"What business do you have in the Noble District? Commoners are not allowed to enter," the guard on the right questions Connor, trepidation apparent in his voice.
"Dear Kenpachi Town guards, I am a traveling warrior who happened to save a few soldiers of the Empire from a monster tide some hours ago," Connor replies to the guard in a calm voice.
He sees the guard's shocked face upon his mentioning of "monster tide".
Monster tides are notorious in the Bankai Star Empire's south region and anyone coming out alive from one could be an expert.
Therefore, them knowing he assisted the Empire's soldiers who are vastly superior in combat standards than they are was quite surprising.
Connor continues to speak.
"In the end, I decided to investigate the matter on my own. I hope you can let me pass so that I can inquire with the Town Lord about the sudden increase in monsters in the Southern Region."
To give them an extra push in persuasion, Connor raises his aura slightly.
Gulping, the soldier on the left glances at Connor's left arm and looks at his partner.
"I think it's alright to let him pass. He does not look like a thief wanting to steal from our Noble District."
Turning to Connor, he says, "Okay, Sir. You can pass but only head to the Town Lord's home. The nobles here are a bit… eccentric."
Nodding his head, Connor thanks them for their "understanding" and walks into the District.
Connor could hear them sighing and relief as they thought he was far away enough not to hear them.
"Did you see how intense he looked? That warrior is much scarier than the Town Lord," the guard on the right says, sweating.
"Yeah, much more intense. Wouldn't be surprised if he's a higher Rank 2 than the Town Lord."
At this point, Connor just decided to book it straight to the Town Lord's home.
Approximately, a minute and a half later, Connor stood at the entrance to the Town Lord's manor.
To signify that he is aware of Connor's presence, the Town Lord opens up the gate and allows Connor inside.
The inside was even better than the outside. Looking at everything now, Connor felt as though he had been transported back in time.
The pond in the middle of the land with koi fish swimming about inside, the small Sakura trees on either side of the front stairway, and the rocks surrounding the pond give Connor the impression that this is true Japan.
His adoptive Japanese nurture from the Lin family springs forth, clinging to everything there is to see.
Connor hears a door opening to his right but does not turn towards it.
"Kono basho wa watashi no Sō hiijiji ni yotte tate raremashita. Watashitachi wa sono basho o dekiru kagiri fukugen suru tame ni isshōkenmei hatarakimashita," a sweet, springy voice sounds in Connor's ears.
What she said was: "This place was built by my great-great-grandfather. We worked hard to restore the place as much as possible."
This makes him turn his head. A short, blonde-haired, twin-bunned Japanese girl stands in the opened door of the manor's main house.
She is currently trying to identify his current power level but cannot discern anything. Just the aura he gives off is as strong, if not stronger than hers.
Surprise colors his eyes as he's taken aback by how young she is. No older than 17.
Plus, he was thinking the Town Lord would be male but is pleasantly female.
He then inspects her profile.
***
[Character: Hiyori Sarugaki
Rank: 1 (Level 43)
Job: Subarashī Assassin
HP: 200,000/200,000
Basic Info: Hiyori Sarugaki is the daughter of the Rank 4 Ranger, Toshi Sarugaki. Hiyori rose to power thanks to her outgoing and cunning personality which is quite opposite of an assassin.
Able to ease men into thinking she's a harmless girl, she quickly dispatches all of her targets with swift and lethal cuts. Her favorite weapon of choice is the kunai. Though it is her favorite, it is not her deadliest.
She is currently in the starting player town, Kenpachi, to investigate and identify a person of interest suspected of being possessed. The Town Lord position has been filled by her for two weeks due to the last one disappearing.
Note: Advises Player Nebula to acquire quest from Hiyori Sarugaki immediately.]
***
'Oh! It's the Subarashī Assassin, Hiyori. F*ck!! This chick is troublesome.'
In the future, Hiyori was known as the most dangerous NPC assassin in the game. Well, once she reached Rank 6 that is. But, even before then, the little inconspicuous girl was too unpredictable.
One time, she managed to kill a vice guild leader of the Scorching Tigers Guild by pretending to be a female NPC who would willingly sleep with a player.
Right now and all week, all male players would have a rude awakening when they realize that they would not be able to touch any female player or female NPC without their expressed consent.
