Chapter 26: The True Purpose of the Black Book
As a mid-stage first-tier warrior, Muen’s strength did not bring him enough sense of security. Just like when facing assassins before, besides enabling him to quickly run away while shielding Selicia from the knife, it was practically useless.
“The protagonist’s strength in terms of martial arts should only be at the mid-stage of the first tier.”
“But she can use magic! She has divine blessings! And various items!”
“Nowadays, if she encounters a pure magician or a pure warrior, even a two-tier difference might not pose much of a problem!”
With these thoughts in mind, Muen increasingly felt the vast gap between himself and the protagonist, Eleanor.
“In the original book, Muen Campbell was able to wield influence over the protagonist solely due to his noble status for the twenty chapters he remained alive!”
…
After some thought, Muen added one last line to the paper, following ‘getting stronger’.
→ Be able to protect myself against the protagonist Eleanor.
“That’s my ultimate goal for now.”
“Muen didn’t believe he could surpass Eleanor, so he settled for second best. Since he couldn’t reconcile the conflict with the protagonist for now, he aimed to at least be able to face her retaliation without losing his life.”
But achieving just this was extremely difficult.
Because having read the original book, he knew exactly what kind of character the protagonist Eleanor was.
After all, as the protagonist of the Feng Autian novel, if he’s not a bit badass, how can he be so proud?
“The usual methods definitely won’t work, I must have other means!”
…
…
Muen once again took out the Black Book.
Because after thinking it over, the only thing that could possibly become his “cheat” was this book, which usually only automatically wrote diaries for him and occasionally gave him unreliable precognitive dreams.
And Muen also once again discovered some of its unusual aspects.
“Before, the assassin obtained the dark flame through sacrifice, even if that dress was a powerful defensive magic device, it wouldn’t have been able to withstand it! You must have done something!”
Muen rubbed the mysterious black book and muttered softly.
“And, at that time, I did feel your abnormality.”
“If you have any other functions, please show them now!”
Muen once again opened the black book.
The black book was no longer like the first time he opened it, with blank pages, but instead densely recorded Muen’s experiences. Since he obtained the black book, every detail, even the incident with Selicia, was recorded in great detail.
“Damn, why does it feel like reading a dirty book, but a dirty book with myself as the protagonist.”
Muen cursed under his breath and skipped over that part of the plot.
Then he finally noticed something different.
“The words here are in red.”
“What’s going on? Where am I?”
Muen stood up from the ground, his face filled with confusion.
He had been in his own room just a moment ago, but now he found himself in an unfamiliar place.
It was all dark around him; he couldn’t see anything.
“No, it’s not darkness.”
Muen lowered his head, looking at his hands.
He could see himself, which meant it wasn’t dark around him.
The illusion of darkness came from the fact that the background here was black.
Black walls, black floor, black ceiling.
The boundaries between them were indistinguishable, like standing in a fog.
“Could it be that this is the space within the black book?”
“But what’s the use of it? Is it like a storage room?”
As Muen pondered this, he suddenly heard a strange sound.
Tap.
It sounded like the footsteps of a maid in the Duke’s house walking on the marble floor in her leather shoes.
Muen lifted his head.
Unconsciously, he widened his eyes, revealing a look of horror.
Because not far from him, someone was approaching.
Someone dressed as a maid.
It was clear, the uniform was that of the maid from the Duke’s house, so even the footsteps sounded identical.
But the problem was, the maid’s face…
It was the assassin.
“How… you’re supposed to be dead?”
And why was she here?
The assassin didn’t answer.
She just lifted her face, revealing eyes as cold as machinery.
A sudden chill ran through Muen’s heart.
But before he could react, he felt a blur before his eyes.
The assassin disappeared.
The assassin reappeared.
Just like when she attempted to assassinate Selicia, in an instant, she mysteriously crossed the distance between them.
Then… a glint of cold light flashed.
Muen felt a chill on his neck.
The world spun around him.
The last thing Muen saw was the bloodied dagger in the assassin’s hand, and… a headless body.
“What the heck!”
Muen jolted awake from his desk.
His sudden movement caused him to accidentally knock over the chair, sending him tumbling to the ground.
But he paid no attention to the slight pain; instead, his hands frantically searched around his neck.
“Thank goodness, thank goodness, my head is still there.”
Muen breathed a sigh of relief.
He almost thought he’d really lost it again.
“That… was that just another dream?”
No, that couldn’t be right. It wasn’t a dream.
The sensation of death still lingered on Muen’s neck, far too real to be a dream.
Muen got up and looked at the black book again.
The black book remained in its place, the two crimson words “assassin” standing out prominently, exuding an inexplicable allure.
“Could it be…”
Muen suddenly had a conjecture.
But confirming this conjecture required action.
So he reached out his hand again, intending to touch the red words.
However, his hand trembled slightly.
Even though the previous experience was painless due to its speed, the taste of death was not something easy to endure.
“Damn it, I’ve died more than once or twice, what am I afraid of?”
Muen suddenly became determined and forcefully pressed down his trembling hand.
…
In the black space, just like before, the assassin clad in maid attire stood there.
Appearance, actions, expressions, even strength, were all identical to Muen’s memory, without any difference.
But her demeanor was cold, not like that of a living person.
“Indeed, she isn’t the actual assassin, but a construct created by the black book, just like those records of mine.”
“This record is more detailed, more real, you could even say… it’s almost no different from the actual person!”
Looking at the assassin, Muen seemed to understand everything, a slightly sick excitement creeping onto his face.
“It seems I understand the true purpose of the black book.”
assassin must be his trainer or protector ?