CHAPTER 65: CH-65

A full minute ticked by, and he still hadn’t moved.

The longer he stood there, the more uneasy I became—like he was winding up for a strike powerful enough to cleave a building in two.

Okay, maybe I was exaggerating... but maybe I wasn’t. This was my first real fight since arriving in this world, and I had no way of knowing what his limits were.

God, just let me survive this. I vowed to cut down on the fun time and actually train my ass off... because clearly, I need it.

His foot slid a little closer. A chill ran down my spine as cold sweat gathered on my forehead.

"STOP!"

The voice came from above — low and composed, with a hint of softness on it that left no doubt it belonged to a woman.

She dropped down to the balcony. Her landing made no sound, as if the air themselves cushioned her fall.

Fantastic. More enemies. Just what I needed — because obviously, things weren’t hard enough already.

’I wish there was another way... but I’m out of choices.’

My hands trembled as evil Qi surged beneath my skin, each pulse syncing with my heartbeat. Enough holding back. It was time to show them my full power.

"Stay out of my fight," the male samurai snapped.

She didn’t even bother replying. I blinked, and she was gone.

The next, she was behind him, blade drawn, its edge brushing against his throat.

"You acted without permission. Retreat. Orders from the top," she commanded.

"Tch... acting like you’re my superior again," the samurai spat out of contempt. His hand lingered on the hilt of his katana, preparing for an attack.

"Spare yourself the embarrassment. You’re no match for me," she sneered.

In the end, he gave in and straightened up. He shot me one last look before turning away and leaping off the building, leaving her alone with me.

Which, naturally, put me in an even worse situation. I was pretty sure teleportation was something only rank-S users could pull off.

"Ace Mercer." She rolled her dagger between her fingers, the blade dancing as if it were an extension of her hand.

"You’re lucky—I wasn’t ordered to kill you. But if you choose to follow in your filthy father’s footsteps, our organization won’t hesitate. We’ll come for you... and everyone you care about."

Her presence alone made my lungs forget how to breathe. Still, this might be my chance to uncover the truth.

"So, I take it you already killed him?"

"Him and his evil research," she said with a proud smirk. "We burned it all to the ground."

Good. That was one problem off my shoulders.

"Who are you? And why are you so hell-bent on destroying the Mercer family? What did we even do?"

Her fingers drummed lightly against the hilt of her dagger before she took a deep long sigh.

"So you really don’t know what he did?" she paused. "Then again, you’ve been locked in that hospital for years—and with him behind it all, I’m not surprised."

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Of course. That bastard really did set me up."

"I take it you’ve got no love left for your father?"

"He and I were never close. If he were gone... I wouldn’t mourn him."

"Oh? Really?" she asked, curiosity teasing her voice.

"Yes — and if you tell me what that bastard did, it’ll only make me hate him more."

Before I could answer, she was suddenly in front of me — the tip of her dagger hovering millimeters from my throat.

The cold steel kissed my skin as she tilted my chin upward.

"You’re... interesting, Mr. Mercer, so I’ll give you a chance."

A USB drive appeared between her fingers, and she pressed it into my hand.

"Read what’s on it. Three days from now I’ll come back for your answer."

"What choice do I have?" I inquired.

"Either you’re with us... or against us."

"Why can’t I just be neutral and enjoy my life? I’ve got more than enough ways to blow all my inheritance money."

She shook her head. "The ones behind your father won’t stop—they’ll make you their next puppet. And frankly, we’d rather see you dead than see that happen."

Wow. Okay. That’s... comforting. Really warms the heart.

"Okay, one more question — why are you doing this? Why not just kill me now? You’re more than powerful enough to do it."

A flicker of hesitation danced in her eyes, barely there but impossible to miss.

"Consider this my way of repaying your mother."

And just like that, she was gone — vanished in the blink of an eye.

Soon, the lights came back on. I cut off my abilities in an instant, scrambling to conserve what little energy I had left.

"ACE!"

Ellie and the others rushed toward me, eyes wide with horror as they took in my blood-soaked coat. I used my shadow ability to slow the bleeding, but I was still in bad shape.

Thud!

Only when the adrenaline wore off did my knees betray me, sending me crashing down.

"Help! Someone, help us!"

Their desperate voices reached me in broken waves. I tried to lift my head, to reassure them... but my vision was already fading away.

’Fuck... I got too complacent, and now I’m paying for it.’

My fingers curled into fists. Every muscle screamed in protest.

’This helplessness... I hate it. I hate it!’

My breath grew ragged. Anger twisted in my chest — not at anyone, but at myself. For being weak. For being an idiot . For being too arrogant just because I got a system..

BOOOOM!

My Qi erupted from my core, tearing through the air . The floor cracked beneath me as a weak shockwave blasted outward, hurling everyone off their feet.

When they lifted their heads, they saw me standing tall. No longer in mortal danger.

Clenching my palm, I could hardly believe the power surging through me.

’Qi Refinement’ I muttered to myself.

In the monk’s memory, this was the state where I could finally begin tempering specific parts of my body.

Unlike before, when I relied solely on breathing techniques to circulate Qi for temporary boosts, the power gained in this state was far more permanent.

Say I focused on refining my legs—the muscles would strengthen, and I would always have them to rely on.

It was no wonder Qi Refinement was said to be the true start of a cultivation journey. The previous state had been merely a prelude.

Even so, I was far from being able to contend with that woman.

I didn’t know whether what she used was true teleportation, but it didn’t change the fact that she could appear beside me whenever she wished. Truly perfect skill for an assassin.

[DING!]

Oh, so now the system decides to show itself. It was awfully quiet when I was this close to being beheaded.

[Host, your body has undergone growth and become stronger. Would you like to upgrade your Shadow Skills from Class C to Class B?]

’Finally, some good news.’

No more excuses. No more running. If I want to survive in this world, I have to acquire overwhelming power as quickly as possible.

’Do it.’

My shadow stirred—subtle at first, like a ripple across still water. It expanded around my foot, then sank back into place. To anyone watching, nothing had changed. But I felt it.

[DING!]

[New Skills Unlocked]