Hunters: The Prequel - Chapter 263

Although his words were whispered, Hildegarde heard him. She really wanted to beat him up. How could someone who had an assassin coming his way be so unconcerned? She could feel the excitement seeping out of his bones, and the joy that radiated from his entire being.

She couldn’t help but think to herself, “is he secretly a psycho?”

Before long, Hildegarde could feel the approach of another presence. No wait. Two more presences! It wasn’t just one assassin, but two! She quickly informed Mane of her findings.

“There are two people coming. One of them is on the roof. The other is going to use the door!” Mane nodded his head quietly as he hid under the bed. He began to draw a simulation of what was likely going to happen in his head. This room had only two openings – the door and the window. The one on the roof was going to break in through the window. His entrance would ensure that only one of the openings would be available if Mane wanted to escape. But that escape would be impossible since there was another assassin right outside the door. It was the classic scenario of covering every exit. It was clear that whoever sent them, wanted absolute assurance that the job would be done. To make sure there weren’t any mistakes, Village Head Samoa sent two assassins. And since his son was beaten black and blue, with no ability to resist, it was likely that Samoa thought Mane was a New Type. The man would have been able to guess a portion of his strength from any eyewitnesses and plan accordingly. It seemed that Village Head Samoa was very confident in the two he had sent. But if they entered together, that would mean that both of them weren’t confident in attaining victory on their own. This would mean that Mane’s strength was either similar to, or slightly greater than theirs. But if only one of them entered,

“It would mean that they still fear nothing even after hearing accounts of the fight, and are confident that one of them would be able to take me down. Meaning that the only reason they came together would be because they aren’t confident of dealing with my speed and want to prevent any chance of an escape.” Mane’s brain moved quickly to analyse the two possible scenarios, and he felt that it was likely that each of them was stronger than he was. Maybe, only his agility was on top. But for him to be completely sure about that, he had to see their status.

About five minutes passed by, yet the two assassins showed no signs of breaking in. It was almost as if they were waiting for something. An eerie silence filled the room, acting as a prelude for the danger that was to come – no, that had arrived. As the seconds trickled by, Mane’s excitement was slowly dampened, and he was hit by a great feeling of unease. He began to wonder if the change in his Daily Quest had to do with the events that were occurring now. Did the system foresee the arrival of assassins in his home? Was he in such grave danger that he could be greatly injured, leaving him incapable of going on the hunt? If that was the case, then this wasn’t just about getting out of this alive. It was more about dealing with those who had come for his life without losing too much himself.

“I cannot afford to end up on the bed once again,” Mane thought to himself resolutely and prepared his mind for what was to come. Constantly waiting for one’s enemies to make the first move was mentally draining, so Mane was trying as much as possible to maintain his focus. He couldn’t afford a slipup.

“Someone else is coming,” Hildegarde suddenly interrupted Mane’s thought process. “This person’s aura is strongest amongst the 3,” she exclaimed!

Her words caused Mane to furrow his brows as he reached a tangible conclusion on their level of strength. Whoever these men were, none of them was stronger than Mane. Using two assassins, with one covering each exit was a wise choice. Using three reeked of fear and high level of cautiousness. These men were at most on par with Mane. That was the conclusion Mane had reached. For Village Head Samoa to be so cautious even after hearing the events of the battle could only mean he wasn’t confident that one or two of them would finish the job. It was likely that he expected the 2 who were outside Mane’s door and on the roof, to sacrifice their lives for the cause. Maybe they were only meant to leave Mane so weak that when he tried to exit the house, the one who was hidden outside the actual house would deal the finishing blow.

After all, assassins were feared not because of their strength. They were feared because they stood in the shadows whilst the victims stayed in the light. They could see their targets, but their targets seldom knew what was happening before they were taken by surprise and killed. But when one was prepared for an assassin, it was a different case. Although the assassins Village Head Samoa sent weren’t very good – on account of how hard they found it to hide their killing intent – they still stood in the dark. It was possible that these men were more suited towards open combat than assassination. And the fact that they weren’t going to attack at once meant that Village Head Samoa wasn’t worried about how quickly they would get things done, but only that they would get things done. That would explain why their strongest ally was the last man behind the main door.

