Two days later, after the chaos at the Altar residence, Andeen had increased and reactivated the house security systems and even installed traps within the house, since there was nothing else she could do.
She had put a call through to the higher-ups the same day and made arrangements for the meeting they wanted, alongside the other organizations’ leaders.
Today was that day.
Cashel sat in the living room in the black combat suit Andeen had prepared for him, with his jacket over it, while he waited for her to finish up.
There was an open box before him, and its contents were a long sword, two pistols, a good number of grenades, flash bombs and smoke bombs, noise cancellers, five bottles of potions and a bunch of other things.
These were the items he had requested temporarily, since he had no idea what to expect or who he was fighting.
Cashel let out a sigh, unfolded his arms, and dialed Nathan’s number without hesitating. Fortunately, the doctor picked up on the second ring as the sounds of car horns and screaming faded in the background.
"You’re still alive. How wonderful."
Cashel frowned slightly. ’Did Andeen tell him about the attack?’ he wondered, but shook off the thought almost immediately.
"Are you busy?"
Nathan hummed on the other end. For a moment Cashel thought he would refuse, but Nathan’s voice returned with a strain in it.
"Why do you ask? I’m currently clearing out a gate for the fight you’re having later, unfortunately."
Cashel’s brow rose. "Why are you clearing out a gate?..." He trailed off. "Wait, why is the fight within a gate?" he asked, already forgetting the downside of stepping into a gate.
"Because they need a way to control any casualties that arise. We can’t have a fight between an unknown Awakener and three other top-tier fighters within the city. It’s too dangerous."
Cashel couldn’t believe his ears. The casualness of Nathan’s voice already told him this was not new, but it was absurd to him.
Three top-tier fighters for a new Awakener, when they weren’t even sure of his rank?
Nervousness couldn’t even begin to describe what he felt. Because he wasn’t nervous. He was annoyed.
Who in their right mind puts a former human who barely awakened not more than a week ago into a fight like this?
The military, their higher-ups, and their partners. It was as simple as that.
Cashel pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep sigh.
"Alright, I understand, but what do you suggest? You told me to watch my back, so you must have a reason." He paused. "The Mercenaries or the military?"
Nathan chuckled softly on the other end. His voice was drowned out by the sound of a roar before it faded into the background once again.
"I’d say you join none of..." He paused abruptly, then continued. "No, in fact, join the Black Market’s Mercenaries. Not the Awakened Response, that’s tied to the government as well."
Cashel’s expression went dark. "I don’t understand. Black Market? Why them?"
He had heard enough about the Black Market and their actions enough to be worried, the people working within that circle, how dangerous they were, and how unpredictable their Awakeners were.
Honestly, it was better being non-affiliated than joining any of the three, but that couldn’t really get him what he wanted.
He glanced at the picture frame of Andeen on the wall, smiling brightly while he was in the background manning the grill. A smile unknowingly appeared on his face.
"What’s the downside?" he suddenly asked.
Nathan snickered, as though he had been waiting for that question. "Unlike the Response Mercenaries, the Black Market handles dirty work. Work that even regular Mercenaries might find impossible."
Cashel listened quietly, making mental notes as Nathan spoke.
"Anonymity, incredibly high pay, access to information the military pays them to obtain, weapons higher than the current inventory lineup in the other locations, opportunity to make money outside the jobs given, espionage, freedom, and best of all, you have access to everything... even assassinations."
Cashel’s heart skipped a beat.
’There’s no way.’
He had initially thought it would be a hassle to continue his old job in this new world considering the fact he barely knew anyone, but there so happened to be a place that actively allowed it.
For some reason, even after everything he went through, he was excited.
Rising to his feet, Cashel placed the phone between his ear and his shoulder, then began packing up the weapons and whatever he needed.
"How do I contact the leader or whoever leads them?" he asked, earning another laugh from Nathan.
"I’ll send you the emails and phone numbers. You’ll have to get a burner phone to speak to them if you want to remain anonymous. And also... one of the hunters from the mercenary side belongs there. They will wear a mask and..." Nathan trailed off.
"What?" Cashel asked, frowning. When there was no reply, his brows curved upward. "Nathan?"
"...W...ah... sorry, the network pole just... got smashed." There was silence again as the connection broke and reconnected. "Your fighters are close combatants, and one of them has flight abilities. Good luck!"
The call was disconnected almost instantly, before Nathan’s words could fully settle.
Cashel was left standing in the center of the living room with one of the knives hanging in his hand. He squeezed his eyes shut, then reopened them.
He had no idea how Nathan knew something like that, especially for a non-affiliated Awakener, and he had no intention of finding out.
He simply brought the phone down from his ear and let out a deep breath.
A few minutes later, he was done consuming all the consumables as ordered by Andeen, and he felt... the same.
"Useless." Cashel uttered under his breath and tossed the container for the strength-enhancing pills to the ground.
However, the familiar sound of the system’s bell rang within his mind.
[Ding!]
[Foreign Artificial Enhancers Detected]
Cashel stared at the screen with a flat and bored look in his eyes, already knowing what he was about to be notified of.
[Due to Special Class effects, Foreign enhancers will be neutralized and any digested amount will be converted to blood.]
[Loading Penalty for consuming foreign enhancers.]
[Ding! Penalty Resolved]
[Congratulations, potions and consumables are 20% off]