<p>Chapter 18: Night Shadow Association</p>
<p>【Your level has increased from LV.41 to LV.48!】</p>
<p>【Since the experience gained this time exceeds the limit for a single instance, the excess will be considered invalid!】</p>
<p>【You have gained 21 free attribute points!】</p>
<p>The moment Shaya woke up, a system prompt popped up as usual.</p>
<p>He did not immediately allocate the points but recalled the scene from just now.</p>
<p>The curse on the Witch seemed to him more like a punishment that she was constantly enduring; perhaps each death brought her pain that she endured at all times.</p>
<p>Was this the punishment imposed on her by those deities from back then?</p>
<p>What kind of grave mistake had she made?</p>
<p>Shaya sighed.</p>
<p>Now, there were no more ethereal stone powders at hand, and he did not intend to spend the extra money in his dimensional ring, so he could only think of other solutions.</p>
<p>The urgent task was to quickly buy the next batch of ethereal stone powders and then go see her.</p>
<p>He felt a bit worried; if something really happened to Witch Miss, where would the experience points come from in the future?</p>
<p>He would never find such a fat sheep again.</p>
<p>Thinking back to when he first met that cult leader who caused the “Scarlet Moon Massacre,” he had a similar thought, but unfortunately, it led to the end of their friendship.</p>
<p>At that time, Shaya had been too persistent. After the leader killed him several times and realized he could actually revive, they were amazed and declared Shaya to be a messenger sent by a deity to save the Red Moon Cult, seeking to recruit him.</p>
<p>Not wanting to be involved with a cult and lacking the ability to kill that leader, Shaya had to run away, but during that time he still managed to gain plenty of benefits from them.</p>
<p>With these thoughts, he slowly got up, recovering from the curse and pollution of the Black Mist. Looking at his personal data in front of him, he hesitated for a moment and then allocated all his points to stamina.</p>
<p>【Name: Shaya Adelaide】</p>
<p>【Level: LV.48】</p>
<p>【Race: Human】</p>
<p>【Age: 16】</p>
<p>【Rank: Grand Knight/Sorcerer】</p>
<p>【Stamina: 109】</p>
<p>【Intelligence: 46】</p>
<p>【Charm: 10】</p>
<p>【Luck: 21】</p>
<p>Leaving aside luck and charm, he would not consider the magic path for now, as purchasing gems and learning magic were too expensive. Even though his current level was sufficient to promote to Mage, he would not allocate points to intelligence.</p>
<p>In the short term, he did not have enough money and energy to invest in enhancing these aspects of his strength.</p>
<p>In contrast, the knight class was simple and straightforward. Although it had a slight disadvantage against mages of the same rank, he still had to consider various factors.</p>
<p>After allocating points, his total stamina had reached a terrifying 109 points!</p>
<p>The further one progressed, the more difficult it became to level up; thus, the points allocated later had an even greater impact on Shaya’s improvement.</p>
<p>For example, the increase from 50 to 51 points was certainly far superior to the increase from 5 to 6 points.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Grand Knights of two or three stars typically have stamina between 70 and 80, and even with individual differences, it would not be too large.</p>
<p>However, his current stats far exceeded those of strong opponents in the same realm by nearly 40 points!</p>
<p>This was due to the points originally being assigned for him to pursue a balanced path of magic and martial arts. Yet, to maximize gains in the short term, Shaya had to unilaterally enhance his knightly cultivation power.</p>
<p>Moreover, after being promoted to Grand Knight, he didn’t come away empty-handed.</p>
<p>【Because “stamina” has exceeded 80 points, your “Knight Will” has evolved into “Knight Power Field.”】</p>
<p>【Because “stamina” has exceeded 100 points, you have comprehended “Explosive Fighting Spirit.”】</p>
<p>“Hmm?”</p>
<p>Shaya was slightly taken aback.</p>
<p>【Knight Will】 was a passive skill that emerged after he died multiple times back then, which provided a small increase in mental resistance.</p>
<p>He hadn’t expected that after allocating points, it would evolve into another skill.</p>
<p>This was not a special power granted by the system; as previously stated, besides leveling up after being killed by villains, the system did not provide any other conveniences.</p>
