Curse No. 51, Curse of the Marked, continuously reveals the location of a designated target once it's cast.
It’s the kind of curse used by assassins when swarming a single target as a group.
Its activation is a bit tricky—it requires direct contact with the target to set the mark.
But I hadn’t touched anyone.
From that, I realized the caster had used the 8-circle high-grade spell Mana Assimilation. And if this group could cast such a spell, their level had to be ridiculously high.
I checked the [Mini-map].
Something was coming.
But the movement was strange. It wasn’t assassin-like. Slower, but oddly precise—methodically closing the distance.
Then, a network of lines appeared between the approaching entities—forming a tightening net. It resembled a Heavenly Web-type skill.
Normally, this isn’t the kind of skill you use against assassins. Assassins with peak [Footwork] can slip through space, and those using [Alchemy] can simply vanish underground.
So, putting the pieces together:
1. They're warriors.
2. They’re used to killing assassins.
3. They have a decent grasp of my combat ability.
I reached a decision in a flash.
I had to fight.
I loaded countless models into my head.
But before drawing my weapon, I asked myself one last thing:
Was this Rebecca’s doing?
Still unclear.
I summoned my mana—and drew the Colossus Blade ○. The guy pissed me off, but since the “exam” was still technically ongoing, there was no real ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) issue.
And then I waited.
For the warriors to arrive.
Clang—
At last, one man emerged from the darkness.
Clad in pitch-black full plate armor that didn’t reflect a sliver of light.
“...Hello, friend.”
My eyes went to the massive greatsword strapped to his back.
● Knight Commander Kashan.
The Kashan Order.
One of the royal family's secret blades that Rebecca mentioned she’d send to drive out Eve. Their job was to “clean up” anyone who got in the royal family's way.
Kashan ranked 512th among the continent’s 15 million warriors. A [Grandmaster] of upper-mid tier. An absolute powerhouse.
“You’re a promising professor. But you need to die here.”
Shing—
He drew his absurdly massive greatsword—so big it looked more like a steel club.
“You brought a mace to fight an assassin?”
“Weight doesn’t matter. I’m strong. Since you use Grandmaster-level illusions, I brought the biggest blade possible to increase area coverage.”
“In that case, you should’ve brought a whip.”
“Not cool enough.”
He was calm. Clearly used to fights like this.
Meanwhile, I read through his 【Script】.
And realized something odd about this situation.
“...So it’s like that.”
This wasn’t Rebecca.
“Chunglu betrayed me...? Well, he was bound to someday.”
I only muttered that to bait him.
“What?”
He quickly masked his expression. But he couldn’t hide his 【Inner Thoughts】.
He was shocked—I wasn’t supposed to know.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Drop the act. I already know everything.”
“...What do you ‘know’?”
He feigned ignorance.
Fine. I’d tell him—so I could learn more.
“You got your info about me from Chunglu. That’s how you came up with a plan to catch an illusionist assassin.”
“......”
“And you brought your knights solely for Heavenly Web. Pretty arrogant, huh? Even all of you together wouldn’t be enough.”
“...You’re a funny guy, Professor. Going off on your own like that. I’m not—”
“Enough. No need to pretend. I’m well-acquainted with how the royal family operates. I also know when you and Chunglu got on the same boat.”
“......Heh.”
“You want some truth?”
I looked him dead in the face.
“You can’t kill me.”
Kashan’s face hardened.
You can tell a lot about a person from first impressions.
That sense of composure he’d carried all his life... It was starting to crack.
Which meant I’d achieved my goal.
“Come.”
Shing—
I raised the Colossus Blade ○.
“I don’t run from assassinations. Not from assassins, not from knights, not from the royal family.”
Kashan, stiff-faced, gave a bitter chuckle.
He shook his head slowly.
【 Kashan: ‘...So this is what they meant.’ 】
【 Kashan: ‘Now I get why they were all raving.’ 】
I didn’t know what kind of raving he meant, but clearly he didn’t want to think about it any further.
【 Kashan: ‘I can tell from first impressions.’ 】
【 Kashan: ‘This guy’s way too good to just kill.’ 】
【 Kashan: ‘But...’ 】
Still confident—but he was missing something.
Chunglu might be a royal knight, but he’d never once been involved in the Academy’s highest-level matters.
“Hey.”
Kashan raised his massive sword and pointed it at me.
“...Sorry.”
Then he exploded into a lunge.
BOOM!
The earth burst beneath his feet, launching his armored mass forward like a missile.
***
A knight holding the mana-net tensed.
His throat bobbed.
Gulp.
In that place weighed down by some unseen pressure—
The battle finally began.
“Haah!!”
Kashan charged, swinging his monstrous blade. But its tip suddenly deflected mid-air.
KAANG!
He must’ve struck an invisible [Illusion]—a counterblade emerged out of nowhere to deflect him.
Kashan used the bounce-back to spin, kick off a tree, and charge again.
KAGAGAGAK—!
His massive blade screeched through the air, trailing a line of sparks several meters long.
But that wasn’t just a wild swing.
It was Sword Sense.
His blade stretched out his nervous system—feeling for the enemy’s shape.
Once he had a read, the “invisible” advantage of Void Form ○ would be gone.
Perhaps sensing that, the assassin quickly retracted the hand after the clash.
Knights who had seen the Colossus Blade ○ before found the retraction speed oddly fast—but ultimately, it made little difference in the flow.
“You running like a rat?”
Kashan confidently gave chase.
‘Hmm. Nothing special.’
‘He’s not keeping up at all.’
