Descending Without a Sound
The night wind stroked my cheeks.
The scent of salt blowing in from the harbor mixed with the smell of rusted iron.
I stood at the edge of the warehouse roof, looking down at my “prey” below.
Two targets.
Low-ranking members of a dark guild guarding the warehouse entrance.
The skinny man on the right was Level 27. The burly giant on the left was Level 28.
… Hmm. I see.
Beneath my skull mask, I calmly set my analytical thoughts in motion.
My current level was 27.
On paper, we were almost evenly matched.
If I were to charge in head-on shouting, “Hello, I’m the Grim Reaper,” the two-versus-one disadvantage could easily drag things into a messy slugfest.
And as a beautiful girl, getting stuck in a mud-slinging brawl just isn’t smart.
The coolest way to Player Kill is to finish it before the opponent even realizes they’ve been attacked.
I drew the dagger from my belt in a reverse grip.
The blackened blade swallowed the moonlight and glinted dully.
The operation’s name was “Drop From Above, Then Slice!”
Simple. Elegant. Perfect.
“... Here I go.”
There was no sound.
Rather than kicking off the roof, I simply entrusted myself to gravity and “fell” into the void.
Hyun.
A vertical drop so fast it left even the sound of wind behind.
The burly man directly below didn’t even bother looking up as he yawned.
His defenseless nape.
There, the “critical spot” known as his arteries lay exposed, practically inviting me.
… Thanks for the treat.
Just before landing, I released a reverse burst of wind from my Sky-Treading Leather Boots, killing my falling speed to zero.
Lightly.
Within mere tens of centimeters behind the man, the Reaper descended.
He didn’t notice.
Didn’t even realize death was standing behind him as he lazily picked his nose.
So I decided, mercifully, to let him finish that task.
With my left hand, I covered his mouth. At the same time, I slid the dagger in my right hand into the gap at the base of his neck, between the cervical vertebrae.
Zack.
Solid feedback.
No hard resistance of bone breaking, just a smooth entry, like sliding a needle into tofu.
With his nerves severed, the man neither cried out nor convulsed. He simply collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
I gently supported his body and laid him down on the ground without a sound.
Good night, Mr. Nameless Experience A-san.
—Ding! Ding!
[Level Up! You have reached Level 28] [Level Up! You have reached Level 29]The sweet electronic chime rang twice in my head.
A hot torrent surged through my entire body.
Just one.
I’d hunted a single opponent of equal level, and gained two levels!? The efficiency was absurd!
Ahh, I can’t get enough. This moment right here, that’s the true thrill of an RPG!
But it wasn’t over yet.
The other man, the skinny one, seemed to sense something strange when his partner’s presence vanished.
“… Hey, what’s wrong? Why’d you suddenly go quiet…”
He turned around.
What his gaze caught was a black cloak melting into the darkness, his partner’s corpse lying on the ground…
And a small “something” wearing a white skull mask.
“Wha…!?”
He sucked in a breath.
Fear made his eyes dart wildly as he reached for the sword at his waist.
Too slow.
How many frames did that motion take?
Behind the mask, I curled my lips into a grin.
I raised my index finger and pressed it to the mouth of my mask.
“... Shhh.”
It’s a secret, okay?
You can’t tell anyone I’m here.
That provocative gesture froze his thoughts for a split second.
“Is that a kid?” “Is she messing with me?”
That fraction of hesitation was my bonus time.
Taan!
I kicked off the ground.
Freshly leveled leg strength stacked with the wind-pressure acceleration of my UR boots.
That speed had to be far beyond what his dynamic vision could track.
From his field of view, I vanished.
“W-Where’d you go!?”
He frantically looked around.
Sorry, wrong answer.
The correct answer is… “up in the sky!”
I was three meters above his head.
A second jump from Air Step.
Mobility that ignored the laws of physics. For a first encounter, it’s practically cheating.
Twisting my body midair, I wound up an attack loaded with centrifugal force.
Gravitational acceleration. Rotational energy. And my adorable killing intent.
All of it converged into a single point.
“… See you.”
Hyun!
A silver flash streaked down.
The dagger, brought straight down from above, precisely struck the center line of his skull.
Zudooon!
The impact thundered as his body slammed into the ground.
Instant death.
A complete stomp, without even giving him a chance to counterattack.
Using his corpse as a foothold, I flipped backward gracefully and landed.
I brushed off the hem of my skirt and adjusted my Phantom Mask.
Phew.
Not a single bead of sweat. A flawless job.
Even I had to admire the clean execution. If I’d been streaming this playthrough, it would definitely have earned the “god-tier play” tag and blown up in views.
—Ding! Ding!
[Level Up! You have reached Level 30] [Level Up! You have reached Level 31]Once again, that pleasure that numbed my brain.
I’d smashed through even the Level 30 wall like it was paper. Every cell in my body boiled with power, a sense of omnipotence surging through me.
“… Ahaha, amazing…!”
I stared at my own hands and murmured in rapture.
Just two.
I’d merely “processed” two people, and gained four whole levels.
An overwhelming efficiency you could never taste from hunting monsters.
This place truly was a hunting ground prepared just for me.
“Now then, that’s enough for appetizers.”
I looked up at the silent warehouse door.
If the entrance guards were this level, then inside had to be packed with an even tastier “main course.”
Beneath my skull mask, I formed the most wicked, and most adorable, smile imaginable.
“Excuse meee… Reaper-sama is coming through, you know?”
What do you think about this chapter?
