Rogue is one of the professions that can never be absent in games.
With their excellent agility and fancy controls, they were difficult to master but could achieve a high skill ceiling.
Instead of fighting head-on, they take the rear position and deal critical blows for instant massive damage.
Rogues who link skills and deftly deliver damage were enough to captivate many users.
'But that wasn't the case in the game I played.'
In reality, the rogue profession in Osian's game had much in common with other RPGs.
Mobility, stealth, ambush, skill combinations, critical hits, instant burst damage.
It looked very attractive, especially with elements that would make Korean users salivate.
However, the actual results weren't very good.
'Rogues could be strong against human opponents. But in the late game, they weren't effective against monsters with huge bodies.'In games, damage isn't simply determined by weapon attack power or skills.
Depending on the type of weapon, attacks are classified as standard, slashing, bludgeoning, piercing, or overwhelming.
Naturally, most boss monsters have high resistance to standard attacks and high reduction rates for slashing.
'Knights can equip various weapons, and they can ignore such debuffs and deal damage with Starlight or Moonlight, so it doesn't matter.'
The same goes for paladins and barbarians. Not to mention mages, warlocks, and priests who handle magic.
The only one who couldn't use such powers was the rogue.
'The basic weapons for rogues are dual-wielding, led by daggers. Most attacks are standard, and when using skills, they become slashing. There are no other attack methods.'
That meant they constantly carried a penalty of not being able to properly damage bosses compared to others.
Because of this, rogue users had to roll and struggle much more than other classes to defeat bosses.
Also, rogue stealth didn't work properly on boss monsters, and their stagger value was low, making it difficult to break a boss' stance no matter how much they attacked.
Considering most rogue users prefer to taunt enemies and beat them one-sidedly, the rogue classes in this game were fundamentally flawed from design.
'But even such rogues have their place to shine.'
Specifically, rogues could do much more than other classes against [humanoid monsters].
In those moments, they were more like human butchers than rogues.
Users jokingly called the profession "butcher," saying they were commoners who were good at killing people.
The only drawback was that most boss monsters weren't humanoid.
As a result, there were few rogue users, and most of them focused only on PVP.
And now, one of those rogues had appeared before him.
Seeing that shadow-handling power, there was no mistake.
"I never expected to meet a rogue in a place like this."
Osian took out the Storm Shield from his bracelet and equipped it on his left hand.
Yes. There are mages, warlocks, barbarians, and paladins, so why wouldn't there be rogues?
'I just never expected someone who handles rogue powers to be affiliated with the Blood Brotherhood.'
Osian glanced slightly at Kudan.
Kudan stood still, watching the fight between Osian and the rogue.
He was a brotherhood member but had no intention of helping.
'Conversely, he has no intention of stopping it either.'
Does he think he's faithfully carrying out Grace's orders by not getting involved?
Whatever the case, it didn't matter. Now was the time to focus on the enemy in front of him.
During that brief moment when Osian checked on Kudan, the rogue disappeared again but unlike before, there was no ambush.
It seemed the rogue didn't think an ambush would immediately kill someone wearing full plate armor like Osian.
'In the game, rogues didn't have good matchups against close combat classes.'
While paladins could heal when their HP was reduced, and barbarians would die before they could kill you, knights were particularly counted as extreme counters by rogue users.
The Starlight Armor, the strongest in player-versus-player combat, goes without saying.
The Sun Ring Prison Armor that prevents attacks while anchored in place is the same.
The only thing worth trying from a rogue's perspective was the Moonlight Armor. Even that turned into a hand-to-hand control battle.
And Osian had never lost to a rogue in PVP.
"Come."
Osian deliberately lowered his sword and relaxed his tension.
The once impenetrable figure now had plenty of openings.
The rogue, watching from within the shadows, narrowed their eyes.
'What is he thinking? Does he really believe I can't kill him like that?'
Even with armor, that's quite an arrogant judgment.
If I wanted to, I could easily stab a dagger through the gaps in the armor and hit a vital point.
I know that's not ordinary armor, but I'm not ordinary either.
'That arrogance will be the blade at your throat.'
The rogue moved silently.
Compared to the first ambush, there was now some hesitation, but it didn't matter.
No sound, no presence and silent movement that couldn't be detected by any of the five senses.
The rogue moved beneath Osian's feet, then reached out to cut his Achilles tendon first.
Just as the shadow-infused dagger was about to extend, Osian's Starlight Sword suddenly approached.
If the rogue touched the armor now, their wrist would be cut off first.
The rogue hurriedly hid in the shadows and retreated as the blazing Starlight Sword pierced the empty ground.
"Hmm."
Looking at Osian who clicked his tongue in disappointment, the rogue had to calm their pounding heart.
How did he react just now? There shouldn't have been any sign of presence.
'Was it a coincidence? I suppose if I were to attack, the blind spots would be beneath the feet or behind the back. He might be able to specifically prepare for those.'
If that's the case, I just need to change my method.
The rogue moved quietly through the shadows once more.
This time, to properly exploit the opponent's weakness, the rogue appeared in front.
Black darkness gathered from empty space, turning into a blade.
This took less than 0.1 seconds.
The shadow blade aimed precisely at Osian's eyes. Even with a helmet, this was one of the gaps that couldn't be protected.
Moreover, shadows gathered above Osian's head, and two daggers were shot towards the space between his shoulders and nape.
A fluid, natural chain of attacks targeting the opponent's vitals simultaneously.
