As I carried on with my mission, I noticed something interesting about the [Sensor] skill. The more I killed, the sharper it became. I couldn't put my finger on why though. Was it because it worked better with fewer targets? Or did Assassin skills improve by the number of kills in this world? I could easily get lost in the ponderings but chose not to, as I had a better idea of my enemy locations and shockingly enough, their respective strengths.
The blue wisp at the center of the town is burning brighter than any of them, so that must be the strongest, I concluded as I continued picking them off one by one, leaving the best for st. Hmm, he seems to be a commander of sorts, I thought to myself as I mercilessly stabbed a guy through his chest. He's just standing there while everyone else is moving, I observed.
Recssing once again to a Sniper, I shot an assassin dead in mid-air as he was jumping from one rooftop to another and before his partner could even begin to process what happened, he was dead, too! "That seems to be the st of them," I heaved a sigh of relief, thinking, [Precision Strike+] and [Killing Intuition] is a deadly combo.
But just when things were starting to look up for me, he started moving. Shit! That can only mean... I hurried my pace, recssing back to an Assassin as I hopped from rooftop to rooftop, praying that I'd make it in time and sure enough. It's a she? Was one of the first things I noticed about her. Her silky bck hair was tied up in a ponytail and her striking dandelion-colored eyes made a unique impression. The sword she wielded was bathed in the blood of the bodyguards who tried to protect the noble, whose life was moments away from ending as she inched ever closer. However...
I won't let you! I attacked from the shadows, hoping for a one-hit victory, but she weaved out of my path elegantly and wiped her sword clean with a white cloth as she sized me up.
"Who are you?" She asked in a monotone voice.
"I am one who fights for justice!" came my unserious reply, but she only frowned at this and readied her sword. Those movements and that stance. She must be a Swordmaster. As I tightened my grip on the curved swords, she suddenly vanished and appeared right in front of me, her katana inches away from my neck as she moved it up in one flowing motion.
My life fshed before my eyes, but I managed to react on time. Whether it was by instinct, I couldn't say for sure, but I jumped back with all the strength and speed I could muster, leaving me open for a follow up attack I had to block mid-air, the force of which sent me crashing through several buildings at once.
When she saw this, her face twisted into a devious smile as she said, "You're strong. I like that." It was one of the few times I'd ever been complimented by an enemy, so a part of me was genuinely happy to hear that, but... Not in this situation, I thought to myself as I got up from the debris, my body racked with pain and my vision blurry. What kind of insane strength and speed is this? I wondered, but she wouldn't let me rest for one minute, closing the distance instantly again and swinging with a force so strong that it obliterated the debris behind me as I ducked and aimed at her feet.
"Too slow!" She said as she suddenly appeared behind me. I was in no position to dodge, so I prepared to block or deflect whatever she threw at me but was surprised to find myself flying through the air instead, the taste of blood strong in my mouth as I vomited. S-she kicked me? I couldn't follow her attack pattern at all, and each hit shaved away at my HP, bringing me closer and closer to the grave.
I crash nded close to the carriage where the terrified noble was watching all of this unfold. Our eyes met, and he squealed like a rat. I'm doing all this for him? Ugh. I stood up once again and steeled myself for the next attack, but she seemed to have other ideas.
"Your fighting style is unique, to say the least. It's almost like you're trying to imitate the real thing while failing miserably in the process. Did you just become an Assassin or is that not your true css?" She hit the nail on the head with that st question, leaving me at a loss for words as I stared at her bnkly. "Anyway, I guess it was fun while it sted. Now, I'm going to stop toying with you. We need that man dead, after all," She expined with a slight hint of disappointment in her voice as she closed the distance once more.
It was almost shameful to admit it to myself, but she was right. I was just imitating, mimicking, and copying. I never really bothered to master any of the csses and their fighting styles, which was made evident to me as I faced the real thing, a true Swordmaster. So, in those st few moments, I chose to be reckless. If it worked, I'd live. If not, then I'd die without achieving anything, a painful thought and fear that haunted me as I engaged the [Recssing] skill, gritting my teeth through the pain as I used it in a new way.
Her eyes widened in surprise as the katana stopped at my neck— or more accurately, the faint golden shimmer that enveloped my body from head to toe, the General's [Great Shield]. It worked! I rejoiced internally as I Recssed into a Sniper.
"[Precision Strike+: Point-Bnk Range]" The shock of what had happened, transfixed her to the ground as the arrow blew her body to bloody bits. It was kinda gross seeing all the chunks of flesh and insides pour down like rain, but it meant one thing and one thing only. "VIIIICTOOORYYYYYYYYYYY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my fists pumped into the air as I cherished that moment with everything I had. I'd defeated a very strong enemy by myself, cleared the mission, and... Most importantly, I survived!
It was a turning point for me, one that would see me reconsider how I'd been approaching the [Recssing] skill I received from the Lord of the Land.
