Chapter 63: Professorial Assassinations

Chapter 63: Professorial Assassinations

Nathan slowly pushed himself to his feet, wincing as things finished shifting back into place. He put a hand to his face, finding it wet with blood and vitreous humors. He wiped his hand on his robe and found that the clothing was damp. It had contained most of the gore when hed landed, and he used a clean edge to wipe up the small amount that had gotten on the floor. There was still a red smear on the floor, but it wasnt especially obvious.

Well, thats one robe ruined. But for a good cause.

The robe was uncomfortable to wear, but it was hardly the least pleasant thing Nathan had endured. He examined the wizardry that sealed him inside the staircase, but his mind drifted to his newly developed Talent. [Immortal Body] was incredible. With his massive Stamina pool and the ability to absorb magic, it meant that he was very hard to kill.

Nathan let out a breath as he focused on the wizardry in front of him. It was simpler than the one high above, but still deserved care. After all, messing up would get an enforcement mage teleported in. He didnt need to draw more heat just yet. Once the door slid open, he set off back to the low-tier housing at a jog. It was childs play to avoid the patrols of mages. He felt confident enough to stop by the dining hall full of force magic to drain a bit of mana and replenish his Stamina.

Based on how many resources I spent there, I can come back from being killed twice before Im out of resources. Maybe three times if I dont need to regenerate the majority of my body. That will only get better as the new Talent ranks up, and in a fight both of my resources are quick to replenish. It does mean I need to be careful not to spend too much of my Focus. I think it takes about 800 of it to keep me alive long enough for my brain to regenerate. Maybe more if my head gets completely crushed. Its inherently hard to test.

Nathan snuck through the park in the low-tier student residences, noticing that there were fewer young mages out than usual. It seemed his murders had spooked them. He shrugged and dunked himself in the pool, swimming underneath the falling water to allow the cool water to wash away the traces of his experiment.

Then he climbed back to the suite, wringing out his robe above the pool to avoid tracking a trail of water straight to his door. The robe was still badly stained, and he hung it up in the corner of his bathroom to finish drying and went to bed.

The next morning he woke up with everybody else, got dressed in a clean robe and joined the other student in the main room. They were all nervous about the upcoming practical lesson, where Bran dho Jast would examine them on their magic. As they were approaching the dining hall, Nathan frantically patted at his robe. Giants ballsack! I forgot my homework in the suite! He turned and ran away, casting a quick Ill catch up at class! over his shoulder.

He ran through the corridors, careful to restrict his run when anybody could see him. But when there was nobody around he turned on the gas, zipping through the halls with all of the speed he could muster with Stamina and four mobility Talents. Once he heard the sounds of a patrolling golem ahead and diverted, taking a slightly longer route to get to the offices as quickly as possible. Once there he approached Brans office and stood patiently in front of the wall as his antimagic went through the rehearsed motions to open the door.

A moment later the portal slid open, revealing Bran sitting at his desk, grading homework and munching on a scone. The orange-robed mage looked up, confused as Nathan's aura enveloped him. His face was just starting to register recognition when Nathans fist slammed through a multilayered [Mage Armor] and into the mans neck, toppling him out of the chair.

The blow was hard enough to break the lecturer's spine, and Nathan stepped around the desk to stomp on Bran's chest, caving in his ribs and driving shards of bone into his heart and lungs. With confirmation that death was imminent, Nathan stayed just long enough to ensure that the man didnt have a healing item that would save his life.

Magekiller has leveled to 181! You have cleanly killed Bran dho Jast, a lecturer of Giantsrest!

Nathan walked out of the office thirty seconds after he'd entered, shooting a glance at the nameplate on the office across the hall. It read Kimi dha Finkra, which wasnt a name Nathan recognized.

Seems like as good a target as any for a decoy killing, so its not just Bran who dies. Am I ok with killing a random lecturer of Giantsrest?

He shrugged, stepping forward and starting to untangle the wizardry on the door. The lecturers held positions of power in Giantsrest, and that increased their culpability. They were directly responsible for teaching all of the flavors of mages. They taught the lessons that made enslavement, enforcement and war mages. The lecturers were a military asset and valid target because they were a core pillar of the traditions and infrastructure of Giantsrest that let them attack and enslave.

Theyre certainly more responsible for the continuation of Giantsrests tyranny than a bunch of kids who are just trying to find their way in this messed-up society.

