Mist

Mist is an orichalcon-rank assassin known as 'Shadow Mist' who wields shadow magic. Unlike the petty bandits Alan had met before, he wastes no time on talk or threats: he strikes instantly, from the shadows, without the slightest warning.

Alan intercepts him during a job to abduct Nina Raging, the duke's daughter. Mist immediately runs Alan through the chest with a black sword sprung from a shadow — and only the Reversal skill, triggered at the last second, saves the hero by bouncing the lethal damage back. Even the reflected blow is not enough to kill Mist: he sinks into a shadow and retreats.

Alan tracks him by teleportation and twice snatches Nina straight out of his lair, but does not engage him in open combat — honestly admitting that Mist is still stronger and that his own 'body is not yet complete.' Mist becomes a key lesson for the hero: even the strongest skill won't save you if you let your guard down — and a spur to even harsher training.

Mist's combat style is an instant kill from the shadows and an equally instant retreat via 'Shadow Dive.' He does not kill needlessly and works strictly on commission, which makes him not a villain by nature but a professional for whom Alan is merely an obstacle on the job. That is why he remains one of the most dangerous opponents of the early story.