Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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Before we put on our costumes and head out, I went upstairs to prepare several items I believed would be necessary.
I crafted an upgraded bag of holding and made a second one for Mia.
I also assembled a set of shinobi tools, added small poison injectors to my gauntlets, made a few more miscellaneous items, and installed a translator into our masks.
That was going to come in handy when dealing with the ABB.
Once everything was ready, we suited up and departed the workshop.
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"Told you, seventh time is the charm," Mia said.
"Yeah, you were right," I said.
Mia and I stand on a rooftop, watching the three-story building across from us.
Armed guards are stationed at the front and back entrances of the building, and from what I can see through the windows, there are some guards patrolling inside as well.
And there have been many people entering the building and leaving with duffel bags.
This place screams safehouse.
"What do you think is inside those duffel bags? Drugs or money?" I asked.
"It could also be guns, but we can worry about that later. How do you want to approach this, Red?" Mia asked.
One look at the building is enough for me to see every possible way I could sneak inside.
This is too easy.
"Mind if I do this alone?" I asked.
"By all means. Go right ahead," Mia said.
"Don't get too comfortable. This won't take long," I said.
Mia nods and moves to a better position to observe the building.
In a burst of shunpo, I appear on the other rooftop. I walk over to the roof access door and try the handle, but it's locked.
No problem, I can get this door open in a second.
I reach into the bag of holding, pull out my lockpicks, and unlock the door within seconds.
I check the door for any silent alarms, but don't find anything. I open it and head downstairs.
I slip into a corner, moving silently through the shadows, and take a peek.
A guard sits by the stairs that lead to the second floor, flipping through a magazine and looking mildly interested in what he's reading.
I search the rest of the floor and find only two more guards.
They are leaning against a wall, chatting.
The translator immediately begins translating the conversation.
"-isn't even the worst part. When the plumber was changing the pipes, he found mold," The first man said in dismay.
"Oh, that is not good, man," The second man said with a wince.
"I know! And Mrs Chen is making everything worse!" The first man said with a groan.
"Wait, who's Mrs Chen?" The second man asked, confused.
"She's an elderly woman who lives in the building. She found out about the mold and is threatening to sue both the landlord and me if the problem isn't dealt with as fast as possible," The first man explains.
"Are you going to have to move?" The second man asked.
"Thankfully, no. The mold is small, and the landlord said it's easy to get rid of it. Mrs. Chen is blowing this out of proportion. Nobody likes that woman," The first man said, shaking his head.
"That's rough, man," The second man said before checking his wrist watch. "Gotta go back downstairs. My break just ended. We will talk more later."
"All right. See you later," The first man said.
The first man walks down the corridor, away from where I'm hiding, while the second heads for the stairs. He never notices me as he passes.
I wait until he walks down the stairs, then go after his friend.
I slip silently behind him and, in one swift motion, hook my arm around his neck, clamping down into a chokehold. My grip tightens instantly, cutting off any chance of him calling for help.
He tries to break free, and I tighten my hold in return.
"Stop struggling, or I will hurt you," I whisper with a growl.
He stops immediately.
"I'm going to ask a few questions. If you try to scream, I will break your jaw. Got it?" I whispered coldly.
He nods fearfully.
I loosen the chokehold just enough for him to talk.
"How many people are in this building?" I whispered.
"Thi-thirty, maybe a little more. I-I don't know," He whispers, his voice breaking into a small whimper.
"What is on this floor?" I whispered.
"There's a bedroom with bunk beds, and a locker room," he whispers.
"Is there anyone inside the bedroom?" I whispered.
"Maybe. I don't know," he whispers.
Well, I was going to check every room on this floor anyway.
"And the other two floors?" I whispered.
"Th-the drugs are kept on the first floor, and they count the money on the second," he whispered.
"The drugs are made here?" I whispered.
"No. It's another place. They bring the drugs here to distribute to dealers. Later, they come back with cash and leave with more," He whispered, his breathing short and uneven, his hands starting to shake.
Oh crap.
He's going to have a panic attack.
"Where is the boss?" I whispered quickly.
"I-I-I don't know. Maybe on the second floor. Oh god, please don't kill me," he whispers, his voice breaking as he begins to weep.
