In a dark room where not even a speck of sunlight is seen, the whole situation is a mess. It is evident that the room has never been tended for at least a month. Empty cup noodles along with plastic wrappers are lying on the floor while the whole room is enveloped by acrid smell akin to something rotten. In this room, a man in his 20's is watching the television intently.
[Breaking News: Potente Guild, an Italy based guild has successfully raided the 34th floor. This again opened up new resources for further development. The media and public are excited for the information that the Potente Guild will publicize regarding the floor raid. The guild master is currently refusing an interview about their feat. Everyone is waiting for his appearance and statements. This is YNT News, reporting.]
A faint smile that doesn’t suit his expressionless face is plastered with a glint of jealousy in it. The man reach the remote to close the television. The people in the report are Adventurers, an occupation that suddenly changed the course on how the world works.
No, it is more accurate to say that ever since the appearance of the mysterious towers that erected throughout the whole world, what considered to be normal had been completely overwritten.
*rustle
“I didn’t notice that it had already piled up to this point.”
He brushed off the trashes on the floor unbothered by the sight and smell of it and grabbed his old refrigerator’s handle. As he reach the pitcher full of cold water, his phone rings.
*rings
After pouring cold water in his glass, he took a glance on the ringing phone.
[Unknown number calling…]
His expressionless face turned sour. The phone number is familiar, something that he desperately avoids.
“Just how the hell did this bastard get my phone number when I already changed it!?”
He threw his phone on the table next to him. The man is named Logan. Just like anyone, he used to dream of being an Adventurer. A job with a huge pay guaranteed in exchange for risking your life in exchange for resources. It may look like he has gone out of his mind to dream for it despite knowing. However, that did not change anything. His life was always at the tip of the reapers scythe and if he think about it, being an Adventurer has more benefits than harm unlike the world he is living.
He is now tired of being haunted by pleas of help and mercy every night. Yes, Logan used to be an assassin. Hired to kill anyone with just the right price and against his own volition. His filthy hands drenched in thick blood is his life.
He never wanted to kill but he has to. No one will save him and no one will help him. He is alone and he needed to survive.
Adventurers has the free life he wanted. A life where he is not feared as the assassin, but idolized as an Adventurer.
He looked at his phone continuously blinking. His eyes devoid of emotion stared at the phone. He intently closed his eyes before coming up with the decision.
“…….”
[Zero, it has been a long time.”]
An overlapping robotic voice, unrecognizable whether it is from woman or a man creeped in Logan’s ear. A familiar voice he wanted to escape.
“What do you want?”
Like the cold night, Logan’s voice does not contain any emotion. Anyone who heard him will have chills down their spine. Deep emotionless voice tempered with countless deaths and blood.
[Don’t be so distant, aren’t we in a relationship?]
“Cut the bullshit Nine. Tell me what you want.”
[Tsk. You’re no fun, Zero. Joker has a job for you.]
Logan stood stiff. Shortly, he blanked out with Nine’s words. He tried his best to escape but it seems like he is shackled and impaled.
His lifeless eyes shook with Nine’s words.
‘Am I being too greedy to be free?’
[He said that if you do this just one more time, he would grant you the freedom you always wanted.]
Logan perked his ears at the word freedom.
‘Joker did?’
He knew of Joker not bending with his words while Nine has the habit of not lying. Joker always do what he promised so there is no reason for him to doubt Nine’s words.
“What it is about?”
[Now that’s the Zero I know! I will directly send the file to you.]
Logan did not wait for Nine and ended the call. Shortly after, a notification come up, an email containing the information he needed for the job. The last mission he will have as the assassin Zero.
*
He prepared himself and wore a suit. His target is someone who has strong ties with their organization. They discovered that he betrayed them by giving out confidential information. Not that he already did but Logan, no Zero’s mission is to prevent this from happening.
Joshua Fishman, his target, is planning to divulge information secretly when everyone gets busy with the party orchestrated by him and his cohorts.
‘As someone who works on the dark side, his tricks are quite cute.’
Is what Zero is thinking. A simple trick like this is a child’s play and considered to be the lowest. A trick that does not even pass as the basic for their organization, ‘Deck’.
Looking at everyone holding their own glasses while enjoying the party, Zero finished his alcohol that he grabbed somewhere. It has an aftertaste to it but it does not take the fact that it is a good alcohol, as one would expect from someone living the life of an elite.
He tidied his tie and hair then stealthily watched Fishman who is now having a conversation with someone familiar to Zero.
‘Daniel Hugh.’
Daniel Hugh, a huge individual on the line of trades. He is one of the biggest contributor in weapon trade. His company can be said one of the important asset the America could have.
