How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 24 - Graduation Ceremony (1)

“Is it over?”

“It’s over.”

The underground corridor fell into darkness. Above the fallen bodies, Denif’s resolute voice echoed through the familiar darkness.

Nevertheless, I used Winds to confirm our surroundings. It was to prevent any potential incidents.

There was no one alive inside the building.

“I’ve checked.”

As soon as I finished speaking, we turned on our magic-powered flashlights. Fallen bodies cluttered the underground corridor.

We used our feet to push people aside and checked their faces.

Because we had to see the deaths of our targets with our own eyes.

It took less than a minute to find a man with a large mole on his left cheek.

“Here he is.”

“Did you find him?”

Denif approached and examined his face. It was the man who engaged in human trafficking while running a loan shark business.

There was no sense of satisfaction.

“He’s worse than the recent ones we caught.”

If we don’t kill, we’ll be killed.

I had learned that lesson painfully over the past three years. Petty kindness and leniency invite threats to our lives.

Now, these moments were numbed by familiarity. Come to think of it, time flew by so quickly.

It had already been over three years since I came here.

Sixteen.

By this place’s standards, I had become an adult, with a height that had increased and a handsome face that remained unchanged.

“Now let’s clean up.”

I stepped outside the building with Denif.

Denif carried a drum of oil that we had prepared in the alley and went back inside the building.

It was the task of erasing the traces. Meanwhile, I climbed up the wall and onto the roof.

I focused on my magic power and expanded my Winds.

Since we had already killed the men who held the slums in their grip, I wasn’t too worried.

I had also prevented any screams from escaping, and even if they did, how many people would come investigating?

As expected, the slums in the early morning were quiet. But I remained vigilant.

While maintaining my concentration, I took a handkerchief out of my pocket. I intended to wipe away the blood on my body at least a little.

‘It always bothers me.’

I had gotten used to the work, but this mysophobia never became familiar.

Some time passed, and Denif walked out of the door.

The smell of oil wafted through my nose. When I went closer to check, the smell was even stronger on his body.

I scowled in disapproval.

“You got it on your body again?”

“This is weird. It seems to be leaking a bit.”

“The drum is weird. Did it get into your body again?”

“No, it didn’t. It’s true.”

Denif widened his eyes and raised both hands in defense when I glared at him.

“Step back.”

There was a chance I could catch fire for no reason if I stood too close.

Denif would handle it on his own, but we always had to act safely.

I lit a match and threw it into the building.

Whoosh! The small spark instantly turned into a massive blaze and rushed into the building.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Following the predetermined route, we kicked against the wall and moved up to the roof of the building.

Every time we crossed the roof, our shadows danced beneath the moonlight, and the stench of the slums faded away.

“Is someone following us?”

“No.”

I shook my head in response to Denif’s question. Winds were providing me with information from all directions.

There was no pursuit.

Without any obstacles, we exited the fortress through the narrow opening we had used for infiltration.

It was a smooth operation.

Assassination was like this by nature.

Unless you kill or get caught in front of other people, it was not difficult to escape even if your target was a noble.

“Can I take it off now?”

“Just to be safe, let’s go a bit further.”

Denif scratched his head in frustration. Wearing masks was a given.

Selling your face never leads to anything good.

However, we had only recently left the fortress. We still had to go for at least another five minutes.

There was no need to draw unnecessary attention.

In broad daylight, it wouldn’t be a problem to blend in among people, but it was a different story in the early morning.

Two sturdy men. They definitely wouldn’t look ordinary.

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“Just bear with it a little longer.”

That was the moment.

I felt as if there were gazes directed at me from a distance. It wasn’t certain.

It was just a feeling that someone was looking at me. But I couldn’t afford to ignore this intuition.

I turned my head to the southwest.

“Shh.”

Denif quickly lowered his body. Towards the direction of the fortress. There was no visible presence.

Winds were telling me the same.

Tension rose. Let’s assume it was not a misconception and think about it.

Either it was beyond the range perceived by my Winds or the person was hiding their presence well. It had to be one of the two.

If that was the case, they weren’t an ordinary skilled individual. It made my mind slightly complicated.

A skilled person like that attached to such a trash?

No, that was not it.

They would have come to us much earlier if that were the case.

‘Who is it?’

A spy from another country who was monitoring this place?

It could be, or it could be someone from our side.

Even though it was separated from the capital, it was still part of the Haisen Kingdom.

They might be observing our mission.

‘If it’s the latter, it’s not a problem, but if it’s the former, it becomes troublesome.’

In the midst of the tension, time seemed to flow slower.

