The entire challenge was split into many trials.
First was to defeat an Assassin of similar rank.
This was a comprehensive test of real combat ability.
Usually, more than 80% of the challengers would fail that first trial. The military instructors of the Assassin Alliance were all top class.
Like Marvin’s opponent, that guy named Youwen.
…
“Mister Marvin, when you are ready, please tear down that black cloth on your chest.”
In a wide open room, a staff member informed Marvin before slowly withdrawing.
Countless pairs of eyes were watching Marvin.
The latter showed no sign of moving.
Everyone waited impatiently, hissing sounds springing up all around.
Marvin’s eyes were still closed. Calmly feeling his surroundings.
This was the rule.
The challenge wouldn’t start unless the black cloth was torn off. Youwen couldn’t attack him.
An Assassin would actually be at a disadvantage against a Ranger in a straight confrontation. Rangers had the same outstanding dexterity, especially Dual Wielding Rangers, and the leather armor of the Assassin couldn’t resist the Ranger’s slashes.
But the King Assassin’s challenge wasn’t fair. Youwen entered the room before Marvin and already used Stealth, or maybe Hide. Who knew which corner he was in now.
He might instantly attack once Marvin tore off the black cloth!
Those clamoring spectators also helped Youwen by hindering Marvin’s perception.
At least, [Listen] wasn’t usable.
Marvin didn’t worry. He lightly pressed his right hand on the black cloth on his chest.
Everyone immediately became quiet.
But he didn’t tear it down. He only pressed against it and then slowly strolled around the room!
“Coward!”
“Hurry up!”
“How can this kind of trash be qualified to participate in the King Assassin’s challenge?”
The audience immediately began to curse.
Shadow Valley’s inhabitants originally didn’t have a good opinion of this Ranger challenger, and seeing Marvin acting like a scoundrel, they immediately couldn’t help but hurl abuse.
The reason was that, apart from weapons, Marvin couldn’t use any items. He could only rely on his own strength to get rid of the invisible Assassin.
Youwen’s stealth was very powerful, so Marvin couldn’t feel any trace of him.
Thankfully, Marvin had participated in the King Assassin’s challenge repeatedly, so he had plenty of experience about it.
Most opponents would choose to move slowly using [Stealth].
Based on his experience, Youwen should be keeping a distance of more or less six steps away from him. It would rarely be directly behind because this direction was the one people paid most attention to. It would also obviously not be the front, so it would usually be toward one of the sides.
‘Left? Or Right?’
Marvin stopped.
He was at the exact center of the room. This place was the best location to take back the offensive.
Then, under the audience’s verbal abuse, Marvin tore off the black cloth.
In that split second, he viciously threw the big piece of cloth to his right.
Then he dashed like a fierce tiger toward the left, slashing down with his two daggers!
The moves were extremely smooth.
This was the strategy Marvin had carefully prepared. Regardless of it was left or right, Youwen wouldn’t be able to easily make a move!
The audience’s eyes were wide open as they watched Marvin pounce toward a location, his two daggers slashing at an empty place.
And the black cloth also slowly fell to the ground.
Nothing left or right!
‘Damn. This Youwen is actually patient…” Marvin’s heart sank.
But at this time, an ice-cold feeling could be felt behind him!
It was actually from the back!
A cold dagger appeared over his neck.
Cutthroat!
All the onlookers suddenly held their breaths.
…
Marvin reacted immediately, bending his body backwards.
Following Youwen’s surprised “Eh?”, Marvin’s head ruthlessly hit his nose as his left curved dagger came in at a very ingenious angle, blocking between his neck and the straight dagger, stopping it from moving further.
Marvin smirked.
Cutthroat? Marvin was the god of Cutthroat! Even if he couldn’t see through the other’s trick, he still wouldn’t die from participating in the King Assassin’s challenge!
Then came Marvin’s counterattack. He let go of the curved dagger in his right hand and grabbed Youwen’s right wrist, holding that straight dagger.
Under the acute pain, Youwen didn’t have time to use [Vanish] or [Strong Invisibility]!
Marvin took the opportunity and turned, viciously slashing down with his left hand!
“Clang!”
It was too late for Youwen to dodge, and he was barely able to raise a dagger to block. But then, Marvin’s curved dagger slid down the dagger and directly plunged towards Youwen’s shoulder!
“Pah!”
The curved dagger stabbed in, causing Youwen to let out a scream. The left hand which was about to counterattack lost all strength.
Marvin released his grip and ruthlessly kicked his opponent’s chest, sending the latter flying. Youwen cut a sorry figure as he knocked against the wall and lost consciousness.
The audience was in uproar!
Marvin broke through Youwen’s cutthroat this effortlessly and could instantly counterattack, knocking him down!
This kind of reaction speed and battle experience was definitely not something that could appear in a mere teenager.
He totally seemed like an old fox.
But in any case, Youwen lost.
Marvin’s logs showed the line, [Straight Dagger Mastery +1, you obtained Beginner level Mastery.]
