Chapter 58: Hollberg [4]
"Are you guys headed down as well?"
Exiting her room, Emma caught sight of two girls quietly walking down the corridor.
Because the lighting was good, the features of the two girls became more apparent. Both of them had flawless white skin that was devoid of any imperfections. Their hair, which were black and brown respectively, gently cascaded on their back, stopping right before their waist.
On the left, Amanda wore tight black pants along with a white turtle neck sweater that covered part of her neck. Melissa on the other hand wore a simple brown cardigan, a plain white shirt, and some jeans.
As they walked, Amanda's cold demeanor contrasted perfectly with Melissa's arrogant and overbearing one creating this picture-like scene. It was like seeing a pair of phoenixes.
Jogging to catch up to them, Emma brushed her hair to the side and stopped right when she was about an arm's length away from them.
Pouting slightly, Emma sourly looked at Amanda and Melissa before saying
"Hey come on, why didn't you guys stop and waited for me?"
Looking at Emma from the corner of her eyes, Melissa responded
"Would it have made a difference?"
Turning her head towards Melissa, Emma looked at her sharply before saying
"What…no, but it's still common courtesy to wait for your friend"
"…sure, whatever makes you feel better"
"Ugh, seriously what am I gonna do with you."
Shaking her head at Melissa's lackluster response, Emma looked at Amanda who remained quiet the whole time.
"…"
Avoiding Emma's eyes, Amanda looked around the corridor. It was apparent that she didn't want to talk.
Rolling her eyes, Emma facepalmed.
"What am I gonna do with you guys…"
Though they had known each other for about two months, the distance between them didn't shrink at all during the time they had spent together.
No matter how much she tried to socialize and interact with them, they would always keep her at arm's length away.
This was especially so for Amanda, who was always curt and polite, treating everyone as if they were a stranger.
In the end, Emma was left totally helpless when interacting with these two.
Letting out a sigh, Emma thought for a bit before saying
"…say, don't you guys find Jin a bit weird these days?"
As soon as the word 'Jin' escaped from Emma's mouth, Melissa's face darkened
"Don't even mention the name of that guy…"
Halfway through her sentence, Melissa held her stomach and continued
"…crap, I'm already starting to lose my appetite thinking about him"
"No, seriously. He feels a bit off these days…"
Though Emma knew that Melissa was constantly tormented by Jin on a daily basis, she also knew that if there was someone who would notice his strange behavior it was her.
That was simply because he would always try to talk to her whenever he had free time.
It had gotten to the point that Melissa purposely decided to return back to the dorm at a later hour than usual.
This was so that she could avoid him…
Before Melissa could answer, Amanda who had been quiet the whole time responded
"He has become a lot quieter than he was before"
Turning her head to Amanda, Emma nodded and said
"You also think so as well…"
Hearing the conversation between Emma and Amanda, Melissa thought for a bit before saying.
"Maybe you're right, I did notice him pestering me less than before…but whatever happened to him, I am all in for it"
Despite Jin being obvious with his advances, Melissa had more than once shut him down completely.
She simply did not care about having any romantic interactions, as the only thing on her mind was her research.
She was very close to breaking through into a particular theorem that had plagued her for a couple of years. It had almost become an obsession for her…
Therefore…for Melissa, who was in this critical juncture of proving her theorem, Jin's constant pestering had caused her nothing but headaches.
If someone were to ask her who was the most annoying person in the academy, for her, Jin was undoubtedly number 1.
"He's pestering you less? Hmm…someth-"
Halfway through her sentence, Emma was stopped by Melissa who couldn't help but say
"Let's not talk about him anymore. It's spoiling my appetite"
Without waiting for Emma to respond, Melissa picked up her pace and headed towards the first floor where the banquet was held.
Turning her head to the side and seeing Amanda also being uninterested in the topic, Emma lightly sighed and said
"…okay"
…
After calming down a bit, I decided to head downstairs where the banquet was held.
In the end, hunger got the best of me.
As I was heading downstairs, I soon noticed the figure of a student walking ahead of me. Squinting my eyes to get a better look at who it was, I was surprised by my discovery.
Rank 5 'Han yu fei'
Also known as Frank Han, and the leader of class A-23.
From the back, I could see his short black hair that was permed in a way that looked like he had a mop on his head. His body was on the relatively skinnier side, and he wore round glasses.
Though he didn't look particularly strong, his presence alone screamed 'danger' to me. It felt as if I was staring at a crouching tiger waiting to lunge at me at any moment.
…I guess he wasn't ranked fifth for no reason. Apart from knowing that he was ranked fifth, I actually didn't know that much else about him.
I didn't develop his character much, but from what I remember, he was an easy-going guy with no ulterior motives.