<p>Strictly speaking, these two were not even considered skills; if one had to put it in those terms, they were more like innate abilities that would automatically awaken for talented knights upon reaching this level, so it couldn’t be described as additional help from the system.</p>
<p>In other words, if Shaya wanted to learn a martial skill, the system would not provide any input function; instead, he had to diligently practice day after day to gradually master it.</p>
<p>After all, this was reality, not some RPG game where one could just acquire skills from skill books.</p>
<p>Having gained a slight understanding of the effects of these two abilities, Shaya’s eyes lit up a little.</p>
<p>【Knight Power Field】 was the only extraordinary ability in the early to mid-game capable of countering mages. The effect it produced was similar to gravity magic, able to apply an upward force on multiple units simultaneously, accompanied by mental intimidation.</p>
<p>【Explosive Fighting Spirit】 allowed him to burn strength in a short period, erupting with super-level combat power but leading to extreme fatigue for a whole day afterwards, during which he couldn’t use it again.</p>
<p>In short, these two greatly compensated for Shaya’s lack of explosive power and defense, giving him a geometric-level improvement.</p>
<p>Clenching his fists and feeling immense power surging through his body, Shaya’s lips twitched into a smile.</p>
<p>Although still quite weak, he now had a better chance against the impending crisis.</p>
<p>He quietly tidied up the furnishings in the room, covered the magical matrix on the ground with a gray cloth, and then quietly left the basement.</p>
<p>Before leaving the room, he glanced at the magical clock on the wall and was shocked to find that only a few hours had passed since he had been teleported!</p>
<p>Why had the time ratio changed again this time?</p>
<p>Could it be that the chaos of the Abyss’ laws affected the flow of time?</p>
<p>Puzzled, Shaya felt something strange about the situation.</p>
<p>He decided to investigate at the library when he returned to school to uncover the reason behind this.</p>
<p>With that thought in mind, just as Shaya was about to push open the door, he suddenly looked down at the door handle’s position, and his gaze hardened.</p>
<p>Someone had attempted to enter his room during that time!</p>
<p>Upon realizing this information, he did not show any unusual expression, pretending as if he had not noticed anything, and quietly left the place.</p>
<p>The night outside was deep, with low houses appearing congested and chaotic, and a faint mist permeated the streets and alleys, making everything hard to see clearly.</p>
<p>Aside from a few taverns and brothels still in operation, the vast majority of people in the lower city had already gone to sleep to conserve energy for the busy next day.</p>
<p>Shaya navigated through alley after alley like a hurried passerby, but aside from that, nothing else seemed extraordinary.</p>
<p>Yet at a certain moment, he suddenly stopped in an extraordinarily abrupt manner, keeping his legs still while sharply leaning back with his upper body to dodge a shard of cold light that shot out from the darkness!</p>
<p>Accompanied by a dull thud, a dagger appeared embedded in the wall of the alley; due to the tremendous force of the throw, the handle still trembled slightly, emitting a buzzing sound.</p>
<p>Shaya immediately looked up, directing his gaze toward the source of the attack.</p>
<p>“Good reflexes.”</p>
<p>On a rooftop stood an unfamiliar figure dressed in a black cloak, wearing a white masqued face, who spoke in a tone of praise.</p>
<p>After saying this, he lightly grasped the empty air in front of him, and his body instantly emanated a faint veil-like haze, disappearing into the darkness.</p>
<p>Before Shaya could even ask “Who are you?”, his expression sharpened, forcing his foot down to shatter the ground and retreat at extreme speed.</p>
<p>“Eh?” The figure reappeared at the exact spot where Shaya had just been, holding a dagger and looking quite surprised. “With that kind of pre-emptive reading and reaction speed, you shouldn’t just be a knight attendant, right? For a first-year student, that’s quite impressive.”</p>
<p>“You know me?”</p>
<p>Shaya straightened his body, looking calmly at the strange white mask, catching the flaw in his words.</p>
<p>The white mask chuckled softly. “How could the mission target not be recognized?”</p>
<p>“Mission target?” Shaya slightly mulled over this term. “Are you here to kill me?”</p>
