‘Must be around here,’ Jake thought as he glanced around the area. Crimson lights bled from the buildings, painting the floor in a bloody hue as crowds of people walked the streets. The combined smell of booze, perfume, blood, and street food blanketed the area, making a brutal mishmash of scents. Not just that, the music was long past what could be considered loud, practically shaking the air itself. 

Bringing up his mask and hood, he made his way into the district, blending into the intoxicated crowd. As he weaved through the crowd of intoxicated people, he couldn’t help but feel…off, in a way. Everything felt muddled, albeit faintly. Each time he brushed against an occasional person, he felt a slight jolt go through his body. It wasn't anything harmful, barely causing him to twitch. However, it was enough that it did grab his attention. In fact, the air itself seemed to be lightly charged. Yet nobody seemed to be affected or even aware of it. If anything, it seemed to cause a sense of what seemed to be joy amongst the inhabitants. 

‘Must’ve adapted to it,’ he thought as he continued to go down the main path. It’d make sense; people in this world, once monsters and mana appeared as a concept, became much more adaptable. Not just with weapons and armor, but with their physiology. So small bouts of what seemed to be static wouldn't exactly be notable to them, especially when inebriated.

As he continued to explore the area, he eventually found the building he was looking for. It was a rather conservative design, not having either intense lights or air-shaking music. However, it had seemed…different, somehow. The smell of blood and alcohol seemed much more intense, but wasn’t overwhelming. If anything, it seemed like it was inviting him in. 

Opening the door to the building, he was met with what could be described as a nightclub. The smell of alcohol and narcotics was thick in the air, accompanied by the blaring of speakers. Making his way through the crowd of parties, he found himself at a bar, packed with people.

“Hey, you actually came!” a familiar voice shouted, cutting through the noise. Turning his gaze to the source, he saw Jill standing in front of him, a catlike grin on her face. 

“I’m here. So, what do you want?” he asked, giving her a once over. She didn’t seem to have any weapons on her, so a threat was unlikely. Her eyes didn't hold any hidden malice, either.

“Follow me. I have somebody who wants to meet you,” Jill said before turning on her heel and walking off. As he followed her, he found themselves walking into what seemed to be the backrooms of the buildings, eventually stopping in front of a door. Opening the door, she swung it open to reveal a fight of stone stairs before making her way down, him following shortly after.

“So, how’d you learn to fight like that?” Jill asked as they went down the stairs, grabbing his attention. 

He had to admit, it was a reasonable question. From her viewpoint, there was no solid basis for his style of combat, lacking even the vague sense of a trained stance.

“Picked up some things here and there,” Jake answered. It was basically the truth; the closest thing he had to a combat base was the minor bit of kendo he observed from a coworker. Everything else was just…natural to him. 

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the two of them entered what seemed to be a break room.Various people were laid about the area, chatting amongst themselves. 

“Hey, you're back already?” one of the people asked, grabbing the attention of everyone else. As their gazes turned their direction, Jake noticed that the air seemed to shift. There was a sense of familiarity, but also that of intimidation, as if they were greeting their clear superior.

“Yep! I even got my new friend here,” Jill said as she pointed a thumb towards him, pride in her voice. However, when he saw them turn his direction, he saw the intimidation turn into confusion.

“I don’t see anyone,” one of the younger members said, tilting their head. 

“Give me a bit,” Jake said to a confused Jill before walking towards a nearby wall. Letting out a small breath, he slammed his fist into the wall, causing the stone to shatter. Turning away from the broken wall, he was met with over a dozen weapons pointed at him. Suspicion and anger bled from their bodies, as if it was some kind of threat. However, a heavy weight seemed to encapsulate the room, causing them to pause before putting away their weapons.

“Little Wolf. Follow me,” Jill said, her voice hardened as she made her way towards the exit, him at her heels. Once they stepped into the hallway, she quickly faced him, arms crossed and brow raised.

“I don’t register in the mind of others normally. The only way i do is by leaving a major mark, like torture,” Jake said, answering the unsaid questions.

