During the past six months, Leo had enough time to understand and master his abilities. He had received an evo-art from his father called Shadow Sweep, tailored to his shadow constitution. This unique trait, inherited from a shadow feline he had killed in the last dimensional zone, and was forced to assimilate the beast's gene core.
Among all the abilities at his disposal, one was particularly suited for situations like this. A faint aura emitted from Leo's body just before the dagger could do any damage. As Leo turned ethereal, the dagger passed smoothly through him, stunning the attacker.
Leo miraculously appeared behind his assailant, an evil grin spreading across his face. So this is how it feels to have a cheat-like ability, he thought. He finally got a good look at his attacker—a figure clad in dark, tattered robes, their face hidden behind a twisted mask. The air seemed to distort around them, as if reality itself was bending to conceal their identity.
The figure attempted to escape, realizing their attack had failed, only to feel Leo's sword, now fully unsheathed, its cold edge pressed against their neck. It was clear that any wrong movement would result in their head being severed. They froze as Leo inquired, "Who are you?"
The assassin, seemingly giving up, was about to answer when an arrow shot out from nowhere, piercing his head and causing it to burst open like a watermelon. Leo wouldn't even be able to see his face.
Alarmed, Leo realized there were two attackers. He quickly ran toward the direction of the shot, hearing rustling movements as the second assailant tried to flee.
In this situation, Leo would have been hopeless, but fortunately, he had acquired the ancient mantle. Smiling, he activated the mantle's ability and vanished, reappearing in front of the fleeing assassin. Leo's eyes glowed with power, and before the assassin could react, Leo had decapitated two of his arms.
The attack had come without warning. The assassin felt dread. "How could he be so powerful?" he thought. Leo's eyes stared into his soul, knowing there was no escape. The assassin quickly bit on a fake tooth in his mouth, and his face melted, his body turning into greenish slime.
Leo was confused by this act. What was so important that they were trying to avoid getting caught or revealing their identities?
Among the slimy remains, Leo found an object—a crest, ruined by the acid. However, he managed to make out a vague depiction of a crescent moon.
He realized he had to be careful from now on; it seemed he was being targeted. Unknown to Leo, similar attacks were launched on almost every other participant, with some surviving and others dying.
…......
In another region of the zone, underneath a crimson tree, one of the assassins was pinned to a tree by a spear. Dray's figure came into view as he moved closer to the attacker, a taunting grin on his face. He spoke, "It seems the bastard spear was right." It was unclear what he was referring to, but it didn't matter as the assassin quickly committed suicide.
Seeing this act, Dray smiled. It seemed he was in the right place after all. Now all he had to do was find the trial ground.
….......…
In yet another region, we see an assassin running. If one looked closely, they'd notice a faint undulation spreading very fast though the ground. Seeing that he was about to be caught, the assassin immediately committed suicide. Maya appeared beside the corpse, her green pupils flashing with confusion. Who would send such strange assassins to her?
These scenarios were happening throughout the dimensional zone, but in cases where people died, their blood was absorbed by the earth, leading to the heart of the zone.
….......…..
Leo continued moving through the forest, but this time he was more cautious. As he journeyed, he came across a giant serpent. Hints of its transformation into a wyrm were evident, with tiny whiskers growing from its face. From the energy it gave off, it was clearly at the grand master level.
Leo's eyes glinted with anticipation. It was time to test the risk-reward system. He flashed from his position, unleashing his ability, Moment-less. The attack only scratched the scales, not causing any real damage, which infuriated the beast.
The monster hissed, venomous gas spreading from its mouth. Leo turned intangible to avoid being poisoned, but something astonishing happened. The serpent lashed its tail at his intangible form, actually hitting him and knocking him back into the physical world.
Leo's ability to turn intangible wasn't as it seemed. When he turned intangible, he was actually transporting himself to the shadow realm for a brief moment. The shadow realm is a parallel dimension, home to various monstrosities. This was something Leo discovered the hard way. He couldn't stay long in the shadow realm; otherwise, he'd be attacked by the starving abominations that inhabited it.
But this serpent had somehow attacked him even in the shadow realm, kicking him out. Leo landed far away from the beast, some bones definitely broken. His dimensional bots quickly got to work. Leo knew he had to go all out for this one. Runes shimmered beneath his skin, his hair standing on end as he pulsed with energy. Two glowing purple orbs replaced his eyes, and his body radiated a faint shadowy aura.
The atmosphere was tense as the two opponents sized each other up. The snake, its body as thick as a human's waist, coiled and rose a foot taller than Leo. They were both waiting for the first move. Leo flashed in the blink of an eye, his sword striking thrice, leaving sparks on the beast's shiny scales. Unfazed, the snake struck, aiming to engulf Leo's head with its mouth.
Leo quickly activated his mantle's ability, teleporting above the beast's neck. Once more, he unleashed Moment-less, drawing blood and cutting through its scales. He had been targeting the same spot, which allowed him to penetrate its defenses.
The serpent hissed in pain, retracting its neck. Leo flashed behind the snake, unleashing another strike. The snake's motion in retracting its head only helped boost Leo's attack, beheading the creature.
Leo jumped out of reach of the headless corpse, which lashed out in its final moments. After a few seconds, the struggle ended. Leo approached the corpse, which turned ethereal and transformed into a venomous dagger that appeared in his hand. His eyes gleamed as he inspected the intricate, slim design. Faint green energy lines pulsed across the blade.
It seemed this was the risk-reward system his mother had told him about. Leo heard a growl and saw a pack of wolves closing in. His eyes shone brighter. All he saw was treasure.