I couldn’t be certain, but it didn’t seem like they were approaching us immediately. It was a good call not to remove our masks.

“What’s wrong?”

Denif whispered.

“I have a feeling there’s something, but I’m not sure.”

“When you’re not sure, you have to assume it’s certain and move.”

Make cautious judgments, but act swiftly.

Could we win if we fight? No, fighting itself was a mistake. We had to evade.

‘Until that person’s intentions change.’

I looked up at the sky and adjusted our direction. I locked eyes with Denif and wordlessly stomped on the ground.

* * *

As we moved away from the fortress, the feeling of being watched disappeared, but we remained on high alert.

We deliberately took detours, frequently changing directions and crossing over a small mountain.

The only markers we had were the stars.

It took us two hours longer than planned. Near the designated meeting place, I shook a tree with my Winds.

It was a signal to Marhan.

The message conveyed the possibility of pursuit and our approximate location based on the interval of tree shaking.

We had to wait for Marhan’s judgment. If the bell rang, it was the signal to scatter in all directions.

After ten seconds of complete silence, we could head towards the carriage.

“Ah, that was a long wait. Kid, why are you so perceptive?”

A voice suddenly came from above my head, and I hastily drew my sword. A woman was standing on a tree branch.

How? I was initially taken aback.

She wasn’t detected by my Winds.

And even though she was so close, neither Denif nor I noticed her at all.

“Stop. We’re on the same side. Ravens cry above death.”

A code phrase was spoken, but I couldn’t immediately trust it. Should I wait for Marhan? Or should we escape as we were?

In the midst of my complicated thoughts, Marhan’s voice reached us.

“It’s okay. She’s our ally.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

The woman replied on Marhan’s behalf. She smiled cheerfully as she descended from the tree, appearing to be in her mid-twenties.

She was a beautiful woman with long black hair.

“She’s Phiri, vice-leader of the Empire’s Intelligence Division under Haisen. She came to evaluate you before your graduation ceremony.”

I nodded in response to Marhan’s explanation. I realized that she wasn’t the person I saw three years ago.

Had there been a change in the meantime? The woman smiled playfully.

“Anyway, I like you. Having a good intuition is important. Kid, would you like to join the Intelligence Division?”

Even though I had already considered going… considering the situation, there seemed to be no need to answer first. As I contemplated, Marhan interjected.

“Phiri, how did you end up running into these kids?”

“Well, Marhan, this kid is something special.”

Phiri pointed at me and grumbled.

“How did he know the direction from that distance?”

Marhan glanced at me and gave a slight smile. At first glance, he seemed expressionless, but…

After observing him for a long time, I could somewhat detect changes in his expression.

“You should have gone and told him.”

“I didn’t tell him because I thought it might complicate things if I chased after him. And seeing him trying to escape, I didn’t think he would believe me.”

“Tsk, disappointing. How did such an inadequate person even get to the position of a vice leader?”

Marhan clicked his tongue.

“Hey, come on. It’s because I let my guard down. Let me show you.”

“Enough. I don’t need to see it. Did I teach you to be so careless?”

“Actually, I wasn’t careless.”

“In that case, it truly shows your lack.”

“Ugh, frustrating. Marhan, you didn’t even know I was here. This kid is something special, you know?”

Phiri tapped her chest lightly.

Observing her behavior, I was secretly surprised. It was the first time I had seen someone interact with Marhan so casually.

Not even Denif was that easygoing with Marhan.

Seeing how lightheartedly she spoke, I wondered if she had been his student before.

“Anyway, I’ll take my leave now. You can’t tell anyone.”

“Why?”

“It’s embarrassing! You understand, right…?”

“I understand.”

“As expected of Marhan! I trust you!”

After giving Marhan a light embrace, Phiri quickly moved away and disappeared.

Even though she was within sight, she vanished right in front of me.

‘I wonder if becoming vice-leader wasn’t just for show.’

Actually, it was more reliant on intuition than perception, so I suppose it was just good luck.

Once Phiri disappeared, Marhan concealed his smile and asked.

“The mission?”

“It’s completed.”

“…Good job. Rest.”

I felt that Marhan’s words contained a hint of regret.

Considering the upcoming graduation ceremony, this was our final mission. Was that why?

‘Well, we’ve gotten pretty close over the past three years.’

I also came to realize that Marhan was a better person than he appeared.

Suddenly, a capricious thought occurred to me.

“Can I take the reins?”

“It’s fine.”

Marhan smiled and sat down in the coachman’s seat. It felt like asking while knowing it wouldn’t be allowed.

