The man in leather armor sneered, taking a smooth step backward. His figure melted into the shadow of the nearby building, and in the next instant, a layer of gray smoke enveloped his body. Within moments, he had completely vanished into the darkness — as if the night itself had swallowed him whole.
In Aldric's eyes, a living, breathing person had just openly disappeared right before him, slipping seamlessly into stealth mode.
A sharp whistle cut through the air — "Whoosh!" — followed by a flash of light. A streak of electricity shot out, piercing through one of the glowing orbs that illuminated the street. The sphere flickered weakly a few times before finally going dark. The surrounding area — several dozen meters across was instantly plunged into shadow.
Under the dim moonlight, Aldric finally saw that the source of the light was not a magical crystal at all, but a thumb-sized luminescent insect.
Through his witcher profession's innate ability — [Low-Light Vision] — Aldric quickly caught sight of a shadow, slightly darker than the surrounding night, darting toward him from the side and behind. The strange part was that despite its incredible speed, not even a trace of wind accompanied its movement.
A few seconds ago, the two of them had been more than ten meters apart. But the moment the light went out, the glowing insect hadn't even hit the ground before that shadow was already at his back.
A flash of cold steel gleamed through the dark, the dagger he'd seen earlier but this time it was followed by another silent streak of silver. Somehow, the man in leather armor now had a second weapon in his other hand — a long, matte-black dagger. He lunged in with both blades, twin arcs of death that cut through the air without making a single sound.
Aldric had no idea how the man managed to attack so quietly, but he knew one thing for certain — no matter how fast the enemy was, he hadn't yet exceeded the speed of sound. That meant Aldric still had a chance to react.
Just as the daggers were about to reach him, Aldric twisted his body sharply. His feet stayed rooted, but his short sword flashed out to meet the attack.
"Clang!" The sound of steel meeting steel rang out briefly before both fighters disengaged.
The leather-armored man reacted instantly. When his ambush failed, he retreated with the speed of a startled cat, leaping backward and vanishing once more into the darkness. Even Aldric's [Low-Light Vision] couldn't detect him now — but the hunter could feel the danger hanging in the air, sharp and suffocating, like a fishbone caught in his throat.
Not far away, in the better-lit parts of the street, the city was still alive. Drunken mercenaries and sailors staggered out of taverns, their laughter, curses, and retching echoing faintly through the night.
But within this patch of shadow where Aldric stood, no more than thirty meters across — it felt as though the world had been sealed away. The only sounds were the faint breathing of a few unconscious thugs on the ground… and Aldric's own steady exhale.
"One… two… three… six… seven…"
He counted silently, listening closely. His extraordinary perception allowed him to pick out heartbeats within range. There were six still-beating hearts, the thugs he'd knocked unconscious plus his own. Seven in total. That meant the assassin had completely concealed both his breathing and his heartbeat.
Then — suddenly — an eighth heartbeat joined the chorus. Strong, powerful, and pulsing with deadly intent.
Aldric's instincts flared immediately. He sensed the position of the heartbeat, but it was already too close — far too close. The leather-armored man had reappeared almost pressed against his back, as though he had crawled right out of Aldric's own shadow.
Twin blades flashed once again. Aldric threw himself forward with every ounce of strength he had. He managed to dodge death, but two crimson lines opened across his back. His newly acquired ranger leather armor, not even broken in yet, now bore two long, ragged slashes. If the armor hadn't been of exceptional quality, that strike might have ended the fight right there.
But the assassin didn't let up. His twin daggers flowed like twin serpents, one strike faster than the next. Each attack targeted a vital point, and no matter how Aldric rolled, ducked, or twisted, there was always another blade waiting for him. He barely had time to catch his breath — much less stand up.
Aldric didn't know what skill the man had activated, but his close-quarters dagger combat was unlike anything from the real world — fast, precise, utterly lethal. And his attributes clearly overpowered Aldric's own. Even with his [Lightning Reflexes] talent, Aldric could only barely parry the blows. Each clash sent painful shockwaves up his arm, his short sword almost wrenched from his grip.
He couldn't win.
He had to run.
Dropping all pretense of composure, Aldric scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground and flung it toward the assassin's face.