Okay, this interrogation is over.
I inject him with poison, and he goes limp in my arms.
I reach into the bag of holding, pull out a coil of rope, and tie him up.
I check on the other guard, and he hasn't moved.
I pull the tranquilizer gun from the bag of holding, feeling its cold weight in my hands. I take careful aim, squeeze the trigger, and the dart flies.
The dart strikes his neck. His eyes snap wide, hand flying to the spot as he jerks halfway out of the chair. A strangled gasp escapes his throat, then all strength drains from him. He collapses to the ground, silent and out cold.
I move swifly to the stairs, leaning over to peer downstairs. My eyes scan for movements, ears straining for any sounds of alert. A few seconds later, and all I hear are the dull hums and shuffles of people going about their work, nothing more.
I'm still in the clear.
I drag the guard away from the stairs, bringing him over to the other guard, and tie him up.
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body. 'Craft of a Mage' makes me absurdly talented in one specific magecraft. What would normally take multiple centuries, I have mastered in a decade. I start with a normal mastery over my specialization that, with enough preparation, I can fight a mid-rank servant.
My specialization is: Onmyoudou.
One of the thaumaturgical systems that is predominant in Japan.
"This was going to happen sooner or later. At least, I got a really good one," I thought. "Also, what is a servant?"
I will ask Mia later.
Okay, back to work.
I examined each door on the floor; the third one was the bedroom.
I push the door open a little and look inside. Six people are quietly sleeping on the bunk beds.
I quietly slip into the room, inject each of them with poison to ensure they stay unconscious, and bind them with rope.
I also bring the other two inside the room.
No point in leaving them in the hallway.
I leave the bedroom, my gaze flickers to the stairs, but a better plan takes shape.
I move over to the air vent and slip inside.
Crawling through the narrow shaft, I reach the second floor and peer through the vents, taking in the scene below.
There are nine people on the floor.
Five act as guards while the other four use a bill counter to count the stacks of money that are on the table. Once counted, they place the cash into briefcases.
When a briefcase is full, they set it down in a corner of the floor alongside the others.
There are more than a dozen briefcases in total.
Hm?
One of the guards moves toward a room at the far end of the floor and knocks before entering.
What is in there?
I quickly crawl to that room air vent. Peering down, I spot a man behind a desk, talking with the guard.
"Make sure that all the money is arranged neatly. Lung is in a foul mood," The man said grimly.
"Will do, boss," The guard said, gulping lightly.
The guard leaves the room, and the boss returns to his computer.
For a moment, I think about restraining him right now, but I dismiss the idea.
It's better to leave him for last.
I crawl away from the room and head to the first floor.
Within moments, I arrive at the air vent and look through it.
There are over seventeen scattered across the place. And, dozens of drug bricks sit nicely stacked on a table.
Four of them hang out in a small kitchen, five are watching over the stash, and the rest carry out miscellaneous activities around the floor.
That's a lot of people.
Got just the thing for that.
I place a bomb filled with sleeping gas at the air vent, then crawl to the second floor and repeat the process.
Next, I make my way to the boss's office and silently open the air vent.
Taking a coin from the bag of holding, I toss it into a corner of the room. The clink draws the boss's attention, and he turns away from his computer, confused.
He stands up, walks over the coin, and bends to pick it up. While he's distracted, I slip out of the vent, move in behind him, and lock him in a tight chokehold.
The boss tries to break free, but within a second, he goes limp in my arms.
I tie his hands and feet and drag him close to the table.
Now, to make sure no one can leave the building.
I place my right hand against the wall.
"Bakudo # 37: Shikko Fuin (Enforcement Seal)," I said.
A glow surges from my hand, shooting into the surface and spreading throughout the entire building. Within moments, the sealing is complete.
Without hesitation, I press the detonator's button with my thumb, releasing the sleeping gas, and wait.
For half a second, nothing happens. Then startled cries echo from this floor and the one below. Panic ignites. Footsteps thunder. Voices fracture into screams as people scramble for the exits, only to discover the doors won't budge.
Then, the chaos drains away, replaced by a silence so complete I can hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Not gonna lie, that was kinda unsettling.
Opening the door, I see everyone on the ground, sleeping.
