System vs Rebirth
chapter-148

Both of them stopped and hid behind a tree as they approached the area carefully, making sure they didn't make any noise. The animal's ears were sensitive, and it was worse when they turned into demons, so if they were not careful, everything would be in vain.

Of course, both Anna and Noel didn't dare to approach them easily. They were watching them from far away on top of the tree.

Noel had a hard time finding the right spot to watch the entire scene, while Anna seemed to have found her spot and even asked him to come over. In the end, Noel came to her and finally had a view of the demons.

There was a three meters tall mushroom standing in the middle. It had thin legs and arms, making it look vulnerable to sharp objects. However, dozens of demons were watching this mushroom demon as if they were listening to their father.

Noel and Anna had agreed that this demon was actually the Advanced Level Demon they had been looking for. They also could see the mushroom in the demons' bodies. Some were hidden, some were easily visible.

But it was clear that all these demons were under the mushroom's control.

Both of them exchanged looks as if they were trying to communicate their next move.

Noel pointed at his eyes and those demons in succession, telling Anna that they were going to watch over them.

Since the Saintess was planning to bring some Holy Knights to stop the demons, there would be some trouble in the city wall due to the lack of capable people. Hence, it was better to stall the remaining demons here instead of letting the city take them head-on.

After all, it would still be considered a defeat if they let the people in the city die. Noel couldn't bear the fact that he would lose so many Honor Points.

Still, when Noel counted the demons, there seemed to be a total of 38 demons in this area alone. Taking them head-on would be too reckless. Even the Holy Knights wouldn't be able to defeat them.

Hence, they had to challenge some of the demons first. This was a challenge for Noel to see what kind of plan they had to use in order to defeat these demons.

After some consideration, Noel used 8 Skill Points to upgrade the Rune Mastery.

Skill: Rune Mastery (2/10)

Requirement: 12 SP

Noel received more information about the Runes, such as more rune strokes and some basic knowledge. If he could keep this up, he didn't even need the knowledge from Ardagan to form a new rune. Of course, he had to level this skill up for a bit more before he could do such a thing.

And for now, Ardagan seemed to be responding to that lack of knowledge.

Skill: Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune (0/3)

Requirement: 5 SP

Skill: Chain Bind Rune (0/3)

Requirement: 5 SP

Noel thought for a moment because this was the first time he saw these two runes. Unlike the previous two runes, these runes weren't support runes that could enhance their abilities.

If he allocated his remaining 12 Skill Points to these two runes, he wouldn't be able to react to the enemies in case something bad happened.

Still, these two runes might be good for him. The first would be the Spiritual Energy Dispersion Rune. As its name implied, the rune's purpose must be to disperse Spiritual Energy. It seemed to be a defensive rune that could block a Spiritual Attack by dispersing that energy.

On the other hand, the Chain Bind Rune could help him restrain a demon. Depending on the situation, he could use it to stop a demon.

However, there was one thing in Noel's mind. The time needed to cast both runes. The Increase Agility and Strength Blessing Runes could be used pretty much in an instant, so if they had to wait, it would be a problem.

After some consideration, Noel decided to level up these two runes. And now, there were only four Honor Points left since he hadn't exchanged them for Skill Points.

The knowledge about the runes entered Noel's head.

'Their effect is as expected. Well, the Rune Mastery allows me to understand more about runes, but this is not the place to review it. In that case, let's focus on the important matter first.' Noel tapped Anna's shoulder and glanced to the back as if asking her to step down and talk in a place the demons couldn't listen.

Anna acknowledged it with a nod as those two climbed down and walked quietly until they were a few hundred meters from the spot.

Finally, Anna asked, "So, what are we going to do with them?"

"As expected, we have to launch a sneak attack and kill as many demons as possible at the first strike. The Saintess has to keep up her barrier to stop the mushroom until we kill enough demons for the Holy Knights to handle.

"After that, we'll take care of the mushroom with the Saintess. That's the gist of the plan." Noel explained.

"The city wall can't take them, huh?"

"Yes. With their numbers decreasing to help us, it's better to keep the demons here." Noel nodded. Regrettably, this was the best option they had.

Anna closed her eyes, recalling the memory of her past. 'I had a similar mission in the past, but at that time, I took care of everything alone and sacrificed the city to make sure I could kill the demon. But Noel got the help of the people, so this wasn't only his victory, but their victory. At the same time, he shared his plan so that they knew he didn't have any plan to sacrifice the city no matter how many advantages it would bring.'

Anna nodded in agreement. "Alright. Let's do it then."

"For tonight, just maintain our distance, and we will send a signal to the Saintess tomorrow morning."

"Got it. We can't set up the camp and fire and we don't have anything to cover our body… It's going to be a cold night." Anna sighed.

Noel took out his military jacket and handed it to her. "You can use it. I'm going to work my body during the night to keep myself warm anyway."

"Are you sure?" Anna was startled because Noel wouldn't do something like this no matter how much he changed.

"If you don't want to then…" Noel tried to put it back, but Anna immediately grabbed the jacket with a smile.

"Thank you." Anna had a big smile on her face as she covered herself with it. However, the same thing couldn't be said to Noel as he looked at Anna with a dark expression.

'That's the least I can do for what I'm planning for you to go through.' Noel looked away so that Anna didn't get any suspicion.