Chapter 3: Empirical Infiltration

Once I have seen Champ letting out that long exhale I knew that he has finally died.

Well, that and I can see his HP go down straight to zero.

Well, that sucks… I still had so much I wanted to try on him while he was alive, like smacking him with one of his own kidneys or pulling his intestines from the inside out.

Well… I had my fun. I always knew it would feel so good to give someone karmic justice.

+31,500 EXP!

You have leveled up! You are now Lv. 21!

EXP: 795/10550

Need 9755 EXP more to reach Lv. 22!

You have obtained 40 Stat Points! You now have 165 Stat Points Available!

Exponential Combat Improvement activated! Fallen enemy's stats and skills now being allocated into yours!

STR (1389) → (1884)

END (1060) → (2619)

DEX (1244) → (1688)

INT (558) → (653)

WIS (581) → (664)

CHA (552) → (583)

LCK (368) → (579)

Perk for reaching 500 LCK: Super Critical - There are very rare moments in life in which a lucky shot does more damage than one would think. Make those moments be more often. You have unlocked the use of Super Critical Hits, which does 10x Damage instead of the standard critical hits' double damage. Has a 5% chance of making a regular Critical Hit become a Super Critical Hit.

Perk for reaching 2500 END: Impact Absorption - Wanna give your enemy a taste of their own medicine? Now you can do that and more with this! You have a counter under your HP Stat which shows you how much damage you have built up in which you can use to deal back to your opponent as bonus damage.

Quest Complete!

[The Ballad of Gacy]

Objective: Kill Champ

Reward: The Teigu Big Leaguer, Rare Loot Crate x1, 50,000 gold

Bonus Objective: Kill Champ in one hit.

FAILED! No rewards are given.

Hidden Objective 1: Stop him from killing Run's Students.

COMPLETED! Reward: [Teaching] Skill, Greatly Increased Reputation with Run.

Hidden Objective 2: Make his death entertaining.

COMPLETED! Reward: Guidance Quest [Whitebrows Association], Increased Reputation with The Game™.

Looking at those rewards makes me smile since I now have a lot more gold available to me as well as having another rare loot crate in my possession.

Then there's that quest that popped up.

A Guidance Quest? Well isn't that interesting. I guess that the Game doesn't want me to get lost and lose out on all those important events.

How kind of you… I genuinely appreciate the gesture.

Hmph… Don't get it too much into your head. Without some form of guidance, you would be traveling in circles trying to figure out what to do. Just think of this as a step in the right direction.

Even so, I still appreciate the help. Can I ask a question though?

You're always free to ask questions. Whether or not I answer them is up to me, however.

Okay then. My question is how long do I have before canon begins? A couple of weeks? A few months? I would like a time table just so I can properly plan out what I need to do.

Canon has already started.

I'msorrywha?! What da hell do you mean canon has already begun!? Is Tatsumi already in the Empire!? Did Sayo and Ieyasu already get killed!? Is Tatsumi already in Night Raid!?

Not… Exactly.

Then what the hell do you mean!?

This is going to be a long explanation…

Well, I have time, how long can it be?

Later…

My goodness if it weren't for my INT perks and Gamer's Mind I think I would be having a headache already.

Man, I didn't even know a prequel existed! I was too busy working and trying to keep my family safe to even consider that one of my favorite animes apparently has a prequel in the form of manga.

And to add to my surprise, the game further tells me that there is also a sequel to Akame Ga Kill as well called Hinowa Ga Crush.

Oh my God, this is feeling so tedious already. I just wanna kill Honest and be done with it.

Nevermind with that, now let's see what kind of skills killing this fat bastard has given me. [Skills]!

…

…

…

Oh…

Oh my God…

I can't even…

Just… what?

This guy is a fucking savage!

And having a look at his skills, he…!

…

Man how in the hell can one become so fucked up!?

I mean I won't lie, this horseman skill of mine is really great. I have gotten so strong in just a few days in what would take people years and maybe even decades to even reach a sliver of the amount of power I have welling up in me.

But one thing that surprised me was that in getting the skills, I also received the memories related to that skill. From the torture skills of the bandits all the way to Izou's swordsmanship, whichever skills I gained also gave me the memories of those whom I have slain to show how they got so good at their skills.

