Stab
The dagger found its target, passing halfway through his neck.
Target 2, who still trying to take in the sudden turn of events, was down.
Now it was two versus two.
The leader looked intently at Jean.
"A Skyborn brat?" He said, surprise evident in his voice.
Skyborn... Jean didn't know what a Skyborn was.
But he didn't stop.
By the time the leader finished speaking, the phantom had already cut the neck of the last target... and so he was...
[Formless Arts - Crescent Silence]
Whoosh.
A blood fountain bloomed.
[Bend backward and stab behind] the mask spoke again.
Jean followed the phantom's lead. The phantom blended perfectly with his body. He saw a third arm stabbing behind at an impossible angle, unless he bent his body backwards...
And so he did...
A sharp attack whizzed past, cutting a lock of his long hair, but his knife found its mark, sinking deep into the leader's thigh.
"Kuek."
He groaned.
Didn't look tough anymore.
A blast followed. Rian was already holding a dagger in one hand and the orb in the other.
Rushing forward like a graceful elf, unlike his foul nature...
He stabbed forward, aiming for the leader's neck.
The leader was an experienced assassin. He knew that at this point, there was no more hope for this mission, but the Skyborn brat was an important piece of information he must deliver back.
He leapt back, no longer fighting. Rian's attack couldn't reach.
Jean adjusted himself and followed the phantom again.
[A smoke bomb will be used in 2 seconds—Keep pressuring the target. Follow and ignore the smoke.]
Listening to the instructions, Jean rushed forward.
Poof.
Smoke everywhere. Rian, caught off guard, started coughing.
Jean, holding his breath, followed within the smoke. He could still see the phantom and the arrow marking the target, who was taking a stealthy approach to leave easily unnoticed while they rushed outside to find him.
He could also sense the assassin's bleeding.
He could feel where he was.
A foreign, yet familiar sensation.
Something that was his, but was also new.
[Stab]
Following the command, he stabbed.
The assassin, caught off guard, instinctively shifted his body.
The knife stabbed his shoulder instead of his neck.
He used his Aura to block the bleeding and started running.
[Throw Bayonet]
For a moment, Jean forgot that what he held was called a bayonet, not a knife. The phantom overlapped with his body again, granting him an extra phantom arm visible only to him. Still, he followed the phantom arm's motion and threw it at the target, once again using his father's techniques.
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[Formless Arts - Within Reach]
The bayonet flew out of his hand, stabbing at the leader's lungs.
He kept running, albeit slower.
Jean kept following, chasing.
He leapt through the broken window, out of the room, and into the inn's backyard.
[Initiate Protocol - Devour] The voice spoke, but Jean didn't understand what that meant...
Until he heard a shrill scream.
The assassin's leader screamed in agony.
They didn't understand what was happening to him.
He was a strong warrior... Even these seemingly fatal wounds could be treated in time.
[Secure your weapon.]
Following the command, Jean ran and took his knife out of the assassin leader's back.
Looking at him, he shivered. A chunk of his flesh was missing. As if... it disappeared...
[Make sure you never leave loose ends.] The voice reminded.
Only then did he realize that the writings at the bottom had changed.
Username: Brat
Planet: Racism
Age: 9 years old
Awakening: In progress
Gift: Registering New Gift - Guided by Blood
Effect: The more blood within your sensory range, the stronger your physicality becomes. (Current Value: 1.2%)
Mana Affinity: Skyborn Feral / Hunter / ???
Physicality: C
Mentality: F
Perception: E
Mana Saturation / Rank: 3%
Rank: 1st Rank
Now that he took a closer look.
Finally unoccupied by combat.
Jean felt a sense of happiness blossom in his heart... a little excitement too.
But it wasn't because of the battle or the victory or anything grand...
He realized that he was actually 9 years old.
He had already seen it, but didn't have time to figure it out during combat.
He raised his arms and shouted, "I'm 9 years old!"
It had weighed a lot on his mind. For a child to not know how old he was was quite sad, but now he knew at last.
Rian looked at him grumpily, but he was too tired to say anything.
Before they could enjoy a moment of peace, the voice spoke again.
[Run, Brat. Tell the other brat to follow.]
Jean, without thinking, started running, following the phantom of himself again. "RUN, RUN!"
Rian looked skeptical for a moment, but all of a sudden, he decided to run regardless of anything. He held the bead and ran as fast as he could, following Jean.
[Under normal circumstances, you should get caught within 100 seconds. We need to extend it to 120. Follow my command, run faster, and you may find help.]
Jean kept running across the roads of the city. The roads were empty in the dead of the night, but the sky was clear with two moons brightly shining on the city, illuminating it.
[Your pursuer is Rank 5 warrior. A slap means instant death. Beyond Rank 3 is a different breed of beings. Release your mana to assess your movement. Don't look behind. There should be a Rank 6 warrior stationed in the city a bit further. You need to get within his senses range.] The voice stopped. It didn't continue. Jean felt conflicted but also slightly assured.
"Who're we running from?" Rian asked, his breathing ragged. He was slightly faster than Jean, but he had most of the previous battle pressure on him. He was tired. Elves aren't a race known for high stamina... not outside the forest.
Jean, huffing, answered under his breath, "Rank 5."
They both knew that without their racial innate traits, they would've been killed right away by the assassins.
It was common knowledge that humans have high reproductivity. Their awakening ratio was low, but the sheer number was just too much.
They could also rise in ranks relatively easier than other races. There were also many real champions among humans who were among the greatest and strongest known in the world without having any racial traits. Some were just born that talented.
It was also the reason why there were weak humans who achieved somewhat high ranks... but they were like empty shells of mana, utilizing it very poorly.
They kept running across the streets until the phantom started jumping across a fence and onto a building. [Tell that kid to follow.]
"FOLLOW!"
[Make sure he stays within a meter distance from you at the very most.]
They kept running for another 10 seconds before he heard the voice again.
[It's fine now, you may rest.] The voice spoke softly.
Jean shared that the pursuer had given up with Rian.
They both collapsed.
Jean remembered Nina back in the inn. He felt agonizing guilt... he left her behind.
[Don't worry about the girl back in the inn. She's unharmed.]
Jean felt his cheeks heat up. He was like an open book to Aaron. His every thought was obvious.
Jean asked softly, "Can you read thoughts?"
The voice laughed. [That's creepy, no... but a little brat like yourself can't hide anything from me. I'm just that old. Well, if you didn't run in time, she might have gotten hurt. So make sure you follow commands perfectly from now on.]
"Why did you bring us to a residential area?" Realizing they were in a residential area, Jean thought Aaron could've involved the innocents.
[You can't feel it, but these buildings are empty. There's also no one nearby.]
He's been leading them though an empty path..
The voice halted, replaced by Rian's voice. He just caught his breath. "What... is this all about?" Panting heavily still.
Jean didn't answer.
