[Left side first, let’s go to the last occupied room and work our way back;] making his way up the stairs, Cynrik decided their course of action.
[Wait, hold up, what do you mean ADHD brain? That’s not even possible; we were literally given new bodies. Your previous ailments don’t just carry over.] Brance didn’t let his brother’s last comment go.
[Eh? I mean, I guess you’re right, but ima still blame the ADHD for that one;] Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Cynrik suddenly stopped and crouched low to the ground.
Seeing his brother’s abrupt actions, Brance followed suit and crept up beside him.
[What? What do you see?] Thinking Cynrik had spotted something, he went on high alert and began cautiously looking around.
Tucking his head in slightly and hunching up his shoulder, Cynrik slowly crept forward.
[Don’t be suspicious; yes, don’t be suspicious.]
The instant Cynriks words came through the mind link, Brance’s face went deadpan, and he stood up straight.
[I SAIDDDD, Don’t be suspicious, yes don’t be suspicious.] Cynrik stopped and looked around for Brance, who he found still standing at the stairs several feet behind, glaring at him with his arms crossed.
[What? OH, COME ON, WOULD YOU RATHER I STARTED GOING DUN DUN DUN DUN?]
[Yes, actually, I would. Why is every fucking word out of your mouth a MEME?]
[WELLLL TECHNICALLLLLLYYYY…] before Cyrnik could finish his wise-ass remark, Brance ran up and smacked him in the back of the head.
[I know, mind link, just shut up and be serious.]
[Everyyy parttttyy needs a pooper that’s why we invited you;] Cynrik started moving again while singing his words in a depressed tone.
[Party pooper or not, hundreds of kids are being tortured in the basement, not to mention the threats all around us. STOP PLAYING AROUND!] Brance had to resist the urge to hit Cynrik again, and luckily they reached the end of the hall before he had to.
Stopping on the far side of the door, Brance turned and waited expectantly for Cynrik’s plan.
Cynrik, who arrived less than a second later, looked into the room with his Mana Sight. The room was a simple 12×14 feet with a dresser and bed; other than that, the space was void of furniture.
[Hm, ok, Tier 1, Level 14, but only 230 HP, it looks like this person’s DEX, STR based, ALRIGHTY THEN, three ways to go about this;] crossing his arms and analyzing the situation, Cynrik started formulating a plan.
[Option A, Rush in and jump him.]
[NEXT!] Brance vetoed Option A the moment he heard it.
Not letting the interruption bother him, Cynrik continued, [Option B, we slowly open the door; I activate ShadowVeil, and then we straight up assassinate the dude.]
[Viable, but what if you can’t instant kill him?] Brance countered.
[Not a problem, I’ll be able to do it, but I’ll need your help. MOVING ALONG, Option C starts like Option B, but instead of just me, we both creep in, and you hold him down while I rapidly stab him over and over with my hidden blades.]
[Always with the stabby stab, let’s just ignore Option C; you’ve still got me hung up on Option B; what do you mean you’d need my help?]
[Oh, that, well, you’re better at using Wind Mana;] as Cynrik spoke, he casually swapped to his AC loadout and showed off his Assassins Tools to Brance.
[Option B is a bit complicated compared to the other two.] Using his left hand, he spun the round mechanical part of the right gauntlet twice and then pushed it in like a button.
CLICK
Brance watched as Cynrik removed the blade from its housing and held it up.
[My Assassins Tools can be upgraded; as such, each part is removable. So basically, I’d need you to control the blade just above the target’s head and then slam it into his skull at the same time as I slit his throat.] Cynrik finished his sentence by stabbing down the blade in his right hand while making a slicing movement with his left arm.
[Double the damage, and there you have it, insta-kill on a guy more than double our level. Of course, if he were VIT-based, it most likely wouldn’t work, but he’s only got 230 HP, so I don’t see any issues.]
Heaving a sigh and shaking his head, Brance summoned up a strand of Wind Mana, wrapped it around the blade, and stole it from Cyrnik.
[Option B, it is; pick the lock, and let’s get this over with; who knows how long that group will stay in the basement;] using his Wind Affinity, Brance made the blade hover just above his right shoulder. Cynrik, on the other hand, went about picking the lock with his still equipped Assassins Tool.
