After reading the message, Atlas took a deep breath. He clenched his fists and then relaxed them. An assassin. A killer who traveled between dimensions. And his father... Raymond Sinclair had left this to him as his legacy.
The hologram changed, emitting a blue light, and a new screen appeared before him. Atlas's heart was racing. His path and destiny were now before him, written in stone.
NAME: Atlas Sinclair
AGE: 18
TITLE: 4th Heir, Apprentice Dimension Assassin
LEVEL: 1
CLASS: Marksman (Beginner)
EXPERIENCE: 100/1000 XP (900 XP more needed to reach Level 2)
MAIN STATS:
STRENGTH: 12/100
STAMINA: 15/100
SPEED: 17/100
INTELLIGENCE: 20/100
INTUITION: 18/100
LUCK: 13/100
HEALTH: 150/150 HP
STAMINA: 100/100 SP
MANA: 120/120 MP
MARKSMAN CLASS FEATURES:
RANGE EXPERT: +10% damage with all ranged weapons
SHARP EYES: +15% hit chance when aiming
TACTICAL POSITIONING: +8% bonus efficiency in camouflage and stealth
COOL HEAD: Operates more effectively under stress
ABILITIES:
[Passive] FIREARM EXPERT (Level 1): +5% damage with all firearms
[Passive] QUICK REFLEXES: +10% chance to dodge surprise attacks
INVENTORY:
.50 Caliber Revolver (Damage: 25-35, Range: Medium, Durability: 92/100)
Ammo x11
Basic First Aid Kit (Heals 50 HP) x1
Dimension Transfer Device (Charge: 1/1)
Sinclair Family Seal (grants access to the Succession System)
MISSIONS:
[COMPLETED] Succession Mission 1: First Blood - Kill Baek Yisoo
[ACTIVE] Succession Mission 2: Return to the Starting Point - Find the opened dimension portal
NOTE: Complete more tasks or eliminate dimensional entities to reach the next level.
Atlas carefully examined the information on the panel. So he was like a game character now. His attributes, skills, inventory... Everything was tied to a system.
The panel changed again:
ABOUT THE MARKSMAN CLASS:
Marksmen are the class with the sharpest eyes and steadiest hands among the Dimension Assassins. These assassins, who deal death from a distance, often eliminate their targets without them even noticing.
BASIC FEATURES:
Expertise in all medium and long-range weapons
Advanced camouflage and concealment skills
Tactical positioning and environmental analysis
Steady hand and sharp eye coordination
SPECIALIZATION BRANCHES (Selectable after Level 25):
SNIPER: Specialization in very long-range shots, ability to kill with a single shot
TACTICAL MARKSMAN: Ability to fire quickly and effectively at multiple targets
GHOST MARKSMAN: Superior skills in stealth and camouflage
As Atlas tried to process all this information, a blue light began to glow from deep within the forest. Was this the light of the portal mentioned? He directed his steps toward the light.
“An interdimensional assassin,” Atlas murmured. “My father left this to me.”
The blue light intensified and a portal appeared in the shape of a wide oval. Looking inside, he saw that it opened onto a hospital room. Panicked doctors, anxious nurses, and his father's motionless body...
He swallowed hard at the sight.
“Why?” he murmured. “Was it that important?”
His father and grandfather had done it. Was it his turn now?
He looked back one last time. The world where he was a murderer would now be behind him. Atlas stepped into the portal, and the bluish light enveloped him. He felt as if he were breaking down into molecules and reassembling. It was painful, yet strangely familiar.
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When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a hospital bed. His head throbbed, his body felt as if it were crushed under a heavy load. His throat was parched. The cold white light of the hospital room hurt his eyes.
He tried to sit up slowly, fighting the grogginess. But as his vision cleared and he saw his father, a surge of adrenaline hit him. Atlas forced himself up and approached his father's bed despite the dizziness.
“Dad?” he whispered. “Dad, can you hear me?”
Raymond's eyes were open, but he was staring blankly at the ceiling. He wasn't responding.
“Mr. Sinclair?” A nurse entered the room, holding a file. “You're awake. How are you feeling?”
Atlas answered without taking his eyes off his father.
“I'm fine.”
The nurse entered, checked Raymond's pulse and other vital signs. “Your father's condition was critical last night. It worried us quite a bit, but his condition is now under control again.”
“Last night?”
Atlas frowned and checked the time on his phone.
It was six in the morning.
'Fuck, it took twelve hours?'
Atlas's heart sank.
The mission had lasted a total of five hours. He definitely hadn't stayed in that world for more than six hours. But why had twelve hours passed in his own reality? Was the time difference between the dimensions that great?
“Dr. Reeves will brief you shortly.”
When the nurse left the room, Atlas sat down on the edge of his father's bed. Raymond's eyes fluttered slightly, shifting toward Atlas. His eyes, which hadn't moved in years, were now moving. Atlas sighed when he made eye contact with his father.
“You can hear me, right?” he asked.
Raymond's eyes blinked. It was a sign that meant yes.
“I saw it, Dad. I inherited the Spiritual Succession System. That blue light... the portal... everything. I killed someone named Baek Yisoo.”
A sparkle appeared in Raymond's black eyes. Atlas continued.
“Why didn't you tell me before? I didn't even know you were an Awakened; that you were an assassin, that you traveled between dimensions... Is this real, or am I going crazy?”
Raymond's eyes blinked again. It was real.
Atlas took a deep breath.
