The rumor of the "C-Rank Assassin" moved through Riverwatch like a fever.
By the time the moon hung high and pale over the village, the story had mutated. In the taverns, drunks whispered that Ren was a prodigy from the capital. In the market, merchants claimed he was a veteran who had undergone a rejuvenation ritual.
Ren sat in his room at the Rusty Spoon, oblivious to the whispers but acutely aware of the presence outside his door.
He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his interface open.
[Funds: 397,510 Yen]
He had spent the last hour browsing the [System Shop]. He had purchased a single item, draining a significant chunk of his funds, but it was necessary.
Knock. Knock.
The sound was light, almost rhythmic.
Ren closed the interface. "Enter."
The door opened, and the Guild Receptionist popped her head in. Gone was the tired, ink-stained worker from earlier. She was now beaming, her hair tied back in a neat ribbon, radiating an almost blinding amount of professional cheerfulness.
"Good evening, Ren-san!~" she chirped, stepping into the room with a bounce in her step. "I hope the room is to your liking! The mattress is fresh straw, guaranteed goblin-free!"
Ren blinked. The shift in attitude was jarring. "It's fine."
"Wonderful!" She clasped her hands together. "I'm here to escort you! The Guild Master is dying to meet the rookie who broke our equipment. He's usually very scary, but don't worry, I'll be there to make sure he doesn't crush you! Oh, bring your gear!"
Ren stood up, grabbing his cloak and the new weapon resting on the nightstand. "Is this an interrogation?"
"Nope! It's a date! Well, a play-date. With a monster. Come on!" She winked and spun around, marching out into the hallway.
They didn't go to a secret dungeon. They went to the main Guild Training Hall—a massive, open-air coliseum behind the main building.
In the center of the arena stood a man who looked less like a Guild Master and more like a bear that had learned to walk upright.
Guild Master Vargus.
He was seven feet tall, shirtless, with scars mapping a history of violence across his chest. He was laughing at something only he could hear.
"Hah! There he is!" Vargus boomed, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "The twig that broke my toy!"
The receptionist waved enthusiastically from the sidelines. "Here he is, Guild Master! Please try not to break him, we just got the paperwork filed!"
Ren walked into the light, stopping ten paces away.
"Guild Master," Ren said calmly.
Vargus stopped laughing. His eyes, dark and intelligent, locked onto Ren.
"You're small," Vargus noted, circling Ren like a shark. "Assassins are common. We have fifty of them in this city. They rely on Speed to close the gap, Agility to dodge, and Stamina to outlast the chase. Standard build. Boring build."
Vargus leaned down, his face inches from Ren's. "But you? You broke a mana orb meant for a Mage, which requires high Intelligence. And your muscle density suggests Strength far above a runner. You're a mess of contradictions."
"I adapt," Ren said.
"Adaptation is good. But survival is better." Vargus walked to a massive lever on the wall. "I don't care about your secrets, kid. I care about results. Prove you're a 4-Star asset."
Vargus pulled the lever.
CLANK. GRIND.
A massive portcullis at the far end of the arena began to rise.
"Survive!" Vargus roared.
"Do your best, Ren-san!" the receptionist cheered, pulling a small flag out of nowhere and waving it.
A low, guttural growl vibrated through the floor.
From the darkness of the tunnel, two eyes glowed like burning coals. Then, the beast stepped out.
It was a Magma Drake.
It stood three meters tall at the shoulder, a reptilian nightmare covered in scales of jagged black obsidian. Veins of molten orange light pulsed between the armor plates. Heat radiated from it in waves.
[Appraisal]
[Monster: Magma Drake (Juvenile)]
[Rank: B]
[Type: Armored / Offensive]
Ren's pupils constricted. A B-Rank.
"Don't worry!" Vargus shouted from the safety of a raised platform. "It's just a baby!"
The Drake roared and charged.
Ren moved instantly.
'Speed 26. Agility 18.'
The Drake snapped its jaws where Ren had been. Ren blurred to the right, his Assassin stats allowing him to weave through the air with minimal resistance. He was fast. Much faster than the beast.
He drew his weapon.
[Item: Dagger of the Void]
[Rank: A]
[Effect: Ignores 20% of Physical Defense. Mana Conductive.]
[Cost: 150,000 Yen]
Ren slashed at the Drake's exposed flank as he passed.
CLANG!
Sparks flew. The A-Rank dagger bit into the obsidian scale, carving a white scratch, but it bounced off. The impact jarred Ren's wrist.
'Too hard,' Ren thought, landing in a crouch.
The Drake spun, its tail whipping around like a wrecking ball. Ren jumped, clearing the tail by inches. He landed on the Drake's back and stabbed downward, aiming for the spine.
CRACK.
The tip of the dagger chipped a scale, but didn't penetrate.
"You're scratching the paint!" Vargus yelled, leaning over the railing. "That's an A-Rank dagger, kid! Why can't you cut it? Is your arm too weak?"
Ren backflipped away as the Drake shook him off. He landed and skidded backward in the sand.
'It's not the weapon,' Ren analyzed, his breathing steady but his mind racing. 'It's me. My Speed allows me to hit it, but my Strength (26) isn't enough to drive the blade through B-Rank armor. I lack the torque.'
The Drake opened its maw. The orange veins on its neck flared bright.
WHOOSH.
A cone of liquid fire erupted.
Ren sprinted along the wall, the heat singing the edges of his cloak. His Stamina (26) was draining fast. He could dodge all night, but eventually, he would tire. The Drake wouldn't.
"Is that it?" Vargus taunted. "You run fast, Assassin! But you can't kill it! You're just a mosquito buzzing around a volcano!"
