I flexed my hands against the unfamiliar stiffness of the reinforced gloves, standing in front of the bathroom mirror. The red oni mask covered the upper half of my face, its stylized horns adding a few intimidating inches to my already substantial height. My reflection was a stranger—gone was any trace of the pathetic, overweight otaku who had inhabited this body before me. In his place stood something darker, something with purpose.
Even with the bulk of my frame, the black combat gear gave me a dangerous silhouette. The reinforced jacket hugged my shoulders—still broad despite my weight loss—and tapered down to the utility belt where I'd strapped a standard-issue combat knife and a few basic supplies. Nothing fancy, but enough to look the part of a desperate indie Hunter taking E-rank contracts.
"How the hell did I go from Yakuza enforcer to low-budget cosplayer?" I muttered.
[You died, remember? Your current situation is a significant upgrade from complete non-existence.]
"Thanks for the pep talk," I growled under my breath.
[Reminder: Gate runs, even E-Rank, carry statistical probability of fatality. Would you like me to calculate your specific survival odds based on current attributes and equipment?]
"Hard pass."
I stepped out of the bathroom and made my way to the living room where Natalia was waiting. She stood by the window, staring out at the city lights, already fully geared up. Unlike me, she hadn't needed to buy combat attire—she'd pulled a sleek, dark suit from the back of her closet, probably something she'd used in training.
The white kitsune mask sat perfectly on her face, the painted red lines accentuating her eyes. With her purple hair pulled back in a tight braid, she looked like something out of an anime—the mysterious female assassin that teenagers would make their phone wallpaper.
She turned at the sound of my footsteps, her posture immediately stiffening.
"You clean up surprisingly well," she said, her voice slightly muffled by the mask.
I tapped the cheap comm unit attached to my collar. "Comms check."
She tapped her own unit in response. A moment later, her voice came through my earpiece, clear and professional. "Loud and clear, Oni."
Hearing her call me by the codename sent a strange thrill through me. It was almost like we were real partners, not step-siblings forced together by circumstance and my manipulations.
"What's our play when we get there?" I asked, adjusting my mask.
"I'll do the talking," she replied, crossing the room to pick up a small backpack. "The less you say, the better. Remember, we're supposed to be experienced."
"I know how to fake experience." I gave her a half-bow. "I've been lying my way through life for years."
"At least you're honest about being dishonest," she snorted.
"You're starting to sound like my System," I muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing. Inside joke." I tapped my temple. "Let's review the plan one more time."
She zipped up her pack and slung it over her shoulder. "We check in as independent contractors. The company liaison gives us the rundown and basic equipment. We clear the Gate, kill the boss monster, grab whatever loot we can during the decay period, then get out and collect our payment."
"And if things go sideways?"
Her eyes narrowed behind the mask. "They won't."
"But if they do?"
She placed her hands on her hips. "Look, this is an E-Rank Gate. The monsters inside are barely stronger than regular animals. I could clear it solo with my eyes closed."
I moved toward the door, checking my watch. "We should go. The Gate activation is in ninety minutes."
We left the condo through the service exit to avoid the security cameras in the main lobby. The night air was cool against the exposed portions of my face, carrying the familiar scent of the city—ozone from the maglev trains, street food from the vendors still operating in the night markets, and the faint metallic tang that pervaded everything in New Vein.
The transit station was three blocks away. We walked in silence, keeping a professional distance between us. Two masked figures in combat gear would normally draw attention, but this was New Vein City—stranger sights could be seen at any hour. Most people just gave us a wide berth, assuming we were Hunters on official business.
On the maglev, we sat across from each other, avoiding eye contact. I studied her through my mask, noting the steady rhythm of her breathing, the controlled way she held herself. She was nervous but hiding it well. I'd seen the same controlled tension in Yakuza foot soldiers before their first real job.
"Stop staring," she said without looking at me.
"How'd you know I was staring?"
"I can feel it," she replied. "It's annoying."
