In Another World With Omnitrix

Chapter 12: New Streets, Old Shadows

Riven Kade tugged the hood of his jacket forward, eyes sweeping across the humming cityscape of Caelmire. Neon signs buzzed overhead. Transit drones zipped through the air like glowing fireflies, weaving around the sharp corners of steel-clad towers.

Earth-1 was nothing like the high fantasy realm he'd been ripped from. But it was still dangerous.

He knew eyes were on him. Maybe not directly, not yet—but long enough in hostile terrain had taught him how to feel the weight of suspicion before it ever turned into action. Guilds were watching.

Nova Arcanum, too, probably. And while no one had confronted him, the low hum of tension threaded through his every step.

To them, he was a curiosity. A C-ranked hunter who had cleared two dungeons alone. The relic on his right arm—his transforming gauntlet—had drawn the most attention. Analysts couldn't classify it. Theories floated around forums and back-channel servers: a personalized high-tier relic, a proto-weapon from a lost ruin, or maybe a scavenged black-market mod. But the device on his left wrist?

Just an odd bracer, they figured. Maybe a converter. Maybe a placeholder. No one had seen it activate. No one had seen what it truly was.

And that worked in Riven's favor.

He hadn't entered another dungeon since the Cryo-Golem fight. Not because he was scared. But because too many people were starting to notice. Some assumed he'd just been lucky. Others said the dungeons he cleared must've been misranked—filled with weaker mobs or glitched bosses. A few skeptics flagged him for observation, but the major guilds? They dismissed him.

A C-rank anomaly wasn't worth their time and he saw some scout trailing on him observing the Nullshift.

So if his assumption it right then it Exactly as he wanted taking there attention away from his strongest power source.

...

Downtown Caelmire was a sprawling web of commerce, relic vendors, holographic billboards, and food stalls that smelled of synth-oil and spicy dumplings. Riven moved quietly through the crowd, absorbing everything.

His boots echoed against steel steps as he passed by hunter recruitment. Animated posters for the five global guilds flickered in vivid 3D: the disciplined Glacium Pact, the savage Crimson Warden, the regal Aetherlight Vanguard, the eco-aligned Verdant Chain, and the coldly professional Obsidian Dawn.

Each boasted of their S-ranks. Their conquests. Their dungeon raids.

Riven walked past without flinching.

He entered a smaller plaza near the lower city district—a place where official eyes didn't linger too long. Here, in the underbelly of Caelmire, relic tech was sold with half-functioning scanners and stories twice as big as the truth. One stall had glowing knives labeled as "gravity-forged." Another boasted a cracked visorlens supposedly from a failed S-rank dungeon.

He stopped at a display stand showing ancient tablets—etched with alien symbols. The Omnitrix stirred faintly. Not a transformation—just a pulse, like recognition. Riven narrowed his eyes. The design matched the failed Omnitrix replicas he'd seen in that underground lab.

He didn't linger.

.....

Later that evening, as streetlights flickered to life and the sky dimmed, Riven wandered through a quieter industrial block. He felt a presence before he heard footsteps.

"You're being watched," came a calm, confident voice.

Riven turned sharply. A woman with silvery-white hair tied in a long ponytail stood beside a maintenance pillar, her glasses catching the ambient glow. Her blue eyes were sharp but not hostile.

"Lyra Veyla," she said. "S-ranked hunter. I figured I'd introduce myself before the guilds start fighting over who gets to draft you."

Riven stayed where he was, unreadable. "I'm not interested."

Lyra smiled faintly. "That's fine. Neither am I. I'm with a different kind of organization. We watch relics—not people."

He raised a brow. "Then why are you here?"

"Because you're carrying something not even we can identify. That makes you... fascinating."

She didn't advance. Let the silence stretch.

"Look," she added, "I'm not here to interrogate you. I just wanted to let you know that your recent activities triggered system notifications across the central registry. You've drawn attention—not just from guilds, but from people who ask dangerous questions."

Riven narrowed his eyes. "And what do you want from me?"

Lyra hesitated, as if choosing her words carefully. "A conversation. Maybe cooperation later. For now, just... caution."

He studied her. Her expression was genuine, but guarded.

"Your gauntlet," she nodded slightly. "It's not in any known relic registry. Our analysts are guessing, but I'd prefer to hear from you—eventually. When you're ready."

Riven didn't respond.

Lyra didn't push. Instead, she handed him a small encrypted chip.

"If you want the system alerts silenced, contact me with this. It'll reroute dungeon notices through an isolated relay. It'll buy you privacy—for a time."

She turned to leave, then paused.

"And if you're ever curious about what your gear really is… Nova Arcanum might be able to help. We don't just analyze relics—we understand them."

With that, she disappeared into the shadows.

Later that night, Riven sat atop a quiet rooftop, legs dangling over the edge. His phone buzzed.

Bank Notification: 40,000 credits transferred – Dungeon Clearance (C-Rank)

He blinked. He hadn't even noticed.

Scrolling back, he found an older flagged entry.

Dungeon Clearance Unprocessed – Energy Signature Error

Followed by:

Backpayment issued: 15,000 credits (D-Rank dungeon).

He pocketed the device and leaned back, watching the stars.

So Lyra Veyla… wasn't after him,Not yet.

But she knew enough to be dangerous.

He flexed his wrist and summoned the gauntlet. Its surface shimmered in the dark, alive but silent.

"Nullshift," he whispered.

The name didn't mean anything to her yet. And the Omnitrix on his other arm remained just a bracer in their eyes.

That was how he needed it to stay.

Chapter 12 End.