abcnovels
Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Chapter 37: Followers of the Mist (1)
“How’s life at the academy?”
Despite the energetic inquiry from the instructor, the boy remained silent.
“It’s not that difficult of a question, yet you seem unable to answer. Just be honest, whether you like it or not.”
“It’s just… okay,” the boy replied dryly.
“Judging by your expression, it seems like you want to finish this dull conversation quickly. I’m sorry, but I have no choice. Personal counseling with students each semester is essential for academy instructors, so it’s something I must do.”
He knew.
Even if she was reputed as the esteemed instructor, Silica, she wouldn’t extend genuine care to him, an incompetent member of a noble lineage.
Up until then, the boy harbored extremely negative thoughts.
“It’s disheartening to see the youngest son of the Duke Vert showing such apathy. Your brother, Cranz, seems to be adapting well. Have you thought about seeking his help?”
Cruel.
Knowing well how his demon of a brother treated him, it was cruel to casually suggest seeking help from him.
The boy’s emotions surged, and he clenched his fists tightly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you unintentionally.”
It felt more like mockery than an apology.
“I think that’s enough. You don’t need to allocate any more of your valuable time to me, Teacher. I’ll get going now.”
“What are you talking about? The conversation is just getting started.”
The boy, attempting to rise from his seat, was halted by her.
“I’m actually quite interested in you, Cyan.”
“Me?”
“Of course! You have an extraordinary darkness attribute of 84%. It would be strange for an instructor not to take an interest, wouldn’t it?”
Until then, the boy had thought the instructor was mocking him.
“You’re talking as if it’s some worthless attribute, aren’t you?”
“That’s a dangerous thing to say, isn’t it? There’s nothing worthless in this world. Even a stone by the roadside has its own value.”
“… What?”
The boy looked puzzled.
“Do you think your attribute is worthless? It might seem that way. After all, proper research on the darkness attribute hasn’t been fully explored. But did you know? The fact that it hasn’t been explored means there’s infinite potential yet to be discovered…”
At first, it might sound like hollow words, but the eleven-year-old boy, with a tender heart, quickly found himself enchanted by her words.
There wasn’t anyone around the boy who would say such things to him.
Furthermore, he felt a different vibe from Instructor Silica than usual.
“Why are you saying these things to me?”
“It’s natural for an instructor to hope for the growth of their students.”
Hope for growth.
After being abandoned by his family following the sparring match with his brother, the boy was the one who had to give up.
Now, hearing about growth once again, the boy couldn’t help but feel a mix of complicated emotions.
“I’ll look forward to your endless growth, Cyan!”
Instructor Silica encouraged the boy with a sunny smile.
However, the boy didn’t know until then.
That the endless growth she mentioned was not for him as an innocent student, but rather a pursuit of development as a ruthless assassin…
* * *
As the sun set, the streets of Luwen were no different from any other city.
Walking while thinking about my connection with her from my past life, I found myself getting closer to my destination without realizing it.
Sparse lights were on, but the street was deserted, devoid of people.
In places where the lights were on, there might be scholars researching magic, merchants preparing for tomorrow’s business, or just places lit up for no apparent reason.
But where I and she had reached, there was not just darkness, but a heavy, eerie atmosphere thick with dampness clinging to every inch of our bodies.
*Click*
Silica created a small mana orb in her hand and placed it on the doorknob.
The blue mana orb turned black as soon as it touched the doorknob, and shortly after, a ‘clink’ sound was heard.
*Creak*
“Come in.”
She opened the door herself and gestured for me to enter first.
*Squeak*
As I took the first step, I felt a faint presence emanating from ahead.
Ignoring it, I continued to walk deeper into the place.
Silica didn’t say a word, silently following me as I led the way.
Perhaps she was blocking the escape route to prevent me from fleeing.
It wasn’t like I was forcibly kidnapped, nor was I blindfolded to block my vision.
Literally, she just brought me here.
Later, I realized I wasn’t restricted in any way, able to come back alone and find this place without any limitations.
It wasn’t about trusting me.
Whatever her intentions were, it seemed like she wanted to put an end to my presence in this place.
And it wasn’t at all friendly; with each step I took, the surrounding aura grew denser.
*Swoosh!*
Sharp blades flew in the pitch-black darkness.
Swiftly dodging, it seemed like they anticipated my move as multiple blades came at me from all directions.
I spun my body, creating a spiral of energy to counter the blades.
*Clang!*
The energy blades I created struck down all the incoming blades, causing them to clatter to the ground.
Green viscous liquid oozed from the blades.
“You’re not saying anything,” she said to me.
Maintaining silence even after uncovering the trap meant she knew from the start.
“A trap for invaders shouldn’t be this lightweight, don’t you think?”
At her comment about it being lightweight, she smirked.
At that moment, I sensed multiple auras approaching rapidly from the front.
In total, there were six of them.
Without hesitation, I moved forward to meet them head-on.
All six assassins wielded poisoned dual swords in both hands.
*Swish!*
The lead assassin swung his sword at me with frightening speed.
I swiftly dodged and countered not the lead, but the two following assassins.