But to their surprise, the door wasn’t even locked.
[Geez, it’s like this guy ASKING us to come to kill him.] Without wasting any time, Cynrik covered himself and Brance with ShadowVeil and opened the door quietly before sneaking into the room.
Brance was right on his brother’s heels, and once he was in, he closed the door slowly and released the nob without making a noise.
Laying on the bed was a half-naked, hairy middle-aged man who was snoring away without a care in the world.
[I’ll take the far side, Brance, position yourself so you can land the kill shot.] Crouching low to the ground, Cynrik swiftly and made his way to the opposite side of the bed.
Brance, following his brother’s plan, stalked his way closer to the bed and waited for Cynrik’s signal.
As Cynrik got in position, he flicked out his remaining hidden blade and narrowed his eyes on the unsuspecting man’s neck.
[On three,] Brance slowed his breathing, and with a wave of his left hand, the blade flew from above his right shoulder and got in position over the sleeping target’s head.
[Three…two…one;] Cynrik swiftly reached out and slashed the man’s throat flawlessly, causing the man’s neck to split open and blood to instantly spray all over Cynrik’s face.
The moment the Cynrik’s blade moved away, the man’s eyes shot open as he grasped at his throat, with fear in his eyes, only to be greeted by an eight-inch blade dashing right towards his head.
SHUNK
The blade dug straight into his forehead and sunk into his skull nearly half its length before stopping.
Unfortunately for the brothers, he was still alive, and he reached for the blade embedded in his head with one hand while sitting up and going after Brance with the other.
Seeing this, Cynrik didn’t hesitate and leaped onto the bed. With his right hand, he grabbed the bleeding man by his face and held him in place, while his left arm swung back before rapidly thrusting his hidden blade into the man’s left temple.
The struggling man instantly went limp, and seconds later, Tobs sent both of the brother’s notifications.
-You Have Killed a Level 14 Human-
– Since you defeated an enemy more than twice your level, you have received double rewards. –
-You have Obtained 2800 Essence-
-You have obtained 2 STR points-
-You have received 2 KIN points-
-Tier 1 Mana Codex located would you like to extract it Y/N-
Exhaling the breath he didn’t know he had been holding, Brance read through the notifications while Cynrik jumped off the bed like a child.
[NICE GAINS! Double XP and Stat points.] Cynrik said while using the room’s curtains to wipe the blood off his face.
[It’ll be an insta-kill, he says, don’t worry, Brance, he says.] Brance mumbled while darting his eyes from the corpse to Cynrik and back.
[BAH, instant enough, I mean it wasn’t even me he went after what does that say about you;] Cynirk chuckled while selecting “Yes” to extract the Codex from the corpse.
[WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE WENT AFTER ME? YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DROPPED THE SHADOWVEIL AFTER I STABBED HIM IN THE HEAD!] Brance screamed angrily into the mind link while stomping his left foot.
[Look, I thought you killed him. How was I supposed to know the guy was still alive? You didn’t even coat the blade in Mana; if you had, the blade woulda sunk all the way into his head. TSK rookie mistake, little brother, see watch.]
Brance shot him an accusatory glare as Cynrik effortlessly plucked the blade out of the man’s head with a strand of Wind Mana.
[Teacher Cyn here. Class watch as I show you how to stab someone without using your hands;] with a wave of his hand, a delicate green Mana coating engulfed the entire blade, which was floating above the corpse’s head.
[Now, if you want to do the most damage, you must first coat the entire weapon with a thin layer of Mana; remember to cover the whole blade evenly; if not, you’ll end up reducing the potential damage you could cause.]
Grinning widely, Cynrik raised his left arm while the hovering blade mimicked this action. [Don’t forget class; it’s just like throwing a baseball; the more strength you put into your throw, the harder you can lob the ball.]
Cynrik jumped up slightly and slammed his left arm down, and with a loud SPLAT, the blade dug itself cleanly into the corpse, disappearing into the dead man’s head.
[And that’s how you do it!] Giving a slight bow and making the applause sound off in the mind link, Cynrik finished his explanation. But, unfortunately for him, when he stood up and looked around the room, Brance was nowhere to be seen.
The moment he had begun his little skit, Brance had already left the room and moved on to the next target.