“No matter how much I called out to you before, you didn't respond. Does this have anything to do with completing the succession?”
Raymond blinked again.
“So, what do I do now? Keep killing people? To be the 4th Heir of the Sinclair Dynasty...” Atlas paused, covering his face with his hands. “Father, I killed a man. I'm a murderer. Why didn't you prepare me for this?”
Raymond's eyes welled up. Atlas didn't remember his father being emotional. Raymond Sinclair had always been a cold, distant man. Though he remembered him as a mechanic, not an assassin who traveled between dimensions.
“I'm sorry,” said Atlas. “I don't blame you. But this... It's too much. Everything changed too fast.”
Atlas opened the inventory. Seeing that the commands worked in this world too, he couldn't stop his legs from shaking. What they were experiencing really wasn't a dream. He was now an assassin.
He picked up the gun.
"I killed him with this. He was a martial artist. Thirty-four years old. I used his carelessness and ignorance after he'd been with a woman. It wasn't hard because I wasn't from their world. I shot him in the chest. It made a hole the size of two fingers. The woman was scared. I was very scared too, but I managed to leave the city."
He gently stroked the gun's silver barrel, his eyes moist. He hadn't thought that ending someone's life would be such a heavy burden. He hadn't realized he had killed someone until the light in his eyes faded.
“Is this really our family? Has it been going on for four generations?”
Raymond continued to look at him.
“Did my mother know?”
He blinked.
Atlas couldn't breathe.
“Does her death have anything to do with this?”
Raymond looked away.
***
When Atlas left the hospital, the sun had long since set, and the city's nightlife was beginning to stir. He dragged his feet as he walked down the streets; with every step, the muffled sound of his shoes on the concrete pavement was a monotonous rhythm accompanying the thoughts in his head. Exhaustion had seeped into his very bones. He struggled to carry the weight of his body.
When he reached his apartment building, he paused for a moment. He looked at the entrance door of the three-story, old but well-maintained building.
“I'm a murderer now,” he muttered to himself. “A damn murderer.”
He fumbled his keys into the lock and started up the stairs, ignoring the elevator to reach the third floor. As his footsteps echoed in the empty stairwell, Baek Yisoo's final moments replayed in his mind. He couldn't forget the look of shock on the man's face as he stared at the hole in his chest.
He opened the door to his apartment and stepped inside, greeted by a familiar smell—a hint of dampness, a hint of fresh laundry, and a hint of coffee. When he turned on the light, he saw his small studio apartment laid bare before him.
There was a compact kitchen on the right. On the counter were a pile of dishes, a teapot, and a half-drunk cup of coffee. The rich smell of coffee still lingered in the room. After closing the door, Atlas kicked off his shoes and glanced at the small bathroom door immediately to his left.
“I need to take a shower,” he said to himself. “This blood... the fucking smell of blood seems to have stuck to me.”
But he couldn't find the energy to drag himself there. Instead, he headed straight for the old, worn-out sofa leaning against the wall on the other side of the room and collapsed onto it. A blanket from the previous night lay scattered on the pale blue sofa; he hadn't even had time to fold it before rushing to the hospital.
The entertainment corner, consisting of nothing more than a wall shelf, a small television on it, and a game console underneath, was the most striking feature of the room. A few books, some anime figures, and military magazines were scattered haphazardly on the shelf. A few dirty T-shirts and socks spilled out of the worn-out sports bag on the floor. One wall was completely covered with military posters—Active. Respected. Deterrent.—was the only slogan he could make out right now.
Atlas threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. The spider web in the corner... it was one of those things he thought about cleaning whenever he noticed it, then forgot. It didn't matter...
He took off his jacket and stretched out on the couch in his jeans and T-shirt. The sound of a notification from his phone made him look up.
It was a message from the academy.
“Bad timing, Dad.”
Atlas rubbed his face. The dark circles under his tired eyes were now clearly visible in the reflection of the dark TV screen.
He took a deep breath and opened the message.
[Dear Atlas Sinclair,
Your application to the Aurelis War Academy has been carefully reviewed by the Academy Board of Directors, and we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Archer Class - Monster Biology Bachelor's Program.
In accordance with our academy's selection criteria, your academic qualifications and your attitude toward this field have been observed to align with the goals of our program. To officially complete your admission process, the following documents must be submitted to ### by June 30 at the latest.
---
We look forward to welcoming you to our distinguished academic staff and interdisciplinary work environment.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Lysandra Vexillum
Rector, Aurelis War Academy]
“This was my whole dream. Not to be an assassin.”
Atlas knew he should be happy about this news.
But the excitement he expected did not materialize.
He put down the phone and went to take a shower. As the hot water ran over him, he felt as if Baek Yisoo's blood was also flowing away. But he couldn't completely shake that feeling.
When he got out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge, and returned to the main room. He picked up the black-covered photo album sitting on the nightstand next to his bed, which was tucked in the corner. He gently stroked the album, which he hadn't opened in years, with his fingertips. Inside were photos of his father and mother when they were young.
When he opened the album, he saw Raymond and Sarah Sinclair's wedding photo on the first page. The two young people, with their smiling faces, probably thought they would live a long time. Especially his mother... His mother's bright eyes, how pale they had been the last time he saw her.
In the following pages of the album, he saw his own childhood photos. A little boy sitting on a bench on his father's shoulder. A boy building a sandcastle on the beach. His mother, father, and himself had taken photos like a normal family.
He sighed deeply.
