Damien stood in the darkness, watching the assassins through the window. Three shadows moving through Astrid's garden like they owned the place.
Bronze tier, maybe Silver at best. The Order was testing waters, sending expendables first.
"Insulting," he muttered, already moving.
The old Damien would have been offended. John? John was calculating experience points.
He grabbed pillows, blankets, anything soft. His hands moved with practiced efficiency—Damien's muscle memory was useful for more than just killing.
[Skill Activated: Deception Craft]
[Decoy Quality: 73%]
[Note: Good enough for Bronze tier idiots]
He arranged the bedding carefully. A few strands of his hair on the pillow. His bloodied shirt draped over the form. Even splashed some of that awful medicine on the sheets for the scent.
"Now for the fun part."
He hid himself into the corner where the shadows were deepest.
The dagger felt warm in his hand, almost eager.
[Stealth Mode Activated]
[Detection Chance: 12%]
[First Strike Bonus: +50% damage]
The window slid open. Silent. Professional.
Not professional enough.
The first assassin crept toward the bed. Young, maybe twenty. Probably his first sanctioned kill for the Order.
Definitely his last.
The assassin pulled back the covers—
Damien moved.
The blade went straight to the assassin's throat. The assassin's eyes widened, mouth opening for a scream that would never come. Damien's free hand covered his mouth, holding him up as he died.
[First Kill Achieved!]
[Experience Gained: 150]
[Bonus Experience: 75]
[Level Up! 1>2]
[Void Consumption Available]
[Absorb Bronze Tier Assassin? Y/N]
[Time Limit: 45 seconds]
John's mind recoiled. He'd just killed someone. Murdered them. The weight of the dying man, the warmth of blood on his hands—
But Damien's instincts purred with satisfaction. Clean kill. Silent. Efficient.
He moved his finger without giving it a thought.
[Y]
The sensation was indescribable. Like drinking light, eating shadows. The assassin's body withered, not dramatically, just... less. As if something vital had been extracted.
[Ability Absorbed: Shadow Step Lv.1]
[Duration: 2 hours]
[Void Points: 5/10]
"Holy shit," Damien breathed. Then smiled. "I mean... next."
Footsteps on the roof. The second assassin, checking why his partner hadn't signaled.
[Shadow Step Activated]
[Cooldown: 30 seconds]
One moment Damien was in the corner. The next, he stood behind the assassin at the window. The man had just enough time to register the impossible before—
"Behind you."
The assassin spun. Too slow. The dagger found his throat, and Damien caught him before he could fall back through the window.
[Kill Confirmed]
[Experience Gained: 125]
[Void Consumption Available]
This time, John didn't hesitate.
[Ability Absorbed: Poison Resistance Lv.1]
[Duration: 2 hours]
[Void Points: 10/10]
[Storage Full - Next absorption will override]
"Inventory management already?" Damien dragged the body inside. "What is this, early access?"
The third assassin was smarter. He'd seen both his partners enter and not return. Instead of following, he turned to run.
Smart. Not smart enough.
Damien was already moving, Shadow Step off cooldown, when a sword erupted from the assassin's chest.
"Tsk." A man stepped from behind a tree, pulling his blade free. "Running from a fight? No honor in the Order these days."
The guard. Astrid's guardian. Six feet of scarred muscle and casual violence.
[Warning: Gold Tier Swordmaster Detected]
[Threat Level: Extreme]
[Recommended Action: Do Not Engage]
"That was incredible, Master Damien." The guard wiped his blade clean on the dead assassin's cloak. "Three Bronze tiers without a functioning core? Impressive."
Damien forced himself to relax. "You were watching the whole time."
"Lady Astrid asked me to ensure your survival. Though it seems unnecessary." The guard's eyes narrowed. "I sense no power from you at all. How curious."
[Null Presence Active]
[Your power signature is undetectable]
"Just good training," Damien said carefully.
"Indeed. I am Marcus Steelwind, former Knight-Captain of the Third Legion." He sheathed his sword. "You move like a killer, but your eyes... they're different. Hungrier."
Damien shrugged. "Near-death experiences change people."
"So they do." Marcus studied him. "I could teach you proper swordwork. Assassin tricks won't save you from a real warrior."
The offer was genuine, but the tone held warning. Play nice, or else.
"I'd appreciate that," Damien said, already calculating. A Gold tier swordmaster's techniques? Yes, please.
Marcus nodded. "One more thing. Don't make things difficult for Lady Astrid. She's risking much for you."
The guard walked away, leaving Damien with three corpses and rising anger.
Don't make things difficult? He'd been transmigrated into a death world with a 97% mortality rate. Everything was difficult.
---
Damien found the training room by following his body's memory. Underground, soundproofed, stocked with practice weapons.
Perfect.
[Tutorial Quest Progress: 1/7 Days Survived]
[Reward Progress: 14%]
He pulled up his status, marveling at the changes:
[Name: Damien Farley]
[Level: 2]
[Class: Void Assassin]
[Stats]
STR: 7 (+2)
AGI: 11 (+3)
VIT: 5 (+2)
INT: 14 (+2)
VOID: 15 (+10)
[Abilities]
• Void Touch Lv.1 [Locked - Tutorial Reward]
• Assassin's Instinct [Passive]
• Shadow Step Lv.1 [1:47:23 remaining]
• Poison Resistance Lv.1 [1:47:23 remaining]
"So kills give experience, experience gives stats." Damien picked up a practice sword. "But these absorbed abilities are temporary. I need that Void Touch to make them permanent."
He activated Shadow Step, blinking across the room. The drain was immediate—not mana or stamina, but something deeper. Void energy.
[Void Energy: 13/15]
"Two points per use. So seven uses before I'm empty." He did the math. "Need to be strategic."
For the next hour, he tested limits. Shadow Step could cross ten meters maximum. Poison Resistance was passive but probably useless without actual poison. His stats were pathetic compared to even Bronze tier standards.
But that hunger in his chest, that void where his core should be?
That was growing.
[Hidden Quest Discovered: First Feast]
[Objective: Consume 10 enemies]
[Progress: 3/10]
[Reward: Permanent Ability Slot]
Damien smiled, spinning the practice blade. "Now we're talking."
Tomorrow, Astrid would leave for the capital. The mansion would be less protected. More assassins would come.
Good.
He was still hungry.
---
The training room door opened. Damien spun, blade ready—
"Jumpy." Astrid stood in the doorway, still in her traveling cloak. "I heard we had visitors."
"Dealt with," Damien said carefully.
"So Marcus told me. Three Bronze tiers, no core, no power." She stepped closer. "Care to explain?"
"Lucky?"
"Try again."
Damien met her gaze. Those ice-blue eyes saw too much.
"I'm adapting," he said finally.
"To what?"
"To being weak. To being hunted." He set down the practice sword. "To being someone I'm not supposed to be."
Something flickered in her expression. "The Damien I knew would never admit weakness."
"Maybe I'm not the Damien you knew."
"No," she said softly. "You're something else entirely."
She turned to leave, then paused. "Whatever you're becoming, Damien, be careful. There are things in this world that feed on change."
The door closed, leaving him alone with his hunger and her warning.
[System Notice: Key character suspicion rising]
[Current Level: Cautious]
[Recommendation: Maintain cover or eliminate threat]
Damien stared at the notification.
Eliminate threat? Astrid?
"Not yet," he said to the darkness. "Not yet."
But the hunger whispered otherwise.
---