Harlan Xu led his squad along the mountain path.
One of the soldiers carrying supplies finally couldn't hold back anymore."Captain… why haven't we seen Jasper yet? Didn't you say he went ahead to scout?"
Harlan's expression darkened. All the way here, it had been Jasper this, Jasper that. They were both Bronze Tier Rank 3—why were they acting like Jasper was indispensable?
"He said he'd wait near the mountain's base," Harlan replied curtly. "We're not even there yet. What are you panicking for?"
Seeing the captain's irritation, the soldier wisely shut his mouth and lowered his head.
Then—
Dozens of arrows rained down from the trees.
The soldier who had been walking with his head down didn't even have time to react before he was riddled with arrows, collapsing like a porcupine.
"Ambush!" Harlan roared, narrowly dodging an arrow himself. "Take cover!"
Aside from the unlucky soldier, the rest avoided fatal hits. But before they could regroup, a wave of Bandits surged out, cleavers raised. Most were Bronze Tier Rank 2, but there were four at Rank 3.
The bandits parted, forming a path.
A hulking man strode forward, his presence crushing. From his aura alone, Harlan knew—Bronze Tier Rank 4.
So the Cloudmist Mountain bandit leader is Rank 4…
Harlan swallowed hard.
Jasper must be dead. No wonder there was no movement last night.They probably hadn't killed them immediately just to toy with them first.
So this is where I die… cut down by bandits.
At the same time, deep within the bandits' stronghold—
Stone walls made from raw ore rose over ten meters high, with watchtowers on all sides. Inside were wooden buildings, some even better than a village chief's residence. The worst structures were clearly used to imprison captives.
Skyhawk stepped forward calmly."I'll take the gate watch tonight."
He climbed the tower and subtly nodded toward Jasper's hiding place.
Jasper moved.
He leapt from a tree onto the rough stone wall, easily gripping the uneven surface. Just as he was about to crest the top, another bandit approached Skyhawk's watch post.
Skyhawk's heart clenched—
Jasper flicked his wrist.
A flying blade flashed through the air, piercing the bandit's throat. The man collapsed without a sound.
Jasper vaulted onto the wall, slid down the other side, and melted into the shadows, moving toward the buildings.
He climbed onto a rooftop and quietly lifted the glazed tiles. Inside, two Bronze Tier Rank 3 bandits were chatting.
Easy.
Whether assassination or direct combat, Jasper completely outclassed them.
He removed the surrounding tiles and dropped straight down.
Neither man noticed him.
The Wrist Blade in Jasper's left arm snapped out, piercing the left bandit's throat. His right hand seized the other man's ankle and yanked hard. The bandit slammed face-first into the floor.
Jasper withdrew the blade and plunged it into the man's heart, clamping a hand over his mouth to silence him.
The moment both bodies fell still, a familiar system chime echoed.
Ding! Skill unlocked: Twin Assassination.Allows the simultaneous assassination of two targets.Cannot be used in conjunction with Shadow Assassination.
Ding! New item acquired: Right-Hand Wrist Blade (Bronze Tier Rank 3).
Jasper raised a brow.
So skills are learned by execution? Strange… but the reward's solid.
The new wrist blade was a tier lower than his left one, but having blades on both arms made Twin Assassination far more practical.
He looted a few Silver Coins, climbed back to the roof, and reviewed Skyhawk's intel.
Four Rank 3s left. One Rank 4 leader. Rank 2s aren't worth my time.
Back on the road—
The bandit leader saw the Cloudspire Empire uniforms and instantly understood their purpose. He didn't bother with words, merely waved a hand.
The four Bronze Tier Rank 3 elites charged.
Harlan's Rank 2 teammates were slaughtered instantly, unable to resist at all.
One Rank 3 assassin rushed Harlan, a dagger flashing from his sleeve straight for the throat.
Harlan barely blocked with his longsword. After several frantic exchanges, he managed to counter—his blade was about to pierce the assassin—
A throwing knife screamed through the air.
With a violent impact, Harlan's sword was knocked clean from his hand.
He looked up.
The bandit leader stood there, smiling mockingly.
The four Rank 3 elites surrounded Harlan—dagger, sword, axe, spear.
Weaponless, his hand numb, Harlan knew it was over.
Begging was pointless. Bandits would torture him until death.
He pulled out a Blast Talisman, its mental fluctuation at Mid C-Grade, enough to threaten Rank 3–4.
Not enough to kill the leader.Only enough to make him suffer—before Harlan himself endured a fate worse than death.
In his mind, he saw his mutilated corpse tossed into the wild, infected, turned into a mindless zombie—slaughtered later by noble youths as training fodder.
The surrounding bandits hesitated when they saw the talisman—then rushed him together.
Harlan clenched his teeth and poured battle-qi into it.
BOOM!
His body was torn apart in the explosion.
Of the four Rank 3 bandits, three were lightly injured. One was heavily wounded.
The leader snorted in disdain, staring at the smoking crater.
"Only the weak choose suicide."
He mounted his horse and rode back toward the stronghold. The Rank 2 bandits loaded the injured elites onto mounts and followed.
Skyhawk watched the returning figures from afar, anxiety written all over his face.
His gaze flicked toward the building where Jasper had infiltrated.
Inside the prison compound—
Following Skyhawk's map, Jasper walked straight in.
Several guards blocked his path."Who are you? Where's the boss's written order?"
Jasper didn't answer.
His left hand clamped around a guard's throat as the Wrist Blade fired, punching clean through the man's neck.
The others raised iron spears and lunged.
Against Rank 1–2 guards, it was effortless.
Jasper's right-hand wrist blade snapped out as well. He deflected attacks smoothly, countering with lethal precision, blades striking vital points.
One guard slammed the alarm bell.
Jasper threw a knife—but it was too late.
The bell rang out across the stronghold.
He retrieved the keys, unlocked the prison gates, and swung them open.
Inside were soldiers in tattered Cloudspire Empire uniforms—and ordinary civilians.
When the leader falls, Jasper thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips,they'll be my blade.