Chapter 202

[Translator – Night][Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 202: Essence of the Mist (1)

In a monastery located in the southern city of Brenu in the Ushif Empire.

A sermon of a monk is being held in a dim underground square.

“Just as human life is not eternal, there is no eternity in all things. Let alone the order that maintains the current peace.”

Most of the believers couldn’t help but be captivated by the monk’s eloquence.

Except for Schurz, who rolled his eyes around in a stiff posture.

‘What’s this? They’re all a bunch of fanatics here, huh?’

It was fine to witness a secret signal by chance on the street and infiltrate here, but what followed was the problem.

It had nothing to do with the mist, as he thought it might.

They were just weak believers who worshipped or were induced to worship some specific entity called the mist.

Experience in mercenary life is not in vain.

You can tell what kind of temperament a person has just by looking into their eyes.

Most of the people here were likely to have read books all their lives until their eyeballs fell out.

Except for one person.

Except for the man next to him.

“……”

Humans are creatures who can see many things not only with their eyes but also with physical senses accumulated through experience.

Large hands that do not suit a small and delicate physique.

A smooth body built only with muscles that cannot be found in fat.

Even clear veins faintly visible between the arms.

He doesn’t look like a herbivore just because a lion eats grass.

Schurz was sure that the man sitting next to him had come here hiding his identity just like him.

After the sermon time, which went by in a way that nobody knew how, ended, Schurz quickly followed him as he left the monastery.

The man’s destination was not a village, but outside the city, and there was no contact with other people along the way.

Just when everything seemed to be going well, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Then, after looking left and right, he suddenly turned into an alley next to the main road.

Schurz hurriedly followed him, afraid of losing him.

The man turned corners and went deeper and deeper, and Schurz followed him without fail, like a dogged pursuer.

Just when he thought he was following well,

“……?”

The man suddenly disappeared.

With a puzzled expression, when Schurz turned around, right in front of him,

“……!”

The man he had just followed was right in front of him.

Sensing the threat, Schurz quickly drew his sword from his cloak.

– Clang!

A quick decision of one second saved him.

The tip of the dagger the man had drawn was aimed directly at Schurz’ throat.

Schurz, who blocked the attack, quickly distanced himself.

With tension rising, his heart pounded like a drum, and cold sweat streamed down his back.

It would be futile to throw excuses and escape now.

So Schurz resolved to take one gamble with his life.

– Clang!

With a loud clang, the man’s forehead slightly crumpled.

Schurz threw the sword he had firmly gripped in both hands in front of him.

“My name is Schurz. I have no surname.”

Then he raised both hands, indicating no intention of attack.

“So, are you really a follower of the true Mist?”

The man stared at Schurz with a stern gaze, without answering.

“I felt it clearly at the monastery! You’re different from those strange doctrines and muttering monks! I came here to find you…!”

As if there was no need to hear more, the man, who suddenly put away his sword, turned away indifferently.

In a moment of urgency, Schurz shouted loudly as he watched his back.

“I want to join the Mist!”

Perhaps unable to ignore the statement, the man turned his head again.

His eyes, filled with life, were unsettling, but he was not as intimidating as the man Schurz had seen in the Kingdom of Garam.

Schurz calmly manifested a mana orb in his hand.

In the orb, the vivid darkness attribute mana spread.

It was his own proof that he was a perfect fit to join the organization.

The man silently watched the mana orb manifested by Schurz.

Although he seemed somewhat interested at first, he turned away again.

In the moment of confusion, wondering if he should do something more,

– Swish

The man turned his head again, nodding slightly at Schurz.

It meant to follow him.

With a gulp and a swallow, Schurz immediately followed behind the man.

* * *

During mercenary life, comrades often exchanged various stories.

Mostly about desires like money or women, but there was one topic that occasionally came up, about the Mist, the continent’s foremost assassination group.

They moved not for money or possessions but to realize their ideals and doctrines.

If one were to encounter them in their work, they were advised to leave the request and flee immediately. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

It wasn’t a matter of whether one could win or lose against those assassins.

They weren’t like other humans who lived based on desires and instincts,

so there was nothing good about confronting them, as they were willing to sacrifice their lives like giving away dog food to achieve their goals.

A remote hut located in the middle of a forest outside the city.

It was a small space where barely two people could fit, but inside, a powerful energy was palpable.

The man sent a gaze towards Schurz as if to enter.

After taking a deep breath, Schurz stepped inside, and the man followed him in.

Inside, there was nothing.

Except for a small dagger lying on the old wooden desk.

Of course, it was by no means an ordinary dagger.

Something eerie emanating between its sword stirred the senses, arousing negative emotions just by looking at it.

It was not a dagger one would want to hold.

“Seize it.”

The man spoke for the first time.