The attractive woman inside had apparently sensed something was up, since she was already frowning towards the entrance as door slid open. She was sitting on a couch, not at the desk, so Nathans prepared thrust of antimagic missed. Her red-glowing eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to ask a question. Then her expression grew fierce as he rushed towards her, and she barked out a quick spell.

[Force Blast]

A directional explosion blasted Nathan back slightly, with razored shards of force whipping against his aura. The spell was threaded with wizardry, and the power gave the explosion enough presence and the force to press against his antimagic. He bulled through the blast with his momentum skills, stabbing forward with another tendril of antimagic into the womans reinforced [Mage Armor] as she cast the next spell.

[Teleport]

The spell flickered and failed underneath the onslaught of Nathans antimagic, and one of the orange-robed womans feet teleported away. She collapsed with a scream, and he stomped on her neck and chest a few times, using antimagic to neutralize an automatic healing charm. Once his skills confirmed death was imminent, he turned to depart.

That spell was loud, and I'm a bit worried that a suddenly appearing foot is going to raise an alarm. I need to get out of here.

Magekiller has leveled to 198! You have assassinated Kimi dha Finkra, a lecturer of Giantsrest and protg of Badud!

Nathan almost gawked at the description. Kimi had been worth half again as many levels as Bran. With wizardry and as the apprentice of Badud, there was no mystery as to why. But that wasnt the most pressing issue. Clomping footsteps approached from multiple directions, and Nathan leapt into the air, getting close to the high ceiling before he started darting down the halls.

Other lecturers emerged from their offices to investigate the noise, and Nathan spent Focus to divert their attention away from the ceiling. He zipped over two golems as they rushed towards the disturbance, and kept going over a couple of curious students who wanted to see what the noise had been. A few people may have caught a glimpse of him, but nobody reacted in time to slow him down.

High-tier Noticeability 7 achieved

As soon as he found a clear spot he dropped to the ground and inspected his clothing. There were a couple of rips in his robe from the [Force Blast] and some blood on his shoe, but it wasnt very noticeable. Besides, he didnt have time to go all the way back and properly change. Not if he wanted to make the timing match how long it should take to run back to the suite and grab his homework.

Nathan pulled his homework out from an inner pocket of his robe where hed stuck it that morning and jogged to meet with his suitemates. He caught them as they were leaving the dining hall to head to the practical class. The news of the newest killings hadn't reached them, and the younger students were gossiping as he approached.

Void of Magic has leveled to 338! You have killed two lecturers of Giantsrest inside the Ascendant Academy!

Hibor handed Nathan a large meat-pie with a grin. Got it?

Nathan brandished the homework. Yup! He stuck it back into the pocket before accepting the meat pie and munching on it as they walked to the classroom.

They entered their accustomed pod, sitting nervously as they waited for Bran to arrive. The other students were all present, and they were looking around in confusion. It wasnt like Bran dho Jast to be late to his own class.

How are you so calm, Natad? Yelun asked, frowning at him.

Whoops. I know that Bran's not going to show up, but they don't yet.

He shrugged. What happens is beyond my grasp. Youll show off your skills, and Ill explain that my Insight means I cant cast the spell until I get another class Development. My work demonstrates that I understand the Insight. He will accept it or he wont. Its in the Giants hands.

She seemed mollified, but everybody grew more and more concerned as time stretched on without Brans arrival. One of the students stepped out into the hall to look around, shaking his head as he returned. After almost an hour of nothing, a blue robed enforcement mage walked through the door, looking around at them all in annoyance. He linked up to the sound magic and spoke loudly. Practical class is canceled today. I will escort you to your rooms. Your theoretical lecture this afternoon will proceed as prophesied.

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All of the students filed past the blue-robed mage, whispering and muttering. The mage glanced over each of them as they passed, examining their faces for a moment before letting them through.

Permanent Talent 3: Airwalking 5

Class: Void of Magic level338

Deepened Stamina: 10050/10440

Void of Feeling

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Magic Anathema

Airborne Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Voluminous Aura

Denial of Wizardry

Mana Severance

Class: Magekiller level 198

Regenerative Focus: 1776/2080

Catastrophic Blows

Battle Stealth

Mage Infiltration

Forgettable

Unsuspecting Strike

Antimagic Stealth

Spell Redirection

Lethal Index

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 10

Inspiration 2

Acceleration 4

Wizard Senses 9

Alertness 7

Wizards Intuition 10

Effortless Dodge 3

Mental Fortress 9

Tutoring 3

Parkour 2

High-tier Noticeability 7

Mid-tier Disguise 9

Mid-tier Battle Cry 7

Mid-tier Aura Manipulation 9