Chapter 144: Meeting the Mercenaries

Since Seeker Carlean was a Pangean native, it was virtually impossible to move him out of the country. The Underworld Organization known as the Three Dashes had stated that meeting Seeker would only be held within Pangea. Anyone who wanted to rent Seeker had to move into Pangea. Unlike Meryl who was generally unguarded by the military, the complication of moving Seeker was deemed as impossible.

The people who had the money and the connections to sneak them into Pangea naturally all brought their bodyguards.

And these weren't just ordinary bodyguards. People of the Underworld generally had a lifespan of only up to three years. Any organization that managed to remain standing was powerful. More so for hitmen's, assassins and bodyguards. Those who would be able to remain in the business after several years were naturally powerful and in fact, many would try their best to stray away from each other's paths.

As for the bodyguards that accompanied those who wanted Seeker, some were already on their fifth year, while others had a decade worth of experience.

These were the crème of the crop. And naturally, since enemies would often find themselves working with each other again, the level of professionalism that these men had was extraordinary. For people of these levels, they bore no grudges at the other assassins and could even laugh and joke around with each other, even if their conflicts and previous clashes had resulted in a severed limb.

Three Dashes would treat the clients of Seeker as extremely important VIPs and would get the best service possible. The bodyguards, which although would have a vast difference in terms of accommodation, would also be generally treated like a VIP.

No organization wanted to draw the ire of a mercenary who has lived long in the Underworld.

And so unlike the common perception, the hired hand of these secretly notorious politicians, entertainers and other people of authority do not give in to worldly pleasures as they still have a job to do. Their alcohol was limited, their behavior was descent, and even their grooming was above average. They did no drugs and had a high level of self-control.

And although the movies would show them as wild, vulgar and self-centered, it was actually the opposite. In fact, many of these movies that showed the wild nature of mercenaries were actually paid by the Underworld itself to continuously brainwash the world into having a stereotypical mindset against these. In fact, any successful movie or TV production that portrayed assassins as highly cultured individuals were generally forced into a cessation of its production and release.

The truth was exactly the opposite. The Underworld itself was the greatest and most impeccable existence of hospitality, customer service, and support. Of course, this was because it needed to. With the current state of the world and how it denounces drugs, human trafficking, prostitution, and other vices deemed a threat to society, the secret deals, and trades of this world required to improve its overall "services."

Secrecy has been pushed to a higher level that was even bordering paranoia. The preparations to perform a single illegal deal were extremely detailed. For the more despised illegal activities such as human trafficking and prostitution, any men of power would have to take a lot of necessary precautions including ensuring that their traces were left undetected and some even opted to create opportunities to keep them away from the eyes of society.

In fact, most people of power would have to create an illusion that they are somewhere else before taking part in such an event.

And just as how high and tight the secrecy of this is, the bodyguards, the security details, and even the hired mercenaries that would protect these individuals all would put serious attention and a high level of professionalism as the dangers that follow their clients are high.

And while all the clients who wished to purchase Seeker were kept secret on one of the lower floors of this building, the Mercenary huddled at their usual spot. Seated on the enclosed bar on the high tower were these well-armed and very professional assassins.

The room was full of people sitting casually at their places with their own businesses. Some were napping, others were on their phones while many others were chatting of how they managed to nearly kill each other.

In the far, innermost corner of this bar, a man was seated and continued to drink a colorful drink with flavors that the world would yearn for.

"Madison." A tall and blonde woman smiled as she sat down near a thin and strangely frail-looking man.

The man gazed at the woman and took off the black visor he wore.

"Cheryl. Nice to see you. You nearly killed me back then." The man smiled.

"I guess that puts our scores at a tie." The woman called Cheryl laughed.

"Bodyguard detail?" Cheryl asked.

"Yes. But I'm not working for an individual. I was hired by N.C."

"Oh? So I'm guessing the priest you are working with should be one of high position. And I'm sure my client is here for the same thing."

"Seeker Carlean, huh?" The frail man was surprised.