It was just, well, a gesture of goodwill spoken with words. Saying thank you for the hard work tonight.

As we boarded the carriage, the smell of oil filled the air. I furrowed my brow. It was because of Denif.

Although it was inevitable since he spilled oil on the floor.

“Why don’t you leave your shoes outside?”

“Why?”

“There’s a smell of oil.”

“Block it with your Winds.”

“But I can’t do that while sleeping.”

Denif, who was contemplating for a moment, couldn’t find a counterargument and nodded his head.

Leaning against the carriage with his shoes left outside, Denif asked.

“Do you remember that time?”

“When?”

“Our first mission. You got hit with a sword, and I got hit too.”

“Hey, can you say you got hit with a sword? It just grazed you.”

“What are you saying? It cut pretty deep.”

Seeing him bring up our first mission, I clearly felt that it was indeed our final mission.

I also felt a slightly sentimental change.

‘It’s similar to high school graduation, isn’t it?’

Anyway, the time at the duke’s mansion was coming to an end.

Considering the upcoming challenges, there might not be such moments again.

“I miss Orhen.”

“Well, nothing can be done about it.”

“That’s true.”

Originally, Orhen was supposed to come with us, but three days ago, we received news that Orhen’s nanny had passed away.

They said it was due to an illness.

So Orhen temporarily left the mansion, and it ended up being just the two of us, me and Denif.

Since the graduation ceremony was already scheduled, there was no room for another mission, making this our final one.

‘It was quite surprising.’

This was the first time I heard about Orhen’s nanny. She never really talked about the past.

I only knew that she wasn’t an orphan and came around the same time as Denif.

‘If she had a nanny, does that mean she’s from a noble family?’

Fallen nobles were quite common in this world. It was highly likely that the duke found her.

Denif put his foot on the chair next to me.

My expression involuntarily became grimaced.

Where did he think he was putting his dirty foot? Even if he took off his shoes, it was still unpleasant.

“What are you doing?”

“Why? There’s no one here.”

“Get your feet down.”

“Why?”

“It stinks.”

“Block it with winds.”

“Take them down.”

Denif, who was engaged in a staring contest with me, surreptitiously lowered his feet.

He might have mischievous tendencies, but he actually listened to me quite well.

Perhaps it was because I’d been the leader for almost three years.

Or, it could be that it was still before blackening like Denif in the game.

‘It worries me.’

I didn’t know exactly why Denif became an imperial terrorist.

But it was clearly related to the downfall of Haisen.

There was a good chance that the duke received a threat during that process, which led to Denif’s decision.

While it might not be possible to prevent the fall of Haisen, it was imperative to ensure that the duke didn’t die.

It would be difficult to unite the empire to counter the devil worshippers without dealing with the imperial terrorist.

Plus, having the duke around was much better for me.

‘I’ve gained a certain level of trust, and it’s easier to connect with the princess that way.’

When everything failed, I needed to inform Denif about the true culprit behind the fall of Haisen.

While hoping that it wouldn’t be the empire.

Now, Denif might listen to me, but I couldn’t be certain.

I abandoned my idealistic thoughts and closed my eyes. I didn’t cross my legs, but simply focusing was enough.

“Training again?”

“I have to, don’t I?”

“Fine.”

I glanced over and saw Denif closing his eyes, mimicking my actions, attempting to train alongside me.

It was a good sign. Closing my eyes again, I concentrated on the flow of magic power.

The inner moon had grown to the size of a crescent moon. Two months ago, on a day when I was in my best condition, I reached the 3-star level.

The 4-star would probably take even more time.

The duke, who had trained for many years, said he was at the 6-star level. Since a 5-star represented a half-moon, his size would be slightly larger.

‘I have to work harder.’

As someone who constantly carried the Worst Condition, I always had to devote myself to training.

In reality, I was able to continuously make this effort for three years thanks to real-world experiences.

‘The future is important, but it sometimes feels distant.’

The duke wasn’t just Chief of Intelligence for no reason.

During the process of growth, he carefully selected suitable enemies. There were many close calls. Naturally, I had no choice but to work hard.

Observing the crescent moon within me, I circulated my magic power and then focused on martial arts.

Instead of simply emulating the Moonlight Technique, I didn’t rely on any particular martial art.

There was no perfect martial art. It was an obvious truth since everyone’s body was different.

Since it wasn’t a martial art designed specifically for me, I had to build on the basics and expand it in my own way.

In my mind’s eye, I depicted combat.

Although the carriage rattled as it traveled through the night, my inner self remained as calm as the moon.