Chapter 170
This dragon—it was the first dragon species I ever fought in this world, alongside Lady Esmeralda.
A dragon assassin that makes its lair in caves, claims the darkness as its territory, and turns the shadows into its ally.
I’ve faced the lowest ranks of dragonkin—Wyverns, Marsh Dragons, and Crawling Dragons—but without a doubt, the Crawling Dragon is the strongest in the dead of night.
While Wyverns dominate the skies and Marsh Dragons rule the waters, the Crawling Dragon’s domain is unquestionably the pitch-black darkness.
Its skill set is optimized for moving with lethal advantage in the dark, coupled with debilitating debuff attacks.
Every single one of these traits cranks up the difficulty of this trial to extreme levels.
The only reason I won against that Crawling Dragon back then was because I completely sealed off its strengths and relentlessly countered its tactics.
That’s why I could win, even as a Class 1.
But in the darkness? That’s a different story. If it becomes aware of me, I’d want to avoid the fight unless I was at a higher level than it—that’s how troublesome Crawling Dragons are.
Holding my breath atop the roof, I kept the massive silhouette creeping through the darkness in my sights, waiting for my chance.
It still hadn’t noticed me.
In the dark, only its outline was faintly visible, but it was definitely there.
My target? The reverse scale on its neck. That was the only spot where a single strike could guarantee an instant kill.
I needed to land a Neck Hunt on its weak point and secure a one-hit kill.
With my current skill set and equipment, that was my only path to victory.
If it noticed me before I could pull it off, this trial would be as good as failed.
Controlling my breathing, avoiding deep inhales, I steadied my mind and slowly, carefully, rose to my feet, advancing across the rooftop.
First, I needed to locate the Crawling Dragon’s head.
From the faint sounds and the dim outline, I could guess its direction.
I crept around to its rear, then aimed for its blind spot, moving silently toward its head.
This damn ruin was a pain in situations like this.
Who knew what debris lay scattered underfoot? If I kicked something by accident, the Crawling Dragon’s phantom would notice me instantly.
And staying in sync with its movements was another mental burden.
The time limit added pressure—the urgency to finish this as quickly as possible.
In moments like these, the key was maintaining the mindset that as long as I finished within the time limit, it was fine.
Not relaxing into optimism like I still have time, but not panicking over I only have minutes left either.
What I needed was a methodical, calm, and steady approach—allocating time rationally.
I adjusted my walking speed constantly, syncing it with the dragon’s movements.
I hid in the shadows before it paused, then closed the distance the moment it started moving again.
Step by step, I advanced, gauging its size.
The phantom’s species was fixed, but its size varied.
This one was on the larger side—unlucky.
Its head was positioned high, meaning I’d need extra height to strike the reverse scale on its neck in one hit.
Sky Step was out of the question—the sound of stepping on air would alert it, and my stealth skills weren’t enough.
If I had secured the job already, I could’ve used Silent Walk to mute my footsteps, but I didn’t have that yet.
That left two options: wait for its head to lower completely, or…
Free-fall strike.
Running a mental map, I noted a covered walkway ahead.
If it moved that way, I could hide there, drop down as it passed beneath, and silently close in on its neck—then use Sky Step at the last moment to land the killing blow before it noticed.
Was there any other way?
I didn’t have time to deliberate. If I kept tailing it like this, waiting for the perfect assassination moment, I’d run out of time.
The spawn point wasn’t the worst, but not the best either.
Its path wasn’t terrible, but not ideal.
I needed something to tip the scales in this high-risk assassination attempt.
As I racked my brain, a clatter echoed from ahead.
The Crawling Dragon’s slithering form jerked toward the sound.
"Hanya!?"
The voice of Haniwa, startled in the face of a monstrous presence.
He was the one who’d made the noise.
"KSHAAAAAA!!!"
The Crawling Dragon roared, its phantom form bristling with menace as Haniwa trembled like a leaf.
Like a frog frozen under a serpent’s gaze—no, a Haniwa pinned under a Crawling Dragon’s glare.
Left unchecked, Haniwa would undoubtedly be erased.
But only if I weren’t here.
The moment its attention shifted, even briefly, I moved.
Not in a frantic rush—
Silently, yet swiftly, soundlessly closing in on the phantom.
As its shadowy maw gaped wide to crush Haniwa, I slipped into its blind spot, ensuring it wouldn’t notice the intruder in its path.
The darkness, its speed, the reverse scale’s position—all were uncertain.
But with near-instinctive certainty, I swung my scythe-spear, activating Magic Edge just before impact.
"Neck Hunt."
If I triggered the skill the instant before the strike landed—
"Hanya?"
The sensation was so weightless, it felt like I’d swung at air—yet the attack pierced the Crawling Dragon’s neck.
Haniwa’s bewildered voice echoed through the ruins.
"Job Acquired."
The announcement reverberated in my mind.
"You have triumphed over the trial."
A divine voice followed shortly after—the signal that the quest was complete.
"Finally… it’s over."
I checked my status, then slumped to my knees.
"Nameless Assassin."
A title renowned among assassins for its unparalleled performance.
"Nameless."
A title that was, ironically, nameless—but there was a reason for that.
Unseen, unknown, unnoticed—slithering through darkness to erase targets.
Flawless execution, undetectable existence—hence, Nameless.
The title’s effects boosted stealth skills and critical damage, with a scaling rate far surpassing other titles.
The Assassin job’s innate bonus was increased critical damage.
Combined with this title, the damage multiplier on weak points became absurdly high.
