Chapter 39
Chapter 39
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: How to Survive in Fusion Punk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jin was the honest type about everything.
If it hurt, it hurt. If he was angry, he was angry.
He didn't bother hiding his emotions, letting his true feelings show plainly on his face without filter.
But even so, grinning like an idiot was a no-go.
Shaking like a leaf was embarrassing enough, and letting drool pool in his mouth with glazed eyes was utterly unacceptable.
So Jin worked hard to control his expression.
Even as his dopamine-bombed brain went haywire—
There was a stream of water quenching wilted flowers here.
A breeze caressing a sweat-drenched nape.
The dawn breaking after enduring a long night.
Thankfully, the rush of accomplishment melted away in just a few seconds, though the afterglow lingered like a faint echo.
Apart from his eyelids twitching a bit, Jin successfully maintained his poker face as he slowly opened his mouth.
"...Get me some cold water."
"Hm? Sure thing."
Kalifa nodded.
She picked up the cookie that had fallen on the table and placed it back on the plate before turning around.
Jin gulped down the iced water she handed him and finally let out a faint sigh.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Quests completing one after another—who would've thought?
The interval was so short: the first like a straight punch, the second an uppercut.
He'd nearly been knocked out cold because he let his guard down.
That's why he endured. For real.
Jin muttered to himself inwardly as he brought another cookie to his mouth.
And thought.
Why'd it skip?
Because I heard about Walter from Kalifa?
Was it info I was supposed to dig up myself originally?
This is why 'intuition' is so damn important.
Reviewing the results, Jin pieced together the vague gaps in events—the context.
People like that, with heads that turned quick in these situations, were called 'sharp' or 'sensible.'
It was a different realm from book smarts: the type who nods after one explanation without asking twice or thrice, no frustration involved.
Just like now.
Even with the out-of-nowhere system window blaring its guts like that, Jin didn't float a question mark over his head while munching his cookie. He just opened his mouth casually.
"So, who's the client?"
"...Huh? What do you mean?"
"The one looking for Walter. Lover? Family? Vendetta?"
Kalifa gave him an odd look, her red eyes blankly staring at him.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"You knew?"
Jin tilted his head in the exact same way.
"You think I wouldn't?"
Kalifa was a Linker.
Just like a Solo, she didn't move without compensation.
So why had she thrown in a Level 4 Solo, no, even hacked CCTV to secure the broker's identity?
"You took a commission, right? Wait, no. You reached out first, so it's more like you proposed the job?"
At Jin's follow-up, Kalifa—rare for her—showed genuine surprise.
Followed by admiration.
"Impressive. Moments like this make you seem like a veteran Solo."
Hold up. So what was I like normally?
As Jin narrowed his eyes at the ambiguous praise, Kalifa teased that he could hit Level 3 right now and added,
"You're right. There is a client. And yeah, I made first contact."
Her subsequent explanation boiled down to three points.
One: Kalifa learned of the mercenary Walter's disappearance via Nielsen's corpse.
Two: With the info in hand, she scouted someone to use it on.
Three: Sure enough, there was someone who'd been tracking Walter for ages.
Eh. Three wasn't enough.
Four: So she reached out first.
Asking if they were still looking.
Planning to dive into business talk if they said yes.
And now here they were.
The Linker who'd successfully turned hard-won intel into cash with a client still desperate to find Walter.
And a Solo (Lv2) who'd somehow tagged along.
A bizarre trio.
Time for some traffic control.
Kalifa slowly spoke up.
"Anyway, Jin. Thanks to you, I got the broker here. I'll definitely compensate you for that. Your cut from what I promised Eric. And..."
She trailed off, then asked,
"You're seeing this through to the end, right?"
Jin nodded as if it was obvious.
This all started to take down the terrorist who torched Rum Pump Pump.
No way the goal changed just because things got messy.
"Yeah. All the way. So if anything turns up, let me know right away. I nabbed that bald bastard first, and I brought him here. Fair share, right?"
"Sure. Deal."
At Kalifa's calm agreement, Jin's expression eased.
Truth be told, this was way more convenient for him too.
No need to zap the bald guy with lightning for an interrogation.
Speaking of which, it was already midnight.
Kalifa spoke toward Jin's profile as he gazed at the pitch-black window outside.
"It's late. Crash here tonight. Plenty of empty rooms."
Jin didn't refuse.
It was a familiar guest room.
The day he'd brawled with Fenrir long ago, broken his nose. The place where he'd hugged a bucket and spat blood down his back.
That time it was a chair, but now Jin lay on the bed, hands clasped behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Wonder how Fenrir's doing.
What an ungrateful wolf.
Haven't seen him once since.
Recalling the wolf beastman he'd fought tooth and nail with, Jin suddenly scowled.
Because of the ominous figure that popped up alongside.
Black leather longcoat and fedora.
Dull silver beak mask.
Crow Mad Eye.
Known to the world as 'that madman,' to Jin as the 'Plague Doctor.'
