NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32: Assassin Class Mutation
Luke lay on the ground, staring up at the cavern's ceiling. Above him, the massive crystal embedded high in the rock began to glow softly—its artificial light simulating the slow rise of dawn. He didn't feel pain anymore. Every wound he'd suffered was gone. His body had fully healed when his race reached Level 4.
For a while, he couldn't believe what he had just done. Fifteen convicts. All dead. He had killed them. One kukri was still clutched in his right hand, blood clinging to the blade, dried and dark. Weeks ago, he wouldn't have believed himself capable of this. But the bodies scattered across the ruined village said otherwise.
Bones rattled. He turned his head just as Princess Charlie sprinted over to him, her skeletal frame moving with urgent energy. She began inspecting him, checking for injuries.
"I'm fine," he said, offering a faint smile. "I got healed... just like you."
The skeletal woman had been restored completely after reaching Race Level 2.
As the light filled the camp, the world slowly shifted from nightmare to a strange, quiet clarity. Luke stood, eyes falling on the statue at the center of the clearing.
"Stupid statue," he muttered under his breath.
He wasn't hungry. He wasn't tired. Even his stamina had been restored. His heart beat faster as he approached it. Everything he had done—every kill, every wound endured—had led to this moment.
Continuing his journey. Finding the tutorial. And one day… going home.
He dismissed the kukris, watching them dissolve back into his inventory, then pulled out the key.
A notification appeared.
[Would you like to activate the portal to the Tutorial?]
Luke chuckled. "Is that even a question?"
At the statue's base, a hidden keyhole revealed itself. He inserted the key and turned it.
A heavy clunk echoed through the air.
[Your item 'Statue Key' has been destroyed.]
The statue's arms began to shift, no longer pointing toward the dungeon entrances.
[Searching for available tutorials... please wait.]
Luke stood motionless, tension building in his chest. Princess Charlie stood beside him, silent and still.
[Matching difficulty... please continue waiting.]
[Estimated wait time: undefined.]
His breath hitched. He closed his eyes.
"I figured this would happen..."
He walked to a nearby boulder and sat down heavily.
There was a bitter taste in his mouth—disappointment. He had always known the odds were low. Finding a tutorial slot in this isolated system anomaly? Practically impossible. But he had clung to that sliver of hope anyway.
And now it was gone.
"It was all for nothing," he muttered, glancing at the corpses scattered around him.
Princess Charlie sat beside him and gently patted his shoulder. The gesture was awkward, but oddly comforting.
"At least we have a safe place now."
She nodded slowly.
He looked at the convicts' bodies again. He didn't feel guilt. They weren't good people. If they had lived, they would've only grown stronger, pushing past the limits of the training zone. Eventually, they'd have entered a tutorial next year. And people would've died.
He didn't want to think of himself as a hero because that wasn't the truth. He did it for himself. But even so, he had stopped something worse from happening. Especially with William. If that mage had kept leveling, Luke couldn't shake the feeling that one day he'd have turned into something far more dangerous than anyone imagined.
Could I become like that? Someone who kills just for the thrill?
He summoned his kukris again and looked down at them.
No. I wouldn't become like him.
He stared at William's corpse.
"I won't be like him. If I have to kill…" He lowered his gaze. "it'll be those who deserve it."
Luke opened his system interface.
A warning glowed at the top of the screen—
[Mutation in progress...]
He decided to ignore it for now. First, he needed to allocate his points.
Name: Luke
Level: 4
Rank: F
Class: [Assassin – Lvl 8]
Race: Half-Demon
Profession: –
Titles: [Dark Lord]
Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon]
Health Points (HP): 370 / 370
Mana Points (MP): 230 / 230
Stamina: 210 / 210
Soul Fragments: 13 / 1000
Stats:
Strength: 31
Agility: 41
Endurance: 21
Vitality: 37
Perception: 31
Free Points: 2
Soul Fragments?
Luke stared at the unfamiliar stat. Even after focusing, no tooltip or explanation appeared. But the number and the corpses around him... He opened the notification history and started counting.
