âThis place hasnât changed since the last time that Iâve been here.â
It was shit as usual.
Jin moved in the direction of an old and dilapidated warehouse that was off in the distance. It was a building that he was acquainted with as he had been there in the past. Renâs mercenary group headquarters.
He didnât have the fondest of memories of the place as it reminded him of the incident that happened a while back. When he was kidnapped against his will by Kevin and Ren.
âThose bastards.â
Even now, as he reflected on the occurrences that took place a long time ago, he felt an unsettling rage rising up from the depths of his being. It took a few deep breaths before he became calm again.
âLetâs calm down for now. Ren isnât even here at the moment. There is no point in getting angry about something that happened in the past.â
Despite what he said, he never relaxed his clenched teeth as he moved closer and closer to the warehouseâs entrance. He was clearly still upset about what had happened in the past.
In any case, this wasnât the reason why he was at the warehouse at the moment; he was there for a completely different reason.
âAnother planet, huh?â
Ren extended his invitation to travel to another planet yet again. This time, he did not resort to another kidnappingâŠor at least, he did not attempt the same thing again, and even if he did, Jin did not intend to fall for the same trick again.
Regardless, after hearing Renâs offer, Jin was about to deny his request once more. However, just as he was about to refuse, he realized something.
âIsnât this the best opportunity to skip out on all the dates that grandfather is planning on having me attend?â
If he left for another planetâŠ
Wouldnât he be able to skip the dates that were planned for him?
It was at that moment that he stopped hesitating and readily accepted the offer. To him, anything was better than attending those blind dates.
âYes, please.â
He arrived at the entrance of the warehouse and rang the doorbell.
Clank!
âYouâre here.â
It wasnât long before the door opened and Jin came face to face with Kevin.
âMhm.â
Jin greeted Kevin with a simple nod and entered the warehouse.
âWhat a sharp contrast.â
The stark contrast between the outside and inside of the warehouse never ceased to amaze Jin. Almost as soon as he walked through the door, he had the impression that he had been transported to an entirely new location.
From the furnishings and fittings, as well to the rooms themselves, everything seemed to be made with the most up-to-date and high-priced technologies and materials. The equipment in the training room was even better than the best spots at his guild, which was saying something.
To tell you the truth, Jin was currently experiencing feelings of jealousy.
âJust where in the world did Ren get all of this money from?â
If he had to make an estimate, all of this would cost at least several billion of U to make.
âSince when has Ren been so rich?â
Jin wondered to himself as he kept looking around with amazement. It wasnât long before they stopped in front of a small metallic door. Coming to a halt, Kevin turned around and seriously said.
âWhat youâre about to see, make sure to keep it a secret, alright?â
ââŠOkay.â
Jin nodded his head upon seeing how serious Kevin looked.
Kevinâs face softened when he saw Jin nod. After that, he grabbed the door handle and opened the door with a little bit of force.
âAlright, letâs go in.â
âUh?â
Jin let out a strange sound at the exact moment Kevin opened the door, and he was able to get a good look at what was behind the door.
Dwarves.
What met his sight upon opening the door were dwarves.
It wasnât just one of them, but there were more than a dozen of them, and they were all currently moving around a room that was the same size as a tennis pitch, connecting some strange wires to what appeared to be a large portal.
The room was painted entirely in white, and it was crawling with dwarves who were busy moving around and connecting various devices located all over the space.
Jin rigidly turned his head to look at Kevin.
ââŠAre they setting up a portal?â
âThey are.â
Kevin nodded his head.
âYou see, even though my skill enables me to set up a portal, it still has a cool down that I have to respect. It may have decreased over the years as my strength has grown, but I simply canât teleport that many people with me at once, so I found that setting up a portal was the best option. Plus, with the dwarves here, teleporting across planets shouldnât be a problem.â
âOkayâŠâ
Jin nodded his head while he stared at the dwarves, who were hard at work. He then asked something else.
âWill they also be coming with us?â
âUs?â
Kevin looked at him with a strange look.
He then shook his head.
âI donât know if youâve been made aware of this, but I wonât be coming with you guys. I still have a lot of things to do at the Union.â
âRight.â
Jin nodded his head in understanding.
His excuse made sense. Unlike him, who worked for an independent guild run by his family, Kevin worked for the Union and was directly responsible for stopping the Monolith.
Given the current situation, it made sense for him to not have time to come with them.
âWhat about them?â
âThe dwarves?â
âYeah, the dwarves. Why exactly are they coming with us?â
Jin crossed his arms together while his eyes swept over the dwarves that were hard at work. His eyes carefully scanned the dwarves before him.
He then looked at Kevin with a confused look.
âIs Ren going to a planet that used to belong to the dwarves?â
âI donât know.â
Kevin shrugged his shoulders with a smile.
âAll I know is that Ren invited them personally and that they agreed to his request. If you want to know more, you have to ask Ren yourself when you meet him. At the moment, theyâre setting up the portal that you and the others will use. â
âI seeâŠâ
Jin quietly mumbled.
It wasnât long before he spotted a couple of familiar figures standing at the far end of the room.
âMelissa, Amanda, and Emma?â
He instantly recognized them and was surprised to see them there.
âAre they also coming?â
âYes.â
Kevin nodded his head slightly. At the same time, Emmaâs face turned to face him, and their eyes met. Neither one of them spoke before Emma cast her angry gaze away from him.
âIt looks like theyâre having a fight.â
Jin easily picked this up but chose to remain silent. It was none of his business, and it wasnât exactly the first time that this happened. The fact that Melissa didnât seem to think anything of it was also proof of this.
âNow that I think about it, why is Melissa also here?â
Never did he expect her to come here. She wasnât the type of person to come to this type of stuff.
Seemingly able to read Jinâs thoughts, Kevin spoke.
âMelissa is trying to create something new, but sheâs missing a few ingredients that she canât find in the human domain. She wants to try her luck on Immorra, the planet youâll be visiting.â
âOh.â
Jin finally came to an understanding.
âIf itâs like that, then it makes sense.â
âWhat about you? Why are you going to Immorra?â
Kevin suddenly asked him a question just as he was about to greet the two of them.
Jinâs face hardened, and his body froze completely.
ââŠI want to train.â
It was fortunate that he was quick to react, as he quickly devised a plausible excuse.
At this point, the words, âI want to trainâ had become synonymous with him.
âOh, that makes sense.â
Kevin didnât think too much of his excuse and headed toward a couple of dwarfs in the distance. With nothing else to do, Jin followed him from behind.
âHey, humans!â
A loud burly voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire room.
When Jin turned to see who was speaking, his gaze was drawn to a particular dwarf in the distance.
âHeâs strong.â
Jin could tell he was extremely powerful just by looking at him. Not only that, but he seemed to exude a commanding presence that made everyone around him easily obey his commands.
Even Jin felt extremely pressured by his presence.
âIs there anything, Randur?â
The only one that seemed completely unaffected was Kevin as he kept his smile and asked.
ââŠOr is everything already sorted?â
âYes, weâre all sorted.â
Randur moved to the side of the portal and pressed a button on one of the keyboards that were attached to the panels that were connected to it.
As soon as he pressed on the key, the mana that was already present in the atmosphere began to stir, and the portal began to function.
âThe portal is all set up. Get ready, weâre about to leave.â