Chapter 25 - The Continental Hotel
People in novels always traveled between countries as if it were as simple as taking a walk.
But as I was not a Young Master for some clan, reality for me was considerably more annoying.
Before I could even think about boarding a plane, I had to deal with paperwork.
My bank account was only valid domestically, so I first had to upgrade it to an international account.
Then there was travel registration, Hero verification, customs declarations for weapons, and several other procedures that I hadn’t even known existed until yesterday.
Fortunately, Heroes really did receive special treatment.
I already had a passport.
After presenting my newly issued Bronze Hero License, my visa application was approved within a single day.
The bank also upgraded my account to a Hero Account, which came with a surprising number of benefits.
International banking, higher transaction limits and priority processing.
And perhaps my favorite perk was free currency exchange.
"Now that’s a superpower."
After another day spent running around completing paperwork, everything was finally ready.
I booked a flight to the Slavic Federation, one of the nations within the European Union.
That was where I would fix my hand problem.
***
Now, I sat inside the airport terminal, waiting for boarding to begin.
People hurried past with luggage in tow while announcements echoed overhead every few minutes.
I, meanwhile, had already opened my notebook.
Several pages were filled with names, locations, dates, and rough maps.
Places worth visiting.
People worth avoiding.
This trip wasn’t sightseeing.
It was an investment.
Every stop had to produce something valuable.
I intended to squeeze every possible benefit out of it.
By the time I returned, the Nexus Academy Entrance Examination would be much closer.
After researching the academy in detail over the past few days, I had reached one very important conclusion.
’I’m only going there because of Mira.’
That was simply the truth.
Nexus Academy wasn’t an ordinary university.
It wasn’t even the kind of institution someone could apply to through an entrance portal.
It was the most prestigious Academy in the world.
Only monsters among geniuses studied there.
Talent alone wasn’t enough, you also needed someone important to recommend you.
Someone whose words actually carried weight.
Without such a recommendation you wouldn’t even make it onto the candidate list.
Fortunately, Mira was more than qualified to vouch for me.
My and my alternate self’s memories both agreed on one thing.
The majority of the world’s large Rift outbreaks occurred around the World Bastion.
A massive fortress-city built in the Arctic.
That was where Nexus Academy stood.
Humanity’s strongest gathered there.
The world’s greatest researchers worked there and the largest military forces were stationed there.
It was, in every sense, the center of humanity’s resistance against the Rifts.
Ironically, the Arctic here wasn’t a land of some ice like the one from another Earth.
It had long since been transformed into a habitable continent through technologies and abilities I still didn’t fully understand.
As for Antarctica.
As far as I knew, it simply didn’t exist in this world.
"Excuse me, sir."
A woman at the boarding gate smiled politely.
"Are you carrying any weapons today?"
"I am."
I presented my Hero License.
She scanned it before nodding.
"Everything is in order. Please make sure your weapon is with the luggage."
"No problem."
Heroes really did have an easier time with these things.
Ordinary civilians would’ve had to jump through far more hoops just to transport a weapon across borders.
A few minutes later, passengers began boarding.
I found my seat beside the window as the cabin slowly filled.
The aircraft doors closed.
The engines began to roar.
Oddly enough, despite this being my first international flight in this life, I didn’t feel nervous.
If anything, I felt excited.
A new country with new opportunities.
And possibly, new problems.
As the plane slowly taxied toward the runway, only one thought lingered in my mind.
’Am I actually going to end up killing a vampire on this trip?’
***
Several hours later...
My flight landed in Warsaw, the capital of the Slavic Federation.
From there, I took a taxi.
"The Continental Hotel."
The driver nodded and drove into the bustling city.
Warsaw was different from New York.
The architecture blended old European buildings with sleek modern skyscrapers, creating a strange but beautiful contrast.
Even the people felt different.
There were no Heroes here, but mages and knights.
Within half an hour, the taxi stopped in front of an enormous building.
[The Continental Hotel]
The name was surprisingly ordinary.
The hotel itself was anything but that.
Its philosophy was simple.
No matter where a guest came from, the hotel could recreate an environment that made them feel at home.
Cuisine from every continent.
Staff fluent in every language.
Private training rooms.
High security.
Even personalized room environments if one was wealthy enough.
Naturally, luxury came with an equally luxurious price.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately.
I had already booked a room online.
"..."
Just remembering the amount I had paid made my heart ache.
’Fuck! I feel sick.’
Nearly every dollar I had saved disappeared the moment I confirmed that reservation.
It was the single most expensive purchase of both my lives.
Still, I considered it an investment.
Sometimes spending money was the fastest way to make even more of it.
But that didn’t stop it from hurting.
I stepped through the revolving doors.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
It felt like entering another world.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the marble lobby.
Elegant fountains decorated the center of the hall.
People from countless countries walked through the lobby carrying conversations in languages I couldn’t fully understand.
Contrary to what many stories imagined, the world hadn’t magically adopted one universal language.
Every major nation still retained its own.
English had simply become the common second language, especially among international organizations and workers.
As I walked toward the reception desk, I noticed people looking at me.
Some glanced only briefly while others openly stared, probably because I looked good.
My Rejuvenation Aspect had already improved my appearance.
After the serum, I had the feeling it made me more handsome.
Now, my face attracted attention.
Normally I would prefer blending into the background.
But today, that wasn’t my objective.
In fact, I wanted someone to notice me.
I just wasn’t particularly happy about the method.
’Using my face as bait, this feels new.’
I reached the reception desk.
The receptionist looked exhausted, yet the moment she saw me, her natural smile returned almost instantly.
"Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to the Continental Hotel."
"I have a reservation."
After verifying my identity, she quickly located my booking.
Her eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
"Mr. Evren Sorin?"
"Yes."
"You’ve reserved one of our Presidential Suites."
"I have."
"Excellent."
She handed me an elegant black-and-gold keycard.
A moment later, one of the hotel’s attendants politely approached.
"May I carry your luggage, sir?"
I handed over my bag without objection.
I had already paid for the full service package.
It would be foolish not to use it.
Following the attendant, I headed toward the private elevators reserved for the upper floors.
The elevator doors slid open.
I stepped inside.
Ding.
The doors began closing.
Just then, a voice interrupted them.
"Hold the elevator, please."
The doors reopened.
A beautiful blonde woman stepped inside, wearing an elegant black dress beneath a tailored white coat.
She carried herself with effortless confidence, and despite appearing to be in her mid-twenties, there was a maturity in her eyes that immediately stood out.
The elevator doors closed once more.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then, exactly as I had expected, she turned toward me.
"You’re not from around here, are you?"