Chapter 135
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: How to Survive in Fusion Punk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Ugh! I’m so sorry. J-just a moment. I’ll clean it up right away. Ow, that stings! Oh, no need to help. Ah... thank you...”
It was a bizarre exchange between Silvia, scrambling to pick up the shattered glass strewn across the floor with her bare hands like a chick scattering feed, and Poh, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere with a broom and started sweeping.
Of course, Poh’s response had been a simple “I’ll take care of it,” accompanied by a light smile—that was all.
In the meantime, Wonder had swiftly handled his subordinate’s blunder in his own way.
First came the earnest apology.
Then, he handed over enough credits to Kalifa—who kept politely declining—to replace ten door panels.
“He’s the type whose body moves before his mind. Please understand.”
“No, really, it’s fine...”
While that was going on, Bagmar sprang into action.
He approached Poh, who was busy cleaning up, asked where the storage room was, then trudged off in the direction Poh pointed, with Chloe in tow.
Soon enough, the mechanical couple returned with some simple materials.
Bagmar plopped down on the floor, eyed the empty doorframe with a practiced glance, and hummed a tune as he got to work.
No need for further details.
Ta-da.
A brand-new door, complete.
The kind you often see in Westerns—those batwing saloon doors with the top and bottom wide open.
It had taken mere minutes to whip one up.
“What in the world...”
Kalifa stared in disbelief.
Even so, the fact remained that they’d still need proper glass doors eventually.
“...”
She silently watched over the shop, which had weathered the storm, then let out a deep sigh.
With that, she beckoned to Jin and Wonder.
“Come with me. I’ll set up a spot for you.”
The reception room.
It wasn’t unfamiliar territory for Jin or Wonder.
Back when they’d signed the sponsorship contract, this had been the very spot.
The difference now? One extra person on the opposite side from Jin and Wonder.
From Jin’s perspective, first.
Silvia, was it?
She sat ramrod straight, fists clenched tightly on her knees. She reminded him of a fresh recruit brimming with determination.
But her physique was no joke anymore.
Whoa. How was he supposed to... handle his gaze.
In the grim Downtown, her generous... assets didn’t quite fit. Jin’s eyes kept dipping down involuntarily before snapping back up.
He swallowed his pure admiration at how such a figure was even possible.
Wonder’s stare, on the other hand, was blatant.
“...”
He alternated between sulky-faced Bagmar, arms crossed, and Chloe standing behind him. The look in his eyes was intense.
His sharp instincts were already clicking away at an invisible calculator.
Finally, he hit the equals sign. Whatever result he saw made his eyes narrow slowly.
Wonder turned to Jin.
“I heard Apophis crashed. Were you... at the scene by any chance?”
“Yeah. Spot on.”
Wonder nodded as if he’d expected as much.
Silvia let out an involuntary gasp, then quickly bit her lip to stifle it.
“Fascinating. Care to elaborate a bit?”
“Well, see...”
Jin’s explanation flowed naturally, of course, in a highly condensed version.
No need to spill details like Apophis this, Dragon Heart that, or some rank-3 Beastman merc from Styx showing up.
Stripping away all the side stories left the core:
I joined the Apophis exploration op, ran into this guy here, Bagmar. I want to help him adjust to the surface, and you folks came to mind first.
“Heh-ek?!”
Ignoring Silvia’s juicy reaction, Wonder replied.
“...So you’re saying this gentleman is a genuine dwarf?”
“Hey, longshanks. You think I’m human or something?”
Bagmar snorted derisively.
True to his soul-deep identity, he couldn’t help bristling at the need for reconfirmation like this.
As Wonder offered a polite apology, Silvia squirmed in her seat, her eyes sparkling like stars.
“Cl-client! For real? Not some illegal android built on a gimmick—a real dwarf? Those dwarves who went extinct a thousand years ago?!”
“Y-yeah, that’s right. Just... calm down a bit...”
“Waaah!”
Silvia squealed in delight.
Bagmar’s expression soured instantly.
“Hey, big-tits. What’s the big deal about me being a dwarf...”
“Dwarf! Heirs of Duermur! Scions of the Steel Heart! Masters of flame and hammer!”
