Attack

Veer spent a few hours familiarizing himself with the system and his Aspect. He tried hard to find even minor details so that he didn't miss anything and could use everything to his benefit.

After that, he slept the whole night, knowing how stressful the next few days would be. This was probably his last proper sleep, where he had nothing to worry about.

After all, he knew what his decision would lead to. By marrying Elara, he had practically announced his participation in the war he was running away from.

Even if he didn't want to, Veer was now part of something that could affect many great things. So, he slept like a bull with no cares about the world for one last time.

He only woke up in the morning when Elara called him, knowing very well that he would sleep too much.

"Agh! I wanna die already!"

Grumbling to himself, Veer quickly got ready and had a hurried breakfast. After that, he left his apartment and went toward the Starlight Beginner School.

He could have taken a cab, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't leave the town so easily. So, he just walked leisurely toward the school, taking in the wonderful scenery of the town.

The Starlight Beginner School was on the outskirts of town, so he had to cross a long highway before reaching it. As his shoes fell on the highway, he suddenly noticed how empty it was.

'Hmm, what is it this time?'

However, Veer wasn't surprised, as this wasn't the first time he was targeted. He simply continued to walk, pretending as if he had noticed nothing.

'It's been some time since the last assassination attempt. Guess the news of me Awakening S-Rank Aspect reached them quickly.'

Veer began to hum a song as he said mentally, 'Text Elara for me. Tell her about the situation. Oh yeah, tell her to bring the police.'

[Understood.]

After researching around, he found that he could actually command the system to do some trivial things, which it wouldn't reject. It was nothing much, but it came in handy, as in the current situation.

He guessed that some people were keeping an eye on him, and he didn't want to alert them by actually using his phone.

Just then, something stirred in the nearby bushes as he felt his instincts tingling. He ducked down and finally saw what actually caused his instincts to detect danger.

It was a small dart smeared with a vile purple liquid. The dart quickly passed him and struck a tree nearby. At a visible rate, a wide hole caved into the tree, almost causing it to bend down.

Looking at it, Veer whistled and said, completely calm, "That's some good poison, but you have a bad aim."

As he finished speaking, he sensed many figures jumping out from their hiding spots. In just a few seconds, he was surrounded from every side.

Unfazed, Veer looked at everyone and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The reason for it was very simple.

'Why are they all so weak?'

They were all F-Rank. There were a total of eight figures surrounding him, each donning a black, blank mask on their faces. They wore the regular clothes of the common populace, which made the situation even more confusing. Why would someone attack him wearing shirts and pants?

Taking his hand out of his pocket, Veer said, his voice showing no hint of emotion, "I wonder who sent failures like you?"

The answer he received was another dart, which came directly at his chest. He stepped back to dodge it but felt someone attacking him from behind.

He had trained for years, so his battle sense was incredibly high. His body was already used to extreme, tiring battles, so he didn't find this troubling.

He used his agile feet and executed a footwork technique he had learned in his childhood. Like a snake slithering on the ground, he easily dodged the incoming attacks and got out of the encirclement.

A heavy impact sounded where he had been standing as the highway broke under the pressure. A giant hammer struck into the caved road, showing the power behind it.

A burly man grabbed the hammer's handle and took it out. Putting it on his shoulder, he said, "You have some abilities, kid. But today is the day you die."

Veer rolled his eyes, hearing the overdramatic line. By now, he had already confirmed that these men were not the same ones who had tried to kill him before.

'They are too dull for that. If I had to guess, they're just some random thugs from this town. Even their Rank is just F, which is pretty much the weakest. Why did they attack me, though? I don't remember joining any gang.'

He cracked his neck while taking a step forward. "Do tell me who wants me dead, at least! I deserve that at least before dying, right?"

The burly man snorted. "You deserve nothing. Men! Kill this brat."

At his orders, all the men under him attacked Veer. They held iron rods, broken swords, and knives as their weapons. It was overkill to actually attack a recently awakened like this, but they had received such orders, so they could do nothing about it.

They knew they needed to complete this task; otherwise, they would lose their lives. So, putting in their all, they attacked Veer.

"How troublesome!"

Veer took a step forward, clenched his fist, and punched an incoming man before he could react properly. His punch carried his full strength, amplified by his huge Mana Pool.

The sound of something cracking came as the thug coughed up blood. His body slumped down as he looked at Veer with a disbelieving expression. He couldn't understand how he had been taken down so easily.

The others stopped in their tracks as they all looked at their companion with horror clear in their eyes.

All they had seen was their companion attacking Veer with his knife. But before he could reach him, Veer appeared before him, landing a direct punch to his chest.

Was that punch so powerful that it actually shattered the thug's ribs? He was awakened, for god's sake—how did he go down so easily?