As the car door sailed through the air, it grabbed everyone's attention in the vicinity, including the assailants closing in on Ethan and Jihoon. The door emitted an almost comical whooshing sound as it flew, and time seemed to slow as it approached the group.
The three assailants on the door's path had little time to react. They tried to dodge, but their movements were sluggish compared to the door's speed. One of them managed to jump out of the way, while the other two could only throw themselves to the ground.
CRASH!
The car door slammed into the ground with a thunderous impact, leaving a sizable dent in the asphalt.
One attacker sprawled across the hood of a nearby car, narrowly avoiding being struck. The other two ended up in a tangled bundle, looking surprised.
Ethan sat there, his eyes wide with astonishment at what had just happened. "Well.." he stammered, not knowing what to say. After all, he had only intended to open the car door!
Jihoon who still processing the spectacle, couldn't help but chuckle. "Shall we take care of things, young master?" he quipped.
Ethan nodded without saying a word, his expression grave. However, his seriousness wasn't solely due to his newfound strength; it was also because of the sudden pop-up mission in front of him.
**EMERGENCY MISSION TRIGGERED**
**Mission: "The Unintended Carnage"**
Objective: Neutralize the assailants who attempted to assassinate you and Jihoon without causing any fatalities.
Description: Inadvertently, a situation has arisen due to your unintentional display of strength, disrupting the assailants' assassination attempt. Your goal is to subdue the assailants and prevent further harm to you, Jihoon, or innocent bystanders, all without resorting to lethal force.
Rewards for Successful Completion:
Experience Points (EXP): Earn 5 Experience Points (EXP) for your exceptional performance in neutralizing the assailants and protecting yourself and Jihoon. This reflects your growth as a combatant and your ability to handle dangerous situations.
Reputation: Gain 3 Reputation points for your courage and successful defense against the assassins. Your actions have started to improve your standing within the community.
Skill Unlocked: "Counterstrike" - As a result of this intense combat situation, you've unlocked a new skill: "Counterstrike." This skill allows you to turn an opponent's attack momentum against them, potentially incapacitating them without causing harm. It reflects your commitment to non-lethality and self-defense.
Status: INCOMPLETE
"What non-lethality? What self-defense?" Ethan muttered to himself. "Does this mean I am not allowed to kill them?"
"Jihoon…." Ethan immediately called out.
"Young Master?"
"Do not kill anyone," Ethan uttered.
"Pardon?" Jihoon blinked at him, wondering if he somehow misheard Ethan.
"You heard me," Ethan replied firmly as he gritted his teeth. He locked eyes with the seven or eight other people standing there. He tightened his grip on his dagger.
"The mission just says not to cause any fatalities, right?" Ethan asked himself.
"Jihoon, do not cause any fatalities," Ethan instructed, making sure that the older butler understood him.
This time, Jihoon reacted with understanding. "I understand, young master," he said with a smile.
As Jihoon prepared to move, the remaining assailants, who had been thoroughly alarmed by the flying car door and the sudden change in the situation, began to back away. Jihoon might be older but everyone knew that he had served the Kai Family for years! He was not just a loyal servant but a very skilled fighter!
Seeing this, Ethan smiled. "Right, let's handle this with finesse," he said, cracking his knuckles and taking a step forward.
Just as he did, one of the assassins summoned fiery projectiles and hurled them towards Ethan and Jihoon. With a quick flick of his dagger, Ethan deftly sliced through the fiery projectiles mid-air, extinguishing the flames. Fortunately, the flames were weak, suggesting the user himself was also weak.
Ethan wasted no time, using his speed to attack the fire user. He deftly used his dagger to cut the latter's tendons in both arms and legs. He might not be allowed to kill anyone, but the system didn't prohibit harming them, right?
Ethan's unexpected speed caught everyone by surprise. Not many assassins could react. They had received reports that Ethan had no Essentia. How could someone without any abilities incapacitate Essentia users so easily?
Before long, two other assailants attacked Ethan. One wielded two short swords, while the other could turn his body into stone, making it impossible for Ethan to cut his tendons. Luckily, he had both the Strength surge and speed boost. With his combined strength and speed and his previous experience as a well-known Assassin on Earth, Ethan easily outmaneuvered the two.
**CLAP**
**CLAP**
**CLAP**
Ethan looked at Jihoon, who beamed with pride. "Young Master…." Was he about to cry?
"Stop it," Ethan immediately said. Although Jihoon had trained him in martial arts when he was younger and served as his sparring partner, Ethan didn't want this much attention, nor was he ready to answer the questions that Jihoon had.
Meanwhile, Jihoon couldn't help but marvel at Ethan's quick and decisive moves. However, he could not help but wonder how an inexperienced teenager who was only nineteen years old have such precision.
Without any experience in killing, Ethan shouldn't be able to move like that.
"Shall we get going?" Jihoon calmly suggested, his gaze fixed toward the west. "I am certain that the old foxes are waiting for the young master's arrival. It seems they were so excited that they even made sure to give the young master a proper welcome."
Ethan clenched his jaw and stared at the screen in front of him, which had just congratulated him for completing the mission.
[DING]
Mission: "The Unintended Carnage"
Objective: Neutralize the assailants who attempted to assassinate you and Jihoon without causing any fatalities.
Description: Inadvertently, a situation has arisen due to your unintentional display of strength, which disrupted the assailants' assassination attempt. Your objective is to subdue the assailants and prevent any further harm to you, Jihoon, or innocent bystanders, all without resorting to lethal force.
Rewards for Successful Completion:
Experience Points (EXP): Earn 5 Experience Points (EXP) for your exceptional performance in neutralizing the assailants and protecting yourself and Jihoon. This reflects your growth as a combatant and your ability to handle dangerous situations.
Reputation: Gain 3 Reputation points for your courage and successful defense against the assassins. Your actions have started to improve your standing within the community.
Skill Unlocked: "Counterstrike" - As a result of this intense combat situation, you've unlocked a new skill: "Counterstrike." This skill allows you to turn an opponent's attack momentum against them, potentially incapacitating them without causing harm. It reflects your commitment to non-lethality and self-defense.
Status: COMPLETED
[Reward Credited.]
Ethan stared at the large blinking words in front of him. Under Abilities, he now had: Counterstrike.
After seeing the reward, his gaze turned cold as he directed it toward the incapacitated assassins on the ground.
"Young Master?" Jihoon inquired, sensing a change in Ethan's demeanor.
"These people came here to end my life, didn't they?" Ethan asked, his tone tinged with a steely resolve.
"Precisely," Jihoon affirmed.
"Then I believe it's only fair that we do the same, right?" Ethan smirked, his grip tightening around his dagger.