Chapter 20:
"Fuck… fatal death?" Alan's eyes snapped to the translucent screen, panic flashing for a split second. He forced himself to steady his breathing. Stay focused… don't lose control—
His thoughts cut off as the assassin lunged, its curved blade slicing straight for his neck. Alan reacted instantly, slipping past the strike with a sharp dodge.
His senses sharpened—the once overwhelming speed of an S-Rank opponent now felt… slower, more readable. The movements that used to be impossible to follow had become clear in his eyes.
So this is it… he thought. I can keep up with them now.
Before the assassin could strike again, Alan intercepted with his right blade, metal clashing sharply, while his left swung in for a counter. The assassin reacted instantly, leaping back and taking a guarded stance, its eyes narrowing as it reassessed him.
Alan tightened his grip, steadying himself for the next exchange. We're running out of time… I need to find its core, he thought, his mind calculating every possibility.
Then, everything seemed to slow. In a blur, the assassin slipped past him—heading straight for the one-handed sword wielder behind him.
"Damn it… I was too careless," Alan muttered, realizing too late. But another thought struck him immediately—the assassin wasn't just attacking blindly… it was thinking. It was targeting his weakness.
Her legs shook uncontrollably as she watched the assassin's curved blade rise above her head. Just before it could fall, Alan appeared, deflecting the strike with a sharp clash.
"Th-thank you… sir," she stammered, still trembling as she tried to steady herself.
"Don't worry about it. Just stay close to—" Alan cut himself off mid-sentence, a realization hitting him hard.
Damn it… I'm in a tight spot.
I can't send her away because of the shooters, and she's not safe with me either—not with this monster lurking around… What do I do? he thought, desperation creeping into his mind.
He watched closely as the assassin came at him, its sword movements sharp and unpredictable. The way it swung its blade carried no clear blind spot, making it nearly impossible to dodge. It initiated from the right—a feint—before instantly redirecting the strike to the left in one fluid motion.
This is what makes an assassin deadly, Alan thought, narrowing his eyes. Fast on their feet… and even faster at changing tactics.
He steadied his stance, focusing intensely. I have to learn its movement… or I won't last long.
The assassin's blade flashed from the left, slicing clean through Alan's right shoulder before it retreated just as quickly. Pain surged through him, sharp and relentless, as he clutched his shoulder tightly.
His screen flickered again, pulling his attention for a split second.
[ 15 minutes left to Ascend to the Second Stage ]
I need to end this—fast, Alan thought desperately. He raised his blades, and this time they ignited with a deep crimson glow. But how do I find its core?
The assassin didn't give him time to think. It launched into a relentless assault, its movements shifting unpredictably with every strike. Blades flashed—some Alan managed to block, but others cut into him, leaving fresh wounds across his body.
Iris… she used to be A-Rank too… yet she held her ground against that S-Rank Knight, he thought, gritting his teeth as he endured the barrage. How did she do it?
Forced back, Alan retreated and took a firm stance. Blood covered him now, his breathing heavy. He might be A-Rank—but without mastering his technique, he knew he wouldn't survive much longer.
[ LP: 55 ]
I'll use this as a tutorial, Alan thought, steadying his breath as the assassin rushed him again. His eyes flared red, locking onto every detail of its movement. It raised its blade on the right, aiming for his abdomen—but Alan saw through it instantly. It's switching to the left.
He reacted without hesitation. His right blade came up to intercept, clashing against the assassin's curved sword, while his left struck cleanly across its neck.
The hit landed—but something was wrong.
No… the core isn't there.
The core isn't in its neck, Alan realized, his gaze sweeping across the assassin's entire body. Then that means… I'll have to tear this bastard apart piece by piece to find it.
Behind him, the one-handed sword wielder dropped to her knees, trembling uncontrollably. She couldn't even follow their movements. "They're… so fast," she whispered in disbelief.
Alan was no longer the same as before. His growth was evident—not just a tactical genius, but now a fighter capable of standing his ground against an S-Rank opponent. A wave of regret hit her as she remembered calling him a weakling.