In a burst of shunpo, I appear on the first floor and am greeted by the same sight.
Nice.
"Is everything okay in there?" Mia asked suddenly through the comms.
"Yeah. It's all good. Why are you asking?" I asked, using the comms.
"I just saw someone throw a chair at a window, and it bounced back, hitting them in the face," Mia said casually.
Oh.
"I used a kido spell to seal the building, then used sleeping gas to take out everyone. And, well, they freaked out before passing out," I explained.
"I see. Do I need to wait for the gas to dissipate?" Mia asked.
"Nah. It's already gone. It's a special formula that hits hard and doesn't stick for long. It's better to use it in close spaces," I said. "Did the guards outside notice anything?"
"Nope. They have no idea that anything happened. I'm going to take care of the guards in the front. You take the one in the back, yes?" Mia asked.
"Got it," I said, grabbing the tranq gun from the bag of holding. "Release," I said, ending the kido spell.
I walk to the back door, crack the door open, and see two guards talking with each other. And, they aren't paying attention to the door.
I raise the tranq gun, fire, and both of them crumple to the ground.
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body. 'Great Man' turns me into a creative genius on the same level as Nikola Tesla or other great minds of modern times. I suddenly possess a vast understanding of numerous scientific fields. It also comes with two special qualities, but for now, I only have access to one.
The one I got is: creating new technology comes much faster to me, and the less explored the field, the better. With this, what the world once considered impossible is now within my reach.
"So, this is what it feels like to be a genius," I thought as I dragged the guards inside.
No wonder so many geniuses were considered eccentric. My head is overflowing with ideas, and I can barely resist rushing back to the workshop and starting to create.
"Maybe she wouldn't mind," I thought out loud, crossing my arms.
"What wouldn't I mind?" Mia asked, standing behind me.
I jump a little and quickly turn around.
"How do you keep sneaking up on me!?" I asked, surprised.
With my shinobi training, I should have felt her doing that.
"It's pretty easy to do that when the other person is very distracted," Mia said, stressing the last part.
I wince at that.
Oh boy, this is embarrassing.
"Let's tie everyone up first, then we talk," Mia said.
I nod.
It took about thirty minutes to tie everyone in on the first and second floors.
After that, we grab all the suitcases packed with cash, along with the money left on the table, and stash them all in our bags of holding before heading into the boss's room.
Mia creates a small bound field around us, ensuring that no one else can overhear our conversation.
"Are you going to tell me what got you so distracted?" Mia asked.
"I got a perk called 'Great Man'. It turned into a genius on the same level as Nikola Tesla, and the best part is that it also gave me a special quality. Developing new technology comes much faster to me, and the more fantastical it is, the better," I said enthusiastically.
"What does that mean?" Mia tilts her head.
"It means that the kind of technology you only see in fiction, like ray guns, robots, and the like, is something I can build with enough time and resources. To be clear, this has nothing to do with mystic codes; it's advanced technology. And when I combine it with 'Mystic Code Maker', things get interesting," I explained.
"Okay, I can see why you are excited, but you still haven't answered my question. What wouldn't I mind?" Mia asked.
"Well, you see, I-" Mia interrupts me.
"You were thinking of ditching me to go to the workshop, weren't you?" Mia asked, deadpanned.
"I...was very tempted to do that," I admit, rubbing the back of my head.
Mia let out a sigh, "Look, I know what it's like to be excited about a new idea and want nothing more than to start working on it. Hell, I want to do that with explosion alchemy. But we're working right now, so you need to keep your head in the game," she said, admonishing me.
"Yeah, yeah. You're right. I was not expecting this perk to affect me this much," I said with a small frown.
"Given what it is, I can't blame you for reacting like that. And, hey, the terminals also got this perk. So, don't worry about it. They got it covered," Mia said.
"Right, the terminals also got the perk," I said with slumped shoulders.
"Geez. It's that bad?" Mia asked, surprised.
"It's like an itch that is begging to be scratched," I said, annoyed. "I just need a moment to reorganize my thoughts."
This is ridiculous.
I can't just drop what I'm doing because of a new perk.
Keep your priorities straight, Ben.
Finish what you are doing, then you can go back to the workshop.
