The grin spread across my face almost before I realized it. These idiots were perfect. Weak, inexperienced, and desperate—compared to the iron-willed assassins I'd dealt with in my past life, they might as well have been toddlers. But that didn't matter. I'd been itching to test my new [Construct] skill and the enhancements from my Mystic Eyes.
"I'll give you until five to tell me who sent you," I said, twirling the meat stick's skewer in my hand like a dagger. "Attack me as much as you like until then."
They hesitated, just for a moment. Long enough for me to see the cracks in their resolve.
The rat-masked assassin broke the silence, charging in with a yell. "[Hands!]" he roared, stone engulfing his fists as he swung at me with all the grace of a drunkard in a bar fight.
"1," I said calmly, sidestepping his telegraphed punch. As he stumbled past me, I brought my knee up sharply into his chest. I felt something crack beneath the impact as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The smile tugged wider. The [Construct] theory I'd been forming about my skill was spot on.
"2."
The others took the cue, three of them rushing me—Cat, Oni, and Mouse masks—each shouting their respective emblem skills. Fireball. Waterball. Wind-boost.
The air rippled with heat as the fireball streaked toward me. I ducked, letting it scorch past my shoulder before I pushed off the ground, launching myself forward. The waterball followed, but I ducked low, sliding beneath its trajectory before springing up between them.
Both the fire and water assassins had barely a moment to react before I hooked my arms around their necks in a brutal double lariat, slamming them to the ground.
The wind-boost assassin tried to take advantage of the opening, but I grabbed the water-masked one and hurled him straight into the wind-user. The collision sent both of them flying, groaning as they landed in a heap.
"3."
Five down. Six to go.
This time, the remaining five rushed me together. Deer, Gnome, Ogre, and two Fishes.
Deer came in first, his emblem skill [Morph] shifting his hands into blade-like extensions. He slashed at me with wild abandon. I leaped to dodge, only to feel a chill spread across my feet.
The Fishes. Their emblem skill was ice. My footing was frozen solid.
Gnome and Ogre weren't far behind, their respective [Enhance] and [Toughen] emblem skills amplifying their speed and strength as they jumped, preparing to crush me from above.
I sighed. "I wasn't planning to use this on small fry like you, but I guess I've been getting a little too cocky."
"[Construct]," I whispered.
The air around me exploded.
The ice shattered instantly as glowing white energy surged outward in the shape of spheres. Each ball of energy slammed into the attackers with precision.
Deer was launched backward, slamming into the warding barrier with a sickening crunch. The two Fishes tumbled off the bridge, crashing into the river below as the impact shattered the bridge's railing. Gnome and Ogre were hurled skyward before landing with a thunderous splash in the water.
I stood still, energy orbs floating around me like will-o'-the-wisps, their soft light illuminating the destruction. I took a moment to inspect the orbs through [Appraisal]. Each one burned through 10 points of my Origin. Five orbs had hit their marks, leaving me at 900 out of my full 1,000 reserves.
"Jeez," I muttered. "Expensive."
I wouldn't be spamming this skill anytime soon. [Root] was going to need a lot more grinding before I could make up for that kind of cost.
For now, I closed my eyes and activated [Mystic Eyes – True Sight].
The faint glow of a shadow flickered behind me, and I spun just in time to release two energy orbs. They streaked toward the figure, who twisted to dodge with unnatural speed, wasting both of my shots.
The assassin stepped forward, keeping his distance. His mask bore the fierce stripes of a tiger, and his cloak wasn't the black of the lower ranks but the deep grey of a higher tier. He moved with the practiced ease of someone used to killing.
"I was wondering when you'd show yourself," I said, letting the energy orbs hover close to me.
He stared at me, his twin daggers gleaming faintly in the moonlight. "What are you, woman? To think you could block an attack from me."
"Changing the subject, I see," I said, sighing. "Why is it that assassins never just answer questions? It'd make my life so much easier."
His silence was answer enough.
I rolled my shoulders, my smile turning sharper. "Well, I'll just rip the answer out of your dead body instead."
"You think you can?"
"Of course I can." I reached into my [Inventory], pulling out a simple wooden sword I'd bought earlier at the market. Its crude craftsmanship and dull edges gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
I raised it, testing its weight in my hand. "In fact," I continued, grinning, "I'll do it with this. It's a little blunt, but how does death by a thousand beatings sound? Perfect for a stray dog like you, don't you think?"
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