novelraw Chapter 133: Leveling up by Assassination
Chapter 133: Leveling up by Assassination
No, no, no. I’m getting ahead of myself here. I quickly shook my head, forcing the thought aside before it spiraled further.
I wasn’t close enough earlier for the System to give me any solid information about their so-called great leader. Jumping to conclusions now would be pointless. Still, it was always better to overestimate an enemy than underestimate one. Even so, if this “Prophet” truly exceeded Daleth rank, then something didn’t add up. An entity that strong shouldn’t appear this early in the scenario—none of the divine warriors in Fantasia could possibly defeat him. Not even Kaela would stand a chance if that were true.
Regardless, the gnolls claimed that anyone who dared to disobey the Prophet’s orders simply vanished by the next day. No one dared question how or why. Fear was the chain that bound them, not loyalty, not promises of glory. The Prophet ruled through terror so absolute that even the ogres and harpies—the most unruly of races—obeyed without hesitation.
I noticed that even in their drunken haze, the mere mention of their leader seemed to sober them. They avoided speaking his title too loudly, as if afraid the wind itself might carry their words back to him. One gnoll even spat into the fire after whispering the Prophet’s name. That, more than anything, told me what kind of hold this figure had over them.
As the night deepened, the gnolls slumped one by one. Soon the camp fell into a ragged, reeking silence, only the embers hissing and the occasional snoring cutting the dark. Perfect. It was time to set this whole camp on fire from the inside.
Seizing the chance, I moved like a shadow and drew the Moonlight Dagger. I slipped behind the sentries and cut each throat in one motion from behind, and they collapsed without a sound.
You have hunted [Goblin Archer Lv.45].
You have gained 550 EXP.
Assassination Arts has leveled up.
You have hunted [Gnoll Warrior Lv.66].
You have gained 1,260 EXP.
You have leveled up.
Stealth Movements has leveled up.
Basic Dagger/Knife Mastery has leveled up.
The kills came one after another, smooth and methodical. I deliberately spared the gnolls who had been useful earlier. It wasn’t out of mercy but because I needed them alive to spread confusion later, to make it look like an internal betrayal. The rest were expendable. By killing selectively, I leveled up quickly and even improved my unused skills. As for their bodies, I stored them inside my inventory.
You have hunted [Gnoll Warrior Lv.66].
You have gained 1,260 EXP.
You have hunted [Gnoll Warrior Lv.67].
You have gained 1,270 EXP.
After dispatching two guards outside a tent, I slipped inside and was met with a rotting and smoky scent. Stacks of salted meat, sacks of grain, and barrels of that disgusting mead lined the walls. Crude racks held preserved organs—probably trophies. I gritted my teeth in disgust. Since my inventory had no real limit, I decided to take everything of value while leaving everything else behind. If nothing else, these could be sold for soul coins later—or used to cripple their supply chain entirely, though I doubted what I did here would have any lasting effect on the next scenario since they were separate.
When I exited the tent, a goblin guard stirred in its sleep. Quickly, I moved behind it and ended the goblin with the dagger by slitting its throat before it could cry out.
You have hunted [Goblin Scout Lv.46].
You have gained 560 EXP.
Your Dexterity has increased by 1.
The body dropped soundlessly beside the fire. My next target was a sleeping red-skin ogre a short distance away. The creature was massive, easily three meters tall, and its thick chest rose and fell with deep, rumbling breaths. A single strike wouldn’t be enough unless it pierced the heart. I steadied my blade, aligned it between the ribs, and activated Heavy Stab.
The dagger sank in cleanly. The ogre twitched once, then went still.
You have hunted [Red Ogre Lv.91].
You have gained 1,510 EXP.
You have leveled up.
Basic Dagger/Knife Mastery has leveled up.
I kept killing the sleeping monsters one after another, accumulating experience points until I leveled up two more times. Now, I was at level fifty-one, nine more levels until I capped it. Around me, the camp had grown eerily quiet. Only a few pockets of monsters remained conscious, too drunk to notice the creeping death around them.
During my sweep, I’d also found where the high-ranking chiefs slept. Their tents stood apart in a separate ring, marked with crude symbols smeared in blood and adorned with hanging bone ornaments.
I crept toward the inner ring, and the first targeted tent was guarded only by silence. Inside, a goblin chief snored loudly, its belly rising beneath a heap of furs. I pressed a hand over its mouth and slid the blade clean across its throat. The sound that escaped was little more than a sigh.
You have hunted [Goblin Chief Lv.87].
You have gained 1,470 EXP.
I wiped the dagger on the tent cloth and slipped into the adjacent tent. This time, a gnoll chief slumbered on its side, its claws still clutching an empty jug of mead. A quick thrust to the chest ended its drunken dream before it became as much as a muffle.
You have hunted [Gnoll Chief Lv.101].
You have gained 1,610 EXP.
Assassination Arts has leveled up.
Your Strength has increased by 1.
So far, so good. Two of their higher-ups were down, and no alarm was raised. But as I pushed aside the flap of the third tent, the atmosphere changed instantly. The gnoll inside wasn’t asleep, its eyes gleaming faintly in the dark, reflecting the firelight from outside. The moment our gazes met, it grumbled, raising its guard.
“Who goes there?” It reached for the crude axe beside its bed. “You ain’t one of mine… what pack you from?”
Damn it.