Most surprisingly was the fact that he didn't care about other people's ranking, as most of the people he hung out with were lower ranked than him. Some even by a margin that was as large as mine.
He was of Chinese descent, and his martial arts were on another level. He was probably the only person in the academy that did not use any weapons when fighting.
He only fought with his body.
He was what was known as a 'full body martial artist', someone who fought with every part of his body.
He comes from the Han clan, one of the three main ancient Chinese clans that resided in Ashton city. The three ancient Chinese clans were Wang, Shan, and Han clan respectively.
The martial manual he practices was actually a five-star martial manual, and it was passed to him by the patriarch of the clan.
Despite his strength, in my novel he didn't get that much character development. He only showed up on rare occasions, and those times were when he was either in the academy or when Kevin needed his help.
Looking back at it now, such a strong character should've definitely had more time in the story.
…well, no use in regretting what was already done.
Following Frank, I quickly headed towards where the banquet was being held.
Soon I could hear the sound of a lot of people laughing and chatting. The closer I got, the louder the sounds became.
Turning left, I soon found myself inside an enormous hall.
Looking up, three enormous chandeliers brightly lit the hall. Massive pillars made out of marble supported the structure of the room, and next to them, tables filled with food could be seen all over the place.
Waiters dressed in black outfits wandered around the place as they served different drinks.
Despite it not being eight o'clock, the hall was already filled to the brim with students.
Looking around, I soon spotted the area where my class was.
Making my way there, I took a drink from the waiter and slowly savored it.
"…ah dammit, I forgot that alcohol doesn't affect me anymore"
After tasting the drink and realizing that it had no effect on me, I slightly cursed and downed the whole thing in one go.
What was the point of alcohol if you couldn't get drunk from it?
Shaking my head, I soon arrived at the area where my group was designated to.
Looking left and right, I quickly spotted Donald and my other group members and headed to where they were.
"Eyoo"
Lightly waving, I stood next to them.
Looking at me who had just come, Donald gave me a side glance and then proceeded to ignore me.
Rolling my eyes at him, stared at the front
"It seems like everyone has arrived"
Five minutes after my arrival, Donna showed up.
Immediately, all of the boy's attention was drawn towards her. Wearing a one-piece black dress with fine silver patterns, Donna looked stunning. Her dress, which was moderately tight, further emphasized her well-developed outline. Moreover, her violet necklace that perfectly matched the color of her eyes, made Donna look ever more mesmerizing.
Next to me, I could hear the hurried breathing of some of the male students as they looked at her with heart in their eyes.
Closing my eyes, I calmed my heart down.
Usually, I would've been like any of the other male students here, but today…today, I had too much on my mind. I just couldn't bring myself to admire her beauty.
Not bothered by everyone's stares, Donna's violet eyes paused on everyone. Looking around and seeing that everyone was here she continued
"There are two reasons as to why I've gathered all of you here. One is to obviously eat some food and satiate our hunger and regain some of the energy that we have burnt during our visit"
Looking to her right, Donna pointed in the direction of where the food was
"Sadly, since we are the last class, we can only wait for the others to eat first…but before that"
Pausing slightly, Donna's mood became a bit more serious as she deeply looked at a few individuals.
"The second reason…it's because we will soon give you all an individual assignment"
Instantly murmurs could be heard from everyone as they wondered what task they would be given.
Judging from how she said the word 'individual' it seems like this task could only be completed without anyone else's aid
"I will soon give you the task which you have been assigned. Each of you has been given three days time to complete the task…and failing to complete the task means automatic credit deduction from your end of year report"
As she was speaking, Donna could see some of the students shaking in nervousness. Shaking her head lightly she added
"Don't worry, the difficulty of your tasks has been assigned according to your abilities. After a lot of consideration, we managed to assign you guys tasks that are well within the reported data of your strength…Therefore, you guys should be relatively safe"
-Clap!
Clapping her hand to get the attention of some of the students that had stopped listening and were trying to find out what their task was, Donna smiled and said
"Alright, I think I've said enough. I will soon send you your tasks on your phone. Please enjoy the food and make sure you don't fail the missions."
-Ding!
Right on cue, a message appeared on my phone. Just as I was about to open it and see what my task was, Donna spoke once again
"Ah…I forgot to add. We won't aid you in your task, so if you guys die, you die. We won't be helping you"
Instantly, the room became tense. Some students started shaking in nervousness as they carefully looked at their phones to see what their task was.
"Well, sorry to have dampened the mood for you all, but I felt that I needed to warn you beforehand so that you don't get complacent thinking that we will save your asses even if you were to fail the mission"
Finished with what she wanted to say, Donna quickly left and joined the other instructors who had similarly shared the news with the other students.