<p>“Well… that’s about the gist of it. Anyway, as long as you disappear from the Royal Capital, killing you is the simplest method.”</p>
<p>The white mask nodded, playing with the intricately designed dagger as he replied.</p>
<p>Hearing this, Shaya took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.</p>
<p>Aside from the tragic incident that occurred during his childhood, this was the first time he was face-to-face with someone who wanted to take his life.</p>
<p>The difference was that this time, he possessed enough strength to resist.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to ask who sent you, because I have a few guesses,” he said, glancing at the dagger in the white mask’s hand with calmness. “However, if you’re going to kill someone, you have to be prepared to be countered.”</p>
<p>“Good luck.”</p>
<p>Having said that, in the moment before the white mask’s reaction, Shaya vanished from the spot.</p>
<p>Where he had been standing looked as if a giant beast had trampled it, leaving a pit filled with spiderweb-like cracks.</p>
<p>“!!”</p>
<p>A hint of disbelief flashed in the white mask’s eyes as he seriously doubted the explosive power Shaya had just shown.</p>
<p>His rank was Grand Knight, and coming down a couple of ranks at someone’s request to intercept a knight attendant sounded absurd to begin with. Even more ridiculous was the fact that to be safe, he had borrowed an ancient cursed object with stealth and displacement effects—a relic called 【Veil of Concealment】.</p>
<p>Unlike magical devices, ancient cursed objects are lost artifacts excavated from various ancient ruins; their origins are untraceable and the reasons for their formation unknown. They can provide the user with all sorts of wonderful effects, but excessive use leads to varying degrees of negative influences.</p>
<p>If he couldn’t win, he could just consume the 【Veil of Concealment】!</p>
<p>He thought that way, but reality felt somewhat harsh.</p>
<p>Was this a weak knight attendant?</p>
<p>What kind of joke was that!</p>
<p>A look of fear crossed the white mask’s eyes.</p>
<p>In an instant, the distance between the two had closed infinitely. In panic, the white mask was about to use the 【Veil of Concealment】 to shift positions, but suddenly felt a tremendous force falling from above, as if a mountain was pressing down on him!</p>
<p>His body felt overwhelmingly heavy, almost impossible to stand upright, interrupting the effect of the 【Veil of Concealment】.</p>
<p>At the same time, an extreme feeling of subservience surged within him, and his legs trembled uncontrollably, making him unable to help but want to kneel before Shaya.</p>
<p>Knight Power Field!</p>
<p>At this moment, Shaya’s figure was almost upon him, and the heavy punch he threw stirred up a piercing wind down the narrow alley.</p>
<p>The white mask had no doubt that if this punch landed on his face, it would bring catastrophic consequences.</p>
<p>With no alternative, he could only raise both arms to protect his chest in an attempt to block the punch.</p>
<p>“Boom!”</p>
<p>In an instant, a sound that was painful to the teeth echoed, and he spat out a plume of blood like an arrow, his entire body flying away like a cannonball, carving a deep trench several meters long on the ground.</p>
<p>The entire action occurred in a flash, rendering ordinary people incapable of reacting.</p>
<p>After completing this fluid motion, Shaya approached slowly, gazing at the white mask, whose arm was already irregularly twisted, and whose chest had caved in.</p>
<p>“Starting off with taunts, and I thought you were impressive, yet it’s just this?”</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head and lightly sighed.</p>
<p>This person’s strength was probably only at the entry-level of Grand Knight; besides, he followed an extreme violent route prioritizing stamina, so with the cooperation of the power field, the opponent couldn’t even withstand a single blow.</p>
<p>Additionally, he hadn’t fully unleashed his strength throughout the entire process; he had only used about seventy to eighty percent.</p>
<p>“Hah… ha… ha… Power field… You… you’re a Royal Knight… No, no! Who exactly are you?”</p>
<p>Under extreme circumstances, the white mask struggled to breathe, trying to prevent the blood that gushed out from clogging his airways while desperately asking.</p>
<p>“Just a first-year student who countered you,” Shaya said nonchalantly, slowly squatting down.</p>
<p>“I… I come from… the Night Shadow Association. If you kill me, they won’t… they won’t let you go!”</p>
