He had 25 copper left. SIGH. It was time to pay a visit to the general skill vendor and buy a book.
The general skill vendor in the village square was a bored-looking merchant who mostly catered to Rogues and Rangers. His stall was currently empty. Most new players were too busy dying to slimes to worry about utility skills.
Sebastian approached the stall. CLATTER. He tossed his remaining twenty-five copper coins onto the wooden counter. They sounded pitiful.
"I need Basic Sneak," Sebastian said.
The merchant sneered at the meager pile of copper.
"That barely covers the paper it's printed on, Drifter. But fine. Take the garbage."
He tossed a thin, gray pamphlet onto the counter. Sebastian grabbed it, not bothering to offer a witty retort.
He stepped away from the stall and immediately crushed the pamphlet in his fist.
SHIMMER. The paper dissolved into gray motes of light that sank into his skin!
[System Prompt: Skill Learned]
↳ Name: Basic Sneak
↳ Tier: 0 Stealth
↳ Level: 1 / 10
↳ Cost: 2 Stamina per second
↳ Effect: Reduces the sound of your footsteps by 10 percent
↳ Proficiency: 0 / 100
It was definitely a trash skill.
A 10 percent reduction in footstep noise wouldn't even hide you from a deaf goblin. Normal rogues had to sneak around the village for hours, drain their stamina, and sit down to rest just to level it up enough to be somewhat useful.
Sebastian didn't have hours.
He walked towards an alleyway beside the merchant stall, finding a patch of deep shadow cast by the overhanging roof. He stood at the edge of the sunlight, took a deep breath, and willed the skill to activate.
He took a single step into the shadow.
DING! The familiar, glorious sound of the system breaking apart chimed in his mind, followed by a cascade of blue holographic windows that completely obscured his vision!
[Action Registered: Activated Basic Sneak]
[Nexus Glitch Activated: Proficiency x10,000]
[Basic Sneak leveled up to 10/10]
↳ Max Level Reached
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Basic Sneak evolves to Tier 1: Shadow Walk
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Shadow Walk leveled up to 10/10
↳ Max Level Reached
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Shadow Walk evolves to Tier 3: Umbral Phase
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Umbral Phase leveled up to 10/10
↳ Max Level Reached
[WARNING!]
↳ Concept Threshold Breached
↳ Spatial Law Unlocked
[Umbral Phase evolves to Conceptual Law: Void Walk]
BZZZT!
Sebastian gasped, staggering forward. "Holy shit," he grabbed his head as the server forcefully rewrote the spatial coordinates of his avatar.
FWOOSH.
The vibrant and noisy world of Novice Village Number 109 vanished!
The color was violently leeched from his surroundings, leaving everything in stark, muted shades of gray and absolute black. The chaotic shouting of the players faded into a distant, muffled rushing sound, like being underwater.
He looked down at his hands. They were translucent, shimmering with a faint dark violet energy.
He opened his skill menu to read the damage he had just done to the game's balance.
[Conceptual Law]
↳ Name: Void Walk
↳ Level: MAX
↳ Cost: None (Passive or Toggle)
↳ Description: You no longer hide in shadows, you step between the folds of reality. You enter a parallel dimension. While active, you are completely invisible to all entities below Tier 9. You possess absolute physical and magical immunity. You may pass through solid matter.
Sebastian let out a breathless laugh.
'Cost None.'
Because the skill was so highly evolved, the system didn't even charge him stamina to maintain it. He was practically a ghost.
He turned toward the solid brick wall of the alleyway. Instead of walking around it, he simply stepped forward.
There was no resistance. It felt like walking through a light mist. He passed right through the bricks and emerged inside a bustling bakery.
"Thief! Get back here!" The NPC baker was currently yelling at a player who had tried to steal a loaf of bread. Neither of them noticed the translucent violet phantom walking right between them.
"Okay, that's just broken," Sebastian muttered, his voice echoing oddly in the Void dimension.
He adjusted his trajectory and headed straight for the center of the village. That was where the Mayor's manor sat on a small, elevated hill.
