DO NOT READ, THANK YOU, WILL EDIT THIS MESS IN 20 MIN

The door slowly opened, creaking as an assassin appeared. But, his state was strange.

For some reason he had trouble standing, as he mechanically put one foot in front of the other. He was sweating heavily and had trouble breathing.

Then in his hands he was carryinga tray?

Was this guy really just bringing food? Then why did he seem so stressed? The archer earlier hadn't shown any trace of fear.

"M-Matriarch, sorry to interrupt. Here is the food you asked me to deliver earlier today." His voice was shaking as he said that.

Right now she was staring at him as if he had committed a grave crime for some reason. This glare made him freeze as he despaired at his current situation:

1. There was possibly something happening between the elder and the matriarch.

2. They were alone in a room with the door closed. (Usually it was wide open)

3. He wasn't supposed to make any noise in case she was deep in reflection.

4. She had killed members pissing her off in the past.

5. He still had to fulfill her request even then.

Thus he had entered with the resolve that he would perhaps die. Heck he had tried getting someone else to do it but none had a death wish. Now, he was perhaps really going to perish.

But that's when his gaze suddenly met the kind elder. This great man was his last hope! The illustrious man gently waved at him:

"Hey there. It's great that you're there. I'm starving!" the elder ushered him in with a friendly voice.

He even kept his arms solidly latched around the matriarch, who calmed down thanks to it. It's at that moment that a breath of relief escape the assassin as he relaxed. He would live! He was so damn lucky that the elder was so understanding!

Without waiting, he approached to deliver the piping hot food. Its wonderful aroma was already spreading all across the room. But he suddenly detected another scent, one that turned his stomach over.

It smelled so damn bad! What the hell was this?!

He had the feeling that there was a corpse that had been left to rot here. It wasn't just recent rot either, but one that was choking and omnipresent. He unconsciously halted, but then forced himself to keep going.

The closer he came to them and the worse it became. He felt so damn horrible! What was this?! It was death itself, it was demonic! Whatever this thing was, he had to stay far away from it!

But then he realized with horror that the smell was coming from his two superiors?! No, it was coming from the elder?! How?! Why?!

He was just sitting there casually, even flashing him a bright smile as he gestured right in front of him: "You can drop the tray right here."

This smile chilled the assassin's body entirely. He had to come so close to him?! The kind man was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was an horrendous monster, one that would definitely devour him.

What was he supposed to do?! Should he run? Could he run? Should he off himself?!

"Are you alright? You seem pale." The demon's "concerned" voice echoed in the room.

Was he alright?! How could he be?! That's when he noticed the sheep. In the corner there was a fluffy sheep, one that was running away from the demon. Oh god!

"Y-yes, elder." He forced himself to utter, his voice shaky.

"You don't have to be wary of her. She won't escape my arms." The monster chuckled, joking.

He had to humor him. "Ha-ha-hahaha." The best he could muster was a nervous laugh. Would it suffice? This was insane!

From now on whatever this monster did he would copy. This was his only chance of survival

Josh couldn't help but stare at the weird man in front of him.

Why as he still so afraid? Was he perhaps fearing retribution from the matriarch once he was gone?

"Say, you won't find trouble with him once I'm gone right?"

"Gone?! Where?"

"-_- I'm be climbing later."

"Oh rightOf course not You don't have to worry." She reassured him.

"There you have it. So don't be so stressed, alright?" Josh gently spoke to the assassin.

Hearing this he smiled, but it was one worthy of a cadaver in a horror movie. It was so damn grotesque and he looked so blemished. It was unbelievable! At this point Josh just gave up and waited for him to be done.

It took him an eternity, but he finally crouched down to lower the tray on the floor in front of them. But as he rose up, his legs were so wobbly that he missed a step, touching the grimoire they had been reading.

The effect was instantaneous. As soon as there was contact the man began throwing up a river of blood, landing on the book. But instead of dirtying the pages, it was absorbed, not leaving a trace of it.

Wait, was the book attacking him?! Josh did something he never thought he'd be doing, he slapped the thing hard:

"Bad grimoire, stand down!"

A puff of black energy escaped it, as its pages rippled. The assassin heaved a sigh of relief, and so did the sheep in the corner.

The poor guy's face went through so many revolutions. Relief, incomprehension, understanding, gratefulness, awe, and finally worship!

Then started running, as quickly as possible, leaving behind the meal tray.

"This is the usual reaction upon seeing it. Yet you're holding it, not even twitching. You're putting the entire LoA to shame. Still, he's seen something he shouldn't have."

She opened her mouth, ready to send a sonic attack his way. Josh shook his head. "There is no need. Keep reading."

She seemed to hesitate for a second before she finally let it go. Thus resumed the reading session, one that lasted a couple of days.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer?"

"To read the same book yet another time? Don't worry about me. You should worry about yourself. You have a lot of work to do." Josh chuckled a he bid adieu to the matriarch.

All around there were assassins sending him away, with worshiping gaze. They all had heard the stories from that one assassin with the delivery tray.

The matriarch had wanted to kill him and he had convinced her otherwise! He had also shared that he had been able to scare him shitless inadvertandly just with his aura. He ahdn't been trying at all!

As for the book? None had heard about it. The guy wasnMt that cumb. He knew that he would 100% die he he began to blabber.

They gave him respectful bow as they watched the man who had tamed the scary matriarch leave. Hell, they wouldn't have dared to become her lover so they respected him greatly!

As for their actual relation? It wasn't anything of the sort. They had simply been training a lot. The manual had contained a lot of interesting concept on how to use that energy of death.

The most interesting one was something that he had diligently trained until he could apply it to killing intent: locking.

It was similar to leaving a mark on one's target: something he had already done in the past. The difference was that it devled deeper in the topic. For instance it described a move called the death step.

What it did was to consume one's deathly energy to close the distance with an opponent. It was akin to a blink that only worked close range, and wasn't 100% magical eitehr.

What he couldn't understadn however was how they even had such knowledge in the first place. The grimoire dated to before the Tower was even a thing. This meant that magic had been present in the world before that crazy event.

On his way out, that one assassin accosted him. "Elder, I just want you to know that no matter what happens in the future I will always be at your service. You save my life!"

He simply nodded, acknoeledging him and made him sign a slave contract while at it. (Cause why not).

Then it was time to go back to the Tower. He headed for the next Floor, gettting his orc in passing. The orc king was still squatting at that one's bodyguard place much to his despair.

As he opened the door, his pet was now wearing some crazy looking tuxedo that gave him a gentlemanly and refined air. He was even wearing a helmet that made him look like that one DJ group wearing helmets.

RANDOM WORDS

"Holy shit! What the hell happened to them?!"

"They look dead!"

These traumatized people would walk toward their friends as if zombies. Then, they would mindlessly accept a cup of what everyone assumed to be medicine as they slowly regained their composure and color.

"What the fuck is wrong with these people?!"

"I'm not sure, but it seems bad!"

That's when a friendly older student approached. "Hey, guys. Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Sloths! ;) How are you all doing?" (OS)

"That's not important! What's up with them?!"