Return as a God-level Assassin

"No problem! If you say she's good, then she must be. Since it's your request, of course, I'll agree!"

Marcus responded without hesitation.

Riven hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

He sent a private message: "Alright, she's in Firefly Town. There aren't many players grinding here. You guys should consider coming over."

Marcus instantly replied: "Sounds good! There are way too many players in Shell Town anyway. We've been thinking about relocating for a while. Hold tight—we're on our way!"

Hearing this, Riven signaled to Sylvia, and the two stepped aside to wait.

Shell Town.

Marcus had been frowning all this time, but after getting Riven's message, his expression finally relaxed.

In truth, even without Riven reaching out, Marcus had already been planning to replace someone.

Because…

Lyra was just that bad.

As a healer, all she had to do was keep the buffs up and maintain the team's health.

But Lyra?

She always fumbled when healing, struggling to keep up.

In Eclipse of Eternity, there were no auto-targeted skills—not even healing ones.

And yet, somehow, whenever Marcus dodged enemy attacks, Lyra managed to miss her heals, leaving the entire team in danger…

Marcus had put up with it for long enough.

He was just about to switch maps and teammates when Riven reached out.

And honestly, this was a perfect opportunity.

Marcus had been given direct orders from his higher-ups—do whatever it takes to maintain a good relationship with Shadow.

This was the perfect chance to earn some goodwill!

"Lyra, Shell Town is getting too crowded," Marcus said, choosing his words carefully. "We need to move somewhere else to level up. Since you came from another town, you've already used up your free teleport, right?"

Lyra hesitated. "Huh? Oh… yeah."

Internally, she was thrilled.

Was Marcus about to cover her second teleport fee?

That would cost 100 days of lifespan!

But then, Marcus continued: "Thing is, where we're heading… we already have a full six-person team. So…"

Lyra froze.

"Oh… I see."

She immediately understood.

They were kicking her out.

And she felt a deep sense of regret.

Since starting Eclipse of Eternity, she had joined many different teams, but none were as strong as Marcus's.

With his team, she could slack off, do the bare minimum, and still gain levels and lifespan…

Marcus, ever polite, added, "You still have me on your friends list. If you ever need anything, just reach out."

"Thanks, Marcus."

Lyra forced a smile, exhaling in relief.

As long as she had this connection, she could use Marcus to get closer to Shadow.

Little did she know, Marcus had only been speaking out of politeness.

The truth?

They weren't friends.

He had no obligation to help her.

If it was something simple, maybe he'd lend a hand.

But anything that required actual effort?

He had better things to do.

Honestly, the fact that he had put up with Lyra for this long already showed how patient he was.

With Lyra officially out, Marcus sent Riven a private message to confirm the town and coordinates.

Then, along with his three remaining teammates, he teleported over.

Firefly Town.

Riven and Sylvia didn't have to wait long before Marcus and his team arrived.

Aside from Lina, there were two others—a young man with the class "Sharpshooter" and a middle-aged man with the hidden class "Cardmaster."

The Cardmaster class was a rare magic-based DPS class.

Unlike traditional mages, they couldn't wield staves or learn common spells, making them a rather unconventional choice.

The moment Marcus arrived, he initiated a trade with Riven, transferring 800 days of lifespan.

With a wry smile, Marcus said, "I still owe you 500 days. Our squad captain will be here soon to cover the rest. Lifespan is getting harder to earn in this game, huh…"

"Squad captain?"

Riven was momentarily confused but didn't dwell on it.

He accepted the 800 days and gestured toward Sylvia.

"This is Snowfall. And this is Marcus. You guys can introduce yourselves."

Just then, a strikingly beautiful woman sprinted out of the teleportation chamber in the town plaza.

She wore a sleek, silver-white light armor that hugged her toned figure. A longsword hung at her waist, and her long hair flowed behind her as she ran.

With every step, there was an undeniable… wave-like motion to her movements.

Riven blinked in surprise.

"Wait… it's really her?"

She was none other than Amy, the somewhat clueless but stunningly attractive police officer from Marcus's previous meeting.

She and Marcus were both assigned to handle negotiations with Shadow.

And as she rushed toward him, her excitement was palpable.

In his past life…

Amy had been one of the top twenty players in the world.

She was a Dragonslayer Knight—a unique hidden class.

A legendary figure and one of the greatest champions of the Great Empire of Ross.

Even Riven himself hadn't been able to defeat her in a one-on-one fight.

After all, back then, he was just a regular Warrior, while Amy's class was on par with his current Shadow class.

But in his previous life, she had never been in Marcus's team…

Riven only hesitated for a moment before Amy reached him.

"Shadow! Whoa, it's really you!"

Amy's face lit up with admiration as she stretched out her hand.

Riven: "…"

For the first time, he was meeting someone who had ranked higher than him in his past life.

Justice Enforcer Amy…

A terrifying nightmare for foreign enemies.

Back then, even he hadn't been her match.

But now…?

Things were different.

Not only did he have a unique hidden class, but he also possessed an unprecedented tier-zero talent.

Amy was still far behind.

"Hello."

He remained calm, briefly shaking her hand.

Amy giggled, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Shadow, your leveling speed is insane. I was actually joking earlier that maybe you were a time traveler or a reincarnator, haha!"

Riven smirked beneath his black mask.

A time traveler?

A reincarnator?

Amy had no idea—he was both.

Amy then opened a trade window.

"Here, Marcus still owed you 500 days of lifespan. I've got it."

Riven accepted without hesitation.

It was obvious—Amy had been given access to an official government stash of tradable lifespan.

Her Dragonslayer Knight class had incredible survivability, making her the perfect candidate to hold it.

"Thanks."

Amy blinked playfully.

"By the way, if you ever have any good equipment, sell it to us first! We'll take anything. Oh, and… all of Riverbay City's government lifespan is stored on me. You wouldn't kill me, would you?"

Though she looked carefree, she was actually testing him.

A clear message: If you kill me, you'll be making an enemy out of the entire government.

This woman wasn't as naive as she seemed.

Riven chuckled.

This game was about to get interesting.