Rain fell over Valoria like a silent curtain, coating its rooftops in glassy sheen.
The city that never slept had gone quiet—too quiet.
Inside the Assassin Guild's main chamber, the torches burned black instead of gold. That color meant only one thing:
a Black Contract had been issued.
The Briefing
Lin Xuan entered the hall, cloak dripping rainwater.
Dozens of assassins stood in formation, heads bowed as Selene approached the front platform with a sealed document in her gloved hands.
"Attention," she said. "By order of Central Command, this mission is classified as a Black Contract. Its existence is not to be recorded in Guild archives."
She paused, her masked eyes sweeping the room. "The target is Lord Dravien Halos, member of Valoria's Inner Council. He's suspected of harboring a demonic parasite."
Murmurs erupted among the assassins.
A noble. A councilman.
Those were jobs reserved for A-class killers, not trainees.
"Why us?" someone demanded.
Selene's gaze hardened. "Because all higher-ranked assassins refused."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Only Lin Xuan's eyes didn't waver.
[ Mission: Black Contract – Eliminate Dravien Halos ]
[ Rank: Unknown ]
[ Objective: Confirm demonic infection and neutralize target ]
[ Reward: +5000 EXP + Unique Skill Unlock (Conditional) ]
[ Risk: Extreme ]
When the briefing ended, Selene handed Lin Xuan a separate envelope.
"This was assigned to you specifically."
He raised an eyebrow. "To me?"
She nodded slowly. "Dravien's corruption began after an Abyssal fragment was found in his manor. The higher-ups think you… resonate with those energies."
His expression didn't change. "So I'm bait."
"Maybe," she admitted. "Or maybe you're the only one who can survive it."
The Target
That night, Lin Xuan stood on the balcony of the Halos estate.
Lightning flashed across the clouds, illuminating marble statues and fountains long since dried of water.
The mansion was silent, but his Abyssal Sense pulsed wildly—like a drumbeat against his skull.
[ Abyssal Presence Detected ]
[ Source: Main Hall ]
He slipped through a window, his form blurring under [ Phantom Stride ].
The corridors smelled faintly of rot and incense. Paintings of noble lineage hung along the walls, their faces distorted in the flickering light.
Then he heard it—
a whisper that crawled beneath his skin.
"Welcome… shadow-born."
Confrontation
The voice came from the main hall.
Dravien Halos sat on a throne-like chair, dressed in elegant robes now stained with black veins crawling across his skin.
When he looked up, his eyes burned with the same crimson glow as the fragment Lin Xuan had absorbed days before.
"Assassin…" Dravien's voice was layered, half-human, half-demon. "You smell of the same world that whispers to me. Tell me—does it speak to you too?"
Lin Xuan's blades slid free. "I don't answer the dead."
The noble smiled, the demonic energy pulsing through the room like a living fog.
"You think you can kill me, child? You're already one of us."
[ Warning: Demonic Influence Rising ]
[ Soul Assimilation Reacting… ]
[ Compatibility 31% → 34% ]
The System's glow flickered, glitching for the first time.
The Battle
Dravien's body convulsed, tearing apart as black tendrils erupted from his spine.
His voice split into a dozen tones.
"I am the bridge between worlds—join me!"
Lin Xuan vanished.
He reappeared behind the creature, daggers crossing in a blur of silver light.
The tendrils whipped toward him; he twisted midair, blades slicing through them like silk.
[ Skill Activated: Phantom Stride II ]
[ Skill Activated: Abyssal Sense I ]
Each motion was calculated, surgical.
He struck again and again, until the hall was filled with the sound of tearing flesh and snapping bone.
Then—Dravien's demonic core pulsed.
[ Abyssal Burst Incoming ]
Lin Xuan's instincts screamed.
He dashed backward, throwing both daggers.
They hit dead center—
the explosion shook the mansion.
When the light faded, Dravien Halos was gone. Only a crater of black ichor remained.
[ Target Eliminated ]
[ +5000 EXP ]
[ Soul Assimilation Activated ]
[ Attributes Gained: +3 Strength, +3 Agility, +3 Perception ]
[ Passive Evolution Progress: 42% ]
[ Hidden Reward: Unique Skill – Shadow Convergence ]
Aftermath
He knelt, panting lightly, the air thick with ash and whispers.
Then a faint sound—a heartbeat—echoed not from his body, but the floor beneath him.
He looked down.
Where Dravien had fallen, something remained—a fragment of obsidian crystal, pulsing faintly.
[ Abyssal Core Fragment Detected ]
[ Assimilate? ]
He hesitated.
Then, quietly—
"Assimilate."
The shard dissolved into his hand.
A surge of black light flooded his veins, cold and endless.
[ Soul Assimilation Evolving… ]
[ Mutation Detected: Abyssal Resonance (Intermediate) ]
[ Passive Evolved: Soul Assimilation → Soul Convergence ]
Pain tore through his body. The System flickered violently—text distorting into unreadable sigils.
And then, for just one second, he heard it again:
"Good… you're learning to consume."
Status Panel
Name: Lin Xuan
Level: 15
Profession: Assassin (D-Class)
Talent: SSS – Silent Killer
Passive: Soul Convergence (Active – Abyssal Resonance 42%)
Skills: [ Dagger Mastery IV ], [ Phantom Stride II ], [ Abyssal Sense I ], [ Shadow Convergence (New) ]
Hidden Quest: 6 / 100 Perfect Assassinations
Next Evolution: Shadow Reaper (Locked)
Strength: 28
Agility: 32
Perception: 25
Epilogue Scene
When Lin Xuan returned to the Guild, Selene was waiting in the shadows of the entryway.
"You shouldn't have accepted that mission," she said quietly. "Half the council's in chaos now. They'll come for whoever killed him."
He met her gaze. "Then they'll find nothing."
She hesitated. "Your aura… it's worse. What did you do?"
Lin Xuan's reply was calm, but the faint glow in his eyes betrayed something new—something darker.
"I stopped being human enough to die."