The wind howled over Valoria's abandoned outskirts, carrying the scent of ash and rain.
Lin Xuan stood beneath a broken archway, his cloak tattered, eyes half-closed.
The night was quiet again—too quiet.
He could feel it.
Someone was coming.
[ Abyssal Sense Activated ]
[ Energy Signature Detected – Concealed: Rank A ]
[ Estimated Power Differential: -65% ]
A faint pressure filled the air, sharp and suffocating.
This wasn't just another hunter.
This was someone who knew him.
The Mentor Returns
A figure stepped from the mist—tall, wrapped in a long coat that brushed the ground.
His steps were silent, but each carried the weight of years of killing.
"Still alive," the man said quietly. His voice was calm, controlled, like a blade sheathed but ready.
"I trained you better than that, Xuan."
Lin Xuan's hand froze mid-motion.
"…Instructor Rei."
The man who had once taught him everything about assassination.
His movements, his philosophy, his silence.
Rei's expression didn't change.
"The Guild has ordered your execution."
"I know," Lin Xuan replied.
"Then you understand."
He unsheathed his weapon—a slender black katana, its edge humming with condensed mana.
"Only one of us leaves this place alive."
A Battle Between Shadows
For a moment, neither moved.
The ruins around them trembled under the tension, dust falling from the broken archways.
Then—both vanished.
Steel clashed in the dark, echoing through the hollow city.
Each strike was perfection: feints within feints, speed meeting precision.
Rei's blade moved faster than sight, tracing arcs of shadow.
Lin Xuan's daggers crossed in response, every motion born of instinct and calculation.
[ Skill Activated: Phantom Stride II ]
[ Skill Activated: Shadow Convergence ]
Their shadows twisted and merged, fighting a silent war of their own.
"Your steps have grown heavier," Rei said between blows.
"You used to move like air."
Lin Xuan parried, then countered with a flash that grazed Rei's shoulder.
"Maybe air isn't enough to kill gods."
Rei smiled faintly. "So you really are changing."
Their weapons collided again, sparks illuminating the night.
But this time, Rei's aura shifted—
cold, suffocating, absolute.
[ Skill Detected: Shadow Domain (Advanced) ]
[ Warning: Hostile Territory Established ]
The world around Lin Xuan dimmed into pitch black.
The ruins disappeared. The ground itself turned to ink.
"Do you remember what I taught you?" Rei's voice echoed.
"The shadow gives life only to those who submit."
Lin Xuan's eyes glowed faintly crimson.
"Then maybe it's time you learned what happens when the shadow obeys."
The Awakening
His own darkness surged outward.
The two domains collided—black against black, devouring the world around them.
[ Trait Activation: Shadow Dominion ]
[ Priority Override: Equal ]
The ground cracked, the air warped, and reality itself seemed to bend.
Two assassins, two masters of death—
but only one carried the Abyss.
Rei's voice broke through the chaos.
"You're not human anymore, Xuan!"
"Neither are you," Lin Xuan replied.
"Just older."
He vanished again—
and when he reappeared, his dagger was already at Rei's throat.
The older assassin's eyes widened for just a fraction of a second.
[ Fatal Strike Registered ]
Blood shimmered in the moonlight—then scattered like dust as Rei's body disintegrated into shadow particles.
The Last Words
Rei's fading form lingered for a moment, his voice faint but calm.
"I should've known… you'd surpass me."
Lin Xuan exhaled slowly.
"You taught me too well."
Rei's final whisper echoed through the void:
"Then listen, my last lesson… The Guild's not your true enemy. It's what's inside you."
And then he was gone.
Aftermath
The System pulsed violently.
[ Target Eliminated ]
[ +7000 EXP ]
[ Level Up! Lv. 20 → Lv. 23 ]
[ Skill Evolution Triggered: Shadow Convergence → Shadow Manifestation ]
[ Passive Resonance Increased: 58% → 64% ]
The world returned to color, but Lin Xuan's reflection no longer looked the same.
His eyes now held a permanent tint of abyssal red.
He looked at his hand—it trembled faintly, black energy seeping from beneath the skin before vanishing.
"The Guild isn't my enemy," he murmured. "Then what is?"
For a moment, the Abyss whispered back.
"You."
Status Panel
Name: Lin Xuan
Level: 23
Profession: Assassin (C-Class)
Talent: SSS – Silent Killer
Passive: Soul Convergence (Stable – Abyssal Resonance 64%)
Trait: Shadow Dominion
Skills: [ Dagger Mastery IV ], [ Phantom Stride II ], [ Abyssal Sense I ], [ Shadow Manifestation (New) ]
Hidden Quest: 8 / 100 Perfect Assassinations
Next Evolution: Shadow Reaper (Locked)
Strength: 34
Agility: 38
Perception: 30