Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Ivan explained to Daiyu that the highly confidential work he had undertaken yesterday meant he could not disclose the details to her or his friends, as he feared it would place them in grave jeopardy. He added that during the assignment, he had not been in possession of his phone and therefore had no idea who had answered his call. Daiyu vehemently rejected Ivan's explanation, demanding that he provide substantial evidence to support his claim.

Ivan relaxed into the plush sofa, his mind actively working to devise a plan to locate the enigmatic woman who had caused this profound misunderstanding.

'Bangyu restaurant! The liberation force must have a contact point there, given its previous use for clandestine operations.' Ivan sat upright upon realising this crucial point.

Daiyu cast a withering glare of exasperation upon him. He informed her that he would definitively prove he was not a deceiver. He extracted the Bangyu restaurant's email address from a swift online search. He then composed an email, explaining that 'an employee' had answered a call from his girlfriend, leading to a grave misunderstanding, and he requested that the employee in question come forward to meet him and his girlfriend so the misunderstanding could be definitively resolved.

"You take me for a fool. You are absolutely despicable," Daiyu expressed her profound disgust, convinced that Ivan was attempting to manipulate her with a cunning mind game.

Ivan implored her to be patient, earnestly assuring her of his unwavering honesty. But Daiyu was unwilling to hear another word from him. She abruptly left the apartment. Ivan did not follow her. He felt utterly exhausted. He recklessly allowed himself to collapse onto a nearby sofa. He sat quietly, pondering how to mend the fractured relationship between himself and Daiyu. Subsequently, he thought about how Roger felt towards him after being punched. At this point, he was dozing and no longer in complete control of his weary body.

"I'm sorry I punched you, Roger. I'm truly sorry. I didn't remember that I accepted you as a friend because you are the most righteous person that I have ever met," Ivan's murmured thoughts escaped his lips as he drifted into sleep.

Roger was lingering discreetly near the living room. He smiled half-heartedly after he overheard his friend's troubled confessions.

Within Section 1, nestled in one of the opulent living rooms of an exquisite mansion, Pablo Alcaraz sat on a large sofa, calmly sipping white wine in the serene, golden-lit ambience. A soft, deliberate knock echoed from the door; it was a cryptic signal that Alcaraz immediately recognised.

"You don't expect me to usher you in, do you?' Pablo calmly sipped his wine.

Brainboss_7 entered the room. He maintained a distance of a metre from Alcaraz and did not take a seat. He produced the Dragon Mutant class card and the Demon class card from his trench coat pocket.

Brainboss_7 stared impassively at the handsome, light-skinned man with a rugged, self-assured flair, identifying the unmistakable, predatory swagger of one who effortlessly took what they desired.

"I brought the items you requested."

"I feel like I should applaud you," Alcaraz remarked ironically, his gaze still averted from his visitor.

He dipped his free left hand into a subtle crevice within the plush sofa and extracted a concealed card. It was a fusion skill card, Infernal Shadow. Brainboss_7 suppressed the overwhelming urge to snatch the card and flee the opulent room. He distrusted Alcaraz, who, though among the brass of the Tohzzembe grand mafia, was not of its absolute top echelon, to truly honour his word. But he was in unfamiliar territory where the Liberation Force held no sway, so he had to maintain a composed demeanour.

Alcaraz casually tossed the card towards Brainboss_7. He looked away, waiting for the Awakened Transcendent special character to finish appraising the card's authenticity. Brainboss_7 retrieved a small, spherical appraisal item, no larger than an eyeball, from his personal inventory. He used it to meticulously appraise the card's authenticity; it was, indeed, a genuine article.

Brainboss_7 lifted his head and nodded at Alcaraz.

Alcaraz, still not looking at his visitor, stated calmly, "Drop the card on the table."

A sudden, jarring rattle of the doorknob disturbed the atmosphere, causing both men to sharply turn their attention towards the door. Alcaraz's furrowed brow eased slightly as a sudden realisation of the intruder's identity dawned upon him. However, Brainboss_7 was far from at ease. A sleek gun materialised in his right hand, and he aimed it directly at the door.

"Were you expecting anyone?"

Alcaraz's telling reaction confirmed that the person behind the door was indeed an unwelcome guest. Brainboss_7 had a strong feeling that the gangster seated on the sofa had set him up to be robbed in his own house.

The door unlocked without Alcaraz's explicit permission, and a man draped entirely in a pristine white suit jacket, a crisp white shirt, matching white trousers, and a pair of stark white shoes with contrasting black soles entered the room. The visitor raised his arms in a gesture of surrender upon seeing the gun aimed directly at him.

"Please, officer, I'm just here to see my colleague, Mr. Alcaraz. I'm sorry for coming here unannounced," the man in the white attire said, feigning both fear and innocence.

Brainboss_7 knew better than to be deceived. He knew this visitor was none other than Desmond Cleverly, more commonly known as Goodluck Silver. He was among the top brass of the Tohzzembe grand mafia, a formidable triumvirate. He was, in fact, Alcaraz's superior.

"Mr. Brain, calm yourself," Silver said, dropping his charade. "I just want to have a quiet discussion."

Brainboss did not lower his weapon. His body briefly gleamed with a faint purple light; he cast a potent defensive spell on himself that was capable of shielding him from attacks even from those of Awakened Transcendent rank. Silver was a special character who was ranked as an Awakened Transcendent.

Silver seemed to instantaneously blink to the table and snatched away the two precious cards Brainboss_7 had just placed for Alcaraz. The power demonstrated was not mere blinking, per se; Silver had, in fact, slammed an ethereal door shut just as he reappeared in his original position. The formidable power of a door-smith had just been overtly demonstrated. Silver's high rank ensured that he could form doors anytime, anywhere, leading to any desired destination, provided there were no insurmountable restrictions.

Also, he could use any door to travel to any destination. A door that would normally open to a living room would instead lead to an airport's bustling lobby. It was a bizarre power that cemented Silver's reputation as an exceptionally formidable gang leader.

Alcaraz shifted in his seat, desiring to protest his boss's audacious confiscation of his newly acquired items, but he wisely restrained himself. He calmly enquired, "Boss?"

"You have no safer option than to heed my words. Otherwise, you will have unequivocally declared yourself an adversary. So, what is your decision? Shall I, then, be forced to soil my hands? Oh, do remember, I abhor germs. If I am compelled to dirty my hands, you will most assuredly not like the outcome," Silver said with a disarmingly childish smile overlaying his intensely predatory stare.

Brainboss_7 slowly lowered his weapon, which then seamlessly vanished.