Turning on my phone, I looked at the notification that had popped up on my screen
[Student rank 1750, Ren Dover - Mission target, Karl zar. Head of a minor drug organization that had infiltrated Hollberg for the past decade. Target location at xxxxxx road. Target behavioral pattern…]
Taking a deep breath, I looked at the ceiling of the hall.
…I guess I'll have to prepare myself.
Chapter 59: I am Kevin Voss [1]
Inside a large dark room, the figure of an extremely handsome individual could be seen sitting crossed leg in the middle of the bed.
Tsssssss…
Sitting shirtless on the bed, steam slowly rose from the figure's body.
As steam poured out from his body, the figure suddenly tensed and relaxed his muscles repeatedly. He continued doing so for every five seconds time intervals.
As he tensed his muscles, the outline of his veins that traced all over his body became more apparent making him look extremely scary.
"Fuuuuuu..."
After a couple of minutes of continuous tensing and relaxing, the figure suddenly released a long breath and finally opened his eyes, revealing two scarlet red eyes.
Standing up and taking a towel from a nearby table, Kevin dried his wet body.
Turning around, he looked at his reflection in the mirror.
His body, which was chiseled to perfection had multiple scar wounds on both his abdomen and chest areas. His back was even worse, as it was riddled with scars that ranged from different sizes and shapes. Most notably, there was one that stretched halfway through his back.
Tracing one of the scars that appeared on his chest, Kevin was reminded of the time where he was forced to fight against multiple ranked villains when he had just entered rank.
It was a mission that the system had given him in exchange for a relatively powerful skill.
In the end, if not for the fact that he had multiple trump cards on him, he would've long have died that day.
All the scars on his body were reminders of the hardship he had gone through to get to where he was.
Throwing the towel on the bed, Kevin opened his phone and checked his most recent notification.
[Student rank 1, Kevin Voss - Mission target, Victor Hugh, Hollberg minister of finances. Charged with corruption and embezzlement. Target location at xxxxxx road. Target behavioral pattern…]
"…Corrupt officer huh"
Looking through the data file sent to him, Kevin quickly skimmed through the contents.
Stopping on a certain section, Kevin frowned
"Embezzlement, Money laundering, Soliciting and acting as an intermediary for drug trades, false imprisonment of government officials, sexual harassment…"
The more he looked through the series of crimes his target was accused of, the deeper Kevin's frown became.
"…such trash"
Turning his phone off, Kevin placed it in his pocket.
-Click!
Dressing up in a simple white T-shirt and black pants, Kevin took his black Kashmiri jacket and headed out of the room.
-Ding!
[Host has received a new mission, would you like to view it?]
Not surprised by the sudden notification, Kevin nodded
"Yes, open quest interface"
===System quest===
Difficulty rank : E+
Mission : Eliminate Victor Hugh, a corrupt minister that has been embezzling funds from Hollberg. Guarded by several ranked individuals and one ranked guard.
Mission reward : Rank upgrade [E+ ? D-]
===============
Looking at the quest window that popped in front of him, Kevin frowned as soon as he saw the difficulty of the mission. However, that frown soon relaxed.
Opening his status window, he looked through his stats
===Status===
Name : Kevin Voss
Rank : E +
Strength : D
Agility : E +
Stamina : E -
Intelligence : E +
Mana capacity : E -
Luck : E
Charm : D +
--] Profession :
[Swordsmanship lvl.4]
--] Martial Manual :
[★★★★ Everlasting sunset] - Greater realm of mastery
Sword art primarily focused on creating faints and hiding true sword intent. By creating multiple illusions of sword art, the enemy will find it harder to defend as the true attack will always be masked under multiple faints.
[★★★ Sky steps] - Minor realm of mastery
Movement art that considerably increases user agility. Upon reaching a certain level of mastery, stepping on the air is possible.
--] Skills :
[{E} Overdrive]
A skill that enables user to push bodily functions to the extreme. For one minute, the user can exhibit power that is double of original user strength. User will also find their other stats increasing considerably. After usage of skill, user will experience extreme fatigue making it hard for them to focus and carry out ordinary tasks for the next few hours.
[{F} Mind cleansing]
Increases user computational and analytical ability for a short period of time. Can't be used for a prolonged period of time due to the risk of possible brain trauma.
[{F} Mana coating]
A skill that enables user to replenish mana more quickly by expanding the pores on the human body.
==========
Finally, after more than four months of being stuck at E+ rank, he finally had a chance to increase his rank.
If not for the fact that he had enrolled in the lock, Kevin estimated that he would've already have reached rank.
He had wasted a lot of time at the academy. The environment wasn't like before where he would constantly be on the edge, almost dying multiple times a week.
Sometimes, the missions were so dangerous that even the slightest mistake could cost him his life.
The environment in the lock was much more relaxed than his previous environment, which in a way was good as it allowed him to learn other things aside from fighting…but it had also stagnated his fighting ability.
