A Devil In An Angel Skin

'Who could it be?' 

He hadn't been meeting someone these past days, even if he did, they can't find his address quickly. Hans stood behind the door, his hand clutched the doorknob while his left hand hid the knife on his back. Opening the door, he peeked at the small gap, ready to take cover if any suspicious movement alerted his senses. 

"Who are you?" 

 A man stood at the front door, holding a small box covered in tapes. He wore a worker's uniform with a name tag clipped on his right chest. Observing his attire, the man didn't seem to come here with any bad motives and was just here to deliver a package. 

What's more, the man doesn't have that unique aura unique to Awakened. Meaning, he's an ordinary human. 

"Good Evening Sir, I'm Jake, from Ga—" 

Jay didn't get to finish as he was interrupted by the customer's annoyed voice. 

"Cut to the chase."

"Ah!? Alright." Jay nodded with a smile. In his line of work, he's not new to hearing those words, "There's a package addressed to Mr. Luther. Is this his house, by any chance?" 

Hans spread his perception around and seeing no other people, he decided to walk out. 

Criek—

The door creaked as he opened it before stepping out barefoot. 

"Ah, it's here." 

Hans didn't deny it. Since the sender already knew his address there's no reason to hide it anymore. 

"Is he here?" 

"No, I'm… I'm Mr. Luther."

"Oh, that's perfect." Jake pulled a note chart from his bag before he handed a pen and paper to Hans, "Just sign here sir and we're done."

"I see. That's convenient." 

Hans filled up the record and signed his name under the sheet. 

"Here."

"Thank you, sir." 

Jake didn't stay longer and hurriedly drifted away. Hans looked at his disappearing figure before entering back inside the apartment carrying a small box from his hand. Hans brought the box to the table before he took a seat beside it. 

'This wouldn't be a bomb right?' 

Hans grimaced at the sudden thought. 

'Even if someone wanted to kill me, they wouldn't use that underhanded tactic. Unless they know my true strength, the best they could do is to send an E-class.'

He held his chin, recalling all the people he associated with these past months. 

'But I couldn't remember offending someone.' 

Sigh—

With the passing of his thought, Hans approached the box cautiously. Outside its cover, a paper was imprinted on it with his name and the sender.  The name written on the sender section was JJ followed by Hans' name below. 

'JJ?' 

Hans held his chin. In all actuality, he knows many people with their names starting with J but it couldn't be them. He was positive about it. As he thoroughly observed the box, a familiar voice sounded in his head. 

[It's not dangerous.]

"Huh?" Hans was jolted awake from his daze, "How'd you know?"

[Instinct, probably.]

Plundy's words irked him slightly, prompting him to shake his head. 

"Forget it, it's pointless thinking about this."

With his brows furrowed, Hans reached for the box and lifted it beside his ear. 

'Hmm… it's light.'

Before he opened it, Hans shook the box first, trying to guess what the content might be. No sound came, but his ears caught a slight rustle from the inside. Once again, he jiggled the box lightly to confirm what he heard. 

"Seems like it's not a bomb."

Hans ripped the box with his hands, exposing the contents inside. It was a piece of paper folded into two and next to it was a check. Picking it up, Hans unfolded the paper and read the words written with black ink. 

Judging from the stained ink and the seemingly imperfect style, this letter was definitely a handwritten one. 

'N-no way!?' Hans' expression gradually worsened as his thoughts flew by themselves, 'This wouldn't be a love letter right?' 

Rustle—

[To Hans, 

Hey, it's been a while. How are you? I've been hearing bad news every time I watch television and I hope you're alright. For this reason, our batch mates decided to have a short reunion. We heard you're in Philadelphia and some of us agreed to come here as well.

I hope you can come, Hans. We know it's been tough for you after that incident so perhaps meeting us again might be a good remedy. 

Also, we're gonna raid a dungeon after that and it's a C-class. You should join us. You might strike a million this time. 

Anyways, if you change your mind and decide to come, the address is written on the back. I've also written my contact number so if you have any questions, just ask. 

Your friend,

Jason J.           ] 

As he read through the letter, Hans displayed a smile of appreciation. Because of the chaos happening in the world right now, he already had forgotten his friends back in the day. 

'Our status has changed.'

