Chapter 362: Black Street (Part 1)

“Could it really be that exclusive weapons exist?”

Only certain individuals can truly unleash a weapon’s full power.

Thinking about it, there have been quite a few cases of “exclusive weapons” in later story arcs.

Take Shield-Axe Warrior Selena, for example. She’s known as the ‘Shield-Axe Mounted Humanoid Self-Propelled Weapon Rack.’

She wields her clan’s exclusive twin shield-axes—one is a red-letter forged weapon [Blade of Deep Blue], a replica of the legendary orange weapon capable of exerting 80% of its power, and the other is the legendary weapon itself, [Cradle Sword].

Shield-Axe Warrior Selena and Pure White Knight Fabiana actually have similar roles.

Both are all-rounder characters, capable of tanking damage at the frontlines and dealing output.

But thinking about Selena’s legendary shield-axe—

“Where’s your [Shield of Victory]?” Samimi asked.

“…It was stolen during an attack on my way home.”

Fabiana frowned, unwilling to recall.

“I know you don’t want to dwell on it, but I need more information about the attackers now.”

“I don’t know. They were all masked, a group of black-clothed people.”

“Black-clothed people…”

Samimi fell into thought.

“We were attacked by a group of black-clothed people before too.”

“We were with the local knights then, and I thought they were targeting the knights…”

“Now that I think about it—their real target might have been us.”

It was a dangerous speculation.

If the goal was just to assassinate a local knight, there was no need to send elite assassins.

That level of target didn’t warrant deploying high-end forces.

In other words—

The assassins’ true target was them, these ‘foreign high-ranking holy officials.’

Regardless of whether their identities were real or fake, anyone from the Church had to be eliminated.

The goal was—to prevent the Church’s influence from entering the West Sea and disrupting the existing setup.

With this thought, Samimi’s expression gradually turned cold.

This meant—

Even an ordinary pastor would be indiscriminately killed.

“What’s wrong?” Fabiana asked.

“I’m not happy.”

Samimi’s tone was icy.

“Let’s put the rebel army aside for now.”

“They’re up on the mountain, they’re not going anywhere.”

“I’ll deal with the assassins first.”

Fabiana nodded. “I’ll follow your lead.”

“The ones who attacked us and the ones who attacked you are likely the same faction.”

“Let’s get your [Shield of Victory] back first.”

“Do you know who in the West Sea is best at training assassins?”

Fabiana thought for a moment.

“I don’t know, but I know who does.”

“There’s a place in the West Sea called [Black Street].”

“It’s the headquarters of the West Sea’s largest assassin organization.”

“They’ll definitely know who issued the assassination mission.”

“But… they won’t talk.”

Samimi smiled.

“The assassin’s first rule is to never reveal the client’s information, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then we’ll make it so they can’t do business anymore.”

Fabiana froze.

“Are you serious? The Black Street’s power isn’t weaker than the great nobles.”

“We’d be offending the entire assassin world.”

“So what?”

Samimi shrugged.

“It’s never been a respectable profession anyway.”

“Then let’s go.”

Fabiana didn’t hesitate.

She had no way back.

Before leaving—

Samimi tossed her a cloak.

“Put this on. That armor is way too conspicuous.”

Fabiana changed into the cloak, revealing only her helmet, her presence becoming more subdued.

And Samimi—

Also took off her white priest robes.

She changed into a black nun’s habit, pulled up her hood, slung the Slaying Demon Sword on her back, and covered her face with black cloth.

Hunter Nun mode, restored.

“Battle Priestess Shalom, exiting stage left.”

“Now stepping up is Hunter Nun Samimi.”

This meant—

She was no longer planning to stay low-key.

Pretending to be weak?

Boring.

Unstoppable flow—activated.

The three left the small town and headed for Black Street.

It was a gray zone at the border between the West Sea and the Central Continent.

Main business—murder.

Due to its connections with various major powers, Black Street had persisted and grown.

By now, it had developed into a city of considerable scale.

Even the royal family couldn’t easily eliminate it.

Though chaotic here, it had its own rules.

Centered around money and profit.

At the same time—

It was one of the most ‘trustworthy’ places in the entire kingdom.

Because losing trust meant death.

Black Street’s existence was similar to the Adventurers’ Guild for adventurers.

But it didn’t welcome holy officials.

And moreover—

A large number of powerful figures were hidden here.

Even more dangerous than the West Sea nobles.

But the reason it couldn’t become a top-tier organization was simple—

Assassins were too hard to manage.

They sought freedom and refused to be controlled.

They excelled at hiding and escaping.

Most were lone wolves.

Black Street was essentially just a ‘mission release platform.’

It didn’t truly control the assassins.

They traveled onward—

Finally arriving at Black Street.

The entire city was built in a massive ravine.

Stretching for several kilometers, one end connected to the West Sea, the other to the Central Continent.

It was a crucial transportation route.

Besides assassination business, it also handled smuggling and illegal trafficking.

The streets were narrow, the buildings chaotic.

Some houses were even built on cliffs.

There was no unified reception desk.

No front counter.

To take on missions or buy intelligence—

You had to find a ‘middleman.’

And middlemen were also ranked.

The ones who truly controlled the intelligence network were the ‘legendary middlemen.’

They held the flow of intelligence across the entire continent.

Samimi and the other two entered from the West Sea entrance.

There were no guards here.

Because it was just the outer area.

“Are you familiar with this place?” Samimi asked.

“Not at all,” Fabiana replied.

“Then we’ll just have to find someone as we go.”

No sooner had she spoken—

A group of thugs rushed out from the shadows, surrounding the three.

“Oh ho, little ladies, where are you off to?”

Samimi let out a light sigh.

“Twenty seconds, a new record.”

She had started timing the moment she entered the city.

“Kill them?”

Minuo had already summoned her dual blades.

“Not worthy of death.”

Samimi shook her head.

“At worst, it’s attempted robbery and assault.”

“Disgusting as it is, it doesn’t warrant immediate execution.”

Minuo withdrew her weapons.

She switched to another approach—

Preparing to fight.