As the sun rose, the blond woman heard the sound of more and more people gathering.
She heard the sounds of footsteps and cars driving by.
She thought all of this was a dream for some time. After all, her eyes would not open even after tremendous effort.
However, something made her feel as if all of this was real. Something that dreams could not replicate.
This metallic taste in her mouth. A taste she used to be familiar with.
The taste of blood.
Suddenly, she tried with all of her strength to open her eyes. Her eyelids were incredibly heavy…abnormally heavy.
'…what.'
She wanted to open her eyes…but she who thought she feared nothing, was worried about seeing her scars.
She could feel it, the pain.
"…hm…ugh…"
She grunted lowly as she finally managed to open her eyes slightly.
Although blurry, Anna-eun Ha could see her surroundings. She was in the same dark and cold alley she passed out after following…
'…Beatrice…?'
She felt rage. How could she dare drug the second ranker of Korea? But her anger only grew stronger as she looked down.
She saw her body covered in blood and bruises.
In a hurry, she called out—
"[STATUS WINDOW]…!"
Her status window opened in front of her.
[ {Anna-eun Ha}
{Class}: Assassin - Specialisation: magic
{Skills}:
| CLASS SKILLS | 5/5
Enhanced Senses LV.83
Enhanced Healing LV.55
Shadow Immersion LV.80
Silent Step LV.89
Accurate Aim LV.70
| DUNGEON OBTAINED SKILLS | 5/5
Art of the Scythe LV.100
Furry of the Broken One LV.99
Money money money! LV.95
Weaponsmith's Instinct LV.65
Eagle Eyes LV.76
[SKILL DESCRIPTIONS] (Press + to see)
+
{Inventory}: FULL. (Press + to see)
+
{Current location}: [Korea - Seoul.] ]
She scrolled desperately to find {Effects}.
"…None…?"
This was cleared. The effects of whatever was used to drug her wore off.
Anna-eun Ha was slowly recuperating.
She scanned her body starting with her legs.
She noticed multiple puncture marks all over her legs going up to her thighs. Around those puncture points, hematomas were also visible.
Looking at her arms, she noticed the same marks. Small scabs were visible along redness.
'Definitely a miss handled injection or blood-draw.'
Her thought was proven by noticeable signs of infections.
'The punctures are abnormally big…it seems like needle was stabbed violently. Why so mad?'
Indeed, with all of the puncture wounds, Anna-eun Ha found it hard to believe that the attacker didn't have anything against her. But further more, other types of scars were prevalent.
'…they beat me up.'
Anna-eun was familiar with wounds from battle, especially those caused by fists. She saw many bruises on her legs and arms.
Her hands were also pretty damaged, like someone hit them with something hard.
Her face was also throbbing. She needed to see something to see and properly analyse
her face.
'I can't stay here any longer. I need to go back to my house and sort things out. Can't call anyone. Can't call the administration. No one can know about this.'
Anna-eun Ha was not close with anyone. She had no one to call for help and her who prevented her from getting treatment.
'I'll just use healing potions. I don't need someone for this. I have the money to pay for them.'
Using the wall to get up, she put pressure on both of her legs. The more pressure she put, the more pain she felt and the harder it was to get up. During this whole ordeal, Anna felt anger, but most importantly shame.
"Such embarrassment…how could I be in a WEAK position like this? Beatrice…I'll splatter her brains on the fucking ground…!"
After much trouble, she finally managed to get up and take a couple of steps. She looked to her right and saw the light coming into the alley.
'Can't go that way.'
She thought. There were too many people.
She called on to one of her skills.
[ The Rank S hunter {Anna Eun-Ha} uses the Grade B skill {Enhanced Healing LV.55} ]
Upon using the skill. Anna-eun Ha's wounds started to heal faster, but not fast enough to her liking.
'I never thought I would one day need this skill…at my level.'
Anna had always disregarded this skill. It was one of the five base skills for assassins. While others found it to be useful, Anna-eun Ha saw it as a sign of weakness.
If someone needed to heal during a fight, why even come in the first place?
She had always thought as it being the worst skill out of the five.
Growing up, Anna-eun Ha was thought by her parents that strength was the most important thing in the world. Being people in business, they had always money as their primary goal.
Every action and every choice must bring money. That includes children.
19 years ago, when the dungeons first appeared on September 5, Anna was 2 years old. Her parents had planned for her, but upon the news, they did everything in their power to make sure she would be a powerful and successful hunter.
