Chapter 69: Completing The Impromptu Mission

"It should be here."

The words came from Eric, whose eyes remained fixed on his device as he followed the location marked on the screen.

Eventually, he stopped and looked to the side.

There it was.

The dark alleyway.

Just as instructed, Elric turned his head and checked both directions, finding nothing as the area remained completely quiet.

He took a cautious step forward, and the moment he did, he felt a faint pull coming from the button in his pocket.

He reached inside and pulled it out, then, following the strange sensation, walked toward the spot where the button seemed to be drawing him.

He couldn’t see anything, but he could feel it, sensing exactly where the button needed to be placed.

Elric stopped and looked over his shoulder one last time.

The alleyway remained silent and empty.

Satisfied, he turned forward and slowly reached out with the button.

Then,

WHIIISTLE!

A faint whistling sound came from behind him, and Elric’s heart pounded violently as an overwhelming sense of danger surged through his body.

His hand froze and he immediately spun around.

_______________________

But he had barely welcomed the thought when he felt a pair of hands silently wrap around his neck.

CREAK!

The bones in Elric’s neck creaked under the crushing pressure of the arms locked around him from behind as his hands immediately clawed at the attacker’s arms, trying to bend forward and throw his assailant over his shoulder.

But shock, followed by sheer horror, covered his face when his feet suddenly left the ground, his body curving backward as he was lifted effortlessly into the air.

He tried to scream, but nothing came out, not even a breath, as the grip around his neck tightened again and again.

Thick red veins bulged across his eyes while foam spilled from the corners of his mouth, and the last bit of air was squeezed from his lungs before his eyes rolled backward and his hands went limp.

The attacker gently lowered him to the ground before dragging his unconscious body out of the alleyway.

A minute later, another student entered the dark alley, and after repeating the same cautious actions, he took out his button and inserted it into the invisible space before stepping through.

Thirty seconds after that, another figure entered, most of his features hidden beneath a dark hoodie, with a button resting in his hand.

He turned around, carefully scanning the alleyway before pushing the button into the invisible barrier and waiting.

That figure was none other than Declan.

His cold blue eyes stared at the ripple forming before him, and only after the opening fully manifested did he step forward, disappearing into the vortex as it closed behind him.

"You in?"

The call came through, and Declan raised his device to his ear.

"I am," he whispered calmly.

"Good. What’s going on in there?"

Declan looked ahead.

Just as he had suspected, the invisible ripple was actually a teleportation vortex, the exact same phenomenon he had encountered during combat class when the students had stepped through the glass wall and been transported into that strange void of space.

The same thing happened when he stepped through the ripple, and in an instant, he was transported elsewhere.

A massive hall stretched before him, shaped almost like a stadium, with rows of seats spiraling upward into the darkness.

Both Newcomers and older students occupied the seats, some sitting quietly while others wandered around aimlessly.

The entire hall was pitch-black, illuminated only by scattered red motes of light drifting through the air.

Declan found an empty seat around the middle of the hall and sat down, keeping his head low as he blended in with everyone else.

"It’s like they’re preparing for some kind of meeting."

"The Newcomers aren’t doing much. They’re mostly sitting around, while some of the second-years occasionally go down to the floor and exchange something with one another before returning to their seats."

"Dark Market exchange, hmm?"

Boss Morg’s voice came from the other end of the call and Declan’s brows furrowed.

"Dark Market?"

He had heard those words before, and then the memory resurfaced.

_________

"Photon!? Is that... are you dealing with the Dark Market?"

_________

Those words had come from the dorm officer after he had burst into Declan’s room when he had accidentally blown it up.

"The first-years are there for initiation into the cult, and the black-market exchange most likely has something to do with the Darkies Cult."

Boss Morg’s voice came through the device, though Declan couldn’t say he fully understood what she meant.

"I’ve gotten everything I need. You can leave now."

That was her final instruction before the call disconnected.

Declan lowered his device and turned his head to scan the hall.

There was no exit.

When he had entered, he had simply been dropped into the center, just like every other student arriving afterward.

The teleportation vortex only appeared whenever someone entered, and once they passed through, it vanished, while the location where they appeared inside the hall seemed completely random.

