He had 25 copper left. It was time to pay a visit to the general skill vendor and buy a book.
The general skill vendor in the village square was a bored looking merchant who mostly catered to Rogues and Rangers.
His stall was currently empty. Most new players were too busy dying to slimes to worry about utility skills.
Sebastian approached the stall. He tossed his remaining twenty five copper coins onto the wooden counter. They clattered pitifully.
"Basic Sneak." Sebastian demanded.
The merchant sneered at the meager pile of copper.
"That barely covers the paper it is printed on, Drifter. But fine. Take the garbage."
He tossed a thin and gray pamphlet onto the counter. Sebastian grabbed it and did not bother to offer a witty retort.
He stepped away from the stall and immediately crushed the pamphlet in his fist.
The paper dissolved into gray motes of light that sank into his skin!
[Skill Learned]
↳ Name: Basic Sneak
↳ Tier: 0 Stealth
↳ Level: 1 / 10
↳ Cost: 2 Stamina per second
↳ Effect: Reduces the sound of your footsteps by 10 percent
↳ Proficiency: 0 / 100
It was definitely a trash skill!
A 10 percent reduction in footstep noise would not even hide you from a deaf goblin. Normal rogues had to sneak around the village for hours, drain their stamina, and sit down to rest just to level it up enough to be somewhat useful.
Sebastian did not have hours.
He walked towards an alleyway beside the merchant stall. He found a patch of deep shadow cast by the overhanging roof. He stood at the edge of the sunlight, took a deep breath, and willed the skill to activate.
He took a single step into the shadow.
The familiar and glorious sound of the system breaking apart chimed in his mind. It was followed by a cascade of blue holographic windows that completely obscured his vision!
[Action Registered: Activated Basic Sneak]
[Nexus Glitch Activated: Proficiency x10,000]
[Basic Sneak leveled up to 10/10]
↳ Max Level Reached
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Basic Sneak evolves to Tier 1: Shadow Walk
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Shadow Walk leveled up to 10/10
↳ Max Level Reached
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Shadow Walk evolves to Tier 3: Umbral Phase
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Umbral Phase leveled up to 10/10
↳ Max Level Reached
[WARNING]
↳ Concept Threshold Breached
↳ Spatial Law Unlocked
[Umbral Phase evolves to Conceptual Law: Void Walk]
Sebastian gasped. He staggered forward as the server forcefully rewrote the spatial coordinates of his avatar.
The vibrant and noisy world of Novice Village Number 109 vanished!
The color was violently leeched from his surroundings. It left everything in stark and muted shades of gray and absolute black. The chaotic shouting of the players faded into a distant and muffled rushing sound like being underwater.
He looked down at his hands. They were translucent and shimmered with a faint dark violet energy.
He opened his skill menu to read the damage he had just done to the game balance.
[Conceptual Law]
↳ Name: Void Walk
↳ Level: MAX
↳ Cost: None (Passive or Toggle)
↳ Description: You no longer hide in shadows, you step between the folds of reality. You enter a parallel dimension. While active, you are completely invisible to all entities below Tier 9. You possess absolute physical and magical immunity. You may pass through solid matter.
Sebastian let out a breathless laugh.
'Cost None.'
Because the skill was so highly evolved, the system did not even charge him stamina to maintain it. He was practically a ghost!
He turned toward the solid brick wall of the alleyway. Instead of walking around it, he simply stepped forward.
There was no resistance. It felt like walking through a light mist. He passed right through the bricks and emerged inside a bustling bakery.
The NPC baker was currently yelling at a player who had tried to steal a loaf of bread. Neither of them noticed the translucent violet phantom walking right between them.
"This is going to be fun." Sebastian muttered with his voice echoing oddly in the Void dimension.
He adjusted his trajectory and headed straight for the center of the village. That was where the Mayor's manor sat on a small and elevated hill.
Normally, getting to the Mayor required bypassing a wrought iron gate. It also required sneaking past four patrolling Level 15 guards, avoiding the sightlines of the manor windows, and lockpicking the front door.
Sebastian walked in a straight line.
He phased through the iron gate, and the metal offered zero resistance. He walked directly through the chest of a patrolling guard.
The guard shivered slightly and muttered something about a sudden chill, but otherwise remained oblivious. Sebastian did not even bother looking for the door. He just walked straight through the exterior stone wall of the manor.
He emerged in the lavishly decorated office of the Mayor.
The room was a stark contrast to the poverty of the slums outside. Velvet curtains, a roaring fireplace, and a massive mahogany desk dominated the space.
Behind the desk sat the Mayor. He was a disgustingly obese NPC with a terrible comb over and wearing a suit of fine silk. He was currently giggling to himself while counting a massive pile of silver coins and writing in a thick leather bound ledger.
Humming a cheerful tune.
"One for the orphanage fund... and ten for me,"
Grogton muttered. Slid a stack of coins into his pocket. "Stupid adventurers. Buying overpriced potions."
Sebastian stood directly in front of the desk. Watching the corruption unfold.
'Enjoy it while it lasts,' Sebastian thought.
On his plump right index finger rested a heavy and flashy gold signet ring!
His eyes scanned the room. In the corner, behind a painting of the Mayor shaking hands.
Sebastian walked over to the painting. Reached out.
Clang.
His hand hit the wall.
[System: You cannot interact with objects while in Void Walk.]
"Right," Sebastian whispered. "Have to materialize to grab the loot. That's the vulnerability."
He checked the room. The Mayor was the only witness.
He positioned himself right beside the Mayor's chair. He waited until the Mayor reached for another stack of coins.
With a thought, Sebastian toggled Void Walk off.
Color and sound rushed back into his senses. The roaring of the fireplace crackled loudly. Sebastian's hand shot out and grabbed the Mayor's wrist with a grip like a steel vise!
