When I opened my eyes again, a powerful wave of determination surged through my chest, as if every last doubt had been swept away. My thoughts were aligned—clearer than ever. I was going to do this. I was going to kill that thing. It wasn’t human. And if I hesitated, I’d be the one to die.
Maybe it was finally reaching that decision, but sohow I felt the hilt of my dagger colder than usual — a silent, chilling reminder of what I was about to do. My pulse quickened slightly, and the air around seed a bit heavier. With a single thought, I opened my status window, locking my gaze on a specific point, taking in every detail carefully. Mana: 190/225.
I had expected this, but seeing my mana lower than the last ti I checked made realize, more concretely, that I was really using my abilities. Watching it drop to 190 out of 225, I calculated ntally: the combined cost of the two skills had to be 35 points. A relatively low number, considering I still had 190 mana left.
There was no specific indicator for how much each skill consud, but I just knew that [Presence Detection] used about 30, and [Identify] took around 5. I had no idea why—I just knew. The knowledge was there, as if it had always been part of .
Shaking off the idle thoughts, I focused on what really mattered. Quietly, I concentrated on the na of the skill I wanted to activate: [Silent Steps]. It was designed to mask my movents, allowing to approach my target without being noticed.
The mont I activated it, a strange sensation washed over . My body felt lighter—but not in a way that made faster. It was different. It was like my presence was fading, lting into the space around . The air and I seed to blend into one, and without needing an explanation, I instinctively understood what was happening.
If I moved carefully, I would be nearly undetectable. I glanced at Oliver beside and caught a flicker of surprise on his face as he looked at . I was curious what he was seeing, but I decided to save that question for later.
With slow, deliberate movents, I slid along the wall, each step calculated to stay completely silent. My movents were smooth—almost invisible—like a soft breeze slipping through unnoticed, or a drop of water falling from an old, rusted pipe.
Speaking of pipes, I decided to climb up onto them to approach from above. It felt safer than sneaking up from behind. I focused on one of the overhead pipes—it looked big and sturdy enough to hold my weight.
I took a deep breath and pushed off the ground to grab it. I couldn’t help but be surprised by how light I felt as my feet left the floor. With one fluid motion, I reached the pipe—at least two and a half ters above —with ease.
I shook my head, pushing aside the distracting thoughts, and turned my focus back to the giant rat ahead. Carefully and quietly, I moved along the pipes, taking each step with as little sound as possible. From where I was, I couldn’t hear anything—not even my own steps. It felt like I was floating, weightless, completely silent.
Of course, I was moving painfully slow—slower than usual—and even though the rat was less than five ters away, it felt like ti was dragging, stretching each second. But honestly, what else could I do? The more careful and precise I was, the better. Eventually, I stopped once I was directly above the giant rat. I could see it more clearly now.
Its massive, distorted body looked like sothing straight out of a nightmare—sothing from a horror story. Huge claws extended from its paws, sharp enough to rip through anything in its path. Its teeth were long and grotesque, like they could tear a human in half without effort.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm in my chest. It wasn’t quite fear I felt—it was more like a growing anxiety, the weight of the situation becoming more real with each second. I raised my dagger, its tallic glint reflecting the intensity in my eyes.
The sense of power was real as I tightened my grip on the handle—more firmly than ever before—like the blade and I were now one, fused with a single purpose. In the silence of my mind, I whispered the na of my ability. The mont [Precise Strike] activated, my eyes locked onto the dagger. It now glowed with a vivid light—a deep red that pulsed with its own energy.
But the red didn’t cover the whole blade. There was sothing srizing about the way the tallic shine blended with the crimson glow, creating a contrast that felt both eerie and otherworldly. And instinctively, I knew that red wasn’t just for show.
If I could land a clean hit on the giant rat with that strike—it would die instantly. The skill’s description had been clear: as long as I remained undetected, enemies would fall with a single blow—no chance to react. I looked around, gauging the distance and timing.
Maybe there wouldn’t be a better mont than this to find out if the theory was true. I closed my eyes for a second, letting a deep breath settle my thoughts. When I opened them again, I glanced over at Oliver, who was totally focused on the massive rat below .
His expression was sharp, almost stiff, as his hand gripped his bow tightly, the arrow already drawn and aid at the creature. For a second, I wondered if Oliver even knew how to use a bow—if he had any real experience with it. But in the end, all I could do was wait. I could only hope this shot was enough — That he could bring that thing down with a single, perfect hit.
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