I gritted my teeth, letting my voice shake with desperation. "A-At least tell me why you’re trying to kill me?! I’m just an ordinary person—I didn’t hurt anyone or do anything worth mentioning! Why are you guys after me?!"
For a moment, the warehouse was silent save for the drip of rainwater through the cracked ceiling. Then Vex smiled, slow and cruel, dragging the flat of his dagger along his tongue in a grotesque parody of savoring a meal.
"Alright," he murmured, stepping closer. "Since you’re dying anyway... consider this my gift to you."
The lantern light guttered, casting his face in jagged shadows as he leaned down, his breath reeking of iron and rot.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
A pause. The knife hovered at my throat.
"But someone paid for your death. And in my line of work, that’s reason enough."
My pulse spiked—not from fear.
So, this wasn’t a random hit after all. And probably not a case of mistaken identity. Someone had targeted me deliberately.
Is it related to my past? Did I... offend someone, or did something that led to assassins being sent after my life continuously?
Urgh... That’s why I don’t kind of setting, you have to be responsible for your past self’s actions that you don’t even know of. And you will be buried in danger and mystery nonsense till you learn everything.
Vex chuckled, watching the frustration flicker across my face. "My last advice to you, kid—" He raised the dagger, its edge glinting in the dim light. "—don’t get involved with someone you can’t afford to."
The blade arced toward my chest—
Tch. Still couldn’t get a clear answer.
The hidden dagger in my sleeve had already sawed through the ropes around my wrists.
The world blurred as I vanished from the chair. Vex’s dagger sliced empty air where my heart had been a fraction of a second earlier.
My boot slammed into the back of his knee with the full force of [Virion’s Blessing], the joint buckling with a sickening crunch. Vex’s snarl of pain was cut short as he collapsed forward, his free hand barely catching himself before his face smashed into the floor.
The ropes around my ankles fell away with a quick slash of my dagger. Vex twisted onto his back, his eyes wide with shock—and for the first time, a flicker of doubt and fear.
I adjusted my grip on the dagger, rolling my stiff shoulders. "You talk too much for an assassin."
Vex’s expression darkened. His fingers twitched toward his belt—
A smoke bomb exploded between us, the warehouse filling with thick, acrid fog in an instant.
[Echo of Life] pulsed outward, mapping the room in ripples of sound and breath.
8 o’clock. Heading for the window.
Vex’s dagger met mine mid-air, sparks flying as he parried with gritted teeth. His knee was clearly wrecked, but his arms were still steady. Professional to the end.
"Who paid you?" I demanded, pressing forward.
He bared his teeth in a bloody grin. "Wouldn’t you like to know?"
His form shimmered, vanishing into the smoke.
A throwing knife embedded itself in the wall where my head had been. Another followed, grazing my shoulder.
By the time the smoke cleared, Vex was gone—just a smear of blood on the windowsill, and a faint, mocking whisper lingered in the air.
"Next time... I won’t underestimate you."
Vex’s whisper faded into the night, but I wasn’t about to let him slip away that easily. And...
There won’t be a next time.
I leapt through the shattered window, landing lightly on the damp grass outside. The cold night air bit into my skin, the scent of rain and blood thick in my nostrils. My eyes scanned the darkness—no movement, no sound.
"Tch. Got away." I muttered aloud in frustration.
A blade materialized inches from my face.
My instincts screamed—behind!
The figure in front of me was lifeless, a hollow shell. No pulse, no breath. Either an illusion or a clone. The real threat was at my back, steel biting toward my spine.
I vanished, reappearing four meters away as Vex’s dagger sliced empty air. My [Silent Veil] activated, masking my presence just long enough to watch his reaction.
Vex’s eyes widened. He whirled, searching the darkness—then clicked his tongue in irritation.
His form shimmered, dissolving into the night once more.
You can hide all you want, but you can never escape my eyes.
A faint smile curled my lips as [Exorcist’s Gaze] activated, the world shifting into a new atmosphere—every shadow sharpening, every whisper of wind magnified. And there, flickering like a dying candle in the dark, was Vex’s silhouette, limping toward the tree line.
The universe had a cruel sense of humor. This elite assassin, this four-star threat, had stumbled upon the one person who hard-countered his entire skillset.
Poison resistance? Check.
Illusion piercing? Check.
And now, even his precious [Phantom Veil] was useless in front of my Exorcist’s Gaze.
He might as well have been a lamb walking into a wolf’s den. Come to think of it, this reminds me of those scenarios - where the hunter becomes the hunted.
But I couldn’t celebrate yet.
Broken knee or not, Vex moved with lethal precision, his weight balanced on his good leg as he melted between the trees. An assassin of his caliber wouldn’t go down easily—he’d have contingencies. Artifacts, life-saving items, secret techniques, and so on.
Maybe... even a suicide gambit.
But that’s good too. Becuase...
This was exactly what I needed right now - a real fight where mistakes meant death. No Virion and his domain to resurrect me, no System safety nets. Just me, my brain, and my skills against a highly skilled enemy - an elite assassin.
I exhaled slowly, blocking all the unnecessary thoughts.
Let’s see how much I’ve really grown.
The world compressed, then exploded outward as I reappeared mid-lunge directly in Vex’s path. His widened eyes reflected twin daggers descending like executioner’s axes.