Chapter 14 The Faceless One! Mortals All Have One Death

As the sky darkened, the faint moonlight spread over the snow-covered plains, casting a pure, brilliant glow. In the distance, from the depths of the forest, came a subtle sound—a sound so faint that most would have missed it. Fortunately, with his [Sharp Perception] ability, Grane was able to hear it.

The sound of soft footsteps echoed—boots brushing against the snow, making little noise. 

At the same time, a figure, hidden among the bushes, gradually emerged, moving carefully and cautiously. Grane didn't hesitate. He activated his [Eagle Eye Vision], feeling a surge of intense energy fill his eyes. He could clearly see the person ahead. The man, wearing a leather hat and a black face mask, his slender figure moving stealthily through the woods, had a longsword hanging at his waist. He gripped a dagger in his right hand, delicately cutting through the foliage to clear his path, muttering in annoyance as he went.

"Those so-called Vikia warriors, and the Stark family... a mere slash is enough to cripple them."

"The Stark family is nothing. The courage they once had to face the Dawn Sword is long gone. Perfect, tonight I'll deal with the little one, and put an end to them once and for all."

The assassin who had killed his father?

Grane carefully watched the masked man's every move. As the man emerged from the bushes and lowered his guard, Grane struck.

Drawing his bow in a smooth, practiced motion, he released an arrow without hesitation, his body moving instinctively, as though performing the action thousands of times.

Whoosh—

The arrow flew through the air, a deadly pursuit aimed directly at the assassin's forehead.

Clink!

The sharp sound of metal clashing rang out. The assassin deftly deflected the arrow with his dagger, causing it to veer off course and graze his temple, drawing blood, before it landed in the snow with a dull thud.

The strength and precision of the attack stunned the masked man. He quickly unsheathed his sword, leaping toward Grane.

"You damn brat, I'll cut you into eighteen pieces, wrap you in bread and bean paste, and turn you into jerky!"

The masked man roared with fury, his figure moving with incredible speed, covering the distance between them in an instant.

Grane's eyes narrowed. How fast!

Without a moment's thought, he turned and fled, narrowly avoiding a dagger thrown toward him, the blade embedding itself in the ground with a dull thud.

Whoosh!

Another dagger followed, missing Grane by mere inches, embedding itself into the earth.

Fortunately, with his advanced knight-level agility and enhanced abilities from [Sharp Perception] and [Eagle Eye Vision], Grane was able to avoid danger repeatedly. Without those skills, he would have been pierced by these daggers, like a hedgehog.

It was no wonder this man had assassinated the baron and left without a trace. This assassin... he was likely a knight-level expert, with a stealthy and deadly assassin's style.

Grane darted through the terrain, using his familiarity with the environment to zigzag through the bushes, dodging dagger after dagger.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp whistle. Grane instinctively jumped aside. Almost simultaneously, another dagger was thrown, aimed at where he was about to land.

This time, there was no escaping.

Grane twisted his body, using all his strength to avoid the fatal blow, though the dagger still grazed his arm, drawing blood.

In that brief moment, he found himself cornered, his movements fully anticipated.

The assassin slowly approached, twirling his daggers in his hands, looking at Grane with mocking amusement.

"You really surprised me, little brat, with your agility at the advanced knight level."

"But against absolute power, this is all you can do."

"Die!" 

Grane suddenly shouted, his voice cold and distant, as he ignored the blood flowing from his arm.

"I have one question before I die. Perhaps you could grant me this small wish?"

Seeing that Grane had no further resistance, he discarded his longbow and unsheathed his knight sword, tossing both aside, raising his arms in surrender.

The assassin paused, setting his daggers down and nodded.

"Fine, speak quickly. What is it? My patience is limited."

Grane stared unwaveringly at the assassin, his gaze sharp.

"Did you assassinate Marion Stark?"

"Yes." The assassin admitted directly. Then he furrowed his brow.

"That guy was resilient. I pierced his lungs, yet he didn't die immediately. He struggled, but it was only a matter of time before he died."

Grane pressed on. "Second question—if I'm not mistaken, you're part of some assassin organization, right?"

"You're right. We're part of the most powerful assassination group on the Continent of Kaladia—The Faceless." 

The assassin's words were cold and unbothered.

"Alright, that's enough questions. Time to die."

The assassin drew his long sword and began walking toward Grane with an imposing presence, sending waves of pressure that made Grane feel almost as if he were facing a high-tier knight.

At that moment, Grane smiled—a sly, almost mocking smile.

"Assassin, I wonder if you're feeling dizzy, your breathing quickening, your limbs growing weak?"

The assassin stopped in his tracks, confused for a moment. His face paled, and he began to tremble with fury.

"Damn brat, did you poison your arrows?"

"Indeed. A three-person dose of 'Blind Snake' poison, enjoy it."

Grane spoke calmly, his face unwavering.

Poisoned arrows were one of his specialties.

"I'll kill you! You bastard! Cowardly son of a—!"

The assassin screeched, charging forward, but his legs suddenly went weak. In a panic, he turned to flee.

Whoosh!

An arrow shot through the air again. The assassin swung his sword to deflect it, but there was little force behind it, and the arrow pierced his abdomen.

Coughing up blood, the assassin staggered, falling to his knees.

"Kid, spare me just once, and I'll repay you a hundredfold."

"The Faceless always keeps our promises. We all die in the end."

Grane didn't even acknowledge his words, continuing to fire arrows.

Thud!

Another arrow sank into the assassin's chest, ending his life.

Bah, so much for the Faceless, the so-called top assassins. Pathetic.

Grane approached, habitually driving his sword through the assassin's throat to ensure he was truly dead. He then began searching the body for loot.

Several gold coins, seven well-crafted daggers, a longsword, and... a strange ring.

The moment Grane picked up the ring, a surge of unfamiliar energy flooded his mind, like a torrent of water. It was overwhelming, making his head spin. With great effort, he fought through the dizziness, stuffing the ring into his pocket.

He then slowly retreated to his cave, planning to study the ring in more detail later.