My eyes snapped open, feeling immediately stronger than I was yesterday, and I wasted no time immediately opening up my status screen.

STR – 28
DEX – 20
VIT – 27

And there it was, the fruit of my labors. Not a lot of labor, if I was being honest, since it took me only a week of extreme training to become stronger and faster and healthier than pretty much every other 'normal' human on Earth. Yesterday, after the [Culexus Assassin] reported its find, I'd pretty much just spent the rest of the day resting and testing myself. Though the synchronicity of my mind and the [Tempestus Scions Training] was seamless, it had remained untested; so, I tested it to its full capacity and it was very interesting to note that I could probably beat every single 'normal' martial artist now in hand-to-hand combat, considering the training I'd received was far more advanced that what the freaking Navy SEALS had. Whatever the case, I was now an expert in the one weapon that I did possess, the Laspistol, alongside the use of every other weapon I could possibly get my hands on, including my actual hands.

I breathed in and pushed myself off the bed. I would've done a few hundred burpees at this point, but I knew that I'd receive no benefits, unless I did like five thousand reps, which would probably take me several hours to actually complete. I turned to the clock. It was 7:00 am in the morning. Good. The [Culexus Assassin] assured me that, now that it had the mage's scent, it was more than capable of tracking it and finding it as it'd done yesterday. I did take a bath first, however, as Catachan knowledge told me that it was always better to scrub off my scent as much as possible. I did not, unfortunately, possess any sort of pheromone body wash, but taking a good long batch with hot water as a good-enough alternative.

Plus, pheromone body washes were available within the System and they weren't even expensive, a basic body wash costing only 100 War Points for the Catachan version in particular; I just didn't need to buy any yet, since I wasn't on Catachan, Fenris, or any other Death World filled with predatory creatures who were more than capable of tracking me by scent alone. This was Earth. I had zero reason to believe that Mages possessed nostrils on par with bears or wolves. Or, at the very least, I had zero reason to believe that I smelled any different from any other human. It wasn't as though possessing Indian genes made me smell like freaking garam masala.

So, after taking a long, hot bath, and donning on a simple black hoodie over a white a shirt and a pair of track pants for maximum movement and running shoes, I willed forth the [Culexus Assassin] in my bedroom.

Its appearance no longer unnerved me. Actually, looking at him now, the dude was pretty fucking cool. He looked as though he walked right out of a comic book. I took a moment to really examine his skull-shaped helmet and the strange technological horrors attached to it. His hands were free. It was easy to figure out that the helmet itself was his weapon. I was also pretty sure that the [Culexus Assassin] was outright stronger than me in a contest of physical power, though I suppose that was also due to whatever chemical augmentations he'd received. The System did possess a catalog of permanent or temporary physical and genetic enhancements that'd elevate my stats to beyond human, bringing me far closer to the realms beyond man. But, I couldn't afford any of those for now and, all things considered, I didn't really need them, given the fact that – sooner or later – hard work was all that was necessary to increase my stats.

All good things with time and patience.

For now, however, I had something I really wanted and needed to do. "Can you still trace the source of the magical thingy?"

The Culexus Assassin nodded. I blinked and realized I'd forgotten to ask something else that I should've asked the moment I first willed him forth. "Actually, before anything else; may I know if you have a name? And, if you have one, please tell me."

The Culexus Assassin, however, merely shook his head. He did not speak, but I understood the gesture well enough, which I figured was because of our connection. He did not have a name, but would gladly mantle whatever name I gave him, which made me wonder if the same was true for all the living entities I'd eventually summon. I hope not. I wasn't very good with names. Still, my Culexus Assassin needed one. And, seeing as he could speak, I couldn't exactly ask for his opinion on anything, which meant the whole responsibility fell on my shoulders. "As of this moment, your name shall be... ugh... Crentist."

Which rhymes with dentist, because mom had been watching the Office downstairs for the last few days and it just popped in my head.

The Culexus Assassin seemed to stare at me for a moment, before shrugging and nodding.

I nodded back. "Right, onto business. I'll be accompanying you this time, Crentist. Let's see what we're up against or what we're dealing with. Has the target changed location?"

Crentist, the Culexus Asssassin, nodded. I smiled. "Good, that means we probably have time to examine the warehouse to find some clues. If we don't find anything, then we'll just have to track down our target directly. And you're still capable of that, yes?"

Crentist nodded. "Let's move."

I followed Crentist out of the house, making sure to lock the door behind me. The morning air was crisp, the sky a muted gray that threatened rain. A perfect day for some sneaky detective work. My heart was pounding with a mix of anticipation and excitement. Whatever lay ahead in that warehouse, I felt ready. Maybe a bit too confident, but when you've got a literal anti-magic assassin by your side, it's hard not to feel that way.

