The Regressed NoBody

I took a sharp right turn and entered a narrow dark alleyway, which led to the place where I needed to find that “guy”, whose information I had told Salvador to send me.

I held back a sigh as I made my way through the narrow alleyway which was barely cross able. There was a disgusted smell of piss all around me, mixed with the garbage littered around, as I moved forward. The alley was long, at least a hundred meters long.

After saying goodbye to Master and Fujimoto, I quickly made my way to the place which led to the black market situated here in Japan. I knew where the entrance was, but it wasn’t a place that I could enter easily.

But...

I had already taken measures in that regard. So entering that place was no longer a problem.

Soon I crossed the alleyway, and entered a much spacer alley. There were three alleys in front of me. I sped up my pace and stepped forward into the alley to my right. Then I hurriedly began to look around me, to search where the entrance to the black market was.

After looking around the long alley for a minute or two, I finally found the entrance.

“Found it!”

There were a flight of stairs which led down to a rusty run down door, which stood just a few feet away from the stairs.

I descended the stairs and quickly made my way toward the door.

Upon closer examination, it looked just like any run down door, which had collected dust and rust over the years. There was mold growing at its edges. But in truth it wasn’t. The door’s handle was less rusty looking than the door itself.

I pulled my mask out of the system inventory and wore it on. I had also changed into casual clothes. A pair of black pants, a black t-shirt, over it a long coat.

I extended my hand and held the door’s handle. Then I pushed the door open, and felt a soft cold breeze, which fluttered my clothes.

There was a dark stairway which led down to the place where I needed to go.

I planted one step over the first concrete stair, and shut the rusty door behind me. It creaked shit, then I began to descend down.

There was a dim light which barely illuminated my surroundings, but not enough for me to properly see.

The stairs were cramped enough for me to not comfortably walk. ‘Still as dark as ever!’ I quipped as I went deeper. The lower I went, the darker the stairs became, until the concrete stairs were almost indistinguishable from the shadows.

After walking through the dark stairway for almost a minute or two minutes, I finally reached the end, where a door stood with a dim red light hung above a scarlet red door.

I firmed my grip over the knob and entered, pushing the door forward.

Just as I did, many voice entered my ears. I closed the door behind me, and stepped forward. There I saw a bulky guard standing post outside the entrance of the night club, where the entrance to the black market was.

There was an arched door in front of me which was at least seven or eight feet tall, which had many lights of different colours hung above it, which dimmed in and out each second.

The bulky guard stood in front of me as I reached for the entrance. But I already knew this was going to happen. I withdrew the black titanium card which Glenn had given me as one of my rewards.

I handed him the card, and the bulky guard took out a machine out of his dimensional ring which we wore in his bulky index finger. He inserted the card through the small slit of the machine—like a transaction machine’s—and a moment later returned me the card.

I looked at the VIP card, which had three white stars over it’s surface. The guard gave me a quick bow of his head, and respectfully gestured for me to enter.

The card vanished from my hand and I stepped inside.

Well, had to say, the power of the VIP card was something else. Salvador had explained to me the use and perks of the VIP card, when I had asked him. And the VIP card went up to five cards. The most VIP personals had the five star card given to them. And the people which had the VIP card from three stars starts up to five stars were shown respect in the black market.

That’s why gaining access to these cards were tough.

And there was another card which was given to 0.01 percent of personals. It was the platinum card. Which was the rarest card in the black market. With the platinum card, came a lot of perks, which even the VIP card holder couldn't reach, or fathom to touch.

I continued my march through the wide night club. There were many couches placed all around the place, and many people were seated over them. The hostesses of this place were pouring the customers drinks, some were dancing on the stage a few meters away from me. The floor was covered with white marble and a few feet away from me—to my right—was a bar. The male barista was preparing drinks for the customers.

But the person who could take me to that “guy”, was here.

I made my way to my left—to where the stairs were—where two guards were standing. “The second floor is only reserved for VIPs.” One of the guard stated.

I flashed them my card and they took a slight bow, and stepped aside. I then quickly ascended the stairs.