Since dungeons were new, people were looking for strong companions to complete them. At the young age 10, after 8 years of training, Anna-eun Ha finally awakened and chose her class.
Her parents influenced her to chose the one that sounded the most powerful.
"Assassin."
At the young age of 10, she joined her first dungeon raid.
At the young age of 10, she became a known hunter.
Regaining her strength, Anna-eun Ha called on to another skill.
"{Shadow Immersion}."
[ The Rank S hunter {Anna Eun-Ha} uses the Grade A skill {Shadow Immersion LV.80} ]
[ {skill} : Shadow Immersion LV.80
[DESCRIPTION] :
One of the 5 base skills of the [Assassin] class.
"A good assassin must stay in the shadows!"
Upon using {Shadow Immersion} the user will be able to be unnoticeable when completely covered in any shadow—let it be a living being's shadow or a none living.
Duration: 30 seconds
Level bonus: 15 seconds increase duration. In any shadow, the user will not release any body odor nor will make any sound.
**Reach level 90, 95 and 100 of the skill to further improve its time duration.** ]
Anna-eun Ha reached out her beat up foot over the shadow of the building.
The moment her foot made contact the shadow, it became invisible—like it had merged with the darkness.
She took a step and slowly, her whole body became engulfed in the shadow—making her invisible to the naked eye.
After that first step, she took another. However, when her left foot touched the floor, a shocking pain was immediately felt.
Anna stumbled towards the wall on her right, barely holding on.
'…ah.'
Slowly—using the wall as support and the shadow as cover—she made her way towards her house.
Anna was limping and her house was far away, but she preferred this over people rounding out about her showing weakness.
'…from here it's about a three hour walk. With me like this? Definitely longer.'
Although Anna-eun Ha could have used S grade healing potions to heal her wounds, she wanted to further analyze them at her home.
'After all, there maybe could be proof or hints…?'
…
…
…
***
"…what the hell? Who dared do this—"
Anna stood before a big mirror in her bathroom. Looking carefully at her face, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
At first, she theorized that one or multiple people including Beatrice had injected something in her or had took her blood for some reason.
That was likely true, as multiple puncture wounds could be found on her body.
However…
"They beat my face to a pulp."
Anna-eun Ha's face was badly bruised. She opened her mouth and with her left hand lifted her left upper lip to have a better look at her teeth and gums.
"Figured…that part really hurt."
Her central incisor, lateral incisor, canine and first Biscupid were all badly cracked. Some so bad that the tooth was basically about to fall out.
She pulled on her canine and yanked it oof easily. Blood poured from her swollen gum.
Looking carefully at her face, she had multiple bruises and cuts over her nose and cheeks.
The sclera (white) in her right eye was completely red.
'Subconjunctival hemorrhage…'
She slightly touched her right black eye.
"…"
"…"
'Well to sum it up. Someone beat the shit out of me.'
'But…it's way too violent. Did the person have something against me? I don't know if Beatrice did this, although she definitely has something to do with it. I can't know for sure if she simply drugged me and sold me or if she partook in whatever happened.'
Either way, Anna felt the same.
'I'll kill her for this humiliation…!'
She clenched her bloodied fist.
"…phew."
She stood over the sink and washed her face with water to think clearly.
She spoke out loud.
"The puncture wounds seem violent. I got stabbed out of frustration. Probably punched out of frustration too, but for what? An old disagreement? A contractor or someone I turned down?"
"…"
"…No. It's probably linked with the needles. An experiment that didn't work? That's the most likely outcome, but I can't be too sure."
"{Inventory}."
Anna scrolled in her inventory and took an S grade healing potion—a really expensive one at that: [{GRADE S} Potion of healing].
The potion was glowing a scarlet red.
She took of the cork and drank it all in one go.
The scars on her body immediately started to fade away. Her right eye's swelling began to disappear. She looked at her hands and they looked completely normal.
Her arms and legs were healed too.
She looked again at her teeth and they were fine. However, she noticed a small cut on her nose that was healing abnormally slowly.
"…?"
She starred at the small wound, looking at it closely to see it close.
Although slowly—it ended up healing.
"Weird…"
Anna-eun Ha took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure that every scar was gone. That way, no one would know what happened.
She carefully scanned her body and there was not a single scar left.
'Good.'
After all of this was taken cared off, rage rose in Anna.
The thought of Beatrice drugging her, of someone experimenting on her and of someone beating her filled her with anger she had never felt before.
