25 The Calm Before the Storm

And just like that, a week had passed since the two adventurers reached Atlanta.

Max had spent most of his time exploring the kingdom, getting used to its different buildings and roads, making sure to not attract attention and cause problems in the process even though the atmosphere around was extremely lively even when it was the middle of the night.

He also bought a new sword, one made out of mithril for 250G, and it was a lot more durable than his previous one, he had also gotten a few new items such as armor and shoes, as well as new clothes for himself and Elly, making them now more prepared if they ever went back to... the danger.

Speaking of the half-goblin girl, she had been training her magic skills in their room, as they didn't want to cause trouble, and she was able to cast a few spells already, albeit being low-leveled.

"Good morning Max!" she greeted him, having woken up earlier than usual, "did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," he replied, sitting down on the bed and rubbing his eyes, he was still sleepy but he knew that he had to wake up and that he couldn't slack off forever, he felt it deep inside him that his time in this kingdom would be short.

[The big event is coming soon, Host, be ready]

His divination had been bugging him about something big that could happen soon and that would affect his journey, he didn't know what it was yet, so he just spent his days having fun as much as he could alongside his companion.

Life in Atlanta was extremely easy, they had spent the week in semi-luxury, buying expensive dinners and equipment, and they still had around 750G's in their Bank Card, which would be EVERYWHERE to buy anything they wanted.

But it was indeed true that Max had fought tooth and nail to accumulate all this money, so he refrained from buying too much in the end, Elly, who had spent her life eating poorly because of her tribe, also asked him to spare some of that money for later if they needed it, surprising the boy as he thought she would ask for the most delicious food to compensate the lost time.

[We can just fight monsters again, or even better, steal from the rich]

'Divination... don't give me ideas...' Max sighed, 'I'm an assassin, not a thief.'

And so the duo left the inn once more, heading towards the market district to buy some groceries, as they didn't want to eat in the inn every single day, plus it was cheaper this way.

"Look, Max!" Elly pointed at a stall selling pastries, "Let's go there!"

The half-goblin girl was now acting completely different than before, she had gained confidence after seeing the trust Max had in her, and she wasn't afraid to show her emotions anymore, which meant that she would sometimes drag him around to do whatever she wanted.

"Alright alright," he smiled, allowing her to pull him by the hand towards the stand, he didn't mind spending money on her anyway, especially if it made her happy.

And so they bought a few snacks and started walking through the streets, looking at the different shops and people passing by, enjoying their time together and forgetting about the harsh reality for a bit.

It had now been a month since he arrived in this world, and so much had changed in this short amount of time, when he was dropped off in the forest, he was only level one and with nothing to aid him.

And now...

'Status Window,' the boy thought as he grabbed a croissant from a shop.

[Host: Max Evans]

[Age: 18]

[Race: Human (Evil Confirmed)]

[Level: 58]

[Divination of The Assassin - Evil Ranked]

[Special Ability: Assassination (level 2)]

[Skills: Perception, Weak Points, Double Jump]

[Strenght: 29, Speed: 48, Endurance: 32, Divination Power: 4]

[Assassination Points: 1928/5000]

Of course, there was no increase since the last time he checked because he hadn't fought anything since his arrival in the kingdom except for the three men who tried to touch Elly, and not killing them meant he didn't gain anything from that fight.

[The opportunity to become stronger is very close Host]

'What do you mean?' Max wondered, confused, 'Is it going to happen soon?'

But unfortunately, his divination didn't reply, and he could only continue living his life as usual, waiting for the moment to come.

But he hadn't realized yet just how far this "opportunity" would send him.

***

It was only three days later that it happened: as soon as Max woke up, a screen appeared in front of him.

~Ding!~

 [Assassination Quests Unlocked]

[Do you want to accept your first quest, Host?]

[Y/N]

Max was surprised, it was all so sudden it almost felt like he was in a video game, but it also brought excitement to him, there was finally a way to get stronger and actually become a real assassin!

And so without thinking much about it, Max clicked on the "yes" option.

~Ding!~

[You have accepted the quest!]

[Now please head towards the center of the city by 2:30 PM today to discover who the target is (note: the event)]

'What the...?' he thought before checking the clock and noticing that it was around 11 am currently, leaving him more than enough time to reach the center if he ran.

But something was weird, why did he need to go there? And what would he do when he arrived? Was he supposed to kill somebody? Or was it just an information-gathering mission to see who the target was?

He didn't know, but he couldn't help but feel excited, an immoral excitement that is.

"Elly, wake up," he shook her shoulder lightly, "we're going out."

"Hmm...?" the half-breed girl opened her eyes slowly, "where are we going?"

Max smiled maniacally, which did surprise the girl as it was the first thing she saw in the morning, "we're going to the event at the center of the city!"

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[Author Note]

Here it is, one of the most exciting parts about this novel: the assassination quests, you guys are gonna love it :).

But let's see what this first one is about first, and what that event was about as well...