Chapter 199: Shadow Assassin

The Mortician's understanding of the human body gave him the ability to inflict fatal strikes in just a few attacks.

However, The Mortician's attacks might be devastating, but it had a clear weakness.

His weapon was too short. Its attack range couldn't even compare to a dagger's reach. In order for him to unleash his full potential, he must be given enough space and protection to dispose of the enemy.

One could say that the Mortician was suitable to be an Assassin, but his presence was just too cold. His coldness could probably freeze an entire city if he grew stronger enough and considering the fact that assassins needed to be incognito most of the time...

The Mortician just didn't fit such a specific role.

But there was one role that the Mortician was perfectly suitable with.

It was the role of a glass cannon.

Glass cannons were powerful but brittle.

If not given sufficient care, then they could easily shatter.

What's more, they required immense support before they could unleash their full potential.

But this wasn't a problem for Calvin.

It was because his Writer Class might not have any offensive skills, but most of his abilities were utility skills that could support the Mortician in battle.

One of them was the skill, Log.

Log.

Calvin records true to the facts paragraphs containing information about a certain enemy.

He could then drill that particular information into the minds of his comrades with their comrade's permission. Then, they would instantly understand what Calvin had written on the piece of paper.

This skill was indeed incredibly useful, but it was useless for people without sufficient knowledge or without enough time to analyze what their enemy was.

Furthermore, it also had a drawback.

Only a single Log could be made in a day.

After all, forcing information into the consciousness of someone else was an exhausting endeavor, and even Calvin couldn't bypass this drawback.

This was why after all this time, he hadn't used a single skill related to his class at all.

Every class in the world of Felipinas had a single active skill and an ultimate skill dedicated for that particular class, tailored to the personality archetypes of the class owner.

Say for example that one had the Assassin class, yet his personality made him more suitable for an all-in or all-out fighting style. Then, their class would give them two skills related to that fighting style.

This was why even though classes might overlap, each and every one of them was truly unique on their own.

'I can probably use Log to help the Mortician or Stephanie in the upcoming battle.'

'But I'm leaning on helping the Mortician more than Stephanie...'

'I have no idea what will happen to her the moment she realizes that the identity of the deformed man was that same young man who was the subject of her resentment. Will she be able to retain her senses that she'll be able to remember the details of the information that I would pass unto her?'

Calvin gnashed his teeth.

'I should use this Log to assist the Mortician!'

Time was running out.

Calvin had to decide.

In the end, he chose the Mortician.

The Log was a one-time usage skill after all.

Even if it refreshed daily, there was no guarantee that Calvin would still be alive by the time daybreak came.

This was why he had to eliminate any uncertain variables.

Since Stephanie was a part of that variable, then he had to choose the Mortician.

The monsters were fast approaching and Calvin knew that he couldn't delay things any longer. He took a turn and changed directions to the village center where he discovered another veil made out of locusts, wasps, and mosquitos.

'Shit...' Calvin clicked his tongue.

'The deformed man is definitely a cautious man. There's just no way that I can go through that veil without dying.'

'But that doesn't mean that I do not have a plan.'

Calvin emerged from his Emperor's Veil as he felt his chest pocket.

'Six... Only six runecrafted papers are left... One for Aksi, two are for Borg, and three is for Arb...'

Borg meant defense, Aksi meant confusion, while Arb meant to push.

Calvin had tallied his remaining resources and he quickly came to a decision.

Emerging out of his Emperor's Veil, Calvin ran towards the Veil of Slaughter.

The monsters shrieked behind him as Calvin eyed a nearby building near the village center.

He was about to do an incredibly dangerous maneuver that involved a vertical climb with his legs, so he had to be focused.

Arriving in front of that building, Calvin hurled a piece of paper directly below him as he called out.

"Arb, release!"

Bam!

An explosion burst forth as a shockwave sent Calvin flying up to the roof

"REEE!"

The monsters rushed after him, but they weren't as agile as Calvin.

Their speed didn't permit them to make an abrupt stop as they crashed on the wall of the building before falling into the veil.

Calvin had lured a few dozens of monsters into chasing after him and most of them crashed into the veil.

But as Calvin had expected, these monsters were just too weak to cause any significant damage to the veil.

'Damn it, that Veil of Slaughter is indeed too horrifying! To think that it could easily shred through the flesh of these Corpse Eaters! I don't believe that this veil won't crack. If a dozen of these monsters aren't enough to create an opening in this veil, then I'll sacrifice a few dozens! If not, then a few hundred!'

'I don't believe that I can't fill the stomach of these wasps, locusts, and mosquitos to the brim!'

The Veil of Slaughter was a living veil.

It sure was a sinister veil, but it had a particular weakness.

Once the stomach of the monsters that formed the veil became full, they would be unable to consume any more flesh.

When that happened, then the Veil of Slaughter would be overwhelmed. However, Calvin believed that the deformed man wouldn't possibly make such a rookie mistake. He must have some tricks up his sleeves that would prevent that imminent collapse of this veil.

'This isn't going to work... I've got to do something else.'

Monsters after monsters kept crashing against the veil, but all of them were reduced to bones and ashes in just a few moments. Calvin clicked his tongue after noticing that he hadn't done any substantial damage to the veil at all!

He had to change his plans.

But before he could even revise his plans, several dull thuds rang out on the same rooftop he was on.

Calvin turned his head and discovered the three members of the Sabbath staring at him with murderous intents.

