[Phantom Assassin: An assassin class profession that can manipulate shadows]
[New Quest: Defeat all the phantom assassins]
[Reward: Instant Level Up]
One of the hooded men rushed forward with his dagger aimed at Alex's head, but the other had dodged the attack just in time. The shadows under the man's feet attacked Alex, taking the form of a whip with a sharp end. Alex was moving left and right, evading the attacks with practiced ease, but then the shadow split into two, attacking from different ends simultaneously. The hooded figure rushed forward again, forcing Alex to activate his force field just in time to deflect the incoming strikes.
Seeing as Alex was occupied, Kealin decided to deal with the other hooded assassins.
[Strength: 10% (+5)]
[Agility: 5% (+5)]
[Endurance: 5% (+5)]
[Speed: 15% (+5)]
[Warning: Your Mana has reached 0%. You must end this battle quickly.]
Kealin grabbed a piece of wood and swung it at one of the assassins. The attack was too fast, and the latter couldn't evade it. The wood smashed into his head with a sickening crack, knocking him out cold.
[1/8]
Kealin dropped the piece of wood and decided to use his fists instead. One of the men pulled out a dagger from under his robe and rushed forward to deal with Kealin. Kealin threw out his fist, but the man had moved back just in time, thinking that he had evaded Kealin's attack. But he was wrong—the teenager appeared below him in a flash and delivered an uppercut that sent his opponent crashing to the ground, finished.
[2/8]
[Warning: Your Mana has reached 0%. You must end this battle quickly.]
"Five minutes... five minutes is all I need," Kealin thought through gritted teeth as he continued to attack, his body already showing signs of exhaustion.
Alex had successfully dodged all the shadow attacks and decided to end the battle. He got below his opponent and delivered a devastating punch to his lower abdomen, finishing his opponent immediately. Turning around, he could see two of the men on the floor while five surrounded an exhausted Kealin.
"But how did he take out two of them on his own?" Alex thought, marveling at Kealin's combat abilities. It was then it dawned on him that he wasn't the only supernatural being around.
The shadows at the men's feet rose up and were all heading straight for Kealin. With his increased speed and agility, the teenager managed to evade all their attacks, but he was running out of time, and it seemed like the phantom assassins knew this as well.
Assassins weren't the best at close combat and always finished their opponents with one strike. Alex took note of this and used it to his advantage. Alex had dealt with the other assassin, leaving only one. The duo were ready to take out the last man and question him, but Kealin had reached his limits.
[Your Exhaustion has reached its peak. You will now pass out.]
And with that, Kealin immediately fell to the ground, his body giving out from the strain. Upon seeing this, the phantom assassin used this opportunity to grab his men. He slowly spread his shadow through the room, and after some time, the whole room was covered in darkness. Alex had reactivated his force field, protecting him and Kealin, but it seemed as if the man was not after him. Slowly, he and his men sank into the shadow, and when they were gone, the room returned back to normal.
"What the hell just happened?" Alex asked himself as he looked at the exhausted Kealin before carefully placing him on his shoulder and leaving the room.
******
Walking through the different sections of the maze was Alex with Kealin on his shoulder. He had entered a different section of the maze—a section that looked more like a cyberpunk movie set or what one would call a cyberpunk underworld. This section was bigger than the others. Instead of just stalls, it was also filled with houses. The small city's thoroughfares pulsed with vibrant lights, advertisements, and data streams flowing through holographic displays. The walls of houses and stalls were filled with neon art and LED graffiti. On top of some of the houses were what looked like small billboards showcasing vital information, art, and entertainment. And finally, in the middle of the city was a water fountain with an iconic signage that showcased the word "Neo-Eden."
Alex stopped in front of a two-unit apartment building. He walked up the external staircase as he moved to the apartment above. The apartment was a compact, cozy haven nestled close to the heart of the city. The apartment featured sleek, minimalist decor, with neon accents and an immersive entertainment system projecting various experiences, from virtual reality games to interactive movies. The apartment could be described as a one-room house with a sofa in the middle, and behind it was a counter leading to a small kitchen. At the rightmost part of the room was a bed. Alex placed Kealin on top of the bed as he went into the kitchen and pulled out an energy drink from the mini-fridge, gulping it down as if it were water.
After a while, Kealin slowly opened his eyes. Scanning the room, he tried to figure out where he was.
"Oh, so you're awake," Alex said with a glass of water in his hand, which he gave to Kealin.
"Thanks," Kealin replied gratefully, accepting the water.
After taking the water, Kealin looked around and noticed the environment. That's when something came to his mind.
"How long have I been asleep? What year is it? Are we in the future?" Kealin asked with a panicked look on his face, causing Alex to chuckle a bit at his reaction.
"Relax, you blockhead. We're not in the future," Alex answered, and Kealin visibly calmed down.
"Then where are we?" Kealin asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, still trying to process everything.
Alex smiled and gestured for Kealin to follow him. He opened the door and held out his arm dramatically.
"Welcome to Neo-Eden," he said with a flourish.
Kealin was stunned at the sight of the city. If one were to look closely, they would think that the teenager's eyes were about to pop out of his head.
"Whoa, what is this place?" Kealin asked, his voice filled with wonder. For a moment, he thought that he was in a game or had actually traveled to the future.
"This is where everyone in the maze lives," Alex answered proudly.
"Really? I thought you people only had stalls around here."
"Well, most parts of the maze are filled with stalls and arenas. There is one part that is only filled with houses and some stalls, and that's Neo-Eden," Alex explained.
Kealin couldn't close his mouth. The city looked almost improbable, and Kealin wondered just how much time it took to build the Maze. The technological advancement and architectural marvel before him seemed beyond anything he had ever seen.
Alex sighed, breaking the moment. "I'd love to show you around, but it seems like we have other issues to discuss..."