Walking through the automatic doors of the hotel I was stunned from seeing the beautiful aesthetic of the lobby.
The warm light brown wooden flooring was so smooth and clean that you could see your own reflection from it, the golden chandelier dangling in the air, the six golden columns that stood erected around the large corridor that gave off a sophisticated aura.
But the central part of the lobby was what broadened my horizons. I was from Zone 2, the trenches there was nothing but crime all over that place. If it wasn't for the fact that in the eyes of the elite there that the zone was still valid they would've abandoned the entire zone and built a wall around it, just like Zone 9.
Being from the slums, the closest I would see when it came to luxury was magazines and advertisements, even when corpos personally came on business, I didn't dare get close in fear of my life. These suits have more power than government officials, a corpo committing a killing spree in the trenches for no reason was not a rare occurrence.
The middle of the lobby had luxurious couches and chairs arranged in a circle with people who were clearly the elite sitting around talking and joking while drinking wine with soft piano music playing in the background. But what really drew my attention were the people in the middle of the circle.
In the middle of the circle were three suede grey couches with their backs facing each other with five people who were sitting on those couches. There were four men and one woman. But when I look closer at these five, I realized why they were the center of attention of all these elites.
These people were superhumans and they were strong, very strong.
I couldn't even determine how strong they were, I only knew they were supers because of that oppressive aura of energy they were unconsciously releasing due to their immense strength. They could've hidden but chose not to show their dominance in the crowd or they didn't feel bothered in doing it.
Three of them were dressed in black militaristic clothing. It looked casual but the material was flexible enough not to hinder any of their movements. One man had silver hair and golden eyes with a sword on his back, giving away his identity as a pugilist away easily. Espers rarely use weapons and arcanists use staffs or wands to cast spells. Psychics never use weapons, seeing one use one is one of a kind. Engineers use weapons but only those they produce themselves, they were arrogant, but they had the right to be since they were in high demand and very skilled.
The second man had black hair and black eyes that seemed to suck in one's soul. He wore a black robe that covered his entire body and wore a half mask that covered the bottom half of his face. He had no weapon, which made it difficult to identify his profession but based on that alone, he may be either an Esper, Arcanist, or Psychic. But based on the effect his eyes gave off it's safe for me to go with a Psychic for now.
The third man had short red hair with fiery red eyes, his presence seemed to increase the temperature of the room. He was dressed in a sleek red business suit with red shades.
This man was clearly a mage. One of those flashy and flamboyant kinds that relished in the attention, he was definitely short-tempered and narcissistic like all fire mages.
The fourth and final man was very surprising since he seemed to be around my age if not a little older. He had porcelain white skin with silver hair and eyes, he was dressed in a grey hoodie and black sweatpants with black shoes. He wasn't as strong as the others, he was at best a little stronger than me.
My eyes switched to the final person in this group and after I conducted a quick scan of her I turned around and walked to the front desk to check myself in. My head was still reeling over what I just saw as all my expectations were blown out of the water.
What my eyes had just laid on was the incarnation of the term 'bad bitch'. Her face seemed to have been made by angels and devils with how perfect and seductive it was and the same could go for her body. She was dressed in a black militaristic suit that highlighted her already amazing curves, her night-black hair fell to her ass, and her vibrant magenta-colored eyes would have one bewitched with just a glace from her.
She was by far the strongest person there, those people around her were not bodyguards but most likely subordinates.
I have to stay away from her at all costs. Women like her will bring me nothing but trouble and I still have no idea where I'm going to start in this Zone.
Arriving at the front desk, the receptionist, who was a bald dark-skinned man with a sleek black suit and a striped tie along with gold-rimmed glasses smiled at me. The smile was genuine and not filled with contempt or ridicule like the other gazes I received ever since I first stepped in here.
"Welcome to The Continental. Are you checking in?" He asked after he stopped writing and put down his book and pen.
Before a syllable could escape from my mouth my entire body froze as I felt a pair of eyes on me from behind that was scanning my very existence. I ignored the feeling and continued with my answer.
I knew who was staring at me but I didn't bother to turn around. I want nothing to do with those people or anybody for that matter. Not until I get a lay of the land first.
"I would like a room."
"Which package sir?" He asked.
"Excuse me?" I questioned. I never heard of this before.
"Here at The Continental, we have multiple packages we give to our clients. They range from Economy to Platinum." He explained realizing I was a new resident of Zone 3, "We have the Economy Package that we give to our most broke clients, this is mostly taken by mortals that reside here. The Silver Package is something that is the benchmark for all superhumans. It gives you your own private room, a good view of the beach, and a training area."
"How much for the Gold Package?" I asked already getting the gist of what each tier meant.
"The Gold Package cost Fifteen Thousand Astral Dollars a month sir." He answered with a greedy smile.
I almost had a stroke from the price. These bastards are taxing! I'm happy that I took that aristocrat's wristband or else I would've been broke immediately.
There were over Three Hundred Thousand Astral Dollars in that wristband, more than enough for me to last on until I get a steady source of income.
"Give me the Gold Package," I said as I pulled out Thrity Thousand Astral Dollars and paid with a bleeding heart.
After taking the money he passed me a transparent card, "This will unlock the elevator and your room. We hope you enjoy your stay at The Continental." He cheerfully said with the same practiced smile.
Gritting my teeth I took the card and began walking towards the elevator.