Chapter 1: Assassin

[Important notice to all readers: This novel has a strong "Lord of the Mysteries" vibe. If you're a fan, you'll enjoy this book. However, please note that the plot, characters, and everything else will differ. Also, don't expect it to be on the same level as Cuttlefish's work. His novel is in a league of its own. Nonetheless, I've done my best (❛ᴗ❛).]

Pain!

John felt a tearing pain in his head and slowly opened his eyes, but his vision was blurry. All he could see was a red liquid obstructing his sight, causing worry inside him. A moment later, confusion and panic consumed his mind.

'Is it my blood?' a thought flashed through his head. He tried to open his mouth but realized that some powdery substance had entered, making it difficult to speak. Dirty water mixed with sand filled his mouth, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

'Damn it; my body isn't responding! And why do I feel pain all over? Now that I think about it, wasn't I beaten to death and thrown into a prison cell? That Angele!' Anger ignited in his eyes as he recalled his last moments before passing out.

'Angele drugged me at his wedding party and forced me to kneel before Thomas. I despise the Ghosts Organization. Even though I was once a member, I now detest them to the core. If I survive this, I will eliminate every single one of them. But how did they discover my location? How did they know about Angele? I left no trace when I left the Organization...' Puzzlement filled his mind.

"# @% @ & k% @ ~ & *?% '@" As he delved into his thoughts, a strange voice echoed from behind, startling him.

'A foreigner?' A sense of unease crept into his heart. Simultaneously, he felt someone step on his back, causing his face to go pale.

'Where am I?' He blinked, trying to clear the drops of blood obstructing his vision. Gradually, his sight became clearer, revealing the muddy ground beneath him. A peculiar blue game interface materialized before his eyes instantly, leaving him dumbfounded.

'What the hell is this?' John's mind went blank for a moment. Just as he was about to explore the blue interface further, a sudden wave of pain assaulted his head, inundating him with countless memories in the form of images deep within his soul. As he delved into these memories, his expression grew serious.

'A strange magical world... Churches... Mystic... Charles... Reincarnation? No... Transmigration?' He took a deep breath, attempting to calm his racing heart. However, before he could fully explore these memories, someone grabbed his right leg and dragged him away.

'Could you give me a moment to gather my thoughts?' he cursed at his captor. Anxious, he scanned his surroundings and realized he was in an underground hall. Several prison cells dotted the area, surprising him. The walls were adorned with burning torches, casting a bright yellow light over the entire underground space.

'A dungeon?' He squinted, then turned his attention to a woman lying on the ground with dark blue hair. She was around 40 years old, wearing a dirty dark blue robe. Crimson blood covered her beautiful oval face, making her look even more pitiful. John also noticed a long black sword impaling her shoulder and pinning her to the ground.

She occasionally coughed up a mouthful of blood and crawled in John's direction with a sad smile. His lips quivered when he saw that smile, and he unconsciously muttered something in an unfamiliar language.

"Mom!"

Even he was startled by his emotional reaction and thought it must have something to do with the remnants of the original owner's soul.

'What happened to her? Why am I in this state?' He couldn't help but grow more anxious inside.

A grim look soon emerged as he noticed whoever was dragging his body had already placed him next to the woman with deep blue hair.

As he was about to open his mouth, dizziness and pain assaulted his mind.

'My head is spinning... This foreigner must have hit this boy's head before.'

He touched his temple in alarm and felt a sharp pain. While deep in thought, the dark blue-haired lady gazed at the enemy and asked in the same foreign language,

"W-who are you? W-why are you doing this to us?"

At the same time, she used all her strength to crawl over to John, put her smooth palm over his cheek, and caress him like a loving mother. As her hand moved towards his mouth, she created a bluish vial out of thin air and stealthily opened the lid.

'Liquid? Maybe medicine?' John instantly realized that she was secretly trying to pour some liquid into his mouth and cooperated with her. Surprisingly, the foreigner did not notice her action and quietly stood next to them.

Meanwhile, a gel-like liquid with a bitter taste entered his mouth, causing him to groan. After a bit of hesitation, he silently swallowed it.

Soon, strange energy entered every part of his body and quickly healed his wounds. The wound in his temple began to heal rapidly and soon disappeared from John's head.

Sensing the change, he was stunned inside.

'Magic!' His eyes were full of awe and shock!

A cold voice rang over John's head at that moment, sending a chill down his spine.

"He is 'destined' to die here, Eve," the voice said.

"J-James?" Shock appeared on Eve's face.

'So, this lady knew this foreigner,' John thought.

Soon, Eve's shocked face turned into disbelief and then despair.

At the same time, John flipped his body towards the side, stood up with a half-steady face, and stared at the red-masked man standing before him.

No, he was looking at the game interface that appeared before his eyes!

...

[Main Mission: Escape from the Red Masked Assassin, James.]

[Quest Content: On June 5, 6396, of the Second Arcane Era, you and your mother were kidnapped by a mysterious assassin in a red mask and are now held in an unknown underground prison. Find a way to escape from the underground dungeon and uncover the truth about this kidnapping.]

[Quest Reward: 500 Exp.]

[Mission Deadline: 35 minutes.]

...

[Sub-Quest: Find a way to save your mother.]

[Quest Content: Your mother, Eve Nightwind, is seriously injured and on the brink of death. Find a way out of this situation and bring her to the Church of Life to heal her.]

