Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

"Let's wait and infiltrate at night," Lyfenea said.

The gang the Serpent Desert was targeting was located far away, meaning they had roughly three to four days before the bandits returned. Of course, no one wanted to wait around for days, but waiting until nightfall wasn't a problem. The darkness would be their ally during the infiltration.

Everyone was on board with the plan, including William. He wasn't in a hurry. For him, it was better to take things slow and succeed than to rush and risk failure.

They spent the day observing the hideout, taking breaks to eat and tend to their needs.

"The hideout seems quiet," William remarked. "How many do you think are still inside?"

"Probably around ten," Lyfenea said. "At least, that's how it used to be. There were nine sub-leaders and the gang leader himself. Maybe it's changed—more or fewer people. It's hard to say for sure."

It was difficult for Lyfenea to know the exact situation since she had left the gang a long time ago. However, one thing seemed unchanged: the layout of the hideout.

During the hours they spent waiting, Lyfenea took the opportunity to sketch the hideout's layout, pointing out the most important areas—or at least the ones she remembered.

The general layout of the gang's base wasn't too different, but the information Lyfenea had about secret passages was crucial.

William, listening to all this, grew curious about her former role in the gang.

'How does she know about these secret passages? Did all members know, or was she in a high position?' he wondered.

Even though they were about to start the operation, it didn't mean William trusted these people. He kept his guard up, ready for any suspicious moves.

"And where do you think the leader will be?" William asked.

Lyfenea was honest with him. "He'll probably notice us quickly. We'll need to use our time hidden to take out the sub-leaders first. There's no way to enter without him noticing."

William smiled. "I think I have something that might help us."

*

When night fell, they made their way down the small sand dune they had been camping on, heading straight for the bandits' hideout.

The entrance was unguarded. None of the sub-leaders were willing to act as mere guards at the hideout's entrance. They were all inside.

However, even though it seemed like security had lessened, that wasn't the case. The sub-leaders were far stronger than the average bandits and were prepared for any invasion.

Unfortunately for them, William's infiltration was something they didn't expect. With the help of his magical rat, Stuart, all four of them were camouflaged, and no one noticed their presence—not even the leader.

And with Lyfenea's knowledge of the secret passages, they would be able to enter the hideout without alerting anyone. At least, that's what they hoped.

"Let's go this way," Lyfenea said. "There's a passage at the back."

They circled the base. The main building was surrounded by a small wall. The only apparent entrance was the front gate, but that wasn't the case.

Lyfenea knew of some secret entrances at the back and sides of the base. These passages were typically used as escape routes during an invasion.

But in this case, those escape routes would become their entry points. Lyfenea led the way, stopping in front of a specific part of the wall.

"This looks normal," William said.

That part of the wall looked exactly like the rest. There was nothing unusual about it, and he didn't sense any mana coming from it either.

But it wasn't normal. Lyfenea pulled up her sleeve, revealing a serpent tattoo. All gang members had this tattoo.

In her case, she was a former member, but the tattoo was still there. She pressed her tattooed arm against the wall, and the section glowed, revealing a hidden tunnel.

"This tunnel leads straight to the main building, so we'll need to be careful. The bandits will be inside," Lyfenea warned.

Everyone nodded and followed her in. Stuart's magic was still camouflaging them, so no one had noticed their presence.

"That magical pet of yours is really useful," one of Lyfenea's friends said. "Where'd you get it?"

William felt they were prying too much, and he even noticed a hint of envy—or rather, greed—in their eyes. He simply smiled and said, "I can't reveal that, sorry."

They didn't press further and continued through the dark tunnel. After a few minutes, they emerged from behind a cabinet in one of the rooms of the main building.

The room was filled with books.

"Didn't expect to find this here," William said.

Lyfenea looked slightly offended. "Are you saying bandits can't read? We can, you know."

Her tone wasn't hostile, so William took it as a joke.

"Let's try to avoid talking now. The camouflage doesn't cancel out sound completely, so we need to be silent," William reminded them. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

As incredible as Stuart's magic was, it still had its limitations.

They moved through the building, communicating only through hand signals. Lyfenea led the way since she knew the layout best, but the others had studied the map she provided, so they had a general idea of where to go.

Their destination was the treasure room, where all the stolen items were stored.

Getting there wasn't a problem, considering the place was mostly empty. They didn't encounter anyone along the way. The real issue was getting inside. It was impossible to enter without a key.

The vault had powerful magical protections. No one there could break through, even with all the time in the world.

They looked around to ensure no one was nearby before speaking.

"And where are we supposed to get a key?" William asked.

"From one of the sub-leaders or the leader himself. But it's better to focus on the sub-leaders—they're weaker," Lyfenea said.

William was starting to think Lyfenea and the other two were trying to avoid confronting the leader and wanted to break into the vault quietly.

While that seemed like a good idea—and it was—it wasn't what William wanted. He needed to face the gang leader because the artifact he was after, that ancient and mysterious book, was with the leader!

In other words, confronting him was inevitable.

"You know we have to face the leader, right?" William said. "The book is with him."

Lyfenea smiled. "Our agreement was to help each other get in here and split the treasures, with you getting the book. The agreement didn't say anything about us helping you fight."

At that moment, William realized trusting these women had been a mistake. They were already twisting the agreement to suit their own interests.

And the worst part was, William couldn't do anything about it. They were strong in combat, around level 30 based on their mana fluctuations. If William tried, he might win, but what was the point?

Fighting them would only tire him out and alert the other bandits in the hideout. In the end, he had been deceived...

In the end, William decided to focus on helping them get the key. There wasn't much else he could do.

They searched together for one of the sub-leaders and soon began to locate them. In total, there were five sub-leaders and the leader himself, making six people.

The leader's location was still a mystery, but they found the sub-leaders. All of them were drinking beer and playing card games near a pool in the recreational area.

The sub-leaders' power was a bit weaker than William had imagined. However, the problem was that they were all together in the same place.

They faced a dilemma: wait for one of them to leave or take them all on at once.

In the end, they chose to wait and see what would happen.

"Peaceful here without everyone around, huh?" one of the sub-leaders said. "Makes me want to ask the boss for some time off."

"Look, if you cry enough, maybe you'll get it. Especially since things are relatively calm with no conflicts," another replied.

"You think so? I'll try when he gets back... But hey, guys, I'm tired. I'm calling it a night."

"Old man," one of them teased.

Everyone laughed. The sub-leader who left was indeed older than the others, and his energy wasn't what it used to be. He needed to rest after hours of drinking.@@novelbin@@

This was the perfect opportunity they had been waiting for. They followed the man, thinking he would head to the dormitory, but instead, he left the main building and went to the back.

There, he decided to relieve himself in a corner, on the ground. A bit strange, considering they had bathrooms. Maybe the guy just liked feeling the night breeze on his skin...

Anyway, this was their chance. William thought about acting, but Lyfenea moved first. She pulled out a dagger hidden on her back and approached the man like a snake ready to strike.

Her footsteps made no sound!

'She's a skilled assassin,' William thought.

Lyfenea opened a vial containing a strange liquid and coated the tip of her dagger with it. Then, she crept up behind the man and stabbed him.

"What the hell!" the man shouted.

He reacted quickly, but when he tried to use his mana, he couldn't. It was as if it was blocked.

Lyfenea smiled. "This poison is very useful."

Her two friends also drew their daggers and moved in. Their movements were equally agile, and they finished him off with little effort and almost no noise.

William felt a bit tense being there. In the end, these three women were assassins, and he was working with them without fully realizing it...