Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1002 Finding The Manual

(Planet V-Star, Twilight Strip, Leo’s POV)

Upon arriving at the high density mana location, Leo quietly explored the surroundings for a while, before eventually realising that the actual structure that made this area special was buried at least twenty to thirty meters below the surface, as the energy he sensed did not radiate outward like a natural anomaly, but instead converged downward in deliberate spirals that suggested containment rather than diffusion.

As he extended [Absolute Vision] beneath the fractured basalt crust, the vague fluctuation resolved into something unmistakably artificial, its outline too symmetrical and too defined to be the product of geological coincidence.

The cavity below appeared compact and self-contained, its borders sharply angular in contrast to the chaotic fault lines surrounding it, as though someone had carved a small chamber into the planet’s spine and then wrapped it in inscriptions capable of drawing mana inward from the fragile equilibrium zone above.

*Sigh*

Leo exhaled slowly without actually breathing, as he sealed his lungs tighter and thickened the layer of protective aura coating his skin to withstand the planet’s vacuum and abrasive micro-particles, while calculating that every minute spent excavating would eat into the narrow window he had before oxygen deprivation dulled his reactions.

Summoning his daggers into his hands, he did not dig recklessly, but instead began slicing into the crust with precise, angled cuts, as he exploited existing stress fractures within the basalt and used

controlled bursts of strength to dislodge entire slabs of rock rather than chip away inefficiently.

*Slash*

*Push*

*Dig*

As each blade carved downward in rhythmic arcs, he rotated his hips and shoulders in perfect alignment, allowing momentum and technique to multiply force without wasting aura, while massive chunks of mineral crust split cleanly and were lifted aside as though gravity itself obeyed his will.

Over the next half hour, as the shaft deepened and the mana density intensified around him like invisible pressure building within a sealed vessel, Leo steadily uncovered what lay beneath, until the final layer of hardened stone gave way and revealed a small hut-like structure embedded within the planet’s core.

The structure was compact and almost humble in shape, yet its surface was covered entirely in inscriptions that pulsed faintly with restrained power, as each marking seemed to channel and circulate the surrounding mana field in precise loops that fed back into themselves.

Leo stepped closer cautiously, as he realized that the inscriptions were not written in any language he recognized, nor did they resemble known script systems tied to clans, gods, or ancient civilizations, while their geometric arrangement hinted at meaning far deeper than mere decoration.

There was nothing inside the hut except those inscriptions lining every interior wall, and as he extended his senses more carefully, he understood that the overwhelming mana density saturating the area was not natural at all, but entirely a byproduct of these symbols drawing, compressing, and refining energy through some unknown mechanism.

“Of course…” Leo murmured softly within the vacuum, as the realization settled over him that the hut itself was not a shelter, but a key, and that the inscriptions were the true artifact the Timeless Assassin had hidden in this impossible world.

“There’s nothing inside this hut apart from these inscriptions, which means either the hut itself is the manual… or this place is merely the key to where the real one is hidden,” Leo muttered, as he slowly crouched and ran his fingers across the carved surface, feeling the faint hum of condensed mana vibrating beneath the stone like a restrained heartbeat.

To test his theory, he lifted one dagger and drew a shallow cut across his thumb, allowing a bead of blood to gather before carefully letting it drip onto the etched floor below, as though attempting to bind with the cover of a newly discovered meditation scripture.

*Plop*

*Sizzle*

The instant the drop touched the surface, it began to hiss and evaporate, either reacting to the near-vacuum pressure of V-Star or to the peculiar composition of the hut’s interior, yet regardless of the cause, the reaction was immediate and violent as the entire structure shuddered like something awakened from long dormancy.

*Tremble*

*Brighten*

The inscriptions lining the walls flared to life one by one, as though finally tapping into the vast reservoir of mana they had patiently cycled and stored for millennia, while the interior of the hut began to glow brighter and brighter until the space was swallowed in blinding white.

“The hell?” Leo said, as he instinctively raised a layer of aura to shield his eyes while the light intensified, flooding every carved groove and crack with searing brilliance as though the structure itself were

dissolving into pure energy.

For several long seconds the radiance grew unbearable, as the mana currents within the chamber roared like a silent storm, before the glow abruptly stabilized and then slowly began to dim, retreating

from overwhelming brilliance into a focused point at the center of the hut.

As the light condensed, it shaped itself into a translucent projection of a man standing before Leo, his form flickering slightly yet undeniably distinct, with a long beard flowing to his chest, a curled moustache framing sharp lips, and piercing gray eyes that held the kind of predatory calm Leo knew all too well.

He recognized the face instantly.

The Timeless Assassin.

And yet… not quite.

Gone was the clean-shaven youthfulness and relaxed charm Leo

remembered, as it was instead replaced by a sage-like austerity that lent the man an older, sterner presence, as though this projection had been forged from a different chapter of his existence.

The bearded figure squinted at Leo as though examining an unfamiliar specimen, his expression sharpening into irritation rather than

recognition.

“Who the hell are you?” the projection demanded bluntly, folding his

arms as his gaze raked over Leo’s form.

“Your blood activated this mechanism, which means you are definitely

from my bloodline. However, you are not me, Kaelith, or Soron… are

you?”

He asked, as Leo stared back at him, confusion plainly etched across his features as he felt the beginnings of a monumental headache

creeping in.

He could already sense it.

The complication.

The unclear phrasing.

And the inevitable layers of absurdity about to unfold, as memories of

blood-boiling instructions and maddening wordplay from previous manuals resurfaced unpleasantly.

“Please don’t tell me the manual can talk this time…”

Leo muttered under his breath, as he shook his head violently from

side to side.

If this projection was the manual itself, then judging by the sharp intelligence glittering in those gray eyes, Leo had the sinking feeling that he would be wishing he had killed himself at least five times a day before this was over.