‘I’m totally overwhelming him. As expected from the Commander.’
At this point, the knights had settled into the expected rhythm. Assassin vs. warrior—it always played out the same.
The assassin would try to gain distance, go [Invisible], and use [Illusions] to confuse the eyes.
Then, they’d try to create enough space for a clean kill—but would end up tangled in Heavenly Web–Open.
Escape fails. Warrior grabs. Assassin gets crushed.
That was the usual.
‘...Though assassins do always try one big burst.’
In desperation, the assassin would usually throw out four or five explosive moves. But someone like Kashan would dodge or deflect them with ease.
He had plenty of techniques for that.
And so far, the fight was going exactly as expected—one knight even smiled.
‘Another easy job...’
But as the fight dragged on, things got weird.
‘Huh?’
The assassin kept stopping and moving again—yet the distance wasn’t shrinking.
‘What?’
‘Why can’t we close in?’
They hadn’t entered “assassin’s range,” but it wasn’t “warrior’s range” either.
In that awkward middle ground, Professor Dante kept evading capture.
He wasn’t especially fast, nor did he use traps or illusions.
‘What the hell is he doing...?’
‘Why can’t the Commander catch him...?’
‘Strange. Even I feel off with my sense of range...’
When they did finally close in—
KAANG!!
The Colossus Hand blocked or deflected the strike. Dante quickly dispersed the hand to hide its form again.
Someone rubbed their eyes. It looked off. Kashan, who usually blitzed forward, seemed slow—and Professor Dante kept widening the gap at a steady pace.
And they weren’t the only ones noticing.
Heavenly Web–Open was a high-level ability that shared thoughts and senses among the group.
Within that web:
‘...The Commander’s rattled.’
No matter what he tried—Sword Aura, shockwaves, illusions—nothing closed the gap.
Not one bit.
‘Illusions? But if that were true, the shockwaves would’ve shattered them...’
They didn’t know.
Just how quietly and subtly a near-Constellation-tier illusionist could mess with their perception.
⋮
『World Fabrication: Perception Forgery – Shukuchi』
⋮
The longer the fight dragged on, the more it wore down Kashan.
KAANG! KAKANG! KAANG!
He couldn’t read the movements.
Without reading, there’s no predicting.
Without predicting, he had to chase blindly.
But no time to read once chasing began.
Kashan was being completely dismantled.
By the assassin—
Using a warrior’s method.
Professor Dante, the assassin, was beating Kashan at his own game.
A knight's jaw dropped.
‘So this is why...’
At first, they couldn’t understand why seven knights were sent to kill a single senior professor.
Even if he was good, he’d only rank around 2,000—a Master at best.
But Kashan beat senior professors on the regular.
Even if the target had a National Treasure, it all came down to the user.
Why send seven?
That reason was now playing out in front of them.
FWOOSH!!
Kashan’s greatsword sliced through the air.
“Goddamn it, this is pissing me off!”
Even the Commander finally shouted.
“Hey, Professor! Why the hell are you so slippery?!”
“What do you mean?”
“What?”
“You’re slow as hell.”
“...Bullshit! Just admit it! What did you do to me?!”
When Kashan confessed that, the knights were stunned.
‘No way!’
A Grandmaster like Kashan didn’t even know what was happening to him?
‘The Commander... doesn’t even know?’
Kashan scowled.
“Hey! Shut up, all of you!”
The message was meant for the knights. With Heavenly Web–Open, their emotions and thoughts were partially shared. They snapped out of their internal panic.
“Professor Dante. You’ve fought a lot, haven’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb just to get under my skin.”
“What?”
“You know I’m one of the fastest warriors. So you’re using [Illusions] to mess with my perception. Dragging me into a mid-range war. Trying to bait me into using a big move. That way, you can hit me hard when I overcommit. Right?”
“......”
The knights were baffled. Kashan hadn’t done this in months—stopping mid-fight to talk.
He wasn’t just any assassin hunter. He enjoyed hunting assassins.
Like a hunter gleefully chasing wild boar.
The meat and the village’s peace were fine and all—but those who knew Kashan knew that wasn’t the point.
To him, assassin hunting was sport.
But now—look.
That wild boar was dodging the traps, weaving past the bullets, and toying with the hunter.
“Not really.”
“What?”
“I wasn’t thinking that hard.”
“......”
Yes. It was mockery.
And mockery—even if you know it’s mockery—still makes your blood boil.
“...Haha.”
Kashan grinned wide.
“Keep going then.”
“......”
“I know you. But you don’t know me.”
And then—Kashan lunged again.
The gap remained oddly persistent.
He unleashed a massive [Shockwave]—confirmed there were no illusions around—
And then.
Kashan’s body began contorting.
From toes to head—bones, muscles, ligaments—twisting in impossible angles.
Like a drawn bow about to release.
Then it hit—
A former-assassin-turned-knight unleashed his Level 8 Footwork technique.
『Qungshin Tangyeong』
Even through distorted perception, his body launched like a bullet across 20 meters—straight toward Dante.
Got him!!!
As the knights shuddered—
BOOM!!!
An explosion erupted.
────
Kashan, moving at full force, rebounded exactly back from where he struck—slammed into the Heavenly Web–Open like a baseball smacked into a net.
THUMP!!
The web didn’t break, but his body crumpled.
“Khgh!!”
The Knight Commander staggered to his feet, coughing blood.
‘No... way!!’
As all the knights reeled in silent horror—
Professor Dante began walking forward.
“You were wrong.”
His steps were calm. Composed.
His voice heavy as stone.
“You don’t know a damn thing about me.”