Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Throwing Kill! Reputation! [Social] Unlocked

The relentless, deadly assault took the assassin’s breath away.

He knew full well that in his current position, if this sword strike landed, he would lose all mobility, even if it didn’t kill him.

Therefore, ignoring his injuries, his muscles tensed abruptly. He sprang from the horse’s back like a compressed spring, contorting his body in a completely unnatural way to narrowly, perilously dodge the fatal sword strike and leap back into the air.

But before Jon could withdraw his sword, Evans’s blade had already arrived from the other side.

His style was somewhat similar to Jon’s, not excelling in speed, but as a Knight Level being, the power of his attacks was clearly far greater than Jon’s.

As the broadsword decorated with a Yellow Gemstone thrust forward, a dusty-gray, phantom sword-image appeared alongside it.

This was the materialization of his Power as an Official Level Professional, heavy and unstoppable.

It was a simple thrust, yet the air seemed to fill with the dull roar of a giant pillar being swung, carrying a crushing weight that could flatten anything in its path!

How could the assassin dare to block it head-on?

He forcibly twisted his body, adjusting his posture again in mid-air. He thrust out his crimson hands, crossing his daggers in front of him to perfectly block the tip of Evans’s powerful sword!

"CLANG—!"

The clang of metal against metal rang out like a clap of thunder. The tremendous rebounding force made the assassin grunt in pain.

But as a shower of bright, spark-like light burst from his daggers, he ultimately managed to block the sword strike.

Seeing this, Jon instantly understood.

’This guy is actually an Official Level assassin...’

If he wasn’t sure of the assassin’s true strength before, there was no doubt now.

The Skill the assassin had just used repeatedly to adjust his posture in mid-air was called [Maneuver Adjustment], a Skill that agility-based apprentice Professionals could learn at level 15.

And the Skill he now used to block Evans’s strike was [Dual-Blade Parry], which could be learned by agility-based Official Professionals between levels 5 and 10. It allowed one to parry an otherwise unstoppable heavy blow with two weapons and use the momentum to escape.

These two were quite representative Skills!

’It seems that in the original course of history, Rosalind must have died in this attack... If I hadn’t intervened, Evans wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the assassin’s speed.’

’The end result would have been him watching helplessly as the assassin killed Rosalind and got away safely...’

But there are no ’what ifs’ in this world!

With him here, what did it matter if the assassin was Official Level?

Jon watched as the assassin used the parry to absorb the full force of Evans’s thrust. Though grievously injured, he used the momentum to launch himself away, attempting to escape into the pine forest. Beneath his iron helm, Jon’s expression was ice-cold.

"Since you’ve come, you’re not leaving!"

He pulled out his remaining four Flying Nails, infused them with Magic Power, and threw them with a flick of his wrist!

"WHOOSH—!"

This throw wasn’t as fast as a shot from the Arm Crossbow; the faint blue trajectory of the Flying Nails was clearly visible to the naked eye.

But it was precisely because he could see them that the assassin’s eyes widened in fury and despair.

His arms were shattered from blocking Evans’s sword, and blood was pouring from the Flying Nail wound in his body. He was completely unable to make any decent defensive move.

He could only twist his body again, trying to reduce the number of hits he would take.

But he was a step too slow.

[-102 (Hit) -20 (Magic Bonus Damage)]!

[-97 (Hit)...]!

[-133 (Fatal Blow)...]!

Three hits out of four!

One hit his chest, one pierced his abdomen, and the last one plunged directly into the center of the assassin’s torso, completely destroying his heart and his life force!

"Urk..."

The assassin let out a final, unwilling gasp. By the time he hit the ground, he was already a corpse.

Several lines of text promptly appeared before Jon’s eyes.

——

[Sudden Assassination (Excellent - Limited Time Random Quest), Completed]

[You were the first to spot the assassin during the attack and played a vital role in killing him.]

[Completion: A, reward multiplier 3.0]

[Completion Reward: 2100 Combat Experience Points (700 base x3.0), 300 Heta County Noble United Commerce Association reputation (100 base x3.0)]

[Current Heta County Noble United Commerce Association Reputation Level: Neutral (300/1000)]

——

A small random quest, a decent experience reward, and a bit of Noble United Commerce Association reputation.

But most importantly, with the gain in reputation, he had finally unlocked the system’s [Social] function.

But Jon didn’t immediately investigate the changes to the [Social] function in this world. Instead, he met the stunned gazes around him and calmly sheathed his sword.

For the surrounding guards, everything had happened too quickly.

They had been about to form up to face the enemy, but before they could even turn their horses, the battle was already over.

A strange sense of absurdity and helplessness washed over them. They could only subconsciously rein in their horses, tensing up to keep from losing their composure.

One man gripped his sword hilt so tightly his knuckles turned white. Another’s mouth was agape, as if he’d been about to shout for his comrades to form up. Still another stared blankly at the assassin’s corpse, seemingly unable to process the swift, decisive battle that had just concluded.

This paralysis didn’t last long, however, before a command broke the silence.

"Don’t just stand there gawking. Secure the scene, now."

It was Evans.

His voice, rough and hoarse, shattered their daze like a maul breaking stone.

The guards jolted back to life as if waking from a dream.

"Yes, Sir Dean!"

They dismounted and began examining the assassin’s body, setting up a perimeter, and searching for any other hidden ambushers. Everything was done with speed and professionalism.

But the furtive glances they kept stealing toward the center of the party betrayed their inner turmoil.

Evans, too, looked away from the dead assassin and turned his gaze to Jon. His eyes lingered on the area beneath his Arm Shield and on his sword hand, a hint of surprise and admiration in his iron-gray irises.

As a Knight Level Professional, he could naturally see things clearly.

This "guard" who had joined the party with Rosalind had calculated every move with extreme precision. The timing of that strange roar at the beginning was a stroke of genius, completely neutralizing the assassin’s speed advantage. The subsequent crossbow shot and Flying Nail throw were seamlessly connected, giving the opponent no chance to breathe.

If he hadn’t helped, the situation today would have been extremely dangerous.

"Excellent skill..."

’But his background is unknown...’

Evans spoke the first half of his thought aloud in a low, calm voice, but swallowed the second half. Then he turned to Rosalind, who was standing on the ground with a somewhat dazed expression.

"Rosalind, perhaps now you can introduce this friend of yours to us."

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