Moon spun his body, his own dagger intercepting one of the assassin's blades while simultaneously channeling lightning through his free hand. The electrical discharge struck the assassin point-blank in the chest, paralyzing him completely mid-strike.

The attack was enough to kill the assassin, but Moon wanted to ensure he was dead. His dagger found the assassin's throat before the paralysis wore off, opening the carotid artery with a single efficient slash.

Splash!

Blood poured out like a fountain before the assassin's body vanished as he was spawning once more.

The two mages were frantically casting again, panic replacing their earlier confidence as they watched their teammates die repeatedly. Moon raised his hand and sent compressed air blades that severed their concentration and opened gruesome wounds across their exposed arms.

They dropped their casting immediately, clutching bleeding limbs and screaming.

Moon finished the remaining warriors efficiently. The first one he'd wounded tried to flee despite his useless arm, stumbling away with desperation. Moon's thrown dagger caught him in the neck, dropping him instantly.

The second warrior actually managed to mount a brief defense, blocking Moon's initial strikes with desperate parries that showed some training. But Dagger Art provided Moon with combination sequences and feint patterns the man couldn't predict or counter effectively. Within seconds, Moon had created three separate deep wounds that bled profusely, weakening the warrior until a final thrust to the heart ended the exchange.

[You have killed a level 20 Fighter.]

[You have gained 20 Lives.]

The two mages died last, executed quickly once Moon closed distance and eliminated their ability to cast. They had no close-combat skills worth mentioning, making them completely helpless once their primary advantage was neutralized.

The entire first engagement had lasted perhaps two minutes from initial attack to their collective first deaths.

But Moon wasn't finished.

The outcasts re-spawned scattered across the area, their bodies already suffering from severe debuffs. Their faces were pale, movements sluggish, and coordination completely destroyed by the trauma of simultaneous death.

"Wait! Please!" the scarred leader gasped, his dual daggers trembling in weakened hands. "We made a mistake! We didn't know—"

Moon killed him again without responding. Then hunted down each spawning member of the group, executing them repeatedly as they grew progressively weaker with each death cycle.

They begged for mercy, but Moon showed them none of it despite their offering of money, information, servitude—anything to stop their ongoing slaughter.

These people had chosen to become outcasts and bandits. They'd threatened his life and attempted robbery with full intention to kill him if he resisted. The consequences of that choice were theirs to bear.

After the third round of deaths, most of them could barely stand. By the fourth, they were crawling and weeping. By the fifth and sixth, their bodies remained still, void of any life.

Permanent death had claimed them all.

[Total Lives Gained from Repeated Executions: 350 Lives]

The entire execution had lasted perhaps fifteen minutes total from the first ambush to the final permanent death.

Moon looked at his dagger, examining the blade with newfound appreciation. Blood coated the steel, dripping steadily onto the rocky ground where six sets of equipment and weapons now lay abandoned.

"Not bad," Moon said quietly, flicking the blood away with a quick wrist flick. The blood landed on the face of an outcast, drenching him in more blood.

He cleaned the blade properly using cloth from his supplies and returned it to his spatial storage. The skill was only Common rank currently, but the foundational knowledge it provided was invaluable. With practice and proficiency gains, it could evolve into something far more dangerous.

Moon quickly looted the outcasts' belongings—basic weapons, a few potions, and one storage ring containing supplies. Nothing particularly valuable, but waste was foolish.

He remounted Mirage, who had watched the entire slaughter calmly. The horse was getting accustomed to his rider's killing.

"Let's continue," Moon said, guiding Mirage around the abandoned corpses that would soon become the meal of beasts around the area. "We're almost there."

—

[ Name: Moon ]

[ Race: Human ]

[ Class: Classless, Assassin]

[ Level: 22 ][ 51% ]

[ Lives: 4596 ]

[ Strength: 33 ] [ Agility: 35 ] [ Constitution: 36 ] [ Mana: 49 ] (+5 to all stats)

[ Attribute Points: 0 ]

[ Skills: Elemental Attack, Five Element Affinity, Tenacity, Silver Skin, ignite, Dagger Art (Limited Time)]

[ Talent: Grim Reaper ]

[ Class Skill: Class Slot {1/1} ]

—

[Dagger Art]

[Rank: Common]

[Proficiency: 10%]

[Details: You have basic understanding of daggers as weapons. You are able to use a dagger to attack, defend, and execute with foundational competence. +10% Damage]

—

During his fight with the group of outcasts, Moon had managed to raise his proficiency of the new skill by ten percent, which was decent progress for such a brief encounter but nothing particularly substantial. To acquire the skill, Moon would need lots of practice against powerful opponents.

At the top of the mountain, Moon gazed down at the human settlement nestled in the valley below. Rocketer Base was surrounded by two prominent mountains on either side and rocky terrain that created natural defensive barriers. The base appeared noticeably less developed and considerably smaller than Ironpeak, with fewer buildings, and simpler fortifications.

Moon couldn't care less about the base's aesthetics or development level. He wasn't here for sightseeing or to evaluate settlement quality. He was here to meet Selene and enter the mysterious realm she'd discovered.

Based on the visible distance, Moon estimated it would take approximately thirty minutes to descend the mountain and arrive at the base's entrance. This would have taken significantly longer on treacherous natural terrain, but thankfully the awakeners stationed at Rocketer had worked hard over time to create makeshift roads carved into the mountainside. The paths weren't paved or particularly sophisticated, but they provided a safe, faster way of traveling up and down the mountain without risking dangerous falls or unstable footing.

Moon guided Mirage onto the descending road, letting the exhausted horse set a comfortable pace. The white mount had earned the right to take his time after everything he'd endured over the journey.

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