Bob led Renny to the registration area, a circle of 3 kiosks surrounding a platform where someone stood, overseeing them all.
Renny wore a hooded black cloak given by Bob, that covered his entire silhouette, including the chains.
Bob had explained that in here, everyone was a potential threat.
Rogue Divers and debt collecters were the tip of the iceberg.
The unspoken rule was to be inconspicuous, and Renny's little scuffle with Kurogane, a known troublemaker, only drew more eyes to him.
Unwanted attention.
Renny stepped onto the platform. The kiosk lights flared to life. No greetings. No instructions. No terms. No warnings. Just a single prompt: Confirm.
The moment Renny confirmed, the platform vibrated faintly beneath his boots and a pitch black card came slid out of a slot. His ID. Somewhere above, the overseer nodded once.
After Renny had finished registering, Bob brought him to see his team.
They were sitting in a secluded corner.
As if it was the only safe place in the IDCG Main.
One was sleeping with his head leaning back against the wall, jaw hanging and snoring.
He was hugging a bazooka like a bolster.
Another was sharpening a knife, inspecting its blade almost obsessively.
He wore a utility jacket with each pocket housing a knife.
The last one wore a tattered brown leather jacket.
She didn't carry any visible weapons.
She noticed Bob walking over with Renny and frowned.
The one staring at Bob kicked the sleeping one and muttered something to him.
Bob introduced them, "Renny, this is my team, Ilya, Marek and Sable."
The sound of steel grinding on stone stopped.
They stared at him.
Ilya, the girl in the leather jacket, sighed.
"Bob, the last time you brought a stranger in, he guilt tripped you for money," she said flatly.
Sable pointed the dagger he was sharpening at Renny.
"State your intentions. Now."
Renny swallowed.
Bob raised his hands and assured them.
"He's a friend. He repelled Kurogane for me."
Marek set the bazooka down and patted it.
He stood up suddenly, wobbling momentarily.
He extended one hand out while the other held his head.
"Welcome to the team Renny," he said in a lazy voice.
Ilya and Sable stared at Marek and rolled their eyes.
Almost as if it wasn't the first time it happened.
Ilya sighed.
"There's no convincing you guys otherwise right? I mean he's literally a stranger we just met. Even if he did repel Kurogane, it doesn't mean shit. This isn't the GDA. Apart from a small group of normal Divers like us wanting to make some extra cash, no one else is trustworthy. They're all merchants and savages."
Renny thought of Kurogane.
He scanned Bob's face for doubt, worry, anything.
There was none.
The others seemed to get the message as well.
Sable sheathed his knife, eyes still locked on Renny.
"You stray even 1 millimetre from the plan and I'm stabbing you."
Bob put his hands together.
"Nice! So, the mission is at Door A-17. I'll give the full mission brief on the way there."
Renny was surprised.
Doors were labelled by the general area they were in. The world, or the Surface as people have come to call it, is no longer differentiated by countries, but by zones. The name of a Door indicated its Zone from A to Z, and its serial number.
As far as Renny knew, the GDA had over a 100 Doors across different Zones. There was only until 10 in Zone A. That meant the IDCG had at least 7 Zones hidden from the GDA.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Bob explained the mission as they rode the Zooms in the speed tube.
Bob, Renny and Marek took one. Ilya and Sable took the other.
It was a simple Extermination mission of a S ranked Voidspawn.
A task of moderate difficulty.
Renny had taken a few of those down when he was in the Void alone.
But for an average team, they were not a walk in the park.
An S ranked Voidspawn meant it has wiped out 1 team so far or it is estimated as a block level threat.
Marek snored the entire ride.
Bob sighed.
"Where are the other members?" Renny asked.
Bob smiled proudly.
"This is it. There are no more members. We're all Hybrids."
Renny vaguely recalled that term.
Divers who had more than one role. Deceptively simple, yet extremely difficult to do well. But the trade offs were huge.
Smaller teams, better coordination.
They were mostly frowned upon in the GDA. Something about them being too unorthodox.
Bob continued.
