"You're going to regret turning down my deal."
"I'm already starting to regret it," the assassin said with a dry laugh, his tone laced with both amusement and menace. And with that, he leapt forward from the tree branch, moving with lightning speed—his black coat flaring behind him like the wings of a predator diving for the kill.
Daniel's eyes sharpened.
He didn't have time to waste.
Without hesitation, he activated his internal system—his mana core flaring to life.
"System," he growled, "Level up. Five times."
A sudden burst of golden-blue light surrounded him as his stats surged.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations. You have leveled up: Level 10.]
Energy flooded his veins like wildfire.
Muscles tightened.
Reflexes sharpened.
Magic surged.
His daggers shimmered with new force as he took a combat stance, eyes locked on the descending assassin.
"You should've taken the deal," Daniel muttered under his breath.
The assassin was almost upon him—eyes narrowed, silencer aimed at his head.
The forest braced for impact.
The assassin descended like a shadow birthed from the night itself—his movements were crisp, no wasted motion, his silencer already locking on Daniel's chest.
PFT! PFT! PFT!
Three whisper-quiet bullets cut through the air, aimed with precision. But Daniel wasn't standing still.
With his upgraded reflexes, he twisted his body sideways, letting two bullets zip past his shoulder and thigh. The third? He parried it—barely—with the flat of his dagger. Sparks flew as enchanted steel met a mana-coated bullet.
"Fast reflexes," the assassin muttered midair, "but you'll still die."
He flipped, landing in a crouch just five feet from Daniel, his pistol switching modes with a soft mechanical click.
But Daniel grinned.
~ Dash~
His body blurred, disappearing from sight in a blue afterimage, appearing instantly behind the assassin.
He swung both daggers in a criss-cross slash—aiming to slice deep into the enemy's back.
But the assassin wasn't an amateur.
He rolled forward the moment Daniel blinked out of sight, dodging the twin slashes by a hair.
From his roll, he kicked upward, his boot glowing red—a close-range mana burst meant to knock Daniel off his feet.
Daniel blocked the blow with both arms, sliding back across the dirt, heels digging in.
His daggers pulsed with electric energy, crackling along the edges like tamed lightning.
Daniel charged again, this time with wild, unpredictable speed—slashing from low angles, rotating midair, attacking like a whirlwind.
The assassin ducked, dodged, deflected—but Daniel's pressure was relentless now.
One dagger scraped the assassin's cheek, drawing the first blood.
He stumbled back, lips twitching.
"Well, damn," the assassin growled. "you are not an amateur."
"I level up fast," Daniel replied, blades humming at his sides.
The forest trembled with every clash—metal ringing in quick bursts, gunfire flashing like muted lightning, their fight silent but deadly. A true dance of blades and bullets.
Then Daniel saw it—an opening.
The assassin went for a reload. A half-second pause.
That was all Daniel needed.
He surged forward, blades crossed behind him, ready to unleash his finisher.
He slashed in an X-pattern infused with mana, the air hissing and splitting from the sheer force. The shockwave hit like a phantom wave, cutting trees clean behind the assassin.
The assassin raised his arms in defense, but the attack sent him flying—crashing through a tree trunk and rolling across the ground with a groan.
Dust clouded the air.
Daniel stood tall, chest rising and falling, blades still crackling in hand.
From the dirt, the assassin coughed—blood dribbling from his lip, glasses cracked.
"…Now I really wish I'd taken that double pay."
---
The dense jungle lay cloaked in an eerie silence, the scent of charred wood and smoldering leaves drifting through the air like ghostly remnants of war. Even the birds seemed to hold their breath, as if still shaken by the echoes of the recent clash.
Daniel stood tall, his chest rising and falling with slow, calculated breaths. He could've used the Serpent God Selena's Aura, a power that would've allowed him to wield the strength of the deity herself for a full minute. But that came with a price—one too steep to pay in a place like this. The last time he used it, blood had streamed from his eyes and ears, and the searing pressure on his mind had almost snapped his soul in half. Not to mention, it drained his mana completely and could only be invoked once a day.
Using it here, in an unknown jungle with unseen threats, would've been suicide. No… this wasn't the moment. He had other ways.
At his feet, the assassin groaned, lying broken on the forest floor.
"They really need to start giving accurate descriptions," the assassin spat, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. "What kind of Level 1 is this?"
Daniel walked toward him, daggers still in hand, glinting beneath the canopy. He crouched down slightly, voice low, threatening.
"Alright," he said coldly. "Let's play twenty questions. Was the contract to kill me given by Ronny Johnson?"
The assassin winced, shaking his head. "I don't know! Only the leader has access to client identities. We just follow orders."
Daniel narrowed his eyes, tapping his dagger against his palm in thought. "So if I want to find out who wants me dead… I'll need to have a little chat with your leader."
The assassin barked a hollow laugh, despite the pain. "You must be brain-dead if you think you'll get to him. Hell, I don't even know who our leader is. No one does."
Daniel smirked.
"Well, you're you… and I'm me."
With that cryptic reply, Daniel stood and turned without another word.
"Hey!" the assassin called out from behind him, coughing. "You just gonna leave me here? Not even gonna kill me?"
Daniel didn't stop walking. Without turning around, he simply raised his hand in a lazy wave.
"Bye-bye."
And with a smile playing at the corner of his lips, he disappeared into the shadows of the trees, leaving behind a broken assassin, a silent jungle, and the burning question—who the hell was Daniel really… and why did the Dark Society want him dead?
Not long after, Daniel returned to the goblin village, now eerily silent. The crude huts were scorched, the earth blackened, and the reek of burnt flesh still clung to the air. Not a single goblin was left alive. His companions, who had fought valiantly in his absence, had each leveled up two or three times.
Daniel, of course, had taken a shortcut. A dangerous one.
His level was now 10.
He glanced down at his smartwatch, its holographic display flickering faintly in the fading light. "How much longer is this test supposed to last?" he asked flatly.
Vanessa shrugged, brushing soot from her shoulder. "Three whole days," she muttered. Then, tilting her head toward the darkening sky, she added, "We should start looking for shelter. Night's falling fast, and killing those goblins took more time than expected."
Daniel gave a slight smirk. "Already taken care of."
He turned and gestured with his thumb. "Follow me. I found the perfect place to spend the night."
There was something in his voice—an edge of confidence, a trace of mystery—that made the others glance at each other before quietly falling into step behind him.