Chapter 6: Entering The Plane

'Damn! Daylight robbery? She must be an Elite. I would have doubted she would actually do it, but after getting kidnapped, I know all these Elites are bandits with superpowers.'

"Why are you wasting my time?" she asked coldly.

Ezra's thoughts churned.

"Erm… Miss, I only borrowed it. It isn't mine. It was given to me by a powerful lady who said she was going to get it back from me. She threatened to kill me if I ever sold it," Ezra said, remorse evident in his voice.

The lady's expression faltered.

'Yes! Miss Aliya must be well-known and powerful for her to be given a mission by the council,' Ezra thought. 'If she didn't know the owner, she wouldn't have easily believed me. Besides, she has white hair, so she might be related to Miss Aliya.'

"Forget what I said. If word gets out, you're dead!" she growled at him.

"Your secret is safe with me." Ezra beat his chest with a respectful look, though his thoughts were different. 'She lacks experience with people; otherwise, she would have just claimed it was a prank.'

She continued, "I came to show you the map of a Rank 1 Plane—Green House."

Ezra's eyes widened as he realized her reason for the visit. He had previously thought there was a camera in the room and she happened to see the sword.

'But how did she find me?'

He gave her a wary glance but hid it.

She walked up to him and unfurled a holographic 3D map from her watch.

Ezra studied the map intently, knowing it was crucial for his survival. Five areas were marked in red.

He memorized the landmarks around them to avoid dying a funny death due to forgetfulness and slow recall.

When he was done, he raised his head and asked, "What makes them dangerous?"

She eyed him before saying calmly, "I was only told to show you the map, but if you lend me the sword, I will tell you."

"No. I don't want to die at the hands of that powerful lady," Ezra shot her down instantly. What would he use if he gave it away?

"Goodbye. I pray you survive to return the sword," she said flatly before turning to leave.

Ezra watched her go, then exhaled the pent-up breath he hadn't realized he was holding in her chilly presence.

"That girl is scary. The cold energy around her is really unsettling, and it made my spine tingle. It must be her ability," he muttered before he began practicing with his sword.

He tried to get used to all the abilities as best he could. He kept swinging, watching martial arts videos online, and continued swinging even when exhausted, recalling various moves he could barely remember.

It was the receptionist who came to inform him that his time was up before he decided to leave. His drive was to exhaust his money spent for the room, not wanting to waste even a dime by leaving early.

When he got home, Ezra felt as if his hands were filled with lead. Training with the Flowing Dance of the Silver Edge blade had pushed his arms to the limits. After locking the door, he struggled to enter the bathroom, took a shower, and then fell asleep like a log.

When he woke up, it was already early morning. He took his badge and read the rules. By the time he was done, the sun was already up.

"Did those girls not return?" Ezra mumbled before standing up.

A knock on the door made him pause before he walked over to it.

When he opened it, he saw the two girls at the door.

Ezra cleared his throat before saying, "Ah! Prodigal daughters, why hast thou returned?"

"Did you memorize the map?" Seraphina asked, ignoring his tone.

Ezra nodded.

"Then we are leaving now," Seraphina said.

"Now?" Ezra arched an eyebrow.

"Or do you have something you want to do?" Seraphina raised her eyebrows.

"Hmmm… Nope," Ezra replied.

"Then off we go." Seraphina turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ezra called out. "I need to brush, shower, and eat my breakfast, as it might be my last."

"We will wait downstairs," Seraphina said without looking back. Selene quickly trailed behind her.

"Is this place really scary? Why are they scared of this safe floor?" Ezra whispered, eyeing the rotten pillar before he went inside.

Brushing and bathing were quick, and breakfast was at a restaurant, exhausting his remaining cash. Selene paid for the cab that took them to the Council Association, as Ezra had already planned to trek the 'stone's throw distance'.

With their badges, they informed the young lady that they wanted to go to the Green House Plane. She led them through the building to a room with a meter long black crystal standing in the middle. The black crystal was the gateway to the Green House plane.

"You know how it's done?" Seraphina asked.

"We enter at the same time because the plane is spinning, and any delay will extend our distance from each other," replied Ezra.

"Good. Let's go." Seraphina walked forward and placed her hand on the crystal, followed by Selene and Ezra.

Seraphina and Selene summoned black armor that hugged their frames.

'Well, I have a weapon.'

–––

[ENTER RANK 1 PLANE: GREEN HOUSE.]

[YES]/[NO]

–––

"We take 'yes' on three. One, two, three…"

They chose 'yes,' and their vision darkened, a sense of weightlessness disrupting their senses.

When Ezra could feel gravity and see light again, he realized he wasn't in a room anymore.

A chilly wind caressed his skin.

Looking down, Ezra found his body bare, standing on rocky terrain. He quickly scanned his surroundings, feeling that something was off, but saw nothing, which made him relax.

"Sigh! Nothing from the other world can get here? Well, at least I'm lucky that there is no monster."

Just as he mumbled, Ezra felt a chill coming from behind.

Turning around, Ezra concentrated and finally spotted a big brown crab perched atop a rock.

It had two large pincers and a dirty, earth-brown shell that perfectly camouflaged it against the scattered rocky boulders.

The crab, realizing it had been detected, leaped at Ezra with its pincers wide open, aiming for his head.