181 Number One Of The Assassin Class

Out of the many majors and different specializations offered at Zrudread University, the assassination class was the one with the highest number of dropouts.

Unlike sword cultivators with their impressive moves, poison cultivators with their noxious fumes, mages with their spells or mech controllers with their gigantic machines

…. assassins were not flashy.

Emphasis was placed on stealth, tracking, misdirection and killing techniques that eliminated targets with one swift strike.

Some thrived in this type of environment while others could not handle the boring monotony of training. 

But for those who graduated, they were all but guaranteed spots in the Imperial Army as scouts were in high demand.

Battles could be won or lost before they even started. 

A good scout in a squad was often the difference between life and death on the battlefield.

Due to the inherent risk of this position and the casualty rate being quite high, it was rare to see the son or daughter of a noble house choosing the assassin major.

But of course, there were always exceptions…. 

(Qiana's POV)

Concentrate.

Focus.

The most important trait of an assassin is patience. 

The patience to wait hours or even days for that one opportunity. 

That singular moment.

You must not even breathe. 

You must not even think. 

Qiana closed her eyes and felt the familiar quiet of the silent world. It was in these moments that she truly felt at peace.

No noise. 

No distractions.

No emotions.

Just the cold steel of the dagger gripped tightly in her palm.

House Abazin were a noble family of diplomats in the light….

And murderers in the dark.

They were far from the most powerful cultivators in the Federation but were certainly some of the deadliest.

What was the use of a man possessing great strength when a hidden blade slashes his throat?

Or he experiences the sweet taste of poison in his wine.

Qiana's ears tilted ever so slightly as she sensed movement coming from the bushes to her right. 

It was time.

Lightning Transmission!

Small electromagnetic signals pulsed outwards from Qiana's body and entered the minds of the surrounding students.

This was a special technique created by the ancestors of house Abazin that allowed the wielder to modify the electric signals sent to the brain of their victims.

These signals would create false images in the minds of the victims.

Qiana lightly moved along the forest floor and tapped her knife gently against the necks of the nearby students as she passed by.

She made sure not to cause any injuries by using the back side of the blade.

Despite the cautious looks and wary attitudes by the students scanning the forest closely, Qiana simply walked straight through their line of sight without fear.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four...

Qiana kept a mental tally of her victims and it only took around fifteen minutes for her to track down all twenty students in the class.

As she tapped her knife against the neck of a Servie girl hovering in the air, the loud voice of the class instructor broke the silence.

"Time is up!"

Qiana cancelled her technique and the Servie girl was shocked to see a black-haired girl with glasses appear seemingly out of thin air.

"Good work today Qiana," Professor Aegon cheerfully slammed his pincers together to make a clapping motion.

Professor Aegon was a short creature only two feet in height and hailed from a small planet in the outer regions.

His skin appeared thin, but it was very strong with fiery red scales that covered his body. 

He would walk with a limp from a previous injury and mainly used his thick pincers to aid his movement.

Qiana held great respect for the man as her overreliance on her family's technique had been a glaring weakness that she had not recognised.

She could still vividly recall the first day of class when Professor Aegon had directed them to play a game of hide and seek with him as the catcher.

Naturally Qiana used the Lightning Transmission technique and climbed up a nearby tree to do some reading.

But… it turns out that her instructor's species did not have an electric nervous system…. 

So, she failed that exercise. 

It had been a hard lesson about the dangers of overconfidence and in the subsequent weeks, Qiana had attended every single optional lecture and office hours of the professor to hone her skills.

Due to her hard work and efforts, she was now firmly recognised as the top student from those who chose the assassin major.

"And for the rest of you…. I hope that this will serve as a wake-up call," Professor Aegon stared at the other students with a fierce gaze and then dismissed the class.

Qiana could feel the stares of envy, admiration and jealousy from the students being directed at her but she paid them no mind.

'Daddy Emperor Punishes The Prince Part Two- The Royal Pounding' had just released but the author was not updating the book regularly.

Absentmindedly she sent a few messages to Astrid using her communicator but received no response.

Apparently Archmage Hollystorm had found out that midterm season was approaching and planned to give Astrid additional exams on top of the regular ones from the university.

Poor Astrid had been forced to study relentlessly as her cold-hearted instructor did not allow her to leave his magic tower until she understood the basic principals behind spatial magic. 

On another note, Qiana had yet to confess her feelings towards Astrid as every opportune moment seemed to pass by without her working up the courage.

Spending the last few weeks with Astrid and her family had just caused her emotions to intensify but somehow talking to the Mendolesa girl directly about her love was impossible.

Who knew that three simple words would be so fucking difficult to say.

Qiana sighed heavily and decided to just head back to the house to spent the rest of the day studying or watching dramas.

Maybe she would invite Sophie and Cleo to come over and watch some dramas on the virtual net with her.

Qiana's musing was interrupted by a soft voice calling out from behind her,

"Hey."

"Do you want to join our study group?"