The notice appeared across every Guild terminal before sunrise.
[ Guildwide Directive ]
Target: Lin Xuan
Status: Traitor
Threat Level: S-Class
Bounty: 500,000 Gold + Advancement Token
Objective: Terminate on sight. Evidence required. ]
By midday, the entire underworld of Valoria knew his name.
The assassin who killed fellow assassins.
The prodigy who walked out of the Central Hall alive.
The one whose shadow swallowed light itself.
And for the Guild, there could be no greater sin.
The City of Knives
Valoria's lower districts had always been dangerous, but now they pulsed with tension.
Rumors of Lin Xuan's betrayal spread like wildfire.
In taverns, thieves whispered his name like a curse.
In alleys, lesser assassins waited for a glimpse of him, hoping to claim the bounty.
And high above them all, the Guild's elite watched from their towers.
"SSS talent, awakened trait—Shadow Dominion."
"He killed the council envoys."
"If we don't stop him now, he'll become something beyond control."
The Guild had declared war on its own creation.
The Hunt Begins
In a dimly lit safehouse at the city's edge, Lin Xuan sat on a wooden chair, sharpening his dagger.
Each stroke of the whetstone echoed like a heartbeat.
Selene stood at the door, her cloak soaked from rain.
"You should've left Valoria last night," she said quietly. "The Guild's already deployed their top enforcers."
"I'm not running," Lin Xuan replied. "Not yet."
"Then you'll die here."
He glanced at her. "Maybe. But before that happens, I'll drag every corrupted one into the dark with me."
Selene sighed. "You really think you can fight the Guild?"
"I don't need to fight them," he said, his voice calm. "I'll erase them."
Guild Strike Team
Meanwhile, inside the Guild's upper chamber…
Three assassins knelt before the council's masked leaders.
Each one radiated killing intent—black cloaks, rune-etched blades, eyes cold and merciless.
The leader with the Crown mask spoke.
"Lin Xuan has betrayed us. He carries the Abyss within him now. He must be destroyed."
"Permission to hunt?" one of them asked.
"Granted. You three will operate under full authorization. No witnesses, no survivors."
The masked assassins bowed.
"The shadows will claim him."
The Encounter
The strike team found him by dusk.
Lin Xuan was standing on the edge of a half-collapsed bridge overlooking Valoria's river, the crimson sunset bleeding through the clouds.
"Lin Xuan," a voice echoed from behind. "You've been busy."
He didn't turn.
"I was wondering when they'd send the dogs."
The first assassin stepped from the shadows—a woman with twin curved daggers.
The second crouched on the railing above, bow drawn.
The third—a silent giant with a scythe as long as his body.
[ Enemy Identified: Elite Assassin Squad (C–B Class) ]
[ Estimated Power Differential: -30% ]
They moved together, fluid as one organism.
Blades flashed, arrows sang, and the air erupted in a flurry of motion.
The Battle of Shadows
Lin Xuan's world narrowed to movement.
Each strike he parried flowed into another. His daggers were a blur of black steel and red sparks.
[ Skill Activated: Shadow Convergence ]
[ Skill Activated: Phantom Stride II ]
The bridge darkened completely, enveloped by his trait.
Within that blackness, only whispers and flashes of light remained.
The first assassin's throat met his blade.
The archer's arrow curved midair, redirected by living shadow.
The giant's scythe struck the ground, cleaving stone—only to find nothing but air.
Lin Xuan appeared behind him.
"You can't kill what doesn't exist in your light."
One clean strike.
[ Target Eliminated ]
[ Soul Convergence Activated ]
[ +3 Strength, +2 Agility ]
The last assassin fell to his knees, eyes wide in disbelief.
"What… are you?"
Lin Xuan sheathed his dagger, voice low.
"Something the Guild shouldn't have made."
He turned—and the shadows swallowed the bodies whole.
System Update
[ Hidden Achievement Unlocked: "Marked for Death" ]
[ Condition: Survive an S-Class Bounty Hunt ]
[ Reward: +5000 EXP + Abyssal Gift (Sealed) ]
[ Level Up! Lv. 18 → Lv. 20 ]
[ Passive Resonance Increased: 50% → 58% ]
A faint, cold presence brushed his consciousness.
"You killed them as if they were yours… good. You're learning dominion."
Lin Xuan's jaw tightened. "Get out of my head."
"Too late, shadow-born. You opened the door when you took my fragment."
The voice faded, leaving only the rain and the hum of his heartbeat.
The Guild Reacts
Back at the Guild, the Crown-mask slammed his fist against the table.
"Three elites—gone?"
"Confirmed," said the Eye. "Their life sigils all extinguished simultaneously."
A cold silence settled in the chamber.
"He's adapting faster than expected," the Blade murmured. "At this rate…"
The Crown's eyes narrowed.
"At this rate, he'll surpass us."
The room dimmed as the torches flickered out one by one.
"Then we send someone who can't fail."