<p>The white mask looked at Shaya’s cold expression, terror filling his eyes.</p>
<p>“Thanks for your concern, but this is my own business. As a dead man, you need not worry,” Shaya thought for a moment. He had never heard of the Night Shadow Association, a killer organization, so he shrugged. “Any last words?”</p>
<p>“Hah… I… I can tell you… who… who sent me… Let me… live… please…”</p>
<p>Even on the brink of death, the will to survive took precedence.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, a professional killer’s ethics forbid disclosing the identities of their clients, and the white mask could be considered a professional killer.</p>
<p>However, the problem was that after over a decade in the business, he had never encountered anyone as unreasonable as Shaya, who dealt death without even asking questions, showing no concern for who the employer was whatsoever.</p>
<p>A madman, perhaps?</p>
<p>This left the white mask, who saw no hope of survival, utterly desperate.</p>
<p>He was in a life-and-death struggle, but not one where his life was simply given away!</p>
<p>As he felt the breath of life slowly draining from his body, he eventually could not help but plead for mercy.</p>
<p>But upon seeing that pair of dark, cold eyes, the white mask’s heart trembled.</p>
<p>Then he heard Shaya say quietly, “I don’t even need you to say it; I can guess who sent you. Use your brain, if a Grand Noble wanted to hire a killer, would they leave any traces that could be discovered?”</p>
<p>“Not to mention that the person you met for the job was likely of no value to them. Even if you came in contact with the one wanting me dead, think about it—after the task is completed, can you still live?”</p>
<p>A Grand Noble?</p>
<p>What the hell, why did it suddenly involve such a huge and faraway entity?</p>
<p>A hint of confusion flashed across the white mask’s pale face.</p>
<p>Shaya sighed.</p>
<p>His paper-thin strength was merely that of a knight attendant, yet despite that, the other side still hired a Grand Knight to intercept him—one couldn’t say their plans were not meticulous, seeking to leave no room for error.</p>
<p>Would such an opponent give their information to a killer?</p>
<p>As expected, just by looking at the expression of the white mask, it was clear he knew nothing about the forces behind the scenes.</p>
<p>In that case, he truly had no value left.</p>
<p>“May you be reborn into a better life… ah, no, may you return to the embrace of the Goddess of Light.”</p>
<p>Under Shaya’s gaze, the white mask’s eyes filled with despair, gradually losing their light.</p>
<p>Shaya stepped forward, drawing a circular mark over his chest to pray for him, then thought about the fact that he was not a believer of the Goddess of Light, and shrugged.</p>
<p>He then began to scour the battlefield for loot.</p>
<p>He searched thoroughly and found only the ancient cursed object, a few scattered gold coins, a dagger, and the mask.</p>
<p>The 【Veil of Concealment】 took the form of a sheer, transparent glove. Shaya tried it on and found that as long as he made a gripping gesture, it could lift a faint veil, hiding his body in the darkness and allowing him to move silently through the shadows.</p>
<p>Aside from those items, he found nothing else, not even anything to prove the white mask’s identity.</p>
<p>However, Shaya could mostly guess who wanted him dead.</p>
<p>After looting, Shaya thought for a moment, tore off the white mask’s robe, and cast an apprentice-level fireball spell to burn it all away.</p>
<p>He then launched another fireball at the corpse’s face.</p>
<p>Amid the flames and the stench of burning flesh, Shaya squinted slightly as he looked at the disfigured corpse on the ground, confirming once again that it bore no proof of identity. Even if discovered, it would only be treated as an unidentified corpse.</p>
<p>Having completed all of this, Shaya used the effect of the 【Veil of Concealment】 to slip into the darkness and quickly left the scene.</p>
<p>Not to mention, this thing was excellent for fleeing.</p>
<p>Although the entire process was brief, Shaya’s violence aesthetic in combat still caused quite a commotion, so it was better to leave quickly to avoid attracting the guards.</p>
<p>Fortunately, he had been cautious when he came out, circling around the alley to a street far from the hideout, meaning even if the body was discovered, it would be hard to suspect him.</p>
<p>Moreover, this was the lower city, where people died every day for various reasons.</p>
