I opened the door and was greeted by the masked face of Masquerade. I couldn't help but smile when I took in their body language. They looked exhausted. "Having fun buddy?"

They glowered at me for several moments before stepping past me and into the room. "Is it just you?"

"Yep," I replied and shut the door behind them. "You know I have been wondering. Do you always wear that mask? Is it a part of your class?"

"I don't have a class." They said coldly. "Can we focus on what we need to get done? We don't have much time and I don't want to waste it."

"Wait, wait you are at level 21. Why would you gain a new level if you didn't get a class first? That would cost you more than a few attribute points." I leaned back against the door as Masquerade paced.

"They won't give me access to the hub until after we have dealt with this problem. I also don't want to get until I have more titles."

"Oh, you want to try and get a better class? Not a bad idea I suppose. So what do you have to tell me? Are we going to buddy cop this?"

"No, I am going to check on a few potential targets. I want you to stay on the rooftops. I assume your body is strong enough to survive a fall from just about anywhere in the city. If you encounter something worrisome I want you to handle it. Make enough noise to let me know and we will bring the herald in."

I nodded my understanding. "And if they go after you first? Want me to prioritize your life or the innocent people?"

"I'd fucking appreciate if you helped capture the son of a bitch. I have no interest in dying."

I laughed as I started circulating my spiritual energy. "Sounds like a plan. Is there anything your new friends told you I don't know? Anything about this person's class?"

They shook their head. "No idea. If they have a class then they must have access to a System hub which is why the government has restricted all access."

"They are hoping the murderer has to return to the hub for a quest? A bit cold-blooded. I assume that most of the cultivators are in the UWG headquarters? Just in case the murderer tries to take them all out?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny." Masquerade started before I held up a hand.

"Yeah, yeah can't tell me. It doesn't matter much anyway. So are we going out now or do we need to wait till nightfall?"

"Night, I think we should get a hang on each other's abilities so I wanted to use the next few hours for a sparring match."

That took me by surprise. It only took me a second to piece together the truth of that statement. I smiled and raised a knowing eyebrow at the Masked cultivator. "You all want to know how strong I am don't you Squidward."

Masquerade stared at me for several seconds before shaking their head. "I want to know what you are capable of and really? Squidward? That show is what twenty years old?"

I laughed and shrugged. "You don't even have a class so it wouldn't be much of a fight. Let's just say I am a spell caster and leave it at that."

"Are you just going to be a pain this whole time?"

"Well, I wouldn't say the whole time. I am being serious though the difference in our attributes would be too much. We could do a quick exchange here if you want?"

"No, I am not interested in breaking the room or disturbing the other guests. Come with me to just outside the city."

I considered refusing again but I gave in. It might be fun to show off for a bit and I might get to learn a little bit more about the government's cultivators. "Alright, boss lead the way." After a short walk, we ended up about a mile away and in the middle of the forest. I couldn't help but laugh at the group of five guards who "needed to escort us for our safety". The fact that they all had cell phones and information crystals was not explained.

"So what are the rules boss man?" I asked as we stared at each other.

"Just a friendly spar. I brought enough healing pills to take care of most injuries so let's keep it at that level. No need to go for permanent damage."

I nodded. I considered using any of my spells but I couldn't tell if their psyche was strong enough. Since I wasn't in the mood to kill anyone I decided against it. That also meant I couldn't use the Tao either. It did mean I could create my tao field. "Ready when you are."

Masquerade drew two daggers from the sheathes on their legs and spun them. The position of the daggers reminded me of something I saw in a movie only they were far more relaxed. I raised an eyebrow as killing intent roiled out from them like a cloud. It was around what I had at the end of the tutorial only it felt different. Masquerade's was calmer, it wasn't control but comfort with it. Before I could put anything more together they rushed for me. I aimed a testing right hook at their jaw only for them to contort around the punch. The move was fluid as if they lacked bones in their spine. Their dodge brought their dagger up and within inches of my throat.

When the dagger hit my tao field and stopped they froze. Their hesitation was less than a second but it was more than enough time for me to expand the field and force them back over ten feet. My instincts stirred as that part of me bucked at its leash. I chuckled and bounced on the balls of my feet. "Not bad. Not bad at all." I ran forward and aimed another combo of punches at the center of his chest. Just like the first time Masquerade flowed like water around me. I gritted my teeth in irritation. It would have felt better if they were faster than me but no, they were a better fighter. We went back and forth for several more minutes and several more times where their blade should have cut me. Should have killed me if it weren't my advantage in Tao.