Bagmar cleared his throat awkwardly as she clasped her hands like a fangirl, rattling off titles. He twirled his hand in a “go on” gesture.
“Those who tread closest to the earth, who thrive amid soaring sparks! Read the pulse of the land, chronicle the saga of steel. Ohhh, great artisans!”
“Ooh! More!”
At some point, Bagmar started clapping along.
Jin blinked in dizziness beside him.
Clap clap clap clap.
His short tail wagged wildly.
St-stop. I’m losing my mind.
“...You are the immortal creators whom even time cannot bend!”
Silvia recited the long poem flawlessly in one go, pumping her fist in the air.
Bagmar shot to his feet and bumped his fist against hers.
“Duermur preserve us! A human who knows our poem by heart! Why isn’t this a forge? The God of the Crucible would surely bless you for this!”
As he clutched his bald head in astonishment, did he sense Jin’s dumbfounded stare?
Silvia fidgeted with her fingers.
“Hehe. I majored in history.”
Jin went, Huh?
History major winding up at an arms manufacturer?
No wonder it’s one of the top three majors that leave you unemployed, impossible to leverage. Even in this cyberpunk mishmash world? He couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
Anyway.
Thanks to her, the stuffy reception room livened right up.
Poh even brought drinks, so the conversation really kicked off.
“So, any openings at your company? Stick him in as a tech—should pull his weight, right? He’s a dwarf, after all.”
Wonder let out a hollow chuckle at Jin’s question.
His weight? Underestimating a dwarf like that?
Truth be told.
If you looked purely at technical prowess, humanity had made dazzling strides in this era.
Exquisite machines intolerant of the slightest error, births of cutting-edge tech.
Some even claimed modern human craftsmanship rivaled the dwarves of a millennium ago—no way behind.
Tech inevitably converges at the pinnacle, and humans had steadily closed the once-vast gap.
A thousand years? Far from short.
If anything, it underscored the dwarves’ legendary status.
The issue?
Craftsmanship wasn’t everything.
It was odd.
Tech seemed flawless, yet every artifact humanity produced failed to surpass the legacies of the Age of Light and Roses.
A prime example?
The Margie family.
Seven hundred years ago.
After their patriarch vanished slaying the Last Black Dragon, they’d poured endless effort into reclaiming the artifact “Eternal Dawn.”
But they never found it. Their conclusion?
If we can’t find it, we’ll make it.
No matter the astronomical cost!
The result?
Total failure.
Even the top arms manufacturers of the era, united, couldn’t replicate Eternal Dawn’s fortress.
Not even close.
The furious Margie patriarch smashed the delivered “finished” product to bits.
That rift later sparked the family-corporate wars—a true irony.
In short.
Humanity still hadn’t surpassed the dwarves.
It might not even be just a tech issue.
The race chosen by anvil and hammer.
Scions of the Steel Heart.
Dwarves.
Born blessed by the God of the Crucible—perhaps inevitable humans couldn’t win.
And now.
Such a dwarf had returned, transcending eras.
No wonder Silvia was bouncing with excitement.
If word reached other corps...
Dizzying.
Wonder’s fingers drummed the table.
Unaware of his boss’s deepening woes, Silvia peeked in cautiously.
“Um, bartender? Could we get more drinks?”
“Of course. Same as before?”
“What else you got?”
“Anything you like.”
“Oh, uh... yeah, same thing. Hehe.”
“Got it.”
“It’s sooo good. For real.”
And so on.
Wonder, naturally, paid no mind.
He was too deeply focused, tuning out ambient noise.
Jin scratched his cheek.
That deep in thought?
Maybe pushing a parachute hire was too much.
Ruger & Dole alone suggested a solid megacorp rival, if not quite.
Even as a recommendation, asking the team lead to jump through hoops? Bound to hesitate.
So, it’s fine.
Sorry if I put you in a tough spot—that’s what he was about to say.
“First off.”
Wonder finally stopped drumming and looked up slowly.
“Thank you sincerely for the offer. Not only providing such a precious opportunity, but trusting us enough to come first—truly grateful.”
An unexpected wave of thanks.
What’s this now?
As Jin looked awkward, Wonder continued calmly.
“But I’m sorry. We can’t accept.”
Silvia, mid-sip of her non-alcoholic cocktail, whipped around.