The Mayor yelped and released a high pitched squeal of pure terror.
"Wha Guards! Guards!"
Before the Mayor could even draw a breath to yell louder, Sebastian smoothly slid the heavy gold signet ring off the fat finger. With his other hand, he snatched the leather bound ledger off the desk.
Blackmail material was always useful, especially in a world where information was power.
The office doors burst open. Two heavily armored guards rushed in with swords drawn.
"My Lord! What is it?!"
"An assassin! Right there!" The Mayor shrieked and pointed a trembling and ringless finger at Sebastian.
Sebastian just winked at the guards.
The guards charged. Their swords glowed with [Power Strike].
Sebastian turned to face them. Didn't raise his hands to fight. Simply smirked.
"Too slow."
"Void Walk."
The swords swung.
Swish. Swish.
Blades passed harmlessly through Sebastian's body. Like cutting smoke. The guards stumbled. Momentum carrying them forward. Nearly crashing into the safe.
They spun around. Eyes wide with confusion.
"Where did he go?!"
"I... I hit him! Felt nothing!"
Sebastian was already walking through the ceiling. Ascending to the roof.
"He took my ring! And the ledger! Find him, you incompetent fools!" The Mayor wailed with his face turning a dangerous shade of purple.
Sebastian did not stick around to watch the fallout. He turned and walked directly through the back wall of the manor. He made a beeline straight through the village infrastructure back to the slums.
Less than five minutes after he had left, Sebastian phased through the wall of the dead end alley. He toggled off his skill and dropped back into the physical world.
Old Man Clay was still sitting in the mud. He had not even finished his first swig of the Moonshine.
Sebastian casually tossed the heavy gold signet ring. It landed with a loud clink in Clay's tin beggar cup. A second later, Sebastian dropped the heavy leather ledger into the mud next to it.
Clay froze. He slowly lowered the bottle and stared at the ring in his cup, then up at Sebastian.
The veteran assassin's eyes were wide. They were completely devoid of their previous arrogant edge.
"You it has been four minutes." Clay stammered. His AI routines genuinely struggled to process the sequence of events. "The manor is half a mile away. The guards. The locks. It is broad daylight."
"You said you wanted the ring." Sebastian said and crossed his arms. "I brought you some light reading too. The Mayor is keeping two sets of books. Do with that what you will."
Clay picked up the ring. He inspected it as if he expected it to be a fake. When he realized it was genuine, he let out a long and shaky breath.
"I have walked in the shadows for sixty years." Clay muttered and shook his head. "I have never seen a ghost move like that. Who are you, boy?"
"Just a Drifter." Sebastian replied. "Now, I believe you owe me a reward."
Clay stared at him for a long moment, then burst into a raspy and genuine fit of laughter.
"Aye. That I do. You have earned it, ghost."
The beggar reached into his filthy robes and pulled out a small and incredibly old leather bound book. He tossed it to Sebastian.
[Hidden Quest Complete]
↳ Title: The Assassin's Test
↳ Reward: Skill Book
↳ Name: Dagger Mastery (Passive)
"That is the foundation of my art." Clay said with his voice turning serious. "Learn it well. The blade is an extension of the soul."
"Appreciate it, old man. Enjoy the drink." Sebastian said.
He did not wait around for more dialogue. He crushed the book in his hand!
[Skill Learned]
↳ Name: Dagger Mastery
↳ Tier: 0 Passive
↳ Level: 1 / 10
↳ Effect: +10% Damage with Daggers. +5% Critical Strike Chance.
Standard passive. For now.
Sebastian pulled up his inventory. He did not have a weapon. He quickly navigated his interface and equipped a Rusty Iron Dagger he had looted from the Demon Wolves earlier.
It was a pathetic piece of junk that dealt 2 to 4 damage.
He held the rusty blade up in the dim alleyway. He just needed to trigger the proficiency gain.
He gripped the hilt tight, adopted a basic combat stance, and slashed the empty air once.
"Let's make sure nothing can ever block my strike again."
The system did not just chime this time. It practically screamed!
[Action Registered: Executed Dagger Strike]
[Nexus Glitch Activated: Proficiency x10,000]
[Dagger Mastery leveled up to 10/10]
↳ Max Level Reached
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Dagger Mastery evolves to Tier 1: Lethal Precision
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Lethal Precision leveled up to 10/10
[Evolution Requirement Met]
↳ Lethal Precision evolves to Tier 3: Assassin's Creed
[Proficiency Overflow Detected]
↳ Assassin's Creed leveled up to 10/10
[WARNING]
↳ Concept Threshold Breached
↳ Combat Law Unlocked
[Assassin's Creed evolves to Conceptual Law: God Slayer's Edge]
A sharp and agonizing pain shot up Sebastian's arm!
The server forced the conceptual understanding of absolute lethality into his muscles. It was not just about swinging a knife. It was the fundamental and mathematical certainty of finding the weakest point in any defense and severing it.
He opened his status panel and read the new passive.
[Conceptual Law]
↳ Name: God Slayer's Edge (Passive)
↳ Level: MAX
↳ Description: Your blade recognizes no barrier. All attacks made with a bladed weapon completely ignore 100 percent of physical armor, magical shielding, and conceptual invulnerability. Every strike is a true strike.
Sebastian looked at the rusty and chipped iron dagger in his hand.
"Defense is now a myth," Sebastian said.
With this passive, he could take this piece of garbage and walk up to a Level 100 Armored Dragon. He could slide the blade through its legendary scales like a hot knife through butter!
He had the ultimate magic. He had absolute stealth. Now, he had unstoppable physical damage.
He sheathed the rusty dagger. It was time to fix his only remaining weakness. He was broke, and in the apocalypse, money was survival.