While all of them climb through the peak of their potential, Hans on the other hand, had to literally risk his life for just a few hundred bucks. Most of them have already become successful as they have their families supporting them from behind. 

Unfortunately, Hans's life began drifting away, until it came to the point where he almost died many times. 

'Jason…' 

Hans gave out a long sigh. Jason was the type of guy who would do anything to achieve his goal. Back then, they became training buddies as they both love working hard for their dreams. Although it's only been a month, Hans and he still became friends somehow. 

'It's been a while.'

If it's the old Hans, he would just glance at this paper before throwing it in the garbage bin. As he was busy making money, he had no time to waste even for a single minute. He'd spare no effort to ensure he would have money to feed himself. And this type of reunion, it's better to stay away from them. 

But now, it's different.

"Plundy, help me think."

[Stop asking me for opinions! Do you really think I'm your personal motivational speaker huh!?] 

"But you're the expert here. You have knowledge about these mundane things."

[Hey, listen here. To my previous masters, this isn't even a problem.]

"..." 

[They don't go to reunions; reunions come to them.]

"Hmm… should I go then?" 

Truthfully, if not for the yellow dungeon raid written on the letter, Hans would just shrug it off and decline. But because it might take time before he could enter a yellow dungeon, he would grasp this opportunity. 

Yellow dungeons or C-class dungeons can't be entered easily. There are policies and rules an Awakened needs to follow. Additionally, this is the boundary where the authorities pay attention very thoroughly so it wouldn't be a shock if his 'Hide' skill can't pass the guards. 

If he wanted to, it's mandatory to have a C-class identification card and a party. Well, of course, if he's an S-class, these rules were pretty much useless as they could enter dungeons any time they want. 

Now, a chance to experience a yellow rank dungeon was on sight. Why would he let it slip? The offer was basically in his favor. 

Hans put the letter down, trailing from the wind as the fan hit it. He grabbed his watch and set it above the letter to avoid getting blown. Moving his head to the side, Hans aggressively grabbed the check. 

It had 100,000 USD and just below its amount was Jason's name. Although perplexed, he still kept it in his hand. Money is money. If this is free then there's no reason to decline, right? 

But because of this, Hans had doubted its authenticity. Even though Jason seemed to be offering a helping hand, Hans was cautious by nature. Therefore, the thought of someone disguising as his batch mates still crossed his little mind. 

"It's tomorrow?" 

It seemed like his plan to raid a dungeon for today will be postponed. Well, it doesn't matter because, actually, he wanted to sleep more. 

.... 

The next day went without traffic. As soon as he called Jason and accepted the invitation, Jason kept calling him to check his status. He must be scared that Hans might back out. 

— Are you on the way Hans? 

"No, I'm still eating my breakfast." 

— It's okay, take your time. We'll wait for you later. 

Jason told him that although he sent more than 30 invitations, only 10 of them accepted including Hans. Despite the lack of people, this number was still enough to raid a dungeon so no danger to that side. 

Hans groaned. He went into the Awakened website yesterday night and concluded that he needed to stay lowkey. Authorities and various groups might be out there, trying to find any clues and tracks that would lead to him. His current location, for now, was still safe even though he didn't know how Jason pinpointed it, it's still safe. 

No one would expect the dungeon solo clearer would live in this worn-down apartment. 

Still, Hans hated hiding like a rat. But for the sake of his peace, he'd endure it for now.

He stepped away from the table and washed the dishes on the sink. He has been distracted by many things these past few days. 

"Anyways, what should I wear?" 

...….. 

One of the perks of living on the outskirts was that thrift shops were everywhere. Hans bought clothes. A brown trench coat, a black turtleneck, and black boots. Even though fashion style wasn't his forte, Hans still dressed up to look good. 

[Your fashion sense sucks..]

"Where'd you even learn that?" 

[...] 

It took him 10 minutes to finish. Looking at the reflection in the mirror, Hand did various model poses. Unfortunately, his long hair always fell to his eye, which was kinda annoying, to be honest. He might just cut his hair in the future. 

Spraying a wisp of men's perfume to his hand, Hans spread it to his clothes. 

"I'm ready."

[Are you dating someone?] 

"No." 

[Then why are you showering in perfume?] 

