My first mission from the Assassin Guild is the assassination of thieves disguised as adventurers who prey on novices… a party called “Blade Fang.”
My former master had an agreement with the previous Guild Master not to accept requests from villains, so the same kind of work comes to me.
However, Dino probably agreed to it because he didn’t want to deal with the trouble of getting caught and having information leaked if an assassination of a commoner failed.
“This is a test, but we will pay you. If you successfully complete the request, we will give you ten times the money. This is an advance.”
Dino flicks a coin with his finger, and I catch it in the air. …An advance of one gold coin. One gold coin is about the same as the monthly salary of a young adult who has just started working.
A young couple with small children can live on two to three gold coins a month, so 10 gold coins seems like a lot of money, but considering I’m risking my life against three thieves, it’s a bit underwhelming.
“Also, there are weapons in the room on the far right. Some are left over from old members, and some are recovered items that might be useful. If you can use them, feel free to do so.”
“Understood.”
This underground Assassin Guild was apparently a remodeled coal mine, so it was quite large. The chapel above it was also built for the people who died in a coal mine accident hundreds of years ago, but now it’s also a bit of a tourist attraction.
The air in the underground coal mine tends to stagnate, but I can feel a slight breeze, so there must be a vent somewhere. The reason there are hardly any lights inside is probably to prevent the air from stagnating and because most of the members have Night Vision.
“【Light】”
When I arrive at the target room, I light a 【Light】 for inspection.
There were indeed weapons, but it was more like a warehouse than an armory. Most of the weapons lined up were covered in dust or had rust on the blades.
If these are the relics of dead assassins, I guess this is what you’d expect. There wasn’t much of value, but there were some Demon Iron-made small Hidden Weapons and a metal sharpening rod instead of a whetstone, so I’ll take those.
“Yo, ain’t much good stuff here, huh? You the newbie, the Ash-Covered Brat?”
“…Who are you?”
I felt someone approaching. But he was approaching so openly that I decided to wait for him instead.
“Me? Just call me Guy. Nice to meet ya, Ash-Covered Brat!”
【Guy】【Race: Human♂】
【Mana Capacity: 90/95】【HP: 255/270】
【Overall Combat Strength: 251 (Body Enhancement in progress: 294)】
The Cruz youth with dark skin grins, showing his white teeth.
His combat strength isn’t much different from Keira’s, but with this Mana Capacity, it means his physical abilities are simply high, not his combat endurance.
Even so, “Guy,” huh? It’s a common name for men in this country, easy to remember, but also easy to forget. But more than that.
“Ash-Covered Brat?”
“You had a run-in with that Keira, right? I could hear her voice all the way over here.”
So you heard Keira shout “Ash-Covered Brat.”
I don’t mind being called “Ash-Covered Brat”… or rather, Guy and maybe even Dino and Keira might be using aliases instead of their real names.
This man, Guy, gave me a decent impression within the Guild.
He’s an assassin, so you can’t really call him “decent” at that point, but whether I can trust him or not, he’s still better than that Keira.
“So, what brings you here, Guy?”
“I was wondering what kind of person Serejula’s disciple was. I think you’ve noticed, but there aren’t many decent people here. Especially watch out for the Sage and Gord. Many of our comrades have been sacrificed so far.”
“Sage…?”
The “Sage” is an old Forest Elf, nearly five hundred years old, and he’s a Magician who studies curses. He casts curses on members under the guise of experiments, killing many without leaving any evidence.
And as a Forest Elf, he apparently despises my master, who is a talented Dark Elf Magician, so he told me that he might harm me, her disciple.
Curses, huh…? There was such content in my master’s lessons.
It’s a technique that involves performing vast rituals to harm a target far away or to suppress their actions. According to my master, the effort of preparation doesn’t match the effect, so it’s an “impractical field.” …I see, so that’s why he despises my master.
In addition, Guy tells me about the people to watch out for in this Guild.
Sharga, the battle-crazed Dwarf.
Rada, the Shadow user.
And that Gothic Lolita girl, Keira.
But the most dangerous one is Gord, whose name came up with the Sage.
“Can’t you hear a faint growling sound from here?”
“…………”
I thought it was the sound of the wind from the vent, but now that he mentions it, it does sound like a creature’s “growl.”
“He’s just a monster. He doesn’t have the intelligence to be used in a proper assassination, but he only comes out when the Guild members are being purged.”
I see… so that’s why Keira backed down so easily when she heard about the purge.
“Well, you’ll be fine as long as you don’t get close… by the way, has your job been decided yet?”
“…Thieves who prey on novices.”
“Oh, that job came up too. The fee wasn’t that high, so it was put on the back burner… are you okay? Not to make fun of you, but it’s tough for a kid’s first job, right?”
“I won’t know until I see it.”
“Well, that’s true. Just be careful not to die on your first mission. This job has the highest probability of death on the first mission.”
“…Understood.”
Guy gives me such encouragement, smiles, and returns to his room with a light step, as if whistling.
He was a strange guy, but thanks to him, I got a rough overview. I’ll use this information effectively.
Dino prepared a room for me in this Guild, but I don’t intend to use it. I leave the Assassin Guild that day and set off for my destination without meeting anyone.
Currently, the target thieves are apparently based in a town with a Dungeon in the County of Sentorea, about a week east of Dandole.
“Dungeon,” huh…? I have it in my “knowledge,” but it’s my first time, so I’ll organize the knowledge in my head once.
A Dungeon originally means “underground prison” or “basement of a castle,” but in this world, it means “ruins” or “labyrinths” possessed by Monsters.
To be possessed by Monsters means that the Monsters don’t just live in the ruins, but literally possess and become one with them.
It is said that the Monster is an evolved version of an ancient “hermit crab.” Just as the hermit crab wears a shell to protect itself, it uses the cave as a “shell” and calls creatures into it, gaining the creatures’ Mana and life force to survive.
In order to efficiently obtain Mana and life force, it is necessary to make the creatures fight each other and lose their lives. For this reason, the Dungeon even absorbs knowledge from the lingering thoughts of dead creatures, skillfully attracts Monsters with low intelligence, and has evolved to the point where it can generate items that humans are interested in from minerals and other materials.
In the three largest Dungeons in this country, the Monsters turn into “half-Spirits” and give 【Divine Protection】 to those who reach the deepest part, but such places are managed by the country, so there is no room for thieves to enter. The place I’m heading to this time will be a general medium-sized Dungeon.
I stop by a town to buy the necessary items and then head to the County of Sentorea.
From this County of Hedel, I’ll head south to Dandole and then east for about ten days.
If I hurry, I can get there in about a week, but I’ll be training while I go, so this is the limit for this itinerary.
I’m still not strong enough. I’ve been doing basic training under my master, but I didn’t have enough “experience” to reflect it in my Skills and Status.
According to my master and my plan, I was going to do basic training thoroughly until I turned ten and gradually reflect it, but an unexpected situation occurred, and I had no choice but to leave that Forest while I was still weak.
But I’ll take this as an opportunity.
By crawling into my master’s place and being under her protection, I was able to sleep properly for the first time in years.
But that’s “childish indulgence.” Before I knew it, I was indulging in my master like a “normal child.”
My master has a sharp tongue, but she probably noticed that and protected me when I was young.
But, no. I finally realized that that’s not good.
During the five months that I was indulging in my master, my strength was clearly growing slower than during the first three months when I couldn’t sleep properly.
Let’s retrain my mind and body to the limit once again. In order for me, a mere child, to stand up against Grave and protect the people I care about, I had to do training that would shave away my spirit and soul.
Thanks to my master, I’ve managed to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge. I’ve learned the necessary weapons and techniques.
I will save my master. I will save Elena. I will gain the power to escape fate. To do that, I must keep moving forward without stopping even for a single step.
Fortunately, all the strong “enemies” capable of killing me, who were rare in that forest, will be provided (・・) by the Assassin Guild.
Without using the main roads, without stopping in towns, I ran through the night forest, suppressing my presence, and eliminated all the monsters I encountered.
The current me can fight even Hobgoblins head-on. I closed the gap in our Status with skill, accurately pierced their vital points, and honed my “combat” and “killing techniques.”
“Gugya…”
In the night forest, I unexpectedly encountered a Hobgoblin. Before it could recover from its initial surprise, I wrapped it in threads to stop its breath, preventing it from making a sound, and then I slid my knife into the Hobgoblin’s throat to finish it off.
I hold no grudge against monsters. Our encounter just made us enemies. That’s all there is to it.
My master taught me that combat-related Skills don’t just grow through physical skill.
Understanding the precise location of blood vessels and organs, and knowing how much force to apply to which location to neutralize an enemy, makes it easy to either keep them alive or kill them.
Skills don’t just grow through technique, but also through “knowledge.” That’s why I, a child, was able to acquire Skills and fight in just a few months.
During my travels, I continued to train my mind and body, and after ten days, I arrived at the County of Sentorea, located along the eastern coast.
[Aria (Alicia)] [Race: Human Female] [Rank 2]
[Mana Capacity: 158/170] 5 Up [HP: 123/140] 20 Up
[Strength: 6 (7.2)] [Endurance: 7 (8.4)] 1 Up [Agility: 9 (10.8)] 1 Up [Dexterity: 7]
[Dagger Arts Lv.2] [Martial Arts Lv.2] [Throwing Lv.2] [Thread Manipulation Lv.2] 1 Up
[Light Magic Lv.2] [Dark Magic Lv.2] [Non-Attribute Magic Lv.2]
[Utility Magic x6] [Mana Control Lv.2] [Intimidation Lv.2]
[Stealth Lv.2] [Night Vision Lv.2] [Detection Lv.2] [Poison Resistance Lv.1]
[Simple Appraisal]
[Overall Combat Strength: 171 (During Body Enhancement: 192)] 23 Up
I felt I was rushing a bit too much, so I slowed down my pace, but I didn’t make it to the assassination.
Aria (Alicia) has become quite strong.
Even at the same Rank 2, there is a significant difference compared to her Status around chapter 25.
Next time: Assassination. And the unexpected person who appears there.
Probably scheduled for Wednesday.