"Ahh… finally… I can finally level up."
The sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.
So was the exhaustion.
The sigh I let out from the release of tension was deep.
"Thanks, Haniwa. You’re my savior—no, my Haniwa-vior."
"Hanya?"
As Haniwa toddled over, I absentmindedly patted its head.
I was genuinely grateful to this particular Haniwa for creating that opening.
Since it wasn’t an attack, there was no risk of retaliation.
"Sigh… finally, I can go home."
I’d said my thanks.
With no further business here, I headed for the temple where Ingrid waited.
Right, left, straight—navigating the dim streets until I spotted a brightly lit area.
"I’m back, Ingrid."
"Welcome back, Libert-sama. That was quick—could it be…?"
"Yeah. Finally got it."
"Congratulations."
Setting the lamp on the desk, Ingrid—who had been sitting in a chair, organizing supplies—stood to greet me upon hearing my footsteps.
"Alright, let’s head back."
"Yes."
Gathering our things, I took out the Pendulum of Teleportation.
I was so glad I had this item.
After so many attempts, my body was drained. The thought of walking all the way out was exhausting.
As the light of activation enveloped us, the familiar sight of home came into view.
"Ah, Libert-kun, welcome back!"
"I’m home, Amina."
…Except it wasn’t home—it was the Edelgard Ducal Family’s villa.
Still not back yet?
Well, can’t be helped. The royal family’s persistence is insane.
I mean, sure, minimizing losses and clearing a raid event would naturally draw attention, but did they have to be so aggressively predatory about recruitment?
The Edelgard Duke was practically radiating "Stay as long as you want" vibes, which was fine, but I was the one stuck unable to even leave the estate freely.
Amina, who had come to greet me, rose from the sofa and handed me a letter.
"Here. Lotus asked me to pass this to you."
And Amina was in the same boat.
After her performance in front of the soldiers, she’d also been marked by the royal family.
Her value in large-scale battles—raid wars—had been too apparent. Now, nobles were courting her with offers of titles.
Like me, she couldn’t step outside carelessly anymore.
"...Again?"
"Which noble family this time?"
"Some house I’ve never heard of."
I knew regret was pointless, but this loss of freedom was honestly unbearable.
If the Duke hadn’t shielded us, we’d probably be under heavy restrictions right now, planning an escape from this country.
As it stood, even now, Lotus was forwarding me party invitations.
Me? A commoner? Sure, I could dance for favor gains, but I had zero interest in mingling with nobles.
My etiquette was half-baked, and noble-related quests were nothing but trouble—so I’d asked to decline all these parties.
Still, I at least wanted to know who was inviting me, hence these compiled lists.
"By the way, where’s Nerl?"
"She’s training in the courtyard with Claudia. Sparring, apparently."
"She’s been unusually intense lately. Is it because of that?"
"Yeah, probably. She’s dead set on becoming Lady Esmeralda’s champion in the proxy duel."
We were on good enough terms with the ducal family to get this kind of info, but it also meant getting tangled in messy affairs.
"The Duke must be having a rough time. Who’d have thought a broken engagement would cause this much chaos?"
"Right? And the other side’s acting like it’s our fault!"
"Three months ago, who could’ve predicted this?"
The "messy affair" in question? Lady Esmeralda’s fiancé’s infidelity scandal.
It had gone public, putting the Edelgard Ducal Family and the other house in an extremely awkward position.
Living on the estate, Nerl and Amina often had tea parties with Lady Esmeralda and Lady Iris, deepening their friendship.
Officially, it was framed as "gathering valuable civilian intel," but nowadays, it was just girls chatting and having fun.
The young ladies listened eagerly to Nerl and Amina’s adventure stories, clearly enjoying themselves.
In this world, commoners would consider such cross-status friendships presumptuous—but in reality, they’d grown close enough to want to help each other in times of need.
"He said he’d 'awakened to true love' or something?"
"People call that 'losing your damn mind,' Amina. Remember this: If you ever start believing your own words are absolute truth, your life’s as good as over."
Normally, noble scandals were kept under wraps, but Lady Esmeralda had confided in us as a sign of trust, explaining the current turmoil.
"I get that, but… since the Saintess is involved, everyone’s blaming Lady Esmeralda, right?"
"That’s the tricky part."
As the Duke’s daughter, her fiancé needed to be of sufficiently high status—royalty, another ducal house, or at least a marquis.
Alternatively, if he’d performed exceptional deeds and earned the king’s recognition, exceptions could be made.
Lady Esmeralda’s fiancé was… unusual.
He was nobility.
He did carry royal blood.
But he was a noble from a foreign land—a family from the distant eastern continent, long allied with the Edelgard Ducal House.
A lineage said to descend from the Dragon God’s blood.
This was supposed to be a political marriage, but the fiancé was… well, the kind of man who wore seriousness like a second skin.
His stance? "As a noble, I marry for duty and family." Unshakable.
Why was he in the southern continent? Studying abroad—at the adventurer school that was now opening its doors to commoners.
They were classmates, and their engagement was public knowledge.
But "good terms"? Not exactly.
Lady Esmeralda had tried to connect, but while he cooperated in maintaining noble appearances, he refused any personal rapport.
No lover, no interest—just a rock-headed stubbornness about upholding family ties.
Even the Duke had reservations—both as a father and a noble.
But with inter-house relations at stake, he’d endured—until the scandal broke.
That was the last straw.
And in the middle of it all? A girl actually blessed by the gods.
Yeah… that kind of mess.