[Quest Reward: 100 Exp.]

[Mission Deadline: 24 minutes.]

...

'The game interface... Arcane Era... Magic...' It didn't take long for him to realize he had been transmigrated into a strange magical world. Dismissing the blue game interface, he looked at the red-masked James to find clues about his current situation.

James wore a black butler suit and held an old-fashioned golden dagger. He looked older and had long gray hair. Other than this, John couldn't find any other clue.

In the meantime, James did not answer Eve's question. Instead, he walked over to John and kicked him harder.

"W-Wait! I'm begging you! Please don't kill my son," Eve pleaded, desperately grabbing James by the leg. Tears streamed from her eyes and flooded her slightly wrinkled cheeks.

At the same time, John let out a painful groan and fell.

'Damn it; this body is too weak! I couldn't even dodge his blow,' he cursed inwardly and soon realized something.

'Game? Can I open my status?'

Hope appeared in his mind.

'Stats!' he said in his mind. Although it was embarrassing, he didn't think much about it and tried it.

A second later, the same game interface appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Charles Nightwind

Race: Human

Class: None

Subclass: None

Health Points: 18/20 (Healing)

Attributes:

Strength - 8

Agility - 9

Constitution - 10

Wisdom - 11

Charisma - 12

SP (Skill Points): 0

AP (Attribute Points): 0

Class skills: None

Affinity level: Fire Element: High Darkness Element: Average.]

(Author's note: Affinity level~ Low- Average- High- Good- Genius- Prodigy- Divine. Yeah, lame names. Don't mind it.)

'Strength and Dexterity below 10... Not only that but the class and subclass also seem empty... How can I escape without a class?' he was stunned inside.

While lost in thought, James grabbed his hair and slammed his face against the concrete floor. Crimson blood stained the floor, and pain clouded his ability to think.

'Damn it! I can't die like this.'

He looked at the Red Masked Assassin James and noticed something was wrong. Instead of attacking him further, James stood there like a frozen statue with a distorted expression.

'What happened?' John got confused and turned his gaze toward Eve.

Instead of pleading, she bit James on the leg like a maniac! Tears and blood flowed down her delicate face, staining it red.

"Eve, I have changed my mind," James said with a twisted face, bending his waist slightly and grabbing her long dark blue hair. He unsheathed an old-fashioned golden dagger from his waist and thrust it straight toward her throat.

But to his surprise, a reddish transparent shield appeared around her body and blocked his dagger. Simultaneously, Eve bent her body at an odd angle, grabbed the black sword's hilt that had pierced her from behind, and pulled it out without flinching.

She stood up with staggering footsteps, pointed the tip in James' direction, and curled her lips upward.

A second later, she gripped the sword hilt with both hands and lunged at him with all her might.

"Y-You!" James was beyond shocked by her act and took a step back. He had thought of her as a weak woman all this time but didn't expect she would retaliate.

'Why didn't I face any difficulty when kidnapping her? She is hiding her strength!' His face turned colder as he muttered inwardly and moved his dagger to block the upcoming sword.

But a powerful kick landed on his back and pushed his body forward! While James was focused on Eve, John took the opportunity to appear behind the enemy stealthily and kicked him with full force!

As a former assassin, he knew how to adapt to dangerous situations and acted calmly. Because of John's actions, James couldn't control his body movement and went pale. The sharp black sword pierced James's body in a blink and wounded him severely.

Even Eve was amazed at her son's action and spoke hurriedly.

"Get away from here, Charles," she said, gripping the sword hilt again and about to pull it, but suddenly stopped.

James grabbed her hand with bloodshot eyes at that moment and pushed her away.

"You are making a mistake after mistake, Eve. Do you think you can protect your son from 'True Lords'? Even if you somehow kill me here, they will send another member to kill your son. You cannot protect him forever," he said coldly.

Upon hearing those words, a bitter smile appeared on Eve's face. She stood up again with her injured body and spoke calmly.

"I know that long ago. But do you think I care about these things? It's a mother's job to protect her children, James. That's why I chose the right job," she muttered calmly and snapped fingers.

Eve's and John's figures turned blurry and disappeared from the underground hall the next second.

"Spatial Mage!" James cried out in surprise and soon got tensed up.

"F*ck! I'm not going to let you escape!" He turned around and quickly ran to the exit at an unimaginable speed. He did not even look around, hurriedly moved towards the opposite staircase, and soon disappeared from the underground hall.

A strange silence filled the hall for the next few seconds, followed by a person's breathing.

The underground hall began to shimmer slightly a second later, and soon the surroundings broke like glass mirrors.

At that moment, Eve stood in the same place as before and began to fall backward with closed eyes. Meanwhile, John appeared behind her and grabbed her arms with both hands. He used all his strength to lift her, placed her on his shoulder, and walked to the exit.

'That was a close call. Eve Nightwind, huh? She acted as an expert in spatial magic and tricked that fool pretty easily using a mere illusion spell. But who is she anyway? Why are these guys hunting her son? Moreover, who are these 'True Lords'? An assassin organization, maybe? Damn it! First, I need to know more about my current situation. How did I end up in this Magical World?' he muttered to himself and soon left the gloomy underground hall through the exit gate.

...

[Author's Note: I added MC's affinities earlier after hearing complaints about MC's choice of the Fire Mage class. Affinity Levels: Low → Average → High → Good → Genius → Prodigy → Divine.]