And having a good look at Champ's skills…

While I can admit that the skills themselves aren't that bad in and of itself, it's the method of how he got so good at those skills that genuinely unnerve me.

[Torturing](Passive): Lv. 43/100

The art of getting information out of someone through the use of pain. You are an intermediate in the art of torture.

[Throwing Proficiency](Passive): Lv. 61/1000

The skill of throwing things at a distance. You have the skills of an Olympic Thrower. Throw related skills cost 15.25% less SP to use.

[Sexual Proficiency](Passive): Lv. 17/1000

The skill of being able to sexually pleasure your partner. You're getting there, just need more practice. You lose 4.25% less SP while having sex.

[Acting Proficiency](Passive): 70/1000

The skill of acting as someone you are not. You are incredibly good at duping people that only those who are masters of the art can tell that you are faking it. Becomes more effective the higher your CHA is.

The Throwing and Acting skills are relatively tame for the most part when compared to the other two.

The Throwing skill is definitely the tamest of the four. The skill has mostly been trained by champ when he underwent his clown training and when he was put in a baseball team when he was a little kid. Eventually though, he began using his superb pitcher skills for murdering, being able to curve the ball to whichever direction he wanted which only got deadlier when he got his hands on Big Leaguer.

On the more sinister side of the two, Acting is where the memories get darker. He got an acting teacher when he was young and then gained more experience through manipulating parents to leave him with their children so he can do his… stuff.

Obviously this didn't work out for him in the beginning, which is where the torturing skill comes into play.

The torturing skill leveled up by eight levels after I was done with Champ, but once my skill absorbed his other skills the torture skill leveled up once more by twenty!

The memories of all those kids he has tortured while having his way with them…

And the parents… he made the kids watch what he did to them before turning his attention towards them.

If it weren't for Gamer's Mind I think I would've already been puking.

Even worse so with the Sexual Proficiency.

…

I was a virgin when I died, and I WILL NOT have rapes of women and children be my first experiences!

Game… Can I delete the sexual proficiency skill? I don't want it to start off with these memories as a basis.

Are you sure you want to delete this skill along with the memories related to it?

YES.

Alright then. You are the third to have ever wanted a skill deleted. Though I can kinda understand why. Personally I wouldn't want that to be ingrained in my memory either.

{You have deleted [Sexual Proficiency] from your skillset.}

My mind shifts and all I can see is my vision glitching out, causing me to stumble and fall down to the floor before my vision is suddenly cleared.

Wha? What the hell was that?

I remember asking to delete a skill, but I don't remember what the skill is nor the reason as to why I wanted to delete it.

Just that I didn't want to remember the skill anymore.

Well isn't that freaky?

Though I can't say I didn't want it to happen like that. If I wanted my brain wiped from certain memories, then who am I to complain of The Game's method of removing said memories.

Nevertheless, I at least now know where I need to go since the minimap has highlighted a trail for me to follow for the guidance quest. Let's take a good look at this Guidance Quest, shall we? [Quests]!

[Whitebrows Association]

Kill the four members of the Whitebrow Association which are being led by the former Strongest of The Empire, Gensei.

Reward: Epic Loot Crate x4, 500,000 Gold, Deed to The Whitebrow Association Temple, Gain Title {Iaido Legend}.

Bonus Objective: Kill each of them in one hit.

Hidden Objective: ?

Well, holy shit.

My first Epic Loot Crates, and four of them to boot. Not to mention that I get half a million gold for my troubles once everything is all said and done!

I don't know much about this so-called Whitebrows Association, aside from the description that came with the quest.

The former strongest in the empire…

He must have a buttload of skills at his disposal and apparently the other three with him are of similar skill.

The bonus objective will be a problem though…

Unless I get the upper hand or the man severely underestimates me, I doubt I will be able to land one solid hit that will take them down.

But then again, momma raised no quitter.

With that out of the way…

…hmm… What to do with this fatass' body…

The Next Day…

Lowkey, I am a bit upset by the reactions of those who saw Champ's body.

How dare they think I am some kind of vile monster for doing such a thing? That fat fuck was going to kill those children in Run's school! I did them a fucking favor! And what do I get as thanks? People whispering bad omens to the person who has killed their so called new entertainer!

