The Author's POV

They say humans were adaptable creatures.

Presented with an external scenario that changed their behavioral pattern or ways of life, humans were creatures that were able to adapt to the new changes presented to them.

Compared to the other races, humans didn't have anything in particular that stood out for them.

Dwarves were smart, Elves had a high affinity with mana, and orcs had strong constitutions.

...humans had none of that.

They didn't have the dwarves' intelligence, the elves' strong affinity with mana, nor did they have physiques as strong as the orcs.

They were merely a bunch of evolved primates in the eyes of the three races.

...yet, after around 70 years, to the surprise of the three races, humanity had almost caught up with them.

Though they weren't particularly outstanding in a single area, after adapting to the new changes around them, they were able to swiftly become a powerhouse that could comfortably defend their territory from the likes of demons and the other races.

It all came down to how they were able to adapt to the changes presented before them.

They didn't need to be the smartest. They didn't need to have a high affinity to mana, nor did they need to have strong constitutions like the orcs.

Though they wouldn't come close to the level of orcs, elves, and dwarves, humans were able to control mana, have strong physiques, and come up with new technology and theories that further increased their knowledge.

...adaptability.

Though it sounded dull, it was probably what made humans so scary...

Sitting in front of a cafè, sipping on some iced lattè whilst listening to my mp3, I looked outside the window.

Two days have passed since I had been assigned the mission by the academy.

Surprise, surprise, Kevin completed it on the same night as he got his mission assigned.

Show off...

Jokes aside, past the first day, most people had already completed their missions.

A couple of students got injured and some even nearly died, but due to some sheer luck, no one died.

Though I could've been like them and done the task on the first day, I decided against doing so.

There was a reason for my action.

For one, completing the task so fast would definitely arouse suspicion from the professors, and two...I just needed some time to sort my state of mind.

It's been about two months since I had reincarnated into my late novel, and despite having seen all sorts of terrible things, I still couldn't quite grasp the concept of death.

I've sort of forced myself to not think about it, even after I killed Elijah back in the after-party, I wasn't affected much due to the effects of [Monarch's indifference].

But that was merely a way for me to cope.

In order to cope, I lied to myself into making myself think that the person who killed Elijah wasn't me, but another version of me that was under the effect of [Monarch's indifference].

I knew this wasn't good for me, but if I didn't do so, my mentality would've long crumbled.

Biting the top of my latte' cup, I looked at the foremost notification on my phone.

[Time left until mission expires : 01D : 02H : 17M : 24S]

...Now, I was once again presented with a scenario where I had to kill someone.

My first thought when I got the mission was...let's use [Monarch's indifference].

If I used that skill, I wouldn't have to worry about having nightmares for a week.

However, after a bit of thinking, I decided against doing so.

...I needed to get used to death.

I needed to acknowledge the fact that I was no longer on earth...but inside of my novel where the morals were completely different from the world I used to live in.

It was hard.

It was very hard.

Though I've tried multiple times already, the morals that had been engraved in me for 32 years of my life couldn't just be thrown away in the drain as I wished.

It just wasn't possible...but that didn't mean this couldn't change in the future.

Though I may not be able to get used to killing immediately, there will eventually come a time where I would finally be indifferent towards killing.

Though it was going to be hard, it wasn't impossible. All I needed to do was...

Adapt.

-Plap!

Placing my now empty latte' down, I stood up and left the cafe'

Resolutely looking at the counting timer on my phone, I headed back towards the mansion so that I could get all preparations done

Today I would try to consciously kill without the aid of [Monarch's indifference]

Though I knew this day would eventually come, it didn't stop me from feeling a hint of anxiety creep into my heart.

Killing without the aid of anything.

That was my resolve.

...

10 P.M

Outside a venue filled with people, I stood on top of the opposite building quietly scouting the perimeter of the venue.

Inside of the venue I was looking at, a masquerade party was being held.

People wearing masks dancing and chatting could be seen everywhere. This was quite inconvenient for me as I had a hard time finding my target because of this.

The masquerade party was a celebratory party in commemoration of the building's opening.

The host of the party was...my current target, Karl zar.

According to the files I had been sent, my target was the head of a minor drug organization that sold and traded potent drugs into Hollberg.

Despite the fact that the organization he controlled was small, he earned a hefty amount of money.

Enough to afford a whole building...

The building he just bought was merely a building he had bought so that he could show off his wealth to the others, and it was one of the many other properties he owned.

After looking carefully, I was finally able to spot my target

Despite the fact that everyone was wearing a mask, my target was surprisingly easy to spot

Wearing a gold mask that only covered his eyes, Karl had a group of people following him.

...they were probably his bodyguards.

Frowning slightly, I thought something was strange.

...he was being too obvious.

Despite this being a masquerade party, he didn't try to hide who he was.

If he wasn't as obvious, I would've probably have had a harder time spotting him.

'Maybe he caught wind of what was happening these past few days?'

I thought as I looked at it from a different perspective.

If so, it made sense.

I mean who wouldn't become more cautious after seeing a lot of big shots disappear in a matter of days.

He was currently living his days not knowing whether he would be one of those people that disappeared overnight.

I too would've become paranoid.

Looking at Karl's figure walking around to the venue accompanied by the many bodyguards, I measured the distance between us.

In terms of distance, I was probably about a couple hundred meters away.

Though it wasn't far, it was also not close.

I needed to kill him before he left for good.

If he managed to leave before I could kill him, I may not be able to find another good time to kill him.

In any case, my job today was simple. I just had to wait for my target to leave before killing him.

11 P.M.

The sun had already long set and what replaced it was the gentle moonlight that lit the surrounding streets.

The street lanterns brightly lit the streets of Hollberg as occasionally a few cars would drive by in the distance.

The masquerade was nearing its ending stages. Luxurious cars arrived at the venue one by one, and people adorned in fancy dresses and masks filled with strange patterns exited the building and entered the cars that soon drove into the distance.

As they left, the roaring sound of the car's engine could be heard not so far from where I was standing.

11:30 P.M.

A black limousine arrived in front of the party venue.

Soon, two people exited the building and made their way towards the limousine.

Seeing the two people leave the premises, I instantly became alert and prepared for what was to come.

My target Karl zar had finally left the venue.

Though I could've killed him while he was still at the venue, there was a high chance things were going to get troublesome if I were to kill him in front of everyone.

In the end, I could only wait for him to exit the building and attack then.

"…Hm."

Just as I was about to make my move I halted and looked at Karl.

Taking off his mask 'Karl's' figure suddenly morphed to the figure of a young man in his thirties.

Opening my eyes wide, abruptly turning my head left, I could see a black car speeding off in the distance

"Shit...I've been had!"

This guy was much more cations than I had anticipated.

After a lot of big-shots disappeared over the last two days, noticing that something was strange, Karl took no chances and heavily invested in security as well as methods to avoid being assassinated.

The guy who was pretending to be him was most likely wearing a top skin mask that lasted for a couple of hours, meaning that after the time was up the mask would no longer function.

Staring at the black car that was speeding off into the distance, a smirk appeared on my face.

His plan was honestly quite good...too bad he was currently being targeted by me.

Prior to coming here, I did a thorough investigation of the nearby areas.

I had memorized every single street in the nearby radius.

...and I knew exactly which road he was going to take.

Jumping off the building I was on, I softly landed on the ground and sped towards the distance. Turning left and right of a couple of buildings, I increased my pace even further...

It was a race against time.

Because his main house was in the opposite direction, I knew exactly which road he was going to take to get back home.

Though it may look like they shook me off, I already knew that our paths were bound to cross very soon.

"Let's see if you can really escape from my grasp...."