I leaned back in my seat. "Sorry, Captain. Just admiring your professional demeanor."
She tilted her head slightly. "Is that sarcasm?"
"No," I answered honestly. "You look like you know what you're doing. It's impressive."
That caught her off guard. She shifted in her seat. "Thanks," she muttered eventually.
The maglev slowed as we approached the Industrial District station. According to the job listing, the Gate had formed in an abandoned warehouse, one of dozens in this part of the city. Perfect location for a corporate entity to secure a Gate without too much oversight from the Hunter Commission.
We disembarked and followed the GPS coordinates on Natalia's phone. The streets here were nearly empty, the warehouses looming like sleeping giants on either side. Most of the buildings had been abandoned after the Rupture, when shipping patterns changed to accommodate the new reality of Gates and monsters.
"There," Natalia pointed to a warehouse with the faded logo of a pre-Rupture shipping company. A portable generator hummed outside, powering floodlights that illuminated the entrance. A sleek corporate shuttle was parked nearby, its polished surface out of place among the rust and decay.
As we approached, a man in a crisp business suit emerged from the warehouse. He was maybe forty, with the bland, forgettable features of a middle-management drone. His eyes barely registered us as we stopped before him.
"Independents for the E-Rank clearance," he said, consulting his tablet. "ID verification?"
Natalia stepped forward, showing him the ID.
The man barely glanced at them before nodding. "Standard contract. You clear the Gate, eliminate the E-Rank nest mother, collect any harvestable materials during the decay period. Payment on completion, verified by nest mother core retrieval."
He handed us each a small pack. "Basic emergency supplies. Flares, antiseptic, painkillers, water. The Gate has been stable for thirty-six hours. Observation indicates standard E-Rank biome, approximately three kilometers in diameter, population roughly fifty to sixty low-tier spawns."
"Estimated time to boss?" Natalia asked, her voice steady and professional.
"Previous clearance attempts of similar Gates suggest forty-five minutes to an hour of navigation, assuming no major obstacles." He checked his watch. "You have a ten-hour window before I'm required to call in a professional team. Any questions?"
We shook our heads.
"Good. Liability waiver." He handed us a tablet. We both signed with our fake names. He took it back without looking at the signatures. "The Gate is through there. Good hunting."
And just like that, he walked back to his shuttle, leaving us alone outside the warehouse.
"That was easy," I muttered.
"Too easy," Natalia replied. "He doesn't care if we live or die. We're just cheap labor to them."
We entered the warehouse. It was mostly empty, the vast space echoing with our footsteps. In the center, surrounded by portable flood lights, was the Gate.
It hung in the air like a vertical pool of rust-colored oil, its surface rippling with slow, hypnotic patterns. The air around it felt heavy, charged with something that made the hair on my arms stand on end despite the layers of clothing.
We stopped a few meters away, both of us suddenly silent as the reality of what we were about to do hit home.
"Having second thoughts?" Natalia asked, her voice softer than usual through the comm.
I looked at her, trying to read her expression through the mask. "Are you?"
"No," she said quickly. Too quickly.
"Liar."
"Fine." She sighed. "Maybe a few. But we're here now. We need the money, and you need the experience if you're serious about the entrance exam."
I stepped closer to the Gate, examining the swirling patterns on its surface. "Any advice?"
"Stay behind me," she said. "Watch your corners. These E-Rank monsters aren't smart, but they can still kill you if you're careless. If I tell you to run, you run. No questions."
"Yes, Captain."
She moved to stand beside me, her posture rigid but determined. "Ready?"
I looked down at her. Despite her confident words, I could see the tension in her body. This was her first real Gate too, I realized. For all her training, for all her talk of being a prodigy, she was stepping into the unknown just like me.
"I've got your back," I said quietly.
She glanced up at me, surprise evident even through the mask. "I... yes. I know."
[Seduction Progress: 27%]
"Let's go get paid," Natalia said, her voice steadier now.
Together, we stepped through the threshold.