Selene POV
Several Hours Ago
After Godric left, Selene’s eyelids began to droop.
She lost control over her limbs again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t speak, or hear.
Panic began to rise slowly inside her chest.
’What is happening to me?’
’The poison’s effect should have disappeared!’
Unknown to her, the poison gas was being release into the room to make her afraid.
Time blurred. She didn’t know if hours or minutes passed.
She felt trapped inside her own body, sinking deeper into helplessness.
Eventually, her vision returned little by little.
She realized she was still seated in a chair. Her body was limp, and her throat was dry.
The door creaked open.
An assassin entered the room. His steps were quiet.
He approached her and pressed a cold dagger against her throat.
Selene froze, her heart hammering violently.
She thought this would be the end.
Then, a sudden crash shook the entire room.
The door was kicked open with brutal force, and Selene flinched.
Isaac stood at the entrance, bloodied. His body was covered in dust and crimson stains.
Selene’s breath caught in her throat.
’W-why is he here?’
Confusion appeared in her mind, along with an inexplicable relief that came from finally seeing a familiar face.
“You move one step,” the assassin hissed, “and she dies. Don’t even think about pretending you don’t care. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have rushed here like this.”
Selene trembled.
’He… rushed here for me?’
Isaac didn’t even glance at the assassin.
His gaze was fixed on her, steady and reassuring.
“You don’t need to be afraid anymore,” he said simply. “I’m here. I’ll protect you.”
The assassin clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on Selene’s hair.
“What the hell are you—”
Before he could finish, Isaac gave a mental order.
’Tyr, do it.’
Above them, on the ground floor, Tyr heard the command and activated Pulse Bark (SS rank), his strongest skill. The skill allowed him to release a powerful shockwave with an impact.
Tyr punched downwards, and the ground broke.
The basement room’s ceiling cracked apart.
Chunks of debris rained down.
The assassin’s eyes widened and focus faltered for an instant.
Isaac bolted forward.
Phantom Steps activated under his feet, making him blur.
A thick root shot out from the broken wall and yanked the assassin backward at the same time.
Isaac threw himself over Selene without hesitation, shielding her from the collapsing ceiling.
Selene squeezed her eyes shut as heavy impacts sounded around her.
Dust choked the air.
A beat later, something warm and wet splashed her cheek.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Isaac holding her tightly, his body shaking slightly.
Blood was dripping from his arms and onto her.
“Y-you… you’re hurt.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not my blood.”
Selene didn’t believe him.
She could see the trembling in his muscles. The way he gritted his teeth.
Before she could speak again, Isaac grabbed her and rolled them away.
A dagger stabbed into the spot they had just been.
The assassin was still alive.
His gear was strong enough to resist the earlier collapse.
Isaac quickly set Selene down and kept her behind him.
“Can you move?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the enemy.
Selene shook her head, guilt washing over her.
“I’m sorry. I’m being a burden—”
“You’re not,” Isaac said, cutting her off. “You’ve survived until now. That’s more than enough. Let me handle the rest.”
The assassin didn’t hesitate any longer.
He charged forward.
Isaac summoned a massive wall of roots to intercept him, blocking the path between them.
It brought a few precious seconds of breathing space.
Just then, Tirra’s voice brushed against Isaac’s mind.
’Boss, Tyr is worried. He thinks he hurt you.’
Isaac chuckled under his breath.
’Tell him I’m fine. If he wants to help, hold off the Champion rank mage for me.’
One’s rank affected the strength of their Title. Isaac was only Initiate, and Formlock didn’t make him invincible.
But it was more than enough to tank falling rubble.
A moment passed, and Tirra’s voice came again.
’He said okay, Boss!’
Isaac nodded to himself.
He could hear distant crashes and roars as Tyr and the Deathwood Guardian continued battling outside.
Inside the ruined building, he had to focus.
Selene’s safety came first.
The wall of roots shuddered as the assassin hacked away at it.
Daggers shot through small gaps, aiming straight for Selene.
Isaac reacted instantly.
More roots sprang from the ground, catching several daggers mid-air.
But one slipped through.
A dagger wrapped in dark mana whistled toward Selene.
Isaac gritted his teeth and threw himself in the path.
The dagger pierced through his hand, blood spurting out the other side.
Selene gasped and reached out instinctively, but her fingers stopped mid-air.
Watching him get more and more injured stabbed daggers of guilt into her heart.