“This’ll cause a few problems,” she muttered before making her way down the hall. As the two of them made their way through the hallways, they found themselves in what could only be a coliseum. In the center of the coliseum sat what seemed to be a man, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. Numerous scars covered his upper body, the oldest one seemingly at least a decade old.

Feeling a light shove against his shoulder, he turned to see Jill looking towards him, a small smirk on her face. Without a single word said, he quickly understood what she wanted him to do. Letting out a small breath, he focused his gaze on the man as he felt the world slow down. Dashing forward, he hopped into the arena before launching himself towards the man, winding up a swing. However, a flash of steel caught his attention, clearing aiming for his head. Twisting his body, he shifted the momentum before launching himself back, quickly getting out of range.

“Well, you're a new face. Got an issue with me or something?” the man said, dagger suddenly in his hand. 

‘Must be like a Dungeon Boss,’ Jake thought as he got into a fighting stance, giving him a slight once-over. Only a little bit taller than he was, the man was clearly not entirely human. Eyes like rubies, skin like bronze, scars that would leave a lesser man dead. However, something about it felt familiar, as if he had seen it before. 

Strange.

“Not much of a talker huh? Shame,” the man said, shaking his head before suddenly bolting towards him.

Ducking under a swing agt his neck, Jake launched a hook into his side before weaving behind the man. Seeing a glint of steel, he hopped back, narrowly avoiding a slash towards his face.

Break.

Launching a bolt of force from his arm, Jake watched as the man stepped aside, the arrow of energy digging into the wall. However, that was all he needed.

Dashing forward, Jake kicked the man in his side before stepping back. However, that distance between them was quickly shattered as the man appeared before him. Fucking under a swing, he quickly swung at his chest, only for him to suddenly hit air. Turning on his heel, he sent a kick into the man's stomach, launching him back by a few feet.

“Alright,  you seem interesting. Let's crank this up a bit,” the man chuckled before suddenly disappearing.

Quickly putting up his guard, Jake felt a heavy strike hitting him, knocking him back. Letting out a small breath, he bolted forward as he felt his arm seemingly be wrapped in flames. Weaving under a swing, he swung at the man's chest before suddenly feeling…off. Quickly shifting his momentum, he launched himself backwards and away from the man.

Bringing his hand to his side, he felt something slick coming from his side. Turning his gaze away from the opponent in front of him, he was met with a growing crimson on his side. 

He was bleeding. 

As he ran back the seconds that passed, he couldn’t find anything that would be the cause. It was as if the cut simply just…appeared. Turning his gaze back towards the man, he slowly got back into a stance. He had to understand what happened. There was something he wasn’t accounting for. 

“Alright, that’s enough!” Jill suddenly shouted, grabbing their attention. Seeing her hop down into the ring, she made her way towards the man before whispering something in his ear. As Jill continued to whisper, the man’s face turned from confusion to surprise. Whatever she said, it clearly wasn’t what the man expected.

“Hey, you good?” the man asked, any type of malice in his voice gone. It was as if the fight from before never even happened.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Jake answered before walking off. The wound was relatively minor, so he could just leave it alone for a bit.

“Come back tomorrow so we can work some things out,” Jill said, to which he gave a thumbs up. He was planning on coming back, anyway. Now, he just had an explainable reason. 

“Well, he was certainly a piece of work,” Maxim muttered as he watched Little Wolf leave the arena. He had to admit, he wasn’t really sure if he was able to win. Not only was the kid pretty fast for his age, he seemed to be rather experienced. There were barely any openings that he could take, with him having to use an Art in order to get a viable hit in. 

“Told ya that he’d be a good performer,” Jill boasted, a smug look on her face. 

Rolling his eyes, Maxim grabbed his hoodie before making his way towards his office. As he walked down the hallway, he couldn’t help but shake off a sense of unease. It was like he met one of his cousins. However, it also seemed alien, like he was simply a thing wearing human skin.

‘Best to just not think about it,’ he thought, pushing the feeling aside. He had a contract to prepare.