"Marek is a Striker-Battery Hybrid, Sable is a Scour-Zoner Hybrid, Ilya is a Pacer-Scout Hybrid, and I'm a Vanguard-Guardian Hybrid."
4 Hybrids in 1 team was unheard of.
"What role will you be filling?" Bob probed curiously.
Renny thought about it.
"Vanguard."
Bob whistled.
"What are your investments?" Bob asked.
Heartlight investments, or just investments, refer to what people allocate their daily Heartlight into.
There are actually 2 forms of Heartlight.
Daily Heartlight is reset every day and depends on how much Heartlight capacity one has. It can be allocated into one's stats permanently.
Capacity Heartlight is how much Heartlight one has stored in their hearts. It restores to maximum at the same time Daily Heartlight is reset and is the power source of an individual.
"The basics. Speed, strength, durability, reaction time." Renny replied.
Things that couldn't compound.
That's what most people did. And that's why most people are average, Renny realised.
Ever since the meeting with Devil, he's been investing his Heartlight into his capacity, like a Battery would.
But revealing one's investments to people outside your team is generally like revealing your strengths and weaknesses to them.
Hence he kept quiet about the later part.
Bob nodded.
"So how did you end up in the Void?" Bob asked.
Renny went silent.
He wondered if the Hunters were still after him.
"It's a long story," Renny said after a while.
Bob seemed to get the hint.
"Sorry, I won't pry."
Renny caught a glimpse of Bob staring affectionately at a picture in his hand.
2 children and a woman.
Family?
They rode the rest of the trip in silence.
‐--
Door A-17 was in IDCG West, another huge underground area. The Door area was in one of the corners of IDCG West, shaped like a donut, open space all around with a pillar in the middle. Since nothing could be built underneath anywhere Door at all, the gearing up area was built around it.
They geared up and took a lift upstairs, which brought them to the launch area.
It was a rather small area, some Coffins were huddled in a corner, hanging from a conveyor belt-like system.
Bob swiped his card and pressed some buttons in the terminal on the wall.
5 Coffins moved right over the Door, forming a tight circle.
We got in and Bob gave the operator who stood by a lever a thumbs up.
The Door opened and they dropped into the Void.
Renny closed his eyes, his cloak removed for combat.
He'd been into the Void many times.
Yet this time he felt... safe.
The Coffins landed.
Comms check.
Bob wasn't as chatty as before.
Renny stole a glance at him.
Bob's eyebrows furrowed with worry, he held his massive shield close.
They found the Voidspawn after checking its last seen coordinates.
Ilya held her binoculars up.
"Contact, 12 o'clock."
Marek aimed and fired his bazooka, the momentum sending him somersaulting backwards.
A burst of white electricity shot out towards the Voidspawn.
Renny could feel the immense heat when it was fired.
What kind of weapon—
The Voidspawn leaped out of the way on all fours like an animal.
Not fast enough.
The bolt of electricity tore into a huge chunk of the Voidspawn.
It remained silent, regenerating slowly while advancing quickly.
"Cover me! I need 30!" Marek called over the comms.
Sable drew 2 knives.
Bob stood at the front with his shield.
It was huge, larger than him, the edges wrapping around him.
He held a special weapon with his other hand.
A chainsaw with a knuckle guard hilt that was seemingly built for one hand.
"Entrapment A," Bob sounded out.
The team moved instantly.
Bob took the impact head-on, the Voidspawn crashing into his shield. Sable flowed over him in a blur of blades, while Bob’s chainsaw punched through the opening, locking the creature in place.
It adapted fast—too fast.
New limbs tore free, forcing them apart.
“Shit,” Bob muttered.
The Voidspawn broke formation and circled wide, straight toward Marek and Ilya.
A Heartlight dome snapped into place just as it struck.
“Charging,” Marek said calmly.
Renny watched it all—how no one panicked, how every retreat already had an answer.
He quickly realised their investments might have been into their equipment.
That would explain how Marek's bazooka is so strong and how Bob's shield is so durable.
Daily Heartlight can be allocated to equipment, making them more powerful.
