CHAPTER 13

**BLOOD MOON ASSASSIN GUILD - MORNING**

Morning light filtered through a massive room where a man of Japanese descent, with black hair and eyes, paced with visible tension. Sweat trickled down his back as his thoughts raced.

"Why hasn't that damn traitor reported back yet? Could he have failed? No, that kid can't possibly have become strong enough to kill a LV:5 assassin, can he? That kid must die, or, or I'll die," the man muttered frantically, picking up his pace.

Abruptly, a knock echoed at his door.

*Knock! Knock!*

"My lord, may I enter?" a female voice inquired from outside.

"Come in, Ava," the man responded, reigning in his emotions, making it seem like he was just acting up until now.

Ava, clad in a black assassin's attire, entered the room. She kneeled before him, emulating a knight before a superior.

"My lord, there's been no word from James so far. However, another guild member claims to have witnessed him leaping from the building where the Ren kid was staying. After that, he disappeared into thin air. Upon inspecting the room, they found traps and a significant crack, suggesting a struggle had taken place," Ava reported respectfully.

"What? Vanished into thin air? What about the kid's body?" the man queried, the frustration evident in his voice despite his efforts to conceal it.

"Regrettably, my lord, we have no leads on that," Ava replied, a tinge of guilt in her expression.

"Sigh, if James was the only one to leave the room, then it's likely the kid is dead. You may leave now," the man commanded, and Ava departed promptly, leaving him alone.

"Hahaha! So that kid was just a nobody. In the end, he's dead. That vision I saw earlier must have been a false one. No way some newbie on the first floor could take down someone of my caliber, the great 'Haruki Naraka'! Hahaha!" the man, Haruki, laughed manically.

"Ahem, well, just to be sure, I'll check my future sight again after tomorrow, and if it doesn't change, I will have to speak with the higher-ups." Haruki muttered, taking a seat on an ornate throne.

As he settled, he began to reflect: "My ability, Future Sight, lets me glimpse my future. It consumes a substantial amount of energy and can only be used once every two days."

"Currently, I can see up to a month ahead. Earlier, I used it and saw something terrifying. Our guild was destroyed, and a young man was standing amidst corpses, in control. He approached me, beheaded me, all this happened 20 days from now on."

"To prevent this, I instructed James, a trusted subordinate, to eliminate this young man using his Ghost Walk ability. Physically, James isn't all that strong, but his unique skill compensates. He can silently assassinate nearly anyone on this floor. Yet, something odd occurred. James entered the kid's room to strike, but both the kid and his body vanished."

"I'm wary, but I'll need to wait for my energy to regenerate so I can once again peer into the future."

"Sigh, if only I had access to the system store, I would have bought some mana recovery potion and used it right away. But for that, I need to have like 1 MILLION Karma or need to reach the 10th floor, and I don't have any of them. Maybe I should demand some supplies from the higher-ups; they have been ignoring our branch for quite some time."

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**FIRST FLOOR FOREST - EARLY MORNING**

In the early morning, deep within the forest, Ren can be seen facing a huge wolf-like creature. The wolf had fierce red eyes and deep, long black fur. They both circled each other, knowing what was at stake.

Ren was tired from a night of fighting, but his determination was strong. He was battered with cuts and aches, yet his spirit remained unbroken. He was now using a dagger that he took from a goblin he killed before. Although it wasn't a ranked weapon, it was sharp and durable.

Amidst the battle, the wolf summoned a wind vortex. Ren held his dagger tight, bracing against the tornado's power. He resisted the force, straining to stay standing.

"Arghhhh! I won't give in easily," Ren grunted.

He fought against the gusts, sweat mixing with dirt on his skin. He survived the tornado's attack, holding his ground.

The wolf attacked with determination, but Ren blocked its strikes with skill. The battle was brutal, and Ren's mana was almost gone. He couldn't rely on his usual strength.

Ren's voice was determined. "I've faced worse; you can't beat me." He said and teleported behind the wolf, punching it with his full strength, making the wolf let out some blood from its mouth.

"GRRR HHH"

The fight tested Ren's strength and endurance. He was bruised, but he stood his ground. With a final strike, the wolf fell.

Gasping for breath, Ren stood tall and triumphant. "I made it through. That's what counts. And I'm really curious about how a lone wolf ended up on the first floor; now it's the second time some monsters from a higher floor on the first floor. Usually, wolf-like monsters are a real threat since they travel in packs. It's strange to see such a powerful wolf-type monster who can even kill any 2nd-floor monsters while being just level 10 on here. But for now, I better catch my breath."

Sitting down in a cross-legged position, Ren activated his Initiate ability on the lifeless bodies of the smaller monsters strewn around him. He realized this skill wasn't just for gaining strength; it could also heal and regenerate him. Knowing he can't get the same ability over and over and that his high stats didn't improve much from weaker monsters, he relied on them to recover and regenerate himself.

"This was way tougher than I expected. But it's time to test out this new skill. I'm feeling pretty helpless, after using it on various monsters. Anything below level 10 just disintegrates when I activate my skill. Even the group of five level 10 monsters, they didn't fall apart, but they didn't wake up either. Well, this is my last shot with this monster. If it doesn't work, I'll aim for stronger foes on higher floors," Ren murmured, fixing his gaze on the wolf in front of him before unleashing his ability.