ROYAL KOMBAT

"What the…?!" The first guard said.

"Something's wrong! Stay alert!" The other said. I wasted no time. Three quick steps, and a controlled breath, a roll low beneath the light. My body moved like a shadow, slipping between them in the confusion.

✔ STEALTH SUCCESSFUL: No alarms triggered.

✔ BONUS XP: Ghost Kill Technique unlocked.

---

Inside Minister Yoon's Study

The chamber was lavishly decorated, filled with gold-etched scrolls and jade ornaments stolen from conquered lands. At the center of the room, Minister Yoon sat, oblivious to the predator lurking behind him.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ CHOICE: HOW WILL YOU KILL MINISTER YOON?

Poison his tea – Untraceable death.

Silent blade – A clean, precise assassination.

Stage an accident – Push him from the balcony.

After serving his tea, I bow slightly in respect while I slowly unsheathed my dagger, quickly and swiftly, with one strike of blade gleaming under the moonlight. I stab his throat when I attempt to ride up. My breath steadied, as I looked at him gasping for air before going silent.

"Noo…nooo… this is too dangerous a risk to take! What if he is stronger than I expected?" Quickly, I recalculate my actions in my mind.

---

Chapter 2 – The First Kill

The chamber was silent, save for the soft rustling of parchment, and the occasional scratch of Minister Yoon's calligraphy brush. His hand moves with ease across a scroll, unaware of the dagger inches from his throat.

His death was inevitable. The only question was how.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ CHOICE: HOW WILL YOU KILL MINISTER YOON?

Poison his tea – A slow, undetectable death.

Silent blade – A swift assassination with minimal evidence.

Stage an accident – Make it appear as an unfortunate mishap.

Quickly, I made my decision.

🔹 Option Chosen: Silent Blade.

I adjusted my grip on the onyx model dagger, its smooth edge absorbing the candlelight like a void that hungered for blood. My heartbeat slowed, and my breathing controlled. The blade's weight in my palm was familiar, comforting, a reminder of the countless nights spent as an assassin, and also training for this moment.

I stepped forward. Going closer to his study desk.

> STEALTH CHECK SUCCESSFUL: MINISTER YOON IS UNAWARE.

A single swift move and my dagger sliced across his throat, parting flesh as if cutting silk. A wet gurgle escaped his lips, his eyes bulging out in shock. He reached for his throat, his fingers trembling as blood spilled onto his silk robes.

"W-who…" He choked, and then collapsed onto the table, knocking over an inkstone. The black liquid spread across the scroll, mingling with his blood.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ TARGET ELIMINATED: MINISTER YOON

✔ +250 XP | +New Title: Phantom Blade

✔ STEALTH BONUS: No alarms triggered.

I wiped the blade clean on his sleeve, and then scanned the room for an exit. The window. A perfect escape route, provided the guards outside weren't already alerted.

🔹 NEW OBJECTIVE: ESCAPE WITHOUT BEING DETECTED.

✓Escape Sequence – The Rooftops of the Imperial Court

Swiftly I slipped out onto the wooden balcony, my feet landing silently on the lacquered railing. The imperial gardens stretched below, with moonlight casting long shadows across the cherry blossom trees.

> STEALTH MECHANICS ACTIVATED:

✔ Control breath, and movement noise.

✔ Use Grappling Hook – Quickly ascend to rooftops.

✔ Shadow Step (Unlocked Skill) – Temporary invisibility in dim light.

A pair of palace guards patrolled the courtyard below. Their steel armor clinked softly with each step, their hands resting on the hilts of their curved sabers.

🔹 CHOICE UNLOCKED:

✔ Use the grappling hook – Reach the rooftops undetected.

✔ Drop down, and neutralize them – Riskier, but rewards extra XP.

✔ Wait for an opening, and sprint past – High risk, but fastest escape.

I reached for the grappling hook strapped to my belt, and swung it upwards. The hook latched onto the curved roof tiles, and with a swift pull, I ascended like the trained assassin that I am. vanishing into the night.

✔ STEALTH SUCCESSFUL: No alarms triggered.

