With Yu Ze now dead, it was nearly impossible for Riel to remain hidden and launch a surprise attack on Fang Senyan. Thus, Fang Senyan remained confident that he could reclaim his Master Sommelier title before Riel appeared, especially since the added critical hit rate was quite useful.

Time fled quickly, so much so that the setting sun was nearly extinguished in the deep mist, and the funnel-shaped wisps of cloud forming on the horizon were stained with the deep red of embers. Yet, the sky on the other side displayed an iron-blue hue, and one could practically sense the furious power brewing within those clouds!

Clearly, a storm was imminent. Fang Senyan took a deep breath. Even filtered through his oxygen mask, he seemed to detect the brewing, dancing particles of violent electricity in the air. The fresh air circulated through his nasal passages to his alveoli, into his blood, giving his spirit a sudden lift.

Just then, a figure slowly emerged from the dense woods to Fang Senyan’s left.

A man walking with his head bowed, his hands appearing to drag something heavy. Though his eyes were hidden, the entire aura surrounding him was already sharp and utterly pronounced.

The Nightmare Mark on this man’s chest was glowing a vivid scarlet. This light, which had initially enveloped his entire body, was now slowly receding back into him, bit by bit. Wherever he trod, it seemed the vegetation withered, and the very earth cracked under his steps!

The awakened Yu Ze began to walk slowly toward Fang Senyan. But when he was still thirty meters away, he suddenly crouched low and shot forward like the wind toward a massive tree a hundred meters to the west. Even as he charged, he maintained the posture of dragging something, yet his speed was so blindingly swift that he left long afterimages trailing behind him. The very next second, a deafening crack from a sniper rifle echoed through the air!

Fang Senyan’s pupils contracted. The sound of the shot was strikingly familiar—it was unmistakably Kim Seok-min’s sniper rifle! He had somehow managed to sneak over here unnoticed, and worse, he had been spotted by Riel first!

If this Korean harbored any good intentions, he undoubtedly should have notified Fang Senyan through the team channel before arriving. The fact that he remained silent made his motive highly suspect; clearly, he intended to reap the benefits, hoping to profit from the conflict between the other two—a classic case of the heron and the clam.

Regardless of who won this encounter, it was certain that the victor would not emerge unscathed or in peak condition. And at that moment, sniping—a technique that delivered massive single-instance damage—would be the perfect opportunity for an opportunistic strike. As for the constraints of teamwork… While Kim Seok-min likely hadn't quit the team yet, if the biologist, MacGee, possessed a method to instantly leave the team, why couldn't others do the same at a crucial juncture?

Fang Senyan suddenly felt a pang of worry for Reef and the others, and immediately spent currency to activate long-range communication:

“Hello, Reef, how are things on your end?”

Reef coughed a few times: “I’m fine, should be doing okay too. The Korean didn’t agree, but he’s currently unconscious, so I probably can't wake him up. That damned Flesh Vine seems to have a temporary effect that lowers max health. For some reason, a thick fog rolled in here, so I can’t see them at all. Damn it, why is the health recovery rate so slow when I’m near death? Sailor, can you hold on? If you can’t manage, just hang on a bit longer; I’ll be there soon to help.”

Hearing the good news that the pair were unharmed, Fang Senyan let out a sigh of relief and smiled: “Without anyone else treating you, it takes at least forty minutes to recover from a near-death state! By then, the dust will have settled. So, you had better patiently wait for my good news.”

Kim Seok-min was consumed by frustration. His fingernails were dug deep into the soft bark of a nearby pine tree. The thick moss exuded an indescribably damp odor, and beside him, a crushed, fire-red, bee-like creature was twitching.

“Just crushing one Fire Wasp! And he detected my flawless stealth camouflage?” Kim Seok-min muttered in disbelief.

“Damn it! If I’d known this, why did I waste that top-tier single-use item to break free from the Flesh Vine’s restraint!”

Of course, Kim Seok-min had only managed to utter these small sounds before Riel noticed him, which could only be explained by the terrifying power of an awakened Colonizer. However, having already experienced the bewildering, deceptive combat of Yu Ze’s psychic illusions, Kim Seok-min didn't feel the solitary Riel was particularly terrifying now.

“So what if he awakened?” Kim Seok-min gritted his teeth. “Even ghosts and gods will tremble before my gun!”

He violently pulled the trigger!