Man whatever… People are assholes.

Glancing at the minimap I notice that I am almost at my destination, which is good since it's starting to become dusk. Looking up I see a set of stairs that seem to stretch on for quite a while.

Yeah… I'm not dealing with that. Gravity can go fuck itself.

I hop on Guerra, fully intent on conserving my energy for the battle ahead of me.

"Alright Guerra, we got a couple of old people to euthanize. Let's not keep them waiting." I state as I feed him one of the apples I got while traversing through this mountain.

Taking the bribe in stride, Guerra's newfound speed means we reach the top in only a matter of seconds. As guerra settles down, I get off of him and take a good look at where my potential battle might take place.

Well hello…

This definitely looks like it would be a good location for a base of operations. Nice temple… surrounded by tall trees in a remote mountain… a really nice yard if I have to be honest…

"And who might you be, young man?" I am interrupted from my observation by an old man who has exited the temple.

Gensei, Former Strongest of The Empire, Lv. 133

Reputation: 0

Thoughts about you: Anticipation. He knows what you are here for.

HP: 18170/18170

SP: 18170/18170

STR: 2001

END: 1817

DEX: 2076

INT: 547

WIS: 680

CHA: 360

LCK: 653

"My name is Faust. And you are?" I state before asking for his name.

"I am Gensei. May I ask what brings you here to my humble abode?" Gensei asks as he eyes Kousetsu, which is strapped on my hip.

"I think you know why." I respond as I place my hand on Kousetsu's handle.

"Such brazenness… You youngsters should know not to go against your elders…!" as he pulls out his own blade.

Detect Bloodlust has leveled up!

And suddenly I have a ninja guy launch himself towards what would seem like my blindside with his blade poised to cut off my head. A quick use of [Observe] tells me all I need to know about him.

Hissatsu, Former Jinsoku Grandmaster, Lv. 117

Reputation: 0

Thoughts about you: You are a target, nothing more.

HP: 16360/16360

SP: 16360/16360

STR: 1461

END: 1636

DEX: 2602

INT: 511

WIS: 510

CHA: 252

LCK: 535

I mean it would've been, had I not been a gamer and the minimap didn't tell me the locations of nearby enemies.

In one fell swoop, I pull out Kousetsu and strike the ninja.

OBLITERATION! 1̴̢̛̠̟̭̰̒̓6̶̪͕͒̈́͋̂́̀̈́̄̕͝3̷̰̲͒̀6̷̨̤̺̮̪̮̪̐̒̑͋͘0̷̮͔̪̫̩͌͜ Damage! HP: 0/16360

Due to {Herculean Physiology}, during damage calculations, your physical attacks are multiplied by 50. This in turn makes it so your STR is boosted by that same amount making your STR value 94200 during damage calculations.

+58,500 EXP!

You have leveled up! You are now Lv. 25!

EXP: 10595/15050

Need 4455 EXP more to reach Lv. 26!

You have obtained 40 Stat Points! You now have 205 Stat Points Available!

For reaching Lv. 25, each Lv. will now give you 25 Stat Points!

Exponential Combat Improvement activated! Fallen enemies stats and skills now being allocated into yours!

STR (1884) → (3345)

END (2619) → (4255)

DEX (1688) → (4290)

INT (653) → (1164)

WIS (664) → (1174)

CHA (583) → (835)

LCK (579) → (1114)

Perk for reaching 1000 INT: {Endless Optimization} - Not everything in your possession is in its peak condition even when the creator says so. Though with this perk, that is a thing of the past. Any items in your possession can now be upgraded upon and you will obtain solutions on how to do so.

Perk for reaching 1000 WIS: {Power Distribution} - As one becomes one with the world, they soon learn it can be applied to people as well, learning what they know and vice versa. Can now distribute Stat Points from yourself to others and vice versa.

Perk for reaching 1000 LCK: {Impossibility is now Reality} - Contrary to those that believe in destiny, everything is random and there is no set path for anybody. Once in awhile there will be an opportunity for you to accomplish something that many would think would be impossible to do.

…

He just exploded into chunks.

No that's an understatement.

He turned into a fine mist.

And I am entirely covered in it.

