I waited patiently, paying close attention to every little movement, until the right moment finally came. I stayed hidden among the branches of a tall tree, watching everything through Noa's eyes. Not that much caution was necessary — their vigilance was laughable. No signs of alert, no defensive stance.
On the contrary, they held their weapons casually, almost carelessly, like it was just another ordinary patrol day. It was obvious they wouldn't have time to react when I struck. So I kept waiting, lying in wait, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to take down two at once with a single precise move.
That moment didn't take long to arrive. More specifically, it happened when two of the four men drifted a bit away from the main group. I took the chance.
Leaping through the trees with smooth, silent movements, I positioned myself right above one of them. Through Noa's eyes, I watched my target carefully, analyzing every detail of his posture. Meanwhile, Justin — my other body — stealthily advanced through the dense foliage.
The moment I placed myself behind the second target, hidden by the shadows of the brush, I fired. I broke through the vegetation running toward the first enemy, the one on the right, ready to strike before any of them could react.
My dagger sank precisely into his back, piercing flesh like nothing stood in its way. He gasped and spat blood the moment the blade reached his heart. To the left, the other man witnessed the scene with wide eyes, but his reaction came too late.
The moment he turned his attention to me, it was already too late — I was falling from above, right onto him. My body collided with his hard, knocking him down, and in one continuous motion, my dagger found his chest, piercing his heart before he could fight back.
Of course, all that action didn't happen in complete silence. Beyond the inevitable sounds of movement, when I landed on the last target, there was an impact — not loud enough to echo through the place, but enough to catch the attention of the two remaining group members, companions of the ones I had already taken out.
"A surprise attack? Who the hell are you two?" asked the man who, judging by his firm stance and sharp gaze, I assumed was the group's leader.
Though the last two men also looked surprised by my arrival, the same went for Oliver, Ethan, and Alice, whose faces showed immediate shock. Oliver stepped forward, frowning as he stared at us: "Justin? Noa? What are you guys doing here?" he asked, clearly confused.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, while Justin's voice echoed loud and clear in the quiet surroundings. At the same time, I shifted position casually: "I just followed the trail you left... although, I have to admit, I didn't expect to find you like this"
After finally saying what I needed, I turned my gaze back to the last two enemies. Before, I had imagined that by taking those two out, Oliver, Ethan, and Alice could help me — but apparently, I was too optimistic. Ethan was visibly at his limit, barely able to stand, and Oliver, despite trying to hide it, didn't seem in much better shape.
Alice, meanwhile, although less injured, wasn't trained for combat, nor did she have any experience dealing with situations like this. In short, the solution was up to me. Alone.
"Hmm... so you two are with them?" the man murmured, running a hand over his neck as if to ease some built-up tension: "Honestly, that saves me the trouble of having to hunt you down"
After saying that, he looked back at me. This time, his gaze was filled with restrained anger, almost tangible: "Still, I can't say I'm happy with how things are playing out. You know... even if they were useless, they were still my subordinates. And as a good boss, I think it's my duty... to get revenge for them"
With those words, the man simply returned to his calm stare and raised his sword before him: "Whatever. I guess getting new subordinates is easy"
I stayed silent, eyes fixed on the man — or rather, on his movements. The way he held the sword hilt, firm but relaxed, and how his feet had repositioned moments before... everything about him screamed imminent attack.
I kept full control over both my bodies, and in perfect sync, they raised their daggers defensively. In the next instant, he charged. I blinked, surprised — for a brief moment, he vanished from my sight, then, like he tore the air between us, he appeared right in front of me.
I barely had time to react when I saw the sword coming straight at me. Or rather, at Justin. I didn't have as much time as I wanted to think — everything happened in seconds, at least from my perspective.
Before I even realized it, my body had activated [Wild Instinct], pure reflex. The next moment, I felt the extra strength flood me; my senses sharpened beyond human limits, and my body moved on its own, as if survival was wired into every muscle.
I rolled to the side, the impact against the damp ground stealing my breath for a moment. The strong smell of earth and wet leaves hit my nostrils. The blade sliced the air exactly where my head had been moments before, leaving a hissing trail in the tense forest silence.
At the same time, Noa moved swiftly through the blind spots of the field of vision, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Her steps, almost imperceptible thanks to the [Silent Steps] skill, made it hard even for me to track her position — at least when seen through Justin's eyes.
However, that wasn't a real obstacle; after all, as Noa, I could still know exactly where she was. It was like our instincts were tuned in perfect harmony.
I decided to take things at my own pace, enjoying the advantage of having two bodies. After all, I didn't need gestures or verbal commands to communicate between them. The only real challenge was coordinating them simultaneously during combat — a complex task, but one I was gradually mastering. With every attempt, I felt my movements grow more natural, as if my dual body was finally learning to dance in perfect harmony.