"I knew that the three of you wouldn't be as stupid as these Corpse Eaters."

Calvin lightly chuckled.

"REEE!" The Witches were angered by Calvin's cheeky words as they immediately dashed at him.

"Watch your step." Calvin smiled.

The Witches were fast indeed.

A distance of a few meters only took them two seconds to close-in.

But just as they raised their hands to tear Calvin apart... the latter suddenly smirked.

"Gawas, release."

He muttered and a piece of paper stuck on the rooftop exploded.

"REEE!"

The shockwave that it carried sent the Witches flying towards the veil. Their bodies immediately disintegrated the moment they made contact with it. Not even their ashes were left.

'Wheeew, that was terrifying.' Calvin rubbed the sweat on his forehead as he muttered to himself. He wasn't at his previous peak, so fighting against the Sabbath was something he couldn't possibly do.

Well, Calvin's knowledge could probably give him an advantage in battle which would let him fight against a single Witch.

But three?

Calvin shook his head.

The very next moment, his pupils constricted.

He hurriedly ducked his head into his chest as a fierce wind swept past where his head was originally located.

Turning around, Calvin discovered the existence of a monster clad surrounded by darkness.

"A Shadow?" This was Calvin's first impression of the assailant. But his thoughts quickly change the moment he saw the wings attached on the back of the shadow. Furthermore, there was a stinger on the rear-end of what looked like an insect.

"A wasp... and shadow?"

"The Shadow Assassin!" Calvin finally realized the identity of the monster standing in front of him.

The Shadow Assassin moved once more. Hiding between the shadows in the cracks of the rooftop, he emerged behind Calvin's shadow only to be slapped across his torso by a cold young man holding a scalpel in his hands.

The Shadow Assassin crashed against the roof, but he quickly recovered with a flap of his wings.

"Damn it, you saved me, Mortician!" Calvin didn't forget to praise the Mortician's timely arrival.

"Splenius capitis." The Mortician coldly spat as he stared at the Shadow Assassin. His body shone and became surrounded with a navy-blue aura.

Calvin's expression changed in surprise. Just as he was expected, the Mortician's aura that he was radiating at this moment was at the Peak High-Tier!

This was the first time that the Mortician released his aura. A grim look was on his face as he stared at the Shadow Assassin.

"..." The Shadow Assassin also silently released his aura. But it was evidently weaker when compared to the Mortician. The measurement of one's aura was a pretty accurate indication of strength. In short, the Shadow Assassin was the underdog in this fight.

What's more, he was alone.

But does he really have to fight against the Mortician?

No!

The Shadow Assassin was intelligent enough to understand that he would only suffer a beating if he fought the Mortician head to head.

However... what would happen if he targeted the young man whom the Mortician seemed to be attached to?

A smirk appeared on the Shadow Assassin's barely distinguishable human face.

He was half-human and half-insect.

Having made a decision, the Shadow Assassin dove into the shadows once more.

When he reappeared, he was right in front of Calvin as his stinger flew directly to Calvin's head.

"I thought Shadow Assassins are supposed to smart? Why did you make such a stupid decision?"

Calvin shook his head in derision as the Mortician's scalpel sliced through the air, blocking the Shadow Assassin's stinger.

Sparks flew, and the sound of metal clashing against metal rang throughout the silent night.

But when the Mortician's scalpel slashed through the Shadow Assassin. His body disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"That was a dummy!" Calvin called out and the Mortician hurriedly turned around.

But it was too late.

The Shadow Assassin had reappeared behind Calvin just as the latter leaped into the air in order to try and dodge the attack.

"Stupid..." The Shadow Assassin inwardly muttered. By jumping into the air, Calvin had essentially limited his own movements.

'This should be an easy catch'

The Shadow Assassin thought to himself as his Stinger struck Calvin's heart.

Yes, struck.

Not pierced.

It was because something incredibly sturdy—no, indestructible had prevented his Stinger from piercing through Calvin's heart.

"..."

The Shadow Assassin was dumbstruck.

But before he could process what had happened, Calvin started his counterattack.

Summoning his golden quill, Calvin mumbled.

"Aspect Transformation.

"Chains!"

The golden quill transformed into a pair of chains that quickly wrapped the Shadow Assassin.

But the Shadow Assassin had the ability to dive into any nearby shadow to escape and this was why they were known to be the King of the Night.

Unfortunately for the Shadow Assassin, Calvin knew his abilities the moment he recognized that he was a Shadow Assassin. After wrapping the Shadow Assassin with the chains, Calvin immediately activated his Emperor's Veil and suppressed his enemy with primal fear.

The Shadow Assassin was too scared under Calvin's presence that his resistance basically became non-existent.

With his ability to escape crippled by fear, the Shadow Assassin's fate was sealed.

But just as he was being consumed by the Mortician, he saw that behind Calvin's chest pocket situated above his heart.

There was a particular notebook sitting in his pocket.

Not even a dent was on the notebook, but the shirt was torn when his attack landed on Calvin's chest.

The Shadow Assassin then realized why Calvin made that stupid decision to jump into the air earlier.

'Now I understand... So that's why he turned around and leaped into the air. It was to persuade me to attack his heart instead of his head!'

The Shadow Assassin felt bitter.

Just as his consciousness darkened, a single thought of regret sprung up in his mind.

'If I had attacked his head instead of his heart... I would've won the fight!'

Sadly, there were no 'ifs' in this world.

The Shadow Assassin had been defeated and he was now being devoured.