Just remembering the moment he'd faced him made his palms sweat. No matter how he thought about it, that bastard had gone easy on them.
The monster who'd toyed with him and Fenrir with a mere gesture haunted his mind. Jin bit his lip for a while before recalling the chained middle-aged beggar's face.
Rokan.
A Zahard native living as a homeless bum for reasons unknown.
That filthy face dripping grime had closed the distance like lightning—how startled he'd been.
How much Hyperlight did you need to grow for that speed?
Impossible to gauge.
If Crow was a suffocating abyss of terror,
Rokan was a flash beyond unreachable skies.
A natural question followed.
So, who's stronger?
Random A vs. Random B.
If you were born with a dick, you'd fantasized about it endlessly growing up. Anyone calling it childish needs to reflect.
Prime Tony Ferguson vs. that era's Khabib.
20 DAMWON vs. 15 SKT.
Nu Gundam vs. Sazabi.
Not curious?
No conclusion makes it pointless?
Nonsense. No conclusion is what makes it fun.
You could argue for hours.
Alone, Jin silently projected them onto the ceiling backdrop.
Alright, now kill each other.
After staring holes into the ceiling for ages, Jin's conclusion was...
Hm. No friggin' clue?
Disappointing, but unavoidable.
You need knowledge to even guess lengths.
What good was hypothesizing when he couldn't even comprehend their levels?
Realizing his own shortcomings, Jin wiped under his nose.
Then slowly closed his eyes—
When he opened them again, this was the night sky.
A small universe twinkling with countless stars.
"......"
Jin gazed at his inner world, specifically the massive constellation shaped like a tree.
Every time, he thought: How the hell do you light all that up?
Trivia time.
In Project Neo's first playthrough, fully illuminating the [Mana] constellation was brutally tough.
Unless it was Easy mode with the highest EXP rewards, other difficulties were unthinkable.
Hell, why bother with builds if you could just brute-force it.
Someone might yell back, 'Why make a constellation you can't even finish?'
But that's just how the game was designed.
This wasn't unique; late-game [Psyker] types bragging pyro/tele/gravikinesis mashups were rare as hell.
Specialized maxed-out characters were way stronger.
So Jin's dilemma deepened.
Dabbling randomly in skills seemed doomed.
His gamer instincts from childhood screamed it—
The safest bet right now: Stick to fundamentals doggedly.
In other words, the constellation's vertical axis. The pillar stars (demanding massive EXP) first.
Sure, less variety upfront, but hidden constellations could fill that later.
Besides, elemental magic granted resistance to same-attribute spells at lower outputs...
That King's Groom bald guy's minion prepped Lightning forever, but one Hyperlight cough from him wasted it.
After experiencing that firsthand, how could he grind basic Fireballs?
Thus, Jin resolved.
He poured all his banked EXP into his target star. A beam of light shot straight through the empty nebula, awakening a dormant star.
Pain hit simultaneously.
Mana circuits spidering his body expanded and hardened around his heart—a storm of indescribable sensation dizzied his mind.
Again?!
Gently, please!
Of course, no mercy.
By the time his sweat-soaked body slumped like slime on the bed, richer mana flowed smoothly inside. The pleased Hyperlight danced, sparking everywhere in the expanded space.
No time to check the upgraded circuit before a deflating "Huuu..." groan sent his head lolling.
Oblivious that his planned growth was an Irregular-exclusive king-tier build, Jin passed out snoring soundly.
Jin woke to a polite knock-knock.
No intention of getting up, so he pretended not to hear and stayed sprawled—until Poh's voice slipped through the cracking door: "Care for some breakfast?"
Food?
Springing up like a coil, Jin stumbled out half-asleep.
He plopped into yesterday's seat, spotting the helmet head on a nearby sofa waving at him.
"Hey, morning. Here for chow too?"
[Coffee. Coffee.]
"Argh, just once, okay?"
As Jin scowled and turned—
"Good morning, Jin."
Poh had approached silently, setting a plate on the table.
Scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, baked beans—neatly plated. The classic English breakfast made Jin's eyes widen.
"Looks great."
First bite: sausage, juices bursting. Satisfaction from the start.
Jin powered through the plate in no time.
Poh promptly offered warm milk, as if waiting.
Kalifa with her cookies, these guys—should've opened a diner, not a bar.
Jin thought so as he cupped the cozy mug with both hands.
Naturally, he asked,
"Anything from the bald guy?"
"The broker, you mean. Yes, we got something."
"Whoa, already? Nice."
"But here's the thing..."
As Poh started to speak—
Ding-a-ling—
The clear bell echoed through the shop.
Morning customer at a bar? Drunkard or Solo, figured Jin, glancing casually.
Then he froze.
Hand instinctively on Gravis at his waist.
A strange woman had entered, slowly scanning left and right before speaking.
"This is Anecdote... right?"
White flames blazed fiercely in her eyes.