had been treated, it would seep blood if he walked too long, and the pain was excruciating. Twenty minutes ago, the crystal’s magic had been exhausted and it had fallen out of his body; Genis had patched up the wound once more. Without the crystal's aid, Robin was forced to rely on his own reserves.

He entered a meditative state again, opening the system map. The nearly defunct machines reported the enemies' positions.

Looking at their current locations and movements, Robin frowned. At first, they had been tracking normally, but now they had locked onto the general vicinity of Robin and his group and were beginning a closing encirclement. This was not a good sign. Clearly, they had realized that they couldn't track Robin down using their initial methods, so they had shifted tactics once they realized the prey had vanished. This method of closing the net would inevitably corner them.

Robin decisively looked at the other group members. Aside from those with him, the rest were still above ground, and judging by their positions, they were all on the streets. Although the system acted like a full-map reveal, it lacked a communication function; Robin couldn't command those people or make contact with them. Facing this situation, Robin had no great solutions. Going up meant certain death; staying below was a slow death.

Robin cursed inwardly. After two hours of struggling, was there still no way to escape? No, he had given the Grand Duke’s men two hours—they should find a way to help. They should... as long as they still deemed them valuable, they wouldn't do nothing.

It seemed he would have to take a gamble.

When Robin opened his eyes again, he forced a smile onto his face. At a time like this, he couldn't let his teammates see the problem; he had to give them hope. If he told them of the impending crisis, their morale might collapse. Knowing Matthew's temperament, he would likely insist that Genis and he split up to draw the enemy away and create an opportunity for Robin. Robin couldn't guarantee that Matthew wouldn't use some form of mental control on him. He hadn't gone back to save Genis just to drag them both to their deaths.

If he failed... Robin steeled himself. There was no such thing as failure!

"Let's move."

Robin exited his meditative state and continued to lead the group. Jennifer walked beside him, supporting him affectionately. As a nurse, helping patients walk was part of her daily work, though this was the first time she had done it for so long. Although Matthew was the team leader and the local expert on Vulsini, having more knowledge of the underground space, Robin had led them through without incident, and the group had tacitly accepted him as their new leader.

Matthew noticed with keen perception that Robin seemed even more cautious than before. Robin carried two guns—one with a six-round capacity and the other with twelve—both pistols. Given the desperate situation earlier, there hadn't been time to bring the rifles. According to the intelligence from his "Rifle Sister," it had already been seized by the army; it was compromised.

"Leader, how is your stamina recovering?" Robin asked Matthew as they walked. Even with help, every step sent waves of pain through his wound. He realized that his mental focus and magic consumption were accelerating under these conditions; to use the "Heart of the Machine" to boost his shooting, he would likely need triple the magic power. It was like reading or working when healthy—focusing wasn't difficult—but when ill, it was incredibly hard to concentrate.

"A bit better, but I can't run for long like we did at the start," Matthew replied helplessly. Endurance was his weak point.

"I see." Robin nodded, then suddenly said to the others, "Prepare for combat."

"Huh?" Matthew froze, instinctively drawing his pistol.

"There's no one here!" Genis said, confused, though she readied her throwing knives. There was no helping it; she had come down too hastily and didn't have a gun.

"Not far now," Robin said in a low voice. "Stay against the wall."

The two exchanged glances. Was this the ability of a master marksman? Or one of Robin's transcendent traits? Had he been able to see them all along because he possessed far-sighted vision?

"Should we retreat?" Matthew asked. That had been their strategy all along.

"No, our luck has run out. There are people behind us, too. There are no more side paths to take; we have to finish this quickly and break through!" Robin declared.

Matthew’s expression turned grim. We're surrounded? Damn it, was there no better way—a way that didn't require Robin to take such risks?