Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Solo Level 2
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Vrooooom!!
The Manticore let out an engine roar worthy of its name as it tore down the road.
The sunset blazed in hues of pumpkin orange, beautiful against the evening sky. But it couldn't pierce the forest of haphazardly towering buildings below.
The streets were as dim and murky as ever.
What illuminated this land where day and night blurred together were rusted streetlamps and gloomy neon signs.
Jin gazed out at the world beyond those hazy light sources.
A woman irritably spinning her pistol, a man high on drugs running shirtless down the street, a sex toy harassing passersby with catcalls, distant gunfire, gang members, homeless folks, the people of the streets.
A landscape utterly unlike his hometown.
Yet now, it had become part of his life.
As the Manticore picked up speed, all those sights lost their outlines, blending into a single mass.
Thus becoming...
Downtown.
Vroom.
At some point, a bike crossing the main road slowed and turned into an alley.
A labyrinth of paths tangled like a maze formed by buildings pressed tight against one another.
The Manticore pushed on a bit further before halting under the dim glow of a light.
The engine cut off, and Jin stepped down to the ground.
He patted his stiff lower back and looked up at the building before him, then pushed open the door to Anecdote.
Ding-a-ling—
The first thing that caught his eye was Kalifa, sitting alone at a table.
She had her long legs crossed over her thighs, her lips pressed to a glass of liquor. She glanced toward the open door.
Then, with a raised eyebrow, she let out a hollow chuckle.
"...Ha? Who's this?"
"Hey, Kalifa."
Jin waved as he entered and took a seat across from her.
"Why the long face all by yourself?"
"It's not a long face. I'm just enjoying some alone time."
"I didn't interrupt, did I?"
"Eh, this isn't so bad either."
Kalifa stood from her seat.
As always, she brought over cookies and warm milk before speaking.
"Why'd you go radio silent?"
"Oh, that. My communicator got... Whoa, what's with that look? Were you worried?"
"...Jin. Do you think I'm just some cookie-pushing lady? As a Linker, checking on affiliated Solos' status is par for the course."
Kalifa let out a soft sigh.
But Jin just tilted his head.
For someone so casual about it, her expression when their eyes first met had been awfully calm.
Sure enough, she seemed to already know the full story, continuing the conversation in a steady tone.
"I heard. You nearly died, huh?"
"From Fenrir?"
Kalifa neither confirmed nor denied Jin's question.
She simply pressed her lips to her glass and took a gentle sip.
Then, setting the glass on the table, she said,
"...Fenrir's a Level 3 Solo. Like I told you before, that's veteran territory no matter what anyone says. Plus, he rarely beastifies unless it's serious business, so personally, I think he's got skills worthy of a rank even higher."
Jin didn't reply.
It wasn't the vibe for jumping in.
"So I wasn't worried. I figured even with a rookie like you in tow, Fenrir could handle that job no problem."
With that, Kalifa abruptly stood again.
More cookies, maybe?
As Jin gulped down his milk with hopeful eyes,
Kalifa returned not with cookies, but with a large leather bag in hand.
She plunked it down beside the table and spoke.
"Who could've predicted it? That Fenrir would end up owing his life to a rookie."
Jin blinked in surprise.
"What're you talking about? We saved each other's lives."
It had been a situation where they desperately needed each other to survive.
Please don't die. Without you, I'm dead too.
That's how they'd clung on desperately.
"Fenrir doesn't see it that way."
Kalifa smiled faintly and nodded toward the bag on the floor.
"Open it."
Jin reached out skeptically and unzipped it.
He flinched at the stacks of bills inside.
As he shot her a look asking what the hell this was,
Kalifa explained.
"25 million credits. Your full success fee after commission. Fenrir transferred his share to you."
"...Why?"
"Beats me. Ask him yourself next time."
That was all Kalifa said, leaving Jin even more baffled.
Did he hit his head in the fight or something?
Truth be told, Jin had planned to thank Fenrir when they met.
After all, when the warehouse exploded, Fenrir had carried out Jin while he was unconscious.
But a transfer?
Jin couldn't make sense of it, but he had no reason to refuse. He pulled the bag closer.
The crisp scent of new bills made his head spin.
How much is all this...?
As Jin shakily closed the zipper,
"Don't you have questions?"
Kalifa said, pouring herself another drink.
Her long lashes lowered, she swirled the glass, her face expectant.
Naturally, Jin took the opening.
"That Black Mage. Who the hell was he?"
As if she'd anticipated it, the answer came right away.
"Crow Madeye. A Black Mage with Styx. Usually just called 'that lunatic.'"
"...Styx?"
Not unfamiliar to Jin.
The name alone evoked the river connecting the living world to the underworld.
