That morning, Jasper Cole did something rare.
He didn't cultivate.
No matter how much he trained his willpower lately, it felt like running into a wall. Since he was stuck anyway, he decided to sleep in and recover properly.
After getting up, he put on his combat outfit, washed up, and ate a simple meal.
Strictly speaking, he no longer needed food. Qi could fully replace physical energy now. Still, Jasper kept the habit.
Qi isn't infinite, he reminded himself. If I run dry at the wrong time, I'm dead.
Then something else came to mind.
Right. Yesterday's class awakening… didn't the system give me rewards?
He opened the system inventory.
The familiar items filled the first few slots:Egg, Feathers ×2, Gold Ore, Gold Coins ×4, Mystic Iron Needles ×24.The rest were raw ores, coal, and ordinary iron ingots.
At the very last slot sat a small box.
Shadow Assassin Starter Weapon Pack
Jasper took it out and opened it.
"…That's it?" he muttered.
Inside were ten throwing knives and a wrist blade.
His eyes lingered on the wrist blade.
Back on Earth, he'd once been obsessed with Assassin's Creed. He'd even saved up to buy a wrist blade—plastic, cheaply made, and broken within days.
This one, however, was different.
No insignia. No decorative leaf. Just a clean, lethal mechanism.
White text hovered over it:
Wrist Blade — Bronze Tier, Rank 4
Jasper fastened it onto his left forearm, slid the throwing knives into the concealed pouches on his right side, strapped his short sword across his back, and stepped outside.
He wasn't wandering aimlessly.
After awakening as a Shadow Assassin, the system had issued a profession mission—and the reward wasn't ordinary.
It was red energy for the Evolution slot.
Painful as evolution was, the benefits were undeniable. Aptitude was something people were born with—unchangeable for life.
Yet that red energy could force evolution.
That alone made the mission worth any risk.
Ding.Profession Mission Accepted.Assassinate: Skeleton ×5, Zombie ×5, Spider ×5, Creeper ×5Rewards:– Red Energy ×1– Assassin Skill: Stealth Detection
Jasper rubbed his chin. "Assassination only, huh… figures."
Deep within the forest, Jasper moved along a narrow, gloomy path.
Zombies and Skeletons burned under sunlight, so darker areas were his best bet.
Yet half a day passed without a single encounter.
Then—
A green, four-legged creature wandered into view.
"A Creeper."
Jasper's pupils tightened.
He leapt silently into a tree, lowering his presence completely. He watched the Creeper's slow, mindless movements, inching closer from above.
He'd only fought Zombies before. Creepers were unknown territory.
Better safe than blown to pieces.
The Creeper remained oblivious.
Jasper spread his arms and dropped.
Not a sound.
His coat absorbed the motion as he tackled the creature to the ground. The wrist blade snapped out—
Shhk.
Green blood splattered across his cloak.
The Creeper twitched, then went still.
Jasper rose smoothly and checked the mission log.
One down. Four more Creepers.
He withdrew the wrist blade, then drew his short sword and stabbed into the corpse. With a practiced downward slice—
Pshhk.
Green fluid burst out.
This time, Jasper sidestepped in advance.
He rummaged inside the body and extracted a white lump—gunpowder.
As dusk approached, Jasper stretched and climbed into a tree.
He'd already assassinated five Creepers. Until night fell, Zombies and Skeletons wouldn't appear, so he used the time to rest.
When he opened his eyes again, darkness had fallen.
Perfect timing.
Groans echoed in the distance. Bone scraped against bone. Spiders hissed softly in the undergrowth.
Jasper crouched low as grass swallowed his silhouette.
He released his willpower.
Five hundred meters.
Everything within that range unfolded clearly in his mind.
And then—
About a hundred meters ahead stood a Leatherclad Zombie, rusted stone sword in hand.
Bronze Tier, Rank 3.
Jasper moved.
Silent. Controlled.
Leatherclad Zombies weren't a threat to him now—not if the strike was clean.
He slipped behind it, seized its ankle, and yanked.
The Zombie crashed to the ground.
The wrist blade plunged into its chest.
To be safe, Jasper withdrew and stabbed again—straight through the throat.
No scream.
No struggle.
The corpse fell still.
He ignored the foul armor and broken sword and vanished toward his next target.
Another Leatherclad Zombie.
Same approach.
Two precise strikes.
Down.
Jasper paused.
Nearest target now—a Spider.
Spiders had night vision.
Sneaking up was risky.
If spotted, Skeleton arrows would turn him into a pincushion.
Right… throwing knives.
Good thing he hadn't engraved Blast Runes on them.
From several dozen meters away—
Whoosh.
The knife pierced the Spider's head.
Its red eyes dimmed instantly.
Jasper approached, opened its abdomen with the wrist blade, and extracted a silk sac, storing it in the system inventory before moving on.
Next—
A Skeleton Archer.
Alert. Turning its skull back and forth.
Throwing knives wouldn't guarantee a kill.
If it survived, things would get ugly.
Jasper glanced upward.
Trees.
He climbed.
Circling above the Skeleton, he leapt.
Moonlight framed his descending form like a falling shadow.
The Skeleton sensed danger and looked up—
Too late.
The wrist blade snapped forward, stabbing into its skull.
Thud.
Bones scattered across the ground.
The forest returned to its eerie calm.
Another kill.
Another step closer.
The night belonged to the assassin now.