14 | Information Guild

To find out who was behind the murder of Caden Nolan, I'd have to get more information about him and the kind of life he's been living so far. Which would lead me to visiting an information guild in the black market, south of Gomas City.

There were a lot of information guilds in Gomas City, but not all of them could be spoken for. The top three information guilds were Red Sky, Olympus, and Dot. Red Sky were the most competent but the guild was overrun with riff-raffs and petty murderers.

Olympus information guild was also good but the people there were arrogant. Someone like me couldn't do business with them. I'd end up offing anyone who tried to talk down to me.

Dot was my preferred information guild. Their information skills were alright and their members weren't too fussy. I have been patronizing their guild for a long time, but that didn't mean I had any lost attachment to them. I could drop them at any time and move to a different guild.

I was dressed in all black, from my head to my feet which were covered in heavy black boots. My Inquisitor Gun was hidden in a shoulder holster around my chest, and I was wearing a leather jacket over my black top. There was a black face mask around my face and my hair was tied up in a messy top bun.

I was aiming for a mysterious mercenary look. I could've put on my Inquisitor uniform but I didn't really want to stand out and have people act wary of me in the black market. Dressing up as a mercenary was less conspicuous.

Dot information guild's office was a 24-hour hookup bar. Yes, people who had no idea it was secretly running an information guild came here to find themselves one-night stands. When I stepped into the bar, it was obvious those who hadn't found their partners for the night were interested in me.

My aura always drew people in. I ignored the attention of others and walked inside, navigating myself under the colorful dim neon lights to the bartender's counter. A guy with dyed red hair and multiple piercings was manning the counter with a wicked smile on lips.

Five was his name. He was second-in-command of the information guild but liked to act like he was a free-spirited hipster. He was alright most of the time, but when he got serious, he got serious. He wasn't a hunter or mercenary but he knew his way around with a knife.

When he noticed me, the smile on his lips turned mischievous. "How long has it been since you last came here?" he asked with a slightly teasing edge to his tone.

I pulled my face mask to my chin to reveal my frown. "Tell the people at the basement that I'm here for business."

I was going to go about this as straightforwardly as I could. I only had a few more days to solve the case of Caden's death before that bastard system invoked consequences on me. Time was precious to me.

"Ah… have a drink first. Then you can go inside." Five's voice might've sounded playful but I knew if I didn't do what he said, he wouldn't pay me any mind.

I sucked up my frustration and gestured for him to pour me in something. Now that I was getting a drink, I'd have to work incredibly fast. It would be no secret between us that Five was going to add something to my drink to get me inebriated just for laughs.

He poured some kind of red-looking drink in a wine glass and handed it to me with a suspicious smile on his lips. I glared at him before I drank the entire thing like a shot and slammed the glass down. It tasted sweet but somewhat spicy as it burned my throat slightly. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and sucked in a deep breath.

"You need to learn how to drink. Downing something like that is a stupid action. But you're good to go now." Five said as he pushed a button under the counter from his side and the staff door by his right opened up.

I didn't bother sparing him a glance as I quickly made my way inside. It was a dark stairway going down and the path was lit up by only one twitching white bulb. I frowned as I noticed they still hadn't switched out the bulb for a properly functioning one.

As I was getting closer to the end of the stairway, my head began to buzz. It seemed like the drink had started to take effect. I shook it off and quickened my steps. At the end of the stairway was a new room that looked like it was one of the offices at the Inquisitors HQ.

There were computers everywhere with people working hard, not caring about their surroundings. High technology devices were lingering around and at the center of it all was a large glass cage where a magical beast seemed to be prowling around inside.

Magical beasts were species vastly different from monsters and corrupted entities. Though some were close to being monsters, magical beasts weren't hunted and killed indiscriminately like monsters. They held value since a lot of them were intelligent and held magical ability which could aid Hunters in clearing dungeons and towers.

A magical beast could form a bond with a human and be able to communicate with the person they bonded with. Their existence was so precious which was why they were rare. I could bet that this magical beast which was locked up in such a special cage was the pet of the head of Dot. There were no doubts about that.

The magical beast looked similar to a lion but had sky blue mane and white fur. Its canines were unnaturally long and the air around it seemed to be illuminated. It was also self-aware because it had noticed when I stepped into the room and its eyes became focused on me.

It was a truly intriguing sight but I had no time to be curious about magical beasts. I quickly went to register my case with the person I was most familiar with in this information guild — Vanya. She was positioned at the corner of the room and her equipment wasn't up to par with the rest of the workers.

There was a hierarchy system in Dot. The members with the most customers and money were given special treatment. People like Vanya, who appeared unappealing and geeky, weren't given basic rights because they made less money compared to others.

When the lady noticed that I was walking toward her, her brown eyes immediately lit up from behind her square-framed glasses and she quickly shot up from her chair.

"Mr. Anderson!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Come closer. Settle down!" She drew out a swivel chair which was almost in shambles and gestured for me to sit down. I shook my head, refusing her offer.

If I sat down on that, my butt would be on the floor in no less than two seconds. Her face fell at my refusal but she picked herself back up immediately as her bright smile returned to her ratty face.

"So, what are you here for? Is there some organization you want to find dirt on and burn to the ground? Someone crossed paths with you and you want to destroy them with their secret weakness?" Vanya questioned in excitement.

I shook my head slowly. "None of that. I'm here for someone who's a student of the academy."

Vanya's face slowly contorted into a puzzled expression that lasted for a few seconds before a mischievous smile settled on her face. "Ohohoho! I see… I heard you recently got admitted to the academy, but it seems like you already have someone you like. Tell me her name and I'll give you a list of the things she likes." Vanya winked at me.

