As Dante received an email from The Fox—a commission he had ordered that finally got its results—he hurried to the elevator. His wheat-colored shirt clung to him, a perfect touch to his warm, alluring look.
"Finally got the info about him," he murmured as he pressed the button, waiting for the elevator.
His thoughts drifted to the person he wanted to recruit as his pawn as he looked at the night sky from the nearest window: a major mid-phase Boss of the game, codename
White Assassin. Axel Ghasphel.
Ding!
'Axel Ghasphel, or the White Assassin, was once a mad dog for Savalion's top-secret assassins.
He used to work with the royal family there, but fate changed its course. His final mission was where they promised him freedom, something he didn't even care about in his prime.'
He stepped inside as the elevator door slid open, then repeatedly clicked his floor with his index finger.
'But now he desperately craved it because of his weakness, something someone in this line of work shouldn't have: his only family, his ill daughter.
Now he's on the run with her, but it won't be long before his daughter dies. On the run and with his daughter to protect, he can't even afford the money to buy her a cure, not to mention her condition, which no healer or doctor could cure... until now.'
Dante tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator finally reached his floor—the 37th—and Immediately rushed to his own room.
He hurried inside, his shoes tossed aside as he dropped into his gamer chair, something he had recently bought. He turned on the computer, got into Abyss, and opened the mail.
There he found it: a single file. He moved his sweating hand across the screen.
"Let's see." As he clicked it, the file, name, and a history of all The Fox could gather appeared.
He figured, they only scratched the surface. Getting this much info in a short period of one month was already impressive enough—after all, the target was a legendary assassin himself—he muttered as he moved his cursor to the location they found.
> [-We detected his presence through rumors and our search. With the info you provided, we only managed to deduce that he's in Warmwood City, a city not far from the Farrarish Citadel.]
Dante's breath hitched as he read it. Finally! He checked the red map that came with the file. He replied to The Fox with a small tip as he began preparing for his journey.
The island city, Whither City, where he lived, was a three-day mana-train ride to the Farrarish Citadel. From there, it would take two more days to reach Warmwood City. Time—something he didn't love to waste—he grumbled as he packed his things.
The night passed as his hands were a blur of motion, packing his food and the essentials—survival aid, potions, and many more items—onto his dimension watch.
"Wait for me, my pawn!" he whispered. "My ticket to greatness~"
He grinned so wildly it looked creepy, though now he didn't really care.
---
8:34 A.M.
The scenery passed as Dante looked out the window.
He had been riding the mana-train for hours now, in VIP, of course.
His chin rested gently in his hand as he watched the sea stretch out like an endless sky. It was a blue, so clear it reflected the sunlight against the windows of the mana-train as it ran above the sea.
Seagulls flew, gliding effortlessly above the train as they used the wind to make flying easier. the sight of nature cooperating with humanity, Dante could easily see a pack of dolphins happily jumping out of the water out of the corner of his eye.
The scenery made him pause all thought. Questions of his next steps, of what he should do when he reached his destination, simply vanished. For now, he allowed himself to relax.
'Peaceful,' he thought, with a slight smile as he rested.
He simply sat there on his soft, red seat as he watched the scenery. He himself, though, was a beautiful piece of art.
With a massive S-rank Charisma, even though he hadn't undergone his second awakening at level 10 yet, it was enough to captivate other VIPs.
They stopped to glance at him. A nearly middle-aged woman in her suit, probably the icy CEO of some company, blushed at the sight of his soft smile.
"Hn~ is he a model or something?"
Other middle-aged men nodded as they simply viewed him as art. In their experience, there were others out there to rival or even surpass his beauty. Like that, time flew fast as Dante allowed himself to relax in a luxurious life, something he thought he would never receive again.
---
September 1st, 2868
Three days had passed—without anything happening, like the calm before a storm. He could feel it.
Beepp Beeppp!
It was autumn now; old leaves started to fall off their branches. A vivid red, orange, and yellow tone across the Farrarish Citadel painted the holy ground in a warm, divine grace as the mana-train came to a halt in its station.
> [Please know, we have come to a halt at the Farrarish Citadel station. Thank you for the three-day ride with our service. Please prepare to head to the exit. Again...]
Dante groaned as he stood up from his now familiar seat, stretching his slightly numb muscles. The ride had been... what? Peaceful-boring. He watched others also prepare to head to the exits, while those whose paths would not cross with his remained in their seats.
He picked up a small, brown bagpack as he headed out. First priority: the VIP line, of course.
He hummed a tune as he stepped out of the mana-train. His long, black shirt swayed as he took in the scene of the station. It was lively, chaotic, and so unaware of the danger approaching. He smiled faintly to himself.
'It's not wrong to enjoy your life, and it's not a sin for you to not know what's coming.'
With a swipe of his phone at the detector at the gate, it opened with a beeping sound, finally revealing to him the breathtaking view of the holy ground, where the church's headquarters were located, and where many believed a goddess had blessed it. The Farrarish Citadel.
Dante stood there, simply looking at the mesmerizing landscape. The sky was clear, and autumn leaves swayed against the cold wind, painting the city in warm, inviting tones. But oh, the most beautiful thing was its buildings, so mesmerizing, pure, and rich with history. Buildings in the style of Renaissance, Romanesque, and Gothic architecture blended together seamlessly with advanced tech. The buildings were a variety of colors—white and light yellow—but retained the same beauty.
Dante took a deep breath. 'Focus,' he told himself as he started to move along the road.
There were some horse-drawn carriages, an attempt by some people to keep tradition. A family happily chatted as he passed them. He turned left, checking his location for a hover-bus ride to Warmwood City.
Grrowl!
But first, he should grab something to eat, he thought, tapping his stomach and chuckling slightly.
"I wonder if Carl has already reached here?~" Dante muttered as he headed to a nearby street market.
This city is the first city players tend to reach because as a hero, he can receive buffs. One of them is a growth rate buff while training here, and he can also improve his relationship with the saint of this era.
"The Saintess selection will happen in four months from now, right?"
he asked no one in particular as he walked, reviewing the game events and reminding himself to stay away from that perverted soon-to-be Saintess.
Dante grumbled as he thought about his plan. She was a hassle. If not for the storyline and the buffs, he himself would never—he meant never—step here.
"Kyaaa!!"
The scream snapped him out of his thoughts before he could think any further as he turned to look at the event unfolding. A pickpocket, it seemed. No matter the bright light, there would always be a shadow, and he knew the Church wasn't eternally pure. But they could wait. It wasn't their turn yet.
"Burst steps," he quietly activated his move, watching as the thief was already quite far ahead.
'That thief... he used mana to enchant his legs. So he's awakened,' Dante thought.
Step-boom!
He simply vanished and reappeared with a scatter of blue sparks along his trail. He floated above the running thief, raising his fist, about to swing. He paused, catching a red blur out of the corner of his eye. But before then, he simply smashed the thief's skull hard—not enough to kill, but to knock him out.
Bam!
"Kahg!!"
The ground shook from the impact as the thief's head hit the ground, twitching for a few moments before going rigid.
Dante landed lightly, dusting himself off and turn to looking at him. The boy had brilliant, blood-red hair and yellow eyes with the intent of a predator. Carl. Carl Bruce had reached the citadel, the holy ground, at the same time as him.
'Talk about raising a flag'
Dante thought as he smiled, finally seeing the main character he loved, alive, breathing, and looking intensely at him.
"Hello," he said, already finding it all amusing.