Delivery Complete

Magic.

A bizarre power that had appeared in this world at some point.

Hugo, too, knew of magic.

To harness that magic—specifically, the tentative medium of magic dubbed "Ether"—he had spent nearly two years without sleep, focusing solely on research.

The other corporations were no different.

Both Neonic and Lui Chen were possessed by this sudden phenomenon, pouring all their resources into it.

So there was no way he didn't know.

In fact, he was likely among those who understood it best in all of Eden.

And.

He had already figured out that Noise wielded this magic with absolute freedom.

He knew that the lightning bolt that had struck Northrica not long ago was her doing, and that even the static-like "Noise" shrouding her body was a form of magic.

He had also quietly noticed her abnormal obsession with it.

At first, he had assumed she was a chimera created by a rival corporation. But looking at her track record, that theory didn't quite fit either...

"No magic?"

At her question, Hugo shut his mouth.

He began to calculate. Why did she need magic? How urgent was her situation?

Silence was the most expensive commodity.

That was the very first rule Hugo applied at any negotiation table.

When the other party presented their terms, never react immediately. Neither affirm nor deny; simply stare. For Hugo, that silent gaze was the opening statement of any negotiation.

The one who couldn't bear the uncomfortable silence would always be the first to show their hand. It gave the opponent time to overthink, applying a heavy, unspoken pressure.

"If you don't have any, I'll just keep Viktor until you find some. I don't know when he'll die, though."

"*Gasp*... Wh-why are you suddenly talking about killing me...?"

...But it didn't seem to work on Noise at all.

It was the first time he had ever encountered someone like this. He was startled, but he didn't let it show. Hugo slowly shook his head.

"...Not on me. I don't have the luxury of carrying such things around."

"But you have it somewhere else?"

"Yes. However, it is managed by Zyrec headquarters, and even then, it is scattered across multiple locations. It is difficult to hand it over all at once."

Slice what the opponent wants into thin pieces before giving it to them.

That was Hugo's second rule.

Never grant the opponent's ultimate demand all at once. Instead of giving away everything with a single nod, make a hundred tiny nods, extracting a price for each one.

"Just tell me where they are. I'll go get them myself."

"Are you claiming you can break through the Zyrec forces stationed there all by yourself?"

"Want me to show you?"

What is wrong with this girl?

What did she mean by "want me to show you"?

Hugo swallowed hard, casting a brief glance at his personal guard. They possessed enough firepower to completely suppress at least one Talos squad.

Was she offering to demonstrate on them right now?

"...Honestly, magic isn't that important to us. It's practically garbage—it can't even be utilized, yet it eats up astronomical amounts of funding. But to hand it over to you, I would have to risk my life for that garbage."

Distort the concept of equivalent exchange.

That was his third rule.

Devalue what the opponent desires while inflating the cost of what you are offering. Package their absolute necessity as a grand favor on your part.

"You'll die without Viktor anyway."

"...What?"

"So I'll do it. If you don't believe me, I'll prove it to you. Just tell me where they are."

This crazy girl had absolutely no intention of negotiating.

She was just here to rob him blind.

Magic was garbage?

Not in the slightest. Magic was one of the primary reasons Hugo had plotted his rebellion in the first place. He had planned to monopolize it and secure his position at the absolute top of Eden's hierarchy.

And now she wanted him to just hand it over?

One? Two? Or everything he had?

He couldn't tell. Even if he gave her just one, she would probably come back, throw another tantrum, and extort more from him. If that was the case, was it better to offer a massive concession right from the start?

Honestly, Noise was completely unpredictable. It was impossible to tell whose side she was on or what she actually wanted. No one could foresee when, where, or how she would strike next.

If that was the case, could he at least secure a promise that she wouldn't touch his faction?

Give up something massive in exchange for guaranteed safety...

If only my rebellion hadn't been exposed, I would have wiped this 'Noise' off the face of the earth...

Hugo bitterly lamented his ruined authority before opening his mouth.

"...Two months."

"Mm?"

"Give me two months, and I will personally deliver it to you."

Start with an offer destined to be rejected.

Throw out an absurd condition to shatter the opponent's baseline. Then, gradually lower the demands, making the opponent feel relieved when they finally reach a compromise.

This was a fundamental rule of negotiation, practiced by Hugo and every corporate executive in Eden.

"Hugo might die in a little bit. Two months is too long."

But this girl didn't play by those rules.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

She had come solely to demand, right from the start.

Usually, an opponent's rejection revealed their weaknesses, but she acted as if she had none—or as if she simply didn't care.

It made even her obvious vulnerabilities feel completely irrelevant.

Her sheer combat power...

He remembered the Talos kidnapping incident in Southpeak. The public believed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was a clash between the Big Three and the ECPD, but Hugo knew the truth.

Talos had been utterly defeated by Noise.

Even the reinforcement squads deployed afterward failed to eliminate her. She had subdued the elite of Talos, kidnapped their commander, and vanished without a trace.

