A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 207 Confusion
"To be honest, at that time I really thought I was going to die during the promotion process."

"I didn't even have the energy to be afraid. My mind was torn apart by the newborn supernatural properties, turning into scars, which I just mentioned, like worms crawling around."

Quinn sat on the sofa with a relaxed smile, as if he were bragging to his buddies, talking about topics that were anything but relaxing.

"I can't even piece together what those voices were saying from my memory. I only remember it being very noisy, so noisy that I was half-mad, and it felt worse than death."

Ankua said seriously, "Don't dwell on it. You didn't show any signs of losing control until Sequence Seven, which means you're naturally suited to be an extraordinary being. You have the potential to challenge higher sequences."

“High sequence, huh?” Quinn smiled bitterly. “Sequence seven was almost fatal, I don’t even dare to think about going any higher.”

"Although I have never experienced what it feels like to condense extraordinary properties."

Ankuya lowered his head slightly, and a strand of bangs that covered his eyes also fell down. He thought for a moment and said, "But as far as I know, not every superhuman has such difficulty when advancing to Sequence Seven. The soul being torn apart that you mentioned is more like a symptom when advancing from Sequence Six to Sequence Five. Being able to take this step means that one has entered the superhuman realm from body to soul, and from then on, one is freed from the mortal body and one's will can reach the spirit world directly."

Quinn was shocked.

"You mean I'm comparable to Sequence Five?"

"Ha, how could that be? If that were the case, Nibelungen would have kicked you out of the academy grounds immediately. The soul form of a Sequence 5 transcendent is no longer the same as that of a human; in nature, it is closer to a phantom. The transcendent laws set by the Church only have a basic binding effect on such people. They don't need to send out mental evaluation reports on time, and the Church won't cause trouble. Under normal circumstances, they can walk sideways in the world."

Ankua rested his chin on his hand and cautiously assessed, "You should only be slightly stronger than a regular Sequence 7 assassin, but not quite at the level of a Sequence 6."

"Stronger?"

"I believe it's due to extraordinary characteristics. Even among the same type of extraordinary characteristics, there will be objective differences in quality. There are many reasons for these differences, but the most significant one is the potion recipe."

"Potion recipes can be complete or incomplete. Under normal circumstances, even if an incomplete recipe succeeds in advancement, the extraordinary properties it produces may be flawed, and its stability and strength will be inferior to those of a complete recipe. However, there is one exception: modifying a complete recipe."

"It is said that the Empire once experimented with the Sequence Nine [Warrior] potion, adding an extra five grams of Lionheart Grass to the excipients. The result was that warriors who took the improved potion were about 10% stronger than ordinary warriors in terms of strength, pain tolerance, and physical strength. Their punching power increased from 1100 pounds to 1200 pounds. There may also be differences in body size involved."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, utterly puzzled: "Only this much enhancement after the improvements?"

Ankua nodded.

"In fact, major powers and even various religions have done similar things. Judging from the results, the strengthening is not obvious, but the cost is much higher."

"If the normal survival rate of taking a Sequence Nine potion is fifty percent, the survival rate of taking the enhanced version is less than twenty-five percent. Moreover, successful superhumans generally have a stronger tendency to lose control. What they experience is that the advancement process is exceptionally difficult, and their essential characteristics do not change after success."

"It's a very unprofitable deal, so these kinds of experiments haven't become widespread. A slightly stronger superhuman is far inferior to someone who knows how to use superhuman powers intelligently."

Ankua said seriously, "It is certain that there are a very small number of even stronger superhumans, such as the sergeant major of the White Cult's Arbitration Secret Service and the agents of the Holy See's Inquisition. And what they have in common is that their advancement is much more difficult, just like yours."

Quinn raised his hand toward the water glass on the table.

A distant, elusive grasp.

Without any mana fluctuations or incantations, the cup appeared out of thin air in Quinn's hand, the water rippled, and he drank it all in one gulp.

theft.

It belongs only to the extraordinary and mysterious, directly interfering with reality through mental will to achieve all sorts of incredible and bizarre things.
He can now use theft without chanting incantations, and even stealing ordinary items doesn't consume much inspiration, which is related to the mysterious specifications of the stolen goods. The only drawback is that this move cannot be used continuously, and the effective range for initiating theft remains the same as when he was a thief—only one meter.

He closed his eyes and sensed the extraordinary fluctuations within his soul. Compared to the formless and colorless [Sekiro] characteristics, which seemed to be part of the soul, the [Assassin] characteristics were like scars branded into the soul.

After advancing to Sequence Seven, the most significant change was that Quinn could now sense his soul state. Just like during his advancement, he had a spiritual perspective that transcended the external world and saw everything internally. Quinn could "see" a blurry human figure, dark, thin, and colorless—that was his soul and humanity.

Is the second tier of extraordinary individuals called "Faded Ones," which describes this state?
"I don't know if I'm strong or not, I feel like I'm just a monkey right now," Quinn said seriously.

"?"

"Look out"

Quinn suddenly moved, his figure so fast that Ankua could only see a flash before disappearing without a trace. He looked around in surprise, but couldn't find Quinn anywhere.

It's important to understand that Ankua is no ordinary person like Shadel. As a specialist in Grindelwald's school administration, his arcane skills are superior to those of ordinary college graduates. He is even confident that he can fight a hero one-on-one and even hold off Tiresia for two minutes in a desperate situation. His mental strength is one in a million.

"Bang! I'm here above you."

The sound came abruptly from the ceiling. Ankuya looked up and found Quinn again. He was hanging on the ceiling in a bizarre and unscientific posture, holding onto the decorative plaster line with only his thumb and forefinger. He was in a triangular position like Spider-Man, standing steadily.

