"Sir, we have received reports of Markus's sighting in Oakhaven. He has returned to the Academy."
"We can assume that our operatives have failed; no communications have been received in the past 24 hours."
"They are presumed dead."
The Assassin's Guild vice leader listened to the report from his secretary.
"A year 1 student, along with 4 other year 2 students."
"They could never survive our team of tier-3 assassins."
"Furthermore, Sylas had one of his lackeys in there."
Vice Guild Leader Yusef exploded with anger, his tier 5 aura thrashing his office.
Antique vases disintegrated, couches torn apart, windows shattered, and his secretary fainted, blood pouring out of her orifices.
"DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN"
"THAT BLOODY SYLAS IS SCREWING WITH ME"
"THAT KID'S GRANDPARENTS ARE TIER BLOODY 7, LEVEL 70+ EXISTENCES THAT CAN WIPE US OUT IN A SECOND!!!!!"
Yusef sat in the middle of the ruined office, eyes burning blue, his neatly pressed clothes in a complete mess.
Level 70+ "High Humans" are essentially nuclear deterrents.
A Tier 7 domain doesn't just kill; it "erases existence at a molecular level.
"Get someone to bring my secretary to a medical pod," Yusef sent a command through his communicator.
"And one more thing, send her to my office."
"Are you sure Sir?", the voice responded, "She's unstable."
"Yes, something has gone wrong, she's the right person for the job," Yusef replied.
Yusef stepped back, facing his cabinet of artifacts, the only furniture that withstood his rampage.
His fingers rested on a pair of daggers, a deep shade of crimson red.
Its color is a reminder of the lives it has taken.
The blood that it had bathed in.
A reaper of death.
Knock Knock
"Come in."
A graceful woman, 5 foot 6, stepped into the office.
Unperturbed by the chaos surrounding her.
"Yusef, you called for me?" Yelena bowed.
"There was a mission assigned to the Barton brothers,"
"Their target, a first-year Valerian Royal Academy student,"
"We have not had any contact from them for 24 hours."
"They are presumed dead,"
"I would like to assign you to clean up after them. When he leaves the academy for his next mission, do you think you can finish the job?"
Yusef solemnly requested, knowing Yelena's difficult background.
Yelena was a former Soviet spy, imprisoned in America.
After the mana apocalypse, she escaped the high-security prison and formed an Assassin's guild with fellow inmates.
The current guild leader, Natasha, is her sworn sister from Russia.
Natasha is a tier-6 Wind awakener; she infiltrates like a ghost, silent as the wind.
"Are you sure you're willing to sacrifice the guild for a measly politician with no awakener's background?"
"How much mana stones did he pay you for this contract?"
"Do you know if a tier 7 awakener over level 70 unleashes their domain, it erases existence down to the molecular level?"
"We are Assassins, "
"We work in the dark to serve the light,"
"Nothing is true, Everything is permitted."
Yelena shook her head in disappointment.
"If you want to curry favor with the Vane's, you should complete the mission as a solo contractor."
"Do not bring us into this, Elder Sis Natasha would present your head to the Blackwells if she has to."
Yusef trembled in fear, goosebumps crawled over his body.
The White Widow, Natasha, is proficient in torture and ruthless to all.
She has not only taken the lives of enemies but also the lives of allies.
She would not hesitate to eliminate Yusef and the entire Vane bloodline to appease the Blackwells.
"So what will it be? Yusef?"
"Will you throw your life away for Sylas, or cut off your relations with them?"
Yelena questioned.
"Sigh, I have been cultivating the Vane's as a potential asset for the past 15 years…"
"It's a gamble I have to take, cancel the contract with the guild."
"I'll pursue Markus as a solo contractor," Yusef said as he packed his artifacts and left with a sigh.
**
[Contract terminated: Result, three tier-3 Assassins failed to return from their mission, Markus sighted returning to the Academy.]
[Your deposit has been forfeited.]
"GOD DAMN IT!!" Sylas threw his communicator at the wall.
His mind racing, Markus must have known about this.
If he reports it to Sloane or Isolde, the Vane's are as good as exterminated.
Their political influence and power will not be able to shield them from the fallout.
Riiing Riiing Riiing
His landline phone rang on his desk.
"Sylas speaking, how may I help you?"
"Yusef here, the Assassin's guild refuses to antagonize the Blackwells. I'll pursue Markus as an independent contractor."
"50,000 High-Grade mana stones, full payment," Yusef declared over the secure line.
(SHIT, that's too darn expensive for a first-year student.)
(I'm too deep in; this needs to be done as soon as possible.)
"Fine, I'll transfer it to you right away," Sylas turned on his computer, wiring 50,000 High-Grade mana stones to an offshore account belonging to Yusef.
"Payment Received…" The line went dead.
(If even Yusef fails, we're done for.)
**
Back at the academy, Markus dropped off the tier-2 thunderous bull carcass at the food hall.
Earning him favor with the head chef and the staff present.
[You have been registered for a tier 1 mission, portal maintenance]
[You have been registered for a tier 1 mission, portal exploration]
[You have been registered for a tier 1 mission, portal maintenance]
[You have been registered for a tier 1 mission, portal exploration]
Rosanne happily added Markus's name to their mission group and registered him for 4 missions.
[Markus, I signed you up for a few missions! Let's meet at the academy's basement!]
Markus shook his head; this childhood friend of his always caused trouble for him.
In a span of 1 hour, the group of 5, Markus, Rosanne, Jennifer, Mika, and Donna, completed 2 portal maintenance tasks and earned 20 contribution points.
[Contribution points: 640]
Rosanne gained 9 levels, effectively reaching tier 1.
It was remarkable progress for the average first-year student.
**
At an unknown location,
"What did you say? Yusef did what?"
Natasha slit the throat of a man strapped upside down on a pole.
"Prepare the guild, we move to eliminate the Vane's if Yusef fails his mission."
"Even if Yusef left us, the Blackwells will come after us in rage, the Vane's will have to be exterminated to appease them," Natasha replied, a storm brewing in her mind.
"I'll be back in 2 days, keep me posted, sister."
Natasha burned the corpse and left for Valeria.
Natasha didn't use a plane to reach Valeria. She moved as a streak of grey mist across the fractured North American landscape, her Wind Affinity allowing her to glide over the Forbidden Forest like a ghost.
She didn't care about the Vane's gold or the Blackwell's legacy. She only cared about balance. And right now, the boy named Markus was the weight that was about to tip the world into a bloodbath.