The familiar Adventurers' Guild had a strange man in it today.
A man who was rather mediocre in every aspect, whether in height or appearance.
However, Lynn, whose Perception attribute was as high as 8 points, could feel an extraordinary aura about him.
Beneath that ordinary appearance that would immediately vanish if thrown into a crowd, a razor-sharp iron blade lay hidden.
Betty didn't notice anything special about the man. She leaned in close to Lynn's ear and whispered,
“Is that the rogue mentor from Whiteport? He doesn't look like a class-holder at all. He feels way worse than Teacher Gray.”
Just then, the man's gaze swept over the two of them.
Betty thought the man had heard her words and immediately shut her mouth in fright.
But Lynn knew the man was looking at him.
The man had clearly noticed Lynn's distinctiveness as well.
Among the crowd of low-level adventurers who aspired to become rogues, only Lynn's Perception attribute met his requirements.
Young, with high enough Perception, and judging by his clothes, his family background was likely very ordinary—probably a commoner.
He seemed to be a promising talent.
Without a word, the man strode straight toward Lynn, frightening Betty so much that she pulled her head back like a shivering chick.
The man stopped and extended his hand to Lynn. “Damon, Level 7 Assassin. Are you here to learn from me?”
A Level 7 Assassin?!
Putting aside Gray, whose exact level was unknown, this was the first time Lynn had ever met such a high-level class-holder.
Lynn shook hands with Damon.
The moment he touched him, Lynn felt as if his hand were gripping a blade, his palm sliced open by the edge.
But once he let go, the painful sensation vanished instantly.
Seeing that Lynn showed no fear, a stiff, corpse-like smile stretched across Damon's face.
“What do you want to learn? Stealth? Sap? Or how to kill people?”
The surrounding adventurers were all drawn to the scene.
Some who knew each other had already begun whispering among themselves.
When they had arrived, this class-holder mentor hadn't been nearly so proactive.
The adventurers still remembered Instructor Damon's attitude toward everyone else. His face had been as sour as a stone in a latrine, clearly looking down on the adventurers of Wingen Town.
...
How to kill people?
Lynn was somewhat speechless.
Was this man really a class-holder mentor invited by the Adventurers' Guild?
Why did he speak like a real assassin just because his class was Assassin?
Before Lynn could speak, Damon suddenly smiled again, a sinister smirk.
“Of course, the killing part was a joke. I don't do that kind of thing.”
You don't?
Lynn grumbled in his heart. You certainly don't look like someone who doesn't.
But since he was already here and Damon had taken the initiative to offer guidance, Lynn naturally sought to learn with humility.
“I want to know how to become a class-holder.”
Lynn could see that after he asked this question, Damon seemed slightly taken aback.
It seemed he hadn't expected Lynn to ask such a thing.
Lynn couldn't help but reflect on himself.
Had he really wasted his past dozen or so years in this other world?
Why did it feel like the things he wanted to know were common knowledge to these city folk?
However, Damon did not immediately clear up Lynn's confusion.
His hands dropped slightly, and two daggers slid from his sleeves into his palms.
“With a frail body like yours, you're already thinking about becoming a class-holder?
“Come, spar with me. Let me see where you get the confidence to ask such a thing.
“I won't attack proactively, nor will I use any combat skills. As long as you can touch me, not only will I teach you how to become a class-holder, but I'll also give you something.
“But if your performance doesn't satisfy me, I'll punish you by making you polish my boots.”
From Damon's perspective, Lynn's body was weak and frail, clearly far from being a class-holder.
Thinking about becoming a class-holder now was undoubtedly a sign of aiming too high with too little ability.
He planned to take Lynn down a peg or two.
On the other hand, although Lynn didn't know what Damon had misunderstood, he wasn't at all averse to sparring with a Level 7 Assassin.
This was the Adventurers' Guild, after all. Could Damon actually harm him here?
Being able to spar with such a class-holder was a good thing for Lynn, no matter how he looked at it.
But just as Lynn unbuckled the spear at his waist, intending to trade a few blows with this class-holder mentor—
A white flash flickered.
Before Lynn could even see what was happening, his spear was sent flying, landing upright in the nearby grass.
His heart skipped a beat.
On the other side, Damon, who had disarmed Lynn, frowned.
“This weapon isn't something an assassin should be using.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the shortsword at Lynn's waist.