We moved through the quiet streets, the only sounds being the soft hum of cars in the distance and the occasional bark of a dog. Crentist led the way, moving with the kind of silence that only a hunter at the peak of his craft could manage. I kept up easily, my newly enhanced physical abilities making the jog feel like nothing more than a light warm-up. Crentist's anti-soul also made it so that every single person subconsciously avoided and ignored him, their physical senses incapable of accepting his very existence, which essentially rendered him invisible.

The warehouse was exactly as Crentist had shown me in the memory transfer: an old, abandoned structure on the edge of town, long since forgotten by anyone who wasn't up to something shady. The building loomed in front of us, a relic of some bygone industrial era. Vines crept up its cracked walls, and the windows were either broken or boarded up. A place like this was the perfect hideout for someone who didn't want to be found.

"Alright, Crentist," I whispered, even though I knew that no one could hear us. "Let's be careful. We'll do a quick sweep, see what we can find, and then get out."

Crentist nodded and took the lead, slipping through a gap in the chain-link fence that surrounded the property. I followed close behind, keeping my senses on high alert. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of adrenaline and excitement surging through my veins. The warehouse might have been abandoned, but that didn't mean it was empty. And I was dealing with magic here – not just men with guns and knives. This was a force that could alter the very fabric of reality just because.

We approached the main entrance, a pair of rusted metal doors that looked like they hadn't been opened in years. The only other entrance was the fire exit on the other side of the building, but that thing was so rusted and withered that just turning the knob would've caused it to just fall apart entirely. Crentist paused, glancing back at me as if to ask for confirmation. I nodded, giving him the go-ahead. With a silent motion, he pushed one of the doors open just enough for us to slip inside.

The interior of the warehouse was just as dilapidated as the exterior. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, disturbed only by the occasional footprint or scattered debris. Old machinery and crates were strewn about, their purpose long forgotten. The air was thick with the smell of rust and decay.

Crentist moved with practiced ease, scanning the area with a precision that I could only admire. I followed closely, my eyes darting around as I tried to take in every detail. Something about the place felt off. There was a faint hum in the air, like a distant echo of power. It wasn't strong, but it was there, lingering just beneath the surface.

As we made our way deeper into the warehouse, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. The shadows seemed to stretch and twist in ways that didn't make sense, and the air grew colder with each step. I could tell that Crentist felt it too; his movements became even more deliberate, his posture more guarded.

We reached what looked like the center of the warehouse, a large open space surrounded by stacks of crates and rusted machinery. Crentist suddenly stopped, his head snapping to the side as if he'd heard something. I followed his gaze, but all I saw was a shadow flickering at the edge of my vision.

"Did you see something?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

Crentist nodded, pointing towards the far corner of the room. There was something there, hidden in the darkness. I strained my eyes, trying to make out what it was, but the shadows were too thick. Whatever it was, it didn't feel right.

I clenched my fists, ready to summon my Laspistol if needed. "Let's check it out."

Crentist led the way, his steps silent as a ghost's. I moved in behind him, my senses on high alert. As we approached the corner, the air grew colder, and that faint hum of power I'd felt earlier grew louder. It was almost like a whisper now, a low murmur that I couldn't quite understand.

And then I saw it.

A circle, etched into the concrete floor, glowing faintly with a pale blue light. The symbols within it were unfamiliar, a strange mix of runes and markings that seemed to shift and change as I looked at them. It was a spell, no doubt about it, but one that was far beyond anything I'd seen before.

Crentist knelt down, examining the circle with a careful eye. I could feel the magic radiating from it, pulsing softly like a heartbeat. Whatever this spell was, it was still active, and it was powerful. However, Crentist's mere presence caused its glow to flicker on and off like a broken light bulb, his anti-magic aura at work. I could tell that, if he stood close to it for long enough, it'd probably just disappear.

"This… doesn't look good," I muttered, more to myself than to Crentist. "Can you tell what it's for?"

Crentist shook his head, standing up and stepping back from the circle, which stabilized its glow – somewhat, though it was clearly dimmer now than it was before. He pointed towards the center of the spell, where a small, glowing crystal sat. It was the source of the magic, no doubt, but I had no idea what it was or what it was doing here.

Before I could react, the crystal pulsed, and the entire warehouse seemed to tremble. The air grew thick with magic, and I could feel the power of the spell intensifying. Cracks appeared all around it and I knew, immediately, that this probably would not have otherwise happened if Crentist hadn't approached it. His presence must've destabilized the whole thing and it was now falling apart.

Crentist and I exchanged a quick glance, and I knew what he was thinking. We needed to get out of here, now.

But before we could move, the spell circle flared, and a wave of energy surged outwards, knocking us both off our feet. The last thing I saw before everything went dark was the crystal shattering into a million pieces, its glow fading into nothingness.

Then, silence.