<p>It was nothing unusual.</p>
<p>【Your level has increased from LV.41 to LV.48!】</p>
<p>【Since the experience gained this time exceeds the limit for a single instance, the excess will be considered invalid!】</p>
<p>【You have gained 21 free attribute points!】</p>
<p>The moment Shaya woke up, a system prompt popped up as usual.</p>
<p>He did not immediately allocate the points but recalled the scene from just now.</p>
<p>The curse on the Witch seemed to him more like a punishment that she was constantly enduring; perhaps each death brought her pain that she endured at all times.</p>
<p>Was this the punishment imposed on her by those deities from back then?</p>
<p>What kind of grave mistake had she made?</p>
<p>Shaya sighed.</p>
<p>Now, there were no more ethereal stone powders at hand, and he did not intend to spend the extra money in his dimensional ring, so he could only think of other solutions.</p>
<p>The urgent task was to quickly buy the next batch of ethereal stone powders and then go see her.</p>
<p>He felt a bit worried; if something really happened to Witch Miss, where would the experience points come from in the future?</p>
<p>He would never find such a fat sheep again.</p>
<p>Thinking back to when he first met that cult leader who caused the “Scarlet Moon Massacre,” he had a similar thought, but unfortunately, it led to the end of their friendship.</p>
<p>At that time, Shaya had been too persistent. After the leader killed him several times and realized he could actually revive, they were amazed and declared Shaya to be a messenger sent by a deity to save the Red Moon Cult, seeking to recruit him.</p>
<p>Not wanting to be involved with a cult and lacking the ability to kill that leader, Shaya had to run away, but during that time he still managed to gain plenty of benefits from them.</p>
<p>With these thoughts, he slowly got up, recovering from the curse and pollution of the Black Mist. Looking at his personal data in front of him, he hesitated for a moment and then allocated all his points to stamina.</p>
<p>【Name: Shaya Adelaide】</p>
<p>【Level: LV.48】</p>
<p>【Race: Human】</p>
<p>【Age: 16】</p>
<p>【Rank: Grand Knight/Sorcerer】</p>
<p>【Stamina: 109】</p>
<p>【Intelligence: 46】</p>
<p>【Charm: 10】</p>
<p>【Luck: 21】</p>
<p>Leaving aside luck and charm, he would not consider the magic path for now, as purchasing gems and learning magic were too expensive. Even though his current level was sufficient to promote to Mage, he would not allocate points to intelligence.</p>
<p>In the short term, he did not have enough money and energy to invest in enhancing these aspects of his strength.</p>
<p>In contrast, the knight class was simple and straightforward. Although it had a slight disadvantage against mages of the same rank, he still had to consider various factors.</p>
<p>After allocating points, his total stamina had reached a terrifying 109 points!</p>
<p>The further one progressed, the more difficult it became to level up; thus, the points allocated later had an even greater impact on Shaya’s improvement.</p>
<p>For example, the increase from 50 to 51 points was certainly far superior to the increase from 5 to 6 points.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Grand Knights of two or three stars typically have stamina between 70 and 80, and even with individual differences, it would not be too large.</p>
<p>However, his current stats far exceeded those of strong opponents in the same realm by nearly 40 points!</p>
<p>This was due to the points originally being assigned for him to pursue a balanced path of magic and martial arts. Yet, to maximize gains in the short term, Shaya had to unilaterally enhance his knightly cultivation power.</p>
<p>Moreover, after being promoted to Grand Knight, he didn’t come away empty-handed.</p>
<p>【Because “stamina” has exceeded 80 points, your “Knight Will” has evolved into “Knight Power Field.”】</p>
<p>【Because “stamina” has exceeded 100 points, you have comprehended “Explosive Fighting Spirit.”】</p>
<p>“Hmm?”</p>
<p>Shaya was slightly taken aback.</p>
<p>【Knight Will】 was a passive skill that emerged after he died multiple times back then, which provided a small increase in mental resistance.</p>
<p>He hadn’t expected that after allocating points, it would evolve into another skill.</p>
<p>This was not a special power granted by the system; as previously stated, besides leveling up after being killed by villains, the system did not provide any other conveniences.</p>