Several of the relaxing men in the room turned and gazed curiously as they heard the two talk.

Noticing the expressions of those nearby, the two suddenly understood what was going on.

"What? It looks like it's a party. No wonder I had to sign those clauses that if I were to attack any other mercenary or assassin unless confirmed to be for self-defense would be the termination of my contract." Cheryl laughed.

"You too, Oark?" The frail man called Madison asked a burly man on the other side of the table.

The burly man simply nodded.

"It seems that everyone in this room has been hired as bodyguards for people who would be enjoying Seeker Carlean," Oark spoke softly and started to drink.

"You're a fan of Piercing. So you must be affected by this." Cheryl laughed.

Oark retained his stoic expression.

"Unless I can see his showing weakness on his games, I'm not bothered at whatever hobbies he is indulging in."

"How boring." Cheryl laughed.

"Still… It's no wonder even my trip here was shrouded with secrecy and had to have no trail. It seems our clients participating in an awfully sensitive activity." Madison frowned.

"Oh don't be such a worry-worth. The preparations that Three Dashes made to keep our arrival a secret is one of the most complex and detailed I've seen."

"Even so! The World Governing Powers has received tremendous backlash because of Seeker's stunts! I got into contact with some of the WGP's descendants and they aren't happy with Seeker!"

Cheryl was surprised by this information. A look of worry had appeared on her face.

"If this was a single client, or two, then I would have agreed. But with over ten people renting Seeker? Should this information leak out, all of us are in danger of exposure!"

"The Underworld and Harker are protecting Seeker. It should be fine." Oark replied stoically.

"But that doesn't fix the fact that the Pangean Government and the WGP are keeping an eye at Seeker Carlean. Should the WGP get any wind of this, it will do everything in its power to destroy Seeker's reputation and that includes allowing us pawns to be revealed!" Madison countered.

"I'm terminating my contract. It would have been easy if one or two people disappeared but several? Too risky. The WGP might connect the dots." Madison stood up.

Suddenly the door opened.

A young teen walked into the room and the door closed.

Several of the guards came out carrying several weapons including a large halberd that looked terrifying.

"Ladies and gentlemen! People of the Abyss! Men and women of the Underworld! Assassins! Hitmans! Mercenaries! Good evening!" The young teen laughed.

"Seeker Carlean!" A series of surprised and confused cries were heard.

"You have all failed your contract. Your clients are either dead, captured or due to the incompetence of my own soldiers, at a critical condition with a large hole on his lungs. Whose Levan's hired men?" Seeker asked.

Everyone in the room all reached for their weapons. As part of the protocol of any organization in the Underworld, these mercenaries were allowed to carry weapons at all times even in the lounges and bars.

"What's going on? What do you want?" Madison was the first to ask.

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"What I want?" Seeker sneered.

He took the large halberd placed near him.

"Death."

What followed was a blurring movement that surpassed the speed of humans.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ones further at the back managed to shoot. Madison, Cheryl, and Oark who were at the deepest corner at the bar unleashed their barrage.

The nearby mercenaries did no such thing as their instinctive reactions were to evade the fast-moving teen.

The halberd arced like lightning and smashed towards a nearby mercenary throwing him off to the side. After this, the blurring figure surprisingly retreated to the side even though the initial volley of bullets did not hit him. Seeker moved and hid towards one of the many thick pillars.

"Much better. You can react with such speed. It really proves that your mercenaries are far better than those soldiers I usually train with." Seeker laughed as his figured blurred and moved from one pillar to the other.

"Form a perimeter. Get close and huddle up. Anyone with defensive technologies takes the front." Madison ordered.

Although these mercenaries would often fight and even kill each other, right now they had only one enemy. And as working and killing each other were common and expected subterfuges necessary for their work, they immediately adapted.

Everyone knew that the frail Madison wasn't an ordinary mercenary but was, in fact, a mercenary with an impeccable reputation. He has yet to protect a client that had died. Though his wounds and near-deaths were as high as the rest, his methodological and well-planned tactics always led to the client's safety.

