"You want to borrow a room?"
"That's right."
The man looked down at Jin with an expressionless face.
A man who easily towered over 2 meters with a scary face. For the other cadets, the pure-white uniform at least made them look nicer, but not for this man.
He resembled a martial artist—or a mercenary instructor who used an axe—more than an assassin.
While scouring the streets until sundown, Jin chose this man, and his standards were his footsteps.
An assassin was a beginner if Jin could hear their footsteps without the need to focus, intermediate if he needed to focus a little, and advanced if he couldn't hear them at all.
As for those who required the utmost focus to detect, they would easily go to the Nameless Manor.
With that in mind, Jin determined this man to be an intermediate cadet. After facing the coachman and the guards, beginners were off the list, and confronting an advanced assassin from the start was a little too much.
"Wouldn't it be better to stay at an inn?"
"I don't like it because there are many customers at night. I'll pay more than enough for each night, so please."
"I feel very offended…"
The man's eyes narrowed.
Not because Jin just asked for a room out of the blue, but because the man interpreted the request as a tease; something along the lines of 'you can't kill me.'
"Seeing that you entered with the Nameless Pass, you must be an offspring of a clan, and you must have incredible skills for your age. I understand that you're confident, but this is Samil City. There is no such thing as a fair fight."
"I know well about that, so I avoided going to an inn. If you will not offer your room, I'll search for someone else."
"I'll let you in. I won't take any payments. Though, I may take your life instead. Don't forget that this is all on you."
"Thank you."
After a five-minute walk, they arrived at a two-story residence.
Jin chose to use a relatively small room on the second floor. As soon as he entered, he asked for dinner.
"Don't worry about your food being poisoned."
"I never thought of you as that much of a beginner. Thanks for the meal."
An efficient meal with some meat, eggs, and vegetables. Very fresh produce, as the cadet said. Jin quickly finished his plate before the man and stared at him.
'Even if he's an intermediate, I should never lower my guard around him.'
Jin looked carefree, but it would be a lie if he said he wasn't nervous.
The man could release poisonous gas under the table, go for Jin's throat with the fork, or throw the poison needles hidden in his sleeve.
Anything could happen if Jin lowered his guard.
Even though he possessed better physical skills, he had to think of all the possibilities against a trained assassin.
'Two needles in his sleeve. And he's always keeping the middle of his mouth empty while he chews, so he has needles or a poison flask in there. However, I can't only check on those.'
His knowledge of assassins' basic principles from his cadet days helped him.
—When against assassins, you must think of them as illusionists or scammers, Young Master. If the opponent's eyes give away that they saw a hidden weapon, they'll use another unexpected hidden card.
It was something the beginner class instructor told him. Also, before Jin left for Samil City, his companions provided advice that often applied.
Especially Quikantel—who knew well about Nameless—offered many points of advice, which Jin constantly thought about.
—There is one thing you need to keep an eye on when in Samil. When a door suddenly opens, never take your eyes off what you're looking at. The moment you instinctively turn and look, it'll be the end of your life.
Creeeaaaaaak.
How could he have such great teachers and companions?
Thankfully, even when the front door opened, Jin could keep an eye on the man.
'What is this kid? He knew that the door was gonna open?'
On the other hand, the assassin expected Jin to turn his head. He planned to suffocate Jin with the table cloth—which was covered in chloroform—while he was looking away. However, he couldn't execute it. Even after three seconds since the door opened, Jin maintained his upright position.
Squeeeaaak, squeeaak…
The open door swayed and made a squeaking sound.
Nobody came through the door. Just some evening wind blew past the two inhabitants.
—It's their special training method. Instructors would dress as cadets, open doors, and walk past. Especially for houses with visitors. It's a principle of the assassins to catch an opportune moment by staying alert 24/7.
Had Jin come to Samil without hearing this from Quikantel, his visit would have been more fatal than expected.
For a while, Jin stared at the man.
"Should I close it?"
Jin asked cluelessly, and the man nodded whilst suppressing his surprise.
'He's not an easy kid. He's an unnerving one. Maybe he's from an elite clan… That would be more dangerous for me than him. I'll observe him for a while and take the opportunity. I shouldn't take him lightly.'
If he forced an attack on Jin, the Nameless instructor who opened the door would kick him out immediately.
