Still catching my breath, I looked back up at the guy, forcing a shaky smile as I started to say, "Thanks for—"
But I never got to finish the sentence.
What the—?
In the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of me.
I hadn't even seen him move—one second he was several meters away, the next he was within striking distance.
Before I could react, his sword came flashing toward me in a clean, horizontal slash—aimed directly at my abdomen.
Crap! An assassin!
I barely had time to draw my dagger.
The blades clashed with a metallic screech as I blocked the attack, the force of the blow pushing me back.
I jumped away, landing a few meters back to put some space between us.
Breathing hard, I tightened my grip on the dagger, eyes locked on him.
Then I asked, voice steady but cold, "Hey… are you an assassin?"
He didn't say a word—just kept looking at my face with a small, knowing smirk playing on his lips.
Somehow, that silence only made me more confident in my guess.
He really was an assassin.
Feeling sure of myself, I said, "Alright then. I'll take that silence as a yes."
Still nothing. He just smiled calmly, like he was completely in control.
Appraise.
As he stood there quietly, still smirking, I activated my Appraisal skill to try and learn more about him.
---
Name: Scar Collins
Height: [Your level is too low to view this!]
Weight: [Your level is too low to view this!]
Age: 21
Personality: [Your level is too low to view this!]
Evaluation: Platinum-Rank Hunter
---
Huh?
Platinum-Rank?
That really threw me off. I had assumed he was a Gold-Rank at best—his sword speed earlier matched exactly what I'd expect from someone at that level.
So… he was faking?
Was it on purpose?
Even with this new information, I wasn't scared. Not even a little. No nerves, no panic. Just a strange sense of calm curiosity.
Then, out of nowhere, a system notification popped up in front of me.
---
[Warning! Host, Opponent has used ???? on you!]
---
What...?
What did he just use?
I frowned as I stared at the message, confused and caught off guard. I didn't completely understand what the system was trying to tell me, but one thing was clear:
Scar had definitely activated something on me.
A skill, maybe?
In this world, every hunter gains a unique ability once they ascend to a higher level—
Before I could finish the thought, Scar called out.
"Oii!"
I snapped my attention back to him, staying quiet and alert.
He slowly raised his hand, made a gun shape with his fingers, pointed it at me, and with a playful grin said:
"Boom."
Eh?
What's with this guy?
Why's he suddenly acting like a kid?
His playful behavior came out of nowhere, and it totally threw me off.
I didn't know what kind of game he was playing, but I kept my cool and didn't let it show.
I looked him straight in the eyes. "Listen, I don't know who you are, and I've got no clue how much someone paid you to take me out. But just hear me out."
I paused for a second, letting the silence hang.
Then I added, "What if we made a deal?"
That finally wiped the grin off his face. His expression turned neutral, like he was actually thinking about it.
That's it. Keep going. You're almost there…
He was taking the bait.
I leaned in a bit. "If you're after money, I've got plenty. Just name your price."
I already knew there was no way I could beat him—not unless something unbelievable happened.
So instead of charging into a losing fight, I decided to try the smarter route.
If there was even a small chance he'd go for the deal, I had to try.
And if he didn't… well, he'd probably take me down.
Take me down, not kill me.
Why?
Because I had the system on my side.
Right, system?
> [Confirmed, Host. Protection activated—for this situation only.]
Whew… alright.
Just earlier, I'd asked the system if it would step in if Scar tried to kill me.
And shockingly, it said yes.
That answer caught me off guard.
The system's never really been the reliable type, so hearing that was like unlocking a secret feature I didn't know existed.
I thanked it, but then, it hit me with the fine print.
> [Protection will cost 1300 Essences.]
Of course.
At first, I hesitated.
1300 Essences is no joke.
I'd worked my ass off to get those, and the thought of giving them up stung.
But then I thought… what's the point of having all those Essences if I end up dead?
So I agreed.
And that's why I'm standing here now, trying to make a deal with an assassin—because even if he says no, I know I've got a safety net.
I'm not dying today.
Not if I can help it.
Anyway, back to the situation at hand.
After a few moments of silence, Scar finally spoke up.
"How much?"
Oh?
So he was after money, huh?
I figured as much. Assassins these days… no loyalty whatsoever. What kind of messed-up world am I living in?
I offered, "What about 100 million?"
He gave a slow shake of his head.
"Not enough?" I asked. "Alright, how about 400 million?"
Money wasn't an issue for me, especially not in a situation like this. If throwing cash around could keep me alive, I'd do it without blinking.
But Scar just frowned and said, "Still too low."
Wait, seriously?
Did he just turn down 400 million like it was pocket change?
It took me a second to process that I hadn't misheard him.
Is this guy for real?
Even the best assassins—Ace-rank professionals—usually don't ask for more than 300 million unless their target is someone huge, like a top-level hunter or a political figure.
Trying to stay calm, I said, "Fine. 800 million. Does that work for you? Or are you going to ask for more?"
He didn't even think about it. "More."
I gritted my teeth.
Unbelievable.
He was seriously pushing it now. And instead of giving me a number, he just kept repeating "more" like a broken record.
That's when I finally lost it. "Oh, you want more? Fine—take 2 billion!"
The second I said it, the air around us changed.
Scar didn't move.
He didn't speak.
He just stared at me, calm as ever, eyes locked on mine.
So that's it, right?