Only through constantly being on the edge of your life would you truly become strong. The more peaceful their environment was, the fewer chances for growth
That's what Kevin firmly believed.
…
Stopping in front of the reception desk, Kevin walked up to a young female receptionist and asked
"Hello, may I know if I can rent a bike?"
Looking up and seeing Kevin, the receptionist was momentarily stunned by his appearance. However, that didn't ask long as she quickly collected herself
"…a bike?"
"Yes, preferably a black one that goes at incredibly high speeds"
"Hmm, let me speak with the manager."
Knitting her brows, the receptionist picked up her phone and dialed a number. This was the first time that she had ever been asked to rent a bike, so she didn't know what do to.
Hence why she opted to call for her manager.
—Hello?
Picking up the phone, a middle-aged voice could be heard from the other side of the phone
"Sir, a student is requesting to borrow a bike"
—A bike? Why would he want to borrow a bike?
"I don't know as well, that's why I am asking for confirmation with you"
Pausing slightly, the person on the other side of the phone said
—…Can you ask for the student's name?
Covering the speaker of the phone, the young clerk lady looked at Kevin and asked
"Can you please tell me your name?"
Nodding his head, Kevin replied
"Kevin Voss"
"Alright thank you…sir his name is Kevin Voss I believe"
—Kevin Voss…Kevin…ah!
Repeating the name a couple of times, the person on the other side of the phone seemed to have had a sudden realization as his voice increased a few pitches.
"Boss?"
Realizing what he had done, the person on the other side of the phone awkwardly coughed and said
—Kheumm, it was nothing. Hand him the keys to the Larvey9027
Pausing for a second, the receptionist opened her eyes wide and said
"Y-you mean, the Larvey9027?"
Her shocked reaction was understandable.
It had to be noted that the Larvey9027 was the most advanced bike they had in their mansion. A single one of those bikes costs upwards of a couple dozen million U.
She also remembers clearly that her boss highly favored that bike…yet right now he wanted nothing more but to give it to a teenager?
—Yes, do it quick. You have my permission
Hearing the urgency of her boss's voice, the receptionist didn't dare refute and agreed
"Okay"
—If that student asks for anything else, make sure you try to please him as much as you can.
Overwhelmed by the huge favor the young boy before her was getting, the receptionist could only dumbly agree to her boss's orders.
A big shot.
The young boy before her was a big shot.
"…Okay"
—Alright, call me if anything happens regarding that student
-Tak!
Hanging up, the receptionist looked at Kevin with a complicated look.
"…Please follow me"
Opening a small safe box, the receptionist took a pair of black keys and urged Kevin to follow her. Soon they entered an elevator that brought them to the bottom floor
-Ding!
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Kevin was stunned by what he saw.
Rows upon rows of supercars appeared on the large floor. The large collection of cars were sorted by brand and age at which they were manufactured, with some of the cars dating as far back as 2015.
"Please follow me"
Without waiting for Kevin to admire the place, the receptionists moved towards where the bikes were parked and urged him to keep up.
-Di! -Di!
Stopping in front of a bike, the receptionist took out the keys and unlocked the bike.
"…Here's the bike"
Handing the keys to Kevin, the receptionist smiled at his reaction. It was that of awe.
Looking at the bike in front of him, Kevin couldn't help but be amazed.
As soon as the bike turned on, the body of the bike lifted upwards levitating right on top of its two thick wheels. The frame of the bike was matt black, and its long frame could accommodate two people comfortably.
"Thank you"
Satisfied, Kevin smiled and mounted the bike.
"Here"
Handing Kevin a nice black helmet that covered the whole face, the receptionist stepped back.
Putting on the helmet, Kevin lightly nodded at the receptionist. Tightened the grip of the bike throttle, the bike silently sped into the distance.
Watching Kevin leave, the receptionist smiled and said
"Have a safe trip"
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Chapter 60: I am Kevin Voss [2]
As night shrouded Hollberg, a silhouette sped into the busy streets of the city.
Swiftly moving between cars, the figure of an individual could be seen riding on top of a slick motorbike that emitted no sound. If not for the two lights coming from the front of the bike, someone could've easily overlooked the bike that was swiftly moving in between the streets.
After ten more minutes of riding, silently stopping in front of a large villa, Kevin took off his helmet revealing his two scarlet red eyes that shone under the moonlight.
-shua!
"System open inventory"
Extending his hand to the right and retrieving it back, a drone appeared in his hand.
Turning on the drone, Kevin turned on the cloaking function as well as the noise dampening function installed on the drone.
-Bzzzz!
Throwing the drone in the air, it silently disappeared and melted into the darkness of the night, completely blending with everything around it.
