It's already evening, and I'm in the city running errands.

I'm in Neuesdorf, the majestic and somewhat decadent capital of Hallemagner.
This metropolis is a fascinating yet distressing place, a megalopolis that houses nearly five million inhabitants.
It's the pulsating heart of the nation, a center of power, economy, and politics.
Here, in this nerve center, the Church, the 'government', and the most influential guilds find their abode, determining the fate of an entire country. It's also where my academy is located.

Strauss Wagner hails from the slums of this city. It was his home.
He spent most of his life in an orphanage before he got a 'level', and I became him.

The political situation is frankly a mess.
It resembles the worst dystopia from a cyberpunk novel, where corporations rule.
In this case, to be precise, the guilds dictate the laws, each of the most powerful guilds controlling a parliamentarian and the church.
The Chancellor, the head of the government, is little more than a puppet representing those who hold the actual power at the moment.
The balance of power is fragile, and everything is managed through a lobbyist's logic.
It's a turbo-capitalist nightmare where every service is private, and the state is in name only.
Money, power, and S+ rank Ventures are the driving forces of this society.
The only constant that prevents it all from collapsing is the omnipresent influence of the Church.

Not that I'm passionate about Hallemagner's politics, but if I want power, I'll have to take part in this game.
The guilds dominate the country, so my path is clear: I must join a guild or, even better, create one of my own.

Before I can venture into the world of guilds, I have a series of more immediate matters to address.
After disposing of the abandoned warehouse that served as my hideout, I need a new place of refuge.
Raqahela requires a temple and an altar where I can perform my role as a bishop.
I need a location to conduct other Master-Servant rituals and carry out my activities.

I have some money at my disposal, thanks to the drug trade, but I know it won't be enough.
I will invest it in a legitimate business that allows me to accumulate additional financial resources.
These earnings will be crucial to finance my ascent in the guild hierarchies and the political environment of Hallemagner.
Therefore, I am currently searching for a place to rent initially, which can serve as my refuge, the headquarters of my business, and as an altar for Raqahela's rituals.
But my ultimate goal is to purchase a place of my own, a sanctuary to call home.

My visit to the city is for this reason.
But not only for this.

I've noticed for a few days that I'm being followed.
My first thought was the worst, but then I realized who my pursuers were.
This visit to the city is also to draw them out into the open.
Here, I don't have to worry about being discovered by the professors or other students from the school.

That abandoned and dimly lit alley is perfect.
If I were to set up an ambush, that's where I would do it.

I'm being followed.
As I enter the alley, the sensation of being followed becomes more intense.
As soon as I realize I have an enemy behind me and one in front, I know it's time to prepare for what's to come.

I recognize my stalker.
The guy in front of me is Gallo Schrecken, my classmate with a contemptuous personality.
He has silver hair, a mocking gaze, and a voice full of disdain when he speaks to me.

"It's not easy to catch you alone, Wagner," says Gallo, advancing provocatively. "You're always surrounded by girls."
"A true heartbreaker, ahahaha!" he adds, laughing.

I think I know guys like Gallo well enough to know that this isn't just a friendly conversation.
There's something more to it, and I know I need to be on guard.

"What do you want, Gallo Schrecken?" I ask calmly, already aware that it's actually an ambush.

"I just wanted to explain a couple of things," he replies, revealing a malicious smile.

"Oh, really? What would you like to teach me?" I ask confidently, maintaining control of the situation.

"You see, you're the weakest in the Academy," Gallo warns me disdainfully. "You're a joke to all the Ventures. It wasn't even worth wasting time on you."

"So, what's the sudden interest, then?" I ask with a mocking smile.

"Hehehe... Lately, you've been getting too cocky," Gallo replies with a sinister look in his eyes.

I made a mistake, although I couldn't have done much differently.
I didn't bring any weapons with me.
Carrying a shield and a mace isn't very practical, after all.
I only have this knife, which I use to gather herbs for my potions.
I have nothing else to defend myself with.
It wouldn't hurt to have one of those magical weapons that can be summoned on command.
They can be found as loot in dungeons, but purchasing them is possible, albeit at prohibitive prices.

Without wasting any time, I grip the knife.
I quickly cast two spells on myself in succession: [BLESSED ARMOR] and [BLESSED WEAPON].
The total cost is 100 MP.
As soon as I finish casting the spells...

*WHOOSH*

*TWACK*
A sharp pain in my left shoulder.
Turning slightly, I can see the source of the injury.
A kunai, a small pointed knife typically used by ninjas, has embedded itself in my shoulder.
"ARGH!" I can't hold back the cry of pain.

I spin around completely.
Behind me stands Bicrista Schrecken, Gallo's twin sister.
She chuckles with amusement at my surprised expression.
Fortunately, [BLESSED ARMOR] has increased my defenses, and the damage has been limited.
But facing two enemies won't be easy.
With my right hand, I pull out the kunai. "Aarrrgh... it hurts quite a bit..." and I grip it.
I make the best of a bad situation, and now I have two knives.

