Assassination Commission

Battle?

Ron was momentarily stunned.

He frowned. "Why would there suddenly be such radical reforms...

If I remember correctly, weren't ability rating assessments previously scored based on an Ability Model's output data, rarity, and research value?"

"I'm not sure..."

Deng Yin shook his head, a rare hint of worry appearing on his face.

"But to make those people temporarily give up the 'profits' brought by abilities and turn to pursuing combat power...

Perhaps only the Outer City could do that."

The Outer City?

Ron froze, unable to understand what Deng Yin meant for a moment.

"What do you mean, pursuing combat power for the Outer City?"

Only after saying that did he notice the worry on Deng Yin's face and belatedly frown.

"Could it be... you mean war?"

"You could see it that way..." Deng Yin nodded heavily.

War... How could it be war?

Ron found it hard to believe. There was no force in this world that could stand on equal footing with Moen Ideal City!

Although Moen Ideal City had all sorts of problems—class oppression, capitalist exploitation, severe social conflicts...

Those social problems made Moen Ideal City look like a complete mess, but no one denied that it was humanity's only home.

The history books would always record one sentence—

After the Great Cataclysm that burned the planet, humanity had only been able to build this ideal city covering half the planet by once again embracing the desire to rebuild their home and uniting as one.

Of course, that was merely the gentle version used to educate children. It could be put much more plainly—

After the Great Cataclysm, the three corporate giants, the three strongest powers, chose to stop their corporate wars and cooperate for mutual benefit. Only then could the current situation come to be.

They held an extremely tight grip over everything on this planet. There could not possibly be a force capable of resisting Ideal City...

Even if war really did break out, it would only happen in Ideal City's Inner City, among the three corporate giants themselves. It would never happen in the remote and impoverished Outer City—

To put it bluntly, how could a bunch of relics still living in the last century possibly threaten Ideal City?

And how could they make the lofty corporate giants jointly invest in reforming the College Entrance Exam to select combat talent?

"The war you're imagining is somewhat different. The enemy naturally won't be the people of the Outer City..."

As if he had seen through Ron's confusion, Deng Yin shook his head and instead asked Ron a question.

"Have you ever considered... why Ideal City is divided into Inner and Outer City districts?"

...What was there to ask about that?

Wasn't it the classic case of the first ideal region driving the later ideal region? The Inner City had finished developing, and it simply wasn't the Outer City's turn yet.

Ron scratched his head. "Because of the wealth gap?"

"No." Deng Yin's tone was complicated. "It's actually something more serious... but it involves a strict confidentiality agreement, so I can't explain it clearly to you.

I can only tell you one thing—the city government possesses the absolute ability to conquer nature. If Moen Commerce and Sumeru Real Estate were willing to activate their industrial machines, they could completely transform the entire planet with steel and concrete within half a year.

They don't do so only because some unsolvable problems stand before them..."

The Outer City actually hid such a secret?

Ron could not help finding it rather unbelievable.

He had lived in the Outer City as a child. Aside from feeling that its way of life was somewhat old-fashioned, that its people were more superstitious, and that its technology was relatively backward, there had been nothing special about the Outer City in Ron's memories.

He wanted to ask more about the Outer City, but Deng Yin merely shook his head and interrupted him.

"According to the old practice, you would learn about this once you obtained your own laboratory...

But given the current situation, perhaps the classified files will be declassified before long—

You can put your curiosity aside for now."

He looked at Ron, his tone serious.

"Right now, what you need to pay more attention to is your College Entrance Exam.

After the reforms, you'll need to fight students from your examination zone. Ability grades will ultimately be judged according to victory points...

I don't doubt that your ability is stronger than that of most candidates, but I must remind you of something."

As he spoke, he opened a holographic projection and brought up all kinds of GG advertisement posters.

"Because this College Entrance Exam has become an ability competition open to investments from all companies, and because it has drawn far more attention than before, many of your opponents have received corporate support."

Ron looked at those GG advertisement posters and indeed found that their spokespeople were all candidates his own age.

"Many candidates who accept investments will enhance their abilities in corporate giant laboratories, and the strength of those abilities will soar...