Her wide eyes screamed disbelief.
“T-team lead?!”
Jin shrugged.
Figures the preamble was long.
Guess it’s a no.
“No worries.”
He smiled lightly, as if to brush it off, and added,
“Sorry you came all this way on my account.”
“N-no, client! Wait, just a sec!”
Silvia paled and flailed between them.
“...Teaaam leeead! Why would you do thaaat? For reaaal!”
She whispered what she thought was an aside, but it rang clear in Jin’s ears.
Partly his sharp hearing.
“This is such an amaaazing chaaance...!”
She even pinched Wonder’s side, pretending otherwise.
Seemed their views clashed completely.
But Jin had no intent to exploit that, so he cut in before Wonder got more awkward.
“Shall we head out?”
“Very well.”
As the two rose first, Bagmar looked fairly flustered too.
Clearly hadn’t expected it to fizzle like this.
Silvia was no different.
“No, this isn’t right!”
She half-stood, bit her lip, then snapped to attention.
Wonder flinched beside her.
She’d pinched his back discreetly.
Meanwhile, Jin opened the door.
“Talk over?”
Kalifa stepped aside smartly, spotting Silvia’s dejected face.
“Hmm.”
“Later.”
Jin winked as he passed Kalifa, then extended a hand to Wonder at the entrance.
“In you go.”
“Then. I’ll be in touch soon.”
A quick handshake, and Wonder exited.
Silvia stared blankly, then bowed deeply with a heavy sigh.
“I’ll be going. Silvia from R&D Sales.”
Even now, introducing herself—Jin chuckled.
“Yeah, take care.”
“Yeees.”
Her drawn-out reply as she pushed the door.
Stepped out one foot... then spun back, grabbing Jin’s hand with both of hers.
“Client! Could you please convince our team lead? Actually, our company...”
“Silvia!”
A sharp bark.
Silvia flinched.
Jin raised a brow toward the door.
“Let’s go.”
Wonder turned firmly.
Silvia’s shoulders slumped.
She mumbled a melty “Sorryyy” and chased him into the alley.
“What happened?”
Kalifa approached, head tilted.
“Didn’t go as hoped?”
“Guess their thoughts didn’t align.”
“Wonder turned it down? What reason?”
“Dunno. Didn’t ask.”
Jin shrugged lightly.
“Good call.”
She leaned against the bar counter.
“Might be for the best, honestly. I was a bit worried.”
“Huh? About what.”
Jin walked over, puzzled, popping a cookie in his mouth.
Poh spoke up.
“If Bagmar’s skills match our expectations, it’s wise to avoid him joining any specific corporation. Could be hasty, but I can’t shake the fear it might spark wars between arms manufacturers.”
“Whoa.”
Jin hadn’t considered that far. That serious?
“Is that why Wonder said no?”
“Who knows. Unexpected, though. Figured he’d jump at it.”
“Hmm.”
“Still, we verify.”
Kalifa’s face turned serious.
“Can’t be sure how tight-lipped they are.”
She eyed Jin.
“I can tail them if you want. Or you do it?”
“That necessary?”
“Jin, I hope Wonder’s not the type to sell Bagmar out for cash. But we won’t know till it bites us.”
“Even so...”
Jin grimaced.
Shouldn’t have contacted Wonder.
Regret gnawed inwardly.
“Think it over carefully. But not too long.”
Jin glanced at Poh, eyebrow raised—you too?
A calm smile returned.
“Sigh.”
Jin crunched his cookie, eyeing the gaping shop entrance after some thought.
Bzzz——
Vibration against his chest. Jin fished out his comms.
Saw [Wonder] on the screen. Chuckled dryly.
“Not much better, huh.”
Swiped to answer.
[Hah-, huff, huff, hah.]
Panting breaths suddenly blasted through.
Jin startled.
Wrong number?
Pressed it to his ear quick.
“...What’re you doing?”
“Kh. Client!”
“Huh?”
Silvia’s voice, out of nowhere. Jin tilted his head.
As he shifted grip—
“T-team lead! The team lead—he—!”
“Silvia? What’s wrong. What happened.”
“The team lead got shot! Blood, so much blood...!”
Then—a gunshot echoed over the line.
Bang—!
Jin kicked off the floor.