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Chapter 12 — Shadows of the Creed
Seven days.
Seven long days of waiting while whispers in the city grew sharper, colder.
But when the cooldown finally cleared, I didn't hesitate.
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Simulation: Assassin's Creed World
> [Simulation Selected: Assassin's Creed — Renaissance Training Grounds]
[Objective: Stealth, Evasion, and Infiltration Mastery]
[Duration: 5 years simulated = 45 minutes real time]
[Warning: Physical synchronization required.]
The shift was smooth this time, almost gentle.
One blink, and Floating Cloud City was gone.
I was standing in a narrow alley, the scent of fresh bread and old stone filling the air. Bells tolled in the distance, mingling with the bustle of merchants and guards.
And across from me, a hooded man leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Welcome, novice," he said, his accent sharp but smooth. "Time to learn what it means to disappear."
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The Training
The first year was all about movement.
Scaling walls until my hands bled.
Learning how to run across rooftops without making a sound.
Balancing on narrow ledges until my muscles screamed.
Then came observation.
Reading crowds.
Finding patterns.
Understanding when to blend in and when to vanish.
By the second simulated year, I could walk through a busy market, three guards brushing past me, and not a single one would spare me a glance.
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The First Mission
By the third year, training turned into missions.
I wasn't killing anyone — the system blocked lethal engagements — but the objectives were brutal enough:
Retrieve a marked letter from a guarded office.
Plant false evidence in a noble's villa.
Tail a courier without being noticed for an entire day.
Each success sharpened me.
Each failure — and there were many — taught me that stealth wasn't about speed or even silence.
It was about patience.
About waiting for the right moment and seizing it without hesitation.
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The Final Test
On the fifth year, they gave me the "impossible" test: infiltrate a fortress, retrieve a locked box, and leave without being seen.
It took me three simulated weeks.
Three weeks of observation, failed attempts, and careful planning.
But when I finally dropped back into the alley, box in hand, my mentor gave a small, rare smile.
"Well done," he said. "You are no longer merely a shadow. You are the night itself."
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Back to Reality
Reality snapped back like a stretched cord, and I was once again in my small room in Floating Cloud City.
But my breathing was steady.
My steps were light.
And every shadow in the room felt like an ally, not an enemy.
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System Update
> [Skill Integration: Stealth Mastery (Intermediate)]
[Movement Efficiency: +15%]
[Noise Suppression: +25%]
[Energy Synchronization: 46% → 52%]
I exhaled slowly, a grin tugging at my lips.
The Xiao Clan might be watching.
The city might be whispering.
But from now on?
If I didn't want to be found…
They wouldn't find me.
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