I made a deadpan face. "It's not like that."

"Oh? It's a boy, then? No need to look at me like that, I won't judge. What's his name?"

If this woman wasn't good at what she did, she would've been holding a funeral for her tongue. As I was about to clear her misunderstanding, my head began pounding and my heart felt heavy from inside my chest. I was feeling all weird inside. Fuck, that drink was weighing me down faster than I thought it would.

I had to hurry this up.

"I'm not seeking information for any romantic intent. I want you to tell me about the student who was 'murdered' in the dorms a few days ago, I'm sure you've heard about it. His name is Caden Nolan. Make it quick because Five gave me a drink that's starting to take effect." I clutched my stomach tight as I spoke.

Vanya quickly switched to business mode. "You have anything of his?"

I nodded as I removed a piece of cloth from my jacket's pocket. This was a piece of evidence that I had stolen from the people on this case in the Inquisitor HQ. From the slashes that were made at Caden's body, pieces of torn clothes were found on the floor while they inspected his room.

This piece of cloth was bloodied which was a bonus. I handed it to Vanya and she immediately placed it under her nose to sniff it deeply. It was a disgusting act but I couldn't judge her, she needed to do that to activate her Special Skill.

Status Window:

| Name: Vanya Hendrick |

| Class: E |

| Strength: 10% |

| Agility: 15% |

| Charm: 26% |

| Magic Power: 32% |

| Intelligence: 64% |

| Titles: Nil |

| Special Skills: Eyes of the Past, Present, and Future (level 4) |

| Summary: Her stats are not very impressive, but due to her single rare Special Skill, she has incredible potential and can achieve immeasurable growth. |

I viewed Vanya's Status Window with my scam Special Skill but I was upset. How could she have one percent more Charm Stats than I did? How was that even possible? I pushed that line of thinking out of my head as I focused on her Special Skill.

It was one that gave her the ability to know more about an individual. As the name suggested, she could see both the past, present, and future of the person. But her knowledge was limited. With the level she was currently in, she could only access parts of the past and bits of the future and present.

And she couldn't just activate her skill on anyone. She would have to make direct contact with the person or something that belonged to them and held the right amount of their essence. But with such great skill came an even greater side effect.

The side effects of [Eyes of the Present, Past, and Future] shortened the user's lifespan. That explained the ratty nature of Vanya. Though she must've looked very nice in her prime, now she had sullen cheeks and a scrawny body. I'd say she had less than five years to live but she was still making the most of her last days by working hard and always being cheerful.

But it kinda sucked.

"He's not dead," Vanya said, all of a sudden, and brought me back to reality. "But he's not alive either." She took a deep sniff of the bloodied piece of cloth before setting it down on her desk and going to work on her computer.

He wasn't alive either? That meant…

"There's nothing awfully special about the kid's past. He grew up in a normal home with two parents and one sibling, trained for years to get into the academy. But something happened during that Tower test the academy held. I couldn't hear the conversation well but it seemed like he'd had some kind of awakening.

"He must've discovered that he couldn't survive with his average Stats, then turned to his best friend who murdered him." Vanya said while typing supernaturally fast on her keyboard.

"Best friend?" I questioned.

"Yeah, Alex Monroe. This guy has very good Stats, seems like he ranked among the top 100 in the academy unlike Caden who's in the bottom 800s. Before the incident at the dorms, I saw him and the Alex guy having an argument and walking into some kind of mysterious building. They met up with some other teens. And I think…" Vanya trailed off.

I anticipated her next words fiercely. "You think what?"

"They might have something to do with the Respondents."

I ran my hand down my face. Fuck! I knew it.

"Right now, Caden's in some secret location being used as a sacrifice. But don't bother doing anything. You're not going to find out his location fast enough before he dies." Vanya added.

She began relaying all the details she saw through her Special Skill to me. The more information she gave to me, the more complex the situation seemed to be.

"Fuck!" I cussed out loud when she finished talking.

I didn't know if it was because of the new information I had gotten or if it was because of the drink Five gave to me, but I felt so overwhelmed that I had a strong urge to do something. Anything.

"And what about the best friend? Alex?" I inquired.

"He isn't with Caden right now and he doesn't show up in any part of the future I saw. He might be back in the dorms but I can't be very sure about that. But beware that the future can change now that you know about it." Vanya said.

I knew that more than anyone else but I couldn't be bothered about the butterfly effect now that I had gained all this new information.

"It's alright. I know." I inhaled deeply. "I'll wire you your cut when you email me the information in full detail." I told Vanya as I adjusted my jacket and was about to leave.

She stopped me. "Autumn," she called my name. I looked at Vanya.

"Be safe. I don't know but I feel like anything that has to do with the Respondents could be dangerous." Her tone carried worry.

I scoffed. "I think I can handle myself against some rotten cultists."

Vanya's next smile didn't reach her eyes. "Of course, you can. You're Autumn Anderson."

We both didn't say anything after that, and I left the place. My head was throbbing all while I walked up the stairwell and made it back to the bar. My insides felt like they were on fire and my brain felt like it needed to be restored to factory settings.

"Oh! You're out! You spent a bit of time there." Five said as I shut the staff door and staggered to get to a stool by the counter.

"You fucking bastard…" I slurred. He responded with a smile.

I had to get out of here. As I tried to straighten my back and stand up from the stool I had just settled on, someone caught my eyes. They were standing beside me by the counter. I blinked twice to check if I was hallucinating but I didn't think I was.

"Lumina…?"