Restart:Untalented Man

"At least, it's much better than letting your innocent wife and children die with you," Nerdwolf said. "Come on, Ferdinand. Don't force me to take innocents' lives. Your selfishness is the one that put your family in danger, not me."

The words struck Ferdinand like a heavy blow. It was a harsh reality he couldn't ignore.

He knew Nerdwolf was right.

The odds were stacked against him, and his desperate fight seemed increasingly futile.

"For the sake of your loved ones, why don't you put down that sword? You're not going to beat me anyway. Who knows... if you provide information, you might escape execution," Nerdwolf's voice held a hint of persuasion, and the offer seemed tempting enough to make Ferdinand contemplate surrender.

His mind was conflicted.

On one hand, the instinct to protect his family was powerful, urging him to accept Nerdwolf's proposal.

On the other, his pride and fear of what would happen to him if he cooperated with the authorities gnawed at him.

In the midst of this agonizing moment, an arrow, swift and unerring, appeared seemingly out of nowhere and landed precisely on Ferdinand's neck.

Keukhh!—

Ferdinand falls to the ground. Within seconds, his eyes lost the light of life.

The abruptness of his death left Nerdwolf in a state of shock.

Nerdwolf's eyebrows shot up, his calm facade momentarily broken by the unexpected turn of events. But quickly, his expression turned serious, "Who's there?"

His voice carried an edge of authority.

He scanned the surroundings for any sign of the unseen archer.

Yet, his question was met with an eerie silence.

As the agent heightened his sense to intercept any potential attack, something was thrown in the direction of the carriage. 

A resounding splash was heard when that 'something' landed on the top of the carriage, splattering a liquid substance.

At first, Agent Nerdwolf doesn't quite understand the reason behind this peculiar action but shortly after, something clicked in his mind.

"Don't tell me...," His feet moved faster than he could finish his sentence.

He propelled himself toward the carriage.

Swoosh—

Like fiery serpents, a volley of arrows soared through the air.

These were no ordinary arrows; they were ignited.

Agent Nerdwolf's earlier premonition had been alarmingly accurate.

The flaming arrows struck the carriage with fierce precision, and within moments, a monstrous fireball engulfed the vehicle.

The horrified screams and desperate shouts of Ferdinand's wife and children erupted from within the blazing carriage.

Nerdwolf acted quickly, slashing at the carriage door with his blade. He desperately tried to reach those trapped inside. 

In the process of getting them out of the burning carriage, arrows rained down upon him.

"Damn it!" he cursed through gritted teeth as he deflected the deadly projectiles. 

Beads of sweat mingled with soot on his furrowed brow as his sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the unseen assailants.

It was clear that unseen killers were intent on stopping him as if their mission was not only to prevent their escape but to ensure their demise in the searing flames.

Turning to the people inside the carriage, he shouted with a stern and slightly annoyed tone, "Hurry up and get out! I can't do two things at once."

Ferdinand's wife nodded. She needed no further prompting. With her children in her arm, she swiftly pulled them out of the burning carriage.

Their small frames coughed from the smoke, but thankfully, none were severely injured. Just minor burns that would heal with time.

Now, Nerdwolf's main focus was to get them back into the city, where they could hide amidst the crowds or within buildings, rather than standing exposed in the open space.

"It was supposed to be an easy mission." Nerdwolf couldn't help but mutter to himself while he deftly deflected the incoming attacks.

Regret weighed heavily on Nerdwolf as his thoughts racing amidst the chaotic situation.

He wished he hadn't been somewhat selfish the day before, opting for what he had assumed would be the easiest mission.

Frustration clawed at him as he noticed the three people he had just saved standing amidst the turmoil, seemingly frozen in place.

"What are you standing there like an idiot?!" Nerdwolf shouted at the top of his lungs.

He was rapidly losing patience.

The urgency of the situation demanded immediate action and yet...

Sigh—

This is precisely why he had always avoided escort-centred missions. The snail-speed reactions of some people in dangerous situations irked him to no end.

It was as if they had lost their ability to think entirely.

The woman, still in shock, tried to speak, her gaze locked on her lifeless husband's body on the ground. "But..."

"He's gone," Nerdwolf cut her off, his voice firm and unsympathetic. He gestured towards Ferdinand's lifeless form. "Leave him be! Save yourselves first!"

The three of them, Ferdinand's wife and children, started their hurried journey back to the city, tightly packed in Nerdwolf's protective shadow.

He deftly deflected every incoming attack, his senses now finely attuned to the assassins' location.

But a dilemma loomed. He couldn't go after them without leaving Ferdinand's family exposed to further attacks.

He muttered to himself, "Be patient, be patient, be patient. We're almost there."

As he had been hoping, they moved from sparsely populated roads into the city.

Buildings rose around them, providing both shelter and anonymity. "Go and hide!" Nerdwolf urgently instructed Ferdinand's family as they drew closer to the populated area.

Once he was certain that Ferdinand's family was out of harm's way, Nerdwolf redirected his unwavering focus towards the assassins.

No words were spoken.

Instead, he acted with swift precision, moving directly towards the closest threat.

For some time, he had been mentally marking their positions. His keen mind capturing the subtlest details of the assailants' locations.

It was a chasing game of cat and mouse, and now it was Nerdwolf's turn to be the cat.

"You guys think I am an easy prey?!" A smile formed on Nerdwolf's face, "I'm [Assasin] rank agent for a reason."

With a fluid motion, he lunged forward, guiding his blade to find its mark.

The first assassin fell in silence. His eyes were wide open in shock.

As the life of the first assassin was extinguished, Nerdwolf didn't pause.

His steps were swift, almost graceful, as he moved through the shadows.

The next target was taken down swiftly. He died with hands on his throat.

At least, this shows that the second victim is a bit better than the first one. He could react and is aware of how he met his demise.

The third assassin met a similar fate as the others, his body collapsing soundlessly to the ground.

The confrontations were brief but intense.

The noise of combat was purposely kept to a minimum.

The only sounds that filled the air were the soft swishes of his blade, the stifled gasps of his opponents, and also the occasional thud of a fallen body.

Nerdwolf's movements were almost dance-like, fluid and precise. The assassins' resistance was futile. They were dealing with a professional who was one step ahead at every turn.

One by one, the attackers met their end.

Their existence was silently snuffed out by the annoyed and tired agent.