"Woah…"
Isaac froze, mesmerised as he stood in the middle of Spawn, looking around with an amused expression.
Contrary to the flying cars and gleaming spires Isaac had expected from this futuristic land, Spawn appeared relatively unassuming.
Skyscrapers dotted the skyline with sleek and modern architecture, but not overbearingly so.
Wide treeline boulevard and bustling Street level shops and restaurants gave the city a lively, pedestrian friendly feel.
However, Isaac had done his research before arriving.
Beneath this fairly conventional exterior lay a web of advanced, subtly integrated technology that truly depicts Spawn's capabilities.
Transportation was a prime example.
While the streets were filled with standard looking vehicles their engines were powered by cutting edge hydrogen fuel cell and electric systems.
The sidewalks were embedded with conductive panels that wirelessly charge parked cars, and even E-Bikes as people walked by.
Similarly, the buildings themselves utilise a range of innovations.
Self-healing composite materials, dynamic window tinting, and something about highly efficient climate control systems that Isaac didn't understand.
Yet these features are discreetly integrated, without overt displays of futurism.
'I guess they wanted the place to look as much like home as possible. Despite most of the people in Spawn never seeing the outside world.'
It was common for Inheritance to run in families, that's why there were some families filled with Inheritors that were as old as Spawn itself.
There were also the far rarer, but still not outlandish, Outsiders like Isaac, Cain and Zach. These individuals were quickly found and admitted into Spawn.
'I can't begin to think of the disasters that would befall the real world if Inheritors were on the loose. It'd be anarchy.'
Isaac chuckled inwardly while thinking of this.
"Excuse me, can you please stop standing before the Portal? People are exiting from it and will bump into you." One of the people surveying the portal spoke to Isaac.
"Oh, sorry."
Isaac apologised.
Walking away from the portal, and soon finding himself on the bustling streets, he walked, turning his head as if he were looking for something.
'I have a map of Spawn, so it shouldn't be too hard to find the Hearts Guild. But before that…'
As Isaac thought this, a desolate alleyway could be seen not too far away from him.
'Perfect!'
His eyes sparkled as he hurried his steps, soon entering the alley and leaving the crowded sidewalk.
Walking for a few seconds, he squatted. Simultaneously, his bracelet hummed as a few items appeared before him.
'I can't enter the guild without some sort of disguise. After all, I have no interest in hiding my strength whilst there.'
Isaac thought as he started to change out from his clothes.
***
In a loud and expansive hall, countless individuals could be seen. Some eating, some standing before a large board with pieces of paper and some just talking.
It seemed the large hall was separated into a few parts, the most prominent being the bar, the board everyone seemed so interested in, and a reception area where a female with a form fitting black suit sat, attending to people's needs.
Of course, this was the first floor of the building, as it was a tower that watched the ground from hundreds of feet up.
The ground that seemed to be made of a sleek marble white floorboard, the lights embedded into the ceiling and the otherwise impressive looking furniture, the area looked to be a professional one.
This was the Hearts Guild.
Countless individuals went in and out of this building, and it was rare to see the hall empty, even during night.
As the chatter of all the Guildsmen filled the hall, the automatic doors leading outside suddenly slid open.
This didn't seem to bother anyone, since they'd adapted to the noise of the door sliding against the floor.
No, instead what caught their attention was the peculiarly dressed individual that walked into the hall.
His unkempt and messy black hair was the most normal thing about him, as he wore a long black robe, covering his body, thin boots that perfectly outlined the shape of his foot and a white mask with a thunderbolt adorned across its eye, as well as a simple straight black line to act as the mouth.
The white in the individual's mask made his black and void-like eyes become all the more prominent.
The individual walked through the hall, catching the stares of most individuals, the only noise that could be heard being his feet brisking against the ground.
'What the hell are they all staring at me for? I've already had enough from every pedestrian outside. I'd think the Guildsmen would have better experience seeing this stuff.'
This peculiarly dressed individual was Isaac.
The things he wore didn't cost him much. The most was the mask. And that was only because it was a low level Artifact that made it so your eye colour was a deep black.
This was useful for him since his rare Amber eyes and even Scarlet Eyes might blow his cover.
Just as Isaac was thinking this, the attention on him seemed to significantly lessen as soon enough, everyone went back to what they were doing.
As this happened, Isaac let out a relieved sigh.
Despite Isaac making the decision he wasn't going to carry on his NPC persona as a Guildsmen, he still cared little for the attention.
If anything, it was a bother.
People constantly watching everything you did sounded exhausting.
But thankfully, it didn't last long.
'Even so, I should find a way to become invisible.'
Despite using Zetsu, it helped little when you stood right in the line of sight.
People could still hear, see and hell, he wouldn't be surprised if there was someone out there who could smell him from afar.
'What is this, some kind of joke? I'm supposed to be an Assassin.'
Isaac thought. He couldn't help but think Zigg would be disappointed in him.
He'd practically been wasting his gifted Zoldyck Genes all this time.
'Well, might as well start now.'
Isaac could remember the first time he'd met Zigg. It's as if the old man appeared from nowhere.
No rustling of vegetation, no sound as he stepped on the dirt and not even a breath.
Isaac remembered looking in the direction Zigg stood while trying to find a way to help Netero, yet wasn't able to notice Zigg standing there, staring at him.
And it wasn't Invisible Ten, seeing as how Zigg hadn't learnt it.