*Clang!*
Unable to withstand the sword strike, the assassins dropped their daggers, and I promptly knocked them unconscious with punches to their abdomen.
“…!”
The three assassins following them were taken aback, hesitating in surprise.
For assassins who shouldn’t allow even a second of hesitation, such faltering was akin to suicide.
Without mercy, I charged at them and struck them on the head with the hilt of my sword, not the blade.
*Thud!*
They fell powerlessly to the ground, and as they showed me their backs, the lead assassin who had missed me earlier rushed at me once again.
*Clang!*
Boldly crossing their blades, they were futilely blocked by the tip of my sword, Kaeram.
*Thunk!*
As my clenched fist struck their abdomen, all six assassins collapsed without even landing a proper attack.
“….”
While Silica observed the situation from behind, she remained silent without saying a word.
Without any further questions, I continued down the path.
After about five minutes of walking…
The narrow corridor suddenly widened, revealing a spacious plaza.
Without hesitation, I pressed on, and upon reaching the center of the plaza…
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*
From all four directions, or precisely, north, south, east, and west.
Four assassins, more formidable than before, appeared and charged at me with intensified ferocity.
This time, they wielded scimitars, curved like crescent moons at the tips, rather than daggers.
They maintained precisely the same speed, with no one appearing faster or slower, assuming different stances as if preparing for a ritualistic ceremony.
The square of the Death.
One of Mist’s techniques that creates angles of unavoidable death, dividing the opponent’s body into four parts.
It was a skill only advanced assassins could execute, requiring exceptional agility and innate senses, honed through concentrated training of select members among Mist’s ranks.
In other words, they were on a different level compared to the operatives seen earlier.
Silica, once again, observed from a distance, watching how I dealt with the situation.
Despite the urgency, I stood calmly, waiting for them to draw closer.
*Clang!*
As the four curved blades aimed precisely for my abdomen, a vivid red wave emanated from beneath my feet.
*Thunk!*
The wave engulfed all four assassins simultaneously, shattering the Square of Death they were about to complete.
The assassins unable to withstand the wave were sent flying, some even losing their grip on their swords.
They hastily regained their composure and resumed their positions, but their wrists holding the swords trembled, showing a different demeanor from moments ago.
*Swish*
Seeing this, Silica intervened with a movement of her arm.
Without questioning, the assassins complied and cleared the way.
She asked me, “Was that the Wave of Vitality?”
The Wave of Vitality.
An assassin’s unique technique, shaping the murderous intent, known as Vitality, into a tangible form and releasing it from the body.
Approaching with mediocre Vitality often resulted in being repelled without even making contact, and it was a skill that subdued enemies without even swinging a sword, often causing them to lose their will to fight.
Unlike other techniques in Mist, known as ‘Shadow’, this technique was directly passed down to me from her, the head of Mist, in my previous life.
“It wasn’t a named technique, but it’s a good name. I’ll call it that from now on.”
I replied with a casual smile.
“…..”
For a brief moment, I sensed a slight lift in her lips.
Passing through the square, another corridor stretched on for about five minutes.
Amidst the swirling wind, a different aura was felt this time, distinct from the assassins who had previously blocked my path.
Before long, two assassins appeared at the end of the corridor.
They didn’t wield daggers or scimitars in their hands.
Instead, they held a glove-like hook called ‘Claw’, reminiscent of a beast’s sharp claws.
Knights of the highest caliber often say that a sword’s true purpose is not just to subdue opponents but to protect oneself and others from danger.
But that weapon was different.
It existed solely for the purpose of inflicting harm and death upon others.
Rather than discreetly killing with minimal movement, it poured out all it could to inflict the utmost pain on its target.
Moreover, it was a weapon only available to Mist’s officers, not regular or senior members.
In other words, these two were not just ordinary members; they were experts who had gained extensive experience in assassination.
They were among the best fighters directly under the head of the organization.
*Swish*
Without hesitation, the two locked eyes with me and rushed forward at high speed.
With mana and techniques at their disposal, Claw shimmered with both light and mist, indicating their intent to use magic.
In response, I tightened my grip on the sword and awakened the dormant power of mist.
*Swish*
Like a dragon exhaling its breath, mist spewed forth from my mouth and soon enveloped my entire body.
A year ago, I could only use this technique with the help of Kaeram’s power, but not anymore.
Having consumed the blood of demonic creatures and training my body, I could now freely wield the Mist Sword technique without the power of the Demonic Sword.
I murmured quietly as the two assassins rushed towards me.
“Mist Sword: Solid strokes of mist…”
*Clang!*
In that fleeting moment when I was about to recite the last character of the sword chant,
The sword that clashed against mine wasn’t Claw.
It was a dagger imbued with dark mist, the weapon of the clan head.
“I can’t stand it anymore!”
She exclaimed, like a crazed performer ascending to the stage.
Gone was the indifferent demeanor she had shown before.
“Show me your true power! Cyan Vert!”
In her eyes, there was not a hint of hostility, but rather a genuine sense of joy, as if she were truly pleased.
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