After finally pushing the Pale Blade to its current peak, Lucas leaned back in his chair and sighed in deep satisfaction. His eyes shone with pride. He had spent nearly every coin he had, exhausted every resource, and scoured every weapons store in Tianhai—but it had all been worth it.
Tomorrow was the assessment.
And Lucas could confidently say: he had done everything he possibly could to prepare. No regrets. No unfinished goals. In fact, things had gone even smoother than expected. His personal stats panel had skyrocketed, and the evolution of the Pale Blade had launched him into a different league altogether.
He felt it with every movement, every breath—he was stronger now. Much stronger than when he'd first stepped into this world.
Lying back on his bed with a content grin, Lucas opened his personal status screen to review the results of his hard work:
---
Account ID: XX10086XX9527
Character Name: Lucas
Class: Shadow Assassin (God-killing Assassin)
Talent Level: SSS Level
Awakening: First Phase Complete
Level: 20
Vital Stats:
HP: 7,240
Stamina: 2,000
Attack Power: 2,319
Physical Defense: 1,130
Magic Defense: 904
Attributes:
Strength: 420
Constitution: 632
Agility: 1,092
Endurance: 610
Intelligence: 389
Combat Details:
Attack Speed: 1.3
Accuracy: 100%
Dodge Rate: 15%
Resistance: 20%
Critical Rate: 30%
Critical Damage: 200%
General Skills: Combo, Fatal Deep Stab, Invisibility, Tearing Cut, Backstab
Awakening Skills: Shadow Blade (God-killing Blade), Delusion-breaking Eye
Equipment:
Weapon: Pale Blade
Head: Stalker Hood
Armor: Ogre's Leather Armor
Pants: Ogre's Leather Pants
Gloves: Lightweight Wrist Guards
Boots: Lightweight Leather Boots
Pendant: Ogre's Bloodthirsty Pendant
Ring: Tiger Tooth Ring
Waist Accessory: None
Second Ring: None
---
The transformation was nothing short of incredible. Compared to his stats right after changing professions, Lucas's current panel looked like something out of a pro gamer's fantasy. Most of his power came from the Pale Blade, which had now grown so absurdly powerful that it more than doubled his total stats.
The rest came from gear bonuses and his consistent agility-focused stat distribution. Each time he leveled up, he received additional stat points from his SSS-level Talent and naturally growing base stats. Lucas had pumped almost all his points into agility, aiming to amplify the bonus damage from his awakened Talent skills.
As a result, his agility had soared past the 1,000 mark, dwarfing the rest of his attributes.
Strength and intelligence? Forget it. He was an assassin. Strength got a +2 per level, intelligence only +1—barely worth a glance. Agility was the king stat, and Lucas had doubled down on it.
"I wonder how other students' stat sheets look after reaching Level 20?" Lucas mused aloud, smirking. "No way they're as ridiculous as mine."
With an SSS Talent and a weapon like the Pale Blade, he figured he was miles ahead.
"I'm ready." He rolled over in bed with confidence in his heart. "Bring on the assessment."
Just then—
Ding dong~
A system notification rang out. The academy had sent a mass message, reminding all new students to return to campus for the official assessment first thing in the morning.
Lucas glanced at the message and then, for the first time in days, opened the school chat group.
It was… exploding.
More than 300 members, and tonight, it felt like every single one of them was online.
The chat box scrolled so fast that Lucas could barely keep up. Status panels, gear photos, messages, jokes, nervous declarations, and even random memes were flying in every second.
Lucas didn't chime in—he was a quiet observer. A shadow, even in digital space.
He just silently watched the chaos unfold, sipping on the last bit of his soda and scrolling casually through the messages.
As expected, everyone was talking about levels, attributes, and university rankings. The big question: "What's your level, and which college do you think you'll make it into?"
Most of them had already finished their grind and were back in the city, ready for tomorrow. But a few diehards were still fighting in the wild, hoping to squeeze out one more level before sunrise.
There was talk of a five-man team of A-level talents, working together in the jungle to push someone to Level 16. The group was cheering them on. Encouraging messages flooded the chat.
Another two A-tier groups had fallen short—stuck with 50% exp bars. They'd already given up and returned to the city.
Naturally, those who had already maxed their levels were showing off. Their stats, gear, and skills were on display like badges of honor. Praise and envy followed.
But Alexis Lane—the school's most admired beauty and the other known S-level talent—was conspicuously absent.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "She told me she hit Level 18. But she's not talking in the group chat?"
He smirked.
"Maybe she's lurking like me."
Some students even @-mentioned her in chat, asking about her level and gear. No response.
Lucas's name came up too—but no one dared message him directly. He was known for being mysteriously lowkey and always had Do Not Disturb mode on.
He preferred it that way. Quiet. Focused. Dangerous.
But not all of his friends were silent.
Mason, the cheerful, round-faced friend Lucas had helped train, was hyperactive in the chat. Despite being a B-level Talent, Mason had rocketed to Level 15, thanks to Lucas's help.
Now, he was showing off shamelessly in the group.
And honestly? He deserved it.
Among all the B-tier students, Mason was one of the highest leveled. While most B-rankers hovered around Level 13 or 14, he'd soared ahead with ease.
Lucas grinned. He deserved a little spotlight.
After all, most of the other high-level B-tier students had fought tooth and nail, grinding nonstop to get there. Mason? Rocket ride. And now he was basking in it.
Lucas opened a private chat with him.
> Lucas: "Yo. What've you been up to lately?"
Mason: "Killing monsters, sharpening skills! I'm not slacking, promise!"
Mason even shared a screenshot of his experience bar—halfway to the next level. Clearly, he wasn't just coasting on Lucas's earlier help.
Lucas was relieved.
He didn't want his friend to rely on him forever. It was good to see him continuing the grind, pushing forward with determination.
> Mason: "By the way, did you hear? That guy Leon Graves might hit Level 16 tonight!"
Lucas blinked.
> Lucas: "Oh."
Mason: "Yeah, he's pulling an all-nighter in the outer forest. Real try-hard energy."
Lucas shrugged.
Leon Graves? The name barely registered.
> Lucas: "Doesn't matter."
He didn't care what Leon's level was. Not his concern.
And with that, Martha's voice rang out from the kitchen:
"Lucas! Dinner's ready!"
He stood up, stretched, and sent Mason one last message:
> Lucas: "Let's meet at the gate tomorrow morning before heading to the academy."
> Mason: "Got it! I'll bring breakfast!"
Lucas smiled and closed the chat.
---
Tomorrow, everything would change.
The assessment was coming.
And he would be ready.
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