Annoyed by Plundy's rumbling, Hans ignored it and proceeded to leave the house. The lingering fragrant scent of perfume shot through the door before vanishing in the polluted wind. 

"I should buy a motorcycle too."

Since he has money and it'll become larger as time goes on, buying a car or motorcycle for himself is a must. 

"It's cold."

The streets were littered with snow and snowflakes. White mist escaped from his mouth every time he exhaled and spoke. 

Hans grabbed himself a taxi and headed straight to where the address was. It doesn't matter if he's mocked there or not, only he knows himself… and Plundy probably. 

... 

A handsome guy stepping out of a taxi would surely arouse people's attention, especially young girls. Hans grabbed his umbrella and started walking down the commercial building. 

"It's said there's a cafe inside."

The large interior of the building greeted him as he stepped in. Since there were schools near the place, the building is always full of customers; Be it teens or adults. 

'Ahh, this is embarrassing.'

This is the first time he walked in public without a mask or hoodie since he was discharged from the hospital. Having heard people compliment him as he strolled away, Hans couldn't help but smile, a little uncomfortable. Going on like this is truly a bad idea. 

'The Cafe should be somewhere here.' 

His gaze wandered around the place until it caught familiar faces from afar. A melancholic smile bloomed on his face, remembering the happy faces of his colleagues before their timely death. 

Meanwhile, Jason and others talked to each other about their careers now and their status. 

"Babe, when is Hans going to come?" Ada glanced at her watch, "It's already past 11 am."

Ada was one of his batchmates back then which now turned into his girlfriend. Jason patted her back and wrapped his hand to her shoulder, his eyes fixed at his phone. 

"He said he's on the way."

Jason's words earned quite a giggle from others.

 "Haha, don't believe in Hans. He's probably still in the show—" 

At that moment. 

"Who's in the shower?" 

Everyone turned around towards the deep voice. 

'Who?' 

They didn't expect someone to interrupt them. 

"It's been a while." 

Everyone exchanged confused glances, confirming if anyone knows who this guy is. 

'Do you know him?' 

'No, but… uhmm he's sexy don't you think?' 

'A celebrity?' 

Seeing no one responding, Jason decided to step forward. This face is somewhat familiar to him. If one looks closely their faces seem to overlap. 

"You… are you Hans?" 

"I am. How are you, Jason?" 

That's when everyone realized who this man was. 

"Are you really Hans?" 

"Haha, man you're taller! You must have been grinding huh?" 

"Hans, it's been a while." 

At the same time, Hans gave each and everyone hugs and handshakes. Even though he lost his potential, no one here really despises him. Although they tried to mock him back then, it's more of friendly teasing; Hans was aware of that. 

"Thanks for inviting me."

"Eh? What the hell are you talking about? We're all friends here."

"Yes."

Everyone looked happy. Due to his high stats, Hans could vaguely sense their levels. 

'All of them have become C-class now huh?' 

Not a newly ascended C-class but a peak one, some were even nearing B. 

'... and Jason… a genuine B-class.' 

As everyone greeted him with a welcome, Hans responded with a quick nod. 

"I heard you're having a tough time." Kyle asked with his eyes observing Hans, "... but looking at you now, it seems like it's alright." 

Kyle was his seatmate back then, a guy he used to borrow pens. Embarrassed by his antics, Hans only replied with a smile. Jason continued on the other hand. 

"Man, how did you escape New Jersey? I heard a dungeon blew up there?" 

"I'm just lucky I'm outside."

"But seriously, I should've gone to see for myself. After hearing the incident, we thought you died, err, fortunately, you didn't. Anna was also dying to see you, you know." 

"Anna?" 

This time, Ada turned to answer.

"Yep, she said she wanted to thank you for saving her but she had no way to reach you so…" 

Hans picked the iced coffee on the table and took a sip. 

"How's her baby?" 

"She's fine thanks to you."

"No, I just did what a leader should."

Hearing Anna's baby's healthy status, Hans sighed in relief. Luckily, the baby survived at that time, or else wouldn't his sacrifice come to nothing? So hearing the baby is fine, a small block was lifted on his shoulders. 

Meanwhile, Jason observed Hans with a friendly smile. 

'You're finally here, bastard.'

A sinister scheme was brewing from behind.