Thirteen.
Exactly thirteen enemies he had personally killed.
Charlie had finished off one. William had taken another before dying.
So Soul Fragments came from kills. Real, lethal kills.
What happens at a thousand...?
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
He didn't want to find out.
Pushing the thought aside, Luke turned toward the camp and the forest beyond it. He knew he'd be stuck here for at least a year. And in that time, he had to grow stronger—not just for survival, but to prepare. The dungeon was still active. Creatures could escape. And he couldn't afford to be weak.
If I want the ones running the Tutorial to notice me... I'll have to prove I'm worth it.
He placed his two free stat points.
Updated Stats
Strength: 31 -> 32
Vitality: 37 -> 38
Free Points: 2 -> 0
Health Points (HP): 370/370 -> 380/380
"At least now I can equip those items that required Class or Race Level 8," he muttered, trying to focus on something positive.
Then he opened Princess Charlie's status screen.
Name: Princess Charlie
Level: 2
Rank: F
Class: [Warrior – Lvl 4]
Race: Skeleton
Title: [Servant of the Dark Lord]
Health Points (HP): 150/150
Mana Points (MP): 30/30
Stamina: 110/110
Stats:
Strength: 18
Agility: 10
Endurance: 11
Vitality: 15
Perception: 4
Intelligence: 3
Free Points: 2
He put one of her free stat points into Vitality and the other into Perception.
Updates Stats:
Vitality: 15 -> 16
Perception: 4 -> 5
Free Points: 2 -> 0
Health Points (HP): 150/150 -> 160/160
With a quiet sigh, Luke rose to his feet.
"Well, Princess Charlie… looks like it's just you and me in this place for the next year."
Then—
BOOM.
A thunderous roar shattered the stillness, splitting the night like a bolt of divine lightning. The ground trembled beneath it. Luke spun instinctively, eyes wide.
Beside the statue, a pillar of radiant light burst forth. It wasn't gentle or graceful—it surged upward like a geyser of magic, bright blue and wild, swirling in a chaotic spiral. Bolts of energy cracked within it, snapping like whips across the air. It was raw, unstable—a vortex of power torn open at the center of the floor.
[NOTICE: A TUTORIAL HAS BEEN FOUND!]
A wave of pure joy surged through Luke's chest.
"The portal... The damn portal!" he laughed, heart pounding with excitement.
Princess Charlie jumped up and down beside him, clapping her bony hands in celebration.
He approached the vortex, its swirl crackling with arcs of blue lightning.
A notification pinged.
**Upon entering the Tutorial, only items stored in your inventory will be brought with you. Anything not in your inventory will be left behind. This includes items, food, weapons you are holding, and even clothing.**
Luke blinked. "Wait… so if it's not in my inventory, I go in naked?"
A new alert popped up.
[An item has been added to your inventory.]
He opened his system and checked the new addition.
[Novice Adventurer's Outfit (Common)
Description: A basic starter kit for all rookie adventurers entering the Training Grounds. Includes a plain shirt, brown pants, sneakers, and yes—underwear. Even brave warriors deserve comfort. The pants are brown... for obvious reasons.]
Luke let out a dry laugh. "You've got to be kidding me. They give you underwear?"
He began unfastening his torn tunic.
"Better turn around, Princess."
Charlie quickly covered her face with both skeletal hands and spun around.
Luke tapped the item.
In an instant, a soft glow wrapped around his body. When the light faded, he felt clean fabric against his skin, soft shoes hugging his feet—even a surprisingly comfortable pair of boxers.
He glanced down. His clothes were whole. No tears, no blood.
"This is amazing."
In every fight, his clothes had ended up shredded. But just like his weapons, this outfit could be stored in the inventory—and repaired automatically over time.
No more fighting in rags.
He grinned. "And I can equip or remove it directly from the system... That's so damn cool."
Princess Charlie peeked over her shoulder, then nodded approvingly.
So this outfit is something everyone gets upon arriving at the Training Grounds... If I hadn't been thrown into this anomaly, I would've gotten this the moment I landed.
