Chapter 8: Volume 1.7 Black Joker (1)
I carefully move the frail... Ah no. He was not a frail man. If he were that frail, he would not jump to save me.
"You evolved now to My Hero heh."
Yep, I know that was cringy. With lots of hearts popping up. Brrr...
I carefully placed him to the side so I could stand up. I touched his neck to check his pulse and sighed that he was still alive.
However, he needed immediate medications or he would die of blood loss. And I couldn't do that right now since I know even if I ran, escaping from the executioner and head of assassins was a pipe dream to have. "You need to hang on for a while."
"Sadly I don't have any card to give you, Miss maid," I said as I pointed my sword towards her.
Out of all the characters in the game, she was the fourth-strongest among them and the craziest one at that. No, actually if you think about it, most of them were all crazy.
Honestly, she was one of the characters that I hated in the game. Though her backstory was tragic. But that doesn't mean I would accept her actions.
Something like she was sold by her drunkard parents and became a slave. Before she became an assassin, she went through many tortures and abuse by her previous owners, making her twisted and psychotic. But why did I despise her that much given this dreadful backstory?
She was the sort of person who would murder the elderly and children. In the sixth event, she got separated from the female lead and burnt down an entire house with surviving elderly. I vividly recall the cries of the burning children and elders. It made me sick since I had younger siblings and wonderful grandparents. When the female lead discovered this, she raged at Irene and grieved over how she could do such a terrible thing.
Her response was that they would only become a hindrance to them, thus they should vanish. When I initially played that segment, and even after many times, it was so upsetting that I always skipped the narrative part. That was probably the part I despised the most. I even used my avatar character to beat her with my sword in the hopes that she would vanish, but all I got was a constant response of 'ouch,' or 'what's your problem?' She was still very much alive. I tried to comprehend that she was this way due to her horrible history, but I couldn't really sympathize with her acts.
'How unfortunate for you to be dragged with my misfortunes.' I gave a sideways glance to the unconscious man and then back to Irene as I pointed my sword at her. 'Hah, but I will not die that easily either. If ever, it will be in everyone's best interest if she disappeared earlier in the game.'
"Sadly I don't have any card to give you, Ms. Maid," I repeated. "Can you let us go?"
"You are pointing your sword against me. Do you know what it means?" Amusement flickered in her eyes. "If I attack you right now, are you going to fight back at me?" Irene tilted her head thinking deeply.
'The mobs, my sisters, and my survival are at high risk if she stays alive.'
I simply grinned. "Fight back? Why will I waste my time fighting a useless and lowly maid like you."
I could feel the sudden chill in the air as Irene's smile grew sinister. Her eyes flickered with madness.
"Useless you say?"
Like me who had the inferiority of being called a burden. Irene hated to be called useless. Because that was the word that those scum owners who bought her before, always yelled at her. It all happened in a quick second, as she appeared in front of me. That was not teleportation but that was how fast she moves.
I blocked my sword as she plunged both her daggers into me. The sounds of the bells rang. I tried to sneak a kick, however, she simply evaded it. Then she hammered her daggers again and all I could do was block her. All her blows were decisive, heavy, and deadly. But then she leaped a meter away from me which made me confused.
At the same time, my gaze shifted when I felt I almost stepped into something rather than someone. It was that man. 'Ah, this is ridiculously hard mode. I need to get out of here or he might get inflicted more.'
"AHHH!" I was startled when Irene suddenly screamed. "I hate you! I hate you! Just die already!"
Hah. I couldn't help but grin. She surely loved to crazily scream just like the game. Her ear-piercing voice was always annoying. That I needed to lower the volume of my earphones, or my eardrums would explode.
I stepped back slowly. Seeing that I made a move, "Are you planning to escape now?"
"Yes!" I screamed back as I turned my back towards her. "Sadly I don't want to die!" I ran heading to the hallways leading to my destination.
