"Hm? Two rankers are heading somewhere, this late at night. Isn't that odd?"
Ketsu let his two raid partners know about what was happening around them. He controlled his voice in a way that only his mates could hear him.
He was wearing spectacles that didn't have any glasses in the frames. Instead of glasses, a thin layer of semi-transparent mana served as the lenses of the artefact. It offered the artefact's wearer enhanced night vision.
Ketsu was a ranger. He had used various means at his disposal to make it to the finals. He was used to studying his competition so that he could take countermeasures against them.
Even now, he was sitting on the rooftop of a worn-down building, trying to check up on random details.
The entire city looked like a ghost city under the moonlight with no sound of anyone or anything whatsoever. Still, Ketsu was not willing to retire to bed this early without doing his routine recons.
"Well, we can't attack anyone as long as we're all in the safe area, can we? Leave them be. We should all sleep, Ketsu. The days of fighting against each other are still ahead of us. Haha!"
Wilder commented after getting up to the rooftop in one swift jump. He was a tall, tanned, and muscular guy with a bald head. Even his eyebrows were nowhere to be found.
The guy looked like a mortal wrestler who was used to putting up a show of having the strength of rankers while staying unranked. Such stunts were really popular among mortals. Instead, his barbarian-class aura would tell anyone that his strength was not a show but the real deal.
Wayne Wilder's landing with his bulky build upset the already worn down rooftop and a portion of the uppermost ceiling serving as the terrace's platform fell. The fallen debris was about to create noise when Ketsu used his sound magic to isolate it, keeping the night's silence intact.
Ketsu shook his head in disappointment. He said in a voice that could only be heard by Ketsu and his other partner.
"Damn it, Wayne, keep it low. Others competitors would be doing reconnaissance on us, you know. If you keep causing trouble, I and Angela will team up together and rob you of your resources even before the day we have decided to part ways. Because your actions are about to become a liability at this rate."
Ketsu said and adjusted his spectacles over his eyes once again. He could only see two rankers moving in the same direction. They were slowly getting away from the trio. If Ketsu wanted to follow them, he would have to make quick decisions.
Wilder was about to speak up and register his complaints regarding how Ketsu treated him. But he was silenced by the ranger's next words.
"I can't think of any other reason behind finding a safe drop location for those two to be travelling at night. Those guys must have found a clue or something for the drop. We… hehe... we should follow them."
A hint of excitement flashed in Ketsu's eyes. He liked the idea of taking things from other rankers. But Wilder was there to put reins on his thoughts.
"We don't need mediocre drops from the safe zone, Ketsu. Don't you know it's better to get the monster drops? And we are already doing that.
Who's becoming a liability now by taking unnecessary detours?"
Wayne Wilder said while folding his hands. The dark blue tank he was wearing was stretched to the limit from the chest area when he did that, a testament to his powerful physique. He was wearing dark cargo pants that couldn't completely hide the muscles of his legs.
Suddenly, a third person appeared on the rooftop. Unlike Wilder, this person landed on the rooftop with light feet, sans any noise or overwhelming presence. It felt like this person couldn't have been detected by normal senses if they hadn't spoken just now. Therefore, Ketsu didn't have to create a sound barrier.
"Wilder, you muscle maniac, we all know that monster drops are usually better than drops hidden in the safe area. But there are always exceptions.
Ketsu is right. We should follow them and see what happens. If neither side can attack, that is all the more reason for us to keep an eye on our opponents.
You guys stay behind me and maintain a distance. I'll track those lucky bastards."
Lily commented in her usual cold voice. Her assassin class made her ideal for espionage operations like these. She wore a bluish-black outfit that hugged her body tightly and highlighted her petite feminine curves.
Yet, if one were to blink, they might lose sight of her because of the way her outfit was used to blend in with the surroundings. One could tell that the assassin's suit she was wearing was meant for rankers of a specific element.
Ketsu smiled and nodded his head to tell Lily that he accepted her lead. Wilder had a blank face when he was told to shut up by both his raid partners. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed, accepting the decision made by the majority.
Usually, it was him that jumped the gun and got into trouble. This was the first time he was telling others not to cause trouble. And they moved ahead and ignored him. Wilder had the taste of his own medicine at this time. Only now did he understand how much an ass he had been to his team members outside the competition.
The trio quickly came to an arrangement. Lily led the operation while Ketsu and Wilder followed behind. Ketsu also used his sound-element spell on Wilder to make him not produce any noise from his barbarian-specific movement spell.
********************
Two rankers were seen using the rooftops of ruined constructions to make their way to a particular destination. The fire-element ranker's movement spell was most eye-catching in the night because he left a trail of blaze behind him.
There was a wind-element ranker following him. All she generated with her movement spell was an invisible gale. She just had to touch her toes lightly on the terrace. Her single step was enough to propel her tens of meters forward.
'Someone's following you.'
Alephee reported Tuan when he was making his way towards the safe drop with Katalina. He heard her remark and responded with a smirk on his face.
'Heh! I'm fishing anyway. Let the baby salmons take the bait.'
