The silence did not stretch for long. The other three men were visibly surprised as their bodies jolted. When reality struck them, they quickly recovered from their shock and stared at Jasper.
In the next second, their eyes darted back to their leader as blood flowed from his body. In the next instant, the man standing near Jasper's room readied the bow from his shoulder, quickly drew an arrow from his back, nocked it to the string, and released it toward Jasper's head. Everything happened in a single motion.
The man standing behind Jasper and his family drew his broadsword and made a horizontal slash, attempting to cleave Jasper's head in one strike.
The last man, who stood near the main door, quickly slumped down beside his leader's body and lifted it onto his lap, staring at his lifeless eyes.
These men had never expected an ordinary unawakened person to move so fast and decisively. They were in utter shock. How could this be possible? A Level 70 Grade Three assassin had been stabbed by an ordinary kid. They had been careless, and that carelessness had led to their downfall. But they realized it too late.
Jasper stood in front of his family, his hand gripping the dagger. He could see a silver-tipped arrow flying straight toward his head. At the same time, he sensed danger behind him as the hairs on his body stood upright.
Yet everything seemed to move in slow motion.
He was still caught in the surreal sensation of flesh being pierced by the blade. It was a strange feeling.
Did he like it?
No.
He didn't like the feeling of piercing a dagger into another person's heart.
But did he feel bad for the man whose heart he had pierced?
No.
He was glad he had been able to do it. Otherwise, he would have been the one lying on the floor. Wasn't he the one trying to reason with them? Did they even listen?
As he thought about how cruel these people were, Jasper's heart boiled with rage.
At that moment, he thought about the Blue Stone. He couldn't even imagine what would have happened if he had not found it. Unknown to himself, for the past six months he had been standing on the edge of a blade with a noose hanging around his neck.
Shussssh!
Jasper slashed the dagger toward the ground, and streaks of fresh blood splattered across the floor. With a swift motion, he flicked the dagger in front of his head and deflected the incoming arrow.
Thud!
The arrow pierced the left side of the wall with great force.
In the next second, Jasper planted his feet firmly and held the dagger to his side.
Cling!
The broadsword clashed against the dagger. The force of the strike pushed him back several inches before he came to a stop.
The moment the broadsword halted, Jasper moved. In a swift motion he appeared in front of the man behind him. Gripping the dagger in a reverse hold and supporting the strike with his left hand, he thrust upward toward the man's throat.
Slooosh!
The dagger pierced the man's neck as blood gushed from his throat and mouth. The man immediately dropped his broadsword and collapsed to the ground, choking on his own blood while clutching his neck.
Jasper watched the man struggle for a brief moment before stepping aside.
Another arrow shot past him and struck the wall in front of him.
The man near Jasper's room was shocked that his second arrow had missed. Without hesitation, he nocked another arrow.
This time he would finish the job.
Jasper quickly turned and hurled the dagger toward the man who was nocking another arrow and aiming at him. The dagger left Jasper's hand with explosive force, piercing the man's skull and bursting through it.
With an uncomfortable expression at the sight of the exploding head, Jasper quickly moved toward the last man, who was still holding the leader's corpse and crying. Jasper was surprised by the reaction.
However, before he could reach him to finish the job, his steps halted.
"How could you do this?" the last man muttered.
Jasper glanced back at his mother and sister. They were huddled together and had not seen everything that happened after the leader's body fell.
Jasper wanted to finish the last man quickly, but something made him hesitate. Something felt wrong.
"I will kill you all. I will make you suffer for the rest of your lives," the man muttered again.
Jasper heard the words, and the atmosphere around him began to change. Soon he noticed a dark mist beginning to seep from the man's body. The sight of the ominous smoke filled Jasper with dread. He did not want to touch it.
"Mother, let's go," Jasper called.
He quickly moved around the man, avoiding the spreading smoke and heading toward the main door. But suddenly the gas moved as if it were alive. It drifted toward Jasper and his family, blocking their path to the door.
Jasper quickly rushed into the main bedroom and locked the door.
However, entering the room did not stop the black smoke. Soon it began seeping through the gaps of the door.
Jasper looked around desperately for a way to escape.
Boom!
With a powerful punch, the wall cracked and collapsed, leaving a hole large enough for them to escape. Before the gas could reach them, they climbed through the opening and left the house.
Jasper lifted Irene onto his back and ran toward the main street, hoping the man would not follow them outside.
While running along the street, Jasper kept looking back to see if the man was chasing them. However, he didn't see anyone.
Soon he stopped a horse carriage and told the driver to take them to the southern side of the town.
After traveling more than five kilometers, Jasper finally let out a sigh of relief. The smoke that had emerged from that man's body looked deadly. If it had touched him, he might already be dead.
While they rode in the carriage, his mother asked what had happened. Jasper could no longer avoid her questions, so he explained everything. She listened in confusion as the situation had escalated so suddenly.
After hearing how Jasper had been deceived by Erminio and targeted by the Bernardi family, she fell silent. She couldn't even find words to comfort her son.
Still, she agreed with his plan to move to another town. She had already seen that people like them could be killed without hesitation.
Although she wanted to ask how Jasper had defeated those men, she restrained herself for now.
Soon the carriage passed through the town's main gate and entered the road leading to the nearest settlement, Aught Town.
The distance was almost fifty kilometers, and it would take half a day to reach by carriage. The money Jasper had was not enough to travel the entire distance.
But as long as he could take his family away from those bastards, that was enough.
Jasper only hoped that those people would not follow them and that they would leave his family alone.