Staring at where the drone used to be, Kevin blankly looked at the villa before him
This wasn't the first time Kevin assassinated someone. Multiple times the system had given him similar missions where he would have to kill highly ranked individuals.
Therefore, as soon as he got assigned his mission, he already had all the necessary things needed to carry out the mission.
Turning on his phone, Kevin spectated the drone's view of the mansion.
Frowning slightly, Keving turned on the holographic function of his phone. Soon a three-dimensional perspective of the villa became visible.
Pinching his fingers, he carefully scrutinized the layout of the area.
The villa was relatively large, and it consisted of one main building surrounded by large cement walls. Around the villa, there was a large garden, filled with all sorts of flowers and plants, and next to it was a large maze.
In the middle of the maze, there was a nice wooden pavilion surrounded by red and pink roses.
Controlling the drone, Kevin moved it around the perimeter of the gate where several men dressed in black could be seen patrolling the area.
Counting all of the people he could spot patrolling the mansion, Kevin turned on the thermal imaging camera to make sure he didn't miss anyone due to the darkness of the night.
"Fifteen…sixteen…seventeen"
As he counted, he couldn't help but frown.
…This many people just outside?
Something told Kevin that something wasn't right
-Click!
Thinking for a bit, Kevin decided to deploy his mini scouting devices. Pressing on a button on his screen, several small devices dropped from the drone, landing softly on the garden's grass.
Swiping left, Kevin switched the view from the drone's point of view to the mini scouting devices view.
As he navigated the mini scouting devices with his phone, Kevin kept the drone in the air to monitor the surroundings. Just in case something happened.
Quietly entering the villa, carefully controlling one of the small scouting devices, Kevin quietly looked through each room.
After a couple of minutes of continuous scouting, Kevin stopped at what seemed to be his target's study room. Infiltrating the room through the small gap of the door, Kevin was able to see the inside of the room.
In the middle of the room stood a large wooden desk with two white leather sofas positioned right in front of it. Behind the desk, there was a large window that overlooked the whole garden.
A large carpet that seemed to have been made from real animal skin covered the whole floor, and around the room, multiple different paintings were displayed for people to see.
Just as Kevin was about to check through the files on his target's desk, the scouting device picked up a few tremors coming from the ground.
Frowning slightly, Kevin quickly hid the device from human view and turned on the cloaking function.
-Creak!
"Have all the preparations been made?"
Entering the room, a fat middle-aged man dressed in a red robe that had fine golden patterns looked behind him as he spoke. Accompanying him were several black-clothed individuals who were all warily looking in the same direction the fat middle-aged man was looking.
Kevin who was watching from the scouting device instantly identified the fat middle-aged man.
Victor Hugh, his assassination target.
Matching the description of his target with the image displayed on his screen, Kevin confirmed that he was in fact, Victor.
A few seconds after Victor entered the room, a towering man whose muscles were the size of a head entered the room. As he entered the room, his presence and demenour completely overwhelmed everyone that was in the room.
Only Victor remained relatively unfazed by the man's aura.
-Pamf!
Slumping on his chair, Victor gestured for the towering man to sit on one of the sofas opposite to him.
Sitting down, the tall man spoke
"Mister Oliver has already entered the premise and is currently in talks with secretary Chun with regards to securing a new supply route. Within an hour we should be able to finalize a deal with them"
Hearing the name Oliver being mentioned, Victor's face became dark
"Oliver? The guy that monopolized most trading routes in Hollberg?"
Nodding his head, the tall man confirmed.
"…yes"
Frowning slightly, Victor tapped his finger on the table and asked
"Has the security around here been tightened?"
Nodding his head, the tall man said
"Yes, we have hired a couple of extra guards. Though only two are decent, ranking at F rank."
Holding his almost non-existent chin with one of his fingers, Victor remained silent for a bit before saying what had been bugging his mind for the past two days
"…say, were there any unusual activities coming from the students that came from the lock?"
Lightly chuckling, the tall muscular man who seemed to have seen through Victor's worries spoke
"Even if they did move, I would doubt a bunch greenies like them would be able to get past me"
Forcing a smile, Victor shook his head
"It's not that simple, what if it's one of the professors who targets me? Even you, an ranked individual would stand no chance against one of the professors there"
Leaning back against the sofa, the tall man crossed his arms and frowned
"What you say does indeed make sense…but have you ever wondered. Would the lock, the world's leading academy stoop so low and target you? Someone who couldn't even be put on the radar by weaker forces?"
Looking back at Victor, he continued
"I'd understand it if you were some bigshot crime boss, but you're merely a finance minister of a still-developing city. There's no way they would send a professor for the likes of you.
"Worst case scenario they will just send a student, which in all said and done are not worth mentioning in front of me"
Hearing what the tall man sitting before him was saying, Victor felt a bit more reassured…but he still couldn't completely hide his worry
"…yea but they are from the lock"
Smirking, a black glow started emanating from the tall man's body. Soon an overbearing pressure bore down on everyone in the room.
