Noir had left Seldom behind.
Before stepping into the wild, he allocated all five of his stat points into Agility. His body responded instantly—his stride lightened, his reflexes sharpened, and the forest air seemed slower around him.
Golden sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting fractured beams across the mossy floor. The woods were alive with tension. Players clustered in groups, grinding mobs with desperate energy. Goblins shrieked.
Wolves lunged. Blades clashed. Potions spilled.
Noir passed through it all like a shadow.
His hood was drawn low, twin daggers sheathed in poison from earlier kills. He didn't glance at the parties. He didn't offer help. He didn't need backup.
This mission was his.
Then—he saw them.
Cursed Humans. Blue nameplates flickering like dying stars.
Noir crouched low, eyes narrowing. He moved like mist—silent, swift, lethal.
He baited ten into a clearing, their groans echoing off the stone wall behind him.
No escape.
No mercy.
He turned.
"Let's dance."
They rushed him.
Noir activated his sequence. Swift Step blurred him forward, past the first two. He pivoted mid-motion, daggers slicing through corrupted flesh. Blood misted into the air.
Then—Critical Dash Slash.
He vanished.
Reappeared mid-air.
Six slashes in a heartbeat.
[CRITICAL HIT – 152]
[CRITICAL HIT – 178]
[CRITICAL HIT – 201]
Seven seconds later, ten cursed humans lay twitching in the dirt, dissolving into particles.
Noir didn't smile. He just kept going.
For thirty minutes, he became a rhythm—lure, burst, vanish. The cursed humans felt less like monsters and more like training dummies. But they fought back. Some cornered him. Some tore his cloak. He drank potions mid-combo, bleeding from shallow cuts, scraping cooldowns with perfect timing.
Then—something dropped.
A faint blue shimmer beneath the last corpse.
It pulsed like glass.
[RARE SKILL DROP: BACKSTAB]
[DROP RATE: 0.01%]
Noir froze.
"…No way."
He stepped forward. The orb hovered, glowing softly. The system window opened.
[Skill: Backstab]
Type: Assassin-exclusive Active Skill
Description: Instantly blink behind a nearby enemy within 5 meters. With a 50% chance of critical hit with +250% weapon damage.
Cooldown: 12 seconds
"This shouldn't even be dropping yet," he whispered.
He didn't hesitate.
[Skill Learned: Backstab]
Just as the window closed, another cursed human stumbled from the trees—alone.
Noir let it see him.
Then activated Backstab.
His body flickered violet.
He reappeared behind the zombie, dagger already buried in its spine.
[BACKSTAB – CRIT – 421!! Damage]
No scream. Just silence.
Noir stood over the body, breathing steady.
"This is it," he murmured. "This is what an Assassin is meant to feel like."
He fought for another thirty minutes. The forest became his stage. His Shadow Cloak muffled every step. Swift Step halved his movement time. He was a blur of steel and blood.
Any party passing by would've mistaken him for a high-level solo player.
But this was just the beginning.
And the forest had started whispering his name.
After clearing the area, Noir wiped his blades and scanned the horizon. He was done warming up.
He ventured deeper.
The trees thickened. Fog clung to the ground like breath. Then—he heard it.
Screams.
Steel clashing. Magic flaring.
He turned.
Ahead, a party of five was locked in battle with a Mini Boss—a pink-tagged Homo Goblin, Level 2. Twice the size of a normal goblin. Skin raw pink. Eyes white and wild.
Noir crouched behind a bush, watching.
The party was falling apart. Their tank, a Bagi, charged in recklessly—and paid the price. The Homo Goblin leapt from a tree and crushed his skull with a jagged club.
[Bagi – DEAD]
Noir narrowed his eyes. In Upraised, if one party member lived, the dead couldn't respawn. They were trapped.
The Mage fired bolts. The Arbalest tried to hold range. The Assassin blinked in—only to be caught mid-motion and hurled into a tree.
[Assassin – DEAD]
One by one, they fell.