Could he handle someone like that with raw force?

Impossible.

What about using the media to corner her?

That wasn't an option for Hugo right now.

If he were still the managing director of Zyrec, it would be easy. But the moment he set foot back in Zyrec headquarters, his head would be chopped off and his brain uploaded to a server.

What about finding a weakness to exploit?

Did Noise even have a weakness?

Her identity, her accomplices—nothing was certain.

The most likely link was the Wolha agency under Lui Chen, but Lui Chen was heavily guarding them.

Furthermore, Neonic agents had been deployed around Yoo Seung-ah of the ECPD—the sister of Wolha's representative—to monitor and protect her.

This is driving me insane...

There was nothing he could do.

Well, not entirely nothing.

He could just give her what she wanted.

"Magic, you said?"

"Yeah. I know you're trying to do something with magic. But you have to be alive to actually do it, right?"

Hugo bristled at her patronizing tone.

He glared at her, but Noise paid him no mind and continued.

"The Western Dead Sector is going to open soon. If you secure your power and build a solid foundation now, won't you get the results you want when that happens?"

She wasn't wrong.

He knew Lui Chen was working on a new project that would soon be completed.

Wasting time here was a luxury he couldn't afford. In fact, it was downright idiotic.

He needed to regain his momentum and execute the rebellion as quickly as possible.

Gritting his teeth, Hugo nodded.

"...Fine. I'll hand over the magic. But I only have one piece with me right now. The rest—"

"I'll come get them later."

"And how do you plan on finding me?"

"I'll just look around. I like hide-and-seek. If I really can't find you, I'll call out."

"Six days from now. Come to Warehouse 29, Sector 19, on the Northrica Northern Front."

Letting her search for him or "call out" was out of the question.

There was no telling what kind of havoc this lunatic would wreak. Hugo decided it was best to set a concrete date and time.

It was safer to schedule the meeting on his own terms. Besides, it might give him a chance to prepare a trap and suppress her once and for all.

"Then I'll only hand over one piece of Viktor a day."

"*Eek*... Wh-why me...?"

Naturally, his threat didn't work on Noise.

Hugo ground his teeth so hard that one of his molars shattered. Spitting out the bloody fragment, he glared at her, no longer bothering to conceal his rage.

"......Three days. If you demand any less, you can go ahead and kill Viktor for all I care."

"Yeah. Three days is good."

The moment she agreed, Viktor's slumped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠body floated into the air and drifted toward Hugo.

Hugo was nearly mesmerized by the bizarre, mystical sight, but a soft whisper snapped him back to reality.

"Give me the magic."

Would she even recognize it?

What if he handed her a fake?

He quickly decided against taking such a pointless gamble.

Hugo retrieved a large bag from the trunk of his vehicle and tossed it forward. The bag never touched the ground. Just like Viktor, it floated gently through the air until it reached Noise.

"Good doing business with you."

"You're not going to check the contents?"

He asked just in case.

Even though Hugo was familiar with magic and had dealt with it extensively, it was still difficult to identify it properly. He wasn't even entirely sure if the item in the bag was indeed a genuine magical medium.

He had simply grabbed it from Zyrec's high-security vault when he fled.

If it turned out to be a dud, how would Noise react? He preferred not to imagine it.

"You think I can't tell?"

"...I'm just making sure you don't complain later. Customers like you are always a pain in the ass."

"I can tell at a glance. Even if it's inside the bag."

The bag was sucked into the static shroud of Noise.

A moment later, a satisfied chuckle echoed.

"Yep, this is magic."

She had been slightly suspicious because the bag was on the smaller side, but once it drew close, she knew for sure. It was a complete, intact magic. Just like the "wind" she had found in the Wasteland, this would whisper its secrets directly to Soo.

What kind of magic could it be?

She wanted to open it and find out right this second, but Soo held back, deciding to examine it together with Angela.

Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Soo looked back and forth between Hugo and Viktor, who was currently crawling toward him on all fours.

Come to think of it, she felt like there was one more thing she needed to mention besides the magic...

"Oh, right."

"What else is there?"

Securing the magic had been her top priority, but she finally remembered the message she wanted to deliver along with Viktor.

"You don't need Thompson anymore, right?"

"You speak of killing my nephew so casually. Do you think this is the time or place for such a conversation?"

"You only set him up as a meat shield anyway."

Hugo stared at Soo with the exact same expression as before. Completely blank.

Maintaining a poker face was a basic survival skill for any megacorp executive. Not a single muscle twitched; his face was a perfect mask.

But Soo already knew what he was thinking.

Even if she couldn't read his mind word-for-word, she could easily guess his intentions.

Which meant she didn't need his permission anyway.

"Bye. See you in three days."

Soo turned around without a shred of lingering attachment and walked away.

And four hours later.

Following the confession of a completely broken Thompson—though what exactly transpired remained a mystery—the IEP of Zyrec Tech's Kinetics division ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was officially terminated.