‘I didn’t expect that someone like him has connection with this filthy world. Though it is understandable why.’
Most of the wealthy men are associated with the underground society. They are never clean. If you trace them, their records will show even the lightest act of request of investigation of someone who can potentially endanger them.
Fishman and Hugh smiled at each other while shaking hands and at that very moment. The light dimmed and the party music started.
Zero did not panic and tapped his glasses activating its night vision feature, which gave him sight of Fishman. Not less than 10 guards are accompanying them while heading towards the stairs.
Stealthily as Zero could, he followed them through a different route.
*
“Your information will surely help us control the ‘Decks’.”
“This is for the sake of our companies. Ha ha ha.”
“I like the way you think Mr. Fishman.”
The two exchanged words as they took their seat. Mr. Fishman brought a suitcase that has the information he gathered about the Decks. On what means is not something Zero knows. He suspected that someone in the Decks had betrayed them but what’s important is to silence Fishman first. Finding who betrayed them comes second and Joker will surely make it hard for that person to live to a point, he would have just wished he had been dead.
With minimal movements, Zero made his move. There are two guards laughing while drinking the liquor that looked similar to what he had drank earlier at the party. Without making any sounds, he approached them and in the blink of an eye, both are holding their throats where blood is gushing like fountain.
“They sure are careless for someone who had been paid.”
The silverware that reflects a crimson hue is dripping with a fresh hot blood. Zero swung his table knife and blood splattered on the floor. Not even a single droplet of blood stuck to him but his whole suit is exuding a strong rusting metal scent, which he pay no mind.
“I guess this made it easier for me?”
He confidently marched at the empty hallway, behind him were dead bodies of eight men wearing black suits swimming in their own sea of blood.
When he took a right turn, he saw two men guarding the front of a golden door. The room is where the transaction between Fishman and Hugh has taken place.
'Well, they really made it looked extravagant despite it being a secret transaction, should I say that they are foolish?'
Even the smallest group of thugs out there would choose a place less suspicious like an abandoned building for their transaction but it seems like Fishman is not the brightest to be able to think of something like that. He just shrugged his shoulders and pay it no mind and continued walking. He just set on his mind that he needed to finish this mission.
“Stop! Who are you?”
“I am the guard of Mr. Fishman.”
Without batting an eye, Zero answered their question. This had taken both of the guards aback. However, the suspiciousness in their eyes remained clear. Inconspicuously, they grabbed the guns behind them to take precautions. Their movements would have been effective for normal people, however, in the eyes of an assassin who honed their visual acuity to a certain extent, minimal movements like this one would not pass. Still, satisfaction and approval can be seen in the eyes of Zero who is still walking nonchalantly towards them.
“Show me your identity card.”
'I can at least acknowledge that Fishman hired some decent guards.'
Zero put his hands on his pocket. Acted like his looking for something while slowly walking towards them. The tension grew as he approached them closer and when he is just half a meter away from them, faster than what the eye could see, he poked the throats of the two using his middle and index finger. It happened in a flash and despite the two being completely focused, they are still not able to follow the movements of zero making them stunned.
“Arghh!!”
As the basic human reflex, the two covered the areas where they are attacked. The opportunity became one sided all in favor for Zero. He immediately draw his knife and aimed for their cricoid cartilage of the two making it harder for them to breath and release sounds. In just seconds, the two men who has been guarding the front door falls making a loud thud!
“Hu har hyu
Who are you
?!”
Zero who wiped the blood on the table knife he used to stab them gaze back at the dying men. His inaudible voice would not let even Zero understand him. He put pressure on the stabbed area of his neck. His colleague was already lying on the floor unconsciously dying because of the shock. The man stood and grabbed his gun. However, before he could even aim it towards Zero, a warm thick liquid was already running on his chest. He looked at it and he saw that a table knife is impaled on his heart.
Zero coldly pulled the table knife and the body of the guard weakly stumbled and fell down the floor. He looked at the body of the man lying on the floor with his blood spreading like water. However, there was no evident emotion on his eyes, only cold stares devoid of life. He grabbed the handkerchief on the man's suit and wiped the sticky blood on his palm.
The killing did not even last for 2 minutes, there are even splashes of blood on the golden front door where the negotiation is suspected to have proceeded. Without any moment of hesitation, Zero grabbed the handle and opened it. However, instead of the perplexed face of Fishman and Hugh, what welcomed him was the hot air and a bright light flying towards his direction. Immediately, his body started to move before his mind could command his limbs and evaded the attack.
“Oh. I didn’t expected you to dodge that."
For the first time that night, shock and confusion was drawn on Zero's face. Standing in front of him was a man wearing a casual attire with smoke coming from his right palm.
"I guess you really are not normal."