<p>Strictly speaking, these two were not even considered skills; if one had to put it in those terms, they were more like innate abilities that would automatically awaken for talented knights upon reaching this level, so it couldn’t be described as additional help from the system.</p>
<p>In other words, if Shaya wanted to learn a martial skill, the system would not provide any input function; instead, he had to diligently practice day after day to gradually master it.</p>
<p>After all, this was reality, not some RPG game where one could just acquire skills from skill books.</p>
<p>Having gained a slight understanding of the effects of these two abilities, Shaya’s eyes lit up a little.</p>
<p>【Knight Power Field】 was the only extraordinary ability in the early to mid-game capable of countering mages. The effect it produced was similar to gravity magic, able to apply an upward force on multiple units simultaneously, accompanied by mental intimidation.</p>
<p>【Explosive Fighting Spirit】 allowed him to burn strength in a short period, erupting with super-level combat power but leading to extreme fatigue for a whole day afterwards, during which he couldn’t use it again.</p>
<p>In short, these two greatly compensated for Shaya’s lack of explosive power and defense, giving him a geometric-level improvement.</p>
<p>Clenching his fists and feeling immense power surging through his body, Shaya’s lips twitched into a smile.</p>
<p>Although still quite weak, he now had a better chance against the impending crisis.</p>
<p>He quietly tidied up the furnishings in the room, covered the magical matrix on the ground with a gray cloth, and then quietly left the basement.</p>
<p>Before leaving the room, he glanced at the magical clock on the wall and was shocked to find that only a few hours had passed since he had been teleported!</p>
<p>Why had the time ratio changed again this time?</p>
<p>Could it be that the chaos of the Abyss’ laws affected the flow of time?</p>
<p>Puzzled, Shaya felt something strange about the situation.</p>
<p>He decided to investigate at the library when he returned to school to uncover the reason behind this.</p>
<p>With that thought in mind, just as Shaya was about to push open the door, he suddenly looked down at the door handle’s position, and his gaze hardened.</p>
<p>Someone had attempted to enter his room during that time!</p>
<p>Upon realizing this information, he did not show any unusual expression, pretending as if he had not noticed anything, and quietly left the place.</p>
<p>The night outside was deep, with low houses appearing congested and chaotic, and a faint mist permeated the streets and alleys, making everything hard to see clearly.</p>
<p>Aside from a few taverns and brothels still in operation, the vast majority of people in the lower city had already gone to sleep to conserve energy for the busy next day.</p>
<p>Shaya navigated through alley after alley like a hurried passerby, but aside from that, nothing else seemed extraordinary.</p>
<p>Yet at a certain moment, he suddenly stopped in an extraordinarily abrupt manner, keeping his legs still while sharply leaning back with his upper body to dodge a shard of cold light that shot out from the darkness!</p>
<p>Accompanied by a dull thud, a dagger appeared embedded in the wall of the alley; due to the tremendous force of the throw, the handle still trembled slightly, emitting a buzzing sound.</p>
<p>Shaya immediately looked up, directing his gaze toward the source of the attack.</p>
<p>“Good reflexes.”</p>
<p>On a rooftop stood an unfamiliar figure dressed in a black cloak, wearing a white masqued face, who spoke in a tone of praise.</p>
<p>After saying this, he lightly grasped the empty air in front of him, and his body instantly emanated a faint veil-like haze, disappearing into the darkness.</p>
<p>Before Shaya could even ask “Who are you?”, his expression sharpened, forcing his foot down to shatter the ground and retreat at extreme speed.</p>
<p>“Eh?” The figure reappeared at the exact spot where Shaya had just been, holding a dagger and looking quite surprised. “With that kind of pre-emptive reading and reaction speed, you shouldn’t just be a knight attendant, right? For a first-year student, that’s quite impressive.”</p>
<p>“You know me?”</p>
<p>Shaya straightened his body, looking calmly at the strange white mask, catching the flaw in his words.</p>
<p>The white mask chuckled softly. “How could the mission target not be recognized?”</p>
<p>“Mission target?” Shaya slightly mulled over this term. “Are you here to kill me?”</p>
