'Here it is,' I muttered internally.
Having lightly designed Evelyn's character template, I knew she'd quickly grow suspicious once all the dots connected.
I let out a breath, my eyes briefly lingering on the distant corridor.
"I'll explain everything once we're out of here…" My hands smoothly wrapped around her soft, delicate fingers as I continued, "for now I need to get you to safety."
Evelyn locked eyes with me, and I could see the shifts in her emotions from her eyes.
Perhaps she was taken aback and also similarly confused as to why I wanted to protect her so much. However, after thinking about it, she finally agreed with a nod.
I pulled her gently and continued navigating my way through the tunnels.
After thirty minutes of running, just when I felt we were approaching the edge of the tunnel, I heard hushed voices coming from a few meters away.
My steps immediately halted as I pulled Evelyn closer to me, dragging her towards the corner of the wall.
Her soft figure pressed against me, her breathing hot and low against my face.
Whispering, I informed her, "it seems they've discovered the exit to the tunnels."
Evelyn's eyes searched mine as she asked, with a slight hint of worry in her tone, "what are we going to do now?"
I didn't reply to her immediately. Instead, I slowly poked my head out and studied the direction of the exit. There, I could see three people gathered at the entrance.
Pacing slightly, it was clear they were waiting for reinforcement.
I returned my attention back to Evelyn. "There are only three people there, and if my guess isn't wrong, they are currently waiting for reinforcements."
Evelyn stared silently, waiting for me to continue.
"I will distract them. In the meantime, use your origin weapon to eliminate them when I give you the signal. Although your origin ability and energy shouldn't be accessible, you can still access your weapon."
Instantly, Evelyn's pupils shrank drastically as she stared at me in shock.
"How did you…" she wanted to ask, but her words trailed off.
Her suspicion about my identity only increased as she accessed her origin space.
Normally, once one reached a certain origin rank, they could create an origin space to store various things, including weapons, treasures, and so much more, with the exception of living things.
Deciding to wait for my explanation later on, Evelyn didn't say anything more and quickly accessed her origin space.
'God help me…' I whispered as I stood up from my hiding spot.
"Hey, gentlemen." I greeted with a wave of my hand.
"Who?" one of the black-clothed men immediately turned in my direction, his eyes filled with apprehension.
Upon noticing it was me, the three were stunned.
"It's you!" the second black-clothed man exclaimed in a gruff voice.
Immediately, the three were on high alert as they slowly circled me.
"What's your reason for exposing yourself?" one of the black-clothed men asked.
It was clear they were stalling for time… however, who was I not to entertain them?
After all, wasn't it my goal to distract them as well?
"I was bored and tired of running and hiding. I decided it's a better option to switch sides, what do you think?"
My words threw the trio off guard as they fell quiet, silently dumbfounded.
"Cough, cough…" one of the men cleared his throat. "It's not a bad idea. As long as you surrender yourself completely, I can personally guarantee your safety."
The man patted his chest, acting so flawlessly that I almost believed him.
"How can I trust your words?" I quickened my pace, closing the distance between the two of us.
"Don't come any closer." Two daggers appeared in the man's hand as he quickly panicked.
"See? You don't even trust me." I said, frowning in displeasure.
Noticing that we were just meters away, I staggered slightly, picking up a cluster of sand and hurling it in the direction of the man's face.
"Now!" My loud voice echoed through the tunnel.
Without wasting time, Evelyn acted.
As an origin warrior, despite no longer possessing her strength, her instincts for combat, long seasoned over the years, hadn't gone to waste.
Whooshhhh.
A sharp whistle echoed through the air, followed by the sickening sound of something being pierced.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two more sounds sliced through the air, killing the two black-clothed assassins.
The man I was previously interacting with acted quickly and was able to dodge the attack in time, only managing to sustain an injury in his leg.
However, as an assassin, being injured in his leg was the most fatal thing that could happen to him.
"You… you lied to me," the man gritted his teeth, blood spilling from his mouth as he tried to pull the dagger out from his leg.
Letting out a breath, I approached him. "You shouldn't easily trust the words of a stranger. Perhaps in your next life, take that lesson to heart."
Finishing with these words, I closed the distance between us, took out the dagger, and drove it right through his heart.
A nauseating feeling washed over me, but I quickly managed to compose myself.
[Congratulations, master! You ha—]
'Not now, system.' I quickly cut the system off, causing it to fall silent.
My attention returned back to Evelyn. "We don't have much time."
I noticed a glimmer of curiosity in Evelyn's eyes. "That's the first time you're killing someone?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion and certainty.
For someone who'd acted so calm and composed, she'd expected I'd have taken a lot of lives… but this…
Evelyn could only fall silent, seeing that I didn't reply to her.
My hands smoothly entangled with hers as I continued leading her through the tunnels.
In less than a minute, we had arrived outside, a dark expanse of grassland with no houses in sight.
Pulling Evelyn gently, I glanced up at the skies, pinpointing the direction of the stars and deciding which location held the closest town.
Treading through the woods, we swiftly increased our speed, our distance from the mansion widening with each step.
Behind us, the massive mansion loomed, filled with gloominess and loneliness.
As though it couldn't suppress its excitement, the system chimed in once more.
[Congratulations, host, on successfully completing the mission. I didn't think you'd do it…]
'Even you didn't believe in me, right…' I merely chuckled, not taking the system's words to heart.
'When I arrive at a completely safe town, reveal the rewards I've obtained so far.'