It was a performance only possible for a top-tier assassin, beyond first-class, including speed and accuracy.
The moment Osian saw the flying daggers, he avoided them by slightly tilting his head to the side.
The two daggers falling from the air were easily erased by Osian swinging his Starlight Sword.
'...!'
Seeing this and being taken aback, Osian suddenly turned his head.
"So you were there."
Simultaneously with his words, a snow-white flash cut through the empty space.
Just like before, the trajectory of starlight cutting through the shadows forced the rogue to be expelled.
The rogue quickly retreated, and Osian didn't bother to pursue.
'What? Surely he's not being so leisurely again...'
The rogue soon realized why Osian wasn't chasing.
The pitch-black hood covering the face loosened and fell limply to the ground.
Belatedly, the rogue realized that Osian had cut through the shadows with his sword and sliced off the hood covering the face.
"You...!"
Osian gazed at the rogue who was glaring at him with a vicious face.
"So you're not human either. Are you a half-elf?"
Ears that were more pointed than a normal person's but slightly shorter than an elf's.
Long, pitch-black hair as if darkness had been melted into it.
White and pale skin, all the more prominent for having been hidden by the hood.
The rogue who ambushed Osian was a half-elf woman with elven blood.
"How dare you!"
Shadows began to ripple around Malina, the sixth of the Blood Brotherhood.
The tips of the shadows, moving like heat haze, transformed into blades, with long chains extending beneath them.
-Bang!
-Clang clang clang!
The chain daggers shot towards Osian. Judging by the sound of them cutting through the air, their speed was too fast to react to by sight.
The shadow power imbued in the daggers could tear through even steel and could damage even the Starlight Armor.
However, Osian was already a superhuman-level powerhouse.
-Clang clang clang clang!
He raised his shield in his left hand to deflect the daggers, and easily cut through the chains trying to bind his body with his Starlight Sword.
Malina's eyes widened.
She apparently hadn't expected even this to be blocked.
'If it were someone seeing this for the first time, they would be shocked. But I already know.'
The shadow power that Malina wielded was one of the rogue characteristics called [Execution].
A deadly attack that turns shadows into weapons, or creates illusions to deceive the enemy and strangle them.
However, Osian knew how these attacks were delivered and their principles, so he easily countered them.
"A rogue trying to engage a knight in direct combat. You must really underestimate me."
The cold gaze from inside the helmet pierced through Malina.
Malina involuntarily shuddered.
"Or perhaps you're just terribly lacking in experience."
"...!"
Was that right on the mark?
Malina's expression changed.
If before it was frustration at things not going her way, now her face twisted as if someone had touched a raw nerve.
Seeing this, Osian felt his guess had hit home.
"Were you thinking of avenging your youngest member who fell to me with that meager power? I don't know who taught you, but their teachings were very shallow."
"Shut up!"
Malina shouted like a wildcat and rushed towards Osian.
'Charging in without controlling emotions? Well, I appreciate it, but it's too foolish.'
Just as Osian was about to swing his Starlight Sword to match Malina's approach, her body came to an abrupt stop as if time had frozen.
The timing was so exquisite that Osian's sword had already been swung, slicing precisely through empty air.
After the snow-white trajectory swept past, Malina was nowhere to be seen.
Shadows rippled beneath Osian's feet, and Malina suddenly popped out and grabbed his ankle.
Then, as she pulled Osian down, he sank up to his waist as if in a swamp.
When the rippling shadows disappeared, Osian was half-buried in the solid ground.
Shadows rippled like mud in front of the immobilized Osian, and Malina jumped out.
She swung the shadow daggers in both hands toward Osian's neck.
-Swish!
At that moment, the Silk Nebula moved.
The cloak split finely and transformed into a whip, grabbing Malina's arms.
"Ugh!"
Malina tried to hide in the shadows, but it was useless.
The power of Starlight continuously pushed away the shadows clinging to her body.
It was just buying time, but that was enough for Osian.
"This time you showed some sense but still not enough. Don't you consider that your opponent might have hidden cards?"
-Crack!
Osian exerted force and emerged from the ground. The surface that was pressing down on his body broke apart too easily.
Malina bit her lip and Osian watched her quietly, then raised the shield in his left hand above his head.
-Ping ping ping ping ping!
Black arrows pouring down from the empty space were weakly blocked by the shield.
At that sight, despair settled in Malina's eyes.
Even her final card had been read by Osian.
'How?'
What resided in Malina's eyes was pure question.
Osian, who was surely seeing her for the first time, was seeing through all her techniques and predicting her actions.
Meanwhile, Osian was thinking differently as he looked at the black arrows stuck in the ground.
'She's even using the [Tracking] skill. And what she used to attack me earlier was definitely [Stealth].'
[Stealth], which conceals one's presence while simultaneously dealing critical damage to the enemy.
[Tracking], which identifies the enemy's position and penetrates vital points with various skills and tools from a distance.
And finally, [Execution], which uses shadows to dazzle the enemy with flashy combinations and techniques.
Like other classes, the rogue class was divided into three specializations, and usually one could only choose one of those three.
'Yes, usually.'
But Osian had seen many who transcended the limits of talent and mastered all specializations - those with the qualities of a 'hero.'
'No, in today's terms, I should say those qualified for ascension.'
Perhaps this half-elf was one of them.
While pondering what to do about this, Malina, as if she had realized something, asked Osian.
"You. What kind of relationship do you have with 'her'?"