Episode 141
Chapter 47: After the Death of Kidad Hall (Part 2)
What Kashimir had saved was an item called the “Nameless Token.”
It was absolutely essential for entering the Nameless’ stronghold city, Samil. To approach Samil without the Nameless Token was essentially a death sentence.
But even possessing the token didn’t guarantee safety within Samil. The city was far more dangerous than any unprotected zone like the Black Sea.
It was the sanctuary of assassins.
There were no ordinary civilians in Samil. Everyone living there was a cadet training to become one of the Nameless, and the entire city was one massive training ground.
Assassination training was ongoing at all times within the city. Unlike typical drills, cadets were permitted to kill each other, and protecting visitors was not part of their duty.
In other words, using visitors as targets for assassination practice was perfectly acceptable.
“Carrying the Nameless Token means you agree to their rules.”
Conversely, anyone who entered without the token was immediately classified as an enemy, not a visitor.
Visitors might survive assassination attempts and return, but enemies who escaped would have their names added to the Nameless’ hit list, living under constant threat of assassination for life.
And very few people in the world could survive after being marked on that list.
Jin toyed with the Nameless Token as he collapsed onto the sofa.
“Yona noona is there. And meeting her doesn’t violate any rules for a prospective cadet.”
Yona was currently a Nameless assassin, not affiliated with the Sword Garden or Runkandel. So Jin wouldn’t face any family punishment for meeting her.
After his reincarnation, Jin had planned to visit the Nameless before 1799.
It was a bit early to go now. Assassination attempts by Nameless cadets were a threat even to knights of rank seven or higher.
“I wanted to wait until assassination attempts by cadets were laughable… but if I run into Kuzan again, or have to fight a poison master of that caliber, I’m screwed.”
The reason Jin was heading to Samil was poison.
“There are poisons in this world that even Runkandel’s blessed bodies can’t handle.”
He recalled several near-death experiences since his reincarnation.
When he met Kwajito Truka, the White Wolf warrior, during his first mission; his fight with Andrei; facing Ziphl’s mages in Colon… and most dangerously, when he encountered Beris and Kuzan. If Prince Laika of Delki hadn’t arrived at that moment, Jin would have surely died from Kuzan’s poison.
He had learned a lot from Taimun’s death as well.
“Kuzan will keep hunting me, and there are countless others who’ll try to kill me with poison—even after I return home.”
Everyone affiliated with the Nameless developed poison resistance through training. Even cadets in Samil could withstand moderate poisons.
Once officially recognized as Nameless assassins, they gained significant immunity to deadly toxins.
But Jin wanted more than that. That level of resistance was already innate in those born in Runkandel.
“I need the Mantokju.”
The Mantokju was a secret elixir passed down only to the Nameless’ top assassins.
Those who drank it became nearly impervious to all poisons.
Absolute immunity to all poisons wasn’t recorded, but it was believed that only Temar, the first head of Runkandel; Siron, the current head; and Korun, the first Nameless King, had reached that level.
Of course, the Mantokju wasn’t something you could just get because you wanted it. It was an elixir granted only to the Nameless’ highest assassins recognized by the Nameless King.
“But in my previous life, Anne noona definitely drank the Mantokju—around 1799.”
If history repeated itself, Anne would drink it about three years from now.
Yona was the one who gave it to her as a gift.
“Yona noona became the fastest to reach the top assassin rank in Nameless history. And since she was born with a body nearly immune to all poisons, she never needed the Mantokju.”
So Yona offered her share of the Mantokju to the family.
The Nameless King was furious about this but quietly let the matter drop for two reasons: first, he cared for Yona like a child; second, retaliating against Runkandel would mean risking the destruction of the Nameless.
Instead, the Nameless King tried to keep Yona bound to the Nameless by making a show of favoring Runkandel, ensuring she stayed even after her contract ended.
“That probably worked out better for Yona noona. Anyway, Anne drank the Mantokju back then… but this time, it’s mine.”
Jin felt Anne was clearly on Joshua’s side.
And he planned to ruin everything that benefited his enemies—from the smallest thing to the largest. He would take away what helped them and amplify what harmed them.
Step by step, he would exact his revenge.
The Rune Transmutation of the Reverse Flow Scroll was complete.
“Ah, finally done, damn it! Come here and let me work on your back.”
“Thanks.”
Murakan grumbled as he carved rune characters, one by one, onto Jin’s back.
With each rune etched, Jin felt his understanding of Reverse Flow magic deepen rapidly.
Not just the basic Reverse Flow spells like Reverse Flow Sphere and Reverse Flow Explosion, but even the advanced Reverse Flow techniques.
Including the ultimate Reverse Flow magic that Kidad himself had named “Reverse Heaven.”
Jin smiled with satisfaction, and Murakan shrugged.
“Like it that much?”
