Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Chapter 148: Is It A Black Cat?

In the darkness, there lay inherent dangers—not merely the monsters or the eerie sun—but the darkness itself was the gravest threat.

Whenever Athena and her group ventured into the darkness, they were always under the protection of luminous candles, much like when they had the safety of the special items provided by the system during the battles. Only thus had they managed to evade certain death.

To step directly into the darkness would be to akin to suicide.

Truth be told, what the system had said was enticing to her. Compared to toiling away to find things on her own, having opportunities presented to her was indeed a rare luxury.

And the target was so very near.

Thus, under the puzzled gazes of Grey and the others, Athena, who had just gone upstairs, slowly descended once more.

"Mikmik, come over here."

Mikmik, who had been absorbed in a game, glanced over at Athena approaching. Though he was a bit reluctant to part with his hand of cards, he knew that if Athena was calling him, it must be something important. So, obediently, he put down his cards.

Witty looked left and right, realizing it had nothing to do with him. He simply picked up the cards Mikmik had left and signaled for the game to continue.

It was truly baffling that the system’s shop sold anything one could imagine, yet refused to sell paper and ink. Moreover, these commonplace items weren't permitted to be brought in from elsewhere.

'Tsk, annoying system.'

Grumbling aside, Athena dutifully took a stone and placed it on the floor, using a piece of charcoal to draw upon it continuously.

She eventually managed to sketch out a rough map, circling the location where they currently stood and marking where the 007 players was situated.

She then looked at Mikmik, who was wagging his tail earnestly, paying rapt attention.

"Got the location, have you?"

Mikmik seemed slightly offended—offended that Athena had doubted his skills as her apprentice and his ability to learn. He lifted his fluffy head and stared at her, nodding resolutely.

Initially, she had intended to go back out to gather some materials for crafting explosive orbs, but encountering this situation had left her plans in disarray. Currently, she had only three explosive orbs left—each one irreplaceable.

She handed one over, choosing one of stable quality, and Mikmik only needed a glance before gently holding it in his mouth, then stuffing it into his fur. The explosive orb disappeared beneath his coat without a trace.

No matter how many times she witnessed it, Athena always found his fur fascinating.

"Check the numbers, test their strength. If they prove too tough, retreat. If cornered, use the explosive orb." She continued to instruct him, though she knew that with Mikmik’s abilities, it was likely the enemy wouldn’t even know he was there until it was too late.

Mikmik wagged his tail at her before sprinting out the door, slipping through the shelter’s barrier, leaving a faint shimmer in his wake before vanishing into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Ebony Veil and Azure Dew had barely managed to bring down another group of withered treants. At long last, the remaining treants seemed to have learned their lesson, ceasing their advance towards them.

Instead, they anchored themselves firmly in place, appearing for all the world like ordinary dead trees.

"Ebony, we need a plan. If this keeps up, we’ll collapse from exhaustion first!" Azure Dew shouted, panting heavily.

"Shut up! And who do you think got us into this mess?" Ebony Veil snapped back.

"Hey, don’t pin this all on me. You agreed to come along, I didn’t force you!" Azure shot back.

"Oh really? Who was the one boasting there’d be no problems? Didn’t you claim you were some super inventor? How come it broke halfway?" Their argument grew increasingly heated, until the pair were shouting directly in each other’s faces, seemingly oblivious to their dire surroundings.

...

The area fell silent, with only the occasional crackle from their torches breaking the stillness.

"You did send out an SOS in the world chat, didn't you?" Ebony Veil eventually asked, attempting to de-escalate the situation.

"Yeah, but don’t even mention it. No one bothered to reply. I got a load of snark instead, people accusing me of baiting them. Where’s the trust between people, huh?" Azure Dew slumped to the ground, hoping they could just make it until dawn without any more trouble.

The medals on Ebony Veil’s chest—the same as the one on Azure's—were unique awards from their clash with Area 008 in the regional battle.

Without the protection of those medals, they wouldn't have dared to venture out, especially not now. They would've been swallowed by the darkness hundreds of times over by this point.

"Did you seriously post our coordinates?" Ebony Veil muttered, scrolling back through the world chat.

Upon seeing that Azure had indeed shared their exact location, Black Veil felt his head throbbing. This was the sort of reckless thing Azure would do.

"Of course! How else would people know where to find us?"

"Are you serious?"

"Who cares? If they come with good intentions, it’ll work out. If they don't... well, let them perish," Azure Dew said, grinning.

"You’re mad."

"Aah!" Azure, who had been sitting on the ground, suddenly let out a yelp, feeling something heavy smack into his back.

The force was substantial, and caught completely off-guard, he cried out in alarm.

Ebony Veil immediately took notice. All he saw was a dark, indistinct shape, too small to make out clearly.

Mikmik’s stealth mode allowed him to perform many tasks, but it had a flaw. If he launched an attack or was struck, his stealth would deactivate temporarily, re-engaging only once he exited combat.

Still, with his natural camouflage, combined with his speed and small frame, Ebony Veil had only managed to glimpse a fleeting shadow.

"Get over here! Something’s out there!"

No need to tell him twice—Azure leapt to his feet and scrambled over to Black Veil, the two standing back-to-back, eyes fixed on their surroundings.

“What in the world… Not even a shadow!” Azure muttered as he frantically scanned the area.

“Shut it!”

Ebony Veil strained to focus, activating his scouting ability.

But it was a futile effort. His skill was pushed to its utmost, sensing everything around them, but somehow, the creature that had attacked them remained elusive.

As he pondered this, he felt it approaching again, and before he could warn Azure, another pained yelp echoed.

"Damn it!"

Ebony Veil quickly swapped positions with Azure but had lost sight of the creature once more—this time seeing nothing at all.

"Did you see what it was?"

Azure hesitated, a hint of uncertainty creeping in.

"It... it seemed like a black cat?" Even he sounded doubtful, looking down at the fresh claw marks on the back of his hand.

Meanwhile, Mikmik was circling around them, still concealed, observing and preparing for his next move.