[You have competed the Sudden Quest!]
[You have gained 500 experience points.]
[You have leveled up!]
[You are now level 11!]
[You have gained Obsidian Daggers D]
These are the notifications that the System displayed. One after the other, the text came up. After the last one appeared, something strange happened. A weapon materialized right in front of Asther. Having a brilliant glow which immediately dimmed down until Asther is left with the weapon’s base color.
The System’s [Analysis] function immediately worked on the weapon. Allowing Asther to see the specifics that comes with it.
[Weapon Name: Obsidian Daggers]
[Rank: D]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Information: A weapon crafted from the scales of a cave centipede. This weapon is known for its durability and its sharpness in cutting.]
[Information: Infusing the wielder’s mana on the weapon will allow the blade to extend in length temporarily. The extended blade is just as sharp as the original blade.]
“You look useful.” He raised the weapon in the air, observing it through the dim light provided by the exit of the cave. Asther was about to turn his attention to what was just mentioned but, before he could, another System window popped up.
[You have gained the passive skill Weak Spot]
“Passive skill? What is that all about?”
[These are skills that you gain by performing certain tasks master.]
Asther thought back on the things that he did when he woke up. The only thing noteworthy is the fact that he fought against the giant centipedes. He then remembered how he tried to look at where and when to strike. How he rode the final centipede and forced it to follow his will.
However, just thinking about it won’t give him the answers that he needs. That’s why he turned to the System for answers.
“What do they do exactly?”
[Would you like me to display the information master?]
“Yes. That’d be helpful.”
[Understood.]
[…]
[Skill Name: Weak Spot]
[Rank: F-]
[Skill Type: Passive]
[Mana Consumption: None]
[Information: Allows the wielder of the skill to find the weak spots of an enemy. The skill will only apply during combat. Landing a hit on the weak spot will generate a guaranteed critical hit.]
[Information: A weak spot will only appear once five minutes have passed in a fight. This timer gets reduced depending on the skill’s rank.]
[Information: The number of weak spots that can be found is relevant to the skill’s rank. More efficient weak spots will come out at higher ranks of the skill.]
[Current number of weak spots that can be found – 2]
“Passive huh.”
Asther isn’t completely new to the world of gaming. As an assassin, there are times when he had virtual training. Using holograms in games in order to increase his skill level safely. There are also missions where he became a game developer or even a real gamer at that. This is why he understands most of the concepts that the System displayed.
Passive means that it does need his command for it to work. It is a skill that is never turned off. As for the rank, it’s basically the efficiency level of the skill. The higher the level of the passive, the better it would be for him.
“How did I gain this passive exactly?”
[You acquired it when you tried to find the gap in the defenses of the centipedes master.]
“Just as I thought.” Asther crossed his arms. “Is there a specific list of the passives and the methods on acquiring them then?”
[Unfortunately there isn’t any data like that master.]
“So how did you show me the information about Weak Spot?” Asther asked further.
[Data on the passive skill will only appear once it is acquired master.]
“I see. So it’s that type of System.”
One of the many reasons why Asther is such a capable assassin is because of his vast knowledge. In life, those who have more knowledge and know how to properly apply them are the ones on top. Asther has applied this principle in his life and has never taken it away, even in that new life of his.
“In this world, am I the only one who can gain a passive skill this way?”
[Yes master. The regular citizens only start acquiring their passives once their job class has been chosen.]
“So there’s also a job class. I figured as much.” Asther closed his eyes and thought of the things that still needed clarification. He wants to know about the job classes as well. However, his body was already complaining at that point. It’s sore all over and his stomach grumbled from time to time.
He needs to eat and stay healthy. That’s one of the basics that Asther knows that he needs. Hence the teen decided to stick to one last question and a few follow ups that could come with it.
“How many passive skills can I possess? Is there a limit to it?”
[At the moment you can only wield 5 passive skills master. The number of passive skills you can acquire is directly corelated to half of your current level.]
“Right. That should be enough for now.” Asther stood up. But as he turned his head towards the cave’s exit, the System window appeared once again.
[There’s one more thing master.]
“What is it?” As soon as Asther asked this, the System’s displayed changed.
[Congratulations! You have reached the level requirement to choose an Active Skill!]
[Pick one of the following:]
[Skill Name: Merger]
[Rank: A+]
[Skill Type: Active]
[Mana Consumption: 500 for every skill that’s used as a catalyst.]
[Information: Allows the caster to combine two or more spells. The spell that comes out from this process will share the qualities of the two that has been combined. Skills that are too uncomplimentary will fail in merging.]
[Information: Current merging limit is twice per month.]
…
[Skill Name: Hell’s Fire]
[Rank: A+]
[Skill Type: Active]
[Mana Consumption: 500]
[Information: Upon casting, a great spiral of flames will appear at the desired location.]
