Daily Rewards! Transmigrating into a novel as a side-character!

Hearing the bone chilling chuckle, Knight's Wrath immediately appeared in my hands as my eyes darted toward the source of that mocking chuckle.

A figure slowly emerged from behind the trees, walking casually with a dagger gleaming in his grip and a black mask concealing his face.

My guards immediately formed a protective formation around me, their weapons drawn as they scanned for additional threats. Their instincts proved correct, as more enemies slowly began appearing from the surrounding forest.

Nearly ten people materialized from concealment. Two radiated the unmistakable aura of Transcendent rank, while the rest seemed to be Elite-rank awakeners.

This was a formidable force anywhere in the kingdom. Whoever had sent them was clearly targeting our family specifically, and they possessed resources that few organizations could muster.

"Well, well, the young Duke's son, out for a pleasant stroll with only two guards. How… convenient."

One of my guards stepped forward slightly. "You're making a grave mistake. Attack the heir of House Blackwood, and Duke Marcus will hunt you to the ends of the continent."

The leader laughed coldly. "Duke Marcus will be too busy mourning his dead son to hunt anyone. Besides, accidents happen in dangerous forests all the time."

"Quit the useless talking, you aren't normal bandits. Who sent you?"

"Oh? The notorious young master seems to be in such a hurry. Does it matter who sent us? You won't live long enough to report back anyway. Haha."

A frown formed on my face, as the Transcendent-rank enemies began closing the circle around us.

"Lex and I will hold the two guards. As for the rest of you, deal with the kid. Be careful and don't underestimate him, he isn't weak. Also, make sure that he stays alive, is that understood?" the leader ordered.

"Yes boss!" The elite-rank awakeners shouted in unison, as a grin formed on the faces of many.

My guards tightened their formation, but ten opponents including two Transcendent made this nearly impossible odds...at least in their eyes.

One of my guards frowned and whispered urgently, "Young Master, we'll create an opening for you. Take the chance to escape, we'll delay them as long as possible."

The other nodded grimly in agreement. They understood this would be a brutal fight with uncertain survival odds.

I smiled calmly and replied, "Relax. They're merely two Transcendent beings and some Elite-rank fodder. Nothing worth stressing over."

My guards looked visibly shocked, probably thinking fear had addled my judgment. Before they could voice their concerns, the two Transcendent attackers launched their assault, forcing my protectors to engage defensively.

I activated my Blood Control trait, feeling the familiar surge of enhanced circulation flooding my system with power. My Transcendent-rank Silent Predator aspect remained ready as a trump card, while my Transcendent-rank Echo abilities waited to be unleashed.

The Elite-rank enemies approached with confident strides, clearly expecting me to be an easy capture.

I raised Knight's Wrath, its Rare-rank enchantments brimming with power as I prepared to deal with eight elite-rank assassins.

The eight Elite-rank awakeners smirked and chuckled as they closed the distance between the both of us.

"Just give up now, pretty boy, surrender peacefully and we won't have to mess up that handsome face of yours." One of them called out mockingly.

I couldn't help but respond with equal mockery. "Funny hearing about faces from people hiding behind masks. What's the matter? Are your faces so ugly that even your mothers couldn't love them?"

The laughter stopped abruptly. The assassin in question visibly tensed, his relaxed posture shifting to that of anger.

I had clearly struck a sensitive nerve.

"You little bastard! I'll teach you some respect!"

He broke formation and charged directly at me, his weapon raised aggressively. His companions called out warnings about maintaining their strategy, but his anger had clouded his judgement.

I shifted into a defensive stance with Knight's Wrath, letting him close the distance while I prepared my counterattack. His rage had made him predictable, and predictable enemies were easy to exploit.

The solo attacker's blade came down in a powerful overhead strike, putting his full Elite-rank strength behind the blow.

"Take this!"

The assassin wasn't worried about hurting me, clearly he knew that I wouldn't be weak enough to not hold it.

Which begged the question, how did they know that I wasn't weak?

The only possibly reason I could think of was the academy. Clearly, they had gotten some information from the academy about my capability and power. Thankfully, they didn't know my full capability.

I sidestepped at the last moment, letting his momentum carry him directly into my blade's path. Our eyes met for a split second as his body aligned perfectly with my strike position.

Without hesitation, I drove Knight's Wrath forward with devastating accuracy. The Rare-rank blade, enhanced by my Blood Control and superior positioning, severed his neck cleanly in a single motion.

Thud!

His head dropped to the forest floor with a wet impact. The headless body stood for a moment before collapsing, releasing a fountain of crimson that soaked the earth beneath us.

I turned calmly to face the remaining seven assassins, who had frozen in complete shock.

The confidence that had marked their approach moments before evaporated entirely. They stared at their fallen comrade, then at me, clearly struggling to process what had just occurred.

"Impossible," one whispered. "He's just Elite rank...he shouldn't be killing him so quickly."

The reality of their situation was beginning to dawn on them. Blood dripped steadily from Knight's Wrath as I held it ready, my eyes tracking each of their movements.

One of the remaining assassins pointed directly at Knight's Wrath, his eyes squinting as he studied the weapon more carefully.

"Wait, that sword... it's not ordinary. Look at the craftsmanship,"

Another assassin leaned forward, trying to get a better view. "You're right. That's no Enhanced-rank weapon. The aura it's giving off..."

"It's a Rare-rank sword!" the first one exclaimed, his voice mixing fear with disbelief. "An academy with access to Rare-rank equipment...being the duke's son surely has merit."