But I was stopped by a woman who was standing at the left side of the stairs. She inched closer to me, and placed her hand over my shoulder. Her hand slowly slid down my shoulder to my chest, but I pushed a step closer to her.

“Oh, you’re really in a hurry, aren’t you,” she voiced, as I brushed my hand against her blonde hair. “I would love to get a good peek down at that mask of yours? What do you say masky, wanna have a good time?” She said, seductively moving her finger against my chest.

Her cleavage was revealed through the short one piece dress she was wearing, as her blue eyes bore into me.

“I could, but I am currently here to take care of some business...,” I paused, then pushed back a step leaning against the wall, sequentially crossing my arms. “I am looking for someone.”

She crossed her arms, as she looked at me with her charming blue eyes. Her cherry coloured lips pulled into a lupin grin, as she took a step down, reaching to my eye level.

“I could, but...what’s in it for me?” She asked, resting her elbows over the bannister.

“How much do you want?” I asked bluntly. There was a price for everything, and almost everything could be bought with money. But, I knew she wouldn't fall for the money trick.

“Five million dollars,” she said, bending forward to reveal her cleavage to look a little seductive.

“Done!”

She pulled a step closer to me and asked. “So who is it that you are looking for?”

“Loki,” I said, as she jumped a step back.

“Sorry, but he is busy today, so you can’t meet him,” She said, now with an uninterested look over her face.

“Then the deals off,” I added.

Her brows furrowed, as she ascended the stairs.

“Tell him, I know how to cure “him”,” I said, as I looked up at the woman.

She ignored me, then entered through the arched entrance which led to the second floor.

I went down the stairs and went to sit down at the bar.

Then I waited. I already knew that she would tell Loki about what I had told her. And Loki would definitely come running down here. After waiting for a few minutes, someone finally took the seat next to me at the bar.

He was wearing a white suit, with a fox mask over his face. His blonde hair were slicked back and he had a well-built physique, which was being outlined by his suit.

He gestured to the barista, then ordered.

“A Vieux Carre for me,” he paused, then looked at me for a moment. “And an old fashioned for the customer here.”

The male barista nodded his head, then began to prepare our drinks.

“So you are the one that cherry told me about,” Loki said, as he rested his cheek against his hand, as he placed his elbow over the marble counter. “But before that...how do you know about “that”?”

The barista handed us our drinks and went back to work.

“I want to make a deal with Moebius,” I said, as I took the glass in my hand and twirled it a few times. “And I know Moebius wouldn’t reject, when he hears what I have to offer.”

Loki scoffed as he pulled his mask up a little, sequentially sipping his drink. “Where did you hear about this?” Loki asked, his voice solemn, but containing a tinge of threat in it.

I shrugged my shoulders and pulled my mask up a little, taking a sip of the alcohol. “Who knows? But, this could be a good chance for Moebius to recover from his condition.”

I could tell even without seeing it. Loki was intently staring at me. Judging whether my words held any truth or not. He chugged the entire glass of alcohol at once and spoke.

“Alright, let’s get you an audience with Moebius.”

Standing up from his seat, he looked above his shoulder and spoke. “Follow me!”

Then I followed Loki up the stairs which led to the second floor. We walked through the wide corridor. There many rooms aligned one after another on this floor, and at the end of the corridor there was an elevator. We stopped in front of the elevator and Loki pressed the button and the doors hummed open.

We both entered and he pressed two buttons on the panel on the side at the same time. Soon the elevator descended. After a few seconds, the doors hummed opened and we entered into a long corridor. The floor was adorned with a beautiful red carpet, as the wood work of the corridor added more to its beauty. There was a chandelier hanging in the middle of the corridor. There were two wooden door which stood at the end of the corridor.

Loki knocked on the door twice as we stood outside, announcing our arrival.

Soon the doors opened, and both of us stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, but just enough for me to get a proper look inside.

The inside of the room was just as big as a hall. There were expensive paintings hung along both sides of the walls, and two black leather couches placed in the middle of the room, between them an old wooden table. At the edge of the room was a desk which had stacks of documents and money placed over it.