After demonstrating his ability to climb, Quinn released his grip and let his body fall. His body was as flexible as a dancer's, adjusting his posture with a simple stretch and contraction. The living room had a ceiling height of four meters, but when he landed, it was as if a feather had floated down, and his feet touched the ground without making a sound.

“I can climb very high now, to be specific, as high as I can, as long as there’s a crack in the wall—” Quinn gestured with his finger, roughly the size of a gap between the bricks, “I can climb it. It’s hard to be noticed, and I can keep quiet even with vigorous activity if I want to.”

This is true.

This morning I tried a thick milk latte. Quinn used a straw to go in and out, but it didn't make a sound at all, which was quite fun. It was a comfortable experience to make coffee.

“I can give early warnings about places that are guarded, or even traps, such as the oil painting of a wandering samurai at the entrance.”

Many of the paintings in the academy are part of the Nibelungen. This ability isn't as useful to Quinn, who has the Demon King's Eye, but it does not consume mental energy and can serve as a warning even when he is relaxed, helping him to detect many dangers.

"Besides lock picking, I've also gained knowledge of disguise in my mind. Look."

Quinn dipped his hand in the leftover curry and, like an Indian, smeared it on his face. It seemed quick and casual, but his entire demeanor instantly changed, as if he had aged twenty years. The curry created wrinkles on his face. While this rudimentary disguise wouldn't fool acquaintances, combined with Quinn's almost nonexistent presence, it was more than enough to fool strangers.

This means that he can quickly change his appearance wherever he is, which greatly helps with weekly combat training.

Ankua marveled.

"I spent two months learning how to draw an outline that conveys a sense of age, just to learn how to disguise myself. Superhumans are truly unreasonable. Stealth, disguise, alertness. So, the thief's Sequence Seven is called [Assassin]. And what about the most important thing: assassination?"

"only one."

Quinn closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, a blood-red halo appeared around the iris of his dark eyes, filled with an ominous aura like a death star.

“I can see all the ‘weaknesses’ now.” “Not just people. For example, this cup.”

Quinn stared at the glass on the table, and in his eyes, a thin, winding, bloody scar appeared in the lower right corner of the glass.

He flicked the glass lightly at the spot of the "scar," and it shattered instantly.

He could easily shatter a cup with his strength, but strangely, the cup did not break into pieces like it would when hit hard. Instead, it exploded with an extremely ear-piercing and chilling cracking sound, shattering into hundreds and thousands of glass shards that scattered like snowflakes, as if it had been run over by a road roller.

It seems there's no way to fix it now.

He "killed" this glass.

"If I can kill something, I can see its weakness."

No scars were visible on parts of the academy building, such as the walls and floors of the dormitories. Clearly, Quinn was not yet capable of destroying this thousand-year-old castle that had once buried the Demon King.

He said uncertainly, "Although I haven't experimented thoroughly, my strength should increase when I attack these weaknesses."

This increase is roughly similar to the speed boost gained after a roll in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which will cause Quinn to consume more stamina and inspiration.

Ankuya popped a nicotine candy into his mouth.

Can you see my weaknesses?

"."

Quinn stared directly at him, his eyes narrowing slightly.

No neck, no heart, no internal organs.
This person has only one very shallow, blurry, almost invisible "scar".

His right eye, hidden by white hair, stared at Quinn like the other eye of death.

"Neck, heart, humans are nothing more than these two things."

Ankua neither agreed nor denied it.

"You can get amplified even if you attack a weak point with a katana?"

"I think so. But the arcane blade from the wand probably won't be enough. I'm thinking of getting a different one; that one isn't very effective against skilled opponents."

"Good katanas are hard to buy; few people use them, and even fewer forge them."

"Yes. I was wondering if I could ask the R&D department to forge one, but I don't have a proper reason."

After a moment's thought, Ankua suddenly asked, "Where's the dagger Hermes gave you?"

"It was smashed into pieces."

"Your promotion was so difficult, it might be related to that knife. Even if it's broken, it's still an antique with a significant history. There are craftsmen in Sweeper Alley, and as long as the raw materials are good, the knife they make won't be bad."

Quinn stood up. "Come with me."

The two entered the room, and Quinn took a box from the bedside table. He certainly wouldn't throw this away as trash; thirteen jet-black fragments, sharp-edged and gleaming with a profound, mysterious quality, lay inside.

Ankua got the result and saw Quinn's bed.

Where's your blanket?

His bed was bare; the duvet cover and sheets were gone.

"This is my zodiac year, so according to the customs of my hometown, I sleep in a red dress to bring good luck and avoid bad luck."

This is a lie.

Actually, it was taken away by Xia Dai'er; for a young girl, her first bed sheet was very meaningful.

Of course, more than anything, she felt ashamed that Quinn slept with her every day after her first time on the body.
Ankua pinched his nose, his expression unusually complicated.

I'm talking about you.

"how?"

"I understand that you're under a lot of pressure."

"If you understand, please cover the cost of forging the knife for me."

Ankuya said with a complicated expression, "If you're feeling really stifled, I can find you some entertainers, the clean kind, or I can keep a couple of respectable women on the side. Your income should be enough. Many superhumans regulate their mental state by venting."

Quinn was completely baffled.

Do I look that sexually repressed?

“Actually, I could smell it as soon as I came in. Your room smells even stronger.” Ankuya sighed sadly. “You’re supposed to be a demon hero. It’s too shameful for you to be hiding in your room masturbating alone.”

Quinn was stunned.

Immediately, he revealed a profound and unfathomable smile.

"Heh, Aqua, you're a virgin?"

Ankuya's handsome face darkened.

"An assassin can tell if someone is a virgin?"

"A pathetic, thick barrier has already formed between us. From now on, remember to use honorifics when you talk to me—'Senior, Senbei! How dare you roll your eyes at your senior!'"

(End of this chapter)