As such, the mercenaries all followed Madison's orders. Cheryl even stood near him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunfire continued.

"His movements are impossible. Seeker must be a Pangean experiment. His body should be three times faster than the rest of us." Madison analyzed.

"Be careful and employ all defensive technologies. Don't hold back. Protections on explosives, chemicals, and even Eradication techs. Use it all at once."

The mercenaries suddenly brought out their techs and activated it.

"Low Tier Barrier?" Cheryl was surprised at the technology that the large Oark employed.

"Good. What we need is time. Try to contact- hm?!" Madison was suddenly surprised as the sight that he witnessed.

Seeker charged forth with a wild expression. He threw his halberd towards the group and the halberd smashed on the barrier.

SMASH!

The barrier had actually shown signs of faltering.

"The halberds are made of Almetal!"

"How the hell did he throw that thing?"

"Throw? How the hell did he even carry it!"

Some of the mercenaries were panicking.

"Calm down! Tighten the perimeter anything that gets out of those pillars must be shot!" Madison ordered.

Since the barrier remained strong, everyone continued to shoot whenever the slightest of movements were noticed. The bullets they shot passed through the barrier without obstruction as the strange technology allowed everyone on the inside of the barrier to attack.

Seeker smiled as he charged forward.

His eyes saw every gun aimed at him and easily evaded the bullets.

During Seeker's retreat during the time he fainted, Seeker had solidified his own biology to follow the building blocks of the theorized requirements to form a Ranked Heroes body.

One of the reasons why it was extremely difficult to form a Ranked Hero was that aside from the harsh requirement of their Paths, the biological changes of their body had to be unique.

For Ranked Heroes like Meryl and Typical, a modified cell that contained massive stored energies was necessary to pull off their own techniques.

Others like the Thief in the Night had to have a body of different pores and skin cells that could perform a strange camouflaging skill.

As the various forms of Path's were revealed, the study on developing a perfect human that could meet the many features was made.

The bodies that Overcomers or those at World Champion level had, were far too complicated. No one dared look at the Tyrant Empress's cells unless they wanted to be lost in the phantasmagoria of the Empress's beauty. No one could make heads or tails with Meng's body as the cells were too inhuman and didn't even seem possible to create.

Lennox's body was basically that of a regular Ranked Hero but his powers of transformation were due to his high intellect. The rest followed a generic Ranked Heroes body similar to Meryl's or Typical.

Seeker had the same body. He had a Ranked Heroes body that resulted to his own set of impossible miracles.

But in this timeline, Seeker was aware of the Truth. And with the truth he gathered from Meng's and the Tyrant Empress' own cells, Seeker was slowly creating a body that was codenamed "Pathless." This was a theorized body that was aimed to be compatible with all possible Paths.

The last three months were not merely spent on playing games. Seeker had intentionally been limiting his actions because he kept changing the cells in a slow but sure manner. The energy he had to expend and the food that he had to eat on every meal could have fed ten people just to keep up with the hungry cells of his body. But soon, his intake grew less and less to the point that he needed to eat five shares of food.

Lynd's extreme sympathy and observation had allowed him to unconsciously be capable of morphing his own body. But Seeker managed to reach the level through the scientific research of Arthur, Lennox, and Charles. With a body that was made up of a high amount of cancer cells, Seeker's stored energy had grown almost ten times and after mastering the skills during these past months, Seeker could now use these skills with the lowest energy consumption possible.

And so, excluding Surmounting Thought that utilized brain cells, Seeker's usage of Surmounting Strength, Surmounting Sight and other similar skills could now be used more often.

Surmounting Strength gathered at Seeker's arm. He punched out towards the barrier as he approached.

The punch caused thundering echoes as the velocity of the punch had almost reached the speed of sound.

Bones that were harder than metal. Muscles that contained massive power and Carbon that was harder than diamond.

This was but the beginning of a Ranked Heroes body.

And while Barrier technology could even be used to weaken or block the different levels of the armor-piercing round, against a massive force such as this, it was simply, insufficient.

BOOM!

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