"He, you think a bunch of students that have no real combat experience, let alone have ever killed someone are a match for me?"
Feeling the massive pressure bearing down on him, Victor quickly apologized
"N-no, I'm sorry I am just nervous"
Noticing that he had taken things a bit too far, the tall man removed the pressure and said
"Hmph, when the time comes and if they really do show up…I'll show you the difference between me and them"
Standing up, the tall man looked at Victor and said
"…You felt it just now didn't you? My power."
Victor who was still recovering from the pressure the tall man had exerted before, nodded his head and said
"I did"
"…so there's nothing to be particularly worried about"
Seein how confident the tall man before him was, Victor bitterly smiled and said
"Sigh, alright. There's a reason why I pay you so much Eldor"
"Well, for someone like me the amount you're paying could be considered a barg…hmm?"
Stopping mid-sentence, Eldor looked at the right side of the room. Squinting his eyes, he moved closer towards the edge of the wall of the room.
"What's this?"
Picking up a small device that was the size of a coin, the small device's color soon distorted from being the same color as the wall to slowly changing to the same skin tone as Eldor's fingers.
-Criiick!
Pinching the small device, Eldor looked at Victor and darkly said
"Victor…start evacuating"
Taken aback by Eldor's sudden change in demenour, Victor's voice trembled as he looked at Eldor
"W-what happened?"
Looking at the powder in his hands, which used to be the small device he picked up, Eldor slowly said
"We have been breached"
…
-Bzzzttt
Staring at his screen that had gone completely static, Kevin slowly removed his Kashmire jacket and carefully placed it on top of the bike.
Extending his hand to the right, a slick slender sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
Unsheathing the sword, Kevin slowly traced his finger along the cold metal body of the blade.
"It's nice to see you again…"
Sheathing the sword back into the scabbard and placing it right below his waist, Kevin looked at the villa before him.
Taking a deep breath, Kevin activated his F ranked skill [{F} Mind cleansing].
As soon as he activated the skill, Kevin felt his head become clearer. Everything that he had previously seen on the drone became a bunch of variables that his mind slowly accounted for.
Slowly, a plan started formulating inside of his mind. A plan that dictated the fastest route and way he could use to get to where Victor was, and swiftly get rid of him.
"Fuuuu…"
Releasing a long breath, a couple of seconds after activating the skill, Kevin deactivated it.
As soon as he deactivated his skill, veins started popping on his forehead as they pulsated constantly. Frowning, Kevin stopped himself from displaying any reaction and endured the pain that came along with using the skill.
After a couple of seconds, everything returned back to normal, and the pain disappeared. Despite having only used the skill for a couple of seconds, it still did a number on him…however it wasn't for nothing.
Now, he knew what the fastest and safest way to kill Victor was…
Closing his eyes, slowly, his figure melted into the darkness
"…let the hunt begin"
Chapter 61: I am Kevin Voss [3]
-Spurt!
Appearing behind one of the guards patrolling the area, Kevin swiftly and silently slit his throat.
Dragging the guard's corpse behind a bush, Kevin came back out wearing a black uniform and a hat. On his right peck, a white nametag rested on the uniform.
After scouting all of the guards from the drone, Kevin had a general idea of the guard's movement pattern.
Turning right, Kevin passed by another guard that was patrolling not so far away from where he was.
Nodding his head to greet Kevin, the guard moved past Kevin.
-Spurt!
Swiftly appearing behind the guard and silently slitting his throat, Kevin dragged his body away.
Coming back out, Kevin replaced his previous name tag with the one of the guard he had just killed.
The reason for his action was because certain guards were only allowed to patrol certain areas. If they found out that the guard that was supposed to be patrolling the outside perimeter was outside their designated area, they would no doubt become suspicious.
Though he knew his plan wasn't going to last long, he would at least like to reach a certain point before bulldozing his way towards his target.
Realistically, remaining hidden was not an option…but it's not like Kevin cared. He was that confident in his skill.
Entering the villa, Kevin lowered the hat he was wearing. Masking his face.
Right now Kevin had to operate fast.
His target already knew that he was on his tail.
Previously, he had sent several scouting devices inside of the villa, and thus he knew exactly where Victor was hiding.
However, despite the fact that their cloaking function was fairly good, they had all already been seen through by someone.
Kevin estimated that whoever found the devices, was at least rank, if not even rank. Only someone of that calibre could detect his scouting devices so quickly.
Though he knew there was going to be someone of that level as the system had already warned him beforehand, he had to confirm for himself.
…and now he knew.
Increasing his pace, Kevin walked in the direction of where he last detected Victor. He knew he couldn't waste any time.