“This is what I like about magic. You can’t get a sword technique or finishing move by carving runes like this.”
“That’s also magic’s downside. Without runes, you often can’t unleash your full power even if you learn the spell. That’s why I don’t use the Flash Cannon. Though I’m strong enough not to need it.”
“Feels like I’ve finally got a proper weapon after the Flash Cannon.”
“I studied the spells while decoding them. They’re pretty useful. If you master that Reverse Heaven, even a swarm of mages below rank seven won’t be able to touch you.”
Reverse Heaven was essentially a spell that summoned a massive Reverse Flow Explosion in the sky. Naturally, it absorbed mana far more powerfully than the small Reverse Flow Sphere in your palm.
It also broke the existing rules of Reverse Flow magic once again. Reverse Heaven could trigger at least some Reverse Flow reaction even if the target’s mana was higher than the caster’s.
If Kidad had used Reverse Heaven instead of a Reverse Flow Explosion, even with the Mirror’s power, killing him wouldn’t have been so easy.
“It’s a spell I got at the cost of straining the Mirror’s seal, so it better be worth it.”
“Come on, do you really think the seal Solderet made in his prime would weaken just because it took down a rank nine mage? You can use it more freely.”
“Still, it feels uneasy. If the seal breaks, the world ends. You have to consider even the most unlikely ‘what ifs’ when using something like this. And relying on the Mirror too much will only slow your real growth.”
“True enough.”
Murakan said this casually, but inside he was impressed.
‘After killing Kidad, he must realize how incredible infinite mana is. Yet this little guy doesn’t seem tempted by shortcuts…’
In over three thousand years, Murakan had seen countless geniuses ruined by the lure of shortcuts. Getting stronger efficiently was important, but there was no such thing as an easy, fast path to true power.
“Hmm, well, shall we try it out for old time’s sake?”
“Reverse Heaven?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait a moment, let me release some spirit energy first.”
“It takes time to cast anyway, still clumsy. Since it was the ultimate spell of a rank nine mage, it needs a lot of mana.”
“And we’re indoors, you crazy kid.”
“It’s as big as the training hall indoors. Starting now.”
Jin closed his eyes and began chanting Reverse Heaven, while Murakan quickly shielded himself with spirit energy to avoid exposure.
Whoooosh—Kaaang!
Mana burst from Jin’s hands, forming a massive sphere on the ceiling. It took fifteen seconds to grow large enough to cover the entire ceiling.
When the chant ended, the sphere spun fiercely, sending a faint tremor through the spacious hall.
“Oh!”
Murakan looked up at Reverse Heaven in awe.
“Jin Gong, waaaah!”
Just then, Enya burst into the hall, foaming at the mouth—exposed to the spell’s effects.
“Damn!”
Jin hurriedly dispelled the spell and rushed to Enya’s side. Murakan pointed and laughed gleefully, while Jin had no choice but to support her.
“Are you okay, Enya? Sorry, I didn’t realize you were nearby…”
Snap!
Enya gave a thumbs-up, her eyes sparkling.
“This is amazing…!”
“Huh?”
“Absolutely amazing! Right now! Totally cool!”
It was hard to tell if she meant the spell or the situation, but Jin was just relieved she wasn’t seriously hurt.
“Phew, thank goodness. If you’d been hurt, Enya…”
“Wait, just stay like this! No, forever! I feel like I’ve succeeded in life… ugh!”
Before anyone could react, Quikantel suddenly struck Enya on the back of the neck, and she briefly lost consciousness. It happened often.
“Damn… so now Enya’s teasing you? I’ve told you a thousand times, no matter how much you like her, that’s not okay.”
By then, Murakan was rolling on the floor like an excited puppy, laughing uproariously, and Jin had to spend a long time explaining the situation to Quikantel.
“It’s my fault. Quicantel, I’ll make sure Enya apologizes once she wakes up.”
“No need for an apology… It’s fine. Enya needs to get her head straight anyway. Anyway, you’re heading to Samil soon, right? To the city of the Nameless? To get the Mandokju from your sister?”
“Yes. I think I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow.”
“You know what kind of place it is, don’t you?”
“I do. The city itself is a massive training ground, and visitors are never truly safe from assassination attempts.”
“At your current level, you can probably handle attacks from the Nameless trainees. But the more you fend off Samil, the stronger the assassins that come after you get. If you hold out until the end, the top-tier killers will show up.”
“I’ve never heard that before.”
“Of course not. Anyone who’d spread that kind of rumor is either dead or too afraid to talk about the Nameless. Usually, people die or finish their business and leave before the top assassins arrive.”
Even in Quicantel’s time, the Nameless were a notorious group of killers.
And among her comrades, she knew the most about them.
“The real assassins of the Nameless aren’t even guaranteed to be your sister, let alone you. So, if you ever feel like you can’t handle any more assassins, pull this out and show it. It’ll save your life.”