Within minutes of the intense clash, Alan began to mirror the assassin's style. Thanks to his awakening, his precision became flawless—every movement calculated, every reaction exact. He studied its attacks, defenses, and patterns, gradually matching its speed and rhythm. With each exchange, he closed the gap until he was fighting the S-Rank assassin on equal footing… even gaining the upper hand.
Still no sign of its core, Alan thought, eyes narrowing as he observed its body wrapped in tattered black cloth, concealing the damage from his strikes. Then there's only one option… I'll have to tear it apart piece by piece.
Without hesitation, his instincts took over as his blades ignited with power.
[ You have successfully initiated the Dual-Blade Signature Move ]
[ Effect: One blade strike delivers double attack. Two blade strikes deliver quadruple attack ]
Alan raised his crimson-glowing blades and unleashed an X-shaped slash. The assassin instantly leapt back, attempting to evade. "Damn it… why is this thing so fast?" Alan cursed—then froze in shock.
The energy from his blades didn't stop. It surged forward in a blazing X, tearing through the ground and sending debris flying as it chased the assassin down, ripping through its body and splitting it apart.
For a brief moment, the core was exposed. Alan's eyes locked onto it, and he lunged without hesitation—but before his blade could reach it, the assassin's body regenerated at an absurd speed, sealing itself instantly.
"Damn it… what is this?" he growled. Does it regenerate in milliseconds?
Alan closed in on the assassin, but most of its core was already hidden beneath its body, only a tiny portion exposed. Just as he raised his blades to strike, the assassin lunged, gripping both of his hands tightly, preventing him from cutting through. Bastard! Alan screamed inside his mind.
Then, in a flash, a sword shot through the small opening, piercing the exposed core. The assassin froze, struggling to hold its broken core, before it shattered into fragments that shot upward, scattering into the sky.
Alan followed the trajectory with his eyes and saw the one-handed sword wielder—her eyes squeezed shut as if she had missed, but she hadn't. Panting, Alan couldn't help but laugh, relief and exhilaration flooding through him as he approached her.
"Thanks," he said, grinning widely. "I owe you one."
She opened her eyes and caught sight of his smile. "Oh… thank you," she murmured nervously, averting her gaze as she carefully collected her sword.
"What's your name?" Alan asked, standing up as Doris finally rose from her kneeling position.
"Well, um… my name is Doris… Doris Elvis," she stammered, avoiding Alan's bright smile. Has he always been this handsome? she thought to herself.
Just then, the screen flashed with a loud notification:
[ 10 Minutes Left to Ascend to the Second Stage ]
"There's not much time," Alan said, his tone firm. "Let's get moving, fast."
As they started to move, Iris called out Alan's name, approaching him with two men barely standing, each draped over her shoulders.
"I've found them," Iris said, her voice steady but sharp. "They're the shooters from earlier, hiding up on a hill. Looks like it's a hidden weapon too." She dropped them onto their knees, pulling the hoods off their heads.
Alan stepped forward. "Who sent you?" he demanded.
But the two men only responded with wild, mocking laughter. Doris, her face red with rage, slapped one of them hard across the face, then grabbed him by the collar. "Why did you kill my friend and brother? Answer me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.
Iris sighed, her gaze shifting between the two men before landing on Alan. "This is the same thing I've been dealing with ever since I caught them. They'll only mess with you," she said, her tone resigned.
Alan studied them carefully, his blades raised, and slowly moved toward them. Just as he stabbed one of them in the hand, both men simultaneously raised small guns and shot themselves. They exploded into light fragments, disappearing into the sky.
Alan studied the fragments as they disappeared into the air, his mind racing with questions. Were they players from a guild sent to kill us? he wondered. But no player can have the same hidden weapon... Could they be... NPCs? His thoughts became a jumble when the alarm blared again.
[ 5 minutes Left to Ascend to the Second Stage ]
"Shit!" Alan cursed under his breath, panic surging. We're not going to make it in time... This is bad, and we're still so far off.
Iris's eyes widened as she checked her screen, her face drained of color. "No way... How do we get there? It's too late." Panic crept into her voice, something Alan had never heard before, making her sound vulnerable for the first time.
Then, a soft voice cut through the tension. It was Doris's. "Umm... I think I can get us there."