If he let the target escape, the next time he tried to assassinate him, chances were that he would be more prepared. Even worse, he would hide until Kevin had no choice but to return to the academy, preventing him from completing the mission.
He had to kill him now at all costs. If not, there was not going to be a second chance.
Turning left of the hall, Kevin passed by two guards who seemed to be in a rush.
"Hey!"
Hearing someone shouting in his direction, halting his steps, Kevin kept looking at the front.
"Morrison, what are you doing here?"
Jogging to where Kevin was, one of the guards looked at Kevin suspiciously.
"You shouldn't be here. We just got an emergency message regarding someone infiltrating the premis--kh"
Just as the guard was about to finish speaking, Kevin subtly looked at his nametag 'Leo' and swiftly stabbed his heart.
Supporting Leo's lifeless body with one arm so that he remained standing, Kevin pretended to converse with him. Halfway through his conversation, Kevin slightly loosened the grip of Leo's body, and it slowly sank in his direction.
"I know, someone ordered me to…hey? Leo are you okay?"
"What's going on?"
Noticing something strange, the other guard that was accompanying Leo, whom Kevin had just killed, jogged in Kevin's direction.
Using his shoulder to mask the blood that was slowly seeping from Leo's body, Kevin flusteredly spoke.
"I-I don't know. I was just talking to him when he suddenly just passed out in front of me"
"Hey, Leo!"
Arriving next to Leo, the guard gave him a gentle tap
"…Hm?"
Noticing a small red stain on the ground, the guard instantly felt that something wasn't right, but before he could react, a silver streak of light appeared before his heart.
-Spurt!
-Thud!
-Thud!
Knowing that his cover would be blown any second, Kevin sprinted towards where Victor was hiding.
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
As he was running, he met a couple of guards that tried to block his way. However, it was all futile.
Stepping on the side of the wall, Kevin stabbed his sword in their direction.
Noticing Kevin's action, the two guards immediately tried to block Kevin's attack…
…but suddenly out of nowhere, the sword that they assumed was coming from the front suddenly appeared on the side, completely catching them off guard.
-Spurt!
-Thud!
Killing one of the guards, using the momentum he had from having propelled himself off the wall, Kevin somersaulted in the air and slashed towards the other guard.
Flustered, the guard tried to block Kevin's attack, but similarly to the first guard, just as the sword was about an inch away from him, it suddenly appeared in a completely different direction, completely catching him off guard.
-Spurt!
-Thud!
Without looking back, Kevin continued running and killing guards left and right as he bulldozed his way towards where Victor was.
"Stop right there!"
Just as Kevin was about to reach the room Victor was hiding in, a large towering man appeared before him, obstructing his path.
A large pressure emanated from his body.
Stopping, Kevin looked at him and said
"…so you must be the one who found my Scouters"
Without answering Kevin, the towering man looked at him up and down. Frowning, a trace of astonishment appeared on his face.
"E rank? H-how's this possible?"
"You should be worried about something else instead of my rank!"
Appearing before Eldor, Kevin drew his sword and slashed in his direction.
"You dare!"
-Clang!
Before Kevin's sword could hack at Eldor, a giant axe appeared in his hand, perfectly blocking his attack.
-Kach!
Taking a couple of steps back, Eldor hacked his axe on the ground to stop himself from moving further backwards.
Regaining his bearing Eldor solemnly looked at Kevin.
"To be able to push me this far back…You're not half bad"
-Shua!
Without answering Eldor, Kevin appeared on his left side and stabbed towards his head.
Just as Eldor was about to block Kevin's sword attack, midway through his motion he stopped and redirected his axe to the left side of his body.
-Criiick!
"khhh…"
Barely managing to block Kevin's attack, Eldor's axe grazed Kevin's sword.
Though he managed to stop Kevin from stabbing him in the liver, a large gash appeared on his body.
"What kind of sword art is that?"
Dumbly looking at his wound, Eldor looked at Kevin who was a few steps away from him.
Ignoring Eldor, Kevin once again attacked.
-Shua!
-Criick!
Staring at the sword coming in his direction intently, Eldor once again managed to barely deflect his attack.
"Khhh…dammit"
Holding on the side of his body, Eldor took a quick potion from his pocket and downed it. Slowly, his injuries started healing.
-Shua!
Appearing on Eldor's right side, Kevin's sword hacked towards his head, and a whistle arose as the sword split the air.
-Clank!
Firmly blocking Kevin's true attack that was heading towards his heart, a smirk appeared on Eldor's face.
"You think I wouldn't be able to block it after the second time?"
Using his enormous frame, Eldor pushed Kevin back.
"Hhuuuuaaa"
Raising his axe in the air, Eldor firmly hacked it towards Kevin's direction.