[Information: Activation radius limit is fifty meters. Casting the skill any further than this will result in the skill not activating. Half of the mana will be refunded for every unsuccessful casting.]
…
[Skill Name: Null]
[Rank: A+]
[Skill Type: Active]
[Mana Consumption: 500]
[Information: The next spell that would be used on the caster will not have any effect. This spell is limited to only one use a day.]
“A utility spell. An offensive spell. A defensive spell. Not bad for the variety.” Asther crossed his arms and closed his arms – thinking of the skills that are available for him.
In his head, the assassin thought that it’s too early for him to make a pick. He has no idea about a lot of variables yet. Although he has all the memories of the previous body owner, this will not suffice for him to make a considerably good choice. After all, the original Asther is barely fifteen years old and has never left his village. Not even once.
“System, can I choose the skill at a later time?”
[Certainly master. You can choose your desired skill anytime.]
“Good. I’ll hold it off for now then.”
[Understood master.]
“Now, all that’s left is to return to the village.”
Even before he could take another step, another System window appeared in front of him. Asther is known for his calm demeanor but, the way the System kept popping up out of nowhere is beginning to test his patience.
He took a deep breath. Asther knows that there’s no point getting irritated with a System. That’s why he decided to simply read the new information it displayed so that he can continue on with what he was about to do.
[Main Quest: Assassinate the Hero]
[Reward: One wish]
[Sub Quest: Kill the Hero’s’ Subordinates]
Asther clicked on the sub quest that’s provided for him. As soon as he did, the number of quests expanded. Multiple names went on display and, as he skimmed through all of them, they have one thing in common. That is, all of them has a label of [Hero’s Ally] under their names.
He didn’t bother scanning through the other information provided for this. Asther decided that he can leave this for later. All that’s important is that he knows that there are ten allies of this hero. And among these is a name that’s familiar to Asther from the memory given by his new body.
[Vesmond Leonhart]
This is the original Asther’s father. The same man who abandoned the boy and his mother. The same man who allowed these two to suffer and, also, the same man whom the reaper now has as his target.
“Would you look at that. You’re really in great luck kid. Your old man is part of my quest.”
There’s no reply to this of course. The real Asther is already dead and the reaper is simply taking this teen’s body and persona as his own. But, for some reason, he could feel that this person is delighted. He can feel that the real Asther is excited about what is to come.
“It’s gonna take some time, but I assure you that I’ll get the job done.” Asther closed all the System windows. “I’m the Reaper after all.”
Asther moved out of the cave right away. He didn’t need to raise his guard because he’s sure that there aren’t any monsters other than those he encountered in the pit. And if there are any, then the bullies who brought him there won’t have even been able to reach the place. He knows that they would’ve been killed if other monsters lurked at the surface level of the area.
Hence Asther is able to leave without any worry. The sun is still up and shinning brightly. From the heat that it brought and from the direction of the shadows, he could surmise that it’s already afternoon. But as to how much time actually passed by, he has no idea on this matter.
“I’m probably cause quite a ruckus once I return there.” Asther looked at his clothes. There is some blood on it. His own for that matter.
“I’ll need a good alibi.” As he said this, he heard a rustling on the bush. Making him turn his attention to it as a small rabbit came out.
Asther’s lips curved to a smile. “Perfect. This will do.”
An hour has passed since Asther left the cave. With the inherent knowledge of the previous body owner, he is able to come back to the village without getting lost. The village itself is surrounded by tall walls made of rocks. On top of these are the soldiers who guard the city.The reason why there is a set up like this is because of the monsters. Although the hero has defeated the demon lord long ago, monsters still linger in the land. In fact, killing the demon lord actually had a great effect on these remaining monsters.They are literally able to get stronger because of this. The essence and the dark mana of the demon lord didn’t disappear. It simply scattered across the land. There are monsters who gained more of this and monsters which gained less. And for those who are able to absorb the most, they are immediately elevated to the status of catastrophe beasts. Monsters who are regarded to be close to the Demon Lord’s powers.The walls cannot prevent catastrophe beasts from enter
Asther headed back home. There really isn’t any reason for him to stay outside because, the longer he’s exposed, the greater the chances for the villagers to do bad things to him. Fortunately, the assassin’s experiences in his previous life helped him avoid all sorts of trouble. Moving in the shadows and as silently as he could until he finally reached his house.There really isn’t much to see from the place. The house is a wreck. The roof is destroyed and the windows are broken. Parts of the walls have holes on them and, all around this place are words in graffities. They aren’t written in any kind of text from earth but, because of the previous body owner’s memories, Asther knows how to read these quite easily.“Curse.”“Leave this village.”“Bad luck.”“Trash.”These are only some of the things which Asther read from the wall. He doesn’t care about these but, he does think that the real Asther lived such a miserable life. One that remained miserable until the real Asther died.“You