Though Schurz involuntarily squinted his eyes, he soon gathered himself and stepped forward.

Then he decisively grabbed the dagger.

– Boom

As he did, the misty energy emitted from the dagger spread out in all directions.

Schurz slowly opened his momentarily closed eyes.

His body was no longer in the hut, but in a strange space filled with inexplicable mist.

For a moment, bewildered by the unfamiliar situation,

Schurz directed his eyes straight towards the unfamiliar figure that appeared in front of him.

A very familiar man with sharp eyes and thick black hair.

Although clearly resembling a human, he didn’t feel like one.

Dark red bloody tears of unknown meaning flowed down his eyes, and he held a dagger smeared with blood in his hand.

But what puzzled him the most was,

The man holding the dagger right now,

He looked very much like Schurz himself.

No, he was exactly the same.

It felt like seeing another version of himself from an unknown future.

The tears flowing from his eyes were filled with emotions of anger, murderous intent and resentment, emotions that Schurz himself had never felt before.

“Sigh…”

He exhaled a melancholic sigh as the figure began to approach slowly.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

It was definitely not a welcoming gesture or a friendly handshake.

He was clearly approaching Schurz with the intention to kill.

At that moment, Schurz soon realized.

This was a trial.

He had to overcome this trial to gain recognition and move on to the next path.

Determined, Schurz drew his sword.

In response, another Schurz, as if waiting, rushed forward.

– Clang!

It was a brutal blow aimed at the face, especially the eyes.

However, the trajectory was already clear, so blocking it wasn’t difficult.

But,

“What, what’s this?”

Schurz soon doubted his eyes.

Although it seemed like he would collapse at any moment judging by the state of his face, he could feel immense force emanating from the sword that struck him.

This was a power that even his full condition self could never muster.

In his confusion, he attempted to create distance again,

“Urgh!”

But another Schurz didn’t allow even that.

As if saying that he had already entered the territory from which he couldn’t escape, his crimson dagger was slowly approaching Schurz’ face.

The chilling sensation of death experienced at the brink of life and death.

As the blood-stained tip of the dagger touched his throat,

– Swoosh!

The mist that had pervaded the surroundings disappeared in an instant, and they returned to the small hut where they had originally been.

With his strength drained, Schurz slumped to the ground and breathed heavily while looking at the floor.

The man looked at Schurz with disdain and said,

“The one you just met is another aspect of you, consumed by revenge, anger, and resentment.”

“Another aspect?”

“Anger is indeed a powerful driving force that brings out the weakest nature of humanity. However, power obtained without controlling reason ultimately leads to self-destruction regardless of the process.”

A brutal power obtained at the cost of tears of blood.

To Schurz, who had actually experienced it, further explanation seemed unnecessary.

“However, those who cannot overcome themselves are consumed by that anger…”

The man casually picked up the sword from the table and tucked it into his cloak.

“You’re not worthy of wielding an assassin’s sword.”

With that, he passed by the fallen Schurz indifferently and left the room.

Alone, Schurz, exhausted, simply collapsed.

“To overcome myself consumed by anger? Is that even possible?”

It wasn’t a complaint about not passing the trial, but a genuine question arising from his heart.

“What kind of lives have you lived?”

Schurz realized, with every fiber of his being, that he was still far from reaching that level.

* * *

(Do you have any regrets?)

“Since the day I began serving Aeru, I have always awaited this moment. What is there to regret?”

(I asked because there’s no need to rush like this.)

“For an assassin, hesitation is akin to death. You, of all people, should understand that.”

(I can’t seem to find the right words.)

In the face of her firm demeanor, Aeru nodded his head.

-Tap, tap, tap!

The urgent footsteps of someone reached their ears.

They were rapidly approaching their location.

(It seems he noticed us sooner than expected. Are you sure you’ll be okay? If things get tough, I can intervene.)

“No need for that. I’ll end the mental connection now. Please watch with interest…”

(You’re being cruel with your words.)

With that, Aeru vanished along with the mist.

As Silica slowly raised her eyes, Cyan, with his usual indifferent expression, stood before her.

The only difference was that his gaze seemed sharper than before.

Despite his bold appearance, he said nothing to Silica.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“If you have something to say, please do.”

[TL/N: spiderman meme?]

“I’ve already conveyed my instructions through the orders, haven’t I?”

“A blank piece of paper with nothing written on it?”

“You understand perfectly.”

Silica raised an eyebrow as if to ask if there was a problem.

“What’s the reason? Do you think I would hesitate to assassinate Princess Arin?”

If it was for that reason, he could somewhat understand.

But wasn’t she someone who knew very well that he wouldn’t do such a thing?

Cyan thought there was no way she would exclude him for such a trivial reason.

However,

“Can you say that you won’t?”

Silica unexpectedly threw a surprising question at Cyan.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]