[Quest Received]
[First Quest: Infiltrate the Union Facility and Steal the S-Rank Core]
[Reward: +1 Summonable Goddess]
Reo blinked at the prompt hovering in front of his eyes, the blue text almost too surreal in the dim morning light.
"Steal an S-Rank Core?" he muttered still groggy.
From his past life, he remembered it well S Rank Core's were practically Priceless.
These crystalline orbs pulsating with the power of monsters that could destroy cities if used in a Bomb but also doing that is impossible needing thousands preparation.
And even then one could only be acquired by slaying a true S Rank monster To put it simply they were priceless.
Having one in his hand's it would change everything Energy power it was a foundation stone for any faction and exactly what Reo needed if he wanted to grow his organization.
Reo rubbed his eyes He'd only slept for maybe five or six hours.
No late-night session this time the last one had drained him so thoroughly that even his dreams were just static.
Honestly, he'd collapsed like a corpse.
As he shifted in bed he realized something.
Warm Too warm.
Althea was curled up beside him her icy blue hair cascading like moonlight over the pillow
her arms wrapped loosely around his chest Her icy crimson eyes were closed in serene slumber but her body was pressed against his radiating a rare warmth.
Reo stiffened She is actually hugging me? Reo thought speechless.
He blinked in disbelief She had never been one for casual intimacy.
She was proud distant cold But here she was, nuzzled against him as if this was something she did every day.
Her fingers twitched as the sun peeked through the curtains.
"Awake already?" she murmured, voice low and sultry more sleepy than teasing.
"…Yeah" Reo answered softly, unsure whether to lean into it or jump out of bed.
She didn't move she just closed her eyes again seemingly content.
Eventually Reo carefully slipped out of her grasp"Stay here today I've got something to do" he said quietly.
Althea cracked one eye open.
"Do what you want," she replied almost too nonchalantly But there was something in her tone irritation? Annoyance?
He wasn't sure, and frankly, he didn't want to guess wrong.
Outside the clone disguised as Marquel with Clara's shapeshifting mask stood waiting beside a sleek black limousine.
Reo climbed in sighing He didn't feel nearly as cleansed or energized as usual.
"What's up with her today" he murmured glancing at the mansion one last time before sighing.
The limo sped off Luxury wrapped every corner of the vehicle but Reo wasn't in the mood to appreciate it His thoughts spiraled.
Within thirty minutes the outskirts of the city appeared Towering buildings gave way to sleek walls and soon the Union Facility came into view.
It didn't look like much from the outside. In fact it was designed that way Just another modern building.
nothing intimidating.
But beneath the surface It was a technological home to some of the most advanced weapons research and artificial soldiers in the region.
This wasn't the Union's central base Just a branch in Aspiring City which meant it was somewhat neglected in terms of personnel and attention a perfect target.
and yet even small branch like this have a S ranked core and so called black meteor.
From his high vantage point Reo spotted the poverty-stricken districts sprawled far below the facility. A silent contrast.
The Union's polished floor tiles didn't reflect the suffering of those below Reo clenched his fists.
The clone still disguised as Marquel walked toward the front entrance.
"Sir Marquel what brings you to the System Station?" one of the guards asked raising a brow.
Marquel was known for being blunt and aggressive Reo adopted the same tone.
"All of you clear the room The higher-ups are reviewing system anomalies I've been ordered to investigate personally."
The guards straightened "Y-Yes, sir!"
They didn't question it further The clone's aura appearance and voice matched perfectly The guards scrambled out.
Once inside Reo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding This part had gone smoothly.
In front of him was a massive digital wall displaying countless maps and surveillance The system itself was integrated with Ai.
that monitored everything from staff movements to machine malfunctions.
Fortunately in his past life Reo had learned just enough about these kinds of systems to do damage.
The clone sat down at the terminal and got to work disabling one subroutine at a time First security cameras.
Next biometric locks. Finally, the AI's real-time facial recognition sweep.
One by one he made the facility blind.
But there was still a problem.
From somewhere deeper inside the building Reo could feel a powerful aura at least B- Rank possibly C+. Whatever it was it was dangerous.
Still that was the thrill wasn't it? Risk and reward The gamble was part of the game.
Reo's real body moved in sync with the clone, slipping through the halls like a shadow.
He stuck to blind spots places where the aura's reach thinned where cameras would have glared but now were silent.
He passed by robotic suits humanoid weapons strong enough to take down D-Rank monsters.
Fully arme fully operational But thankfully dormant They didn't notice him and he had no plans of waking them up.
His path wound between storage racks and reinforced doors passing technicians unaware of the silent intruder.
Finally after a tense thirty minutes of dodging motion sensors, security patrols, and terrifying auras...
He saw it.
The vault.
It was thick metallic, and glowing with power, sealed by a six-digit passcode and an iris scanner Fortunately Reo had already accessed the system with the clone and overridden both.
The door began to open each hiss of hydraulic release echoing like thunder in Reo's ears.
His heart pounded.
Inside the vault lay rows of storage casesbut in the center.
The S Rank Core it was Yellow and Bright and Palm Size Perfect shaped Ball.
A treasure coveted by every organization in the world a almost unlimited power source.
Reo smiled slowly his eyes glinting like a predator.
But Reo was confused as another Core but Colored Black was Beside it.
Just Then Everything was in Chaos The Lights Were gone and The Robots Start Moving.
BOOM!
A Large Crashed in The Facility Everyone was Alert as a Presence of a B Ranked showed up.