Someone was planning on raiding the kingdom of Leisha's Royal Treasury.

A few days after the storm, while I was idling away studying the ways of the world, I stumbled across a spell that prevented people from eavesdropping through an inn's walls. Thinking that this was another group of lowly criminals, I wasn't expecting much when I walked by.

However, when I pierced through the spell with [Absolute Awareness], I realized that I was amid six human powerhouses, capable of fighting the dragon that I had seen in <The Great Prioen Forest>.

My mana was draining rapidly, so I decided to check one important fact — were they capable of seeing through my invisibility?

The answer was simple.

"No,"

With this fact, I couldn't help but smile. I activated <Power of Death> and wore the veil of invisibility. Furthermore, I allowed myself to meld into the shadows as I walked into the inn.

Excitement coursed through my veins, but I forced myself to stay calm.

I had to be patient this time. I wasn't strong enough to raid the treasury by myself. However, if I had a capable team... perhaps we could have a symbiotic relationship.

***

Lila, as the great swordsman and leader of the Heaven's Grasp, watched as her teammates discussed strategy.

Currently, they were in a random inn in the <Grand City of Laquer>, figuring out how they could best penetrate the castle's defenses and access the treasury without getting caught. With the many magic formations scattered throughout the castle, the burden on their Mage and Assassin was great.

They had to make sure that none of the traps would trigger an alarm or kill them in the process of infiltration.

Moreover, their fighters, including Lila, had to make sure that they could efficiently and silently knock all the guards unconscious.

There was a life surveillance ward within the castle, monitoring the lives of each person hired by the royal family. Should a few candles be snuffed out due to an overexertion of their strength, then the archmages would surely come knocking on their doorstep.

There were many variables that came with their infiltration. Lila could feel how delicate their operation would be.

However, it would be worth the risk.

If they could take that item, then they would be able to completely restore a <Legendary> artifact. Moreover, Leisha's Royal Treasury would surely have much more than a small mana stone.

Weapons, artifacts, and gold.

It was a place overflowing with wealth that Leisha had accumulated over the years. Mere commoners wouldn't be able to imagine just how much they had.

"Haa,"

Opheus, their party's tank and shieldbearer, exhaled upon seeing the intricacies of their plan.

"That's a lot to keep track of. Are we sure we're doing this? What if we fail?"

Feura, their sharpshooter, rolled her eyes. "Then we'll fight our way out. Those archmages would surely be fun targets to play with. My arrows can pierce through their flimsy shields with ease."

Quill, their assassin, nodded.

"Indeed. Human archmages have immense firepower, but their defenses amount to nothing more than paper. Their shields can't compare to the scales of that damned Red Dragon we had to run from."

"As for the warriors..." Lila let her voice trail.

"Too dependent on their armor and shields." Ella, their own resident great mage, answered. "They will melt in a single spell sequence. I've tried it before."

"On top of that," Ella continued, "We have Laurence. With his runes, we can easily teleport out and escape."

Laurence, who was reading a book at the side, smiled. The runes tattooed all over his skin gleamed with each breath he took. Even his teeth seemed to be engraved with several dangerous-looking runes.

He signed, ((I'll make sure none of you die.))

***

Midnight.

Three silver moons were shining high in the sky, illuminating the night yet darkening its shadows.

Laquer's <High Human Castle>.

A party of six humans swiftly ran straight through the castle walls. A rune was shining above their heads as they phased through solid stone. A hazy fog spread around them, hiding them from any direct line of sight.

The guards they passed by didn't notice anything wrong. The scent of the fog made them drowsy, lulling them into passivity. Hypnotized, they walked like zombies, still faithfully doing their job without any knowledge of doing so.

With silent footsteps, the six moved deeper into the castle. They successfully avoided most of the guards, while they had to knock a select few unconscious — the captains of each zone.

With the mental strength of the <Guard Captains>, they were more aware of the forceful changes in their states. Thus, Quill would always appear behind them and inject a silver fluid into their necks.

"...I've used more Sleep Syringes than planned. Did they increase the castle's security right after I scouted?"

Frustrated, Quill grumbled. He had already gone through half of his inventory of syringes, and they weren't even a fourth into the castle. The security would only get tighter from here on out.

"Don't mind it," Lila calmed him down, "With the recent fall of the goddess, Minerva, things have been tense."

"Do we continue?" Quill decided to compromise, coating his daggers with the liquid instead.

Lila nodded.

"Continue."

***

Struggling to keep up with Heaven's Grasp, Aventine flew through the air, masked by the darkness of the night and completely invisible to the naked eye.

He did not have to pay attention to his footsteps, however, he had to control the airflow around him. If he disturbed the air too much with his flight, the six would surely discover him.

Moreover...

'They've already been discovered,'

Activating [Absolute Awareness], Aventine could feel a pair of eyes monitoring Heaven's Grasp. Although he had yet to be discovered, this spelled a dangerous variable to the plan.

Weirdly enough, however, this gaze didn't have any hostility.

Unwilling to waste any mana, Aventine didn't pry. He was currently on edge. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he risked his life, raiding the kingdom's treasury without sufficient power.

'Let's hope things go as Heaven's Grasp had so meticulously planned out.'