A heavy bang echoed through the center of the woods, startling a few birds as they returned to their nests. The bullet, laden with immense kinetic energy, shot out at an unbelievable speed! But bizarrely, Riel’s forward momentum seemed to increase slightly! If it weren't for the trail of blood shot from his back tracing a tragic crimson line in the air, one might have thought the charging figure was still an illusion.

“He’s… powering through?” For an instant, Kim Seok-min’s gaze froze. A massive sense of crisis suddenly welled up in his heart. He immediately took a deep breath, re-aimed! He pulled the trigger again, this time with such force that the finger gripping the trigger went completely white!

A faint, pale-green glow began to emanate from the sniper rifle’s muzzle, an effect that seemed to be sucking the surrounding air toward it! Immediately following, a brilliant, deep-green beam of light shot out with indescribable velocity, its trajectory swirling with spiral patterns as it tore through the air, striking Riel’s body!

But just as this happened, something strange occurred. Riel’s physical body continued to lunge forward, while an exact phantom image of him materialized directly behind his body! This phantom was hit, sent flying five or six meters into the air, engulfed in that pale-green flame, and crashed to the ground like a meteor before rolling over. The pale-green flames even spread fiercely to the surrounding trees, setting them alight.

In an instant, Riel reached Kim Seok-min! Kim Seok-min was no one to passively accept death; cursing wildly, he drew a dagger from his waist and lunged. Riel’s hands were still empty, but with a pivot, he spun around and was suddenly positioned behind Kim Seok-min!

At that precise moment, Kim Seok-min was horrified to realize that for some unknown reason, his entire body was utterly immobilized! An intensely chilling cold shot straight from his back into his core. Then Riel roared and executed a massive sweeping motion, and the shadow behind him replicated the exact same action. A vast swath of deep blue light was visible, sweeping across the world as it slashed across Kim Seok-min’s neck!

Time seemed to momentarily freeze. The dagger in Kim Seok-min’s hand clattered to the ground, and only then did he clutch his neck, a gurgling gurgle sounding in his throat. The look of agonizing disbelief in his eyes was so profound it evoked a feeling of shared tragedy in any observer. He then collapsed tragically to the ground, entering a near-death state!

It was a one-hit instant kill!

Blood poured out, and Kim Seok-min’s eyes gradually dimmed as he began to twitch helplessly on the ground. Large amounts of blood now sprayed from his carotid artery, resembling a tragic fountain of mist, splattering Riel’s cold face with crimson. Riel stepped forward and delivered a light final thrust, ending the life of Kim Seok-min, whose face was frozen in unbelievable terror!

As a sniper, while requiring perception and intellect, Kim Seok-min’s agility still approached forty points. His reactions moments before were certainly not slow; even in close combat, as soon as he saw the ominous gleam of light, he attempted to guard his neck. Yet, the slash struck clean across the neck, severing the head with an overwhelming authority that lacked any trace of common earthiness. That fierce blow seemed as if two streaks of light had merged to deliver it, yet it carried the elegant implication of a leaf drifting down from the sky!

“Did you not expect this? That I would abandon my favored dual daggers and switch to a long sword?” Riel, drenched in blood, looked arrogantly at Fang Senyan from a distance. After awakening, he had actually set aside his pair of rare, silver-grade story items (daggers) and was now holding a long sword that appeared merely deep blue in both hands.

However, though the sword’s glow was only deep blue, the feeling it gave off was as profound as the ocean, and blood seemed unable to adhere to it in the slightest. Even more terrifying was that the deep blue light radiating from the blade was condensed and unmoving; holding it, one could see tiny specks of light dripping down, dissipating into the air before they even reached the ground. This was clearly the characteristic of a long sword that had been reinforced to +7!

With Kim Seok-min’s death, a notification naturally echoed through the team channel. Fang Senyan remained unmoved, observing Riel holding the long sword and stating calmly: “After your continuous attacks on me earlier, you must have realized that my defense capability is highly effective against attacks with high speed but low damage. Therefore, I originally assumed that after awakening, you would utilize your speed advantage and the slowing effect of the Frost Boomerang to pull out a ranged firearm to deal with me. I never expected you to choose a dual-wielding weapon… In that case, your primary awakened attribute is undoubtedly Agility, and your secondary attribute must be Strength—a +15 boost to Strength!”

Riel’s stance stiffened. He took a deep breath, already dragging the long sword and charging straight at Fang Senyan. The afterimage behind him followed in that eerie, drifting manner, and then it descended with a slash aimed right at Fang Senyan’s head!