Arya hesitated for a moment before following. As soon as he passed through, a bright light filled his vision, momentarily blinding him.
His head spun, and his body tensed. He rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden change.
Then, the sounds hit him.
Voices. Footsteps. Weapons being checked. The presence of multiple assassins filled the air.
And in front of them stood a massive, glowing purple portal.
Dark energy poured from it, twisting and shifting unnaturally.
Arya swallowed hard.
This was it.
The S-rank mission had begune
Arya had never seen a place like this before. There were many high-ranking assassins, each armed with different types of weapons—swords, bows, guns, and even weapons he couldn't recognize. Their presence alone made him feel insignificant, as if he were nothing compared to them.
"Hey, over here!" 28 called out, standing in front of a shop.
As Arya walked past the high-rankers, he felt their overwhelming aura. It was as if they were on a completely different level from him. He hurried over to 28, who gestured toward the shop.
"If you need anything—armor, weapons—you can buy it here," 28 said.
They stepped inside, and Arya's eyes widened in disbelief. The shop was filled with powerful weapons—legendary swords, enchanted arrows, futuristic guns—things he had only heard about in stories. Not just weapons, but power armor suits lined the walls, each looking more advanced than the last.
A worker approached them with a polite smile. "Welcome to the shop, sir. If you're looking for something, you're in the right place. We have the best weapons and armor in the assassin world."
The worker then stepped aside and revealed a gleaming sword. "This," he said proudly, "is the sword of a legendary assassin. It's only 500,000 NP."
Arya's heart nearly stopped. 500,000 NP?!
As an E-ranker, he only earned 1,000 to 1,500 NP per mission. This was an amount of money he had never even seen in his entire life. He stood there, frozen in shock.
Just then, someone shoved him aside.
"Move," a voice sneered.
Arya looked up to see a tall assassin with an arrogant smirk, his arm wrapped around a girl. The man glanced at him with disgust.
"Why do they let guys like you in here? Look at you—you don't have money. Do you even know what a real weapon looks like?" He scoffed, then smirked at the girl beside him. "Even if you showed him the cheapest item in this shop, he wouldn't be able to afford it."
He pulled the girl closer and whispered loud enough for Arya to hear, "Let's go, baby. No point wasting time on losers like him."
With that, he walked away, the shop worker following closely behind.
Arya clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
"You okay?" 28 asked.
"I'm fine," Arya muttered.
28 sighed. "Don't mind him. That guy is an A-ranker—code name 33. He comes from a rich family and acts like that toward new people all the time. Just ignore him."
Arya lowered his head. "But… he's right."
28 frowned. "What?"
"I don't belong here," Arya said. "I don't have money. I can't buy anything. There's no point in staying."
Without waiting for 28's response, Arya turned and walked toward the exit.
"Wait, 8—!" 28 called out, but Arya didn't stop. He pushed the door open and stepped outside, feeling even smaller than before.
After a few minutes, a man stepped forward and called for attention.
"Assassins, I am the manager of this mission. You have been called here for an S-rank mission—one where people barely survive. This portal has already been attempted twice, but both times, we failed. We have no more chances left. If we don't close the portal this time, it will fully break... and when that happens, more monsters will pour into this world."
The assassins around Arya murmured to each other. Some were excited, others nervous.
"Our guild leader has issued an announcement," the manager continued. "Anyone who successfully completes this mission will receive triple the reward!"
A wave of energy passed through the crowd. Assassins shouted in excitement, some laughing at their luck, others gripping their weapons tightly.
Arya, standing at the back, clenched his fists. Triple the reward? That was an amount that could change his life. He had always struggled with money—always barely surviving. If he could get that reward, his whole life would turn around.
But... this was an S-rank mission. Even S-rank assassins had failed before. How could someone like me survive?
Monsters in this portal would be far beyond anything he had ever fought. If he faced them, he would die instantly.
Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder.
Arya tensed, then turned his head.
It was 28.
"Hey, 8," 28 said casually. "What happened? You suddenly left the shop."
Arya shook his head. "It was nothing."
"Well, anyway, I got something for you." 28 pulled out a new sword and handed it to him.
Arya's eyes widened. "I... I can't take this."
"I know you don't have the money for weapons, so I bought it for you," 28 said. "Just take it."
Arya hesitated. "We just met, and you've already helped me enough. I can't accept—"
"Listen," 28 interrupted. "You came here without a weapon. This isn't an E-rank mission. This is an S-rank mission. If you go in empty-handed, you're dead."
Arya stayed silent.
"If you don't want it for free, then pay me back later," 28 added with a smirk. "If we make it out alive, you'll have the money to return it."
With that, he shoved the sword into Arya's hands.
Before Arya could argue, the manager's voice boomed again.
"Be ready! We will be splitting into three squads. Each squad will have twelve members. Inside the portal, there are three paths—each squad will take one. Check your device. The system will assign you to a squad."
Arya pulled out his device and opened his latest message.
[C Squad]
28 glanced at his own device. "Looks like we're in the same squad, 8."
The manager continued, "Each squad has a leader. A Squad consists of six S-rankers, four B-rankers, and two C-rankers. B Squad has six S-rankers, five B-rankers, and one C-ranker.
Lastly, C Squad has only three S-rankers, four B-rankers, two C-rankers... and two D-rankers.
And... one E-ranker."
A wave of laughter came from the high-rank assassins.
"An E-ranker?!" one of them scoffed. "What, do they think an E-ranker is gonna save us?"
"This is a joke, right?" another laughed. "They put D and E-rankers in an S-rank mission? Who the hell planned this?!"
Arya gritted his teeth but didn't say anything.
He turned to 28. "Why does C Squad have fewer S-rankers?" he asked in a low voice. "And why did they let E and D-rankers in? That's against the normal rules, right?"