Normally, getting to the Mayor required bypassing a wrought-iron gate. It also required sneaking past four patrolling Level 15 guards, avoiding the sightlines of the manor windows, and lockpicking the front door.
Sebastian walked in a straight line.
He phased through the iron gate, the metal offering zero resistance. He walked directly through the chest of a patrolling guard.
"Brrr, chilly," the guard shivered slightly, muttering something about a sudden draft, but otherwise remained oblivious.
Sebastian didn't even bother looking for the door. He just walked straight through the exterior stone wall of the manor.
SWISH.
He emerged in the lavishly decorated office of the Mayor.
The room was a stark contrast to the poverty of the slums outside. Velvet curtains, a roaring fireplace, and a massive mahogany desk dominated the space.
Behind the desk sat the Mayor. He was a disgustingly obese NPC with a terrible comb-over, wearing a suit of fine silk. He was currently giggling to himself while counting a massive pile of silver coins and writing in a thick, leather-bound ledger.
Humming a cheerful tune.
"One for the orphans... and ten for me, haha!"
Grogton muttered, sliding a stack of coins into his pocket. "Stupid adventurers. Buying overpriced potions."
Sebastian stood directly in front of the desk, watching the corruption unfold.
'Enjoy it while it lasts, buddy,' Sebastian thought.
On the Mayor's plump right index finger rested a heavy, flashy gold signet ring.
His eyes scanned the room. In the corner, behind a painting of the Mayor shaking hands, was a safe.
Sebastian walked over to the painting. Reached out.
CLANG.
His hand hit the wall.
[System Prompt: You cannot interact with objects while in Void Walk.]
"Shit," Sebastian whispered. "I have to materialize to grab the loot. Makes sense."
He checked the room. The Mayor was the only witness.
He positioned himself right beside the Mayor's chair, waiting until the Mayor reached for another stack of coins.
With a thought, Sebastian toggled Void Walk off.
POP!
Color and sound rushed back into his senses. The roaring of the fireplace crackled loudly. Sebastian's hand shot out, grabbing the Mayor's wrist with a grip like a steel vise!
The Mayor yelped, releasing a high-pitched squeal of pure terror.
"What the fuck?! Guards! GUARDS!"
Before the Mayor could even draw a breath to yell louder, Sebastian smoothly slid the heavy gold signet ring off the fat finger. With his other hand, he snatched the leather-bound ledger off the desk.
Blackmail material was always useful, especially in a world where information was power.
BANG!
The office doors burst open. Two heavily armored guards rushed in with swords drawn.
"My Lord! What is it?!"
"He's stole my ring
! Kill him!" The Mayor shrieked, pointing a trembling, ringless finger at Sebastian.
Sebastian just winked at the guards.
The guards charged. Their swords glowed with [Power Strike].
Sebastian turned to face them. Didn't raise his hands to fight. Simply smirked.
"Too slow, guys."
"Void Walk."
VWOOM.
The swords swung.
SWISH. SWISH.
Blades passed harmlessly through Sebastian's body like cutting through smoke. The guards stumbled, momentum carrying them forward, nearly crashing into the safe.
They spun around, eyes wide with confusion.
"Where the fuck did he go?!"
"I... I hit him! Felt nothing!"
Sebastian was already walking through the ceiling, ascending to the roof.
"He took my ring! And the ledger! Find him, you useless shits!" The Mayor wailed, his face turning a dangerous shade of purple.
Sebastian didn't stick around to watch the fallout. He turned and walked directly through the back wall of the manor, making a beeline straight through the village infrastructure back to the slums.
Less than five minutes after he had left, Sebastian phased through the wall of the dead-end alley. He toggled off his skill and dropped back into the physical world.
Old Man Clay was still sitting in the mud. He hadn't even finished his first swig of the Moonshine.
CLINK.
Sebastian casually tossed the heavy gold signet ring into Clay's tin beggar cup. A second later, THUD, he dropped the heavy leather ledger into the mud next to it.