Wiping the blood off my face I turn my attention back to Gensei, who is looking at me with horrified eyes. And it looks like the two other members of The Whitebrow Association have chosen to appear as well.

Gozaru, Former Northern Tribe Guardian, Lv. 102

Reputation: -80

Thoughts about you: Horrified, wants to end your existence.

HP: 15430/15430

SP: 15430/15430

STR: 1431

END: 1543

DEX: 1407

INT: 527

WIS: 560

CHA: 176

LCK: 258

Onigiri, Former Wandering Ronin, Lv. 120

Reputation: -80

Thoughts about you: Horrified, believes you to be half danger beast.

HP: 18100/18100

SP: 18100/18100

STR: 1848

END: 1810

DEX: 1762

INT: 641

WIS: 618

CHA: 169

LCK: 112

I am now completely over their league. They don't stand a chance and I doubt I am going to need Guerra for this. A smile soon creeps out of my lips as I walk towards them, fully intent on ending their lives.

I mean, they are getting older and are losing their edge through their age, but ignoring that they must have superb skills and still amazing stats that no doubt could be put to greater use when I attain them.

"He's just one man! With teamwork, we can kill him!" Gozaru exclaims as he pulls out a flared tipped sword and holds it in a defensive position.

"You're exactly right! He might be strong but we have the skills to take him down!" Onigiri remarks as he holds his Nodachi in an iconic iaido position.

Gensei though is silent. I wonder what he is thinking?

Eh, not that it matters… they all are going to die anyway.

I blitz with my newfound speed, eviscerating Gozaru and Onigiri as I head for my main target Gensei, whose eyes widen as he goes for a dodge while attempting to block my blade.

Keyword on attempting.

With my improved swordsmanship combined with my enormous stats, I weave the blade around his block and deeply slice him from hip to shoulder in an upward sweep before side kicking him through the temple.

+111,000 EXP!

You have leveled up! You are now Lv.31!

EXP: 11545/23300

Need 11755 EXP more to reach Lv. 32!

You have obtained 150 Stat Points! You now have 355 Stat Points Available!

Exponential Combat Improvement activated! Fallen enemies stats and skills now being allocated into yours!

STR (3345) → (6624)

END (4255) → (7608)

DEX (4290) → (7459)

INT (1164) → (2332)

WIS (1174) → (2352)

CHA (835) → (1180)

LCK (1114) → (1484)

Perk for reaching 5000 STR: {Berserker Rage} - When in a bind, who says anger can't help you? Boosts all physical stats by a multiple of 2.5x when using this perk. INT and WIS are reduced by 50% when perk is in use.

Perk for reaching 5000 END: {Battle Continuation} - Who says that once your life reaches zero that that is the end of it? With this perk, you can now continue fighting even after your HP reaches zero, though be careful not to make your HP go down beyond your negative HP Bar. HP/SP regen are reduced to 10% when perk is activated.

Perk for reaching 5000 DEX: {Supernatural Accuracy and Precision} - When your this fast, how can you miss? As long as you have higher DEX than your opponent, then your attacks won't miss.

Perk for reaching 1000 CHA: {Seduction Intuition} - When your this sexy, who can say no to you? You now gain an instinctual guide in your mind that allows you the easiest path to seducing someone, regardless of gender. During sex, you will gain the ability of understanding what your partner wants without them ever telling you, giving them the best experience they can ever have. Affection and Obedience checks are lowered when seducing someone.

Ignoring the bisected bodies of Gozaru and Onigiri, I stride towards the dying Gensei, whose blanked eyes only stare at the ceiling, bleeding out as he utters out a single sentence.

"You're just like Esdeath…"

And like that, in just under a single minute from meeting this former Strongest of The Empire and his comrades, they have all died by my hand.

+66,500 EXP!

You have leveled up! You are now Lv.34!

EXP: 3445/28100

Need 24655 EXP more to reach Lv. 35!

You have obtained 75 Stat Points! You now have 430 Stat Points Available!

Exponential Combat Improvement activated! Fallen enemies stats and skills now being allocated into yours!

