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At the door of a desolate building, a man was scratching his head in annoyance. It was supposed to be his day off, yet he had received a new job out of the blue!
The message Jackson had received was concise yet cryptic. Apparently, there was a VIP in town who needed his help. He didn't know the client nor the job but he hoped there wouldn't be too many bodies.
It took him a while to find the right place, one that was on the outskirt of Metropolis-D. It was frankly one that would have the brain of anyone attentive ringing with alarm bells. It was the perfect place for a murder.
He couldn't fathom what kind of dumbass would willingly come to this obviously sketchy place. Did this mean that this new client had forcefully kidnapped someone? Was this all premeditated? Couldn't the client finish the job himself?
He could only sigh as he knocked on the door. Soon, a man came to open. Jackson had seen a lot of shit in his life, but what the fuck was this?! In the entrance stood a man wearing a comically huge burger mask.
"Oh, you're here! Great, I need your expertise!" The man happily spoke, entering the building again.
Was the burger guy trying to stay anonymous? Would there be a dead miss burger inside? Was the man simply a deviant that enjoyed killing? Jackson had the feeling that this job would be another addition to the 'I'd rather forget' memories.
"Fine, let's finish this quickly," Jackson grumbled as he followed the man inside.
After entering, he closed the door behind him. His priority was always secrecy. Often, Climbers who could afford his services could afford to get away with murder. They employed him to preserve their pristine righteous reputation, to avoid scandals.
Some had naively thought that the Tower would be a vector for human greatness. People were more powerful, and there was magic in the world, but what for? They still enjoyed killing one another, hence why he had a job in the first place.
"Here we are!" Came the voice inside.
As Jackson followed, he couldn't help but be taken aback. Not only was the owner weird, but so was the place. There were plastic sheets on the walls, and the only furniture was a small table with two chairs.
There was a tea set on the table and no corpse in sight. What the heck was going on?! Had he been called here for a drink?!
"So, where's the job?" He warily asked.
"Right here. Ever worked as a consultant?" The man gently gestured him to sit.
A consultant? Did the man want to get rid of whatever body he had himself? Was it a matter of trust? Then again, looking at the clean environment, the man probably hadn't acted yet.
"A few times. I can do it, but I'm going to charge you full price either way: 10k Chaotic Credits." Jackson added.
He expected the strange man to try and negotiate, but he didn't object at all. "What's your wallet address? I'll send it right now." He was even awfully cooperative.
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This guy was rich! No one would usually pay so much for consulting as this was the price of a C-Ranked item. They were so hard to come by that only a few players in his guild had some. After all, they only started dropping after Floor 50.
This was so fishy! Why would anyone that foolish be that rich?! Either this was a set-up, or someone wanted to give him credits. Wait, the guild leader of Cutting Edge had said something about rewarding him for years of loyal service. Was this it?!
Had he disguised it as a job not to make him feel like it was charity?! That could be possible. A few seconds later, the transaction was done. Even the stern Jackson couldn't help but grin as he watched the funds displayed on his UW.
At this point, he didn't care about whatever the burger man was wearing. He could have been naked that he wouldn't have batted an eye!
"What do you wish to know, Sir?" He enthusiastically inquired.
"It goes like this. I have four people to dispatch. Can you give me tricks on how to do it as discreetly as possible? Just assume that I'm three years old when you explain it and make it as detailed as possible."
Three years old? What kind of precocious child would begin murdering that soon?! Anyway, Jackson started the lesson, an in-depth one covering multiple topics:
- How to best avoid cameras.
- How to trick U-bots into not reporting a murder.
- How to increase one's reputation as a cleaner to receive better jobs.
- How to make the relatives think their kin was still alive, for years even.
- How to remove the pesky traces inevitably present at any crime scene.
- How to get rid of a body: acid soaking, butchering, and even stuffing and selling on the Chaotic Neutral Net.
At first, Jackson had been on his guard, but he soon found that the burger man was a fantastic student. Many just saw a cleaner's job as lowly and vile, but this guy showed incredible curiosity toward it. He understood that it was art!
He would ask relevant questions, even making links with the previous topics. Jackson felt like he was seeing the old him. Back then, he had stumbled upon the profession due to a nasty twist of fate, one that had set him on his course through life.
The burger man even had grander designs:
"If I do all this, I could even add a step and frame anyone I wanted, right? This ought to come useful in the future!"
"You're a fast learner. But, make sure you don't steal all the jobs in the area. I need to make a living after all." Jackson sighed as he praised him.
"Haha, you don't have to worry. This is more of a hobby for me. I prefer to Climb by far. It just so happens that right now, the place is closed as they investigate it." The burger man complained.
"If you ask me, they should just keep it open since people will die either way. Since its temporary closure, there have been more fights and murders, not that anyone talks about it. Hell, the berserkers are worse off. They're addicted to killing, and now…."
