[Rewards: +20,000 Store coins] [+500 Exp]
A smile bloomed on his face as he checked for the next quest.
[Side Quest: Go undetected after your first high-profile kill] [Status: Ongoing]
This was shaking news. If it meant ongoing, then the quest would only complete once he was fully out of suspicion—which might take a long time.
Sigh.
Ash checked his current status. He had managed to level up by one, but he quickly realized that the Exp gained from beasts of the same level was far too low.
He finally understood why people struggled so much to level up in this world.
Fighting high-level beasts was life-threatening, while fighting weaker ones gave no exp at all. That left only the narrow option of battling monsters at the same level or slightly above.
'I can't move this slow. If I don't use the guns to kill high-level beasts, then it's nothing but foolishness.' Ash's eyes flashed with resolve—but that had to wait. If he started hunting in D-rank dungeons while still being E-rank, hiding from the Wilbert Family would become impossible.
It had to wait until the situation died down.
His eyes moved to the screen—
Profession: Modern Assassin
[ Level: 7 ]
[ 612 / 1000 Exp ]
[ AGILITY: 6 | ENDURANCE: 4 | STRENGTH: 3 | LUCK: 4 ]
[ MP: 10 / 70 (Recovery Rate: 1 per 450 seconds) ]
[ Stat Points: 3 ]
Skills:
Mana Surge – Permanently increases MP regeneration speed by 50%.
Killing Intent – Effect: Releases a focused aura of bloodlust, locking enemies in fear.
Cost: Depends on target.
Talent:
Shadow Veil – Effect: Enter stealth mode. First attack out of stealth deals double damage if undetected.
Cost: 2 MP/Second
Store Coins: 25,600
Frustration welled up inside him. He wanted to increase his physical strength and agility, but at the same time, his MP was in dire need of growth. He couldn't keep ignoring his personal stats; at some point, he would be crushed by someone with overwhelming physical power.
But the truth was, he couldn't do much about it. His MP recovery rate was painfully slow—it would take all night just to restore it fully. He could use beast cores to speed the process, but even that had its limits.
To be honest, he didn't know much about how the system actually worked. Jessie, however, likely knew more, and he was planning to ask her about ways to improve his physical strength.
As for fueling the gun with mana, that matter was sorted. With the right attachment, he could use beast cores to directly fill the weapon with mana.
He opened the store again, pondering his next move. He had two possible paths ahead—accumulate coins to purchase a brand-new weapon, or upgrade his current pistol with attachments.
Earlier today, he had faced an enemy with a physical shield that was impossible to pierce, no matter how much power he poured into the bullets. That encounter left one thing clear: his priority had to be increasing the destructive power of his shots so they could break through even the hardest of metals. But such a leap required a significant upgrade to his weapon.
Now, his choices appeared on the screen—
Burstfire SMG (50,000 Coins) – Short-range beast. Three-round burst mode, optional mana-charging for added punch.
Mana Cartridge Converter (21,500 Coins) – Attachment: Bullets absorb mana before firing. Each shot consumes MP but deals extra damage.
Ash knew saving for the Burstfire SMG would be the better long-term option. After all, its description mentioned "optional mana-charging," which meant it likely came with a built-in system similar to the converter.
But when he considered his current condition, his lack of mana efficiency, and the fact that stronger weapons would only demand more MP, he hesitated. The Burstfire SMG would almost certainly drain his reserves dry. At his level, he couldn't sustain it.
Besides, E-rank beast cores contained very little mana compared to higher-ranked ones. If he wanted to fuel the SMG, he would need a steady supply of stronger cores—which he didn't have.
The path ahead was clear: he couldn't afford to gamble on the future when the present was so uncertain. There was always the chance he would be forced to fight D-rank, C-rank, or even B-rank enemies at any moment.
According to Jennifer, his bullets already carried the force of a level 25 ranker. If he equipped the Mana Cartridge Converter, he could push them even further—potentially to the level of a high-ranked warrior.
The decision boiled down to one thing: the future or the present. And Ash knew very well—there was no future without surviving the present.
[Mana Cartridge Converter Equipped]
Ash saw no visible change in his gun, but he could feel it hungrily tugging at his mana. He resisted, holding back his reserves.
Instead, he fed it beast cores. Fifteen bullets—that was all he could manage. To load them, he burned through more than seven E-rank cores, depleting his stock.
After that, he couldn't push any more mana from cores into the weapon. So he tried something else. Pouring his own energy into the gun, he watched as it eagerly devoured every drop of MP he had left.
Breathing out slowly, he steadied himself. He had recovered 5 MP by now, and with that, he wanted to test the new power of a single charged shot.
It's working was simple the more mana Ash puts in the more destructive it becomes.
His mind drifted off in the anticipation of tomorrow, it will be chaotic.
While Ash was fast asleep, the city was bustling with energy and anticipation. The news had spread that someone from the Wilfred family had been killed.
The more concerning part was that it happened during guild test.
All three major guilds—Oblivion, Vortex, Aegis were trying to figure out who killed him they wouldn't criticize or punishment the killer in public since it would put a stain on their name.
They were the one organising the event and similar incidents happened in the past but no action was taken against the killers. So now if they change the rule because a noble had died would put them in wrong space.
But if they wanted to keep their relations with royal family they would need to provide the killer to Wilbert Family.
Around thirty rankers had participated in the test so all of them were potential killer but some of them had already left the place.
"Find everyone who participated in the test, bring them to wilberts" Oblivion guild's instructor said while others nodded.
Ash coiled in the warm bed unaware of the ruckus in the city.