28's face darkened. "That's because this is a Dark System Guild mission."
Arya tensed. "Dark System...?"
"Yeah. Some guilds don't reveal their names because if something happens to us inside, they won't take responsibility." 28's voice was serious. "They probably didn't want to pay for too many S-rankers, so they filled the gaps with lower ranks like us. That way, they make more profit."
Arya's grip tightened around the sword.
"One last thing," the manager announced. "Once you enter the portal, your devices will stop working. From then on, your squad leader will be your only source of information."
The assassins murmured again.
"Good luck to you all," the manager finished.
With that, he turned and walked away.
28 nudged Arya. "Come on. There's our leader—S-ranker 89."
Arya took a deep breath.
No turning back now.
And with that, he stepped toward the portal.
Entering the S-Rank Mission Portal
89 stood near the portal, looking at his squad. With a confident stance, he spoke up, "Hi everyone, I'm the leader of C Squad. You can call me 89. Before we enter the portal, we need to go over some rules—"
Before he could finish, another squad passed by them, heading straight into the portal. Some members of A Squad chuckled at the sight.
"Look at those losers," one of them sneered. "Imagine an E-ranker winning the battle! If that happens, we might as well quit our jobs!"
"Yeah," another chimed in, laughing. "If he actually manages to kill anything, the monsters will probably die from humiliation instead!"
Their laughter echoed as they entered the portal. Shortly after, B Squad followed suit, disappearing into the swirling gateway.
89 ignored the mockery and turned back to his team. "Don't worry about what they said. Just listen to me." His voice was steady and firm. "Unlike other squads, we don't have as many S-rankers. But that doesn't mean we can't handle this mission."
He glanced at his team, ensuring they were paying attention. "Once we enter, there will be three paths. We're taking the right side. That's where the real challenge begins."
89 then broke down their formation:
S-Rankers: Himself (a close-combat fighter), 99 (a swordmaster), and 45 (a mage who can also heal others).
B-Rankers: Two tanks, two mage assassins.
C-Rankers: One archer assassins, one tank.
D-Rankers: Two swordsmen.
E-Ranker: One swordsman (Arya).
"Our formation is simple," 89 continued. "99 and I will take the lead. The three tanks will cover our backs. The swordsmen and mages will stay in the middle, while the archers hold the rear. Everyone, stay alert and follow my commands. Understood?"
The squad responded in unison, "Understood!"
"Alright, let's go!"
Just before stepping through, Arya gripped his sword tightly, taking a deep breath. I can do this.
"Hey! What are you doing?" 28 called out, turning back. "Hurry up, or we'll get left behind!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Arya nodded. "I'm coming!"
He ran forward, catching up to 28, and together, they stepped through the portal.
As Arya stepped into the portal, he and his squad emerged into a cave. The cave was eerily silent. Arya led the way, walking forward with the squad following closely behind. Suddenly, a drop of water fell from above and landed on his head. He instinctively wiped it away with his hand, only to realize the water was red.
Confused, Arya looked up and saw the walls of the cave. They were stained with what appeared to be blood, and some parts of the walls were frozen. Some of the blood-like water dripped down, creating a dangerous, ominous atmosphere.
The cave was dimly lit, and ahead of them, there were three paths to choose from.
"Come this way," 89 said, pointing toward the right path. The squad followed him into the dark corridor. As they walked, a creepy sound echoed from deep inside the cave, like someone was calling out for help.
"Be careful," 89 warned. "This is an illusion. Monsters use these kinds of traps to lure us in and kill us. Before you act, think carefully, okay?"
The squad nodded, but the tension was thick. As they walked further, a powerful aura suddenly swept across them. In that moment, none of them could move—not even the S-Rankers. They were frozen in place, sweating in fear.
"What was that?" 45 asked, his voice trembling. "That mage power... it's insane!"
89 frowned. "Something feels wrong. I don't think this is from an S-Rank boss."
"Do you mean there's another boss in the portal?" 99 asked, confused. "But how could there be two bosses in one portal?"
"I'm not sure," 89 replied, glancing over his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Arya was standing at the back, listening to the conversation. The power from earlier still weighed heavily on him, causing his body to tremble in fear. His eyes were shut tight, and his mind raced. I can't die here... someone is waiting for me.
At that moment, 28 spoke up, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry, they're here. They'll handle it."
But 89 didn't have time for reassurances. "We can't just stand around. We don't know what kind of enemy or monster is waiting for us. Let's move!"
They continued walking, but the oppressive darkness still made the air feel heavy. After a short walk, they finally saw light ahead. As they emerged from the darkness into the light, their eyes adjusted, and they were able to see clearly.
Arya looked around, shocked by what he saw. The surroundings appeared normal, too normal. How can this be possible? he thought. He had expected to find a world ravaged by destruction—fire, darkness, chaos—but everything around them was peaceful, just like their own world.
28 spoke up, ready to move forward, but 89 stopped them. "Wait, this is a trap," he said, his voice tense.
He then called for 45. "Use your magic."
45 raised his hand, chanting a spell. "Clear!"
A wave of energy surged from his hand, sweeping across the area and dispelling the illusion.
After 45 dispelled the illusion, the scenery around them shifted.
What was once a peaceful, familiar world was now a dark, abandoned city. Ruined buildings stretched into the distance, their broken windows reflecting the eerie glow of purple fire that burned in the streets. The air was thick with silence—no people, no monsters, just emptiness.
89 scanned the surroundings, his expression tense. "I've taken on many missions," he muttered, "but I've never seen anything like this before. There should be monsters here… but all we've encountered are illusions."
The squad remained on high alert, cautiously stepping forward.
Suddenly, Arya heard a sound from behind. A chill ran down his spine as he turned around, heart pounding with fear. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
The cave entrance was gone.