"How are you doing that? Is it a spell? Or is it your robes?" Masquerade asked as they circled me.

"Neither none of my spells would work very well in this situation." I sighed. "I can't tell if they would kill you or not. You were a soldier before this?"

Masquerade slowly nodded. "Yeah, I am going to start using my skills now."

In the next moment, something strange happened. It was like all sound in the world had ended. In the next moment, Masquerade disappeared. A slash cut nearly into my tao field before I realized I was under attack. The attacks kept coming faster and faster. I still couldn't see anything. I couldn't tell if Masquerade had increased their speed or was hiding somehow nor could I understand why there was no sound. It wasn't until I felt a sting on my right arm that I got a little worried. The cut was barely enough to break the skin but it meant they had gotten through.

I suffered two more cuts before I decided that things needed to change. I expanded my tao field to its maximum distance of 30 yards. Masquerade was forced back as their daggers glowed a dull white color. This time when they tried to cut through it wasn't enough. Next, I unleashed a small amount of my killing intent. Not enough to kill anyone nearby but enough to cause Masquerade to flinch. When they did I burst forward and aimed a knee into their stomach. A follow-up punch sent them flying through the air. "Maybe we should call it here? I got to admit fighting like this is fun." I said.

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"You still haven't used any spells," Masquerade replied before placing his daggers back into their sheathes. "I was hoping to know how to best use you."

I shrugged. "Just let me do me I guess. I can assure you that there is very little chance that I am going to hurt anything I don't want to hurt."

"Fair enough. It should be dark in about two hours. I would say take that time to recover your spiritual energy but I am not sure you used much."

I chuckled. "I could use the break. I am going to assume you won't tell me what skill you used to disappear. Was it stealth-related or some sort of domain? Also the sound thing."

Masquerade paused for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll tell you if you let me see your abilities."

I cocked my head to the side and considered it. If I didn't have to hit them then it didn't matter to me. I grinned and nodded my agreement. "Bet, should we find a monster or do you want me to show off right here?"

"There is a pack of wolves about a mile north of here." One of the guards spoke and called out before Masquerade could respond.

We all agreed to move and after a short sprint, I found myself seated in a tree about fifteen away from a strange group of animals. To call them wolves was to stretch the definition of the word but apparently, the system gave them names. These were called Skin-Walker Wolves. They looked like they had been skinned and then hit the gym for a hundred years. Their muscles were dense enough that I was pretty sure they could kill gorillas from before. Despite that, they weren't very impressive. I wasn't sure what spell I should use. I could leap down and deal with them using my basic attacks but that wouldn't be what I agreed to.

I gave it a few more minutes before deciding on shock and awe. A miniature indigo sun slowly rose into the air above me as I slowly fed it energy. I could have filled it to the maximum in half the time but the dumbstruck look on everyone's faces made the extra few seconds more than worth it. I also didn't want them to have a clear understanding of my limits. Once **Psionic Rain** was ready the sun shattered and innumerable sharp blades of psychic energy rained down like the apocalypse on the wolves. They attempted to fight back but none of them had strong enough souls to endure the attacks let alone get to me in time. Despite the sheer number of them the amount of spiritual energy I got in return couldn't even pay for the spell's activation.

"How the" Masquerade started. "They don't even have wounds."

"The weapons target the psyche. Which makes it very convenient for bodies and resource gathering."

"The attack didn't damage the trees either."

"Nope."

Masquerade turned and walked away. "We will begin at nightfall make sure you are ready. The skill was a domain. One that messes with perception."

I raised an eyebrow at that and nodded. It was certainly an interesting one. I considered making a version of it for myself but decided against it. That skill sounded like something designed for an assassin type and not me. Once they all were gone I couldn't help but chuckle. "Guess that means I can walk back alone."

I quickly gathered the corpses and placed them into my ring before I sat off for the town. I was still a bit worried about the plan especially if the Herald had a class. It wouldn't surprise me if they could use poisons or something like that. Not to mention they seemed like a cultist type and those people were always scary in the movies. When I got back to my room I decided to focus on meditation. I had lost quite a bit of my psychic energy and it was better than trying to sleep in the cramped space.

