With nothing else to do, Rhen dons his black face mask and black cap before venturing out into the surrounding area near the resort.
He heads towards the Bayview, which is to the east of his location. The pavement in Neotopia is elegantly laid out with orange bricks in various designs.
As he strolled along the street, the breathtaking view of Neotopia's white sandy beach caught his eye. The palm trees were meticulously arranged, adding a touch of elegance to the already picturesque scenery.
The orange hue of the setting sun provided a stunning backdrop, making the view even more captivating. He couldn't help but appreciate the scene and take it all in.
"Hey there handsome wanna play with us?" A bunch of Wood Elf girls, as well as some gay men, begin to catcall him.
He ignores such people and maintains his pace. They may appear young and attractive, but he knows they are merely interested in his appearance. He is uninterested in them for he considers them to be easy women and he isn't in the mood to flirt.
Rhen enters a convenience store to check out the latest Nightblade comic book. It's a fan-created comic book based entirely on his antics.
Upon grabbing the comic, a memory flashed into his mind, his mother, Luna. She has long black hair and distinctive Eastern features, Rhen recalls her as a harsh mother who confiscated his comic books when he was a child. Although Luna gave him the comic books as a gift, this did not mean he had to abandon his studies and magical training.
Rhen smirked after reminiscing, because he had just created a Job Class based solely on a comic book character. He grabs two new volumes of Nightblade and Lightbringer and walks over to the counter.
*beep*
"That will be 500 Neo-credits, sir." A young snobbish-looking Halfling cashier scans the barcode.
Rhen forgot to exchange his money and try giving him 250 Kadweinian Dollars instead.
"I only got this." He said.
"Sorry sir, we don't accept foreign currency, but if you pay extra, I might change my mind." The cashier casually picks his nose before wiping it under the desk.
"(Tsk! Cheeky bastard.)" Rhen thought, clicking his tongue.
"Here." Rhen gives him 300 Kadweinian Dollars out of his wallet.
Despite getting scammed, Rhen returns to the streets with a gleeful face, holding a plastic bag. He notices a familiar face after turning a corner near the parking lot.
It's Claire, she's wearing a Neocademy school uniform. With her is a brown-haired man who looks exactly like the one on her phone wallpaper. He, too, wears a Neocademy school uniform and rides a battered motorcycle.
He looks around carefully for any passing cops or suspicious people.
Clair delivers him a bag of bluish powdery material, he nods, and Claire leaps into the back seat of his presumed boyfriend's motorcycle. Claire's actions speak no hesitation nor that she is not being blackmailed, but rather that she is doing it willingly and proficiently.
"(Looks like she's not what she appears to be.)" Rhen thought, peeking behind the corner of the wall, he made sure his presence is well hidden.
The two unsuspecting couples hurriedly rode off into the main street before anyone caught them in their act.
Smelling a potential trade about happen, Rhen walks down to a dark alleyway just beside the convenience store and uses his Shadow Cloak ability.
It is a skill that renders him 99% invisible to all spectrums of light, including infrared and microwave. It is more potent at night as this skill can render him invisible from Mana Sonars or anything that can sense a person's mana.
The main weakness is that it breaks invisibility once he attacks, forcing him to recast it. Like Rhen's Job class, this skill cannot be found in any spell or skill book because it is a custom-made skill created by his own hands.
Shadows engulf his body turning him invisible, he can still hide his presence when moving around, but less potent. Unlike the common invisibility spell, no outline of his body can be seen.
However, because it's daytime, enemies that have high senses like Beastmen or a Magic Sonar will be able to detect him once they reach a certain range. Except when he is using the skill at night.
Despite knowing the risk, Rhen leaped from rooftop to rooftop catching up to CLaire in mere seconds.
"(I wonder that they're up to)" He thought.
It took Claire and her boyfriend thirty minutes to reach an abandoned warehouse on the east side of the harbor.
Red Orcs defending the area immediately halts them. Red Orcs are a type of Orc that specializes in warfare. They are larger and stronger than the typical Orc found roaming the streets of Eternia.
"Halt!" The Red Orcs yelled, brandishing their assault rifles at them.
"It's me." Said the boy, removing his helmet and raises his hands.
After confirming his identity, the Red Orcs nod at each other and let them pass without hesitation.
"(It looks like he's done this before, and Claire is more than willing to do drug runs with her boyfriend.)" Rhen cautiously moves closer, stealthily leaping towards the rooftop of the warehouse and into a catwalk on the third floor.
Once inside, he hides on top of the I-beams where it's much darker and harder to spot.
