NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The Flaw
"... Are we good?" Ezra asked after laying out the plan.
Seraphina nodded, while Selene hesitated before finally agreeing with a nod.
"Now, drop me," Ezra said gravely, as the helmet of his armor enclosed around his face.
Under Selene's control, two tendrils of green vine slithered forward, wrapping themselves around each of Ezra's legs. They lifted him gently, lowering him slowly toward the ground, like a fishing line lowering bait into the sea.
Ezra activated [Stasis]. He remained perfectly still throughout the descent until he reached the ground. Once there, he instantly lay flat and reactivated [Stasis], which had deactivated the moment he moved.
The earth-brown color of the armor camouflaged with the soil.
Seeing that the Forest Mantis hadn't noticed him, Ezra began to crawl forward, moving slowly and steadily on his belly like a snake. He focused intently on maintaining absolute silence. Any sudden movement could create noise and alert the massive insect.
He inched toward the tree, just a few meters from his position.
Ezra paused periodically to activate [Stasis], playing dead while carefully observing the Forest Mantis through the eyes of his spirit body.
'I can't rush! I can't rush! Impatience will only lead me to my death.'
That was the mantra Ezra kept reciting in his mind along the way.
It didn't take long to reach beneath the tree even with the snail-paced crawl.
Tilting his head upward, Ezra squinted and gazed at the large insect nestled among the branches, perfectly camouflaged within the leaves.
Suddenly, the mantis's gaze shifted downward. Ezra's heart raced, his breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened behind the mask.
Every instinct screamed for him to flee, but he activated [Stasis], forcing himself to remain utterly still, resembling a mere boulder under the predator's gaze.
The tense silence stretched on until the mantis finally tore its gaze away, focusing on the rocky plain. Ezra exhaled softly, his arms trembling with anxiety.
He was scared of death, but the paradox of the situation required him to execute the assassination plan, thanks to his [Stasis] skill.
If anyone else attempted it, it would lead to a head-on battle. In such a confrontation, he would be the first to die if things went south, as he was the weakest.
Steeling his resolve, Ezra's eyes became firm. He glanced at Selene's position before turning his attention back to the mantis.
Ezra positioned the spirit body not far from the mantis on the tree, avoiding gazing at it with his physical eyes. To his surprise, the spirit body could walk on air—essentially fly—which took Ezra by shock.
Slowly, he rose and crouched at the base of the tree. Stretching out his hand, he climbed the tree noiselessly, each movement deliberate.
During the climb, the mantis occasionally glanced below. Each time, he would freeze and activate [Stasis] under its watchful gaze.
The slow ascent tested both his mental and physical strength, forcing him to remain still in awkward positions, fully aware that discovery could mean death.
Soon, he reached the top and crawled toward the mantis. Fortunately, it wasn't resting on a soft branch that might creak under his weight.
Ezra held his breath as he approached, stopping five meters away. Suddenly, the mantis turned, and he almost recoiled in shock. But he reined in his impulse, going still like a boulder on the tree.
A strong pressure filled the air as the mantis moved closer, tilting its head and studying him intently. Under its gaze, Ezra dared not breathe or twitch.
After a moment, the mantis retracted its gaze and resumed its watch. Ezra let out a slow, soft breath through his lips.
'Breaching that five-meter gap without alerting it will be impossible,' he thought, hesitating for a moment before a spark of madness lit up his eyes.
He glanced at the girls out of the corner of his eye, then focused as he crouched on the branch. Stretching out his hand, the Silver Edge materialized in his grasp, and he vaulted forward.
The Forest Mantis snapped its head around the moment the sword appeared, but Ezra had already lunged. He slashed at the monster's neck, activating [Crescent Cleave] and transforming it into a silver streak.
The mantis instinctively pulled back its head, but Ezra's blade had already reached it, slicing through a quarter of its neck in a clean strike.
With a painful shriek, the Forest Mantis lashed out with its sharp legs. Ezra raised his blade to block one leg, but the force sent him flying. Another leg sliced through his armor, carving into his chest and spraying blood.
He plummeted from the tree, landing on the ground with a loud thud. The mantis, though staggering, prepared to dive at him as he lay still. Suddenly, an axe broke through the cover of the tree, sinking deep into its bleeding neck, while another axe struck the center of its face, embedding itself in its head.
The Forest Mantis crashed out of the tree, breaking through branches before hitting the ground not far from Ezra.
Ezra, feeling aches everywhere, thought, 'At this rate, I'll bleed out. Shit! I'm never doing this again. I'll take this beast crystal and push my order to second to increase my stats. No more risky assassinations.'
"Ezra!" Seraphina ran toward him and squatted beside him.
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed his helmet, which crunched and deformed under her grip.
"I'm alive!" Ezra quickly retracted the armor, yelling despite the pain.
He watched her warily as she pulled her hand back, nearly crushing his helmet with her bare hands.
Selene soon descended and rushed over to them.
"Hold up!" she whispered.
Wiggling her fingers, she summoned a tendril of vine from the tree bark, snaking it toward Ezra. The vine entered his cut, causing him to groan.
"W-what are you doing?" Ezra mumbled, feeling uncomfortable.
"Healing you," Selene replied, and the vine began to glow green.
A comfortable feeling washed over Ezra as the wound contracted and closed under his watchful gaze. Within minutes, the bleeding stopped, and every ache vanished.
Ezra sat up, huffed, and gave Selene—a bit out of breath—a thumbs-up, though he felt uneasy about her allowing him to battle the Forest Mantis with an injured ankle.
Seraphina approached from the direction of the Forest Mantis, now with an opened skull, holding a crystal in her hand.
She passed it to Ezra, who collected it and absorbed it instantly.
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[+9 Mana absorbed.]
[Saturated Mana core.]
[Order Evolution Completed]
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[Bane Of Existence evolved to the Second Order.]
[Soul Reflection evolved to the Second Order.]
[Soul Covenant (25% Unsealed).]
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[Evolution stat: +10 Physical; +5 Constitution; +3 Will.]
[...Errror… Due to the lack of a physical body, physical and constitution stat cannot be added.]