Because that was not the way of Nameless.
"May I go rest upstairs?"
"Do as you wish."
On the second floor, Jin started to investigate his surroundings.
He took note of how many possible paths external intruders could take; whether there were any traps or assassins in position. He didn't simply scan and check for one or two things.
'There's nothing that could pose a problem on the second floor. One window limits the possibility of invasion, and even a slightly large physique would prevent such entry. No special contraptions on the ceiling, floor, or walls either…'
After finishing the hour-long inspection, Jin lay on the bed and thought about the instructor that opened the door while he ate dinner.
'…Nameless is beyond comprehension. Are you telling me that all of the instructors are on that level? How can a person move like a ghost like that?'
While he was eating, Jin had his senses heightened; enough to detect even the movement of dust. He also expected that his concentration would be marred by the door suddenly opening.
Despite all that, he wasn't able to detect the instructor's footsteps.
It was as if nobody turned the doorknob and the door just opened on its own.
Even Jin couldn't replicate such ghostliness with his spiritual energy.
'That instructor could kill me whenever they want, even if this wasn't Samil and it was my room in Tikan. Even if all of my companions guarded my room, my survival wouldn't be guaranteed.'
Goosebumps crawled up his spine.
'I shouldn't be proud of identifying an intermediate cadet's schemes. If I encounter an instructor-level assassin, I'll be dead before I can even show them what Miss Quikantel gave me.'
He finally started to feel what kind of place he got into.
However, there were still many things he didn't know about. And if they remained unknown to him, Jin—who had gone through so many conflicts—would fall to the ground in despair…
'I think that's him? Isn't it? Is it?'
Sitting upside down on the ceiling was a woman who had been watching Jin this entire time.
Even while Jin inspected the second floor, she stayed right on his tail. And the moment Jin sat on his bed, she took position on the ceiling.
The woman had been observing Jin while maintaining a half-step distance for about an hour.
'Is it him? Is it not? Is it? Err, should I just ask? …No. If it isn't him, I have to kill him. He definitely looks like him, though…!'
Jin sighed and unsheathed Bradamante to clean it, and the woman smiled with glittering eyes.
Her name was Yona Runcandel.
The best Executioner of Nameless, Jin's sister, and the instructor who opened the door.
'It's Bradamante! It is the youngest! Wow! Nice to see you again!'
Unable to suppress her happiness, she clapped.
'Clapping?!'
Jin instinctively stood and took a defensive stance. He simultaneously looked towards the source of the sound: the ceiling.
At that moment, Yona already repositioned herself behind Jin again.
'Phew. That was close.'
As if she were weightless, the bedding that she stood on didn't have a single wrinkle.
Jin quickly spun in place to analyze his surroundings, but like a shadow, Yona stuck right behind Jin.
'My youngest brother, couldn't you just act like you didn't hear it?'
The current leader of Nameless didn't favor her for nothing. Yona's abilities were something that even the leader couldn't do.
'Am I hearing things? What was it? What the hell was it? I'm sure I heard a clapping sound on the ceiling… Am I hearing things because I'm so sensitive? I can't even use magic or spiritual energy…!'
Contrary to Yona, Jin was going crazy. He had been dripping cold sweat for an hour, but he still couldn't identify what the sound was.
'Is it the instructor from before? No, even an instructor can't conceal themselves in this space.'
Ultimately, Jin concluded that he was hearing things. Otherwise, it would be an incomprehensible scenario.
"Phew…"
He slumped back onto the bed but still couldn't let go of his alertness. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight.
'You'll never be able to find me since you didn't open your Mind's Eye, heehee. But that's incredible. How much have you grown since the last time I saw you?'
Yona knew Jin to be a 5-star. However, seeing him in person, his aura was at least 7-star. That was incredible enough, but she didn't forget that he prevented all attempts of murder on the first floor.
'I'm certain even Eldest Sister Luna couldn't do that at your age. Well, she would just take no damage from poison needles or daggers and just counterattack, but she would never prevent such attacks from happening.'
Proud of her brother, she wanted to give Jin a big hug. Yet, after debating on whether she should reveal herself and praise the youngest, Yona shook her head.
'There's so much I want to tell you, teehee. Let's play a little more until the day you leave, shall we?'
—————