First Meeting of Assassins (2)

Due to the wide detection array set up across the city, Paraj had a very low crime rate. However, even here a branch of the underground guild could be found. Furthermore, it was a luxurious mansion that easily blended in with the sparkly buildings. This was proof that even in a city that seemed to embody prosperity, darkness could still be found.

With his white mask on, Shui entered the mansion and was immediately guided to a conference room with a long, oval table. In the room, there were already five peculiar persons seated. Similar to him, the five of them wore masks or were using some sort of disguise artifact or spell. No one was having a conversation so Shui didn't plan on breaking the silence. He sat down and waited for the other four participants, but only one more came after him.

'So three of them got killed already.'

Once an imposing man with a scar over his eye entered the room and announced that the seven of them were the only participants left, none were surprised. If you got killed this early in the game, then you simply weren't that good to begin with. The man then went on to explain the rules for the rank-up exam. As usual, they would assign each of them a target and their job was to kill them within three days.

"This time, there will be three targets."

A split-second after they found out the number of targets, killing intent filled the room. No one in the room showed any reaction to the chilling atmosphere, but not a single animal could be seen in the vicinity of the building. Based on how the targets were assigned, it wouldn't be surprising if a battle royale occurred as soon as the meeting was over. After all, anyone could tell that it was much easier to get rid of your competition than to fairly compete.

While the mood stayed tense, the man took out three portraits and pinned them to the board that was on the wall behind him. The first image was of a stern middle-aged man, the second was an arrogant youth while the last one showed an alluring beauty.

As assassins, they were hardly moved by her pretty face, but they had to admit that she was charming. Among them, Shui had the biggest reaction to the woman.

'Who is she?'

Similar to when he saw Alia in human size for the first time, he felt like he recognized her but he couldn't put a name to the face. Furthermore, unlike with Alia, Shui knew that he had no positive feelings towards whoever the image was of.

The man then went on to give them basic details about each target. He started with the first portrait of the middle-aged man.

"This man has a strong influence on the local pill market. Any business dealing with pills has to go through him first, and let's just say that more than a few had to shut their doors because of him."

Next was the young man, "This boy likes to act cocky, but he's basically a wastrel being supported by his parents. He's here for vacation but thanks to connections he's been given a free pass. From rape to theft, he's done it all at least one since entering the city."

Finally, it was time for the last image.

"Last but not least, we have the leader of a new cult known as the Pink Devils. The cult has already spread to neighbouring regions and is still growing, so don't underestimate them. Despite only recently being started, this force has already swallowed up several minor-level forces. As for their leader, we already have her personal history but we don't know how she was able to get so strong so quickly."

It was a bit of interesting news, but still nothing that clicked in his mind. However, he then caught a glance at the file that the scarred man took her portrait from. On that file, he spotted 'Iris', and everything immediately came together.

'It was her!'

She was much different than he remembered her, but he could find the resemblance. Of course, it was still too early to be sure, but now Shui was certain that he had to meet her, the woman likely responsible for pushing Nathan down the wrong path. He didn't have any right to blame her, but there were things he had to know.

After going through the targets, the man then told them who would be assigned to which. Whether luckily or unluckily, Shui wasn't assigned to Iris but to the middle-aged man. There were three others assigned to him, one assigned to the wastrel and two assigned to Iris. He didn't know if the number of them being assigned to a single target had any relation to the difficulty of the task, but it wasn't like they would be working together either way.

Once the briefing was over, their seventy-two hour time limit began. Shui left the building with a scroll containing information on his target, but his mind was still on Iris. Considering the fact that he had killed her son, it probably wasn't the best idea to see her, but there were questions that he had to ask. Since he didn't want her to get assassinated before he got his answers, he planned on finding her today, which wouldn't be too hard if he searched for familiar auras within the city. However, he couldn't let his target be taken care of while he was busy finding her. Fortunately, his direct competitors didn't plan on trying to get a head start.

Since he predicted their behaviour, Shui kept his mask on as he exited the underground guild branch and went to a more desolate area. Shui could detect several eyes on him, but the sharp killing intent made it easy to spot his foes. He didn't know how to feel about the fact that they wanted to take care of him first, but at least it would save him the trouble.

Back in the underground guild branch, the scarred man went back to his office. Normally this was one of the few places where he could slightly lower his guard, but due to the arrival of a certain executive from the organization he had act to act professional here as well. Although he was an expert in the Sky Realm, this was a personage that he had to act humble around.

As soon as he opened the door, he spotted an expressionless young man polishing his knife on the couch beside the glass table at the centre of the room. The young man didn't react to his entrance, but the scarred man went in front of him and bowed his head.

"The exam has officially begun. As we predicted, the group of four was the first to enter a hostile state."

Without moving his gaze from the shiny blade, the young man responded, "I see. And, have we found out their objective?"

With cold sweat dripping down his back, the scarred man answered, "I'm, afraid not, sir. We've confirmed that at least three of them have infiltrated the city, but we still don't know who their target is."

As the young man kept his silence, the scarred man couldn't stop his heart from racing. Considering what force they were from this was the obvious result, but he didn't know how the executive would take that.

"Hmm, well I suppose they wouldn't be brash enough to steal our targets. Keep an eye on them for now."

With a feeling of relief, the scarred man strongly answered, "Yes, sir!"