Chapter 121: The Black List

-: WTF lol amazing
-: Congrats congrats congrats
-[OP]: Oh lol what is it? Is it a good thing?
-: If you check your character, the level probably went up
-: Your life just got easier, you lucky bastard lol
-: That’s OP
-[OP]: No fking way it’s real lolololol
-[OP]: I was level 40, now I’m suddenly 68(55) lol
-[OP]: Is this Jumping Event real? lol
-: Level 68 lolololololol
-: Damn lol what a beast
-: Ugh, fk;;; I’m so jealous. When will I get hit with the Face Thief event?
-[OP]: Haha, just play the game diligently like I do
-: lolololololololol
-: FR FR FR FR
-[OP]: But it says this guy’s class is now Swordsman (Assassin)? What’s that about?
-: WTF Legendary Dual Class
-: That’s broken
-: Isn’t this world’s first? Are you a pro gamer?
-: Excuse me, do you currently have a job? If not, Challenge Gaming would like to offer you a contract
-: Why does the pro offer message start with “Are you unemployed?”
-: Am I witnessing the birth of a legend right now…?
-: Please sign something for meㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-[OP]: Wtf look at these lunatics lol Something feels off about this…

-: Hurry and send him into combat. Test the character’s abilities.
-[OP]: Yeah okay, I’ll definitely not send him out lol
-[OP]: What the hell is this, you f**kers
-: I miss the innocent you who was just happy about the buff…
-: Another pure newbie lost today…
-[OP]: No seriously WTF. You guys banged the drums and clapped all on your own

-: You better get rid of it quick. Otherwise, your other party members are dead meat too
-[OP]: ?
-[OP]: My other party members too?
-[OP]: Too???
-: At this point, I’m holding back from posting a reply that just says “rip”
-[OP]: Wait, did my party member die? What happens to the swordsmanship traits he had? I raised him so carefully, goddammit
-: This guy’s party member died and the first thing he asks about is his skills? And you’re the party leader?!
-: You don’t deserve him
-: It was inevitable
-: So this is what they call “True Bad Ending” huh…

-[OP]: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Why is this bastard so damn strong???
-[OP]: I’m about to get wiped just trying to kill this fker????
-[OP]: This thing’s really level 68???
-: It is level 68 but it’s a maxed-out 68
-: He probably has that busted artifact, “Corpse of the Faceless” Gets stronger the more faces he steals
-: A Face Thief at level 68 is… One of the strongest ones you can encounter, right?
-: Sounds like it. From what I know, he hit 68 after stealing the Hero’s face
-: And the final form is when he devours Tua, the Special Ops Commander, and reaches 8th rank
-: Once it reaches that final form, it triggers a random event. It’s basically late-game Fate Quest difficulty lol. You even have to fight it while down one party member, it’s brutal
-: Damn lol so technically it could’ve been worse. Lucky you, man
-[OP]: Fk my main party got wiped out ah f**k

Drey, asking why Risir was so surprised.

Risir actually wanted to ask back.

“Of course I’m surprised. Copying a 7th tier swordmaster’s signature style on the spot? Aren’t you, Sir Drey?”

Risir nodded in awe.

It really did seem like nobles lived in a different world and saw things from a different perspective.

To treat such an overwhelming ability like it was no big deal…

He felt a sudden burst of pride.

Who was he?

Friend of Drey Ye Mastien.

Damn right.

Even Tua, standing nearby, reacted similarly to Risir.

“Drey. You’ve become quite the big shot since I last saw you. A Face Thief doesn’t even faze you?”

“…No…”

Drey ran a dry hand down his face in frustration.

Tua silently observed him.

Then, looking once at Risir, she spoke to Drey in her usual blunt tone.

“Regardless, judging by his reaction, your decision to bring him in on the Face Thief issue wasn’t agreed upon, it was a personal whim. Drey, I’ve told you multiple times. Don’t push people of lower status than you into situations they didn’t agree to. You might mean to offer them opportunity, but to them, it could be an overwhelming and unreasonable burden.”

Drey gave a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, I know. You’re absolutely right. But this time, it’s different, really. He may look naive on the outside… I can’t even explain it.”

He spoke like someone proudly showing off a priceless gem hidden inside a plain rock.

“…”

Tua’s eyes shifted to Risir again, this time studying him in more detail.

