Assassin at Range: The Sniper’s Lethal Power

Dakoby had been resting inside the house when Tristan called for him. He was too lazy to go back inside and instead chose to find a lounge chair in the yard, squinting his eyes under the warm sun. This leisurely, peaceful life had fully captured his heart.

But every now and then, memories of past battles would make Dakoby a little nostalgic.

"That kid will probably be gone for a while," Dakoby muttered to himself, his mood lightening even more.

This life was truly delightful.

Just as he was getting comfortable in the chair, the sound of footsteps came from nearby. The scent of blood also drifted on the breeze. Dakoby immediately grew alert, turning his gaze in that direction.

It was Tristan, carrying a striped tiger that was at least five to six meters long.

"Such strength?" Dakoby was shocked. Was this young man an Assassin or a Warrior?

Tristan walked closer, placing the massive tiger down carefully. "Dakoby, the task is complete."

Though Dakoby was still a bit skeptical, he walked up to examine the tiger's wounds.

Even though the tigers here were just ordinary wild beasts, they were still formidable. Even a trained soldier would have to fight hard to win.

This young man seemed so ordinary. How could he have managed a one-hit kill?

"Hmm... there is indeed just one wound, no signs of a second attack," Dakoby observed carefully. He confirmed that the tiger had been slain in one strike.

Dakoby took a closer look at Tristan. This young man had some real skill.

"You passed my test," Dakoby said, as he pulled out a skill book from thin air. "Here's your reward."

Tristan was taken aback. His sharp eyes hadn't seen Dakoby make any moves to retrieve something, and Dakoby didn't have any storage equipment on him. That was an impressive sleight of hand.

Tristan took the book from Dakoby.

[Dagger Mastery (Passive Skill, Increases Damage by 10% when two daggers are equipped)]

The description was straightforward, but the effect was powerful. A 10% damage increase at later levels would be substantial.

After learning the skill, Tristan didn't rush to leave. He was still curious about Dakoby's earlier sleight of hand. Surely, besides Dagger Mastery, this former Assassin instructor had other tricks up his sleeve?

"Master Dakoby," Tristan asked cautiously, "Where did you pull that skill book from earlier?"

Dakoby feigned ignorance. "What do you mean?"

Tristan gave him a look that said, Don't act innocent, I saw everything.

Dakoby, feeling a little guilty and regretful, realized he'd let his guard down. He had used his "Sleight of Hand" without thinking. That was a little embarrassing.

Just as Dakoby was about to make an excuse, Tristan took out a coin and offered it to him.

?

Dakoby wanted to grab the coin and throw it back at Tristan's face. You think this is a test for a master?

What instructor could stand up to that kind of test?

But, for some reason, Dakoby accepted the coin and said, "Don't let this happen again."

Tristan nodded, indicating that this was between them and no one else would know.

"Well then," Dakoby continued, "What I used just now was a little trick called Sleight of Hand."

What?!

Tristan was stunned.

The Sleight of Hand skill of Assassins—was it something he learned from Dakoby?

In his past life, Tristan had been a Warrior and only had a rough idea about many Assassin skills. He knew Sleight of Hand was a powerful skill, but very few Assassins could master it. Even fewer were willing to talk about where they learned it, and the origins of the skill were tightly guarded.

Now, Tristan had unintentionally uncovered the mystery of the skill.

"Master Dakoby," Tristan quickly asked, "Would it be possible for me to learn a move or two from you?"

Dakoby hesitated for a moment before answering slowly, "Normally, I wouldn't teach you."

Tristan's heart sank, but he didn't give up hope. It was clear Dakoby wasn't finished. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

After two full minutes, Dakoby finally added, "But I see you have potential, so I'll teach you a little something."

Tristan immediately took out another coin and handed it over. "Thank you, Master Dakoby!"

Without even a gesture, the coin disappeared from his hand.

Dakoby cleared his throat and said seriously, "To learn Sleight of Hand, you must have absolute hand speed. Has your base agility reached 500?"

Tristan checked his stats and replied, "Master, it just exceeded 500."

Dakoby nodded. "In that case, you qualify to learn this skill."

Tristan, curious, asked, "What's the minimum requirement?"

Dakoby answered, "There's nothing much to it, really. Before your second job advancement, your base agility needs to be above 500."

Tristan did the math.

The second job advancement for players happened at level 30. Although 500 agility didn't seem too high, it was important to note that this referred to base agility, not including any equipment bonuses.

For an average player completing a two-star advancement task, by level 30, their base agility would be around 200, especially if they focused on strength as well.

That 300-point gap wasn't something easily overcome.

Moreover, most players didn't focus on agility and mixed in strength as well. The base agility would be even lower.

Even for hidden classes, meeting the requirements wasn't easy.

Tristan then realized, based on his knowledge of ExoGenesis, that only after Dakoby used Sleight of Hand could it trigger a hidden task. But even if Dakoby used it, whether players would notice the trick was another issue entirely.

"No wonder there are so few Assassins who know this skill. It's no surprise now," Tristan thought.

There was another factor contributing to the rarity of Sleight of Hand. In a future version, Dakoby would be killed off by someone, causing the skill to be lost forever.

Looking back, Tristan even suspected that players had killed Dakoby just to monopolize Sleight of Hand. The possibility seemed very high.

Refocusing his thoughts, Tristan asked, "Master Dakoby, how can I learn this skill from you?"

Dakoby cleared his throat and awkwardly replied, "After I learned Sleight of Hand, I hid the skill book in a cave to keep it from being discovered. But one day, a Fire Dragon took over that cave."

"…"

Tristan stared at Dakoby, dumbfounded.

You couldn't have picked a more convenient place, huh? You hid it in a cave and a Fire Dragon ended up occupying it?

Wait… that didn't sound right.

A sudden realization flashed in Tristan's mind.

It wasn't that the Fire Dragon had taken over the cave. It was clear now: Dakoby had hidden the skill book in the Fire Dragon's nest!

That was a really crafty old man.

Such a sneaky old boy!