If they did, lightning would strike them dead. As they're low-leveled and don't have much health, they die immediately.
On the day of launch, female players laughed and recorded many male players getting struck by lightning.
The first day was the worst as lighting constantly struck all over the starting towns.
So, to lower his guard, Hiyori let him touch her. She took him to a high-end hotel and killed him upon entering the room.
She was there to acquire a legendary-grade material the vice guild leader had been rewarded earlier that day.
Apparently, she needed it for some weapon she wanted and decided to kill a Player for it.
That is when players learned that they could be killed by NPCs and are not immune from it.
As such, a gulf has formed between the NPCs of Shattered Realms and the Players.
Unless they had a quest, Players were not willing to interact with NPCs. Lest they tempt a hidden dragon.
This is why Connor is surprised to see her, the server's first NPC Player Killer.
"I am enjoying this place. It reminds me of a place back home. I heard you've not long been in this position, Town Lord Hiyori," Connor replied, giving her a subtle hint that he knew about her.
Hiyori narrows her eyes at the mention of her name. Her kunai appears in her hand.
"Who are you, warrior? What is your purpose in coming here?"
In response to her weapon appearing, Connor sets Traitorous Wolf alight.
Upon noticing Connor's light element sword, she immediately lowers her guard.
A demon possessing someone with the Light element affinity would be impossible.
Their souls are too bright to take over with their dark souls. Plus, their dark element would clash with the light element the person they possessed has.
Therefore, it is not without reason for her to lower her guard.
{A/N: Some would ask, why was the Prince able to possess Connor? It's simple. The Prince isn't evil affiliated/corrupted and would mostly be able to control Connor's body and not the elements and skills Connor has. The Prince's own element and skill could be used. Hope that clears everything thing up.}
"I'm here to ask if there is anything you need help with. I'm guessing you aren't the permanent Town Lord. The Empire would send a Swordsman or Mage to replace the last. Never an Assassin." Connor's last remark made her eye twitch.
Who says Assassins can't be Town Lords? Taking a deep breath, she replies.
"I do not know if it is in your capabilities, but I am here to investigate the disappearance of the previous Town Lord as well as investigate if there are demonic possessions taking place in town.
And, reports have shown that more than 1,000 residents have disappeared over the last month. This all lines up with the absurd increase in monster encounters within the last 3 years."
Connor thinks a bit before answering.
"I believe I can be of service to the Empire. The Town Lord's disappearance, do you think it has something to do with the possession you were speaking of?
If the Empire has investigated Saw's Forest and even mapped it out, that only leaves one place… The Forbidden Zone. It's the only place we have no inkling about what's going on inside."
Connor pauses to let her think about his reply before continuing.
"As for the possessions, I will be able to identify who is possessed. That won't be hard. At all. I would just need time. How many residents are there in town?"
Surprised by his statements and calm demeanor upon hearing about possession, Hiyori quickly answers him.
"Currently, there are more than 15,000 residents in town. With that many people, you'd need at least a week's time. That's not mentioning all the people coming and going as well. Are you sure that you're able to complete these tasks?"
Folding his arms, Connor smiles and nods.
"I am 100% certain that I can complete them in a week's time. Rest assured Town Lord Hiyori, just leave it to me." With his left hand on his chest, Connor lightly bows.
"Arigatō, senshi. Shippai shinaide kudasai… Thank you, Warrior. Do not fail, for if you do…"
Before she finishes her statement, Hiyori lunges at Connor with the speed of a Intermediate Rank 1 Assassin.
Once she reappears, in a split second she goes for a stab at Connor.
Even faster than the Rank 1 Assassin's reaction speed, Connor grabs her wrist before she can even move it 3 inches.
Not surprised by his power, she already suspected him to be stronger than she.
Seeing it in action just eased her consciousness and proved her judgments right.
"Okay, Town Lord Hiyori, time for me to go."
With that Connor leaves the manor and heads east, toward the slum district.
'Did I just find the source of the Fiend God Possession event? I hadn't heard about possessions until I started playing the game. Well… more like studying the past events of the game. Hmm, this is very interesting. I need to hurry up and complete Omar's quest. I need a certain item here and it's only available to…
Imperial Dukes.'