Alex carefully observed the five men standing before him. None of them appeared particularly nervous, and their positioning made it clear that they were prepared for the situation to turn violent at any moment. They hadn't drawn their weapons, but that didn't make them any less dangerous.
Aurora floated beside him, her expression more serious than usual.
"That leader is an A-Rank." she quietly informed him. "And a fairly strong one at that. You won't be able to defeat him."
Alex's expression remained unchanged, though his heart sank slightly at her assessment. He had already sensed the difference in their strength, and Aurora's words only confirmed his suspicions.
The leader was far beyond what Alex could handle alone. The other four, however, seemed to be around his level. Even so, fighting them while protecting Sherry and the expedition team members would be difficult.
Still, the leader alone was enough to make the situation troublesome.
'A fight is inevitable.'
Alex had no intention of handing over the cube. It was the very object the System had assigned him to retrieve, and he still had no idea what the so-called Key of ??? actually was. Giving it up without understanding its significance was out of the question.
Besides, he had little reason to believe these people would let them leave even if he surrendered the treasure. They had already intercepted the expedition team and waited for him, and there was no guarantee the leader would keep his word once he got what he wanted.
Alex had no intention of betting everyone's lives on that promise.
Fortunately, he had already begun putting a plan into motion. He only needed a little more time.
For now, he decided to play along and see what he could learn. If he could keep the leader talking while the others were distracted, he might find an opportunity to turn the situation in his favor.
Alex lifted his gaze to the man and spoke in an even tone.
"Before we go any further, I'd like to know who you are and why you're so interested in something we found inside these ruins."
The leader listened without showing any particular displeasure. He seemed willing to exchange a few words, but that was clearly the extent of his patience.
"Who I am and what we want aren't things you can learn simply by asking." he replied calmly. "And trust me, the less you know, the better off you'll be."
His expression gradually hardened as he fixed his gaze on Alex.
"Now, I'll ask you one last time. Hand over the treasure."
Alex glanced over his shoulder. Sherry stood close behind him, her face pale with worry. The other expedition members were no better, their nervous expressions making it clear that they understood how dangerous the situation had become.
None of them was in any position to fight their way through five armed opponents, especially with an A-Rank leading them.
Alex turned back to the strangers and casually reached into his inventory.
A large scythe appeared in his hand, its dark blade gleaming faintly beneath the dim light of the ruins. He rested it against his shoulder before gesturing toward the weapon with a slight tilt of his head.
"Are you talking about this?"
The leader's expression darkened instantly.
"You little—!"
His restraint finally snapped. The four men behind him shifted into action, their attention sharpening as they prepared to attack. The tense atmosphere grew heavier in an instant, and several expedition members instinctively stepped back.
But before anyone could make a move, one of the men suddenly froze. He frantically checked his fingers, his expression changing from confusion to alarm.
"Wait! Where's my storage ring?"
His voice was loud enough to draw everyone's attention. He hurriedly searched his pockets, as though the ring might somehow reappear if he looked hard enough. When he found nothing, his face turned pale.
'Good. It worked.' Alex's lips curled into a faint smile.
Now that their attention had shifted, Alex finally had the opening he needed. He immediately cast
Alex had no intention of fighting five opponents head-on, especially with an A-Rank leading them. His goal was to create an opening and escape with everyone intact.
The first step was to blind and weaken them. As the dense black fog of
The next instant, a violent surge of flames erupted from within the mist. A fiery tornado twisted upward, its scorching winds tearing through the dense black fog and burning away a significant portion of it. The sudden blaze illuminated the ruined gate, revealing the silhouettes of the men caught inside.
The leader emerged from the thinning mist, his gaze fixed on Alex. Surprise and suspicion flickered across his face.
"How did you manage to steal our rings without anyone noticing?"
Alex understood what the man was asking, but he had no intention of answering.
He knew perfectly well that he couldn't defeat the leader in a direct confrontation. His only chance was to weaken the group enough to create an opening, then escape before the leader could stop him.
Rather than answer, he raised his hand and began casting another spell,
The spell took effect almost instantly.
A golden bell phantom materialized above the leader, its translucent surface shimmering as it released a faint, resonant hum. The mental attack struck the bell and dispersed, leaving the man standing unharmed.
The other four weren't so fortunate. Their movements faltered as the spell invaded their minds.
One clutched his head and stumbled, his expression twisting with fear. Another staggered backward, his eyes losing focus, while a third began muttering incoherently. The fourth reacted more violently, turning on his companions as though he mistook them for enemies.
The leader watched the chaos unfold and let out a quiet sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had kept his protective magic artifact on his person rather than storing it in his storage ring. The artifact could protect its wearer against physical, magical, and even mental attacks. Without its protection, he might have suffered the same fate as his companions.
His gaze returned to Alex, growing considerably more serious.
This boy was far more troublesome than he had expected.
The leader's confusion was understandable. After all, Alex had managed to steal their storage rings without anyone noticing, doing it right under their noses.
The trick was his C-Rank active skill, Swap.
As the name suggested, the skill allowed him to exchange the positions of two equivalent objects within a range of ten metres. Its usefulness came with limitations: the objects had to be equivalent, and the exchange placed considerable strain on his mental strength.
That last limitation was why Alex had prepared in advance.
Spatial storage artifacts came in various forms, including pouches, bags, bracelets, and necklaces. However, rings were by far the most common choice for mid to high-end artifacts.
Alex had taken advantage of this and purchased several plain, shapeless base rings that could adjust to fit different sizes.
With those prepared beforehand, he could exchange an opponent's storage ring for one of his own without raising suspicion.
The opponent would be left wearing an ordinary ring that felt almost identical to the original, while the stolen storage ring would appear where Alex had positioned its replacement. He could then collect it and store it in his system inventory.
That was exactly what he had done to the five intruders.
Their storage rings contained weapons, equipment, potions, and other life-saving items. Losing access to all that could reduce one's overall combat strength by roughly ten to twenty percent, depending on their equipment and fighting style.
It might not sound like much, but against opponents of similar strength, even a small disadvantage could determine the outcome of a battle.
Of course, the skill wasn't easy to use repeatedly. Swapping multiple objects in quick succession had placed considerable strain on Alex's mental strength, which was why he had needed to keep the leader occupied in conversation.
One of the potions he had drunk earlier was a mental energy recovery potion. Without it, he might not have been able to execute the plan while retaining enough mental energy to cast his spells quickly and smoothly.
Even so, he couldn't afford to waste any more time. The leader's artifact had blocked
He had already gained the opening he wanted. Now he needed to make the most of it.
Alex shifted his attention to the only opponent who remained unaffected.
The leader stood amidst the chaos, his golden bell phantom hovering protectively around him. While his four companions stumbled through the black mist, attacking anything they perceived as a threat, he remained composed. His gaze soon settled on Alex, sharp and watchful.
Alex's battle intent surged as he began bombarding the leader with spells, eager to test just how strong an A-Rank really was and how wide the gap between them actually was.
He wasn't fighting recklessly, nor was he under the illusion that he could defeat an A-Rank with spells alone.
More importantly, he couldn't afford to retreat alone. If he wanted to get everyone out safely, he needed to find a way past the leader.
'Still, it's not like I'm going in empty-handed.'
He had been stuffed with all sorts of good things by three S-Ranks. He had no intention of using them here, but if things went south, he still had plenty of options left to explore.