Matteo stood outside at the end of a quiet street, there was an old building with vines on the walls. It looks a bit worn but charming. You can't see much through the windows, and there's a playground that had a few children playing. On top, there was a weather vane pointing to nowhere.
He was looking at a piece of paper in his hand. It was the address of combat gym named 'BattleFit Arena' near the small market. I also had a name of a person - 'Luca Ricci'.
The St. Maria orphanage had changed ownership and caretakers over the years and didn't recognize the name 'Matteo'. The current manager gave him an address of a gym in the small market telling that the person there might know him. Apparently the gym owner was one of the kids at orphanage when the previous Matteo was around.
Matteo looked at the map, Small market was on the other end of the city so he decided to visit it later. He had his day planned out for today.
He then went to the Pilgrim again to see Lysander. Matteo entered and directly moved towards the wine cellar and sat at the table, fiddling with is phone while waiting for Lysander. After a while Lysander arrived.
"How may I be of service to you this time, Mr. Marchesi?"
Matteo looked at him and spoke a bit tentatively at the start "So you see, I am planning to join the Shadows and create my own organization." but then he cut to the chase as it felt a bit weird to him to talk like this "So I need people to join me and I need them fast. Looking for people with nothing to lose, you know the type."
"Sophie mentioned you might require assistance with a comparable task. Could you provide more details about the specific profiles you are in need of?"
'That greedy woman. She is very perceptive though, I will give her that.' Matteo lamented in his head. "Street kids, ex-military, rejects, those in debt or under threat. Those are the kind of people I need."
"Understood. I'll gather the information I can. Is there anything else you need assistance with?"
Matteo thought for a bit and then asked Lysander "Would you like to join me?"
Lysander's eyebrows raised a bit 'What a confident individual.' he thought "You flatter me, Mr. Marchesi and I appreciate the invitation. However, I must respectfully decline."
A straight-forward and firm rejection. Matteo had expected this though. Who was he? a nobody. Why would Lysander join him. There was no benefit in joining Matteo. 'Benefit....' Matteo's eyes lit up, a plan forming in his head.
"Alright then. That's all." He smiled at Lysander.
"Certainly, I will reach out to you once the information is ready. Wishing you a pleasant day, Mr. Marchesi."
"You too." and Matteo left the Pilgrim and started walking home but suddenly he remembered that he still needed a ride after the previous episode with Fritz. 'Might as well buy one now.' he thought and made his way towards a car dealership, a legal one this time.
Rows of shiny cars lined the showroom, each one vying for Matteo's attention. Salespeople in sharp suits greeted him with warm smiles. Matteo approached a sophisticated-looking sedan. The salesperson, named Carlo, immediately joined him.
"Good afternoon! My name is Carlo. Are you looking for something specific today?"
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"Yes. I need a car. Fast and reliable."
"Well, This model here is one of our best sellers. It has all the features you could ever need," Carlo said, running through a list of impressive specifications.
Matteo listened nonchalantly, nodding occasionally as Carlo led him through the rows of cars, showcasing the latest models with all the bells and whistles. Suddenly his phone buzzed.
"Excuse me for a moment."
"Of, course."
Matteo started strolling away and picked up the phone -
"Hello?"
"Hey Matteo, it's Angelina. Listen, about our meeting tomorrow at your place..."
Matteo interrupted, sounding a bit skeptical, "Are you sure? Sophie didn't seem too thrilled when I mentioned it." he chuckled envisioning the drama.
Angelina rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. Sophie can just suck it up. Besides, we are working, we need to brainstorm for Vinopolis, the task just became more complicated."
"Fair point. So, 2 pm tomorrow at my place then? I will text you the address."
"Yeah, sounds good." and they hung up.
Matteo looked around and found out that he had wandered off to a different section—motorcycles. His eyes locked onto a stylish, powerful-looking bike that seemed to call out to him.
Curiosity took over, and Matteo approached the grey motorcycle. He felt the smooth curves of the body, the cool metal beneath his fingertips. It was a Triumph Street Triple R 2009.
Just as Matteo was contemplating this unexpected shift in preference, Carlo approached, sensing his intrigue. "Considering a change of plans, Matteo?" he asked with a knowing smile.
Matteo chuckled, "Yeah, I didn't expect to end up here." He paused and looked at the bike, then declared "I will take it."
The bike cost him about 8000 Alpenas. Matteo did the paper work, got on his new bike and sped off back to home.
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[ Dossier : Lysander 'The Pilgrim' St. Clair ]
[ Cost : 3 NP ]
Matteo looked at the interface before him while lying on the hammock. He remembered Quirk's warning -
*flashback* [ Sir, although 'Dossiers' can make getting contacts easier, it's still recommended to gather your own contacts, as 'Dossiers' will be 'expensive' ]
[ And 'Dossiers' will only provide you info about these people; whether you can 'convince' them is up to your own capabilities ] *flashback ends*
Besides 3 NP was all Matteo had right now. But he knew he needed every information he can get if he wanted to get Lysander on his side. Matteo liked Lysander ( Don't take that out of context, not in a sexual way. Yeah, that's right! I know your dirty minds. ).
Lysander was competent and kept things strictly professional. Matteo liked the fact that he never asked questions. That was the reason he wanted to recruit Lysander. He sighed and turned off the interface, postponing the decision whether to buy that dossier.
It was late at night now. Matteo walked out to his backyard. He wanted to try out the Viable training method that the System had provided him with.
He thought of the method -
Before a person transitions for a normal human to a Viable there is a step called Body Conditioning which consisted of two parts -
[ Resistance Training - A training technique that incorporates a sequence of yoga-inspired poses and compound exercises, each targeting specific muscle groups to apply significant pressure and intensity. ]
[ HIIB - High-Intensity Interval Breathing. A specialized cardio vascular breathing technique that enhances overall endurance and stamina ]
You have to practice the resistance training while breathing with the HIIB technique. Matteo got ready. He took a deep breath. He then tried to transition in to the initial stance and started breathing using HIIB, trying to best match the theory ingrained in his mind.
But as he assumed the initial pose, a wave of intense pressure surged through his muscles, as if they had torn apart. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he transitioned to the compound exercises, each movement increasing the strain on his body. The specialized breathing technique, meant to enhance cardiovascular endurance, made his lungs feel as if they were expanding to their limits.
With each deliberate breath, Matteo felt a burning sensation in his chest, his heart pounding against his ribcage. The extreme pain in his muscles, combined with the rhythmic agony in his lungs and heart, created a sense of extreme pain and discomfort. Yet, Matteo remained resolute, driven by his unwavering determination to conquer the challenge. Conquer everything.
The backyard echoed with his labored breaths, each exhale carrying the weight of the demanding techniques. Despite the physical toll, Matteo pressed on. And as soon as he felt he was getting a hang of it, a familiar chime went of in his head.
[ Status : Unlocked EHV ]
[ Obtained : EHV Gift Package ]