Info etched into his brain from childhood.
Thanks to that legendary children's bestseller.
Greek and Roman Myths as Comics.
If you're in your thirties and don't know it, you're a spy. It was seriously fun.
Of course, Jin didn't dwell on whether Styx was just a homonym or a real-world borrow.
Digging too deep would surely trigger panic.
Meanwhile, Kalifa began her explanation.
"A group made up of criminals rated danger level 5 or higher. Every member's got a massive bounty, but that's just numbers quantifying how monstrously strong they are. No Bounty Hunter or Solo targets them. Well, some tried. Until their corpses piled high enough to build a skyscraper."
Jin's upper lip twitched.
Asking "so how much?" would be tactless.
"At the same time, they're fixers just like us. Not that you can hire them with cash alone—you've gotta pique their interest or whatever. Total psychos. They seem impossible one minute, then wreck shit in the most unexpected places."
Kalifa paused, then added,
"Like that warehouse."
"Got it."
Jin nodded.
No wonder it felt off. Difficulty jumping from 1-5 straight to 20? Total dogshit luck.
Jin clicked his tongue and popped a cookie into his mouth.
As he brushed crumbs from his fingers, Kalifa watched and lowered her voice.
"Jin. What I'm about to say isn't consolation or an excuse. Just facts you have to accept."
Her red eyes calmly met his.
"As long as you're a Solo, this shit will happen all the time. Unforeseen threats. Uncontrollable situations. Endless variables they spawn. Prepping for it all is damn near impossible. In the end, all that's left is your own ability. That's how this world works. Harsh, I guess."
"......"
"Still confident?"
Jin held his tongue for a moment at the follow-up.
He didn't get why a mere commission-taking middleman cared this much, but the point was clear.
A warning to the guy who struck gold.
Hell's just ahead.
But had there ever been a time it wasn't?
Since opening his eyes in this world, Jin had never once been free from mortal peril.
Blades and bullets? They hurt.
Stab wounds and shattered bones never got easier, no matter the time. Some nights he'd groan in agony, feeling so pathetic and tearful he'd sob his eyes out.
But what scared him more was lying safe and whole.
Those nights thick with thoughts.
Chasing tails of worries.
Is this really a game world?
Then what am I? Possessed soul? Game character? Why me?
How'd this happen? Can I escape? Even if I go back, how do I live with these memories?
Damn status window. Damn damn damn.
Then the black wave would crash in without fail.
Suddenly, Jin couldn't turn off the lights or sleep.
After getting his communicator, he'd blast noisy music by the bed.
Maybe that's why he felt split like a coin's two sides.
The superhuman hurling cannonball fists, pressing on no matter what broke; and the coward curling up against the night.
In the growing gap as time passed.
Jin accepted his one given choice.
Reach the end of the path the status window laid out.
And smash whatever waited there with his own hands.
It was still distant.
So the Solo life was just one process toward that far-off goal.
Finally, Jin spoke.
"Of course. I'm confident."
"Knew you'd say that."
Kalifa smiled faintly.
"Anyway, you did great. Coming back alive after facing Crow? That proves your worth. So, good news."
"Good news?"
As Jin blinked blankly, Kalifa clapped with a grin.
"Poh!"
Like he'd been waiting, the bartender popped out from behind the central shelf with a flourish.
"You called, boss?"
The perfectly timed entrance felt staged, making Jin chuckle despite himself. Kalifa turned back and said,
"You tell him. You've been dying to."
Poh nodded politely and faced Jin.
"Congratulations, Jin. Having fulfilled the fee requirements through official procedures for promotion, you are now registered as a Level 2 Solo on the Solo intranet."
A little farther,
a little higher.
Reward: Punk XP 2,000
"Rookies who don't even pass all the sieves getting promoted is extremely rare. It's a legendary feat, like those Level 7+ Solos have."
"Poh, don't overhype it."
Kalifa shot him a light glare, then turned to Jin.
"I'll line up better jobs from now on. It'll happen naturally. Looking forward to working with you."
In a brain-fogged haze of dopamine, Jin grabbed her offered hand and slurred,
"Shure thing. Me tooo."
"......? What's with you?"
After that.
Clearing up the minor misunderstanding, Jin hefted the heavy money bag and left Anecdote.
Thud.
He stowed it in the storage trunk, climbed onto the Manticore.
As the bike's engine growled low, ready to ride again,
Jin looked up at the now-dark sky.
Wonder where tonight would take him.
Nothing was set.
He'd just live wherever his feet—or wheels—took him.
Maybe he'd become a bit more Street Rat now.
A faint smile crossed his lips as he twisted the throttle.
Vrooooom!!
Under the hazy moonlight, the bike cut through Downtown.