Marvin turned to the staff member.
“Next trial.”
Chapter 219: Fountain of Youth
Chapter 219: Fountain of Youth
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
The second trial tested footwork.
Marvin was brought to a special room. This room only had two doors a certain distance away from each other.
Marvin needed to cross this room in fifteen seconds.
The most important things in the room were the obstacles.
Marvin looked at the numerous [Explosion Mushrooms] packed in the room expressionlessly. He was already ready.
Every Explosion Mushroom would move rather slowly.
But even if you didn’t step on it, as long you were near, it would automatically explode.
This was a very dangerous lifeform.
Moreover, what was very frightening was that if an Explosion Mushroom exploded, the air wave would spread to the next mushroom, causing a chain reaction.
In other word, as long as you missed a step, what awaited you was an entire room filled with explosions!
Many people gave up upon seeing this trial.
The explosive strength of an Explosion Mushroom was very powerful. Assassins, with their weak bodies, wouldn’t be able to survive this room if they met the chain explosion.
This trial tested the mental strength, footwork, reactions, and speed of the challenger.
There were still many people watching Marvin’s test from the stands.
They wanted to watch what kind of methods the person who beat someone on the verge of becoming a 4th rank Assassin would use for this trial.
Naturally, if Marvin unfortunately stepped on an Explosion Mushroom, they might cheerfully clap.
After all, no Assassin wished for another class to pass through the King Assassin’s challenge.
This simply was a slap to the face of the entire Assassin cl
ass!
The staff was still chattering about the rules and the dangers of the room to Marvin when the latter impatiently asked, “Can I start?”
The staff member’s face froze and he soon coldly said, “You can.”
“I’ll be waiting for you at the other side of the room…”
But before his words could be heard, Marvin had already disappeared!
His silhouette was rushing like lightning, moving between the slow moving mushrooms!
Every step was steady and powerful, it was perfect.
“Woosh!”
In a short three seconds, Marvin’s silhouette had already appeared at the exit!
All of the mushrooms in the room were safe and sound.
The staff member’s mouth was wide open, as he gazed at the scene in disbelief.
The audience was also thoroughly speechless.
This speed… They had seen that Marvin’s Dexterity was definitely above 25 because Flicker was displayed when Marvin went through the room.
But to cross the room, 25 Dexterity wasn’t the most important thing.
Most important was still Marvin’s frightening judgement and experience.
Along with the Demon Hunter Steps, he passed the trial as if he was casually taking a stroll.
The second trial was smoothly cleared.
Marvin’s Straight Dagger Mastery once again leveled up, reaching [Apprentice] level.
…
Third Trial, Escape Room.
This trial was also very dangerous for ordinary people.
The challenger would be tied to a chair fixed to the ground with both hands tied behind the back, inside a locked cage.
This was already set in advance.
At the start of the trial, water would start flowing inside the room, up till the entire iron cage was submerged.
If the challenger couldn’t undo the bindings fast enough and escape from the iron cage, they could only drown.
Escaping was also an essential skill of the King Assassin.
The challenger would be told in advance that the water would submerge the chair in about half a minute and submerge the cage completely in approximately two minutes.
In other words, if you couldn’t escape the cage in two minutes, either throw the towel or die.
This cage was locked, which meant you needed a high Lockpicking skill. Naturally, the first condition was that you could escape the chair binding first.
Marvin wouldn’t be able to Lockpick it, and he also didn’t have the [Bone Shrink] skill to handle the bindings.
But he had knowledge! He actually knew a loophole in this trial.
He unhesitantly chose to start the trial.
As everyone watched quietly, the water began flowing in the room.
Marvin wore a calm expression. His hands hurriedly shook behind his back.
Soon, the water reached Marvin’s abdomen.
But that was when he stood up from the chair!
The audience shook their heads.
They weren’t surprised by this outcome, as this Ranger had definitely come prepared!
And for Marvin, getting rid of a rope binding wasn’t very difficult. Even without the Bone Shrink skill, he could still untie himself.
The former Ruler of the Night didn’t have an undeserved reputation. If he couldn’t deal with such simple matters Marvin wouldn’t have been so successful.
The next step was crucial. The water already reached his head.
Even if he had Lockpicking tools, he would have to work underwater!
Besides, he had none!
He wasn’t a Thief! Nor an Assassin! He didn’t learn the Lockpick skill.
But he knew another way out.
Under the countless gazes looking at him, Marvin swam down and quickly arrived at the water flow exit. That was an iron fence blocking a cylindrical water inlet.
He kept holding his breath while fumbling with the fence for a moment. He pulled sharply and the fence came out!
Even though his strength wasn’t top class, this iron fence was merely a decorative item.
He then unhesitantly entered that water pipe!
Ten seconds later, Marvin emerged from a pool outside the room with a splash.
He was wet all over and a bit pale, but everyone was looking at him with admiration.
“What? Did you forget to announce the result of the third trial?”
He looked at that staff member who was completely at a loss.
The latter was simply dumbstruck.
