There was light and shadow in this world. The Adventurers' Association accepted only ordinary commissions and did not involve itself in assassinations, robbery, arson, or anything of the sort. They were a respectable organization.
But that did not mean every organization was respectable. Hidden in the shadows was an organization that was both loose and tightly controlled: the Assassin's Association.
Why was the Assassin's Association both loose and tightly controlled? Because anyone could join it. They did not ask about one's background or strength. As long as you knew the Assassin's Association existed and knew how to find them, you could become an assassin in the shadows, accepting commissions or posting them.
This referred to how loosely its members were managed. No one knew how many assassins the Assassin's Association had across the continent; even the Assassin's Association itself could not count them.
Its strictness lay in its extremely secure methods of contact. Passwords and codes changed almost every day, and the branches in different places all operated differently. Unless you were a local power, it was difficult to even find them.
They also would not provoke the local noble lords. After all, everyone had to eat. Provoking the local noble lord was the same as smashing their own rice bowl. If anyone was foolish enough to do that, the others in the Assassin's Association would definitely kill him first.
Thus, the Assassin's Association, founded at some unknown time, gradually grew stronger. It had now become an indispensable part of cities across the continent.
Demand created the market. They accepted assassination commissions, put them out for others to take, and drew five percent of the reward from them. This was also the Assassin's Association's primary source of income.
Creak~
After the Assassin's Association accepted the masked man's commission, he rose