With her cold, piercing gaze, she observed him more closely.

Risir remembered what Tua had just said.

She definitely thinks this is burdensome and unreasonable.

Receiving such attention and expectations from two high nobles…

It was suffocating.

Having someone like Drey fully believe in him wasn’t just reassuring, it was an honor.

But even so, he couldn’t shake the sense of unease.

“Sir Drey, just to make sure, this Face Thief… is he a black mage?”

“No. Nothing like that. Don’t worry.”

“Oh…”

“?”

“?”

Both Tua and Drey glanced up at each other for a moment.

Did I say something wrong?

Why did he look disappointed when the Face Thief wasn’t a black mage?

“Sir Drey, I truly appreciate your trust and expectations,but I’m not sure I’ll be of any use in this. We’re talking about a former guild master of an assassin guild, someone who killed a Hero candidate, and can mimic a 7th tier swordsman’s signature technique on the spot.”

“Yeah. I get it. I know all that.”

“You know? Then why—”

“Because it’s you.”

“…What am I supposed to be, exactly? Wait, did you say a former guild master of an assassin guild?”

“Why? You know assassin techniques? Do you also understand assassin instincts or something?”

“What kind of person do you think I am? Of course not.”

Drey… please.

Tua looked ready to shut him down.

But then—

“Well, not that, but I did get something from an assassin once. Should be around here… Ah, found it.”

Risir reached into his clothes and pulled out what looked like random junk, a sheet of dark red parchment.

Tua narrowed her eyes and stared closely at it.

No way.

That can’t be what I think it is…

“Oh, wait. Is that the Black List?” Drey murmured beside her.

Tua nearly sighed out loud.

What Drey said so casually was anything but.

The Black List.

It was a privilege granted to only a select few within the assassin guild.

The moment they wrote a name or group on that list—

It would mark that target as the guild’s top-priority kill.

In other words, it was an item capable of mobilizing the entire guild.

To the world, assassins were seen as criminals who’d do anything for money.

But that image came from fakes.

Traditional assassin guilds operated separate from the world, upholding their own code.

Even nobles—especially high ranking ones—had a hard time contacting them.

So the fact that someone like Risir, a mage tied to the worldly Gray Tower, claimed to have a personal connection with an assassin…

It shocked Tua.

She started to understand, at least a little, why that picky “Collector” was so eager to introduce him.

But then Drey went and ruined it again.

What is wrong with him today?

Asking Risir if he could use assassination techniques, if he had the Black List…

Completely ignoring reason and acting like logic didn’t matter.

It wasn’t just frustrating, it was confusing.

“The Black List? What’s that?” Risir tilted his head.

Of course.

Tua shut her eyes and prayed for patience.

Meanwhile, Drey excitedly explained.

“Think of it like a kill list. Like a sacred treasure among assassins, you write down one name, and boom, they’re as good as dead.”

“Drey. Enough—”

“Oh, yeah, I think she said it was something like that.”

“?”

Tua, about to stop him in frustration, turned to Risir again.

“What are you even saying? The Black List isn’t something just any assassin can hold.”

“But maybe the assassin you know wasn’t just any assassin. Like, an elder? Or maybe even the master–”

“You mean to say a regular mage from the Gray Tower has personal ties with the master of the assassin guild?”

“Oh, right, she did introduce herself as the master, I think.”

“See?! I knew it! Risir, what did you do? What did you do to get the Black List from an assassin guild master?”

“Nothing much. I just healed her illness.”

What in the hell kind of conversation is this?

Tua’s ice-cold expression melted into pure confusion.

She opened her mouth and cautiously asked,

“You… got that, just for healing her?”

Which was a completely valid question.

If healing earned you a Black List, every healer and temple would have one.

“What, maybe it was an incurable disease or something?”

Drey said something completely absurd with a straight face.

“Yes. Somehow, it just turned out that way.”

And Risir replied just as casually.

“Just… stop…”

Tua felt like her brain was melting.

In the back alleys of Bondalles

“Huff… Huff…”

Magnus, a 7th tier swordsman and deputy commander of the De Villan Knight Order’s special forces, stood face to face with a man.

Golden-blonde hair with a soft sheen and clear blue eyes.

A young man with a mild expression.

He smiled gently and said.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t even exchanged names yet. Pleased to meet you. I’m Risir.”