I'm going to have to keep an eye on this.
Unbelievable.
Oh!
Speaking of perks.
"By the way, I also got another perk called 'Craft of a Mage'. It makes me absurdly gifted with a specific magecraft," I said offhandedly.
"What! Why didn't you start with that!?" Mia asked, surprised.
I shrug in response.
Mia lets out a groan at my answer.
"What did you get?" Mia asked.
"Onmyoudou. It's one of the thaumaturgical systems that is predominant in Japan," I said.
"I'm not familiar with it. What does it focus on?" Mia asked, crossing her arms.
I was about to explain, but the groan of the boss brought our attention to him.
Oh yeah.
"Let's finish this talk later. We still have some things to do," I said.
"Sure. Has the sleeping gas worn off?" Mia cast a brief glance at the grunts outside the room.
"I didn't use it on him. I knocked him out with a chokehold. Don't worry about the rest. They are going to be out for hours," I said calmly.
Mia nods, dispels the bound field, walks to the boss, and drags him to a corner of the room to talk with him.
Let's see what is on his computer.
About twenty minutes later, Mia walks to my side.
"Okay,so, I just compared the addresses we had with him, and the terminals got a lot of them right. Also got some names that we should check out later," Mia said. "Did you find anything?"
"I searched his hard drive, and the only thing I found were receipts detailing how much drugs were sold and the money they made. His emails are another story, though. He exchanged numerous messages with someone, but I can't tell who it was since no names were used," I said.
"Can you track it?" Mia asked.
"I can do something better," I pull a USB drive from the bag of holding and plug it into the computer.
"What is that?" Mia asked.
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body, and nothing happens.
"A virus that will give me access to the computer of whoever this email belongs to," I said, disguising it inside an email before sending it. "Done. I will ask the terminals to check the virus later."
"All right. I will call the police, then we can go home," Mia grabs her cellphone.
I can't wait to get to the workshop.
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Now, back to Throne of Bet.
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Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
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CP: 100.
Craft of a Mage (Fate/Grand Order Part 2) 200:
Magecraft can go a long way in the right hands, and evidently yours are very right hands. Choose some specialization in magecraft, such as Shugendou, the magecraft of a certain Japanese cult, or Witchcraft, or whatever else you can think of. Within your chosen specialization, you are incredibly, absurdly talented, mastering in a mere decade what would take normal people multiple centuries to master. Additionally, you begin with an already 'normal' mastery of your specialization, specifically in the more standard and orthodox applications of it, letting you fight on the level of Mid Rank Servants with enough preparation, or perhaps even higher should you have immensely potent resources on hand. While this might seem a little restrictive, it does afford some flexibility, such as the example of Shugendo getting six varied techniques, from moving incredibly quickly to knowing one's lifespan and fate, or the example of Witchcraft, which Beryl Gut utilized to obtain the Saint Graph of a Great Father Fae, becoming just as powerful as the Fae was while alive. In future jumps, your talent will extend to learnable systems of magic wherever your specialization may be applicable. Try not to let your talent get to your head, or you might find a god or two smiting you for your arrogance.
Great Man (Fate/Legends Strange New World) 200:
There's no dullards to be found here. You're a great mind and there's no doubt about it. A mind to match the likes of Nikola Tesla or the other Great Men of these modern times, you have intelligence and creative ability beyond any common man by far. Your knowledge of the sciences is vast, covering many different fields to quite great depth. One day you might work on plans to transform how the world sees energy, the next on weapons that could rock the military world to it's core. You're knowledge outside of the sciences is quite limited, perhaps they never interested you as a child, but you do have one of two special qualities of your own.
Either way, you're a brilliant and creative man but the first special advantage is great talent for improving and iterating upon the inventions of others. So long as another made it, you find yourself naturally realising how and where it could be improved, finding it easy to accomplish these further developments and even having some skill ta taking the parts you like of a technology and applying them to something else. The other special trait you may choose is to instead focus on the advancement of technology yourself, making new technology comes far faster to you, especially if no one else has explored the present field. You'll find the strange, the fantastical and the considered-impossible to be much easier for you to make possible and even feasible.
You can buy this perk again to gain the second benefit.
Chosen the second part.