Only the Priest remained, dodging desperately, casting Heal under pressure. The Homo Goblin still had 50% HP—and it was enraged.
Noir exhaled.
The fog thickened as Noir crept closer. The Homo Goblin loomed ahead—twice the size of its kin, its grotesque limbs twitching with unnatural energy. Its skin was raw pink, veins pulsing like magma. The party before it was in ruins.
Noir crouched low, watching.
The Priest was cornered, casting Heal in panic. The goblin's HP hovered at 48%, but its rage meter was full. It wasn't just attacking—it was hunting.
Noir exhaled and toggled his settings.
[HIDE NAMEPLATE – ON]
His IGN vanished.
Then he moved.
Swift Step. A pulse of shadow burst beneath his feet. He blurred forward, daggers flashing in a six-hit combo—Critical Dash Slash. Steel met flesh. Sparks flew. The goblin staggered, stunned.
The Priest gasped. "W-Who—?"
"Get cover," Noir said, never looking back.
But the goblin wasn't done.
It roared—and activated a skill.
[SKILL: Blood Echo]
A shockwave rippled outward. Noir's cloak fluttered. His vision blurred. The goblin's wounds pulsed red—and then closed.
[HP REGEN – +15%]
Noir's eyes narrowed. "It heals?"
The goblin lunged—not blindly, but with precision. It feinted left, then twisted mid-air, club swinging wide.
Crack.
The blow caught Noir in the ribs, launching him into a tree.
"Ugh—" He hit the ground hard, coughing blood. His vision flickered. One tap to his belt—HP Potion. Gone in seconds.
The goblin didn't wait.
It activated another skill.
[SKILL: Predator's Mark]
A red sigil burned into the ground beneath Noir. His movement slowed. His dodge window shrank.
"Smart bastard," Noir muttered.
He rolled left—barely avoiding a crushing blow. Then right. His Shadow Cloak passive came in clutch, muffling his steps. He vanished into the fog.
The goblin paused, sniffing the air.
Noir reappeared behind it.
Backstab.
[CRITICAL HIT – 742!! Damage]
The goblin shrieked, dropping to one knee.
But it wasn't done.
It slammed its club into the ground—baiting Noir's next move. A trap.
Noir leapt—too early.
[SKILL: Echo Slam]
The ground erupted. Debris flew. Noir was caught mid-air, slammed into the dirt.
His HP dropped to 12%.
"Damn it…"
He rolled, bleeding, potion on cooldown. The Priest shouted something—but Noir didn't hear.
He focused.
Cooldowns: 3 seconds. 2. 1.
Critical Dash Slash – Ready.
He surged forward, spinning mid-air. Six dagger strikes carved into the goblin's skull.
It roared—then shattered into pixelated fragments.
[Mini Boss Defeated – Homo Goblin Lv2]
[EXP Gained + 347]
[Loot Acquired: Homo Goblin Hide x1, Goblin Totem x1, Rusted Iron Core x2, Silver x47]
Silence fell.
Noir stood over the remains, chest rising and falling. His cloak was torn. His health bar was flashing red. The Priest stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Th-thank you… Who are you?" he asked, voice trembling.
Noir didn't answer right away. He looked down at the Priest, then exhaled softly.
"Just someone passing through."
The Priest gave a nervous laugh. "That thing wiped our whole party. I thought I was dead."
Noir nodded, opened his system menu, and accessed the loot window. He hovered over the items, then tapped:
[Transfer Loot to Nearby Party]
[Confirm?]
[Yes]
The items vanished from his inventory.
"You're giving it all back?" the Priest blinked. "You don't have to. That was your kill."
"I just finished what you started," Noir said. Then, a faint smirk. "Besides… I've had enough loot for one day."
The Priest chuckled, more at ease. "Whoever you are—you're cracked. Seriously."
Noir turned, popped a stamina potion, and gave a casual wave over his shoulder.
"Stick with your party next time. And don't let your tank die first."
And just like that, he vanished into the trees—silent, not because he chose to be, but because the shadows chose him.