Charlie bent down to pick up her sword. She stared at it for a moment, then looked down—clearly reluctant to leave it behind.
"Don't worry," Luke said. "We'll get you a new weapon once we're inside."
He couldn't take the sword Princess Charlie was using, and he couldn't grab any of the items scattered around either, left behind by the criminals when they died. When someone dies, the system-linked items in their inventory disappear with them. Items that were outside the inventory, however, turn into ordinary objects and lose the ability to be stored again. That's why it was pointless for him to try collecting them, since he could only carry items that were already in his own inventory.
He turned to the portal.
His pulse quickened. His chest tightened—not from fear, but from something deeper.
Hope.
"Nervous?" he asked.
Charlie gave a small nod.
They stepped forward, feeling the pull of wind and energy.
Electric crackles echoed inside the vortex.
And then—
[NOTICE: Assassin Class Mutation has been completed.]
Luke froze mid-step.
A new window bloomed in front of him—one he hadn't seen since choosing his starting abilities.
A message pulsed in bold letters:
*The Assassin Class Has Mutated*
The class molds itself to its wielder, taking on different paths and forms depending on how it's used. Many factors can influence these changes, from equipment and awakened skills to race and bloodline. The possibilities are vast.
Choose wisely. By following one path, some doors will close. Future skills will be tied to this choice, shaping your destiny in an irreversible way. Think carefully before deciding.
Luke stared at the screen, his hand slowly tightening at his side. This wasn't just a level up. It was a turning point.
He read the message again. Then a third time.
This wasn't just a class choice. It was something deeper. Permanent.
He realized now—his base class had only been a starting point, a placeholder. This wasn't about picking a skill tree. It was about shaping his very identity as a fighter.
And more than that... it was alive. The class was responding to him. To how he fought. To what he wielded. To the bloodline burning inside his veins.
"Bloodline..." he muttered, his gaze narrowing.
He tapped to continue.
The interface pulsed—and three options unfolded before him, each with its own unique description.
Paths.
They were the assassin paths he could choose to follow.
Three assassin paths appeared before him. Luke was already surprised by the first one.
[Phantom Assassin]: A master of spectral energy, starting as a silent infiltrator with unmatched precision. Over time, the connection to the spirit realm deepens, allowing the user to phase through barriers, vanish at will, and strike with near-ethereal lethality. As the class evolves, the Phantom Assassin becomes intangible, untraceable—a ghost walking the line between the material and immaterial. Their victims rarely understand what hit them until it's far too late.
Attribute Bonuses per Class Level: +4 Perception, +3 Agility, +3 Intelligence, +2 Vitality, +2 Free Points
"Holy shit..."
Luke stared, stunned.
He had to read it twice to be sure.
Spectral powers?
This was far beyond just a name change. This evolution would shape every future class ability, adjust his stat growth, and open an entirely different set of skills. It was everything.
The stat bonuses alone were insane—more than the combined bonuses he'd been getting from both his base class and his race. A jump in power that could completely change his limits.
His hands trembled—not from fear, but from anticipation. But he forced himself to stay focused.
There were two more. He moved to the second option.
[Shadow Assassin]: A killer who manipulates shadows as extensions of their own body. At first, they lurk within darkness, striking with deadly precision. As the class develops, their bond with the shadows intensifies—allowing them to meld fully into the dark, becoming nearly invisible. Eventually, the Shadow Assassin becomes a relentless hunter: a whisper of death, a phantom presence that leaves behind only silence and fear.
Attribute Bonuses per Class Level: +4 Agility, +3 Perception, +3 Intelligence, +2 Vitality, +2 Free Points
Luke's eyes widened again.
"Shadow powers..."
He imagined it. Hiding in the darkness. Becoming part of it. Striking from within it.
It was perfect.
But... maybe limited?
It probably only reaches its full potential in low-light environments, he thought.
Still, it was damn close to ideal—a deadly toolkit that fit his style, and even enhanced it. Two options, both incredible.
And then he scrolled to the third.
His breath caught. Eyes widened. And everything changed.