Brushing off the man’s frosty allegation, Daisuke stepped forward fidently, seizing the spotlight as the sound of approag footsteps filled the air. “Right on cue,” he muttered under his breath as a group of armed men came into view. Maybe one of these mobs will know where I find the key to the jail cells.
The group halted in an orderly fashion, and from their ranks came a familiar figure who evidently outranked and outcssed the rest. With a casual snap of his fingers, the crystal fixtures on the walls radiated a blue glow, illuminating the expansive chamber.
“You,” the man hissed, his brows pulling down into a nasty sneer. “How are you still alive? What happeo my men?”
“You’ll be joining them in a moment,” Daisuke retorted, shifting his body into an offeance.
The man clicked his tongue derisively and raised his fist in a telliure. “The rest of you stay back,” he anded. “I have unfinished business with this brat.”
Daisuke caught the moment the bastard uhed his dagger, then in an instant, he vanished from sight. When his body reappeared, he materialized directly in front of Daisuke, his on trag a deadly downward arc.
Daisuke tered with the Lipanthyer’s Fang, utterly missing the crucial moment for an Impeccable Parry. Arm fred in his golden eyes as he grappled with the overwhelming force of the assault. P his strength into weathering the shockwave of impact, he found himself caught off guard as the assassin swiftly dropped low and swept his foot.
As Daisuke faltered, the man seamlessly transitioned into a spin, utilizirifugal force to deliver another devastating blow. Daisuke scrambled to intercept with his dagger, but without proper footing, the force of the assault sent him hurtling into the wall behind him.
He groaned as he crashed to the ground, his eyes narrowing with disdain as he caught sight of the bastard’s smug grin.
DING!
[Rohan | Lvl 42 | Assassin]
I thought my generous supply of Stat Points would pensate for the level gap, but his gear and bat experieill gives him the upper hand. Daisuke slowly rose to his feet, swiping the back of his hand across his mouth in ption. I’m pretty sure muards are on their way; if I turn this into a test of speed, I won’t have enough stamio deal with them.
[Name: Haxks
Species: Human
Level: 31 | EXP: 75,460/150,156 (50.25%)
Css: Dual Bder
Affiliation: Adventurers’ Guild | Merts’ Guild
Title: Lone Wolf, Pathfinder, Unwavering Spirit, genial Denizen, Master of Divi, Devoted Hunter
HP: 3821/3974 | MP: 529/529
Strength: 81 (+21) | Stamina: 126 (+22) | Agility: 151 (+35) | Intelligence: 41 (+10) | Dexterity: 31 (+35) | posure: 22 | Indomitable: 13
Stat Points: 0]
The Florians watched the lopsided battle with despair etched on their faces. Daisuke’s sudden arrival had offered a tantalizing glimmer of hope, the closest they had ever been to salvation from their accursed existence. But just as they dared to believe again, their fragile expectations were cruelly shattered, dashed upon the jagged rocks of despair.
“…It’s hopeless,” Petu’s husband murmured, his tone heavy with resignation. “Based on what I’ve overheard, that’s Rohan, the assassin—one of Casimir’s elite captains. Your friend… he won’t be able to win.”
Petu shook her head with a smile, her fingers ced beh her in a silent prayer. “I’m certain that goddess Seraphina has not forsaken us; she’ll work a miracle through Haxks and see us finally freed from this pce.”
“Heh. Is that seriously the best you do?” Daisuke tauilting his head to cast a disdainful g the ckeys lingering in the background. “I’ve already sent a bunch of your buddies to hell, and this is how your captain avehem? What does that say about the value of your sorry lives?”
The group’s fleeting g Rohan seemed to ignite his fury. “You i little worm,” he cursed through gritted teeth. “I’ve reached my limit with you; this farce has stretched on for too damn long.”
Daisuke remained silent, his focus unwavering. He had already set the wheels of destru in motion—now, all that was left was to atiently ahe rewards. As Rohan charged forward like a bolt of lightning, ed by unbridled malice, Daisuke relinquished his hatred as best he could and took a deep, calming breath.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, golden pupils darting around with meical precision, trag the swift trail of light that Roha in his wake as he whipped around the chamber at lightning speed.
With heightened senses and razor-sharp focus, Daisuke expanded his awareness, until finally, the blurred outline of the assassin came into sharp focus in his mind’s eye.
DING!
[The proficy of the active skill ?Eye of Verity? has advao level 2! The affiliated passive skill ?Sixth Sense? has been acquired!]
DING!
[The Perception Stat has been unlocked.]
[Eye of Verity]
[Rank: Unique
Cssification: Active Skill
Lvl: 2
Proficy: 4%
Your i distrust of people and desire for transparency have culminated in this power bestowed through Alchemy.
Skill Effect:
?? Endows the wielder with the ability to dis truth from falsehood, analyze target stats, and glimpse beyond the boundaries of reality.
?? Unlocks the ?Sixth Sense? skill.