There was a smell of tobacco in the air, as I saw Loki bowing his head, as he opened his mouth to speak. “Sir, this man here claims that he has a cure for your condition.”

I heard a dry chuckle, which came from the person sitting on the other side of the desk, with his back facing us.

“If that is true, then we must welcome our guest.” An old tired voice entered my ears, as I felt the hair at the back of my head stand.

I put pressure over my calves and crouched down, barely dodging the cold steel. I pushed forward, and made some distance, pulling my body into a stance.

“Ho, it seems like our guest knows a little bit about fighting,” the old hoarse voice drifted inside the room.

I focused my gaze at the left corner, and saw a man standing there with a spear held in his hand.

‘ rank.’ I inwardly said, as I maintained the stance, not withdrawing my sword from the inventory.

If I withdrew my sword now, it would create problems for my plan. I thought, looking at the man standing in the shadows.

Then he began moving, but already have activate Mind’s Eye, a subtle veil descended over the room, as time began to flow slowly from my perspective.

I focused my eyes at the spearman. He was wearing a bandanna, with a suit, with a wolf mask covering half of his face, bearley exposing his eyes. He had thrust his spear toward me.

I can’t fight an rank right now. But with the skills in my arsenal, I could, but I didn’t wanted to antagonise them, yet.

Then deactivating my skill, the veil lifted and I quickly dodged his thrust. I summersault backward, firming my posture.

“I have a way to cure your condition of mana repulsion,” I said placidly, but loud enough for everyone in the room to clearly hear.

But the spear wielder shot in my direction, his spear firmly held in his hand. But this time I didn’t move. The tip of his spear came close to my throat, but the man sitting at the desk hurriedly ordered.

“Stop!!!”

The spear wielder stopped, the tip of his spear kinked my skin, through which a trail of blood rolled out.

The guard stepped back and went back to his previous post from where he had came from.

The man stood up from his seat and walked over to the couches. He sat down on one with a weak cough.

He gestured with his hand, and I took the couch facing him.

I focused my gaze at Moebius. But he looked nothing like how he had in the picture, sent to me by Salvador.

His skin looked pale and dry, and his veins visible to the eyes. There were big dark circles under his eyes, and his physique looked sunken. He placed his hand over his mouth; fisted, and coughed a few times. His grey hair were slicked back, but his brown eyes displayed a deep solemnness in them.

Mana repulsion. It was a condition which makes the mana of the wielder poison to their body. Because the mana channels of the wielder becomes unresponsive and slowly stops circulating the mana inside their body. Which makes the mana to clot inside the user's body, worsening their physical condition and leading to a slow and painful death.

It’s cure was founded in the year: 2053, by a research by coincidence. But the mana repulsion was a every rare condition which appeared in only one in a few billions. Because almost every human being could utilise mana now, so it was rare for such a condition to arise. But fortunately for me, Moebius also had this condition. And I already knew where to find the cure, and how to make it, thanks to my past knowledge.

And the ingredients needed for making the cure could be founded right here in Japan.

“So, do you really have a cure for my condition?” Moebius asked, with a raise of his brow, as he leaned back in his seat.

I nodded my head as I too leaned into the comfortable couch. “There is a way to cure your condition. And I have the cure. But," I paused looking at the old man in front of me. “But I would like to make a deal with you first.”

Moebius raised a brow, then spoke. “And what is that?”

“You have a person named “Minamoto Koji”, don’t you?” I questioned.

Moebius thought for a second, then answered. “Well we do have a person named like that, but, what do you want from him?”

“It’s simple, I would give you the cure, in exchange for him. I want Minamoto Koji in exchange for curing your mana repulsion.”

“And what makes you think, I would agree to that deal just like that? You are really underestimating me kid! What makes you think I would make a deal with you, and not force the information about the cure out of you instead?”

A smile tucked up my lips, as I replied. “You really thought I came here without a way to escape?”

“Your bluff isn’t a good one,” Moebius commented, crossing his arms.