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"The whole theory of classes affecting people, right? I heard about it! Anyway, let's keep the lesson going!" The man enthusiastically chimed in.
"Frankly, I don't have anything more to teach you. How you managed to assimilate so much information in the last few hours is beyond me! But, that's pretty much all there is to a cleaner." Jackson admitted.
"I see…" The burger man sighed in disappointment before cheering up once more. "I guess me learning it all is cause for celebration." He excused himself, coming back with a bottle of vodka.
"Drinking? You should avoid it as much as possible. Even with a Climber's increased metabolism, it still dulls the senses." The cleaner advised.
"Thanks for the advice, but I'm only doing this as a hobby anyway. Here's a toast. Thank you for all the help! May my future endeavors be as unseen as the color of this clear vodka!" He looked so happy.
As unseen as the color of vodka? What a creative way to put it! That's when the man suddenly seemed to realize an issue. How was he supposed to drink with the burger mask on?!
He very soon came to a decision. While chuckling lowly, he removed his mask, showing a young face with beautiful blond short hair.
"I guess it's fine to remove it. You aren't planning on telling anyone about our little chat here, right?" He asked while chuckling.
"No, you can rest assured. Secrecy is always my priority." Jackson reassured. He had already gotten paid, and he had professional ethic. The man happily nodded as he drank.
Jackson felt great. For the first time in forever, he felt proud to be a cleaner. As he saw the man chug the alcohol with gasps of satisfaction, he couldn't help but crave some too. Perhaps he could make an exception for today?
Even then, he would be careful. He knew the bottle was safe since he had seen the man drink from it. However, he wouldn't use the teacup in front of him, as it was too easy to poison.
"Pass it to me." He spoke, making his new drinking buddy happy. Jackson then raised the bottle in the air. "This is to the birth of a great hobbyist cleaner. Hell, I didn't even know this could be a thing, haha!"
That is how Jackson soon found himself ever so tipsy. That's when he remembered to ask: "You said something about four targets, right? How did you come to that number? Is it for a job or a personal goal? Ah, you don't have to share if you don't want to."
"Oh, it's fine. In fact, you know one of them very well. Some call him Twin-Knife Jackson. ;)" The man playfully replied.
"Haha, don't try to scare me, kid. I'm an A-Ranked Climber, even if I don't look like it. You wouldn't stand a chance."
The man only gave him a derisive smile as he pointed to the vodka bottle. That's when Jackson finally realized. The grogginess he felt wasn't from the alcohol but from something else! His body was paralyzed!
"How?! I watched you drink straight from it?!" He uttered, shellshocked.
"Poison immunity." The man shrugged. "How were you not on your guard even after receiving an Assassin's Promise is beyond me, haha!"
Assassin's Promise?! What?! These were his four targets?! This kid was an assassin?! Fuck! But, he hadn't received anything, what the hell?!
That's when the man's face changed. "Wait, don't tell me you didn't receive it?! What the fuck is the LoA doing?! They only had one job!" He heatedly complained before giving an apologetic smile, scratching his head:
"Well, this is awkward. The good news is your eyes still work. Here, read this." The madman placed a black letter in front of his eyes.
Sure enough, it was from the LoA. That's when Jackson understood that he was fucked, royally fucked! He had been so happy to share all his knowledge a second ago too!
The youngster happily got to work, covering all the bases he had just learned about:
- You avoided cameras here, so we're good.
- My Jammer should take care of any nearby invasive technology.
- I guess I don't have to worry too much about reputation since this is a hobby.
- What should I send to your guild as an explanation? How do you feel about eloping?
- For the traces, it should be easy with all the plastic sheets. I guess I can do another thorough cleaning afterward.
- This only leaves us with getting rid of the body. Do you have any preference? I kinda like the classic butchering one.
As he listened to him, Jackson became livid. This had to be the most ironic and cruel ending for his life! What kind of psycho was this guy?! But, there was something he had to know.
"Who betrayed me? Was it the guild leader? Was it that asshole that keeps saying I'm nothing but a stain on the guild?! Please tell me honestly!" Jackson begged, only for the psycho to stop him.
He was ready for many possibilities. After all, there were so many who hated him that their names would fill a long list. The only reason he was still alive was his guild's backing. But now, he had been betrayed! But the answer surprised him:
"Betrayed? I'm pretty sure no one betrayed you. You guys just use donuts boxes to send coded messages, right? Either it's too easy to crack, or I unknowingly know a cryptology expert. I guess you could call it dumb luck on my part either way." The man shrugged.
Dumb luck, dumb luck, dumb fucking luck! Jackson felt like crying. What kind of fool would willingly come here to die? A cleaner called Jackson, apparently....and probably many others very soon.
That's when he succumbed to oblivion...
Creator's Thought
Not gonna lie, this guy had pretty good tricks. Most of it was stuff I already knew from my time on Earth, but I still had to adapt to this new world. I internally cheered when I saw him drink the vodka. Poison resistance for the win! ^_^v