Losing to them isn't frightening. You have plenty of chances to lose. After all, as long as you defeat some of them, that will be enough for you to enter Moen University—"

As he spoke, he selected one poster from the dense mass of GG advertisements in the holographic projection and enlarged it.

"But you absolutely cannot lose to this person!"

The projection showed a youth about Ron's age, proud and aristocratic, with contempt hanging at the corners of his eyes.

What an arrogant look...

Ron frowned and read the words on the poster.

"Moen University's rising star of tomorrow, future heir to the throne of the Physics Department, Youan Hansen... Who is this?"

Deng Yin answered, "He's the youngest son of Moen University's vice president, a Gravity Control ability user who is about to advance to Lv.3.

He is your closest rival in competing for first place in the Physics Department—

If you lose to him in the College Entrance Exam, then during the departmental ranking test, your evaluation weighting in Prometheus will inevitably be far lower than his.

So losing to him means missing out on first place in the Physics Department!"

So it was only about losing first place...

Ron was not all that concerned. Although he had promised Deng Yin that he would get first place in the Physics Department in his name as his student, he had also said he would do his best.

Even if he failed to take first place in the Physics Department, what effect would that have on his life?

Ron did not care much, but Deng Yin saw his lack of interest and immediately raised his voice.

"Don't take this lightly. Getting first place in the Physics Department is far from being just for my sake—don't you want to solve the problem of your ability going out of control?"

"Once you get first place in the Physics Department, you'll understand just how different the treatment the university gives you will be from what others receive...

Perhaps this may well be your chance to remove your ability's restrictions and gain complete control over it..."

Complete control over his ability?

Ron immediately turned serious, no longer as uninterested as before.

So becoming first in the Physics Department could give him such an opportunity?

Then he absolutely could not hand it over to someone else...

He carefully studied the poster in the holographic projection for several moments, earnestly memorizing Youan's appearance.

However, he had no time to study this future opponent now.

The commission the old magician had accepted was scheduled for noon today. Ron did not want the Magic users to grow suspicious because he missed the time.

He said goodbye to Deng Yin, left the training hall, and found a corner where no one would notice him.

[Loaded setting: "Thousand Faces."]

The next moment, Ron's body transformed into a hunched, gaunt figure. His gentle young face immediately became shriveled and hard, like a withered corpse.

What a strange feeling...

Ron felt as though a cool, thin membrane had wrapped around his body, as if he had draped himself in a gauzy garment.

It seemed that Thousand Faces did not truly distort his body or alter his appearance.

It was merely something like a shapeshifting garment draped over him, making him appear to outsiders as the old Magic user.

He put on the pure black cloak he had prepared long ago, slipped on the emerald ring, and activated map navigation.

"If I remember correctly, the commission says I need to go to Noah Pharmaceuticals' Ω8631 Laboratory in District C..."

Ron muttered to himself. Following the navigation, he quickly found the marked location on the outskirts of District C, already close to District D of Ideal City.

A silver-white building stood there, bearing a white-and-green "∞" logo. It was clearly Noah Pharmaceuticals property.

Under normal circumstances, Noah Pharmaceuticals laboratories should have been bustling with people, with countless researchers working toward the targets assigned by their superiors.

But now, the silver-white building was silent and had long since been sealed off.

The orange-yellow seals bore enormous skull symbols, warning every passerby of a danger that had to remain buried here.

However, the seal at the first-floor entrance had now been torn open, and the indoor lights on the first floor were lit. Someone was clearly already inside.

Presumably, it was the client and the Magic users who had arrived early...

Thoughtful, Ron tugged down his hood to conceal his now withered face and slowly pushed open the laboratory doors.

His gaze swept over the surroundings, taking in the four people inside—

A man in a suit, with the Noah Pharmaceuticals logo on his clothes... Was the person beside him his secretary? Was this the client?

A neatly dressed woman with an intellectual face, who looked like a teacher.

And a young man with a thuggish air about him, covered in tattoos and looking like some street punk...

Ron pondered this. He had only just finished observing them when the street-punk-looking young man looked toward him and broke into a cheerful grin.

"Another one... Oh, isn't this 'Master' Karen? Why aren't you looking for that Forbidden Codex from your fantasies? Why did you come take a corporate giant's private job?"

