Material Gathering

"What is it?" Kelly asked when she saw her partner's face.

"This doesn't make sense. I have never seen results like this," he whispered. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should back down."

He once again looked over the status screen. Trying to make sense of what he could.

The Sword Mastery Level is One with the Sword? What the hell is that? There should be levels in there! And Bound by Karma? What do they mean?!

 Level 5

Cornelia A. Steel heart

 Condition-Poisoned

She thought for a bit and said. "We are already so close. What's her condition?"

"Poisoned."

"Then that means the drug is working. She's powerless. We strike now. I'll man the door, you take care of the target."

She sneaked in through the window without waiting for an answer. Derrick closed his screen with a thought and followed behind her.

Kelly sidled up to the door and watched as Derrick walked to the sleeping girl, prepared for any eventualities.

Just as he was about to take her, her hand shot up and grasped him by the wrist with her left.

"Hi."

Before Derrick managed to react, she had already grabbed his neck with her right hand and slammed him against the wall.

Connie turned to look at the female assassin who was about to charge in and smiled viciously. "You brought a friend with you. Delightful."

The blonde girl warned her. "Move and I'll snap his neck."

"Let him go."

"Are you ordering me, girl? I'm not the one with a partner being choked to death."

"I was getting worried that you won't come. I've even chosen to stay in this moderately secure but corrupt inn. Lousy food, acceptable wine."

Derrick was struggling to escape her clutches, but her grip was like a vice. He forced out words as he struggled for breaths. "H-how are you still…awake? That sleeping drug should have kept you asleep! Your status was poisoned!!"

"Haha. That reaction never gets old," she smiled while her thumb was tracing his throat. "You rely too much on this skill of yours. An assassin should be cautious. Understand the targets, know them. Their motives, their habits. Not this childish play you do."

"Wait-wait. If you kill me, you…won't know who sent us. I can tell you everything if you just let us go," the man said this with trembling words, but his eyes meant something else, which only his partner could understand.

Connie laughed as if she had just heard a funny joke. "Nonono. You don't get me. I don't care who sent you or whatever. You are nothing but materials for my plan."

She tightened her grip on him. "I don't like using innocents for my art, you see. But enemies? That's fair game all the way."

She opened her mouth and bit deep into his neck.

"AAARGH!!" Derrick screamed in pain as blood spurted out from the side of his neck. No! Did I read her wrong. How is she so strong?

Potent Paralyzing Venom were injected from her fangs into his bloodstream and within seconds all his strength was gone. His gaze were clouded and he fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Kelly was so flabbergasted by what she saw that she could not move. Their target had just bitten her partner's neck like a savage beast.

"Look at that. A simple change in the compound and I just changed a simple paralyzing venom into one that could stop only the motor functions and leave the heart and lung still moving," she said with pride, her index finger pointing at Kelly. "Now that, is art."

Kelly took a glance at her pair and saw that his chest was still moving, but she did not dare to do it too long. The target was far too dangerous to be handled alone. Especially not while trying to let her stay living. She tried to stall for time while thinking for a way to escape the predicament.

Connie licked the blood and venom left on her lips and smiled at the masked assassin. "Come on, now. Why hesitate? Here I am, unarmed. Look, I'll even refrain from using my right arm. Or are your hands too used to holding plates and cutleries that you forgot how to hold a blade?"

"H-how do you know that?"

"You remember when I licked your palm? That's when I know that you're a spy. No servants could have a hand that tasted like rust and leather. Adding to that was that the calluses on your fingers. They belong to people who wield swords on daily basis. The rest is simple deduction. Like I said. Child's play."

Kelly knew then that they had chosen the wrong opponent. This was not about strength any longer. This was the difference in experience. She had looked down on her target, thinking that she was nothing more than a pampered girl longing for the dream of adventuring.

In reality this loathsome girl was just playing with them.

She glanced at her partner. They were too careless. But she was still stronger than an unarmed girl. She took a step back and launched herself up to the ceiling.

"Hundred Thrusts!" The daggers shone white and her attack became so fast they left afterimages as she descended onto Connie. The dark color of the blade caused it to be harder to see it moving. However, a true master do not rely only on sight.

"You are better than the swordsmen I've met up to now," Connie said while dodging the flurry of attacks within a hair's breadth. "But not by much."

The attacks carved wood off the floor and destroyed the mattress, sending feathers up into the air. Kelly used the feathers to hide her next attack, withdrew the blade and declared another skill. "Shadow Step!"

In an instant she appeared behind the golden-haired girl and stabbed her daggers into her back.

I did it!

However, her expression fell when the feather subsided and she saw that her daggers was hindered by red scales growing on Connie's back.

"Aha, Yin Gu Body with the base from a Crimson Firesnake is delightfully new. It can't be compared with the one I had before."

Red scales began to appear on parts of the girl's body, mainly on her limbs and cheeks. But then the disappeared as quickly as they appeared. "Hmm. They don't appear to be that controllable. I have to fight some more to explore the possibilities."

"What are you?!" she cried out when she saw her body transforming.

Seeing no chance of winning against the monstrous girl, Kelly coldly decided to run away, swearing to herself that she will avenge Derrick.

She threw three hidden knives at Connie as he lunged at her, but suddenly declared. "Shadow Step". She blurred and appeared by the window.

Just as she was about to jump out, her view was suddenly covered with white and she fell, rolling onto the floor.

It was the sheet from the bed. Connie noticed her gaze at the window and spread out the sheet into the air like a net to capture the assassin.

"Good observation. You tried to run away as soon as you find yourself overpowered. A model assassin," she plucked one of the knives that were thrown at her from the floorboard and sniffed it. "Paralyzing agent smeared on the dagger. Very orthodox. But you should have prepared something stronger if you want to stand a chance against me."

The powerless male assassin could only watch as his lover was peeled out of the sheet like ripe fruit.

Kelly launched a desperate attack with her dagger. Connie pushed the oncoming attack away with her left arm and spun around to her back, twisting it until it hurt so bad that the female assassin had to let go of her weapon. She then pushed her to the wall and whispered in her ear.

"And now, the end comes."

With that, the female assassin screamed as she felt the pain of fangs sinking into her neck. The worst thing was that she was still conscious, but her body had lost all feeling on control, making it feel as if she was trapped in her own body.

Connie laid her down gently on the ground like a precious item. Her head lolled at the direction of Derrick. The two gazed at each other, defenceless and powerless. Despair soon filled their hearts when they saw Connie smiled a predatory smile.

"Remember each others' faces, my friends. Commit it to memory because soon...soon it will be the only solace you have left."