"Great! Entertain me more! Before I kill you, hahaha!" Irene's expression turned dark. "Or else, it will be just the same boring thing."
Crap, the shivers from that are killing me! Now entertain you? I thought you wanted to kill me right away just a while ago. However did she stepped back because she wanted to let me ran away first? Then if that was the case was good opportunity this was.
I glanced back only to see the daggers flying toward me, I immediately yanked it away with the sword.
Then a second one which was so close to hitting my stomach.
'Crap!' I twisted both my arms backward to thwart the second dagger. It grazed the side of the right side of my stomach.
Hah, the first dagger was heading towards me, I hastened my pace and it hit the ground.
Ran. Ran. Ran.
She sure doesn't want to give me a moment to rest.
"I don't really have the card, can you just let me go?!" I asked.
"Sadly once I set out for a target, only death awaits them. So please don't die too early!"
Ah, her favorite lines.
The second prince, and now the executioner maid, I wouldn't even be surprised anymore if some zombie appeared in front of me. Ah no, that would be too surprising, there were no zombies here, just undead or phantom.
Compared to the second prince, who has the female lead as his weakness and strived to protect her. Irene has simply one motto in life, kill her targets, no matter what. She was like a psychopathic and robotic maid who would not stop at anything.
And the lucky person who got on her target list was no other than me. What am I even thinking? Provoking her like this? Because that guy saved me? That is why I am stupidly risking my life like this?
But seriously, a character like her, would not only be a danger to me as well but to Veronica and Melissa if they crossed paths in other events as well. She was only tamed by the female lead during the fourth event, where the female lead save her life. And telling her motivational phrases about how life was important.
Yeah right, that would certainly motivate an assassin not to kill anymore.
The funny thing was this was her weakest point right now. Since the event was just starting.
'The weakest, hahaha,' If she remained alive in the same quests, there was no guarantee that I would be alive that time since I became her target.
Now it comes to this, this was the best time, if I defeated her.
I glanced ahead and there was a single right turn remaining. If I reached that, I would be able to reach the tower now, the way to the highest part of the castle.
Just a bit more, a few more...
The daggers hit the walls as I turned around. Creating shattering cracks to it as its debris flew off. I could finally see the door that would lead to the highest part of this palace.
I entered it without a moment of delay and used the scabbard of the sword to lock the door.
The daggers pierced through the door.
"Do you think this will stop me? I will soon have you, little mouse."
More holes started to build up in the door. Without a moment of delay, I immediately climbed the spiral stairs heading to the very top of the tower. It was completely dark and I don't know how many times I tripped just to climb. After a few quick seconds of my life, I finally reached another door, the door that would lead to the uppermost place in the palace. Just before I could hold the handle, I heard the loud sound of something that exploded from the lower stairs.
"Little Mouse, I'm here!" Fits of laughter echoed through the staircase.
Those peals of laughter would surely give me nightmares for days.
I quickly entered the room and pushed the two heavy barrels that were on its side to block the door.
*Gasp.* I was panting real hard.
But when I turned around, I felt my breath almost take away from me. The view was rather beautiful, not looking very otherworldly. A huge golden bell was in the middle, and all of the railings were covered with a raging fire. The roof was painted in the color of the universe as if I had stepped into another dimension.
〔•System• You have entered a hidden event]
The phantom of the black joker.
Class: SS 〕
Dark shadows started rising from the ground and surrounded the golden bell. They had glistening red eyes and were creepily looking at me.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
I flinched when the door behind me was being hammered simultaneously as well.
"Little mouse, I'm finally here." The creepy laughter of Irene echoed behind the door.
I felt shivers run through my spine. I brought out the dagger that was with me.
〔•System• Hidden Event: The Phantom of the Black Joker
Mission: Slay the Shadows 0/100
Event Time: 1hr:00:00〕
***
[Main Event Time: 18hrs: 29 mins: 15 secs]
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone