Chapter 149
Episode 50: Two Long Nights, One Short Night (Part 1)

The first assassins Yona sent after the three were high-level killers. This completely contradicted the Unknown King Owl’s prediction that they would come in order of mid-level, high-level, then elite assassins.

The two of them watched from beyond the tower’s peak, observing the assassins as they pursued the trio.

“Yona… are you sure this is okay? Sending high-level assassins right from the start—your little brother could really get killed. You don’t actually want that, do you?”

“He’s incredibly strong.”

“I know his achievements at that age are unbelievable. But being strong and being able to fend off trained assassins are two different things…”

“Those who cling to him pretending to be friends? They deserve to die, of course.”

“Hmm.”

“If I can’t kill those guys, I’ll personally train the high-level assassins.”

Owl pressed his forehead, looking dizzy. Among the Unknown’s assassins, Yona’s training was infamous for being the most brutal and grueling.

‘If that’s the case, the assassins will come at them with everything they’ve got… I wonder if Jin can lead the future heads of Hailan through Samil smoothly…’

He wanted nothing more than to let out a deep, earth-shaking sigh.

But regardless, Yona’s eyes still burned fiercely as he watched the three—especially Veradin and Dante.

Suddenly, Yona burst into a mischievous laugh, then snapped back into a fierce glare, repeating this strange cycle.

“Ugh! Getting paid by Jin just isn’t worth it!”

“This feels endless!”

“And what kind of assassination is this? It’s a hunt! Isn’t this Samil? Why are they chasing us so openly?”

“An assassination only works if there are no witnesses, right? There’s not a single person on the streets. It’s like the whole city is targeting us.”

The three were sprinting down the street like mad bulls. Behind them, the assassins wore white masks—the mark of Unknown assassins.

“Why does a guy who looks so light feel so heavy?”

Jin was carrying Veradin over his shoulder. Veradin’s running speed alone couldn’t shake off the assassins.

“Sorry! I’ve got a lot in my bag.”

Veradin shouted as he raised his staff and began chanting a spell.

A giant’s hand—a 6-star earth magic spell. As the chant ended, magical energy burst from the staff’s tip, striking the ground and forming a massive hand made of stone and earth, blocking the assassins’ path.

Out of the ten assassins, five were briefly slowed by the giant hand. Boom! But none were harmed by the hammer-like strike.

Swish! Swish!

The assassins bounced like grasshoppers onto the rooftops, throwing daggers. Though they seemed light, the blades pierced through brick walls and paved roads—true assassin’s throwing knives.

“W-what the hell? The spots where the daggers hit are melting?”

Veradin, the only one looking back, gasped. The bricks were melting and warping, sending chills down his spine.

The poison the cadets used was nothing compared to this power. Dante glanced back briefly, swallowing hard.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Jin and Dante quickened their pace. Soon, they reached a dead end—a wall formed where two buildings met.

“Dante, break through! I’ll hold them off for a moment!”

“Got it!”

“And then get out of here immediately! There’s definitely a trap…”

Clang! Pshh-shoot!

The sound of swords cutting through the wall mixed with the activation of traps set by the assassins. What shot out from beyond the wall wasn’t poison needles, daggers, or arrows.

It was the very same hooked chains that had recently torn Jin’s robe to shreds.

“Ah!”

True to his status as the nineteen-year-old future head of Hailan, Dante swung his sword and sliced through two of the hooked chains in one clean stroke.

But the two remaining hooks, uncut, writhed like snakes and lunged at Dante again. The other three hooks, untouched by the blade, did the same.

In less than a second, Jin gritted his teeth and threw himself at Dante.

Ting! Ting!

If Jin hadn’t been carrying Veradin, he could have easily deflected all three hooks. Even so, one hook still aimed for Dante’s neck.

But Dante wasn’t someone who became the future head of Hailan by chance. In that brief moment, he mimicked Jin’s move and flicked the hook away with a thrust.

“Thanks to you, I avoided injury. Much appreciated!”

It was Jin’s fault for forgetting to warn him about the hooks’ properties beforehand.

Just as Jin was about to say this, the pursuing assassins began throwing more weapons.

But they didn’t realize Jin had deliberately led them toward a dead end.

‘The Unknown King must have been shocked when he searched my pockets after leaving during the day.’

A map.

The Unknown King hadn’t just talked with Jin—he’d secretly slipped a map into Jin’s pocket. A map that even marked the safe routes the party should take to avoid assassins.

They were heading toward the city center, but along a path Yona wouldn’t suspect—one that would inevitably lead them to a dead end during the chase.

Beyond the wall Dante had broken through, a broad avenue stretched straight into the heart of Samil.

And along that avenue, there were no low buildings, stone walls, or drainage ditches for assassins to hide behind. It was as wide and clean as a pilgrimage route for the saints of the Vankela Kingdom.

In other words, no matter how skilled the Unknown assassins were, assassination was impossible on this open road—unless it was Yona himself.

