"Brother… what do we do now?"
In the desolate wilderness, under the cover of night, Thalia and Vincent remained in stealth. They watched silently as the Rank 0 Professionals scattered in a desperate, panicked flight, a stark contrast to their triumphant battle just moments ago. Thalia's voice was small and quiet, reflecting the exhaustion and terror she had just faced.
Vincent searched through the desperate crowd, his eyes scanning for any sign of his potential second employee. But the chaos was too great. He and Thalia had been forced to kill the Centaur Clan Professionals and make an earlier exit, and in the swirling confusion, he had lost his chance. He shook his head in defeat.
He raised his head, looking back towards Rabbit Town. The distant sound of hooves was a chilling reminder that the pursuit had already begun. Some tall figures were vaguely visible, a small detachment of Centaur Clan warriors splitting off to chase the fleeing humans.
Vincent pulled up his status panel, a grim reminder of their current state. His attack power, which had soared to nearly 20,000, had plummeted back to his low base value. The powerful buffs had expired. His ultimate skill was on a long cooldown. His stomach growled painfully, and his already limited stamina was completely depleted. They were running on fumes, a stark contrast to their earlier god-like power.
Back at Rabbit Town, skill lights still flashed wildly, illuminating the night sky. The battle continued to rage, and the knowledge that Silas and Yuna were still fighting gave him pause. Only a small number of Centaur Clan warriors had broken off to pursue the students, which meant the vast majority of the enemy force was still being intercepted by the human professionals.
He was silent for a long moment, finally letting out a soft, tired breath.
"Let's go," he said in a low voice.
The number of Centaur pursuers might be small, and their tier might not be high, but Vincent and Thalia were in no condition to fight. Their stamina was gone; they were practically losing health just by standing there. To risk another battle, even against Tier 1 Professionals, would be foolish. The official Professionals had sacrificed so much for them. To die now would be a tragic, ridiculous end to their efforts. As for the second employee... he longed to sign her, but for now, her fate was in her own hands. He called out to his sister, and the two turned to leave, their figures melting into the shadows.
Thalia cast one last glance back at the distant flashes of light before she followed him. They maintained their stealth, moving with a weary but practiced rhythm toward Iron Fang City.
With the siblings' incredible Agility, the journey from Rabbit Town to Iron Fang City was surprisingly quick. Twenty minutes later, they slipped into the Base City, their Shadow Walker passive ensuring their movements in the dark went completely unnoticed. They had made it home.
Once the door was locked behind them, the two of them collapsed onto the sofa. The silence of their small apartment was profound, a stark and welcome contrast to the chaos they had just left behind. They sat there, staring blankly, feeling the adrenaline slowly recede. After a long while, Thalia let out a soft breath.
"Brother, I'll go make dinner." Her voice was still low, but it held a hint of her usual warmth.
Vincent blinked, snapping out of his daze, and nodded gently. "Okay."
Thalia rose and went to the kitchen. Vincent remained on the sofa, listening to the gentle sounds of her movements. It had only been one day since he awakened his Professional class, but it felt like a lifetime.
His thoughts drifted. The sheer malice of the alien race toward human geniuses had far exceeded his imagination. They had launched a massive, coordinated attack simply because a few rumors had pointed to the existence of an Epic Professional. If the specific characteristics of his Boss-level abilities were ever revealed, he had no doubt that a high-tier professional, perhaps even a Fifth-tier assassin, would be dispatched to kill him and Thalia.
His eyelids twitched at the thought. The Centaur Clan's performance today confirmed it. The alien race would not stop at anything to eliminate a threat of his potential magnitude. But then, his thoughts turned to the human Professionals. Their performance had also been unexpected. He had not anticipated the official forces would step forward and put their lives on the line for him. The words of the silver-armored man, Silas, deeply moved him.
"Don't trust anyone... even the officials."
This chilling warning, combined with the earlier incident involving his potential second employee, made a terrible, complicated picture start to form in his mind. The penetration of the God Advent Sect within humanity seemed to be far more serious than he had ever imagined. This, in turn, made him think about the restoration of compulsory education again. Could the "bad guys" in that matter be the God Advent Sect? The official Professionals had taken a public stand for him, but maybe they were not fully unified.
Vincent rubbed his temples. The challenges ahead were significant. Internal human conflicts and the external malice of the alien race were a deadly combination. The path for him and his Paradise system was fraught with peril. He fell into a deep silence, contemplating the impossible road ahead. He didn't know how long he sat there until a gentle voice broke his reverie.
"Brother, dinner's ready."
Vincent was jolted back to the present. He let out a soft breath, realizing he could not manage anything more tonight. The most urgent task for him and Thalia was simple: Leveling up. Once their ranks were high enough, everything else would fall into place. He imagined a future where he and Thalia were Fourth or Fifth-tier. He wouldn't have to flee from the alien race; they would be fleeing from him. The thought of a Fifth-tier Epic Assassin filled him with an almost manic anticipation. He couldn't even imagine how terrifying that would be, especially given the monumental attribute points he gained with each level-up.
"Besides that, there are the employees..." He thought again of the second employee he had set his sights on, the Priestess. His brows furrowed. Had she escaped? The chaos had made it impossible to find her. "I'll go look for her tomorrow," he resolved, getting up and walking to the dining table.
The simple meal of rabbit meat from the Rabbit Instance was delicious. The two ate in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. The experience had clearly left a deep impact on Thalia. As the warm food settled in their stomachs, their exhausted stamina began to slowly recover. To fully recover, they would need rest or a potion, but the meal was a start. After dinner, Thalia went to wash the dishes, and Vincent returned to the sofa.
A moment later, Thalia returned, her expression still worried. "Brother, what do we do next?" she asked in a low voice.
Vincent looked up and gave her a reassuring smile. "We do what we have to do. Our top priority is to level up. Don't think too much about anything else."
Thalia was stunned, then nodded slowly. "Then tomorrow, are we still going to the instance?"
"Let's take a break tomorrow," Vincent said, shaking his head. The situation was still unclear. Acting rashly could lead to another dangerous situation. "There's no rush." But he also had something very important to do tomorrow—he had to find his second employee. His eyes flickered with a mischievous glint. How could he both hide his identity and successfully trick her into becoming a workhorse?
Thalia was taken aback by the shift in his tone but then her own expression brightened. "That's good. Then tomorrow, can we go back to the orphanage? We have money now, let's buy them some things."
Vincent's heart softened. He loved how she always thought of others. He affectionately patted her head. "You can decide that yourself. I won't go tomorrow, but don't buy too much… just enough is fine."
"I understand, Brother," Thalia replied, her voice soft.
"Alright, you're tired today, don't think too much, just rest. We'll talk about anything else tomorrow."
"Okay." She went to wash up and then went back to her room. Vincent followed a moment later.
The house felt small now, a thought that made him smile. Perhaps in a few days, they could consider moving. He returned to his room, but instead of sleeping, he sat quietly, pondering his next moves, waiting for the one thing he knew was coming.
The clock turned.
12 o'clock!
A notification finally appeared in his mind:
[Starting yesterday's earnings settlement]
Vincent's eyes lit up. What he had been waiting for was finally here.