Elf Forest, Akar River Valley,
The arrow released by Welber vanished silently into the shadows of the forest.
"Don't panic, there's at most one person on the other side."
Welber shouted loudly, stabilizing his subordinates' panicked demeanor.
His bad premonition had come true, but for now, the best news might be that the one ambushing them wasn't the detestable Elf Guard.
Having dealt with the Elf Guard on numerous occasions, Welber was well aware of the elves' patterns of movement; they never acted alone, always in groups of at least three.
The current situation suggested that the person ambushing from the shadows was powerful, at least of Gold Level.
Among the Elf Guard such a strong presence would definitely be accompanied by a Silver Level Elf Team.
Be careful, there's still a chance!
Welber glanced around at his tense subordinates, formulating a plan.
But they had to move quickly. He was unclear who the stealthy attacker was, and if it was an elf, there might be a way for them to contact the Elf Guard.
If the Elf Guard got involved, things would become troublesome.
Time was of the essence. If they couldn't deal with the ambusher quickly, he would have to abandon his subordinates and flee alone.
In such a moment, Welber wouldn't hesitate to abandon even the two elf slaves.
Welber knew well that if he wasn't decisive now, there might not be a next time.
This was the insight he'd gained from numerous escapes from the Elf Forest.
Welber concentrated fiercely, surveying his surroundings.
The arrow that had come from the shadows earlier had been so unexpected that he'd failed to notice anything unusual.
Was the ambusher a Hunter or a Ranger?
Welber's eyes swept around the forest. He didn't believe that his counterattack would have had any effect.
The person might still be lurking in the shadows, waiting for him to reveal a weakness.
After waiting a good while with no sign of movement, Welber knew the other party was delaying, but he could no longer wait.
This was when his recruited subordinates would prove useful.
"Jason, take that elf with you, we're leaving now."
"Everyone, be careful."
Welber commanded his men to take the elf from the side of the companion who had been killed by a stealth arrow, it seemed they were preparing to leave the area quickly.
Although he said so, he did not take immediate action, but instead focused intensely on observing the surrounding activities.
The person hiding in the dark would surely act upon noticing their departure.
The same bowstring noise resounded from another part of the forest.
As the bowstring sounded, another companion carrying an elf collapsed to the ground with a thud, an arrow piercing right through the center of his forehead.
Seeing the tragic state of his companion, Jason, who had been ordered to prepare to transport the elf, hastily retracted his hands and stepped back repeatedly, unable to avoid it in time.
He had realized that anyone who touched the elf would be targeted by the assailant.
For them, Silver Level Professionals, there was no way to counter the attack of the arrow enchanted with strange power.
Welber was secretly alarmed.
He had noticed a deep grey special power attached to the incoming arrows.
He was familiar with this power; it was certainly the Shadow Power used by Gold Level assassins!
No wonder the attack was so covert; even as a Gold Level Hunter, he had not reacted to the first arrow.
Welber got up and ran towards the direction from which the arrow had come, but he was somewhat puzzled.
An assassin using a bow was not unheard of, but it was indeed rare.
Assassins, benefiting from the special effects of Shadow Power, could gain additional stealth boosts when using weapons for long-range attacks, but they were more often known for using short blades, daggers, and other thrown weapons, not bows.
However, from the attack of the arrow just now, it was indeed the strength of a Gold Level.
In the forest, hunters usually had an advantage when facing assassins, as their strong perception often allowed them to detect hidden assassins first.
As Welber got up and ran into the forest, he clapped his hands together, a faint white light gathering behind him.
With a screeching sound, a pale blue-grey forest owl emerged from the faint white light, fluttering into view behind Welber.
This was Welber's trained pet, also his reliable assistant in movements through the Elf Forest.
The sharp eyes of the forest owl could see extremely subtle movements in the distance, even detecting the flow of extraordinary power.
Welber summoned his pet also to prevent the target from escaping.
No matter who the attacker was, it wouldn't be good if they escaped and alerted the Elf Guard; it was best to keep this person here forever.
As the person attacked, Welber's hunter instinct had already roughly locked onto the target.
Controlling the forest owl with telepathy, he sent it soaring above to look down on the situation below as he quickly charged towards the target.
To his surprise, neither his own senses nor the feedback from the forest owl detected any movement from the enemy, who just stood there quietly in place.
Not choosing to dodge? That shouldn't be right.
It's known that for Assassin Professionals, the key was to hide and launch powerful attacks from the shadows.
Once they lost the first move, except for certain special professions, assassins' direct combat abilities were far weaker than those of normal extraordinary professionals.