His muscles that had been relaxed tensed up instinctively all of a sudden. Although he hadn’t achieved a 100% soul-body integration, after hitting 30% some of his instinctive reactions were returning to him. The reaction of his body meant one of them had made a move. Mane closed his eyes with a serene expression on his face as his breathing gradually reduced. In less than ten seconds, Hildegarde who was right beside him was discovered to find out that she couldn’t hear his breathing. It was almost as if he wasn’t there! His breath was nonexistent! Seeing his closed eyes, she knew that she couldn’t disturb him. She pushed down the anxiety she was feeling and stopped herself from telling him that the one on the roof was making his move. She could tell from Mane’s reaction that the boy could already feel it, and didn’t need her help from now onwards. Everything depended on him.

Mane grasped the small dagger in his hand and was on high alert. The dagger was the small blunt knife that was beside the stone tablet in his room. He had picked it up when he was preparing to hide. The knife he had never paid attention to was his only means of defense now. His own breathing was like a whisper now, and even he couldn’t hear it. He could hear everything that was happening outside his room. And that was why he was able to discern the change when it happened. The small wind that forcefully pried his window open and the lithe figure that found its way into his room through it didn’t escape Mane’s senses. His eyes were closed, but his ears weren’t.

“Assassin has a small build. Protrusions on the c.h.e.s.t and the curve of the b.u.t.t.o.c.k.s indicate that the assassin is most likely female. She shows great agility and flexibility, and is most likely an Agility Type”

Mane’s brain provided him with the information of the first assassin. The knowledge he had gained served to explain why she was positioned on the roof. With such graceful and light movements, she wouldn’t have any trouble breaking into the room. Mane didn’t realize that the situation was strange. With his abilities as a scholar blocked, how was he able to discern so much without using his eyes?

The nimble assassin quickly dashed to the bed once she landed on the floor of the room. Her movements were practiced, and her steps were so light that the old floor of Mane’s room didn’t even creak. It took her no time to get to his bed.

*Fwoosh*

A long sword penetrated the bed in no time. The weapon was sharp and well made. It was nothing like the blunt dagger Mane was wielding. Mane’s clothes that were under the sheet served their purpose. The misled assassin wasn’t a wielder. She wasn’t able to see in the dark. She couldn’t tell that the figure on the bed was strange since the room had been stripped off its light, and so she attacked without a clear understanding of what was on the bed. But once the sword penetrated the bed, she knew she had been deceived. She was a killer. The number of people that had fallen to her sword were numerous, and even some haunted her at night. So she knew how it felt whenever her sword took a life. The way the sword penetrated the bed was too simple. It was definitely not a human body!

She pulled out her sword and tried to back away from the bed, but it was too late. Someone had been waiting for this opportunity. There was someone under the bed who had waited long enough and was tired of being on the back foot. A blunt dagger found its way into her leg with powerful strength. She could feel the dagger grating her skin. It was blunt, but the power of the one who held it made it so that its blunt nature was ignored. Her Achilles tendon was swiftly severed, and she lost her footing. As she dropped to the ground, her sword fell from her grasp. But it didn’t fall to the ground. A hand reached out from underneath the bed and caught the sword!

Mane, who had swiftly rolled out from underneath the bed and caught the sword, jumped up and descended upon the assassin domineeringly. His eyes were still closed, but he knew what he wanted. His body knew what he sought and his arms searched for it instinctively. The poor assassin who was off balance could only watch helplessly as the sword approached her neck and decapitated her in one swift motion, showing the level of mastery of the one who held it.

*Swish*

A headless body fell to the ground. The cloth that was covering the face of the assassin also fell off to reveal a beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties. Her eyes were filled with disbelief and unwillingness. Her slightly parted red hot lips revealed her long tongue. Her life had ended in this small room, and her tongue would form no more words.

Mane waved the sword around with practiced movements. Hildegarde could only watch in disbelief as he handled the weapon as though it was part of his body. Mane wiped the blood off the sword using his forearm and picked up its sheath from the dead woman. He strapped the sheath to his back, a sense of familiarity filling his bones as he sheathed the weapon and picked up the assassin’s head by the hair.

“Now let’s see who you are,” Mane mumbled as he opened his eyes. They glowed blue, bringing a bit of light to this dark room. Although the assassin was dead, he would still be able to see her status. That would give him an idea of the strength of the other two.

What Mane didn’t realize was that the small knife that had been discarded onto the floor was glowing slightly as well. As it drowned in the blood of the dead assassin, the small dagger radiated a red hue. It was not easily noticeable, but it was there. It was clear that this was no ordinary dagger.