Sidestepping, Kevin tried to avoid the attack, however, midway through the air, Eldor's axe twisted to the side in a J motion.
-Clank!
Blocking the attack, Kevin felt all the bones in his body vibrate from the clash.
"Again!"
Raising his axe again, Eldor once again hacked.
-Shuuua!
Frowning, with his right hand holding the grip of the sword and his left hand holding the body of the sword, Kevin followed the axe's movement and redirected it to the ground.
-Baaam!
Breaking the marble floor into millions of pieces, a large cloud of dust swept the area.
Noticing the slight opening, Kevin decided to act
Swiftly turning the tip of his sword, a whistle arose! Kevin's momentum suddenly changed. His gentle attacks from before were long gone, and what replaced them were fiercer and heavier strikes that overwhelmed Eldor.
Following the heavier strikes, Kevin's sword became even harder to trace as every single one of his attacks would look like the real deal. He would occasionally pretend to do a feint when in fact there was none. This was so that he could destroy Eldor's mentality, increasing the chances of him making a mistake.
Eldor, who was under the barrage of attacks, could barely hold on as he used his giant axe as a shield.
The fact that he couldn't rely on his sight made things that much harder for him. He had to pay extra close attention to the sound the sword made in the air, else he wouldn't know where the sword was coming from.
"Khhh, dammit"
As he was being pushed back, Eldor grit his teeth. Looking at Kevin whose momentum was increasing by the second, Eldor who knew that this couldn't keep going anymore decided to use his strongest move and end things.
"You leave me no choice!"
Suddenly, a black glow emanated from Eldor's body as his muscles started bulging from his body.
Kevin who noticed these changes immediately attacked him more fiercely, but it was to no avail as Eldor who was struggling before was starting to defend his attacks more accurately.
'He's using something similar to overdrive'
Stopping his frontal attacks, as he knew it was useless, Kevin decided to rely on his agility and swiftly moved behind Eldor's thick body
Noticing Kevin moving behind him, Eldor turned around at an astonishing speed. The giant axe in his hands was covered in a thick black glow before Kevin knew it, and along with it, a supremely fierce and immense pressure bore down on Kevin who was caught off-guard.
-Whaaam!
As soon as the ax slashed horizontally, Kevin felt the air and the surroundings vibrate intensively.
It was so fast that it was impossible to dodge!
Seeing that he couldn't dodge, Kevin met the axe head-on.
-CLANG!
A large shockwave swept the surroundings. Taking ten steps backs, Kevin felt an iron-like taste in his mouth.
-Spurt!
After a couple of seconds, Kevin couldn't hold it anymore and spat a mouthful of blood.
"Huaaaa!"
Before Kevin had enough time to catch his breath, Eldor's giant axe came swinging from above.
-Kacha!
Narrowly dodging the attack by a hair's breadth, Kevin saw the giant axe split the marble floor into dozens of pieces.
"…In the end I have to use it, huh"
Looking at Eldor, who was preparing himself for another swing, Kevin closed his eyes and let out a long breath
[{E} Overdrive]
As if all of his muscles had been rejuvenated, Kevin felt an unprecedented power rise from deep within him.
Tensing his calves, Kevin appeared behind Eldor.
-Thud!
Slashing upwards, a head flew in the air and a massive body fell flat on the ground sending debris all over the place.
"Khhhhhh…"
Deactivating [Overdrive], Kevin's muscles spasmed continuously. The pain was so strong, that he barely managed to stop himself from passing out.
…in the end, he had to use [Overdrive]
The side effects of using [Overdrive] were currently too much for him. If not for the fact that he had no choice but to use it, he would've never used it.
In the end, despite being stronger than Eldor, his experience was still far lower than his.
He wanted to win without needing to use [Overdrive], but in the end, without it, he wouldn't have been able to win.
-Gulp! -Gulp! -Gulp!
Gulping down a couple of potions, Kevin felt a little bit better…Well enough to stand up.
Looking around, Kevin walked towards Eldor's headless body.
-Shaa!
Slashing towards Eldor's hand, Kevin took it and headed towards a large wooden door.
-Beep!
Placing his finger on the lock in front of the door, Kevin waited for the door to open before entering.
Waiting on the other side of the door, Victor stood up and let out a sigh of relief.
'Only Eldor can unlock the door, this means he succeeded right…?'
-Click!
As the door fully extended, Victor's smile froze as he saw two scarlet red eyes staring in his direction.
"Hiiiiii, w-ho are you?"
Slumping backwards, Victor trembled as he crawled backwards…As far away from Kevin as possible.
"Who am I?"
Looking at Victor's sorry figure, Kevin smirked. Extending his hand upward, he slowly hacked in his direction.
-Slash!
-Thud!
Watching Victor's fat head rolling on the floor, Kevin slowly said
"I am Kevin Voss"