"Leaving already?"
A cold smirk played across Lei Lin's face as he hurled the dagger from his hand. It screamed through the air and plunged directly into the back of one of the assassins.
Rank 0 Spell — Arrow of Force! Combined with Lei Lin's own physical strength, the dagger he threw carried killing power rivaling that of a crossbow bolt.
A brief, strangled cry rang out, and the assassin crumpled to the ground.
The shock of his companion's death drove the remaining assassin to run even faster.
Lei Lin gave chase without hesitation, seemingly unaware of a dark figure steadily closing in.
Using these two assassins as bait, the true killing blow was to come from the assassin leader lurking in the shadows.
Crack! Crack!
Lei Lin caught up to the fleeing assassin in an instant. The man was already terrified out of his wits, and within a few exchanges he was beaten to the ground.
Lei Lin dislocated the assassin's jaw and snapped all four of his limbs. Only then did a look of satisfaction appear on his face.
It was exactly the kind of reaction a powerful young man should have after winning his first real victory.
"Tell me — who sent you?"
The young man stood over the fallen assassin. Despite his best efforts to mask it, an unmistakable air of smug superiority radiated from him.
"I... I'll talk..."
The fallen assassin's voice was faint, playing his part perfectly — drawing attention to himself while the leader prepared to strike.
His lips kept moving, but the sounds that came out were unnaturally muddled. Lei Lin's expression turned impatient. "Speak up! I can't hear you!"
Lei Lin crouched halfway beside the man, exposing his back completely.
"Now!!!" The assassin hidden in the shadows saw his opening. An arrow tipped with a faint blue glow pierced the air, appearing behind Lei Lin in the blink of an eye.
"What?!" Lei Lin's eyes went wide, and a flicker of panic finally appeared on his face.
"Mage Armor!!!" A transparent Field of protection materialized around him, consuming one of the First-level Spell slots Lei Lin had prepared.
Pop! The arrow struck the invisible Field with a sharp screech, its trajectory deflected just enough to graze past Lei Lin's cheek.
The tremendous impact forced Lei Lin back several steps until he sat down hard on the ground.
"Awooo!" "Awooo!" Several green eyes emerged from the darkness, and lean black shadows sprang forward, their saliva-dripping fangs lunging for Lei Lin's throat.
"Summon Monster I?!"
Lei Lin cried out, but the expression on his face was quickly replaced by determination. He rapidly chanted several words, pointed toward the wolves, and a massive white net materialized out of thin air, enveloping all three. The white webbing seemed to carry tremendous adhesive power, leaving the wolves utterly immobilized.
"Who is it?!" The youth rose to his feet, his face clearly showing a mixture of exasperation and a barely concealed trace of fear.
At that very moment, the air behind him warped, and a dark figure materialized directly from it — a emerald-green dagger thrust straight toward Lei Lin's heart.
"Shadow Step?! A seventh-level assassin?!"
The youth shouted as a length of rope flew straight out from inside his robe.
"Animate Rope!!!" Under the spell's influence, the rope seemed to take on a life of its own, lunging at the dark figure and coiling around it like a python constricting its prey.
Crash! The dark figure collapsed to the ground, limbs drawn together, and turned into a wooden puppet.
"A substitute puppet?!"
The expression on Lei Lin's face had now turned to horror. Then, in the next instant, he saw a sliver of cold light burst from the void and plunge toward his throat.
Swift! Clean! And lethal in a single strike — this was how a high-level assassin operated!
Moreover, the other party had clearly obtained information about Lei Lin's mage level from some channel. They had waited patiently, biding their time until Lei Lin had apparently exhausted all his spell slots, and only then struck without warning. Once the attack came, it left Lei Lin no chance whatsoever!
At such close range, even if he wanted to activate some kind of magic item, there simply wasn't enough time.
After all, those spell scrolls couldn't be cast instantaneously.
From that fleeting glimpse of the assassin's eyes, Lei Lin saw nothing but utter deathly stillness — as though the person he was about to kill wasn't a human at all, but merely some pig or dog. Only at the very bottom of those deep, cold eyes was there the faintest flicker of something. Evidently, finishing off a talent like this magic prodigy brought him a certain sense of accomplishment.
But the moment the assassin looked into Lei Lin's eyes, his expression shifted involuntarily.
There was no panic on Lei Lin's face, no fear of death — only a smile of triumph.
"I finally caught you!" That was what the assassin read from Lei Lin's grin.