The seasoned killer, having fought countless battles, was no stranger to such cheap tricks. He ducked instinctively and in the same instant, swept his leg in a low kick, sending his own handful of dirt flying back at Aldric.
But that moment of distraction was all Aldric needed. His left hand shot forward, palm open and aimed straight at his attacker.
"Aard!"
A concussive blast erupted from his palm — a wave of compressed force no wider than a shield. It slammed square into the unprepared assassin's chest, hurling him backward. He flew nearly ten meters before smashing into a brick wall with a heavy thud.
The man in leather armor staggered to his feet, clutching his abdomen and retching violently before finally catching his breath.
Aldric didn't wait to see what happened next. He turned and sprinted for the main street as if his life depended on it. Fishing up a shark when you only wanted bait — if you can't win, run like hell!
Behind him, the leather-clad assassin spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, glaring coldly at the unconscious thugs scattered around.
"Useless trash," he growled.
….
Vittoria Gabriella, former captain of the EU Elite Airborne Task Force.
Once, she had been one of the most respected soldiers in the corps — until the day her superior officer made the mistake of showing blatant sexism in front of her. In a fit of rage, Vittoria broke seven of his ribs, one leg, and several soft tissues. Even the latest nanotech repair pods couldn't fully restore the damage. They had to replace entire sections of bone with cloned implants.
At her military tribunal, Vittoria simply produced the recording from her helmet cam — irrefutable proof of the officer's misconduct. Her superior was discharged from the army before he even left the hospital.
But the man's family had powerful connections. In the end, Vittoria found herself cornered — unwanted by the military, branded as "unstable." With nowhere else to go, she joined the Pioneer Expedition to escape her past.
Inside the game world, however, Vittoria felt freer than she had ever been. With a Strength stat of 17, she quickly cleared her class advancement quest — evolving from Mercenary to Reckless Fighter.
At the moment, this Reckless Fighter was strolling lazily from one tavern to the next, bored out of her mind. She planned to earn some drinking money by arm-wrestling the proud local men — and humiliating them in front of their friends. The last bar had been a disappointment; those so-called "gentlemen" couldn't handle losing to a woman.
…
Meanwhile, Aldric, who had finally escaped to the main street, spotted a pair of patrolling soldiers in the distance. Relief washed over him. He brushed the dirt from his clothes, patted the dust off his armor, and examined the damage — deep cuts and frayed edges. The leather suit was nearly ruined.
He sighed. This repair bill better go to that cheap master of mine — he's the one who told me to exchange gems in the first place.
Then, without warning, a massive shadow loomed over him.
Aldric's heart clenched. For a moment, he thought the assassin had followed him all the way here — brazen enough to strike even under the city guards' noses. But when he looked up, he froze in disbelief.
"Vittoria? Vittoria Gabriella?"
He repeated her full name out of pure reflex, as if to confirm what his eyes were seeing.
In front of him stood a towering figure — nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered, muscular, built like a siege engine in human form. Her arms were thick as iron, her fists looked capable of breaking boulders — or casually crushing a man's skull.
A grin split her face. "Hey there, Aldric! Didn't expect to bump into you so soon!"
Before Aldric could react, she lunged forward and wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug — the kind of embrace that felt more like being tackled by a bear. His bones creaked alarmingly under the pressure.
"It's good to see you too, Vittoria! Now— please— put me down!" he gasped, legs dangling off the ground.
When he finally pried himself free, Aldric took several steps back, rubbing his aching ribs. Compared to this woman, even that assassin felt easier to handle.
He looked her up and down — the massive frame, the broad chest, the square jaw — and couldn't hold back his exasperation. "Are you insane? Why did you make yourself look like this? You do realize this game uses real-name binding, right?"
In the real world, Vittoria Gabriella had already been known for her strength — short-cropped hair, a sharp, commanding presence, and a tall, athletic build. Standing nearly 1.8 meters, she was striking in her own way — powerful, confident, even attractive to many.
But the person standing before him now looked like a resurrected barbarian straight out of Conan the Destroyer.
Aldric was speechless. He had a sinking feeling that Vittoria Gabriella's Charisma stat might actually be below 5.
(End of Chapter)