Stamina Cost: 0.7% ? Sed
Skill Cooldown: None]
[Sixth Sense]
[Grants you the ability to anticipate attacks inating from beyond your line of sight, especially those aimed at vulnerable areas. Additionally, you gain the ability to dis enemy oints and successfully attag them will increase Critical Rate and Critical Damage by 20%]
[Perception]
[Reflects one’s awareness aivity to sensory input, whifluences rea speed and the ability to detect subtle cues in the enviro with precision.
?? Higher values increase effectiveness.
?? Stat Points ot be manually allocated.]
Without a word, Daisuke sed out the Lipanthyer’s Fang for the Sturdy Club. His biceps bulged as his stats automatically poured into his Strength stat, his fingers coiling around the hilt of the crude on.
“Any st words, maggot?” Rohan’s voice dripped with mockery, the sinister glint of his dagger casting a chilling refle in Daisuke’s eyes as he suddenly materialized.
For a moment, there was an eerie silence, and then—
BOOOOOMM!
Drawing on his newly acquired skills to bolster his accuracy, Daisuke swung the club in a wide arc, delivering a devastating blow to the gloating bastard with all his might.
Caught off guard at full throttle, Rohan found himself uo evade. The wooden club struck him like a stone golem’s fist, expelling the air from his chest in a sharp gasp of agony. His arms twisted armingly as the on bore down upon him.
CRACKK!
They snapped uhe weight, the siing sound eg off the walls of the chamber. Simultaneously, the Sturdy Club shattered upon impact, but not before triggering its CC ability. Rohan romptly lifted off the ground as the knockback effect sent him hurtling through the air.
Time finally righted itself, and he drew in a sharp breath, but before a pained cry could rip from his throat, Daisuke activated his Dash skill and closed the distaween them.
SLAAP!
He clutched the bastard’s face midmotion, cramming a Frost Prism into his mouth. Rohan’s eyes flickered erratically as he began to freeze from the i, a chill creeping through his veins. Then, without a shred of remorse or hesitation, spurred on by vengeance, Daisuke smmed his head into the floor, pletely shattering the frozen body.
CRASH!
Fragments flew in every dire, leaving the onlookers in stunned silence. Petu’s husband in particur was pletely fbbergasted.
DING!
[Rohan has beeed!]
[Stygian Abyss has been acquired.]
[Bloodstained Short Sword has been acquired.]
[Broken dagger has been acquired.]
[Kunai x7 has been acquired.]
[Smokes Bomb x2 has been acquired.]
[55 gold has been acquired.]
Ign all the other items, Daisuke retrieved the Stygian Abyss.
[Stygian Abyss]
[Rank: Unique
Type: Headgear | Light Armor
Durability: 177/180 | Physical Defense: 19.5 | Magical Defense: 29 | Evasion Rate: +18
A mask worn by a chilling specter believed to be the shadow of Charon—the lone ferryman tasked with guiding the fallen across the River of Styx. Legends speak of souls attempting to escape their fate aurn to the mortal realm, only to be ensnared by the ferryman’s shadow and cast into an abyss more harrowing than hell itself.
?? Beyond merely veiling the wearer’s facial features, the mask hoarsens the voice, obscures one’s spiritual signature, st, and even the fai hint of movement.
?? Reduces vulnerability to appraisal skills.
?? Unlocks the ?Intimidate? skill and amplifies its impad effectiveness.
?? HP +5%
ditions of Use: Lvl 30+ | Strength 25+ | Stamina 15+]
Setting aside her orehensiouro the c Florians with a f smile. “Don’t worry, everyone,” she reassured with genuine warmth. “Haxks is here to help; we’ll get you all out of here. Just hang in there a little while longer.”
“Haxks… please, watch over my wife in my absence,” Petu’s husband implored, his voice ced with repentance.
Daisuke arched an eyebrow in fusion. “Huh? Why would I o do that when she’ll be staying right here with you?”
“No, I’m not,” Petu asserted defiantly. “I won’t rest until we find the keys and escape together.”
The husband raised his shoulders in surrender with an awkward smile, clearly aware that an argument with the woman wasn’t one anyone could possibly win.
Daisuke briefly sidered sileng her with a blow to the back of the neck, but hesitated. He was uain how the man would react to witnessing physical abuse inflicted upon his wife, even if it was for her own safety.
With a nod of aowledgment, Daisuke shifted his gaze from the anxious husband to the c ckeys. As if his malevolence had whispered directly to their souls, the men recoiled in terror, their cries eg through the chamber like pigs fag the sughter.
In a frenzy of panic, they stumbled over one another in a desperate attempt to escape. But suddenly, Daisuke materialized before them without a sound, his head bowed low, his aura radiating a frigid darkhat chilled them to the bone.
Without uttering a word, he affixed a half mask to his face depig a demon from eastern folklore. Snugly fitted across his face, it cealed his nose and mouth. The desigured a rge, wrinkled nose and imposing fangs that jutted upwards like tusks.
When Daisuke lifted his head, his striking golden eyes gleamed with an ominous allure, a stark trast against the backdrop of his silver hair and the matte bck finish of the mask. Drawing closer, like a predator closing in on its prey, his shadow engulfed the petrified men, ing around them like the ghostly embrace of death.
