Chapter 4: Figure In The Night
Finding the name to its satisfaction, the summon nodded, thereby accepting it.
Leonard examined Joker in further detail.
Name: Joker
Summon: Rebellious Mist (Current from: Leonard)
Rank: Rare
Vitality: 1.5
Strength: 1.7
Agility: 1.5
Endurance: 1.6
True to its description, Joker had retained exactly 10% of Leonard’s attributes, hence the decimal numbers. Notably, the summon lacked both magic and mana, as its current evolution was too low.
Although Joker seemed underwhelming at first, he was the kind of summon whose power scaled exponentially as Leonard grew stronger.
Leonard experimented with the mana expenditure required to sustain Joker. Understanding his limits was essential if he wanted to make best use of his abilities.
When Joker wasn’t concentrated in any specific shape and drifted freely as a mist, he required 1 mana every 10 seconds to function.
If he made himself easier to distinguish by concentrating his fog or assuming the form of a creature, the required energy increased to 1 mana every 5 seconds.
Finally, if Joker was placed under heavy strain by engaging in combat, the cost rose further to 1 mana every 2 seconds.
"Accelerated Manaflow allows me to sustain Joker indefinitely in his mist form, though it comes at the cost of completely halting my mana regeneration. Depending on the situation, it may be more beneficial to let him remain as mist rather than dismissing him, since resummoning costs 20 mana."
Leonard was content with the results.
"Time to get back." He yawned, glancing at the night sky. "It’s getting really late."
However, before he could dismiss his summon, Joker shook his head and placed a finger over his lips in a silent gesture.
Then his form dissolved into mist, bringing an eerie silence to the dark forest.
Understanding the warning, Leonard sharpened his senses to their limits, scanning for any signs of approaching threats.
Several minutes passed with him standing shrouded in the mist, but no monster emerged.
’Odd...’ Leonard thought. ’Even if Joker is a Rebellious Mist, I doubt he’d play pranks on me. However, any monster lurking here would have revealed itself by now.’
With no other idea coming to mind, Leonard’s lips pursed.
"I know you’re there." His voice echoed among the trees. "Stop wasting my time and come out."
He was bluffing, of course. He hadn’t detected anything out of the ordinary. Still, a little paranoia was better than the alternative.
The silence lingered for a few more seconds before a branch snapped to his left.
"How did you spot me?" A man asked calmly, stepping out of his hiding place.
Leonard’s eyes fixed on the figure. The man was short in stature and dressed entirely in black, with a hood concealing his facial features. All evidence suggested he was an assassin.
"I have my ways." Leonard gripped his axe tighter.
Thanks to the assassin’s question, he realized that Joker had dissolved into mist before he could be spotted.
"Fair enough." The assassin chuckled, spinning his talon knife around his index finger.
"Kid, you’re awfully calm, considering that you’re about to meet your maker."
"Not even bothering to be subtle, huh..." Leonard’s eyes darkened slightly. "Who sent you?"
"Moron." The assassin grinned beneath the hood and tapped his head with the handle of the karambit knife. "Memory erasure, baby! Even if I’m caught and tortured, I wouldn’t be able to tell you a thing!"
The man paused deliberately before adding with a mocking tone.
"Not that such extreme measures are needed in this case. The son of Gideon has been a commoner all along?" The assassin laughed out loud. "Not even managing to awaken a Rare Bloodline, given who your father used to be, is impressive in its own right... pathetically so!"
Leonard’s mind raced. The term "commoner" was often used to disgrace those who had awakened a Common Bloodline.
However, barely a few hours had passed since he had been evaluated as having one...
He doubted Headmistress Jennifer had spread the information. She was too high-class to concern herself with such matters, and she hadn’t given him that impression in their brief meeting.
That narrowed it down to the only other outsider who had been present during his awakening.
"That rat..." Leonard smirked, realizing that Daniel was involved. Either by selling the information or by hiring the assassin directly.
"Oh... I like that look! Seems you’ve figured out who sent the hit." The assassin gave a small nod in approval.
"It’s a shame that you die now."
Kicking up dust behind him, the assassin lunged.
"Fast!" Leonard barely had time to duck as the knife sliced through the space where his throat had been.
The assassin’s agility was at least twice his own. The gap wasn’t so large that Leonard couldn’t perceive the man’s attacks, but his window to respond was narrowed down significantly.
Often, when awakeners prioritized agility, they also increased endurance in order to maintain their explosive speed for longer periods of time.
Drawing out the battle would only put Leonard at a further disadvantage.
Aiming to regain optimal distance from his opponent, Leonard used Lightning Strike.
The assassin’s eyes narrowed. He knew that being hit with such force would spell trouble, so he skillfully dodged to the side.
"Wasn’t that Lightning Strike? How did a mere commoner get his hands on such a skill?" The man scoffed, closing in once more.
"No matter. The moment you missed, the battle was already over! Your life would end before you could restore enough mana to use it again!"
Not a day had passed since Leonard had awakened. With a Common Bloodline, he could have at most 1 point in magic! With his mana pool drained, the assassin no longer needed to worry about facing the same kind of resistance!
Unknown to the man, Leonard’s magic was ten times greater than expected, and the same held true for his mana.
[Mana: 54/100]
Possessing more than enough mana after concluding the tests with his summon, Leonard used the skill again.
"What—"
Taken by surprise, the assassin was struck by the upward slash. A wound marked his face, and the force of the blow lifted his hood, revealing the face underneath.
The man grew enraged. The shock of the injury paled in comparison to the humiliation of having a Level 1 commoner spill his blood!
"Fine then! Have it your way!" With a roar, the assassin’s hand moved like a whip, hurling three throwing knives.
Unable to completely avoid the attack, one projectile grazed Leonard’s cheek.
[You have been poisoned by Grade 1 toxin.]
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