100% Assassination If I Do It Openly

Charge was a warrior-exclusive skill that increased speed by 100% and gradually decayed over 10 seconds.

Compared to Damian's Swiftstep, it offered a much faster initial burst.

As a result, the distance between Damian and his pursuer, Grant Tanner, wasn't increasing—it was shrinking.

Realizing he couldn't let this continue, Damian gritted his teeth and darted into a narrow alleyway on the side of the street.

Grant's eyes glinted with sharp intent.

"Trying to trigger Stealth?"

He sneered at the thought. He wasn't about to let Damian buy time.

With a low growl, Grant followed him into the alley. However, what he saw next made him hesitate.

Damian wasn't hiding. Instead, he stood boldly in the middle of the alley, dagger raised in plain view.

What was this?

Grant frowned for a moment but quickly dismissed his confusion. This situation only worked in his favor.

Swinging his longsword, Grant grinned wickedly. "Giving up already? Hand over your gear, and I might let you live."

"...Gear?" Damian blinked, feigning confusion as he pointed to his dagger. "You're chasing me for this?"

Grant let out a cold laugh. "Don't play dumb. I know you've got a blue-tier item in your inventory. Hand it over, and I'll spare you."

Damian's expression faltered slightly.

This guy could see into his inventory?

He cursed himself for being careless—he hadn't expected even his hidden items could attract attention. The real question now was: how much could Grant see?

Calming himself, Damian scanned Grant's face and replied smoothly, "It's a staff. For mages. Not much use to you."

A staff?

Grant's heart leapt with joy.

Weapon-type equipment fetched the highest prices. A blue-tier weapon for mages could easily sell for over 100,000 credits.

Everyone knew mages were cash-heavy players, and anything tailored for them was worth a fortune.

"If it's not useful, I can always sell it. I'm guessing you had the same idea," Grant said, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Too bad you won't get the chance—this money is mine now!"

Hearing this, Damian's mind settled.

It seemed Grant could only determine the quality of his items, not their full details.

An idea formed in Damian's mind, and he smiled. "Alright, big guy, I lied earlier."

Grant's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"It's not a staff. It's a necklace. Adds health." Damian's tone shifted to one of regret. "I was going to use it myself, but now that you've cornered me, I guess it's yours. Can I at least get some compensation?"

"A necklace?"

Grant paused for a moment, then broke into a grin.

Even better!

He already had a weapon and armor, but no accessory yet. A necklace that increased health was perfect for a warrior like him.

Warriors were all about tanking and dealing damage, and a health-boosting necklace would make him even tougher.

This wasn't just a win—it was a jackpot.

"You're surprisingly lucky for a newbie to land a blue-tier accessory," Grant said, his gaze blazing. "But now I can't let you live."

Damian's expression froze. "What do you mean?"

"You think I'm stupid?" Grant sneered. "A green-tier title for a Level 3 player? That's not something a random newbie gets."

"And a blue-tier item? No way you just stumbled into it."

"I don't know why you're trying to stall, but I won't give you the chance. Once I kill you, everything in your inventory will belong to me."

Grant's words were cut short as Damian suddenly tossed an item toward him. The bright blue glow of the necklace was unmistakable.

Under the influence of Grant's A-tier talent, Golden Eye, a series of details about the necklace flashed before him:

Accessory… Level 5… Quality: Blue-tier… +200 Health…

Before he could finish processing the information, Damian lunged forward, dagger aimed straight at him.

Startled, Grant grabbed the necklace mid-air and immediately equipped it. Raising his longsword, he swung it to block the incoming attack.

The weapons collided with a loud clang.

Grant took two steps back, his face twisting in confusion.

What just happened?

The impact from Damian's dagger barely hurt, yet he was the one retreating.

How could this be? He was Level 6, and while warriors didn't have as high physical attack stats as assassins, there was no way a Level 3 assassin should overpower him.

Before he could fully grasp the situation, Damian darted forward again with blinding speed.

"My name is Damian," he said coldly, raising his dagger for another strike.

"The one who will kill you."

The dagger plunged into Grant's leather armor.

Damian's SSS-tier talent, Absolute Execution, activated instantly.

"You…" Grant's eyes widened in disbelief as his health was wiped out in a single moment.

His body dissolved into countless particles of light, leaving behind a pile of dropped equipment and items.

"Was it really worth it?" Damian sighed, picking up the cursed necklace and putting it back in his inventory.

He had tested his talent thoroughly while hunting Demon Lambs. After killing 50 of them, he'd refined his understanding of its limitations.

To activate Absolute Execution, three conditions had to be met:

1. He had to announce his name and intent to kill.

2. He could only use a class-specific weapon for the assassination.

3. The entire process had to occur within the target's awareness.

Damian glanced at the items Grant had dropped and frowned.

"Cheap bastard."

The loot included a green-tier longsword, a white-tier leather armor, and a handful of low-value trinkets. All of it might fetch a little over 1,000 credits.

This guy was clearly a repeat offender, but it seemed he had already sold off most of his stolen goods. Damian had expected a bigger haul.

"The leather armor is Level 1, so I can equip it right away. The green sword might sell for 10,000 credits, though," Damian muttered to himself. "Consider it a reward for taking out a thief."

In Divine Genesis, death carried severe consequences. While it didn't affect players in the real world, it erased all their in-game progress, including memories and abilities. Worse yet, those who died couldn't re-enter the game.

Grant had not only targeted Damian but intended to kill him outright. Damian had no qualms about fighting back.

After gathering the loot, Damian stepped out of the alley, his focus returning to the task at hand.

Next destination: the Grey Ruins.