The First Mission

Kai had shed his innocence.

He had taken a life with his own hands, felt the warmth of blood stain his fingers. There was no hesitation anymore, no uncertainty.

But killing a tied-up noble was nothing compared to what lay ahead.

Lucian stood before him in the dimly lit hideout, arms crossed. "You're ready for your first mission."

Kai met his gaze without flinching. "Who’s the target?"

Lucian smirked and tossed a parchment onto the table. "Duke Albrecht’s informant. A man named Corvo. He’s been leaking information about our operations to the royal guard."

Kai picked up the parchment, memorizing the details. Middle-aged, bald, a scar across his left cheek. Usually found at the Red Ember Tavern.

Lucian leaned closer. "This isn’t like Reinhart. Corvo won’t be tied up and begging. He’s cautious, dangerous, and if you hesitate—"

Kai’s voice was cold. "I won’t."

Lucian studied him for a moment, then smirked. "Good. Kill him quietly. Make it look like an accident."

Kai nodded and turned to leave.

Lucian’s voice stopped him. "One more thing. If you fail…" He let the words hang, his golden eyes gleaming.

Kai didn’t need to be told. Failure wasn’t an option.

The Hunt Begins

The Red Ember Tavern was alive with drunken laughter, the clinking of tankards, and whispered deals in dark corners.

Kai sat in the shadows, hood pulled low, scanning the room. He had spent two days observing Corvo’s habits, learning his patterns.

The informant sat at his usual spot near the bar, nursing a tankard of ale. He was relaxed, unaware that death had come for him.

Kai didn’t approach immediately. He waited, watching.

Then, he saw it.

Corvo’s hand subtly tapped the wooden table in a rhythmic pattern. A signal.

A second man at the far end of the tavern tapped back.

Kai narrowed his eyes. He’s not alone.

A Change of Plans

Kai adjusted his approach. A clean, silent kill wouldn’t work if Corvo had backup.

Instead, he moved toward the bar, subtly slipping a small vial from his sleeve—Nightshade Extract. A drop in Corvo’s drink, and he’d be dead before morning.

As he neared, a barmaid walked past, and Kai seized the moment. In a fluid motion, he bumped into her tray, spilling a drink onto Corvo’s table.

"Ah! Sorry about that, sir!" The barmaid scrambled to clean the mess.

Corvo cursed, waving her away. "Useless girl!"

Kai moved swiftly, his fingers brushing over Corvo’s fresh tankard as he feigned an apology. A single drop of Nightshade slipped into the ale.

Then, he vanished into the crowd.

Now, all he had to do was wait.

An Unexpected Threat

Minutes passed. Corvo lifted the tankard, took a deep swig—

Then stopped.

Kai’s heart pounded.

The man sniffed the drink, his expression shifting. He knows.

Corvo slammed the tankard down, eyes darting around the tavern. His backup—the second man—was already moving, scanning the room.

They were trained.

And now, they were hunting.

Kai cursed under his breath. Plan B.

A Predator Unleashed

Corvo pushed away from the table, heading toward the exit. He wouldn’t stay long—he’d report this to the royal guard.

Kai couldn’t let that happen.

He slipped through the crowd, following silently as Corvo left the tavern, moving into the alleyways of Eldoria.

The second man followed close behind, guarding his flank.

Kai moved like a shadow, tracking them both. One target had turned into two.

Lucian’s words echoed in his mind: "No witnesses."

A Dance of Death

In the darkness, Kai struck.

He lunged from the shadows, driving his dagger into the second man’s throat before he could react. The assassin gurgled, clutching at his neck as he fell.

Corvo whirled, drawing a curved blade. "You little rat—!"

Kai moved.

Corvo slashed, but Kai was faster. He dodged left, then right, his movements calculated, fluid.

The system flickered in his vision.

[Instinctive Combat – Lv. 3 Activated!]

Kai feinted a low attack, forcing Corvo to defend—then twisted behind him in an instant.

A flash of silver.

Kai’s dagger buried into Corvo’s spine.

The informant gasped, eyes wide with shock, before collapsing.

Blood pooled beneath him.

The hunt was over.

A Message in Blood

Kai wiped his blade clean, his expression unreadable.

This wasn’t just a kill. This was a lesson.

He bent down, dipping his finger into Corvo’s blood, and wrote a single symbol on the alley wall.

A warning. A mark of his presence.

The symbol of The Shadow Fang.

Then, without a sound, Kai vanished into the night.

TO BE CONTINUED…