The city of Valoria never truly slept.
Even at midnight, carriages rumbled through its main avenues, lights glimmered behind windows, and the hum of mana-powered machinery filled the air.
But away from the main streets, in the alleys where light struggled to reach, silence ruled.
And tonight, that silence belonged to Lin Xuan.
[ Mission Assigned: Eliminate Target ]
[ Rank: E-Class ]
[ Objective: Terminate Gang Leader – Rake "Bloodhand" Dorn ]
[ Location: Southern Industrial District ]
[ Reward: 500 EXP + Guild Merit + Optional Soul Assimilation Gain ]
[ Failure Penalty: Reputation -20 ]
The Assassin Guild wasted no time.
Barely hours after registering, Lin Xuan received his first mission—direct from the Valoria branch.
He crouched atop a rusted steel beam overlooking the city's lower districts. The air smelled of oil and decay.
Far below, the flickering lights of a warehouse burned dimly—his destination.
"So this is how it starts…"
The guild had provided minimal details: Rake Dorn, a local smuggler who'd begun trafficking Abyssal crystals—illegal remnants of demonic energy.
If left unchecked, those crystals could mutate humans into beasts.
"Kill him quietly," the guild notice had said. "No witnesses. No traces."
Preparation
Lin Xuan closed his eyes.
The System flickered alive, projecting his stats before him.
Status Panel
Name: Lin Xuan
Profession: Assassin (E-Class)
Level: 6
Talent: SSS – Silent Killer
Passive: Soul Assimilation (Active)
Hidden Quest: 3 / 100 Perfect Assassinations
Skills: [ Dagger Mastery III ], [ Phantom Stride I ], [ Perception Boost I ]
Strength: 18 | Agility: 22 | Perception: 16
HP: 300
Every number represented death made efficient.
His vision sharpened. The System outlined the building's layout in faint blue lines—
ten guards, one target, one open rooftop vent.
He moved.
The Hunt
Wind swept across the rooftops as Lin Xuan leapt silently between them, his body blending with the dark.
The faint hum of [ Phantom Stride ] muffled every sound, erasing his footsteps from the world.
The warehouse was surrounded by low-tier mercenaries—half drunk, half asleep.
He landed behind one, a whisper of air and a flash of cold steel.
[ Target Eliminated ]
[ +60 EXP ]
[ Soul Assimilation Activated ]
[ +1 Agility ]
The man slumped forward without a sound.
Two more guards vanished before they could even reach for their blades.
He scaled the wall, slipping through a rusted vent and into the rafters.
Below, in the glow of mana lamps, Rake Dorn—a hulking man with crimson tattoos—argued with a dealer over a chest filled with faintly glowing shards.
"These crystals ain't cheap, Zorn! You think I risk my neck for pocket change?"
"Quiet!" hissed the dealer. "You want the Guild to sniff us out?"
Lin Xuan crouched above them, calm, calculating.
[ Target Identified: Rake Dorn (Lv. 10 – E-tier Human) ]
His hand brushed the edge of his dagger.
Every instinct screamed precision—one strike, one death.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
If Soul Assimilation absorbed part of the target's power… what would happen with humans?
The Kill
He dropped.
A flash of silver sliced through the smoke-filled room.
Before Rake Dorn could even shout, the dagger cut clean through his throat.
Blood sprayed across the table; the crystal shards scattered like dying stars.
[ Target Eliminated ]
[ +500 EXP ]
[ Soul Assimilation Activated ]
[ Attributes Gained: +3 Strength, +2 Agility, +2 Perception ]
[ Hidden Quest Progress: 4 / 100 ]
Warmth flooded his veins again—more intense this time.
His heartbeat steadied, every sense sharper, stronger, alive.
"Even humans…" he murmured. "Their power feeds me."
He vanished into the shadows before the body hit the ground.
Return to the Guild
When he returned, dawn had barely begun to color the horizon.
The masked clerk from before was waiting at the counter.
"Back already?"
Lin Xuan placed the blood-marked guild token on the counter. "Target eliminated."
She nodded, retrieving the mission record from her crystal tablet.
[ Mission Complete – E-Class Success ]
[ Total EXP: +500 ]
[ Level Up! Lv. 6 → Lv. 8 ]
"Efficient," she said softly. "Cold. Clean. You'll fit right in here."
Then her tone dropped lower.
"Word of advice—be careful which missions you accept next. Not every target deserves death. And not every employer tells the truth."
Her masked eyes met his. "Sometimes, the Guild kills for reasons you'd rather not know."
He said nothing, but his hand tightened slightly around his token.
"I'll take whatever job comes next," he replied. "Until I reach the top."
She tilted her head. "Top of the Guild?"
"No." His voice was quiet, almost cold. "Top of the world."
System Prompt
[ Hidden Condition Achieved: Perfect Assassination (x1) ]
[ Progress: 4 / 100 → 5 / 100 ]
[ Passive Evolution Progress: 2% ]
The System's faint hum echoed in his mind.
Somewhere within the digital depths, unseen algorithms began shifting.
Something new was awakening inside him.
Status Panel
Name: Lin Xuan
Level: 8
Profession: Assassin (E-Class)
Talent: SSS – Silent Killer
Passive: Soul Assimilation (Evolving)
Hidden Quest: 5 / 100 Perfect Assassinations
Next Evolution: Shadow Reaper (Locked)
Strength: 21
Agility: 25
Perception: 18