As Rhen looks down and scans the warehouse interior, the pungent smell of chemicals filled his nostrils. The air was thick with the scent of pharmaceutical-grade chemicals and sees stacks upon stacks of cardboard boxes.
Each box was conveniently labeled as a medicine, but he has an idea of what was really inside. The green Orc laborers carefully place the boxes into the back of a truck before it is shipped to god knows where.
Claire and her boyfriend approach a desk on the far corner of the warehouse that serves as an office area.
Behind the desk is a dark-haired Human man, his hands jittery as if he's high on drugs.
Claire's boyfriend puts the package in front of him.
"Here, now give us the money." He said
"Alright alright. Hek hek hek." The man's laughter is erratic.
He gives Claire's boyfriend a wad of cash which he split and gave it to Claire. It's around 10,000 Kadweinian dollars or 25,000 Neotopian credits.
It is enough to feed a family of five for two months if they are thrifty.
"After all we did, you only give us this much!?" The boy yelled in defiance.
However, the black-haired man slams his staff against the boy's face flinging him to the corner with a crash.
"Ack!"
"Y-you should be grateful I am willing to pay you this much, now scram!"
Claire hurriedly runs over to the boy's side. "Jake, that's enough. Let's just leave. I don't want to stick around this place anymore. Were this close to having a place to live, think of our future."
"Hek, hek, hek. Yes she's right, now run along and be a good boy. Don't forget to distribute the next package before you head out." The black-haired man drops a duffel bag on top of the table.
After getting consoled by Claire, Jake gets up with fire in his eyes. He grabs the bag and walks away without looking back at Claire.
"You should just leave it to me Claire, I can't do this with you anymore. I'll drop you off at your place after this." Jake said as he casts his gaze down, ashamed at his actions, but this is the only method he knows to atone for his sins.
Claire held's jakes quivering hands before giving a reply. "It's fine, I'm doing this not just for you, but a shot at our future and for little Tim."
She looks at him in his eye and curls her lips to a radiant smile. Jake's hesitation faded upon seeing her determined look. He nods in response before they head towards their beaten-up motorcycle and drive away.
Rhen doesn't know what pushed Claire to do this, but he has more important things to do than scold a bunch of delinquents. The thing that piqued his interest wasn't the couple's involvement in crime, but the black-haired man's insignia.
The ring on the man's finger carries the emblem of a Dagger wrapped in a serpent. This is the insignia of a Crimson Blood officer; Rhen is unsure of the man's rank, but the Crimson Blood's have twelve ranks, with the upper six being the core members and Wraith at the top.
Rhen is unsure whether he is an officer or merely a subordinate to that officer.
"(From whore to drug runner, looks like Claire has quite a resume, But man... It looks like she's caught up in one hell of a mess.)" Rhen thought to himself.
He can easily destroy the warehouse and capture the man, but doing so will put everyone on guard. Once they know he's here, Wraith will vanish for good.
Without proper preparations and someone to hide his tracks, Rhen is stuck with surveillance for now. Rhen pulls out his phone and then takes pictures and videos before leaving the area.
By doing this, he also lost track of Claire and Jake.
After taking the much-needed info, Rhen leaps to a dark alleyway far from the warehouse and deactivates his Shadow Cloak. The shadows dissipate around him and once again he is visible, he walks towards a nearby busy street.
As he searches for a taxi, a High Elf girl with bleached hair and a bob-cut hairstyle bumps into his chest.
"OW! Hey watch where you're going asshole." She wrinkles her nose and looks up to find a handsome man wearing a black face mask.
"Sorry." Sorry replied.
This girl appears to be doing some grocery shopping at a nearby supermarket. She isn't dressed in elven-themed clothes like Aliana, but rather in a simple casual blouse with a mini skirt and a jacket.
"Madame Darla we should be going." A Wood Elf ruffian addresses the girl, beside him are three more men. Judging by their looks, they are someone who you do not want to mess around with.
"Alright, alright. Don't remind me." Darla scratches her head in annoyance then turns to Rhen.
She grins with a smug look on her face. "Look you're quite cute. So, I'll let you off for today."
Darla turns around and left with her subordinates. She enters the heavily tinted black SUV and rides off into the busy road with two more SUVs serving as escorts.
"Look sus." Rhen shrugs and disregards what just happened, outstretching his hand, he calls a taxi and rides back home.
Rhen crosses his legs and checks the images he took in his phone. He has no idea who she is, but he has a feeling they'll cross paths again. However, he still has other priorities, such as getting ready for his first day at school and worry about the girl for another day.
With a devilish grin on his face, Rhen disappeared into the sea of cars.
"Looks like I'm going to love it here."