Asher then looked at the place where the runes from the artifact had entered his body. He could sense a strand of mana with its own will inside him. It was making sure that he couldn’t reveal anything related to the headquarters to outsiders while also constantly monitoring his vital signs and his location.

Asher then thought,

’I’m sure I can remove the will from that mana with help of Nothing, but it would probably alert the artifact and the others. So there’s no need to do that.’

’But who is behind this guild? Someone from one of the other two Duke Houses? Or maybe the Royal Family? Perhaps even the Church? They’re probably trying to create discord among the lower noble families. As for the reason behind it... I don’t know.’

Asher then thought,

’So what should I do now? Keep completing missions to gain their trust and wait for a chance when all the members are gathered here before attacking and killing them?’

He immediately shook his head.

’No, that’s too inefficient. It would take far too much time to wait for an opportunity like that.’

After thinking for a few seconds, a faint smile appeared on his face.

’Instead of waiting for a chance when everyone gathers here together, including the Grandmaster, I should just create a reason for them to gather here ’

’As long as I can force the headquarters into a situation where all of its important members have no choice but to return... then I won’t have to waste months waiting for the perfect opportunity.’

The smile on Asher’s face slowly disappeared as his expression returned to normal.

Asher then thought,

’So now it’s time to make preparations to make that situation happen as soon as possible.’

Meanwhile, at Aetherium Academy.

Asher and his teammates were having lunch.

However, Asher was looking at his mobile while eating, which was unusual for him.

Seeing this, Noah asked, "What are you looking at on your mobile while eating today?"

Asher looked at Noah and replied, "Nothing. I’m just looking at different mask designs."

Adam looked at Asher in confusion and asked, "What are you going to use a mask for?"

Asher looked at Adam and calmly replied, "To hide my face."

"..."

Adam immediately realized that he had asked something he probably shouldn’t have.

He looked at Asher and apologized, "Sorry for asking. My fault."

Meanwhile, at the Reaper Guild Headquarters.

It was 4 PM.

All four members assigned to the mission, including Asher, were standing together while No. 46 gave them the instructions one last time.

"You guys will be teleported near the auction location. After arriving there, use the artifact to change your appearance and wait for the target to arrive."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"As soon as you spot the target, find an opportunity to get close to them. The moment you get within range, activate the barrier artifact and trap them inside before they notice anything is wrong."

No. 46 then looked at each of them one by one.

"Finish the mission as quickly as possible. Once the artifact deactivates, I’ll teleport all of you back here..."

He paused again before finishing his sentence.

"...if you’re still alive,using the rings that you have on your fingers,so make sure you don’t lose those rings because if you do ,then you are dead"

The room fell silent as everyone understood the meaning behind those words.

No one asked any questions.

Instead, all four of them simply nodded.

The next moment, all four of them disappeared from the headquarters.

When Asher opened his eyes again, he found himself standing inside a deserted alley.

The other three members were already there.

No. 98 looked around for a moment before saying, "Let’s move."

No one replied.

The four of them walked out of the alley one after another before heading toward the auction building.

After reaching a nearby corner, all four of them activated the appearance-changing artifacts.

Their faces, hair, height, and even their aura changed completely.

After making sure everything was in order, they walked toward the auction building separately, maintaining a certain distance between each other so that no one would suspect they were together.

Then they quietly waited for their target to arrive.

...

Thirty minutes passed.

Just then, a convoy of luxurious black cars stopped in front of the auction building.

The surrounding guards immediately became alert.

One after another, several bodyguards stepped out of the vehicles and quickly spread out, securing the surrounding area.

A few seconds later, the rear door of the middle car slowly opened.

A young girl, who looked to be around 23 years old, stepped out of the car.

The moment she appeared, the master-rank bodyguard standing beside her scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze before quietly escorting her toward the entrance of the auction building.

Seeing this, No. 98’s voice sounded through the communication artifact.

"The target has arrived."

"Everyone, get into position."

The moment the Viscount’s daughter and her guards reached the entrance of the auction building, No. 98’s voice echoed through the communication artifact.

"Now."

In the next instant, all four of them disappeared from their positions.

Using the speed of Master-rank experts, they crossed dozens of meters in the blink of an eye and appeared right in front of the target.

The master-rank bodyguards’ expressions immediately changed.

"Enemies—!"

Before he could finish shouting, No. 89 took out a pitch-black artifact and poured his mana into it.

Buzz!

A black sphere rapidly expanded from the artifact.

Within less than a second, it covered the entire area around the auction entrance, trapping the Viscount’s daughter, her guards, the four assassins, and several unlucky bystanders inside.

From the outside, the black dome looked completely solid, making it impossible to see what was happening within.

The surrounding crowd froze for a moment before panic erupted.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Run!"

"It’s an attack!"

After only 5 minutes the Attack begin.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters.

No. 46 was monitoring the locations and vital signs of all four members through the artifact.

Everything was normal.

Then, suddenly...

No. 186’s vital signs disappeared from the monitoring device.

No. 46’s expression immediately changed as he stared at the screen.

"No. 186’s vital signs... they’re gone?"