She knew she should be ashamed. Being saved by the very person she had treated as an enemy… it should have filled her with shame.
But instead, all she felt was a heavy, painful gratitude.
The assassin didn’t press the attack immediately.
Isaac realized something was wrong. His instincts screamed a warning.
Looking at his hand, he saw green veins creeping along his skin.
’Poison.’
A numbing, burning sensation spread through his arm and chest. It felt like the poison was melting him from inside out.
He clenched his jaw, keeping his body steady.
Of course the assassin had aimed for this. The attacks toward Selene earlier had all been distractions. His real goal had been Isaac.
But Isaac wasn’t surprised. He had accounted for this possibility.
He activated ’Life Drain’ without hesitation. A dark mist swirled around him and latched onto the assassin.
Instantly, vitality was sucked from the assassin’s body, and Isaac’s injuries began to patch up.
It wasn’t a full cure—the poison was still inside him—but it gave him time.
The assassin staggered as his limbs trembled. His vision blurred.
He realized what was happening.
Life Drain skill. A high-rank one!
The assassin didn’t waste time questioning how a human kid could use the ability belonging to spectral entities.
He dashed forward instead, desperate to kill Isaac before he lost too much life force.
Their blades and claws clashed.
Roots sprouted from the ground, whipping toward the assassin, while Isaac’s spectral gauntlets smashed at his defenses.
The assassin responded with a flurry of dagger strikes, moving so fast that Selene only saw blur of movements.
Dozens of attacks were exchanged in each second.
Whenever he couldn’t get past Isaac, he threw daggers at Selene instead, trying to force Isaac to protect her and expose himself.
But Isaac didn’t fall for it again.
Thick roots intercepted every attack aimed at Selene, forming barriers and shields in an instant.
Selene watched, stunned.
An Initiate was fighting a Champion rank assassin, and surviving.
Isaac was jumping four ranks. It was unheard of.
Selene felt awe and shame, but more than those feelings, another feeling, one she had never felt before but was just as strong, squeezed into her heart.
Even now, Isaac was risking everything for her.
The battle became increasingly dangerous.
Isaac grunted when another dagger lodged into his side.
Blood trickled down, staining his clothes even more.
The assassin pressed harder.
The assassin was faster, his attacks were sharper, and the poison was still circulating through Isaac’s system, weakening Isaac bit by bit.
Isaac was at a complete disadvantage.
Isaac knew it too.
He could feel his own movements slowing, even if only slightly.
If this kept going, he would lose.
But Isaac had no intention of losing.
Suddenly, he staggered, making it look like he was about to fall.
The assassin’s eyes gleamed behind his mask.
He surged forward, ready to finish it.
But Isaac’s hand was already moving.
A white ’orb’ materialized in his palm. It pulsed softly.
The assassin slowed down for just a second, sensing danger.
He kept his eyes locked on the orb, trying to figure out what it would do.
Was it an explosion? A shield? A teleportation spell?
He didn’t know.
Isaac whispered under his breath.
“Now.”
The orb, a summoned Wisp from Emily’s Phantom Parade Level 4 skill, suddenly burst with light.
Not soft light it gave at Level 1.
But blinding, searing white light.
The assassin shrieked and instinctively shielded his eyes, and quickly moved back.
It was only a second-long gap in defense.
But a second was all Isaac needed.
He closed the distance instantly, Phantom Steps carrying him forward like a ghost.
The spectral claws on his hand shimmered.
He stabbed.
The claws pierced through the assassin’s exposed face, ripping through where the helmet and armor left a gap.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The assassin’s body hit the ground, twitching once, then falling still.
Isaac stood over him, breathing hard.
He bent down, and searched for the antidote on the assassin, but didn’t find it.
’Dammit, why does this guy has no antidote!?’
Isaac winced when he felt the pain.
His injuries burned from the poison still inside him.
He turned back to Selene.
Selene was staring at him, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
“Can you move yet?” he asked, his voice rough.
Selene hesitated, then slowly nodded. Her legs were shaky, but she pushed herself up.
Isaac moved to support her immediately, careful not to hurt her.
“You did good,” he said.
Selene bit her lip. Her heart was a mess of emotions.
Gratitude. Shame. Relief.
And something else she had never experienced. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling.
“…Thank you,” she whispered.
Isaac gave a small nod. “Let’s get out of here.”
He helped her limp toward the ruined exit. The roots blocking the path moved away with a single thought, and the two returned to the ground floor.