“A perfect open field! We should lure those wicked assassins here and fight a full-on battle!”

“Agreed. On such wide ground, we don’t need to run anymore. They’re done for, really.”

The two ground their teeth in determination.

But Jin thought differently.

‘It’s still just a road, not the city center. There must be a reason the Unknown King insisted we reach the center.’

Besides, no matter how formidable the three were…

Jin still couldn’t use magic or spiritual energy, and they were facing ten high-level Unknown assassins—handpicked by Yona himself.

‘Might as well test their skills a bit and fight the assassins for a while.’

Of course, thinking differently didn’t mean he wasn’t ready to fight. He wanted to confirm Dante and Veradin’s progress and repay the assassins a little for treating people like prey.

“Veradin.”

“Yeah?”

“We’ll cover you. Use the strongest area-of-effect magic you’ve learned. Even better if it can wipe them all out in one blow.”

Clang! Clang-clang! The three struck the pavement as they entered the avenue.

“Buy me ten minutes. There’s a perfect spell for this.”

“What is it?”

The assassins formed a wide circle, beginning to surround them.

“Annihilation Dark Sky Flame Jade Demon Magic, Type 1.”

“Whoa, that spell name sounds intense.”

Jin nearly flinched at the name.

‘You actually learned that!?’

Dante only thought the name sounded grandiose; he had no idea what it meant.

No wonder.

Among magicians, only a handful knew this spell. It was cast just once in history—by the former head of the Ziphl family, Rio Ziphl, who earned the title of Demon King over two hundred years ago.

Still, several pages of the long magical history were filled with descriptions and records of that spell.

Jin had seen an incomplete reproduction of it by his past-life magic teacher. He also knew where the final spellbook for the Annihilation Dark Sky Flame Jade Demon Magic was kept.

“It’s coming.”

Jin whispered, regaining his composure as the assassins charged.

These weren’t just trained assassins—they were all warriors of at least 6-star rank, and their leader was mid-7-star.

Clang! Clang! The clash of two swords and ten blades began.

Jin stuck close to Veradin, who had cast a protective shield, providing direct cover. Dante drew the assassins toward the center of the battlefield.

Seven assassins swarmed Dante, while three targeted Jin and Veradin. Their plan was to take out Dante first, then kill Jin and Veradin.

But Dante showed no sign of faltering despite being attacked by seven assassins.

A blue aura wrapped around his entire body like a belt, spinning—a secret technique of Hailan.

‘So he really did master that after his secluded training.’

Every time an assassin’s blade pushed through the aura belt, sparks flew. The aura acted like armor, blocking the blades.

This technique was called the Sovereign Sword Dragon Armor. It looked like a unique aura shield, but…

Whenever it absorbed an impact, the aura belt would stab back at the attacker. So no matter the direction of the attack, if the power was strong enough to pierce the armor, the attacker would be countered.

“Ugh!”

Two assassins had already fallen, stabbed in the shoulder and thigh. The remaining five became more cautious.

Jin found himself strangely proud of the two.

‘A shield that counterattacks… I’ll have to be careful with that technique from now on. I wonder if Veradin can really cast it—the way his magic is gathering inside the shield looks serious.’

Unlike Dante, Jin moved lightly with his footwork, overwhelming the three assassins. Among them was a mid-7-star squad leader, yet for some reason, even he was being pushed back by Jin’s sword.

And Jin’s aura was still only in the late 6-star range.

‘As expected, his body is truly blossoming.’

The blessed physique of Runcandel.

It was only possible because the immense strength embedded within him from birth supported his otherwise insufficient aura. That raw power was the very foundation that had upheld Runcandel’s reputation as the greatest swordsmanship family to this day.

Shing!

Jin swung his blade with all his might, snapping the sword of an assassin who had just lunged at him.

Even the squad leader flinched, momentarily stunned, stepping back to put some distance between them. Behind the assassin’s mask, his eyes trembled.

“This kind of fight isn’t really your specialty anyway. Don’t be too discouraged.”

Jin said with a confident smile just as—

“Jin!”

Dante called out urgently. The aura of his Dragon Sword Armor had noticeably faded.

After evading the assassins’ pursuit since evening and pushing himself too hard in his pride, Jin’s chronic stamina issues had flared up again.

‘This idiot should’ve been managing his energy while fighting!’

It wasn’t that Dante hadn’t tried to keep him in check.

He had simply judged that, even if Jin pushed himself a bit too far, it was safe because Jin was there. Among their peers, Dante was the only one who trusted someone so completely.

Veradin felt the same.

Veradin nodded toward Jin, signaling that the spell was ready and it was okay to pass the baton to Dante.

Clang!

The moment Jin stepped away, the squad leader’s sword shattered Veradin’s protective shield. Jin pushed back the assassins surrounding Dante.

Rooooar…!

Through the broken shield, the flames of the Annihilation Azure Flame Jade Demon Type 1 surged upward.