STR (6624) → (8625)

END (7608) → (9425)

DEX (7459) → (9535)

INT (2332) → (2879)

WIS (2352) → (3032)

CHA (1180) → (1540)

LCK (1484) → (2137)

Perk for reaching 2500 INT: {Telepathy} - Why ask for information when you can plunder it from their minds? Communicating with others has never been so easy! You gain the powers of a telepath and all that entails with it. Gets stronger the more you use it.

Perk for reaching 2500 WIS: {Pioneer of The Stars} - No matter where you are or which world you are in, you will be the one who will herald a new age of prosperity for those who follow you.

Quest Completed!

[Whitebrows Association]

Kill the four members of the Whitebrow Association which are being led by the former Strongest of The Empire, Gensei.

Reward: Epic Loot Crate x4, 500,000 Gold, Deed to The Whitebrow Association Temple, Gain Title {Iaido Legend}.

Bonus Objective: Kill each of them in one hit.

FAILED! No rewards are given.

Hidden Objective: Dispatch them all in under a minute.

Reward: Legendary Loot Crate x1.

I knew I shouldn't have sidekicked Gensei through the temple doors! I should've just sliced through him and let that be the end of it! Goddammit, now I can't get the full rewards.

Ugh… whatever. What's done is done. Don't look at the negative, just look at the positive.

Yes… alright… let me take a look at these new crates of mine.

[Legendary Loot Crate]

A golden crate filled with a random item from a random world that is of the legendary variety.

[Epic Loot Crate x4]

A dark amethyst crate filled with a random item from a random world that is of the epic variety.

Hmm… I'll save the epic loot crates for now, the one I really want to open is the legendary one. I hope I get something good from this!

[Absolute Anti-Magic Force Field - Legendary, SSS-Rank]

A device created by one of the first gamers to combat another gamer who specialized in magic. This device will create a force field that absorbs all magic within a ten-mile radius and permanently sets all living beings' MP to 0 while in the force field by continuously absorbing the magic they themselves create to keep the force field powered. The more magic absorbed and the stronger the magic user is, the stronger the force field will be. It is protected by a secondary forcefield that only the user themself can bypass to turn on or off.

Durability: 60,000,000/60,000,000

A smile so big that it threatens to rip my face breaks out when I read the description.

While there may be little to no magic in this world, that doesn't mean I won't be going to a world that primarily works on magic. But when I do…

That world will be my bitch.

I can already think of many worlds in which this would be a gamechanger.

Familiar of Zero, Fairy Tail, Highschool DXD, Fate, Overlord…

The list goes on and on.

Nevermind that though, I got a couple of dead old people on my newly owned temple I and slightly wrecked it while claiming it.

Looking around I notice that the inside of the temple is a bit shoddy, but nothing I can't fix.

Though, what to do with the dead bodies?

A week later…

Well, that takes care of that. Taking off my hat I wipe off the sweat building up on my forehead to get a good look at my work.

After chopping down some trees, cutting them into the right pieces and sizes, and replacing every rotting piece of wood from the temple it now looks good as new!

Now all I have to do is just wait for the paint to dry and for my plants to grow in their new orchard and I will be set!

Ah… can't believe I have forgotten what this feels like. No sudden violence, not actively going after trouble, just relaxation and enjoying the little things in life.

This is wonderful…

…

Okay, breaks over. Now is time to go fuck over the empire!

If there is one thing that I like about killing people, it's that I get their knowledge and in turn can use it to my advantage.

Gensei for instance, when he was The Empire's Strongest he knew of all of the hidden areas and tunnels that go throughout the bottom of the empire as well as their secret projects during his time there. That means that I now have access to those secrets and can begin recruiting.

So from what I have been told by the game, I am in Zero's timeline and essentially have two and a half years' time before Tatsumi and his friends go to the empire.

Well, I know that I know that I want to recruit Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo into the group. Apparently Leone, Bulat, Mine, and Sheele are already part of the Revolutionary Army while Najenda and Lubbock are still a part of the Empire's Military.

Akame and her sister are still part of the Empire as well with each of them in their respective groups. If their comrades are as strong as they are then I have a gold mine that I need to set out to get immediately.

There are also others like Bols, Wave, and Run that I would like to recruit into my group. Bols because he's awesome and I love that teigu of his, Wave because I could use someone of his skill when I decide to go out to the Warring Nations of Wakoku and see what that is all about, and Run because I could always use a second in command who looks like they would be good with logistics.