<p>“Well… that’s about the gist of it. Anyway, as long as you disappear from the Royal Capital, killing you is the simplest method.”</p>
<p>The white mask nodded, playing with the intricately designed dagger as he replied.</p>
<p>Hearing this, Shaya took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.</p>
<p>Aside from the tragic incident that occurred during his childhood, this was the first time he was face-to-face with someone who wanted to take his life.</p>
<p>The difference was that this time, he possessed enough strength to resist.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to ask who sent you, because I have a few guesses,” he said, glancing at the dagger in the white mask’s hand with calmness. “However, if you’re going to kill someone, you have to be prepared to be countered.”</p>
<p>“Good luck.”</p>
<p>Having said that, in the moment before the white mask’s reaction, Shaya vanished from the spot.</p>
<p>Where he had been standing looked as if a giant beast had trampled it, leaving a pit filled with spiderweb-like cracks.</p>
<p>“!!”</p>
<p>A hint of disbelief flashed in the white mask’s eyes as he seriously doubted the explosive power Shaya had just shown.</p>
<p>His rank was Grand Knight, and coming down a couple of ranks at someone’s request to intercept a knight attendant sounded absurd to begin with. Even more ridiculous was the fact that to be safe, he had borrowed an ancient cursed object with stealth and displacement effects—a relic called 【Veil of Concealment】.</p>
<p>Unlike magical devices, ancient cursed objects are lost artifacts excavated from various ancient ruins; their origins are untraceable and the reasons for their formation unknown. They can provide the user with all sorts of wonderful effects, but excessive use leads to varying degrees of negative influences.</p>
<p>If he couldn’t win, he could just consume the 【Veil of Concealment】!</p>
<p>He thought that way, but reality felt somewhat harsh.</p>
<p>Was this a weak knight attendant?</p>
<p>What kind of joke was that!</p>
<p>A look of fear crossed the white mask’s eyes.</p>
<p>In an instant, the distance between the two had closed infinitely. In panic, the white mask was about to use the 【Veil of Concealment】 to shift positions, but suddenly felt a tremendous force falling from above, as if a mountain was pressing down on him!</p>
<p>His body felt overwhelmingly heavy, almost impossible to stand upright, interrupting the effect of the 【Veil of Concealment】.</p>
<p>At the same time, an extreme feeling of subservience surged within him, and his legs trembled uncontrollably, making him unable to help but want to kneel before Shaya.</p>
<p>Knight Power Field!</p>
<p>At this moment, Shaya’s figure was almost upon him, and the heavy punch he threw stirred up a piercing wind down the narrow alley.</p>
<p>The white mask had no doubt that if this punch landed on his face, it would bring catastrophic consequences.</p>
<p>With no alternative, he could only raise both arms to protect his chest in an attempt to block the punch.</p>
<p>“Boom!”</p>
<p>In an instant, a sound that was painful to the teeth echoed, and he spat out a plume of blood like an arrow, his entire body flying away like a cannonball, carving a deep trench several meters long on the ground.</p>
<p>The entire action occurred in a flash, rendering ordinary people incapable of reacting.</p>
<p>After completing this fluid motion, Shaya approached slowly, gazing at the white mask, whose arm was already irregularly twisted, and whose chest had caved in.</p>
<p>“Starting off with taunts, and I thought you were impressive, yet it’s just this?”</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head and lightly sighed.</p>
<p>This person’s strength was probably only at the entry-level of Grand Knight; besides, he followed an extreme violent route prioritizing stamina, so with the cooperation of the power field, the opponent couldn’t even withstand a single blow.</p>
<p>Additionally, he hadn’t fully unleashed his strength throughout the entire process; he had only used about seventy to eighty percent.</p>
<p>“Hah… ha… ha… Power field… You… you’re a Royal Knight… No, no! Who exactly are you?”</p>
<p>Under extreme circumstances, the white mask struggled to breathe, trying to prevent the blood that gushed out from clogging his airways while desperately asking.</p>
<p>“Just a first-year student who countered you,” Shaya said nonchalantly, slowly squatting down.</p>
<p>“I… I come from… the Night Shadow Association. If you kill me, they won’t… they won’t let you go!”</p>
