Adam and his team walked with steady steps, his expression neutral as Levi led the way deeper into the forest.
The path they followed was narrow, surrounded by thick trees and uneven terrain.
The air slled of damp leaves and distant moss, yet sothing felt off...
[Frog Eater]: "I knew it! There's a group hiding in the trees. Four... maybe five? I can't tell. It's hard to make a deduction when I'm watching from a livestream."
Adam didn't react outwardly, but internally, he clicked his tongue.
Five people.
That ant Levi wasn't working alone...
He had backup.
It was an ambush!
Why would they need this many people just to ambush supposed "newbies" who had just entered the tower?
Were they individually weak?
That wouldn't make sense...
If they were weak, they wouldn't have the gall to conduct operations like this...
Especially not on the first floor, where there were Stream Hunters who worked for the Governnt.
That ant these Stream Hunters weren't weak, they were just very careful and cautious...
Even so, their sloppiness really showed...
The rustling of leaves, the faint crunch of hurried footsteps... they were trying to be stealthy but failing.
Adam could hear them, which ant any other skilled individual could probably hear them too...
These ambushers really weren't professional... just careless opportunists.
A small tap on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts.
Adam glanced back.
It was Nathaniel.
Nathaniel didn't say anything, but his eyes flicked toward the trees behind them.
It was as though he was warning Adam about sothing.
'He noticed too?'
Among his teammates, Nathaniel probably had the sharpest senses....
Adam made a ntal note of it, re-evaluating his abilities.
If even Nathaniel picked up on their stalkers, then the ambushers were either sloppier than he thought...
Or Nathaniel was just good at observation.
He gave a small nod in response, acknowledging the silent ssage.
Nathaniel didn't press further.
Instead, he kept walking, pretending nothing was wrong.
'I see, Adam already noticed the group that's secretly hiding…'
Nathaniel thought.
'As expected of our team leader.'
Adam glanced towards his other team mates.
Rei and Elara walked behind him, still unsuspecting.
They trusted Levi enough not to think twice about the path they were taking...
'I'll have to teach these two a thing or two about keeping vigilance later...'
Adam silently planned...
If Elara and Rei were to hear his thoughts, they would probably shiver.
Then, Levi's voice broke the silence.
"Well, I think we're far enough now."
He said, stopping in his tracks.
He turned around, his easygoing smile still in place, but his eyes had changed.
No more fake friendliness— only cold calculation!
Adam didn't move.
"Far enough for what?"
Levi chuckled.
"You're sharp, I'll give you that."
He raised a hand, and in an instant, shadows burst from the trees.
Five figures in dark cloaks leaped forward, moving fast.
Adam vaguely felt that there was no killing intent behind their actions...
They weren't trying to kill them!
They were trying to knock them out!
One of the attackers lunged at Rei first, swinging a blunt iron rod straight for his head.
Another rushed Nathaniel, aiming a strike at the back of his neck.
A third closed in on Elara with a cloth soaked in sothing—probably so kind of sleeping agent.
Adam's eyes flickered. He had seen enough.
'They're slow...'
His body moved before the first strike could land.
He stepped forward, twisting his wrist as he activated [Smooth Cut].
His blade flashed, slicing through the air with unnatural sharpness.
The attacker going for Rei barely had ti to register the movent before Adam's sword t his wrist.
A shallow cut just enough to force him back with a hiss of pain.
Nathaniel reacted next.
He spun around, raising his arm just in ti to block a strike aid at his side.
The impact sent a dull shock through his bones, but he grit his teeth and shoved the attacker back.
Elara, quick on her feet, dodged sideways, avoiding the cloth that whipped toward her.
A dagger was already in her grasp, and she slashed at her assailant, forcing the cloaked figure to stumble away.
But the fight didn't stop there.
The enemies pressed forward with coordinated attacks.
Despite their lack of individual skill, their sheer numbers allowed them to overwhelm Adam's team.
Nathaniel parried another strike but failed to react in ti when a second assailant swept his legs out from under him.
He hit the ground with a grunt, rolling just in ti to avoid a dagger aid at his chest.
Rei wasn't faring much better.
He dodged two incoming blows but was soon cornered by three enemies working together.
A well-aid kick sent her sprawling backward.
Elara fought fiercely, her dagger dancing in her hands, but against multiple attackers, even she struggled.
A cloth wrapped around her wrist, yanking her off balance, and a sharp knee slamd into her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs.
Adam clicked his tongue.
Although his teammates were geniuses, talent alone couldn't overco the gap in levels.
Not to ntion, they were also outnumbered.
'Not good... At this rate, we'll lose.'
His grip tightened around his sword.
Then, crimson energy pulsed from his fingertips.
[Body Blood Magic] surged through his veins, strengthening his muscles, hardening his skin.
His movents sharpened even further!
He barely managed to deflect an incoming strike, his sword moving just fast enough to keep up.
Then, the system chid in.
[Temporary Copy has been activated...]
[Due to low level and low rank, skill picking will be randomized...]
Another chi followed.
[Temporary Copy is successful!]
[Temporarily Copied: One Man Army!]
[Reducing One Man Army to its F-tier version...]
[One Man Army has been reduced to Group Fighter.]
[Temporary Copy] : Group Fighter (30 Second Duration)
[Group Fighter] : The more enemies you face, and the stronger they are, all your stats attributes are temporarily increased by 2 each!
'Ah? That was lucky...'
Adam thought, but he didn't have ti to celebrate.
'However, I only have thirty seconds left...'
Without hesitation, he reached into his inventory and pulled out the Goblin War Flute.
The enemies hesitated at the sight of it, confused for a mont.
Then, Adam brought it to his lips, but this ti, he covered two of the flute's holes with his fingers before blowing.
A piercing screech rang out!
The sound was unbearable.
His enemies flinched, their faces contorting in pain.
Even his own teammates grimaced, gripping their heads as the noise rattled through their skulls.
That was right.
The Goblin War Flute had two functions.
Depending on which holes were covered, not only could it drive lesser orcs into a frenzy, but it could also damage people's eardrums with its sheer intensity!
This function wasn't supposed to be discovered for another two years.
But Adam had already known about it due to his experiences!
Normally, he would have suffered the effects too.
However, after hearing the flute over a thousand tis at the hands of Stream Hunters who abused it...
He had developed a counterasure!
Thickened blood covered his ears, dulling the worst of the sound.
The pain was still there, but compared to those who heard it directly? He was fine.
He did not stop blowing the flute.
With it still in his mouth, he dashed forward, activating [Group Fighter].
His stat attributes imdiately increased.
The enemies, still disoriented from the sound, were caught off guard.
Adam moved like quite swiftly due to his improve stats, cutting through their defenses with newfound speed and strength.
'If only I could copy two temporary skills at once...'
Adam thought.
The potential for his ability was limitless...
But first, he needed to survive long enough to level up.
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