As soon as I regained my composure, I slowly got up and stared at him intently. His movements still echoed in my mind: (He's surprisingly fast for a warrior… almost impossible to track with the naked eye)
Honestly, his speed caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting anything that extreme, especially considering the kind of gear he was wearing — nothing seemed special or designed to boost agility.
He didn't appear to be using any magical or enchanted items, and attributing all that speed just to his stats felt like a stretch. Eliminating those possibilities, I came to the most likely conclusion: all that speed came from a unique Skill.
For a moment, I wondered exactly how I should face him. Even though he was an assassin, he was clearly faster than me. But I realized it wasn't a constant speed — it was more like his initial burst was insanely fast. In other words, as long as I could keep my distance, maybe I wouldn't have too much trouble.
However, that thought quickly proved useless. As an assassin, fighting from a distance wasn't my strong suit. And to make things worse, facing a warrior head-on was already a huge disadvantage for someone of my class. It was like trying to cut down a wall with a dagger: possible, maybe, but not easy.
As I sank deeper into my thoughts, the man's voice echoed again in the room, dripping with mockery: "Haha... So, where's all that courage you showed earlier?"
Honestly, attacking him head-on would be almost impossible. But if there was any kind of distraction — even just for a second — maybe I could find an opening. That's when my eyes met Alice's.
We didn't exchange words or gestures, but in that silent look there was clear communication. Despite the exhaustion marking her face, Alice was still standing. With visible effort, she raised a trembling hand. I noticed a faint blue glow running through her fingers.
"Slowness" Alice whispered.
The magic spread through the air, taking the form of an even thicker fog, wrapping everything around in heavy silence. And at that exact moment, I saw it. He stumbled — not literally, but his feet faltered, hesitated for a brief second. An almost imperceptible lapse, but for me, it was enough. It was the opening I'd been waiting for.
(Now!)
Justin moved forward with determination. He struck a straight, precise blow, using [Precise Strike], aiming at the opponent's exposed flank. The blade sliced through the air at speed, barely grazing the skin. In a quick reflex, the opponent spun the sword to block, eyes wide with shock as he realized how close he'd come to being hit.
But that strike wasn't the real attack — Justin was just the distraction I had carefully planned. He had fallen perfectly into the trap. Without hesitation, Noa was already sliding silently behind him, ready for the decisive blow.
I felt the power pulse in my legs, in Noa's legs. The dagger cut through the air with a sharp edge, descending in a straight line, aiming for his collarbone. In a quick reflex, he twisted his body and unleashed a spinning kick with brutal intensity — it hit me square in the stomach. The pain exploded inside me, a sharp burn shooting through my chest. Noa was thrown backward, flying through the air before crashing painfully to the ground, gasping and tense.
"Shit... that hurts, seriously" I groaned, my two voices intertwining at once: one echoing from Justin's throat, even though he hadn't actually taken the hit, and another caught, rough and urgent, in Noa's confused thoughts.
"I was starting to wonder when you'd finally join the party" he said, adjusting his armor with a faint clink of metal plates, raising his sword that reflected the dim light around us.
I didn't respond. Instead, both our bodies moved in perfect sync. Justin charged ahead, blade sliding low, threatening a lethal upward slash. Noa attacked from the side, quickly sliding behind a tree, circling the area with silent agility. [Silent Steps] masked my approach, making my advance invisible.
Honestly, this should have been his end. Otherwise, it would be mine. My body was already starting to give out, exhausted from constant effort. My mana was at its limit, pulsing like it was about to explode any moment. Even with [Silent Steps] active again, I felt like I was pushing beyond what I could really handle — every move drained my strength, and the pressure inside me only grew.
He tried to cut Justin in a straight line, but I ducked at the last moment — the blade whistled just past my head, slicing the air with a threatening hiss. Noa appeared like a shadow in the thick fog, moving with silent speed. Her dagger shot out true, aiming for the tendon in Justin's leg. He jumped back with a grunt of pain, almost losing his balance.
"You two are seriously annoying..."
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt the fog around us thicken, as if the heavy air was conspiring against the man in front of me. With every exchanged blow, the atmosphere grew denser, almost suffocating. I was adapting — the battlefield was beginning to bend to my rhythm. I didn't need to knock him down by brute force anymore; I just had to use my intelligence to beat him.
This time, it was Noa who attacked first, lunging with a quick, precise thrust. He raised his sword to parry. But at the exact moment I crossed my dagger with his sword, Justin was already on the ground, sliding silently, launching a low strike towards the knee, aiming with precision.
He jumped. Just like I expected. That's what I wanted. Noa jumped with him. Both daggers gleamed in perfect sync, slicing through the air with threatening silence. For a brief moment, I saw it. I saw the fear reflected in his eyes — raw, desperate fear. He realized too late there was no escape, that he couldn't dodge that assault. That was his end. There, in that dense, relentless forest, he would die.