I squat low, scanning the Imperial Court's rooftop skyline. The capital city stretched in the distance, its pagodas gleaming under the moon's glow. This was once my home. Now, it was nothing but an enemy territory.

🔹 NEXT OBJECTIVE: RETURN TO THE HIDDEN BASE.

I sprinted across the slanted rooftops, each step calculated. Beneath me, guards moved unaware, mere puppets in a kingdom that was already beginning to crumble.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ QUEST COMPLETED: THE FIRST KILL

✔ +500 XP | +New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Veil

✔ +RARE LOOT: Minister Yoon's Sealed Documents

---

THE HIDDEN BASE – THE CRIMSON LOTUS GUILD

[CUTSCENE: Bae Kae enters a hidden underground chamber beneath a teahouse in the outer city.]

I pushed open the wooden door, stepping into the candlelight of the Crimson Lotus Guild's hideout. The scent of aged parchment, and sharpening oil filled the air, the walls lined with blacksmithing tools, poison vials, and legendary blades stolen from fallen warriors.

A figure emerged from the shadows—Master Jin-Seo, my mentor. The system has earlier directed me to him.

"You've returned." I knelt before him, placing the sealed documents on the table.

"Minister Yoon is dead. The first piece of the rebellion has been set in motion." Jin-Seo unfolded the parchment, scanning its contents. His expression darkened.

"Good. But this… this is bigger than we anticipated." A map of the Imperial Palace was sketched across the page, markings indicating hidden places of weapons, strategic weak points, and at the very center. the Emperor's private vault.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ NEW MAIN QUEST UNLOCKED: SHADOWS IN THE PALACE

Break into the Imperial Vault, and uncover Kai-Hoon's greatest secret.

Master Jin-Seo's eyes continue to flickered over the map of the Imperial Palace, his expression darkening with each detail.

"Kai-Hoon has reinforced the vault with cursed steel locks, and ghost warding sigils. You can't brute-force your way in."

I nodded. Stealth was my true weapon.

"But there is a way inside… The vault's secondary entrance is hidden within the Hall of Records. However, there's a problem." He unrolled another parchment. A sketch of a towering figure, clad in obsidian armor, glared back at me.

"General Baek-Yeon, the Black Tiger of Kai-Hoon. He guards the vault personally."

My eyes blinked rapidly at this information.A mid-boss. Stronger than a common soldier? But not yet my true enemy.

🔹 QUEST OBJECTIVE:

✔ Infiltrate the Hall of Records – Find the hidden passage to the vault.

✔ Neutralize General Baek-Yeon – Defeat, or bypass him without raising alarms.

✔ Unlock the Imperial Vault – Steal Kai-Hoon's hidden secret.

I tightened the wraps around my wrists, receiving the system instructions. This was no longer just a simple assassination. This was war.

---

INFILTRATING THE HALL OF RECORDS

The Hall of Records was buried deep within the palace complex. A fortress of scrolls, and secrets, its walls held every decree, war plan, and treacherous order written under Kai-Hoon's rule.

I approached the palace from the rooftops, my silhouette blending into the night-stained sky.

> STEALTH MECHANICS ACTIVATED:

✔ Press 3 to crouch & reduce noise.

✔ Use Shadow Step (Unlocked Skill) to bypass torch-lit areas.

✔ Eliminate sentries silently to avoid detection.

The outer guards stood rigid, their spears reflecting the lantern glow. Instead of engaging, I drew a throwing needle coated in ghost root poison. It was one of my assassin silent weapons. A concoction that induced temporary paralysis.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ Headshot! Guard neutralized.

His body went limp as I caught him, lowering him into the bushes. One down. Hundreds more to go.

---

INSIDE THE HALL OF RECORDS

The scent of aged parchment, and burning incense filled the air. Scrolls were stacked in towering wooden shelves, their edges curly from time, and neglect.

I moved like a shadow, my steps silent against the wooden floor. Somewhere within these walls was the entrance to the vault. But first, I had to deal with the Black Tiger. Suddenly, I heard a low growl rumbled through the chamber.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

⚠ MINI-BOSS ENCOUNTER: GENERAL BAEK-YEON

The Black Tiger of Kai-Hoon has spotted you!.