I was choking. He was squeezing my neck so tightly that I could feel my neck bones cracking. Oxygen wasn't reaching my brain and this sensation was, in a word, thats sick. I was like a fish in ground and I could see the assassin with face covered by black cloths, empty stare. But this would only last for a few more seconds because I could feel my eyesight fading.
I was going to die. I really was going to die. I had never been so close to death before. Death had never seemed so frightening to me. Not even that car accident, which had caused my previous life to end, was this scary. Faint memories from my previous life started to come to mind.
In my previous life, I had regrets.
My family relationship wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I had friends but no true friends. I had liked some people but I hadn't fallen in love.
All of this may seem simple and normal but when everything piles up, even the lightest feather becomes dangerously heavy. I thought I had enough time to enjoy life, procrastinated following my dreams and tried not to let these burdens matter when living the moment. Maybe I was afraid they would become even heavier burdens but how heavy could something I carried willingly be?
I realized that delaying the reasons for reincarnation didn't mean I had changed but I still couldn't admit this to myself. Being this close to death exposes the harsh truths you try to avoid, one by one.
I would never have another chance like this.
I would never have a family, friends, or a lover again. At that moment, memories of my current life flashed through my mind.
I couldn't give up.
In that instant, a dagger appeared in my hand. This was the dagger Rona had used to try to kill me and I had to wound the assassin who was trying to kill me with it.
I gripped the dagger tightly in my left hand, then drove it deep into the area of the assassin's right kidney.
No sound was heard but I could see the pain reflected in his eyes. His grip on my neck had loosened, even just a little but that was enough for me. Oxygen rushed into my brain and I shouted with all my might.
"ARRRGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
I couldn't hear didn't matter to me at all. I would scream because I wanted to scream and I would live because I wanted to live. After the assassin's initial loosening of his grip, it started squeezing my neck even tighter. I kept turning the dagger in the same spot where it was embedded, trying to increase the pain and weaken his grip further. When that happened, I pulled the dagger out from where it was lodged and stabbed him again in the same spot. Then again, and again, and again. I could see the sweat on the assassin's face. It didn't want to let go, but the pain was unbearable. As soon as his grip truly loosened, I headbutted. The assassin staggered backward and started clutching his nose. Just like against Rona, I broke assassin's nose.
The assassin was looking at his wound, seemingly trying to understand what was happening to his body right now. The fact that the poison from Rona's dagger was still lingering was truly wonderful. I needed everything that could weaken the assassin. I had to seize the opportunity and drive my axe into his head. I could be the first to stand up but the assassin, with his clever move, delivered a sweeping kick while I was on the ground. The kick landed exactly where my achilles tendon was, forcing me to kneel. The assassin didn't even bother to stand up. He must have realized that someone as stubborn as me needed to die quickly. Suddenly, it pulled out a small but deadly stiletto and aimed it at my neck.
In response to this move, I offered another target. My left shoulder. I would prefer the stiletto to pierce my shoulder rather than my neck. The dagger easily pierced into my shoulder and was lodged halfway. I let out a scream but as you might guess, I couldn't hear it. I pushed him away to prevent him from coming closer and then got up. Limping, I managed to reach the upper floor.
I was still limping on the third floor of the dormitory. I had four fresh wounds on my body. Due to the bleeding from these wounds, I couldn't hide anywhere. Whether I got help or not, I was going to kill that bastard somehow. I had some thoughts about how to make talk but I no longer cared about them. I couldn't accept mediocre anymore. I no longer built an ideal of a indifferent life. I no longer cared about the reasons for reincarnation.
I genuinely wanted to live in this world now.
I knocked on the doors. No sound came. I tried to open them but they were locked. I knew I was about to be cornered again. I had no choice but to resort to magic.
So far, I had shaped my magic efforts around fire and water. I had to make someone feel my magic and see what was happening. Assassins naturally tend to avoid fighting large groups. Instead of attacking a target guarded by a flesh shield, I hoped they would retreat from there.
I had an my axe in my right hand and a fireball in my left. The moment my instincts alarmed me, I threw the fireball. It hit the door of a room but the door didn't catch fire. All buildings in the Academy area were designed to be incredibly resistant to damage, both inside and out. Thanks to the light emitted by the fireball, I sensed a shadow passing through from there. Then, another fireball formed in my hand and I threw it toward the ceiling. Then, I threw one at a wall. I was trying to locate the assassin by randomly throwing fireballs around. For such good stealth abilities, it either had to have class abilities activated or was using magic.
But using it magic would reveal it identity. The security systems within the city detect who is using magic based on their identities and they always send someone to control the situation. My use of magic must have triggered the appropriate alarm to the authorities. Up until this point, my not using magic was not due to stupidity. Due to the strict security protocol, magic use is really rare and no matter how smart you are, it doesn't occur to you to use magic during a dangerous moment. This applied to me as well and using my magic was only something that had just crossed my mind.
However, there was no doubt that the assassin's stealth ability was a class skill. As for blocking sounds, that was a different matter. Even though I didn't seem able to solve these issues at the moment, I had to endure this assassination attempt a little longer. Since I started using my magic, someone would come sooner or later. If the assassin wanted to finish my job quickly, it would need to act more directly and aggressively.
This line of thinking seemed correct. The assassin really appeared to be angry and the lethality of his attacks was increasing with each second. Despite this, his movements had started to become noticeably more familiar. To avoid his high level of speed, I had to act before it made an attack. The assassin's attacks might seem familiar in shape but the deadly intent behind these attacks was dangerous.
That's why I stopped using fire magic and instead created a swirling gust of wind around myself. To understand the changes in the wind flow, I had to keep my concentration intact. This way, I was able to avoid the assassin's attacks.
But I was exhausted. As a consequence of starting to use my magic again, my condition had severely deteriorated. If I showed even the slightest lapse in concentration, I would be done for. The assassin's anger had also intensified significantly.
I had an my axe in my right hand and a dagger in my left. While continuing to evade his attacks by analyzing the changes in the wind flow, I felt hardness on my back. Panic started to again circulate through my body. I was so focused on dodging the attacks that I was slow to react to the attack when I realized my back was against the wall.
The assassin's sword had been driven slightly to the right of the previously punctured spot, that is, near my gall bladder. That was my fifth and worst injury.
This was truly my worst night.