"I'll found out—"
'An E rank like you couldn't possibly even heal a scratch on a ranker's body.'
"…hm?"
Anna sat on the toilet's seat and rested her face in her palms. Her eyes could be seen through her fingers as she stared at the ground.
"I remember something. A male voice. A calm, gentle and soft voice."
The voice repeated in her head.
'An E rank like you couldn't possibly even heal a scratch on a ranker's body.'
"An E rank healed me? What kind of joke is this."
Anna was quite shocked, but also intrigued. At least now she remembered something.
"Beatrice or that person…"
It was decided.
Her eyes glowed in a bright red. Filled with anger and desire for revenge and answers.
"Who should I get first?"
***
"…"
"…Em…"
Hm? I'm so tired…am I dreaming right now?
"…Emy."
"…what…"
"Get up! We have to get ready and go."
I slowly open my dry eyes. I was so tired I just stared at the ceiling while laying on my bed.
"Why do I have to get ready…?"
"For school dumbass!"
Oh yeahhh I forgot about that.
"It's fine Arthur. Just let me sleep some more…"
I followed him with my eyes as he made his way to the light switch.
"Wait—"
He turned on the lights and blinded me.
"Ughh….fine."
I slowly sat up on on the edge of my bed and stayed sitting just looking at the wall.
"I'm so tired… yesterday killed me."
Arthur came up to my face at looked at my eyes.
"Your eye bags have gotten bigger you know?"
I responded sarcastically.
"Wow thanks I didn't know."
Arthur sighed before responding.
"What I mean is—have you gotten some sleep lately? Even after what happened yesterday…is everything alright? You always look so tired."
I guess he was worried about my well being. But I don't really get it. It's just eye bags. It doesn't matter if I look tired. It's fine.
"*sigh*…yes I'm fine."
I stood up and immediately got dizzy. I need to wash my face…
"I'm gonna go get ready. Can you wake up Jin-hu for me?"
"Huh? Where is he??"
I pointed at the floor at the other side of the bed. Arthur went over and looked.
Jin-hu was sleeping on the floor.
"Why is he on the floor?"
"Pfff I don't know. But he looks really funny right now let me take a picture real quick."
…
…
…
…
"What class do you have today?"
"Uhhh Hunter economics with miss Elain."
Jin-hu sighed.
"We don't have the same teacher. Well at least we have some other classes together."
I took out my phone and looked at the time.
It was 7:55 AM and classes started at 8:00 AM.
"Damn we're gonna be late. My class is on the third floor."
"Mine's at the second floor."
Arthur joined in the conversation.
"Mine's also at the second floor. I'll go with you."
I opened my phone and the school's application just to make sure I was going to the right class.
"Well, I'll see you guys later. Text me when you're both done with the class, we could eat together!"
"Alright, bye!"
"Bye, see you later!"
…
…
…
'Where's my class???'
I take out my phone in a hurry and while looking for the class number—I stare at the time going from 7:57 to 7:58.
I was really stressed about time related things. I was never late to a single event in my entire class.
It's either always on time or 20 minutes earlier for me.
'Damn it…'
The class number said 'D3170'. I stared at signs pointing towards section D. I knew this school by heart, but had never seen that class number before.
I looked at the classes numbers.
"D3168, D3169…D3171..?"
Huh, am I going crazy? Where's class D3170??
I looked again at the class numbers and looked at the time on my phone.
"7:59…"
Ugh, who built this school to be such a maze?
Suddenly, while I was in my head I felt a light tao on my shoulder accompanied by a voice I had heard before.
"Excuse me…you're Emy right?"
I knew her, she was the girl I had walked with in the dungeon.
"Oh, you're…Miriam…right…?"
I was scared I had forgotten her name.
"Yes t-thats me! I couldn't thank you enough for helping me back in the dungeon. But…you look kinda lost right now. No offense!"
"Yeah I'm looking for class D3170. It's Hunter economics."
Miriam looked at the class number on my phone and her eyes lit up.
"Oh we're in the same class! Ahhh that class is really annoying to find. I had a class there last year."
I follow her as she walked towards an empty section of section D. There, we opened a door which led to another small alley. Over there I could see classes 'D3170', 'D3170a' and 'D3170b'.
Ah…I was in luck.
As we walked in the class, I quickly looked at my phone one last time 8:00…phew.
The teacher was about to start as she saw us enter.
"Right on time…take a seat and we'll get started right away."
…