"What the hell are you doing?" yells the silver-haired guy.
"He was cheating; he cast spells while you were talking," Bicrista replies with a distorted, almost psychopathic expression in her eyes.

"Just two of you? Bullies usually come in at least fours," I taunt them.
I feel an unpleasant sensation in my body.
Poison? The kunai was poisoned.

"Bicrista! Wagner is mine! We've already talked about it!" her brother shouts.
"Gallo, why can't you understand my feelings?" the woman almost cries. "I love him!" she reaffirms.
"You can't control yourself. We can't just kill him. I can't let you do that," Gallo explains to her.
"Ugh! Why do you always steal my toys? You always do that. I spotted him first."

While they argue, I search for a potion in my bag.
After further perfecting the formula of the fortifying potions I used in the fight against Reis Vonner, I managed to synthesize an elixir that's much more potent.
It provides a 2-point boost to all my stats for about fifteen minutes.
The flaw I haven't been able to resolve is the backlash when the effect wears off.
Once it expires, I take 60 HP in damage, and my stats are nerfed by 3 points until I rest.
It may seem like a significant drawback, but the combat boost is substantial and well worth it.

"If you get in the way, I'll have to punish you," the brother threatens.
Bicrista reluctantly gives in. "You're a bully!"
She pretends to cry like a little girl.

I drink the contents of this potion.

"Is this your secret, Wagner? Doping?" the bully inquires.

"Nah, it's just a healing potion," I shamelessly lie.
Then, I scan the opponent.

[[ SCAN TARGET >>

GALLO SCHRECKEN
AGE: 18
LEVEL: 1
RANK: B
CLASS: Assassin
MAX HP: 440
MAX MP: 220
STRENGTH: 17
DEFENSE: 13
AGILITY: 23
INTELLIGENCE: 16

END SCAN]]

He's incredibly fast. 
I need more speed.
I cast [HASTE].
50 MP spent, down to 504/654.

"So, what did you want to teach me, Schrecken?" I gain some time.
I know well that low-level villains can't resist explaining their actions or their evil plans.
After all, I have this tendency too.

"Your attitude bothers my best friend, Franz Dadref," he begins his explanation.

Being of the assassin class, it's likely that he uses poison.
I assume that his sister also belongs to the same class since they are twins.
I was poisoned by the Kunai, so they probably use the same tactics.

This is a great opportunity to test the powers of my Servants.

"First of all, Welze Juble is Franz's childhood friend. Don't talk to her. Don't touch her. Don't even look at her," the guy orders me.
"Oh, really? Too bad she's also a precious friend of mine now," I respond with determination.

I activate the Master-Servant Contract skill, [SHARE SKILL].
Cost is 10% of my MAX MP, which is 65 MP.
I'm down to 439/654.
I select Luysia and choose one of her spells.

"For this reason, I'll give you a lesson you won't forget. Outside the academy, there's no one to protect you," he threatens.
"Ahahahah!" I laugh brazenly.
"Are you crazy? Why are you laughing, nutcase?"
"Don't you realize that it's precisely because we're not at the academy that it's playing to your disadvantage?" I respond.

[PROTECTION FROM POISON]
It originally costs 20 MP, but the [SHARE SKILL] penalty increases the cost by 20%, even though, in this particular spell, its effectiveness is not reduced as it's quite basic.
In addition to protecting against poison, upon casting the spell, I am healed from the poison.
24 MP deducted, leaving me at 415/654.

It worked.

"ENOUGH WITH THE CHATTER!" the assassin yells fervently.

[SHADOW STEP]
Gallo appears behind me.
Not wanting to give me time to prepare, he attacks me from behind with his knife.
With a forward somersault, I evade the thrust thanks to the speed granted by [HASTE].

Continuing from Luysia's abilities, I cast [BLESS] on myself.
Then I attempt to cast [SHIELD OF FAITH]. But...

[[ ERROR: You are a nonbeliever. You lack sufficient faith, and the god does not grant you permission to use this ability! ]]

Ah, as I suspected.
This is a problem.
Some paladin abilities are tied to devotion to the deity and the deity's recognition.
This means that Luysia, having been excommunicated, has lost a significant portion of her power.
Nevertheless, when she broke her oath and renounced the gods, she unlocked a subclass.
{OATHBREAKER}
I imagine that this subclass grants access to exclusive abilities.
Let's see.

[AURA OF PAIN] Within a two-meter radius around you, your enemies suffer an additional 10% damage. Cost 60 MP plus a 12 MP tax.

[HERETIC SUFFERING] A negative status effect that deals 1 to 4 HP damage every minute. Cost 50 MP plus a 10 MP tax.

[APOSTATE TOUCH] By activating this ability, touching the opponent inflicts damage equal to the difference between your MAX HP and your current HP. Cost 80 MP plus a 16 MP tax.

These are powerful abilities to use at the right moment.
I immediately activate [AURA OF PAIN].

"Come on, I'm just a rank F, guys," I smile, inviting them to attack.

"See, it's this attitude that gets on my nerves!" Gallo exclaims.

"You want some? Come, get some!"
I've always dreamed of saying that.

STRAUSS STATS AT START