Chapter 40: [Final Purchases] + [A Murdering Heist]

R18+ Chapter (Technically... maybe not so much)

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[5 Points Deducted.]

[Remaining Points: 15]

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A small glowing crystal suddenly materialized before him. Cassien grabbed it instinctively.

The moment his fingers touched it—

Boom.

Information flooded directly into his mind.

A hidden entrance beneath Silver City. An abandoned wine cellar. A password system. Fake noble invitations. Routes used by smugglers. Even the symbol used by the underground brokers.

Cassien blinked slowly afterward.

"...Okay," he muttered. "That’s actually useful."

[Of course it is.]

The white-haired boy grinned proudly before pointing toward the final remaining points.

[15 remaining.]

Cassien thought quietly for a moment. Skills mattered. Information mattered more. But survival mattered most.

The Black Market Arc was dangerous even in the original story. And now that the plot was already shifting... things could become much worse.

His eyes slowly moved downward toward another option hidden near the bottom.

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[Item: Distorted Mask] Cost: 15 Points

→ Conceals identity.

→ Alters perceived presence.

→ Blocks recognition-based skills below A-Rank.

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Cassien immediately smiled.

"...Now that sounds useful."

[Excellent taste.]

"Buy it."

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[15 Points Deducted.]

[Remaining Points: 0]

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A black mask slowly materialized before him. Unlike a normal mask, this one almost looked liquid-like. Its surface shifted constantly like moving shadows trapped inside glass.

Cassien grabbed it carefully. The second he touched it, the mask dissolved into black particles before disappearing directly into his shadow.

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[Distorted Mask Bound To Player.]

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Cassien raised an eyebrow slightly.

"...Convenient."

[Very.]

The small boy suddenly clapped his hands together loudly.

[Anything else before you leave?]

Cassien stayed quiet for a second before finally asking the question sitting in the back of his mind.

"...How many transmigrators are actually inside this story?"

The boy smiled. But this time... it wasn’t playful anymore.

[Enough to destroy it.]

Silence filled the white world again. Cassien’s expression slowly lost its humor.

"...Right."

[Good luck, Player Cassien Artfold.]

The white space suddenly cracked apart around him like shattered glass. And before everything disappeared completely, the boy spoke one final sentence.

[Try not to die before the main story even starts.]

...

Cassien’s eyes opened inside his room.

The academy ceiling stared back at him quietly.

’Did time move faster in there?’

He immediately looked toward the clock nearby.

12:00 PM.

"...What?"

Cassien rubbed his face slowly before sitting upright on the bed. Then suddenly—

Bang!

His fist slammed against the wooden table hard enough to shake it.

"Fuck!"

He kicked it immediately afterward.

"Fuck!"

His breathing slowly calmed again after a few seconds.

That academy killer was still roaming around freely. And judging from the rewards Cassien himself had received... that person was probably becoming stronger with every kill.

’I need more points.’

His eyes darkened slightly.

’I need to kill them before they kill me.’

Silence filled the room for a moment before his thoughts slowly reached one conclusion.

’I need to kill more players.’

...

Three days later.

December 13th.4:00 PM.

Cassien spent those days training, exploring the academy grounds, and gathering information through constant digging. Meanwhile, the deaths continued. At a minimum, twelve transmigrators had already died.

Cassien still had no way of knowing whether somebody had discovered his Fate yet. Though honestly... if they had, he’d probably already be dead.

And of course, the academy killer was still on the loose. The guards barely cared.

Right now, Cassien stood outside the academy gates.

"Ready to go?"

A warmhearted boy stepped toward him with a cheerful smile while a cute girl stood beside him.

"Let’s go slay these goblins!"

"Hurray for Sir Theodore!" the girl added happily.

"Ready," Cassien replied calmly. "It’s walking distance, no point borrowing a carriage."

"As you say, good sir!" Theodore laughed.

Today looked ordinary. But it was going to end with blood.

The girl beside Theodore was named Lily. In the original story, both of them died during this mission. The difference now... was Theodore himself.

Because Theodore was a transmigrator.

Neither Theodore nor Lily came from noble families. Neither of them mattered much in the original plot. But Cassien still chose this mission carefully. Because this wasn’t a goblin hunt.

It was murder.

Over the past three days, Theodore had practically exposed himself already. Cassien almost couldn’t believe it.

’If he were even slightly more careful, I never would’ve noticed.’

Seriously. Casually mentioning "Call of Duty" during random conversations had to be one of the dumbest things imaginable.

And Theodore definitely knew Cassien was also a transmigrator by now. Cassien purposely let him overhear small comments that only somebody from Earth would understand.

Why?

Because Cassien wanted to make Theodore confident, he wanted Theodore to be relaxed. He wanted Theodore to think they were allies.

The same way Cassien planned to kill Theodore... Theodore was probably thinking about killing him, too.

That was simply how the Transmigration Games worked.

Kill or be killed.

...

Fifteen minutes later, the three of them arrived deep inside the forest. Warm sunlight passed through the trees while fresh air filled the area quietly.

They crouched behind bushes while staring toward three goblins dancing carelessly in a clearing nearby. Cassien already knew how this mission would play out. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

After the goblins died, a Goblin Brute would appear shortly afterward and slaughter Theodore and Lily. Originally, Ren arrived afterward and killed the brute through sheer rage after hearing their screams.

But Ren’s development had already changed completely. So that future no longer mattered.

"Damn it..." Theodore muttered while gripping his sword tighter. "I’m going!"

Theodore suddenly rushed forward with his heavy sword. The goblins barely reacted in time.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

All three goblins collapsed almost instantly. A few scratch marks appeared across Theodore’s arms, but Lily quickly healed them with magic.

Cassien slowly stepped out from behind the bushes while clapping lightly.

"Well done," he said calmly. "You’re so impressive."

Theodore smiled slightly after hearing the praise. Exactly as expected.

Then—

Stomp. Stomp.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the forest.

The Goblin Brute slowly emerged from deeper within the trees. Nearly three meters tall, massive muscles covered its green body while scars stretched across its skin. In its hands rested a huge rusted brown sword lined with long, needle-like spikes.

Lily’s face immediately lost all color.

"R-run!" she stuttered.

She turned to escape—

Boom!

The brute’s sword slammed downward violently.

And Lily disappeared beneath it.

Blood exploded across the forest floor.