Clay froze. He slowly lowered the bottle and stared at the ring in his cup, then up at Sebastian.
The veteran assassin's eyes were wide. They were completely devoid of their previous arrogant edge.
"How the hell... it's been four minutes," Clay stammered, his AI routines genuinely struggling to process the sequence of events. "The manor is half a mile away. The guards. The locks. It's broad daylight."
"You wanted the ring," Sebastian smiled, crossing his arms. "I brought you some light reading too. The Mayor's keeping two sets of books. Do with that what you will."
Clay picked up the ring. He inspected it as if he expected it to be a fake. When he realized it was genuine, he let out a long, shaky breath.
"I've walked in the shadows for sixty years," Clay muttered, shaking his head. "I've never seen a ghost move like that. Who the hell are you, boy?"
"Just a guy trying to survive," Sebastian replied. "Now, about that reward?"
Clay stared at him for a long moment, then burst into a raspy, genuine fit of laughter.
"Aye. That I do. You've earned it, ghost."
The beggar reached into his filthy robes and pulled out a small, incredibly old leather-bound book. He tossed it to Sebastian.
[System Prompt: Hidden Quest Complete!]
↳ Title: The Assassin's Test
↳ Reward: Skill Book
↳ Name: Dagger Mastery (Passive)
"That's the foundation of my art," Clay said, his voice turning serious. "Learn it well. The blade is an extension of the soul."
"Appreciate it, old man. Enjoy the drink," Sebastian said.
CRUMPLE! He didn't wait around for more dialogue. He crushed the book in his hand.
[System Prompt: Skill Learned]
↳ Name: Dagger Mastery
↳ Tier: 0 Passive
↳ Level: 1 / 10
↳ Effect: +10% Damage with Daggers. +5% Critical Strike Chance.
Standard passive. For now.
Sebastian pulled up his inventory. He didn't have a weapon. He quickly navigated his interface and equipped a Rusty Iron Dagger he had looted from the Demon Wolves earlier.
It was a pathetic piece of junk that dealt 2 to 4 damage.
He held the rusty blade up in the dim alleyway. He just needed to trigger the proficiency gain.
He gripped the hilt tight, adopted a basic combat stance, and slashed the empty air once. SWISH!
"Let's see if we can break this too."
The system didn't just chime this time. It practically screamed!
[Action Registered: Executed Dagger Strike]
[Nexus Glitch Activated: Proficiency x10,000]
[Dagger Mastery leveled up to 10/10]
↳ Max Level Reached
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Dagger Mastery evolves to Tier 1: Lethal Precision
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Lethal Precision leveled up to 10/10
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Lethal Precision evolves to Tier 3: Assassin's Creed
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Assassin's Creed leveled up to 10/10
[WARNING!]
↳ Concept Threshold Breached
↳ Combat Law Unlocked
[Assassin's Creed evolves to Conceptual Law: God Slayer's Edge]
ARGH!
A sharp, burning pain shot up Sebastian's arm! "Fuck!" he gritted his teeth.
The server forced the conceptual understanding of absolute lethality into his muscles. It wasn't just about swinging a knife. It was the fundamental, mathematical certainty of finding the weakest point in any defense and severing it.
Panting slightly, he opened his status panel and read the new passive.
[Conceptual Law]
↳ Name: God Slayer's Edge (Passive)
↳ Level: MAX
↳ Description: Your blade recognizes no barrier. All attacks made with a bladed weapon completely ignore 100 percent of physical armor, magical shielding, and conceptual invulnerability. Every strike is a true strike.
Sebastian looked at the rusty, chipped iron dagger in his hand.
"Well," Sebastian breathed out. "Armor is officially useless."
With this passive, he could take this piece of garbage and walk up to a Level 100 Armored Dragon. He could slide the blade through its legendary scales like a hot knife through butter.
He had the ultimate magic. He had absolute stealth. Now, he had unstoppable physical damage.
He sheathed the rusty dagger. It was time to fix his only remaining weakness. He was broke, and in the apocalypse, money was survival.