The Final Lesson

The underground world of Eldoria had no mercy.

For months, Kai had trained under Lucian, learning the art of survival, the way of the assassin. His body had been beaten, broken, and reforged into something stronger.

He had mastered the blade, the art of moving unseen, the language of death itself.

But there was one thing he had yet to do.

Lucian stood before him, his golden eyes cold. “You’ve learned to fight, Kai. You’ve learned to endure pain, to strike with precision.”

He tossed a small dagger at Kai’s feet.

“Now, it’s time for your first kill.”

Kai stared at the weapon, his heartbeat steady. He knew this moment would come. He had expected it.

He had been preparing for it.

Lucian gestured, and two masked assassins dragged a man into the room. The prisoner’s hands were tied, his face battered and bruised. His clothes were once fine silk—a noble.

Kai’s breath caught for a split second.

Lucian smirked. “Recognize him?”

Kai did.

This was Lord Reinhart, a noble who had once feasted in the Valeria estate, laughing with the other lords as they mocked him for being “mana-deficient.”

Now, the man cowered before him.

Lucian crossed his arms. “He was one of the nobles who turned a blind eye when your mother was killed.”

A cold fire burned in Kai’s chest.

They had let it happen.

The nobles had known. They had done nothing.

And now, fate had placed one of them at his mercy.

A Choice That Cannot Be Undone

Kai bent down and picked up the dagger. The metal was cold against his fingers.

He stepped toward the noble.

Reinhart’s swollen eyes widened. He shook his head desperately. “P-Please! I didn’t do anything! I—I have gold! Power! I can help you—”

Kai ignored him.

He had seen men like this before. They only feared death when it was at their doorstep.

Kai tightened his grip on the dagger.

Lucian’s voice was calm. “Hesitation is weakness, Kai. Kill him, or walk away.”

A test.

Kai knew what this was. If he refused, Lucian would see him as soft, weak, unworthy. The Shadow Fang would cast him out—or worse.

But if he did this…

If he took a life with his own hands…

He would never be the same.

Kai exhaled slowly. His crimson eyes locked onto Reinhart’s trembling form.

His mother’s face flashed in his mind.

The warmth of her embrace. The way she whispered to him at night, promising he was meant for greatness.

Then, the memory of her lifeless body, burned beyond recognition.

A flicker of pain. A spark of rage.

Kai raised the dagger.

And drove it into Reinhart’s throat.

The noble gasped, blood spilling from his lips as he choked. His body twitched, then stilled.

A deep silence followed.

Kai stared at the corpse. His breathing remained steady, but something inside him had shifted.

There was no going back now.

He had crossed the line.

He had taken his first life.

The Birth of a Predator

Lucian’s golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Good.”

Kai dropped the dagger, his fingers stained red. He didn’t flinch.

Lucian walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You hesitated, but you didn’t falter. That’s enough.”

Kai met his gaze. “What’s next?”

Lucian smirked. “Now? Now, we sharpen that resolve. You’ve proven you can kill—but true power comes from making others fear your name.”

The system screen flickered in Kai’s vision.

[New Skill Acquired!]

• Cold Execution – Lv. 1 (Increases efficiency in finishing off targets. No hesitation, no wasted movement.)

Kai clenched his fists.

He had no magic. No noble bloodline.

But he had his own power.

And soon…

The world would learn to fear him.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: 

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