When night finally fell I couldn't help but feel excited. It felt like I was in the middle of a Sherlock Holmes novel. Instead of walking out of the building I activated Apportation and stepped through the portal. I stepped out onto the roof of the building a second later and looked around. The city lights made everything feel so much smaller. A jewel in a sea of darkness as far as the eye could go. I activated **Ethereal Convocation**.

"What's the proper address for another person over police radio? Should we have code names?" I felt the spell activate but Masquerade refused to reply for several seconds.

"Is this one of your spells? Why didn't you mention it earlier?"

"What would be the fun in telling you all my secrets at the beginning? This should allow us to talk for the whole night. Where are you starting?"

"I am starting north of headquarters and then I am going to make my way around clockwise. If we don't find anything I will do it two more times."

"Care to tell me who these people are? The ones you think will be attacked."

"They all have low levels but have talents that are good at rebuilding society."

"Ahh, you think the murderer is going to target them to stop you all from pretending the world is normal? That could work."

"Are you in position? Can other people pick up on this conversation?"

"Yes I am and no they can't at least I don't think they can. My spell should be pretty good and I don't think there is anyone else with a class like mine."

"That would have been great to know a few hours ago."

I could practically feel Masquerade glowering at me but I decided to leave it alone. I glanced over the city again and marveled at just how much I could see. My eyesight wasn't bad before this but now it felt like my eyes were telescopes. I could see the individual people on the ground. Spiritual energy practically made me feel like a superhuman then again I wasn't human. I took a deep breath to distract myself from that though and then I focused on what was going on beneath me. I leaped to a different rooftop every hour but nothing happened. The closest we got to some action was a drunk woman stumbling into the wrong apartment. An action that led to an exchange of gunfire that left both of them hurt and me down two pills.

We repeated this process every night for three nights before something interesting happened. I was in my spot above the city when the power went over an entire block. "Yo, you see that?"

"I do, I am on my way over there."

I was just about to open a portal when a dull sense of anxiety washed over me. The effect was strong enough to stop me from moving. Instead, I pulled up the Standing and grimaced. "We might have a problem."

World Standings(Tao) Names 1st Amari Jackson 2nd The System's Herald 3rd Amalhe Umzawi 4th Romulus 5th The Master 6th One Blade 7th Mwalimu Tatiani 8th Taoist Mei Lin 9th The Monkey King 10th

"How the fuck did The System's Herald leap over both Romulus and Amahle in the tao" I spoke out loud for the first time tonight as I rushed from rooftop to rooftop. I quickly explained the situation to Masquerade as I entered the darkened neighborhood. My danger sense picking up. It felt like there was a hand reaching for the back of my neck. "Don't engage if you can avoid it. We don't know what they are capable of. They should have at least one Tao strand if not two."

"Do we have any way of knowing what it will let them do?"

"No, not without fighting them. We can assume it will be something for an assassin or a killer so maybe fear-based?"

Just as I finished a pervasive sense of dread filled the night. I searched around half expecting for masked murderer to be standing behind me. I wasn't sure if this was a skill or some sort of Tao field. Nor could I tell where it was coming from. I circulated the tao of adamance and felt the sensation abate. "Careful the fear effect might be a spell or it might be their tao. Keep your head and don't attack unless you are sure you are in danger." I looked over the roof and down at the street hoping to find any signs of life. Or where this spell was coming from but there was nothing.

"Start searching each building. I am starting on the ground floors you start on the top." Masquerade's mental voice brought my distracted thoughts back to the current moment. I thought about it and couldn't come up with a better plan. I leaped from the roof while grabbing hold of the ledge. My momentum swung me through the glass window like a superhero. I glanced around the room thankful that it was empty. I activated Psychic Aegis in its bubble form just in case. I ran throughout the building but found nothing but families. Every room filled me with a mounting fear that only amplified the atmosphere outside.

"Please tell me you found something." I was just about to reply when a blood-curdling scream shattered the silence. "Damn it" I activated Apportation and appeared on the roof seconds later before breaking out into a full sprint. I caught sight of Masquerade on the streets below me. The scream came from a parking garage turned shelter less than a block away. As soon as I was close enough I pushed spiritual energy into my feet and shot forward like a bullet. I leaped into the garage like Spider-Man as my eyes scanned for any signs of the murderer.