He had never seen someone escape like this before Marvin!
He saw many Lockpicking Masters using simple iron wires to try to open the complex lock on the outside of the iron cage. But it hadn’t occurred to anyone that that wasn’t the only way out.
“He is cheating!” one of the onlookers shouted.
The staff member hesitated for a moment before seriously taking out a handbook.
– King Assassin’s Rulebook –
He carefully read through it for about six or seven minutes before seriously saying, “Well, there is nothing against using this kind of method…”
“Thus, you successfully passed the third trial.”
Marvin smiled.
His Straight Dagger Mastery leveled up to [Expert]!
It has to be known that Marvin’s Curved Dagger Mastery had leveled up from [Expert] to [Master] after the Heavenly Sword Saint’s test.
And now, his Straight Dagger Mastery had leveled up this quickly. This was simply cheating the system.
But nothing could be done about it. Who told him to take this path in his past life?
…
Starting from the fourth trial, the King Assassin’s challenge was no longer open to public.
Because the fourth challenge was [Assassination]!
The Assassin Alliance would choose a suitable bounty and send the challenger to assassinate him.
If the assassination was successful, the challenge was successful.
But Marvin directly chose to give up on the trial.
His choice surprised the staff member.
After reaching this stage, how could he give up?
What’s more, if he could finish the five trials, he would obtain the [King Assassin] title!
Although a Ranger obtaining the King Assassin’s title sounded a bit strange, it also was a supreme honor.
Marvin was actually very straightforward. Assassinating a powerhouse was too strenuous, what’s more, there was still the fifth trial. He didn’t think he could pass that fifth trial.
As for the King Assassin’s title, even if it had many bonuses, it was toward skills Marvin didn’t have, so it had no uses.
He didn’t forget the reason he participated in the challenge. Since he already reached his goal, backing out was the correct choice.
…
Shadow Valley, a guest room.
“Congratulations, Sir Marvin. You cleared three trials of the King Assassin’s challenge. As per your request, this pass is yours.”
One-Eyed Byrd handed a black-colored pass to Marvin.
There were also three small medals along with the pass.
Each medal represented a trial of the King Assassin’s challenge.
If Marvin was interested in the future, he could hand in those three medals to directly start the fourth trial.
“But I need to remind you that there are a lot of dangers lurking around the Dark Hole. Most people don’t come out of that place alive,” cautioned Byrd.
Marvin nodded.
For the people on the surface, the Underdark was a very frightening place.
But for the experienced Marvin possessing Dark Sight, as long as he was careful and didn’t provoke a few abnormally strong creatures, he could hurry and still be safe.
After getting the pass, Marvin was ready to take his leave.
But One-Eyed Byrd suddenly said, “Mister Marvin, your display in the King Assassin’s challenge was very outstanding. This made a friend
of mine very interested in you. He wants to entrust a matter to you.”
“I wonder if you are interested?”
“We will give a very large reward.”
Marvin hesitated, and soon linked this request to the bulletin board outside Kassemuir.
“You mean the matter of the White Deer’s murders?”
“Isn’t your Bai clan’s Holy Maiden personally in charge of this matter?” Marvin asked, somewhat surprised. “Why do you still want an outsider to move?”
“Because the Holy Maiden is a fake.” An old voice came from behind the door.
Afterwards, an aged man supported by a young maid slowly moved in.
Byrd showed an expression of respect. “Sir Priest.”
The old man greeted Marvin with a nod, “This is Viscount Marvin? You are really as young as the rumors said.”
Marvin got up and simply greeted back.
Both sides discussed for a moment and Marvin found that this old man was actually the High Priest of the Bai, the man serving the White Deer Holy Spirit.
“Half an hour earlier, we found the corpse of the Holy Maiden Monica.”
“It is clear that the woman that appeared in Kassemuir is an impersonator.”
“Someone keeps killing the White Deers. We have to stop this. Regretfully, the only clues we found lead to a place our people can’t infiltrate.”
“Thus, I need your help.”
Marvin muttered for a bit, “To be honest, I don’t have much time…”
“You can hear about our reward first.” One-Eyed Byrd was clearly related to the High Priest. He looked at Marvin and said, “A Fountain of Youth.”
Marvin took a deep breath in surprise and unhesitantly answered.
“Deal.”
Chapter 220: Strange VIllage
Chapter 220: Strange VIllage
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Fountain of Youth.
The Assassin Alliance’s unique artifact. The Bai clansmen could get a few springs of the Fountain of Youth each year, half of which was offered to the South Wizard Alliance.
It didn’t have many effects, and in fact only had one: extending someone’s lifespan.
A stream of the Fountain of Youth could extend someone’s life by more or less 30 years. The results would quickly decline with repeated uses.
Marvin brought Isabelle to the Assassin Alliance to see whether she could be qualified to become one of the highly regarded Assassins, and then think of a way to receive a portion of the Fountain of Youth’s spring.
Night Ranger - Full Series - 735 Chapters Page 133