More than anything else, Asther simply wanted to take a rest. After everything that happened, his new body is already worn and tired. Probably due to the soul transfer, the fighting, and all the information he needed to take in. That’s why he wanted to sleep so badly and, that’s why his evening visitors got on his nerves.“Can’t a guy get some shut eye around here?”Asther isn’t a fool. With his trained assassin ears, he heard the footsteps that slowly came towards his house. These are sneakily, yet poorly made. That’s why he knows that it’s only a bunch of amateurs that’s coming for him. However, even amateurs can cause problems if not handled properly.“Should I just kill them on the spot? That’s probably the best course of action for me to take right now.” Asther thought to himself as he got up and took the knife in his pocket.“But that would cause problems tomorrow. I’m sure the villagers would ask where these individuals went.” Asther decided to peek through one of the holes in
What exactly happened to Asther that night? Well, the explanation is simple. The sniper went to the house of Baron. Using the memory of the body’s previous owner, Asther is able to find this without any difficulty.Baron is the son of the village chief. As far as the rules go, this also means that Baron is the next in line for the position of Chief. In this world, leadership is passed down from father to son. If there is no male representative from the main family, then the one who’d rule next would be taken from those of closest bloodline to this family.This is part of the reason why Baron is so bold with everything he does. The reason as to why he is not scared of the possibility of Asther reporting him to the authorities. It’s because this sorry excuse for a human has a high position in the village. But it’s not like this is the larger reason to why Asther can’t report.No matter what he does, society will never take Asther’s side. After all, he’s a curse. A bastard son from a hol
Asther got up early in the morning. Long before the sun could come out, the teen is already geared up for the day ahead. There are things that require preparation by him after all. That’s why he needs to get up early.He took his new daggers, his flint and steel and, also a piece of rope which he also stole from Baron’s room. After this he opened the System. Making sure of things before he continued with his plans.“Show me the information about the centipedes.”[Yes Master]Since Asther has leveled up, he can now see some of the information that has been blocked from him because of the level gap he had with the centipedes when he fought these.[Information: Although they don’t use it for combat, the bodies of the centipedes are actually filled with venomous liquids. These are lethal once injected to any person. Killing them in a matter of seconds.]“Perfect.” Asther said after reading through the whole thing. “That’s exactly the kind of thing that I need to see.”[Master.]“Yes? What
An assassination is never anything grand. It happens the quickest way possible, using the most efficient route there is. Some may call it cowardly and some may even deem it as an underhanded tactic. But whatever it is called and, however it is viewed, the reaper doesn’t care. In the end, he’s the one alive and, those that question his methods have their lives taken from them.Asther assassinated the three murderers of his body’s original wielder. He did so using a simple, yet well thought of, plan. First he went back to the cave and extracted the poison from the bodies of the centipedes. He placed all of this on a small vial that he also took from the village. He also took three parts of the centipede’s shells. Thinking that this might be useful for him later on.After this he went to his hunting spot and prepared the trap. He dug up a hole using a makeshift shovel. Combining a tree branch and the centipede shell which he tied together. With this, he made the hole needed for his trap.
Just as Asther planned, he came back in the afternoon. There’s a bit of problem that came with this. That is, due to his skill [Cleanup] he can’t get the rabbit corpses anymore. Instead, he is given finely cut parts of it and he has to explain it to the guard Thomas who, was approaching him again.“You don’t seem to have anything on you today. That’s gonna be bad for you.” The guard said, making the bones on his fingers pop.“Actually, it’s the other way around sir.” Asther opened the big cloth pouch that he had on his back. On this are the parts of the rabbit. The hair is already taken away from it, leaving only the flesh and the parts that can be eaten.“I figured that you’d have trouble skinning the rabbits so I did it myself.”“You saying we can’t skin a rabbit?”“No sir. I just didn’t want you to waste your precious time on something that I can do myself.”“Well would you look at that.” Thomas brushed the hair of Asther. “You’ve been doing a good job since yesterday kid.”Everyth
Although life may seem unfair to the original Asther, there are actually rules and regulations implemented in order to ensure that there is justice in Jhinn. This is done through the use of a sacred spell that is given to every juror that resides within a place. These jurors are individuals who have been blessed by the goddess of justice herself. And, through the spell bestowed upon them, nobody can utter a single lie.This has allowed aristocrats to be taken down from their high positions. This has also allowed a lot of good willed people to rise into power. This has allowed the weak and the powerless to get the justice that they wish for.Although it may sound good on paper, this system is not fool proof in itself. There are a lot of things that are lacking in it. For one thing, the jurors themselves can be bribed. Given the right amount of money, they would fake the results of any trial or interrogation. Other than this, there are also cases where a juror’s life is threatened, thus