The disdain and mockery in his eyes as he looked at Ron were completely undisguised.

"What is someone like you, an old fossil still living in the past and thinking you're superior just because you claim to be an heir of some backwater sect, doing in Ideal City's Inner City?"

What did he mean by "Forbidden Codex from your fantasies"?

As a colleague of the old Magic user, this man actually believed the Forbidden Codex did not exist?

And an old fossil living in the past, thinking himself superior because he was a sect heir...

Ron pondered it, recalling how the old Magic user had introduced himself as being from the Ember Sect.

It seemed he would have to find a way to pry some information out of this man.

"Cough, cough. How narrow-minded... Just because you don't know something exists, does that mean it doesn't?"

Ron coughed twice, imitating the old Magic user's lofty, irritating manner as he snorted coldly.

"And take back your slander against the Ashen Church... Someone like you could never understand the Church's glory!"

"What did you say?"

The young man immediately glared at Ron, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Everyone knows you hug some lousy book every day, shouting about the Forbidden Codex. When you lost the book, you claimed some god had stolen your treasure...

If you really had some Forbidden Codex, you would have become a real 'Master' long ago. Would you still need to pull strings to get yourself the title of honorary master?"

As he spoke, a malicious smile curled across his lips as he deliberately provoked Ron.

"And, old man, in case you don't know, let me tell you this.

The Ashen Church, the Coal Ash Church, whatever you call it, was crushed beneath the wheels of history long ago...

Wearing the name of that backwater church and calling yourself a Magic master with the Forbidden Codex is nothing but living in a dream!"

So... the Magician Association did not know about the spellbook at all!

Even the Ashen Church had only the old Magic user left as its sole survivor!

A surge of delight rose in Ron's heart. He had never expected the old Magic user to be so rejected among Magic users, completely disregarded by everyone else.

If the Magician Association had not discovered the Forbidden Codex, and there was no organization behind the old Magic user...

Then as long as Ron got through this commission, he could vanish without a trace and never again get tangled up in Magic users' trouble!

At that thought, Ron suppressed the smile tugging at his lips.

He had originally wanted to exchange a few more words with the thuggish young man and see whether he could draw out more information, but the client beside them was clearly too impatient to listen to such trivial squabbling.

"Enough."

The client clapped his hands, interrupting their quarrel.

"Settle your private grudges in private. Don't waste time...

Since you accepted this commission, you should know what happened here, right?"

Only then did the neatly dressed woman, who had remained silent until now, push up her glasses and speak.

"According to the commission, the administrator made an experimental error here and awakened all the corpses in the laboratory..."

"That's right. He performed an incorrect ritual and awakened all the experimental materials."

The client nodded, stood up, and opened a hidden access lock on the wall beside him.

He entered a password. The next moment, the floor not far from them immediately sank and opened, revealing a hidden passage.

Deep within the passage stood an extremely heavy iron door, and faint, miserable wails could be heard from behind it.

"Those corpses have all become active and are wandering through the underground laboratory...

You are all masters of the Necromancer School. You should be fully confident in handling this sort of trouble, right?"

Hearing that, the young man immediately patted his chest and said confidently.

"Of course! They're only walking corpses transformed by a flawed ritual. We can deal with them easily!"

As he spoke, his tone turned ingratiating as he tried to curry favor with the client before him.

"However... sir, once I complete this commission, might I get an opportunity to join Noah Pharmaceuticals?"

"That won't do..."

The client shook his head. "I know you all want to complete this commission as a stepping stone to joining Noah Pharmaceuticals, but this alone is nowhere near enough."

"However," he said, changing the subject as he took out several files, "if you can complete these commissions as well and prove your loyalty..."

"The doors of Noah Pharmaceuticals will naturally open to you!"

Commissions that could prove loyalty?

Ron looked curiously toward those files and discovered that they were all assassination commissions.

Most of the targets were well-known scholars, lower-level corporate executives, and even some students who could be seen in those College Entrance Exam GG advertisements...

As he looked through them, his gaze suddenly froze. He stared fixedly at the final file, waves crashing violently in his heart.

The final file did not list some famous scholar, nor did it name an executive from any corporation...

Written on the file was,

clearly,

Ron's name!