"Guerra!" I call out to my horse who is resting under one of the trees. He stands up and looks at me expectantly. I give him a smile. "It's time to head for the Empire. Full speed ahead!" I state as I get on top of him, ready to get a taste of what it's all about-WHOA!

Guerra takes full speed ahead to literally and creates a massive shockwave that pulverizes the ground beneath him as he begins to run in the air. I only got a quick glance to see that a good part of the pathway I recently cleaned and fixed got turned into mush when Guerra went full power.

Dammit, that's gonna take me a good three hours to fix!

He's going so fast that the air is literally causing me damage! Granted it's not much but the fact that I am losing 10 HP per second just by going this fast is just stupefying.

And in just 10 minutes, Guerra and I are already at the Empire's doorstep trip that would normally take days to get from my location according to Gensei's memories.

As he lands, I make sure we are under cover of some thick foliage and take a good look at the Capital.

Huge is a good start. I would hazard a guess that these walls are as big as those seen in Attack on Titan, though I guess the major difference is that these walls aren't made with titans cramped into them. I can also see that security is actually rather tight from the number of guards they have stationed around the gate.

Knowing how much attention Guerra will most likely bring, I unsummon him after I make sure that there is nobody around and walk towards one of the main roads leading into the Capital.

As I walk through, I get stopped by one of the guards. "Halt! State your business!" he commands as I put Champ's acting skill to the test.

"Why good evening sir! My business is just trying to look for opportunities here in the capital! I've heard many great things here and have decided to try my luck!" I reply, hearing multiple whispers from the people surrounding me essentially stating how much of a foolish hick I am for coming here and that I am not going to last long.

Looks like my acting is a success so far.

The guard looks at me condescendingly. "Welcome to the Capital then. Hope you achieve what you want." he states as he shoos me away to make room for more travelers and merchants.

Oh, he is right on that. I will achieve one of my goals here, one way or another.

Later In The Night…

Man who would've thought that there was a hidden tunnel right in the heart of the slums?

Nobody since it looks like it hasn't been used for a long, long time. Heading through the tunnels silently and without warning anybody would've been quite the hassle if not for Gensei's memories and Hissatsu's Ninja sneaking skills.

Well… I did silently get rid of some but that's beside the point.

I am looking for one thing here, and that is the laboratory wing where the scientists and doctors of the empire do all of their experiments. Using my knowledge of the anime, I know Kurome and her squad takes drugs in order to get them to the same level as those like Akame so being able to make an antidote of sorts to get her and her squad off of them would be a definite plus in my book.

Though there is the problem of getting them to join me, in which case if I can't even get them to join me then it would all be pointless.

There is always that chance though, and I am going to take it.

A door suddenly opens and I immediately hide in the shadows to see who they are.

Uncle Bill, Group of Terror Leader, Lv. 43

Dr. Stylish, Hyperflambouyant Homosexual, Lv. 66

I don't bother to look at their stats as I am entirely focused on the conversation these two are currently having.

"So I take it that the poison was a success then?" Stylish questions as he slowly trots down the empty hallway without a care in the world.

"Indeed. It worked exactly the way you said it would. There are reports from my spies that the rebel spies have turned tail and ran out of the village. I have my Group of Terror already on standby for when the inevitable happens. I have high hopes for them, particularly Group A." Uncle Bill states as he rubs his chin with a confident grin etched on his face.

"Group A… that's the group with the younger sister from the Elite Seven now isn't it? The one named Akame if memory serves." Stylish muses as he looks up towards the ceiling in front of him.

"You are correct on that one. Akame's sister, Kurome is number eight in the Kill Rankings, though in reality, she would be number seven and Akame six if it weren't for Gozuki asking me to… adjust some things here and there." Uncle Bill says before chuckling. "If not for that, I would've had that other girl of his, Tsukushi in Group A along with the others but maybe it's for the better that he got her instead of Kurome."

Stylish looks towards Bill with an amused expression. "What makes you say that?" he inquires.