It was him. The way he moved, breathed, even his heartbeat seemed as though it were paused amidst it all.
'If I can master that, paired with Zetsu, I'll be like a ghost.'
Following that example, Isaac paused for a second as he focused on his feet to start things off.
He experimented with different ways to place his foot on the ground, testing which could save the most energy and produced the least sound.
Despite looking a little drunk as he walked, he kept focused, and before he knew it, he was standing before the receptionist.
Noticing he'd been too immersed, the receptionist stared at him for a second, before showing a wholesome smile.
"Hello, welcome to the Hearts Guild. I haven't seen your face…or your mask here before, so that must mean you're new. Can I please have your name?"
The receptionist greeted, chuckling awkwardly for a second before regaining her composure.
Her glasses, that were clearly too big for her face as they kept sliding off, and messy orange hair made her seem as if she were clumsy, but her kind voice and wholesome demeanour made one see past that.
As for the question, Isaac had already decided what this persona's name would be.
"Zol."
Short for Zoldyck.
He thought about giving himself a second name for once, however, he wasn't particularly fond of the name Zol Dyck.
'It makes me sound like an adult movie actor.'
"Zol. Alright, and your PS?"
"Nen."
"Proficiency Level?"
"3."
"Wonderful. If you don't mind showing me your Nen capabilities. If you prefer to have some privacy, we can…"
"Ren."
Just as the female proposed this, she felt a massive aura spike come from before her as she snapped her head back.
"Woah, his Ren is pretty impressive."
"Yeah, not bad."
The surrounding individuals gave a nod of satisfaction, soon turning back to what they were doing.
Isaac's Ren was impressive, but nothing to gawk at.
"That's sufficient, thank you." The receptionist answered with a forced smile.
"Is there anything else I should know about you before assigning your rank, like Hatsu or any other abilities?" The receptionist asked, to which Isaac nodded.
"I have a perk, Hand to Hand fighting at level two, and I'm proficient in pressure point attacks."
Revealing your perk to someone was a guaranteed way to get them to believe you. In Guilds at least.
Same way if you said you were a swordsman with a swordsman perk, or a spearman with a spearman perk.
Of course, there was always a chance the person was lying, but the Guild didn't care. There was a reason for this too.
Nodding her head, the receptionist tapped some keys on the computer before handing Isaac a card.
"Congratulations, and welcome to the Hearts Guild. This is your temporary ID card. You'll become a full-fledged member once you can complete any mission of your same rank."
Taking the card, Isaac noticed the large 'D+' rank inscribed onto it, with his name and…photo too.
'When the hell did they take a picture of me?'
Thankfully, it was him with his mask on.
This was how the guild verified someone's credentials. By somewhat 'testing' them with this ploy.
If one described themselves to be an S-Rank, but was really a B-Rank, they'd only end up regretting it since you needed to complete a mission of your rank before becoming a true member of the guild.
As a temporary member, your pay was sufficiently lessened and the temporary card had an expiration date.
In short, you were better off telling the truth.
"My name is Ms Joyce and you can ask me anything you have trouble with, as well as accepting missions from that board right over there."
Ms Joyce smiled, pointing toward the board as Isaac gave a polite nod before leaving.
"Thank you."
"No problem!"
'D+ Rank, huh? One sub rank below Cain.'
Although the rank didn't truly depict his full strength, as there were many things he left out, meaning his true rank was higher.
'However, Cain was a C- Rank before he'd learnt of Ki. He must be higher now.'
Standing before the board, Isaac looked around, skimming through the board for a D+ Rank mission, preferably in Ravenwood.
Surprisingly, it wasn't hard to find.
"Hey, are you sure you want to go with that mission? People have been avoiding it for a reason."
A female voice came from the side as Isaac looked, only to find a tall brunette with breastplate armour and some sort of sniper on her back.
"Why?" Isaac asked, curious.
"Well, it's Ravenwood, silly. The Guild allows you to venture there as long as you're at least D Rank, but there's a sort of unwritten rule that states you should be at least C Rank, and never by yourself."
The female smiled while tilting her head, as if she was stating an obvious fact.
And in truth, she was. Everyone, even Non-Guildsmen, knew of the dangers Ravenwood presented.
But unfortunately, not Isaac.
"That's an unwritten rule? So it's not enforced?" Isaac asked, to which the smile faded from the brunette's face in surprise.
"Well, you're correct, but it'd be wise to listen. I mean, where there's smoke, there's a fire, am I right?" The female chuckled, regaining her composure.
"Good. Thank you for the advice."
Bowing down, its as if Isaac hadn't listened to a single word the female said, as she could only defeatedly watch as Isaac went to accept the quest from Ms Joyce.
"A-Are you sure?" Ms Joyce asked, stuttering upon seeing the quest Isaac had taken.
"Yes." He answered simply.
"Okay. You have accepted the quest to kill and return with a single Terror Carcass. I wish you luck in your endeavour." Ms Joyce's smile was no more as Isaac turned to leave.
"No way, he took that quest?"
"I'm telling you, it's true. I saw it with my own two eyes." The brunette spoke with a shorter blonde as a few others eavesdropped.
Watching Isaac leave the Hall, she shook her head with a disheartened expression.
"Poor bastard."
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People have been asking for longer chapters, so here you are. Enjoy!
Beginning of the week, lads. You know what that means...
POWERSTONESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
Next chapter title: Ravenwood [2]