Lynn couldn't help but complain in his heart.
First, he wasn't an assassin.
Second, for low-level adventurers, who didn't just use whatever weapon was easiest to get their hands on?
Which low-level adventurer fought with a shortsword? Noobs like that would have ended up in a monster's stomach long ago.
But since Damon, as the mentor, had said so, Lynn naturally wouldn't cross him.
Still, he hadn't really used a weapon like a shortsword before...
The other apprentices around them stopped their training one after another.
Restrained by Mentor Damon's intimidating aura, they only dared to steal glances from the corners of their eyes.
Someone actually dared to challenge Damon?
He really must not know this man's temper!
Everyone watched with a mind to enjoy the spectacle, waiting for this new apprentice to make a fool of himself.
...
Lynn drew the shortsword from his waist, his calm face reflected in the cold surface of the blade.
Damon didn't waste words and waved him forward.
“Come.”
Lynn lowered his body. Stealth Lv.2 and Mimicry Lv.1 were activated simultaneously, and he completely vanished from the backyard.
Mimicry and Stealth had extremely high compatibility, creating a “one plus one is greater than two” effect.
Combined with Mimicry, which automatically reduced his visibility, his Stealth Lv.2 produced an effect comparable to Lv.3 or even Lv.4.
Even some of the adventurers watching let out low gasps of surprise.
Where did he go? How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?
“Your basic assassin skills are quite practiced,” Damon commented.
Yet, Damon didn't show the slightest hint of tension. Instead, he casually stared at the spot where Lynn had vanished, as if he hadn't noticed Lynn's movements at all.
Lynn didn't hold back just because his opponent seemingly hadn't spotted him.
There's no way a Level 7 Assassin would be injured by an unclassed novice like me, right?
A bright light flashed on the shortsword, clearly activating a combat skill.
Kidney Strike!
But Lynn didn't strike immediately.
He tilted the shortsword in his hand, and under the sunlight, a blinding reflection flashed directly into Damon's eyes.
Even as a class-holder, Damon instinctively closed his eyes when faced with this sneak-attack “flashbang.”
Devious enough.
The corners of Damon's mouth curled slightly.
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Lynn struck, the shortsword aiming straight for Damon's kidney.
With the thought-acceleration effect brought by his high Intelligence attribute, although Lynn wasn't skilled in martial arts, he knew exactly how to inflict damage on an opponent.
Yet, just a split second before the shortsword could touch Damon's armor, Damon moved.
The dagger in his right hand twitched slightly.
Clang!
With the screech of clashing metal, the fuller on Damon's dagger caught Lynn's thrusting shortsword.
Even with the power boost of Kidney Strike combined with the 10% physical damage bonus from Strike from Shadows, Damon firmly blocked Lynn's attack using sheer physical strength alone!
This showed the immense gap in strength between the two.
Having blocked Lynn's attack with ease, Damon began to instruct him.
“Don't make your intent to strike so obvious. Lower your center of gravity when attacking, spread your feet, and use the power of your core and hips to drive the strike.”
Lynn, of course, had long anticipated this.
He had never expected a single strike to succeed, so he had held back some of his strength.
Using the momentum of Damon parrying his shortsword, Lynn smoothly pivoted to Damon's side.
Backstab activated.
A bright red weak point marker appeared on Damon's back.
...
Not bad, he even knows to hold back strength to transition his moves.
Damon nodded again, his evaluation of Lynn rising to another level.
Although his moves were still a bit raw, clearly showing he was a novice who hadn't handled weapons much,
but his combat style was highly suited to an assassin. He used any means necessary, capable of pouring all his energy into a single strike, yet also ready to retreat miles away if the attack failed.
This was very much to Damon's liking.
Lynn this time did not hold back. Gripping the sword with both hands and lunging forward to gather momentum, he channeled all his strength into the shortsword.
He thrust!
Damon, of course, hadn't been fooled by Lynn's Mimicry. He had long sensed Lynn moving behind him.
He didn't even turn around, simply extending his dagger confidently behind his back to block the path of Lynn's attack.
But in the next instant, something completely unexpected by both of them occurred.
As Damon's dagger clashed with the shortsword once more,
Zing!
With a sharp ring,
Damon's weapon actually snapped under the two consecutive strikes of Lynn's shortsword, which was made of an unknown material!
The blade shattered under the force, and for the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on Damon's face.
Rate on N.U.