"When I first saw her, I knew from that very moment that that girl Tsukushi is incredibly malleable. Out of everybody in the Elite Seven, I have no doubt that she is the most loyal out of them all, and more importantly Gozuki himself. If for instance one of her own were to try to abandon the Elite Seven and her dear daddy dearest told her to kill them, she would do it in a heartbeat. That's why it was much easier for me to switch their kill ranks in order to accommodate Gozuki's request without it looking suspicious." Uncle Bill smirks as he pulls out a piece of paper that he then hands out to Stylish. "As you requested, here are the names of the ten male prisoners you want."

"Why thank you, my good man. It's always a pleasure in doing business with yo-!" Stylish is about to reply before he feels a hand move over his mouth.

I yank.

+33,000 EXP!

You have leveled up! You are now Lv.35!

EXP: 8345/29800

Need 21455 EXP more to reach Lv. 36!

You have obtained 25 Stat Points! You now have 455 Stat Points Available!

His head spins around his neck about three times before stopping and his body falls to the ground lifelessly. I then blitz forward the frozen leader of the assassins who only looks in utter surprise and confusion as to what happened.

He still has that expression even after having his head and neck meet the same fate as Stylish.

+21,500 EXP!

You have leveled up! You are now Lv.36!

EXP: 45/31550

Need 31505 EXP more to reach Lv. 37!

You have obtained 25 Stat Points! You now have 480 Stat Points Available!

Okay now to search the bodies.

I searched Bill first since I don't want to touch Stylish. That man gives me the creeps.

…

Bingo.

After removing anything remotely valuable from his person, I stuff Bill into my inventory with the other corpses.

He'll give Gensei and the others wonderful company.

Can't say the same for Stylish.

I immediately remove his teigu Perfector and throw his body into the inventory before heading into Bill's office.

While heading in there, I cast remove my carbon fiber gauntlets and replace them with Perfector

[Perfector - Epic, X-Rank]

A Teigu in the form of a pair of armored gloves, it increases the speed and precision of the user's hands and fingers by several hundredfolds when in use.

Durability: 17,000/17,000

Alright with this teigu and the accelerated vision of mine I should be able to put as much stuff into my inventory as fast as possible.

And seeing that there are so many things of value in this office, then all the more that I should do this as quickly as I can.

I mean, why go through all of them hastily when you're in a time limit when you can just take everything and read at your leisure.

With Bill's Assistant…

It's oddly silent in the hallways.

Usually, I can hear some chatter here and there from the soldiers in the distance but for some odd reason, there isn't any tonight.

Eh, something to voice out to Bill when I go to his office later.

I have to do the daily maintenance on those brainwashing devices Bill has made along with making sure that the drugs are up to date.

It would be a waste to give those kids the outdated ones and have them expire.

When I open the door, I am met by something completely unexpected.

Everything… from the brainwashing devices to the cabinets holding the medicine and it's ingredients and even the mundane things that have no relative value whatsoever.

It's all gone.

The room is completely empty.

I… I need to get Bill! We have been compromised! I run towards his office as fast as I can and can feel a lump grow in my throat as I get ever so closer to the office.

"Bill! We have an emergen… cy?"

His office is empty as well.

Something's going on… I have to contact the Prime Minister-!

"Not so fast lady." The door is shut abruptly as a tall, tan man appears before me.

…With Dr. Stylish's Teigu.

This man is extremely dangerous… even more so if he's the one responsible for all of this. "Who are you?" I ask, stalling for time as I crack open my molar in order to digest the emergency drug.

He's suddenly in front of me, holding my jaw open as he puts his hand into my mouth, grabbing my molar.

"You think I wouldn't know about that? Good ol' Bill has a lot of information in that noggin of his and everything he knew…" His face gets closer to mine as his irises begin to glow and admittedly beautiful orange. "I know."

He rips out the molar painfully and shoves me onto the floor, looking down at me for what seems like forever.

"Hmm… I think I have some use for you. You're coming with me whether you like it or not." The man then pulls me upwards and chops me behind the neck.

As I lose consciousness, the last thing I hear the man whisper is, "And trust me, by the end of what I have in store for you, you will be loyal to me."

Back With Faust…

After knocking the woman out, whose name I find out is Jill, I throw her into my [Inventory] as I head out of this place and towards the Northern Plains near The Empire Capital.