“Came back late… patrol from north ridge,” I answered, mimicking the gnoll accent the best I could.
The gnoll chief tilted its head with suspicion. “North ridge, huh? Patrols ain’t due till dawn.” Its axe slid free from the ground, scraping against the ground. “Come closer, comrade. Lemme see yer face.”
Obviously, it was trying to lure me into range before swinging. But I couldn’t afford to blow my cover yet, not when one mistake could wake the entire camp. I moved forward slowly, pretending to stumble slightly, just enough to look drunk. The gnoll’s nostrils flared as it studied me, waiting for that perfect opening.
The instant it tensed, I moved first. My hand flashed, drawing the dagger in a single, silent motion. Heavy Stab.
The blade struck before the axe could rise. It drove straight into the gnoll’s throat, slicing through flesh and windpipe in a single thrust. The creature let out a strangled snarl, choking halfway as blood filled its mouth. The axe slipped from its grip as it clutched its neck, eyes wide with disbelief and rage that it hadn’t struck first.
I twisted the dagger free and caught the falling body before it hit the ground, lowering it carefully onto the furs to muffle the sound. Its lifeless eyes still glared upward, frozen in that final look of suspicion.
You have hunted [Gnoll Chief Lv.104].
You have gained 1,640 EXP.
You have leveled up.
Blood soaked the coarse bedding, and the scent mixed with the smoke drifted through the tent. I listened for movement outside; nothing stirred beyond the same drunken snores and ragged laughter.
Good. My cover was still intact.
Now, it was time to move to the second phase. The plan had been simple: assassinate, impersonate, and let chaos do the rest. Phase one was done; now I could move to impersonation by impersonating one of the chiefs. I put a palm to the Mask of a Thousand Faces and adjusted the transformation, letting it mimic the appearance of the gnoll chief I’d just killed. The mask quickly changed my features, giving me larger jaws, a scarred ear, and a more imposing posture.
Subsequently, I moved out into the cold toward the supply tents. Torch stands lined the supply row—sacks of meat, barrels of mead, piles of weapons. Careless builders had left oil-soaked rags and dry straw within reach. I grabbed a torch, set the nearest bundle alight, and the flames leapt to the next stack, consuming everything. I repeated the act at two more tents until the smoke began to choke the camp before throwing the torch stand.
“Intruders! Intruders in the west!” I bellowed in the gnoll tongue, using the chief’s voice.
I wasn’t the only one shouting. I’d activated Echo Construct to create a clone of myself, or in this case, the chief’s clone. It dashed through the camp with unnatural speed, barking contradictory orders: “Fall back! Secure the meat!” then, a split-second later, “No! Kill the intruders!”
The camp was immediately alarmed. Drunken laughter turned to chaos as gnolls and goblins froze, then splintered into confusion. Some rushed to smother the flames, others charged the tents, thinking they’d been ambushed. Harpies shrieked overhead, circling wildly, while monsters shoved past one another, swinging blades at anything that moved.
I moved like a shadow through the turmoil. A gnoll dragging a barrel stumbled into my path; one precise twist of my dagger silenced it before it could cry out.
You have hunted [Gnoll Warrior Lv.65].
You have gained 1,250 EXP.
A goblin clutching a torch turned to face me, eyes wide and mouth open mid-scream, but it never got the chance. I flicked my dagger, and the blade struck between its eyes. It dropped instantly, the torch rolling into a nearby tent and setting it ablaze.
You have hunted [Goblin Scout Lv.44].
You have gained 540 EXP.
Basic Dagger/Knife Mastery has leveled up.
Unfortunately, despite my best efforts—and the monsters’ drunken disarray—the chaos wasn’t enough to consume the entire camp. It would be hard to make all the monsters in this camp kill each other, much less have them attack the other two camps. There were also a few shamans hidden around that were able to lift the confusion through dark spells.
Clicking my tongue, I decided to use my trump card.
“Fabled Vessel.”
You have activated Fabled Vessel.
Please select a divine hero or demigod that you want to possess.
[The Crimson Sovereign – Tyrant of the End]
[Voldrath the Eternal – The Lich-King of a Million Souls]
[Alric the Sword Saint – Hero of the Eternal Blade]
[Veyra the Thousand-Arrows – Huntress of the Stars]
[Selene the Moonlit Blade – Phantom of the Night]
[Ezekiel the Divine Apostle – Voice of Radiant Judgment]
[Merlin the Grand Magus – Keeper of Arcane Truths]
[Kaelen the Beastborne Warden – Guardian of the Wild Realms]
[Uldrek the Blood Berserker – Avatar of Endless Wrath]
[Argus the Lantern Seer – Prophet of Forgotten Tomorrows]
[Eirwen the Frozen Witch – Silence Beneath the Snow]
[Thalos the Mirrorbound Trickster – Herald of Reflections]
…
The moment Thalos’s name appeared, I selected it without hesitation.
You have possessed [Thalos the Mirrorbound Trickster].
Warning: Your current stats are too low to receive his full power!
You have limited the power you receive.
Only 1% of Thalos’s power is transferred to you.
Your stats have temporarily increased significantly.
Your illusion-related skills have temporarily improved drastically.
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Mirror Veil Lv.10]
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Grand Mirage Lv.9].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Echo Step Lv.7].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Reflection Counter Lv.6].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Illusion Magic Lv.6].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Mind Displacement Lv.5].