"Ren-san! Watch out!" the receptionist screamed.
The Drake had anticipated his path. It lunged, cutting off his escape route. Ren was cornered against the arena wall.
The massive claw, heavy as a boulder and sharp as a spear, came swinging down.
Ren looked at the claw. He looked at his stats.
He couldn't dodge this. Not in this space.
'I need to stop it.'
But with Strength 26, if he tried to block, his bones would shatter.
'I need to change.'
Time seemed to slow down. The claw was inches away.
'System. Open Stat Allocation.'
[Funds Available: 247,510 Yen]
'Purchase. 50 Points to Strength.'
[Transaction Complete. -50,000 Yen.]
[Strength: 26 -> 76]
The change was violent. His muscles didn't just swell; they hardened. The fibers re-knit themselves instantly, becoming dense as steel cables. The air suddenly felt lighter.
Ren raised his left hand.
BOOM.
The impact shook the entire arena. Dust billowed out from the wall.
Vargus shielded his eyes. "Well, he's dead. Shame. I liked his attitude."
"Ren-san!" the receptionist cried out.
The dust cleared.
Ren was standing there. The wall behind him was cracked. The ground beneath his feet was pulverized.
But Ren hadn't moved.
He was holding the Drake's massive wrist with one hand. His fingers were dug into the scales. The Drake was pulling, thrashing, trying to free its limb, but Ren held it immobile.
Vargus's cigar fell out of his mouth. "What...?"
Ren looked up. His eyes were cold. "You're strong. But I'm expensive."
The Drake roared in confusion and tried to bite him.
Ren didn't let go. He looked at the dagger in his right hand.
'Physical strength is enough to hold it. But to kill it cleanly... I need to bypass the armor entirely.'
'System. Purchase. 40 Points to Intelligence. 40 Points to Mana.'
[Transaction Complete. -80,000 Yen.]
[Intelligence: 22 -> 62]
[Mana: 20 -> 60]
Ren's mind expanded. The world became a grid of energy. He could feel the heat in the Drake's blood. He could feel the latent magic in the Dagger of the Void.
He pushed his new Mana into the blade, guided by his Intelligence.
The dagger screamed. A shroud of purple, unstable energy coated the metal, extending its reach by a foot.
"Magic?" Vargus gripped the railing, his knuckles white. "He's blocking with a Tank's strength... and charging a weapon with a Mage's mana? Who the hell is this kid?"
Ren kicked the Drake's leg, shattering the knee joint with his Strength (76). The beast collapsed forward.
Ren jumped.
"Die."
He drove the mana-infused blade into the top of the Drake's skull.
The obsidian armor crumbled like dry clay under the combination of Warrior Strength and Mage Magic.
CRUNCH.
The dagger sank to the hilt. Ren poured more Mana into the wound, causing an internal explosion.
The Drake's eyes went wide. It collapsed with a thunderous crash.
[System Alert]
[Enemy Defeated: Magma Drake (Juvenile) - Rank B]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 6]
Ren stood over the kill, shaking the blood off his dagger.
"Wooooow!" The receptionist began clapping furiously, jumping up and down. "Did you see that, Guild Master? He caught the claw! Like bam! And then the magic went whoosh! It was like watching a hero from the storybooks!"
Vargus walked down the stairs slowly. He looked at the dead Drake, then at the cracked wall, then at Ren.
"You," Vargus said, pointing a thick finger at Ren. "You are a liar."
Ren sheathed his dagger. "I'm an Assassin."
"Bullshit!" Vargus barked, a wild grin spreading across his face. "Assassins have Speed and Agility. You have those. But you just blocked a B-Rank charge with the Strength of a Paladin, and you enchanted your blade with the Intelligence of a Wizard."
Vargus walked around Ren, inspecting him.
"A true Multi-Class," Vargus murmured. "You fill the gaps in your own build mid-fight. I haven't seen a freelancer do that in twenty years."
Vargus reached into his coat and pulled out a card. It was gold, with four diamond-shaped stars embossed on the surface.
"Take this."
Ren took it.
[Item: 4-Star Guild Card]
[Rank: Special]
[Privilege: Elite Member]
"What is this?" Ren asked.
"That," Vargus said, "is a 4-Star Card. It means you belong to this Guild now. You aren't a freelancer anymore. You're an Elite."
The receptionist bounced over to them. "It means you get access to the B-Rank and A-Rank dungeons! And you get a 10% discount at the Guild store! And—this is the best part—you get free access to the VIP lounge! They have cookies!"
Vargus rolled his eyes at her, but looked back at Ren seriously. "It also means if anyone gives you trouble, you tell them you work for Vargus."
"And in exchange?" Ren asked.
"In exchange," Vargus grinned, "you don't quit. You don't join the Royals. You don't join the Dark Guilds. You fight for Riverwatch until the contract is up or you die."
Ren looked at the card. It was exactly what he needed. Access to high-level dungeons meant more money. More money meant more stats.
"Deal," Ren said.
"Good!" Vargus roared. "Now get out of my arena before I charge you for the floor repairs!"
"I'll walk you out, Ren-san!" The receptionist chirped, opening the heavy iron door for him. "Great work today! You're going to be famous in no time!"
Ren bowed slightly and walked out into the cool night air.
He checked his status.
[Name: Ren]
[Level: 6]
[Strength: 76]
[Speed: 26]
[Stamina: 26]
[Agility: 18]
[Mana: 60]
[Intelligence: 62]
He was no longer just a survivor. He was a powerhouse. And with the 4-Star Card in his pocket, the real game was just beginning.
[End of Chapter 23]