From the map Bill had in his possession, it looks like Team A, which consists of Kurome, A young man known as Natala, and three other young women who go by Gin, Womyn, and Remus, are stationed in that area to deal with any stragglers left by some of the other teams in The Group of Terror.

This just can't get any better.

First recruits here I come!

With Kurome…

"Listen up. We are going over our mission one last time." Natala states as he gets all of our attention.

Womyn looks very pumped. "Yes sir! Luck favors the prepared, right?" she inquires assertively as she focuses on Natala.

"Our targets are the foreign spies who are hiding in the villages near the capital." Natala starts off. "The other teams should have weeded them out and sent them our way. Our duty is to kill whoever passes by us."

"Ye… Yeah, got it! We can do it!" Remus psyches herself up, no doubt trying to get rid of any doubt in her mind as she reassures herself.

"It's so simple that we really don't need a second review! Easy peasy!" Gin proclaims confidently as she puffs up her admittedly large chest.

"Gin…"Natala merely smiles knowingly at Gin, picking up a tell from her that I noticed as well. "Your hands are shaking."

Gin immediately crosses her arms under her chest tightly as a blush rises up to her face. "Humph! I'm just trembling with excitement, dimwit!"

At this point, I decide to speak up. "It's alright, we just have to do as we've always done." I say, getting all of their attention. "We've been doing all kinds of training for this precise moment."

Womyn smiles in agreement to what I have said. "That's right! It's exactly as Kurome said!"

"I heard that the death rate for the first mission is high, but… everyone, don't die!" Remus worries as she clasps her hands together.

Natala placates Remus as he looks at her confidently. "Of course we won't. We're all going to survive!"

The slight rumbling in the distance catches my attention. I turn towards the ever-increasing rumble and warn my teammates. "They're here…!"

"Everyone, take your drugs!" Womyn exclaims as we all begin to take our drugs.

"Let's do this…" Natala remarks as we all look towards the trail of enemies coming closer. "No one is going to get past us alive!"

As we charge towards them, I can hear them speak amongst one another.

"Kids again!? what the hell is going on!?"

"You already know we can't take them lightly! We have to kill them!"

Natala lets out a burst of speed and gets the first kill by stabbing him through the chest.

"Commencing mission…!" Not to be outdone, I maneuver my way through two enemies, decapitating one and bisecting another.

As I keep up the momentum we have built up, I can see Womyn, Gin, and Remus doing their part as well, bringing down the enemies closer to zero.

"Wha… What's up with these kids!? They're too stro…"

A quick glance shows me that he gets cut down easily by Remus who has a bright look on her face.

I look away and focus on killing more as I can hear Remus laughing in joy.

"We can do this, we can do this! We're all going to survive togeth-!"

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!

The sudden loud gunshots ring out towards Remus' direction. Thinking the worst has happened I turn around to see if Remus is okay-

Who's that?

There's a large man standing over Remus, with a large smoking gun in his hand as there lay three enemy corpses around him and Remus, who is standing there looking at the man in shock.

He's not anybody we know, so he must be an enemy.

And yet…

If he is, then why did he protect Remus?

He suddenly levels his gun in our direction and shoots at us.

He did it so fast that I barely had enough time to react.

That clinches it. He's an enemy and he must be put dow-!

"Ow!" "Youch!" "Eep!" "Ack!"

I feel a light chop hit my head and judging from the collective sounds of my comrades, it looks like they got hit as well.

Looking up at the man, he returns our gaze with disappointment in his eyes.

"You all need to pay attention to your surroundings when in a fight. Even the smallest moment can prove fatal. If it weren't for me Remus here would be dead." He admonishes us as he wags a finger at us sternly.

Wait a minute… "How do you know our names?" I question as I poise my blade at him, making my friends do the same once they see me take action.

At this, he merely raises his eyebrow at us while placing his hands on his hips. "Well first off, I understand that you all are wary of me, but there is no need for such a reaction. After all, we are all part of the same team." he explains. "As to how I know your names, I regret to inform all of you that there has been an accident in the Capital that has claimed the lives of many, including your leader Bill. Due to this, the Group of Terror has been disbanded and formed into multiple new assassination groups. I am the new leader of Group A."

He then takes his hat off before giving all of us a bright smile.

"My name is Faust. It's a pleasure meeting all of you."