Chapter 375: Security Check
(Twin Fang Planet, Black Serpents Guild Headquarters, Vice Guildmaster’s Office, Morning of the Heist)
*Ring* *Ring*
*Ring* *Ring*
The in-built data slate inside Antonio’s desk rang, as Antonio received a call over the guilds inter-comm system.
"Vice Guildmaster," came the crisp voice from the security wing, as the guard who made the call sounded unhurried and composed.
"The boy has arrived at the gate. We are awaiting clearance." He informed, as Antonio, seated behind his broad desk, reached forward slowly, clasping his fingers as he leaned in towards the data slate.
"Allow him in," Antonio said, his voice measured and authoritative, as if he had come to this conclusion after a lot of thought.
"Ensure that all protocols are followed," he added, his tone deeper now.
"Every guideline I sent you. I want it all followed to the T. You understand?" He emphasized, as there was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a sharp "Understood." as the call disconnected.
Antonio had tried his best to find a way to deny Leo entry into the Vault over the last 14 days, however, in the end, he found nothing against Leo that could disqualify him from entering.
Hence, when the 14th day was finally up, he finally gave Leo permission to enter.
—-----------
(Minutes later, On the streets of the inner ring, Leo’s POV)
Leo walked silently between two Black Serpent operatives, their uniforms matte-black with only a violet insignia marking their affiliation to the Guild.
This was the first time that he had seen a guild member wear such colored insignia, as he assumed they were part of some special wing that he wasn’t aware of.
They didn’t speak. They didn’t glance his way. They simply guided him from the missions hall towards the guild headquarters with eerie silence.
Despite trying several times, Leo failed to discern their strength level, which seemed to be obscured by some aura hiding artefact on their body, which was a shame, since it made him unsure about whether or not he could take them on in a fight.
Then, as they arrived at the headquarters building, the trio quickly moved past the standard checkpoints without so much as a nod from the regular guards, as they made their way towards the private elevators lobby.
This was the same lobby that Leo had entered when he was escorted to meet the vice guildmaster, however, this time, instead of the second elevator that led to the vice guildmasters office, they seemed to wait for the third one, which was the furthest to the right.
"Wait–" one of the two operatives said, as he stepped forward and withdrew a thin, blade-like token from a hidden sheath in his belt, before inserting it into a vertical slit just beside the third elevator.
*Buzz*
A brief flicker of white light rippled across the door’s surface as it recognised the token and parted with a glide, allowing the trio to step in.
*Elevator Music*
Elevator music started playing as soon as the trio stepped into the elevator and the doors closed shut, as Leo patiently waited for the motion to start.
However, to his surprise, it never did.
Minutes passed by, and he felt no motion, no lurch, no jerk.... Nothing to indicate that the elevator was moving at all, which genuinely perplexed him?
It was a descent without descent.
A journey without motion.
As he couldn’t be sure whether they were teleporting, falling, or simply being reassembled elsewhere.
And yet, the longer he stood there, the more his ears began to thrum, as a subtle shift in pressure made the bones in his jaw tighten and his temples ache ever so slightly, signaling that they were, in fact, going down, and quite possibly too much down.
Then, after what seemed like 10-12 minutes within the elevator, the doors suddenly slid open without a sound, and what greeted them was a corridor cast in soft, unnatural white light, that stretched forward with no markings, no decorations, and no sound.
Called ’Basement Level V’, this floor had no signboards or grand entrances.
Because those who came here already knew where they were going.
—-----------
(Basement Level V, Black Serpents Vault, Pre-Security Chambers)
What followed was a series of redundant yet precise checks— first, the two operatives flanking Leo underwent their own scans, providing biometric data and retinal verification as the system accepted them without protest.
Then, and only then, did the inner gates unlock with a slow hiss, revealing the chamber Leo had known would come but still found himself quietly dreading.
The inspection room.
It was colder here. Not by temperature alone, but by design, for he felt no warmth in the stone and found no charm in the layout.
What he found were just clean walls, a single long counter filled with magical detection instruments, and one woman standing with her arms crossed behind her back.
She was tall, taller than Leo by a few inches, with an athletic build wrapped in a form-fitting black uniform with a violet serpent’s guild insignia pressed into the chest, just like the guards flanking him.
Her face bore no hint of makeup, her copper-brown skin smooth and severe, while her eyes looked sharp like twin daggers that missed nothing.
She approached him without preamble.
"Spread your arms," she ordered, her voice firm and toneless, as she pulled on thin inspection gloves and stepped forward.
Leo obeyed without a word, spreading his arms wide as she began the full-body pat-down with clinical precision. Her fingers moved along the contour of his chest and sides, pressing into the muscles of his abdomen and hips as she circled behind him.
She moved with a strange detachment, neither shy nor aggressive, but with a focus born of procedure, not curiosity.
Yet Leo couldn’t help but feel the tension coil in his shoulders as her fingers brushed over his spine, pressing into the hollow between his shoulder blades, then sliding down the back of his thighs and calves.
Her hand briefly lingered near the small of his back.
"No concealed sheath or scabbard," she murmured more to herself than anyone else.
She stepped around to his front once more, picked up a mana detection wand from the desk, and brought it to his sternum.
"Hold still," she instructed, as the device calibrated with a slow hum, aligning with the natural pulse of his mana.
A few seconds passed.
"No foreign mana detected, no unusual pulse spikes," she muttered again, before placing the device down and glancing at the guards.
"Turn around and face the wall."
The two men obeyed instantly.
"Strip completely," she said to Leo, her eyes never blinking.
He hesitated only a second, then pulled his shirt over his head and stepped out of his pants.
The Underwear did not go initially, but after intense pressure by the woman’s unbroken gaze, he eventually took it off too.
She stepped closer, eyes scanning his skin with a soldier’s discipline, as her fingers trailed along his arms, inspecting the folds at his elbows and wrists, then his torso, before tapping near the ribs and sternum as if listening for false panels.
Finally, she knelt before him, running her hand along his inner thighs, lifting gently, before cupping beneath the fold where thigh met hip.
Her hands moved with no hesitation, palms brushing his rear, fingers pressing in without shame as she checked between the cheeks, her gaze locked onto his the entire time with the cold detachment of someone who had done this hundreds of times before.
Leo forced his face to remain neutral, but his mind, trained though it was, could not help but wince inwardly.
’This has got to be one of the most degrading moments of my life,’ he thought, as her hand briefly lifted to his chin, turning his face to the left and then to the right, as if confirming that even his ears bore no sigils.
As, at last, she stepped back, removed her gloves, and gave a short nod.
"Clear," she said simply, as she tossed Leo a new set of robes, and asked him to change into them.
These robes looked like a patient’s medical gown, that was 50% transparent under light, and had no folds to hide anything tiny or large, as the guild seemed to be very thorough in how they allowed a visitor to enter the vault.