<p>The white mask looked at Shaya’s cold expression, terror filling his eyes.</p>
<p>“Thanks for your concern, but this is my own business. As a dead man, you need not worry,” Shaya thought for a moment. He had never heard of the Night Shadow Association, a killer organization, so he shrugged. “Any last words?”</p>
<p>“Hah… I… I can tell you… who… who sent me… Let me… live… please…”</p>
<p>Even on the brink of death, the will to survive took precedence.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, a professional killer’s ethics forbid disclosing the identities of their clients, and the white mask could be considered a professional killer.</p>
<p>However, the problem was that after over a decade in the business, he had never encountered anyone as unreasonable as Shaya, who dealt death without even asking questions, showing no concern for who the employer was whatsoever.</p>
<p>A madman, perhaps?</p>
<p>This left the white mask, who saw no hope of survival, utterly desperate.</p>
<p>He was in a life-and-death struggle, but not one where his life was simply given away!</p>
<p>As he felt the breath of life slowly draining from his body, he eventually could not help but plead for mercy.</p>
<p>But upon seeing that pair of dark, cold eyes, the white mask’s heart trembled.</p>
<p>Then he heard Shaya say quietly, “I don’t even need you to say it; I can guess who sent you. Use your brain, if a Grand Noble wanted to hire a killer, would they leave any traces that could be discovered?”</p>
<p>“Not to mention that the person you met for the job was likely of no value to them. Even if you came in contact with the one wanting me dead, think about it—after the task is completed, can you still live?”</p>
<p>A Grand Noble?</p>
<p>What the hell, why did it suddenly involve such a huge and faraway entity?</p>
<p>A hint of confusion flashed across the white mask’s pale face.</p>
<p>Shaya sighed.</p>
<p>His paper-thin strength was merely that of a knight attendant, yet despite that, the other side still hired a Grand Knight to intercept him—one couldn’t say their plans were not meticulous, seeking to leave no room for error.</p>
<p>Would such an opponent give their information to a killer?</p>
<p>As expected, just by looking at the expression of the white mask, it was clear he knew nothing about the forces behind the scenes.</p>
<p>In that case, he truly had no value left.</p>
<p>“May you be reborn into a better life… ah, no, may you return to the embrace of the Goddess of Light.”</p>
<p>Under Shaya’s gaze, the white mask’s eyes filled with despair, gradually losing their light.</p>
<p>Shaya stepped forward, drawing a circular mark over his chest to pray for him, then thought about the fact that he was not a believer of the Goddess of Light, and shrugged.</p>
<p>He then began to scour the battlefield for loot.</p>
<p>He searched thoroughly and found only the ancient cursed object, a few scattered gold coins, a dagger, and the mask.</p>
<p>The 【Veil of Concealment】 took the form of a sheer, transparent glove. Shaya tried it on and found that as long as he made a gripping gesture, it could lift a faint veil, hiding his body in the darkness and allowing him to move silently through the shadows.</p>
<p>Aside from those items, he found nothing else, not even anything to prove the white mask’s identity.</p>
<p>However, Shaya could mostly guess who wanted him dead.</p>
<p>After looting, Shaya thought for a moment, tore off the white mask’s robe, and cast an apprentice-level fireball spell to burn it all away.</p>
<p>He then launched another fireball at the corpse’s face.</p>
<p>Amid the flames and the stench of burning flesh, Shaya squinted slightly as he looked at the disfigured corpse on the ground, confirming once again that it bore no proof of identity. Even if discovered, it would only be treated as an unidentified corpse.</p>
<p>Having completed all of this, Shaya used the effect of the 【Veil of Concealment】 to slip into the darkness and quickly left the scene.</p>
<p>Not to mention, this thing was excellent for fleeing.</p>
<p>Although the entire process was brief, Shaya’s violence aesthetic in combat still caused quite a commotion, so it was better to leave quickly to avoid attracting the guards.</p>
<p>Fortunately, he had been cautious when he came out, circling around the alley to a street far from the hideout, meaning even if the body was discovered, it would be hard to suspect him.</p>
<p>Moreover, this was the lower city, where people died every day for various reasons.</p>
<p>It was nothing unusual.</p>
