In the Forest behind the Mansion
Seojin still sat in a meditative posture, cross-legged, with arms rested calmly above his lap.
If anyone were to see this, they may have thought he was just reckless for someone who was about to die.
But in all honesty, he was using this as a chance as an opportunity to gather the energy and try to awaken a Zaen gate.
Zaen.
The universal life force that flows through all living beings. It acts as the source of both physical and magical power (instead of a usual aura and mana power archetype).
Most people have Zaen, but they cannot control it thus it just slowly fades away without them noticing.
But Zaen Users are special.
They have learned how to hold on to their Zaen and use it. This lets them do things that regular people cannot.
For instance, a swordsman who uses Zaen becomes stronger and faster, while a mage uses the same Zaen to cast spells, like creating fire, controlling water, or healing wounds.
But not him.
'I can't feel them at all.'
He clenched his fingers.
Seven Hart's body held no trace of Zaen training.
Frustrated, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
Hff…
|| Remaining Time: -1 Second ||
"...The fudge?"
He could not help but curse due to the absurdity of the situation.
By all logic, it was either the assassin would arrive or he should have been dead the moment the timer hit zero. Yet, somehow, it had gone into the negatives.
That should not be possible.
After all, the given timeframe for him to survive was only seven minutes, and with the negative, it was already past that.
|| Remaining Time: -5 Seconds ||
The number kept on dropping.
|| Remaining Time: -30 Seconds ||
|| Remaining Time: -1 Minute ||
A full minute past zero.
The rain began to fall and drenched both the ground and him.
Yet, despite keeping his eyes wide open straining for any sign of an approaching assassin, he saw nothing. All he could hear was just the rhythmic patter of raindrops against the ground.
His left eye pulsed faintly.
He had been using it for long enough now that the disorienting overlap of two timelines no longer left him staggering.
The flickering glimpses of the immediate future were becoming easier to process, the delay between sight and reaction shrinking.
But even with a full second's advantage, he saw nothing.
And that was starting to worry him.
Hff…
|| Remaining Time: -2 Minutes ||
|| Remaining Time: -3 Minutes ||
|| Remaining Time: -4 Minutes ||
|| Remaining Time: -5 Minutes ||
The air shifted.
Before he could react, a figure materialized from the shadows with a dagger pressed against his throat.
But he had already seen this a second ago.
In that glimpse of the future, the blade never struck. It merely hovered against his throat, as if the assassin never intended to kill him in the first place.
Thus he did not react and just let it come.
There was no fear in his unreadable eyes.
"Strange."
He said with a voice that was softer than the falling rain.
"I expected you five minutes ago."
He turned his head, and he met the assassin's eyes which tightened his grip on the dagger as a bead of water slid down the flat of his blade.
'Why can't I kill him?'
The assassin thought.
The dagger was where it should be. His hands were in a perfect position. His arrival, though late as he lost his way in the forest, was silent.
He had always dreamed about being an assassin.
But when his first target came, he could not move his dagger to kill him.
'Move. Move. Move.'
But the blade still did not move.
The assassins he knew were cool. They pressed steel to countless throats, watched countless reactions like panic, defiance, anger, resignation.
This man, despite being weaker than him by two Zaen gates, gave him none of those.
Instead, he just blinked and locked his gaze at him.
The silence stretched.
The rain softened.
Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled.
The assassin's heartbeat pounded so loudly, Seojin could almost count the seconds by its rhythm.
Hff…
With a slow breath, he lifted a hand and effortlessly slid the dagger away from his throat. The assassin did not resist nor react.
He just watched Seojin take a few steps away.
Step.
Seojin stepped backwards.
The distance between them was far enough that, if the assassin decided to attack, it would take exactly one second to reach him.
Of course, he would lose if the assassin really did.
But that was the case only if he could not see the assassin's status.
|| Basic Information ||
|| Character: Lythian Ace ||
|| Age: 16 ||
|| Talent: Assassination ||
|| Gift: ??? ||
If he was not mistaken, he had received a gift earlier which was the Protagonist System.
Thus given the circumstances, seeing the Gift category on the assassin's status could only mean one thing.
A reader.
A fellow transmigrator.
For a moment, Seojin was not sure if he could win if they fought.
But then he noticed the assassin fumbling with his pockets as if searching for another dagger, which was a clear sign that he was not fully adapted to this world yet.
Seojin shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet, lowering his center of gravity as he angled his body slightly to the side to minimize the exposed surface.
He slid his foot back for balance while keeping the other one forward, steady but ready to move.
He gripped the dagger in his dominant hand and held it in a reverse grip with the blade pointing downward, close to his body. His free hand hovered near his chest, fingers slightly curled, prepared to intercept or counter.
It was not just a random imitation.
It was a product of years of obsessively analyzing fight sequences, pausing and replaying choreography, shadowboxing in his room.
He had drilled movements into his muscle memory, even if he never tested them in a real fight.
'Heh…'
Seeing the assassin fumbling with his pockets, searching for another dagger, he smiled.
After all, he would not be fighting a veteran assassin in the novel who beheaded Seven Hart the moment he appeared.
Instead, he would be fighting another transmigrator.
A rookie, just like him, who was still struggling to adjust to his new reality.
But he was confident that he would win, given that back on Earth, he had always imitated the fighting techniques he found cool in his own room.
Hence, despite the clear gap in their Zaen progress, that inexperience leveled the playing field.
"Come."