Deal closed?
I was sure he'd say yes. No sane assassin would turn down a ridiculous amount like that.
Besides, it wasn't even a big hit to my wealth. Just 0.4% of my family's total fortune.
Finally, he gave a small nod and said, "Alright. Deal."
I exhaled slowly.
Called it.
"I see…"
Then he asked, "When will the money be sent?"
I met his gaze without flinching. "Today. If you let me go right now."
Scar narrowed his eyes and asked, "What if you don't pay me after I let you go?"
I figured he'd say that. Honestly, I would've asked the same if I were in his place.
Without a word, I reached into the right pocket of my cargo pants, pulled out a sleek white card, and tossed it to him.
He caught it easily and looked at it with curiosity.
"That's my family's VIP card," I explained. "You can use it to withdraw the money yourself. The limit's 2.5 billion, and it expires in ten days."
He raised an eyebrow, then let out a laugh. "Wow… You really are an idiot. Now that I've got this, I could just kill you and take the money."
For a second, I hesitated.
Wait—did I seriously just hand over that card to a deadly assassin? What was I thinking?
But no—I wasn't panicking. I had already thought this through.
I gave him a calm look and said, "You won't be able to take a single credit if I'm dead."
He looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Flip it over," I told him. "Read the back."
He turned the card around and began reading silently.
Slowly, the smug grin on his face faded.
A few seconds later, his smirk came back—but this time, it wasn't mocking.
It was almost impressive.
"You were right," he said. "If you die, the card becomes worthless."
Exactly.
Why?
Because that wasn't an ordinary bank card.
It was made from the skin of an Ace-Rank monster known for its loyalty.
And it had a special enchantment that linked it directly to my heart.
If I died, the card would shut down instantly.
No access.
No money.
Nothing.
I felt a bit more at ease.
But then, his expression twisted. The calm smirk turned into something wild, almost unhinged. His eyes narrowed with sudden intensity.
"But then again," he said, voice dark, "who said I wanted your money?"
Wait—what?
Then, without warning, he stepped toward me, eyes full of madness.
"Die!" Scar roared.
Wait—what? He's serious?
Before I could react, a searing pain suddenly exploded in my head like a lightning strike from the inside out.
"Mhmmmmm!" I groaned, barely able to keep it in.
It felt like someone was driving a metal spike straight into my skull.
The pain was overwhelming—far worse than when I absorbed Michael's memories.
Just when I thought I could catch my breath, the pain started to fade slightly, and I gasped for air.
"Ahhh! What was that—khuuh!"
I didn't even get to finish.
A second wave hit me like a truck, ten times more intense.
My knees buckled.
I collapsed to the ground, grabbing my head with both hands like I was trying to keep it from exploding.
"Ahhhhhh! F—ahhck... it hurts... I..."
My voice broke.
I couldn't think.
My vision blurred as I looked up—just barely—to see Scar standing there, laughing like a maniac.
He was enjoying this like it was some kind of sick show.
His mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear a thing.
My thoughts were scrambled, my brain shutting down.
I could only do one thing—bite down on my lip to stop myself from screaming.
I bit hard.
Too hard.
Blood trickled down my chin, but I didn't care.
I just needed to focus.
Over and over again, I forced the words through the storm in my mind:
'System… help me… now… like you promised…'
> [Access Denied, Host. You are not dying.]
What…?
Before I could process that, my body gave out completely.
I hit the ground hard, my face scraping the dirt.
Everything around me started spinning. It felt like the world was glitching out.
Just before I lost consciousness, a glowing blue screen appeared in front of me.
> [Just kidding!]
[Ding! Protection deal has been activated.]
[Ding! Due to ??? Interference, the deal has been converted into a Trade Agreement.]
[1,300 Essences have been deducted from the Host and entered into the Grand Lottery.]
[Running Lottery…]
[...Lottery stopped at Ballot No. 31.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've received the reward from Ballot 31.]
I had no idea what was going on. The system was doing… something. I didn't know what. I couldn't even care.
I was slipping.
And just before the darkness took over—
> [Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have been rewarded with the Bloodline of ???]
Then everything faded to black.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! Your newly acquired F+ tier skill: Bloodline of "????" has been upgraded to E+ tier!]
[Ding! Congratulations, host! Your newly acquired E+ tier skill: Bloodline of "????" has been upgraded to D+ tier!]
[Ding! Well done, host! Bloodline of "????" has advanced from D+ to C+ tier!]
[Ding! Bloodline skill "????" has successfully ranked up from C+ to B+!]
[Ding! Upgrade complete! Bloodline of "????" is now at A+ tier!]
[Ding! Incredible! Your A+ tier skill: Bloodline of "????" has ascended to S+ rank!]
[Ding! System update: Bloodline of "????" has evolved from S+ to SS- rank!]
[Ding! Rapid progression detected! Bloodline of "????" has now reached SS rank!]
[Ding! Skill enhancement complete! Bloodline of "????" has broken through to SS+ rank!]
[Ding! Milestone achieved! Bloodline of "????" has advanced to the elite SSS-tier!]
[Ding! Ascension successful! Bloodline of "????" is now ranked SSS!]
[Ding! Peak tier reached! Bloodline of "????" has evolved into the legendary SSS+ rank!]
[System Message: SSS+ Tier Skill "Bloodline of '????'" has been successfully activated!]