People usually leave most of this to weapon forgers, but adding one's own Dailies into one's equipment also adds to its strength and effectiveness, often to a greater extent than if one were to invest in their own stats.
Marek blasted the Voidspawn with his bazooka again sending it flying backwards.
"Renny, you see how we fight? Just try to jump in whenever you can," Ilya advised.
Renny nodded stiffly.
The Voidspawn snapped its head towards him and ran on all fours towards him.
Almost like a lizard.
Renny tightened the chains around him.
Be faster.
Be stronger.
Be tougher.
Renny rushed towards it.
Cancel speed, right fist boost strength.
Renny slammed his fist into the Voidspawn's face.
The power of the attack blew a hole through the Voidspawn.
Renny was stunned.
When was he that strong?
A claw flashed toward his face.
He slipped it—metal shrieking as it grazed the chains.
He surged forward, unleashing a barrage of punches that blasted holes clean through its body.
Its regeneration was slowing down.
It was running out of Void energy.
Good.
The Voidspawn leaped back, right into Bob's shield and chainsaw combo.
When it escaped again Sable engaged it and held it in place.
The Voidspawn noticed Marek charging and was going to run away.
Renny rushed in and held it in place while Marek fired another blast at it.
Absorb damage.
Boost durability a lot.
Renny braced himself.
I'd rather take the hit myself than risk their safety.
Bob widened his eyes.
"Renny, no!"
The lightning blast hit the Voidspawn squarely.
It tore a large chunk from its torso and sent Renny flying backwards.
Renny lay on the ground, weak from the blow.
The half regenerated Voidspawn rushed towards him, a gaping hole in its chest.
It slashed a claw towards Renny—
But a knife flew through the air and severed its claw.
A storm of knives was thrown in quick succession at the Voidspawn.
It slowly lost its form and dissipated into nothingness.
Sable ran over to Renny and extended a hand.
"You good?"
Renny took Sable’s hand and let him pull him to his feet.
His legs trembled once he stood still.
Bob studied him for a moment, then sighed with relief.
"Thank goodness," he said.
The genuine concern in his voice shocked Renny.
Ilya tapped something into her device. "That was too reckless," she added, eyes studying him with worry.
Marek ran over.
"Hey man, you okay?"
Renny nodded slowly.
By the time they returned to the Surface, the Void felt far away.
They visited a small tavern in the main hub of the IDCG to celebrate their victory.
Unlike the other parts of the IDCG, this tavern was bustling with activity.
A mug was shoved into Renny’s hands before he could refuse it.
He stared at it for half a second too long.
"You don’t drink?" Marek asked, already turning away.
“I— no. I do.”
Marek smiled. “Good.”
No one waited for him to say more.
They talked over each other — about the Voidspawn’s adaptation speed, about Marek’s aim, about how Bob’s shield would need recalibration.
Complaints. Arguments. Laughter.
Normal things.
"Just a few more jobs and I'll be able to send my kids to real school! This job is too unforgiving!" Bob laughed.
They cheered with him.
At one point, Sable leaned over, squinting at the chains wrapped around Renny’s body.
"Are those constantly on you?"
Renny stiffened. “Yeah.”
“Huh.” Sable took a sip of his drink. “Must suck.”
That was it. No judgment. No follow-up.
Renny realized his shoulders were relaxed.
The thought startled him.
He waited for the moment to end — for someone to pull away, to remember he was a stranger, to remind him this was temporary.
It didn’t come.
Bob clapped Renny lightly on the shoulder.
“It was good to have you today. Same thing again tomorrow? No more sacrificing yourself though yeah?” he said.
No one opposed.
They all sat there with their drinks, staring expectantly at Renny.
Renny stared into his mug.
Into the reflection of himself.
The tavern was cozy.
Renny felt warm even through the chains.
For the first time in a long while, the warmth didn’t fade.
Renny finally spoke.
"I—"
The jingling of the bells at the entrance caught his attention.
About 30 men walked into the tavern, all armed.
Kurogane walked in behind them.