But I could easily escape from his place wherever I wanted, with the use of my skill, Leap! But not just yet. Because I could already tell, he was desperate for finding a cure. Because, despite the deterioration the person's body goes through, the pain is also becomes unbearable at some point as the patient's condition worsens. I could tell from just one glance, that he was close to dying.

Moebius crossed his arms, as he intently looked at me.

“Bahahaha...you’re daring, kid,” He loudly laughed as he spoke. “Then I consent to the deal.”

I already knew he would agree. He had no other choice, but to agree. Because curing his condition was more important for Moebius than anything. But in truth, only a few people actually knew about his condition, becaude if outsiders knew about his condition, they would definitely try to cease his power and authority, so this matter was kept a secret. But he wasn’t completely trusting of me. But that's how people like us survived in this world. By not trusting anyone, completely.

“So where is it?” Moebius asked, his finger constantly tapping over his bicep.

“I don’t have it with me right now, but, if you can give me two days, I can get it to you,” I replied, holding up two fingers.

But with a scoffing expression over his face he exclaimed. “Kid, you really want to die?”

The atmosphere inside the room shifted into a chilly one, as Moebius released an oppressive pressure at me. But I didn’t flinch away an inch.

But I slowly began to take my mask off, as I placed it over the table in front of me. Moebius brows knit together as he gazed at me with surprise in his eyes.

“Seo Jiwoo, a student in the Lock academy, almost a nobody, rank ,” I placidly said with a smirk, staring straight into Moebius’s eyes.

If I gave away even an inch right now, then it would be Moebius’s win. These kind of deals entirely depended on wits, and how you could force the other party in agreeing with you.

He sighed once and crossed his legs, resting his arms over the edge of the leather couch.

“You know keeping our identities hidden is the way we survive in this world, but for you to blatantly expose yourself, you have some balls, I have to say.”

“Iketeru Kosuke, used to be a nobody and now, I am the head of the entire black market in Japan,” Moebius said, as he leaned his head back. “Kid, I have already tried everything out there—every herb to every potion—to try to cure my condition, but if you can bring me the cure here in two days, I would gladly exchange it with that brat Koji.”

He lifted his head and stared back, with his voice and eyes solemn. “But if you’re only tricking me, I would definitely kill you. Keep those words in mind."

I stood up from my seat, then extended my hand forward. Moebius looked at my hand for a moment, but stood up and took it.

“But I got a request?” I said.

Moebius raised a brows upon hearing me.

“Can I at least meet him?”

***

I was let to a small corridor which had many room. But Loki took me to the room which was furthest away in the corridor.

“If you dare not bring Master Kosuke the cure in the due time, I swear I will come kill you myself, you hear me?"

I sighed looking at Loki. He really loves that Old Man.

“This is the room he stays in,” Loki said pointing at the door. “But he is as useless as they come. All he does is sit around in his room all day, or either laze around. Master had done him a favour feeding him every day, just because he took pity over him. But he has never done anything to repay him back.”

I opened the door, and it creaked to the side. I stepped inside, with Loki standing outside of the room.

It was just as big as an apartment room. There was bed placed at the edge of the room, a bookshelf next to it, and a simple desk and chair. And a washroom.

“Loki, if you are here to tell me to work, then bring me some ice cream first,” the child said, as he kept reading the comic book placed in front of him with uninterested eyes.

A thin smile tucked up my lips, as I looked at Koji. His caramel brown hair looked the same as I had remembered, and so did his childish turquoise eyes, which displayed a deep maturity, despite his young age.

I withdrew something out from the system inventory and placed it near Koji’s bed. He looked inside the bag, and jumped on his bed, like the child he was.

“Ohhhh, it chocolate chip ice cream,” Koji jumped again over his bed, as it creaked with a low sound, holding the tub of ice cream in his small childish hands. But he inclined his head in question, as he looked at me. “Mister, who are you?”

I took my mask off, and introduced myself. “Hello, nice to meet you Minamoto Koji. I am Seo Jiwoo.”