The exit could be anywhere, and worse, the button that had been taken from him upon entry had not been returned.

He was essentially trapped, but before he could dwell on it for long, he noticed something.

There were several doors positioned high along the walls of the hall, and a few individuals wearing thick black robes that completely concealed their bodies were walking toward groups of first-year students.

They would select several of them and lead them through the doors, yet those students never returned.

More Newcomers would then be selected and taken through, and again, none of them came back.

It was obvious that those doors had to lead somewhere beyond the hall.

Declan waited patiently until eventually, two robed figures approached him.

He had expected that if they got close enough, he might be able to see their faces, but even that was impossible, as their faces were completely hidden behind pitch-black masks.

"Come."

Both spoke simultaneously.

Declan silently stood and followed them as they disappeared through one of the doors.

_______________

The room beyond was simple, containing only a desk and two chairs positioned opposite each other.

The two masked figures led Declan inside before exiting through another door, leaving only a single figure seated behind the desk.

His face was also concealed by a mask, making his features impossible to identify, but one thing was obvious.

He wasn’t a Newcomer as the Core embedded in his chest pulsed with powerful energy.

Declan looked around with the corner of his eyes, noticing no cameras.

If they were trying to keep their activities hidden, it made sense that they wouldn’t sabotage themselves by recording everything from inside.

That was reassuring.

"Have you been given the Pact?" the masked man asked.

His voice sounded strangely robotic, clearly altered to conceal his identity.

Declan nodded.

"I have, though..."

He deliberately paused.

"Though what?" the figure’s voice sharpened.

"I have a question."

"You can no longer go back on your Pact. You’ve already come here, so whatever your question is, keep that in mind."

He paused before continuing.

"Now, what’s your question?"

Declan leaned forward slightly.

"That door behind you, on the left... it leads out of this place, doesn’t it?"

"Yes, it does."

The answer came reflexively, but then,

VROOOOOOOM!

The air suddenly shifted as the masked figure shot to his feet, his eyes widening when Declan’s palm slammed toward his face.

He jerked his head aside, narrowly avoiding the strike, then immediately threw a punch toward Declan’s face.

BAAAAAANG!

The heavy impact echoed through the room as Declan twisted his body, allowing the punch to pass beside his face, before countering with an elbow that slammed directly into the side of the man’s head.

BANG!

The impact caught him precisely on the ear, lifting the figure off his feet and sending him crashing into the wall.

At the same moment, the two doors on either side burst open, and two robed figures stormed inside.

But by the time they entered, all they saw was the exit door hanging wide open.

The man slowly pushing himself off the ground.

"What happened!?"

They rushed over and helped him up, his mask having shattered and finally revealing his face.

A blade-shaped scar ran down the right side of his face, while his expression twisted with pure cruelty, his teeth clenched tightly as purple light burned within his eyes.

"He’s an outsider!"

He forced the words through his gritted teeth.

The two others froze.

"How did he—?"

The man ignored them and walked over to the remains of his broken mask, crouching down as his fingers reached into the side of it and tore out a tiny chip.

He placed it in his palm.

"I have the recordings..."

He looked toward the exit, and his expression turned murderous.

"And his face."

"Find him and kill him!"

_______________

DIIIIIIIIIIING!

The elevator chimed as it reached Declan’s floor, and he stepped out and walked toward his dorm.

Taking out his green card, he slid it across the scanner and stepped inside.

"Huuuuuuu..."

A long breath escaped his lips as he tossed the card onto the table and headed toward his bedroom, where he glanced at the time.

2:31 AM.

’Class starts at 7:25. I can still get a quick nap.’

Declan climbed into bed, set his alarm, and placed his device beside him.

His mind couldn’t help but replay everything that had happened.

The day was supposed to have been simple, with classes in the morning and a ride with Evie in the evening, but instead, it had turned into one hectic event after another.

Thankfully, the door he had used really had been an exit, and he had managed to escape without much trouble.

He still didn’t understand why Boss Morg had suddenly given him such an impromptu mission, but at least it was done.

With that thought, Declan finally drifted into a deep sleep.

The night passed quietly.