The weight of the black wolf hung heavily on Edwin's back, pressing into his shoulders like a constant reminder of his failures. Every attempt, every death, had chipped away at his body and mind, but they had also sharpened him. Each loss had been a lesson. Each agonizing moment had added another piece to the puzzle.
This time, he wouldn't lose.
A familiar voice stirred him from his thoughts.
"If we do it ourselves, we get the full reward," Eliza was saying. Her voice was the same tired echo he'd heard a dozen times before, carrying that familiar mix of greed and exhaustion. But something about it felt distant now, like words from another life.
Edwin's fingers curled into a fist. He had heard this conversation so many times. And yet, it always ended the same way—failure, blood, and death.
Not this time.
"Enough."
Eliza blinked at his interruption, thrown off by the sharp, calm edge in his voice. "What—"
"Get ready." Edwin's voice was cold, steady, absolute. His instincts screamed the warning before his eyes even caught the movement in the trees. "We're under attack."
For a second, Eliza hesitated, her body rigid. Then she caught it—the subtle glimmers in the dark, flickering like silver threads against the trees.
She swore under her breath. "Silver glimmers. Left side. You were right."
"Run."
They bolted, their movements synchronized from countless trials. Edwin's [Rune of Enhancement] burned to life, raw energy coursing through his limbs. His muscles responded like clockwork, honed by repetition and sharpened by experience. But this time, he wasn't running just to survive.
This time, he had a plan.
They dove into the same trench-like depression, landing with controlled precision. Dirt and leaves scattered around them as they crouched, their breaths steady but urgent.
Edwin's grip tightened around the black, straight-edged blade at his waist. His pulse was steady.
"They're coming," he said, his voice low but certain. His eyes gleamed in the darkness. "And we're going to kill them all."
Eliza turned to him, her expression shifting from tense focus to something unreadable. "What is wrong with you? What is goin—"
A dagger sliced through the air.
Eliza flinched back just in time, but the blade still nicked her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
Her expression twisted, but not in pain—no, her anger flared at something far worse. "You have got to be kidding me," she growled, wiping at the blood with an irritated flick of her wrist. "If this scars, I swear—"
Another blade flew toward them.
Eliza's bow was in her hands in an instant. "Fine," she muttered, nocking an arrow. "I'll beat them up, but I'm not going to kill them."
Edwin said nothing. He knew how this would go.
The shadowy figures moved through the trees, their footsteps too light, their movements too fluid to be human. Their daggers gleamed in the moonlight, thin and deadly. Predators in the dark.
Edwin exhaled.
"Three… two… one… now."
He sprang from the trench.
The [Rune of Enhancement] roared in his veins, flooding his body with raw speed. He moved faster than sight, his blade already slicing through the air before the first assassin could react.
The black edge carved through flesh. Blood sprayed hot against Edwin's face as the assassin's throat split open.
The body crumpled before the others even realized what had happened.
'One'
He spun, catching the faintest glint of another dagger coming for his ribs. His instincts screamed. He twisted mid-motion, barely avoiding the blade as it carved through the empty space where his lung should have been.
His counterattack was immediate.
Edwin's blade slashed upward, but the enemy dodged—too fast. Too sharp.
The silver steel of their dagger gleamed inches from his eye.
He braced himself.
'Damn it, another res-'
But suddenly an arrow ripped through the darkness of the forest.
The dagger flew from the assassin's hand from the force of the arrow. A second arrow buried itself deep in their right eye.
"ARGHHH..!!!" The assasin screamed in pain.
Edwin wasted no time. He surged forward, driving his sword into the assassin's throat before they could even scream.
"Nice shot!" Edwin shouted, his voice rough with effort.
"Focus!" Eliza snapped, loosing another arrow.
The two remaining figures hesitated now, their movements shifting from aggression to caution. They circled him like wolves, weapons raised, searching for an opening.
Edwin rolled his shoulders. His body screamed from the strain of the rune's power, but he pushed it down.
He exhaled, closing his eyes for half a second.
The faint crunch of leaves. The whisper of fabric against bark.
They were flanking.
Edwin's body moved before his mind fully registered it. His blade tore through the air in a brutal horizontal arc.
Metal clashed against metal. Sparks flew.
The force of his attack sent his enemy stumbling, their guard breaking just enough—
He was assisted by Eliza shooting an arrow threw their thigh
Taking advantage Edwin drove his blade through their gut.
The assassin gasped, blood bubbling from their lips as their body collapsed.
"One more," Edwin breathed.
The final assassin lunged. Their dagger flashed toward his throat.
He pivoted. The blade sliced into his shoulder instead of his neck. Pain exploded through him, but he gritted his teeth and drove his knee into their stomach.
The assassin choked, their body doubling over—
Edwin slammed the hilt of his sword into their chest.
They crumpled.
"No...please...spare me...!!"
Edwin staggered, dragging in a heavy breath.
"Ah...finally...oh right!,I need some info"
He grabbed the fallen assassin by the collar and hauled him toward the trench. The man thrashed weakly, his limbs trembling.
Eliza's eyes widened. "You… you did it."
Edwin dropped the assassin to the ground. "Nope. Still got one left."
He pressed the tip of his blade to the man's throat for interrogation and intimidation.
"Who sent you?"
The assassin coughed, spitting blood. "I… I would die before I reve—"
Edwin pressed the blade in just enough to draw blood.
The man's entire demeanor shifted. "S-Shady guys! Red masks! They hired us, I swear! I was just a goon! Nobody's left except for me!"
Edwin's eyes darkened. "And the black wolf?"
The assassin's face twisted in terror. "I don't know much, but… the guys who hired us might be—" he swallowed, his voice barely a whisper—"cultists. You know how those terrorist bastards are,right?!"
"Cultists?" Eliza repeated.
"I swear, that's all I know!" the assassin pleaded. "I swear!,I don't lie you know!"
Edwin studied him.
A long silence stretched between them.
Then, he turned to Eliza. "Leave for a while."
Eliza stiffened at those words. "What?"
"Leave....for a while" Edwin repeated.
She hesitated. She knew what he meant.
"…Shouldn't you think about it a little more?" she asked quietly.
"I've thought about it enough."
He had hesitated before. And every time, it had cost him. Every death, every failure. Every regret and every sin.
Eliza's gaze lingered, but she said nothing. With a quiet exhale, she turned and left.
Edwin waited until she was gone.
Then, he stared down at the assassin.
They had masks. That made it easier.
That helped him think they weren't human.
If he pulled this one's mask off, it would be different.
"Please man..I swear I will become good..Please..!" the assasin started to slowly cry as he pleaded.
"I… am sorry." he said with a pitiful tone.
He knew there was no coming back.
If he did this all the times he killed the assasins will haunt him at once.
The sword flashed.
Blood sprayed.
[Quest Cleared.]
[Points are being given.]
Edwin sheathed his blade.
He went over to the other side. He picked up the other bodies of the assasins and lined them up one by one.
Father Gabriel taught him to respect the dead and he was going to be doing thay right now.
He knelt down and clasped his hands together and prayed for their souls.
End of Chapter