At this time, Luna had returned to Safemoon after completing her mission. Her expression was contemplative after what she had experienced, especially with regard to Gunner’s power.
In truth, at that moment, the Moon Elf had been overwhelmed. If she had been anywhere closer to that blast, she might have lost more than a pound of flesh. She would definitely have been on the verge of death right away.
Luna did not crave apocalyptic power like this, surprisingly. It was not suited to her tastes and the mission her Master had entrusted her. Rather, she wanted a means to avoid or negate such shows of power from affecting her, so that she would never have to leave the shadows.
She reached the Mage Tower and entered, heading to the fourth floor where Darius was waiting for her while reading a book. When the Moon Elf entered, he smiled at her softly, but Luna couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
“Master… I have returned.”
“Welcome back, Luna. Go downstairs and have a meal, then rest. We’ll talk more later.” Darius instructed her in a fatherly tone.
Luna acknowledged and went to do as she said, spotting the Five Apprentices in the yard sparring with each other furiously as they honed their skills. The Moon Elf shook her head watching them.
Her stats greatly surpassed theirs, so to her, as long as she focused slightly, it was no different from watching snails move. She eventually rested and climbed up to meet Darius again a few hours later.
When she entered Darius’s study, she saw his back facing her, a table set in between the two. On the table were 5 glowing tomes, each of them capturing the attention of Luna easily as she felt some sort of desire for them.
Darius, who was gazing out the window to see the core area of his city which was still lively even at this time, spoke gently.
“Those five skills are for you to learn. Take them.”
Luna obeyed and checked the five skillbooks her master had prepared for her to see why they touched her so deeply.
[Spatial Mask – Level 1 Spell
Grade: Intermediate
Cost: None
Description: This spell allows you to hide a specific set of spatial coordinates from detection through the five senses or any other unique sense. The quality of the masking depended on the skills level against the sensory power of the target.]
[Shadow Stalk – Level 1 Skill
Grade: Advanced
Cost: None
Description: This is a skill that belongs to the Shadow Beast Clan of Unyris. It allows them to walk undetected through any light-cast shadow in range, teleporting between them with ease.
At level 1, the maximum range is 1000 meters.]
[Soul Reading – Level 1 Skill
Grade: Advanced
Cost: None
Description: An evil skill belonging to the Immortals of Pan, it allows a person to read the memories of a target by breaking their mental defenses. This does permanent damage to the target’s mind, so beware of using this!]
[Extreme Killing Techniques – Level 1 Skill
Grade: Advanced
Cost: None
Description: This is the set of assassin-based skills created by a certain supreme being when they were still just mortal. It consists of five moves, Death Walk, Veil of Worlds, Ethereal Clone, Dagger of Death, and the Vanishing Technique. Damage with daggers increased by 500%.]
[Empty Aura – Level 1 Skill
Grade: Advanced
Cost: None
Description: This is a unique and strange skill belonging to a certain race not native to Faust but had passed through at one point during its inception from the outer universe. It creates a barrier around a person that separates them from the current dimension into the purgatory one.]
Luna looked through them and felt her heart quake. A part of what she meant to do by coming back so soon was to explain her shortcomings to Darius and ask if he had a solution for her. However, without even hearing a word from her, he had already gone above and beyond.
Spatial Mask was perfect, because it supplemented her Void Walking skill. That skill allowed her to hide in her own personal void, which removed her from this realm, allowing her to walk through objects and generally acted as a great form of infiltration.
However, its flaw was that Luna needed an anchor point in the main dimension lest she locked herself up in her dimension with no way to come out. This anchor point should have been a round portal, but with training, she managed to turn it into an ethereal form of herself.
But this ethereal form was still visible to the eyes, though it had no sound, no smell, or touch. That was why Luna had been forced to cling to the ceiling upon her visit to that underground society.
Had she had Spatial Mask at the time, the Moon Elf could have simply waltzed through them brazenly, none able to see her ethereal form using the five senses or even sense it if they were spatially inclined.
Luna’s danger level had just gone up in a horrifying way, and the skill was only level 1!
Shadow Stalk was a more common assassin-based skill, and it was more for Luna to fill up her database and have something on hand since Void Walking required so much mana.
It would serve her well in Dungeons and the like.
Soul Reading was a cruel skill belonging to Pan’s cultivators. Apparently, it was used to read the souls of the victims, extracting memories based on the mental strength of the user vs the mental strength of the target.
Darius had no doubts this spell was often used there, and he was glad he did not start off on such a cruel continent.
As for the Extreme Killing Techniques, they were not native to Faust. Darius had actually checked the system shop for the best assassin techniques, and this had appeared at the top spot.
However, its price had been more than 20 million True Coins, leaving Darius speechless. However, at that moment, he had received a startling message from the system.
[Alert! Alert! A Certain Supreme Being has noticed you! They are currently reading your system history as they have the same access as the Goddess!]
[Alert! Alter! The Supreme being is now taking ove-…]
[“Hm, what an annoying thing. Anyway, nice to meet you, Mr. Stone. I see you are currently second in line to become Little Vena’s next general, and I would certainly like to help. I’ve paid the cost for the Extreme Killing techniques and a few other ones that belong to my counterpart. If you have any assassins or swordsmen in your party, make sure to give it to them! Goodbye!”]
[….]
[System rebooting! Checking for any hidden viruses… none!]
[Checking for any remnant damage… none!]
[You have received a 100% discount coupon from The Celestial Goddess for the following items: Extreme Killing Techniques, Paragon Sword Skill, Peerless Sword Skills…etc. Please redeem them at your leisure!]
And that was how he had acquired this powerful technique. Luna looked at it with interest, but once she learned it, she would come to know just why it was priced so ridiculously, even more expensive than buying scales of the Dragon Ancestor.
As for the last skill, it was a skill to help her Void Walking. Empty Aura could perform the same function as Void Walking and Spatial Mark put together, only that it had a downside.
Unlike the personal dimension of Void Walking that was for Luna to control, Empty Aura sent her into purgatory, and that place was a behemothic place full of unknown dangers.
Hiding in there was like being in a field of flesh-eating ants, but placing your head in a pool of water to watch the fish within. Even if the ants couldn’t get to your head, they could certainly devour your body.
It was an alternative that she would have to carefully consider before using.
Receiving the books, Luna learned them on the spot and patiently waited for her master’s next command patiently.
“Right now, having you assassinate targets is of no use given Gunner’s raw power and the actions of Miranda. As such, I want you to serve me as my personal agent. I have sent a list of coordinates to your World Map.”
Luna checked her system to see the map and the places she needed to go to while Darius continued.
“Those locations are places where Collectibles are kept, as well as some things that can allow me to amass True Coins. Go and train your new set of skills for a month before you set out. You have a total of 6 months to clear them all out.”
Luna nodded and left Darius’ study with a sharp glance. Now that her arsenal had been refreshed, and her task updated, she felt a renewed sense of purpose.
Where she had come back in dejection, she was now leaving with resolve.
No matter what she encountered, she would prove her worth to her master and creator!
Darius watched Luna go with a strange smile.. “This child is quite devoted, but it is a bit too straightforward… sigh.”