Heo opened his eyes with a sharp pain in his forehead.
Thanks to the boss, he now had a visible bruise, and he could feel another ache beginning to form in his eye—courtesy of Dinorat's punch.
As he sat up in bed, he gently stroked Tina with a faint smile. Then he checked the time: 9:30 A.M. Nocturnal.
In this world, days are divided into 24 daytime hours and 24 nighttime hours. Everyone is a hybrid: humans mixed with another species. This condition splits society into two schedules. The central continent is divided into two sectors, each adapted to one time period to avoid disturbing the other.
The only downside is that it makes smuggling easier. On the other continents, these divisions don't exist.
Heo descended the stairs reluctantly. Wanting to avoid too much contact with his new team, he had chosen the room furthest from the first floor—on the fourth level.
Once in the kitchen, he took out bread, cheese, ham, and mayonnaise to make himself a sandwich.
After breakfast, he returned to the fourth floor to shower and brush his teeth.
With his routine complete, he headed up to the rooftop with Tina. They settled in to watch the stalactites hanging from above.
In this world, there is no real sun or moon. Both celestial bodies were artificially created. As a result, there's no blue sky or shining stars—just two massive spheres that emit different kinds of light.
Still, no one knows where they came from, and no god has ever spoken a word about their origin.
Heo kept staring upward. He had never had, and would never have, the opportunity to know how far the ground was from the ceiling, but he estimated about 600 kilometers.
Suddenly, he heard approaching footsteps. He sat up immediately and placed his hand on Tina's head, who tensed her legs in a sign of alert.
Little by little, a pair of white cat ears began to peek over the ledge. Heo instantly knew who it was.
He didn't even wait for her to show her full self.
"Why are you awake?"
Mia raised her hands with a drowsy smile.
"You caught me. Since I sleep during the day, sometimes I randomly wake up at night."
Heo watched her slowly approach until she plopped down beside him.
"Why are you mean?"
Heo frowned, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Mia kept her gaze fixed on the stalactites.
"You said I would die sooner rather than later. That's not exactly a kind thing to say."
Heo's eyes widened.
"If I'm not mistaken, I whispered that. How did you hear it?"
Mia brought her hands to her face and stuck out her tongue playfully.
"I'm a cat. How could I not hear it? What sounds low to you is crystal clear to me."
Heo crossed his arms, thoughtful.
"Hm. I forgot that little detail."
"Sorry. Although I do kind of believe it, I think I owe you an apology. Still, I'd like to see that you're actually making an effort, and not just fooling around."
Mia gave him a mischievous smile.
"What do you think would be the best martial art or weapon for me?"
Mia sat up and touched her chest, deep in thought.
"That's something you have to decide. But to save you some time, I'd say you don't strike me as the type who uses melee weapons. I feel like a martial art would suit you perfectly. You just have to find the right one."
As Heo spoke, Mia nodded as if taking mental notes.
"Hey... do you think this counts as going out?"
Heo looked at her, perplexed.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember? You have to go out with me, Hanna, and Dinorat. If not, you'll get fired."
Mia accompanied her explanation with exaggerated gestures.
"Obviously not. I doubt you're officially part of the team."
"Awww… what a drag," Mia muttered as she dropped to the rooftop floor.
Then she straightened up.
"I hope when we do go out, we go somewhere I can sleep comfortably."
"So you do want to go out tomorrow?"
Heo's voice was surprisingly relaxed, despite how compromising the question was.
"Hmmmmm..."
Mia tapped a finger against her lips, thinking.
"Nope. You have to go out with Dinorat first, and then Hanna. That way you save the best for last."
Heo let out a long sigh.
"At least I got a confirmation."
Mia stood up and began to walk away.
"I'm off to sleep. See you tomorrow," she said, waving as she left.
...
That same night, a figure walked through the crowd of a nighttime market. These kinds of markets sold items such as weapons, scrolls containing techniques, armor, and materials for rituals.
The figure moved along, browsing each stall. Their build was hard to discern: they wore a completely black suit. If not for the dim night lighting, the outfit would have been striking. An Oni mask covered their mouth. The rest of the face was hidden by hair that fell over the right eye. The other eye gleamed a bright red.
After a short walk, they reached a board full of missions. Most were meant to be completed during the day, but a few were designated for the night.
They read several until one in particular caught their attention.
The description was simple and crude:
"Track down a gang of thugs. They've got a scroll that's part of the Linran martial art. Retrieve it and send it by mail to this address."
A smile crept across the figure's face as they ripped the paper from the board, the clear sign of accepting the mission.
They walked out of the market calmly, checking every nearby alley.
There were no descriptions of the criminals, no clues about where to search. But the figure didn't care.
Every time they saw a sizable group of people, they knocked them out without hesitation and rifled through their belongings. When nothing useful turned up, they simply stole their money.
Upon reaching Vultran Street, they broke into a sprint. Not out of fear of being caught—their crimes were blatant—but because they knew that street housed several security companies, rescue teams, and licensed bounty hunters. Searching there was pointless.
Soon after, they found a dojo with the lights on. The place had a forgotten, mediocre air... but something inside called to them, like an inexplicable instinct.
Without hesitation, they opened the door and stepped inside.