Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A Strange Person is Following (2)
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The Western Labyrinth, one of Nighthaven's outer districts.
Objectively speaking, it wasn't a very pleasant place to live.
Perhaps it was because all sorts of construction companies and corporations had recklessly thrown up buildings wherever they pleased.
An absurdly complex structure had formed, excessively long both vertically and horizontally. This made it extremely vulnerable to all kinds of terrorist attacks.
Ultimately, after an indiscriminate biochemical terror attack by an unidentified group, Nighthaven had no choice but to tacitly wash its hands of the place.
Thus, the Western Labyrinth became a part of the underworld, a place where those pushed out of the mainstream's fierce competition—or those who couldn't reveal their identities for various reasons—came to stay.
Most of the intricate, ownerless buildings were commandeered as bases for criminal organizations. The rest, those not chosen, were occupied by the homeless or minor factions.
For outsiders coming in, just finding a place to stay was an ordeal.
Worse still, most of the residents were factions of Beastmen, for whom fists spoke louder than the law.
It was far more of a lawless zone than the outside, where at least some semblance of order was maintained thanks to corporations and the police.
Without powerful backing, you could be stripped of everything you own and end up a slave.
There would be nowhere to voice your grievances.
But every environment and condition depends on the time and situation.
My face was far too conspicuous.
I possessed an ability called psychic power, which would be troublesome if discovered.
And I was an illegal resident without any identification to begin with.
For someone like me, who had no choice but to enter the underworld for these various reasons, the environment of the Western Labyrinth had more advantages than disadvantages.
There were no CCTV cameras, so I could use my psychic powers in secret. If I taught a bad person a lesson, there was no one to arrest me.
Plus, Beastmen tend to have discerning palates, so the food was generally delicious.
Like a puzzle piece finding its perfect match, the Western L Labyrinth was bound to be the right place for me.
‘Hehe, I found some clean cardboard. If I put this on the floor, it'll be less cold, right?’
I returned to the base I had recently chosen, carrying the cardboard I’d found on the street.
My base was an office in a certain high-rise building.
It was spacious, but it seemed like a long time since anyone had been there; abandoned desks and trash were scattered about haphazardly.
Of course, I hadn't paid for it. I'd just happened to find it while passing by.
It was blocked by a nearby building, so only shadows fell, no sunlight.
There was no electricity, the water was cut off, and there was no heating.
To top it all off, there was no elevator, so you had to climb a long flight of stairs.
It seemed even the homeless and minor organizations considered it a dud.
But these were constraints that didn't really matter to me.
I didn't have anything that needed electricity, and if I was cold, I could just wrap myself in cloth.
As for the stairs, I could just use psychokinesis to fly in.
It was a hundred times better than sleeping curled up like a shrimp on a rooftop.
The inns here weren't safe; I couldn't sleep soundly, always worried I might be targeted.
‘I’ll poke a hole around here, then secure it with some wire… Done!’
I put down the piece of cardboard, which was taller than me.
Then I pulled out a few strands of wire from under the floor and secured the cardboard tightly.
And if I layered the thick cloths I’d scavenged from a dumpster on top of the cardboard…
It was the completion of a makeshift bed, meaning I no longer had to use the cloth as a sleeping bag.
For something made by me, someone not particularly skilled with their hands, it looked quite plausible.
Perhaps the desire for a bed had furiously stimulated my creative urges.
‘…It’s hard.’
Of course, when I carefully sat down on it, it wasn't very soft.
It was definitely much better than the bare floor, a slab of stone from which the cold seeped up.
But it was the kind of hardness that would probably leave my body aching all over when I woke up.
‘Well, since my only materials are cardboard and blanket-like cloths, this is the best I can do. Where am I supposed to find soft materials around here?’
Clean things are rare. Soft things are expensive.
And things that are both clean and soft are usually not found here.
Unless I went outside the underworld and robbed a furniture store or something.
Realistically, making a soft, fluffy bed myself was impossible.
‘…If I just had a little more money, I think I could do it.’
I mulled it over with a groan.
So far, my thieving escapades had been limited to once a day, twice at most.
That was because it was enough to earn money for a day's worth of food.
Besides, I’d have to leave once Nighthaven stabilized over time.
And when leaving the underworld, you have to leave everything, including money, behind.
So, I had no particular reason or will to save up a lot of money.
But… right now, I really wanted a proper bed.
How happy would I be to wake up in a fluffy bed that my whole body could sink into?
How happy would I be to lie in bed, hugging a blanket, eating snacks and sandwiches!
‘…Maybe I should just try to buy a bed? Yeah. Once I have that, I won't want anything else.’
I won't be greedy for anything else, I'll just get a bed.
Having firmly set my goal, I glanced out the window.
Beyond the window was another building, uncomfortably close.
And in its glass, the red sunset sinking beyond the horizon was reflected.
It would be night soon.
I used my psychokinesis to pull over a cloth I had tossed nearby.
As if it were used to it, the pure white cloth gently wrapped around my body, and without any hesitation, I threw myself out the window.
My body, which was plummeting toward the ground in an instant, began to glide down slowly like a feather, thanks to my psychokinesis.
And before my eyes, the dark back alleys of Nighthaven appeared.
Should I aim for just five today?
My eyes, stalking their prey, sparkled more than usual.
***
Was winter coming?
The night air in Nighthaven was quite chilly.
It felt much colder than when I had first been reincarnated here.
It might be fine during the day, but at night, it was a bit much to be wandering around in light clothing.
‘I should probably stick a heat pack inside my cloth later.’
I dislike the cold more than the heat.
It seemed I would have to prepare proper measures against the cold when winter arrived.
*Thwack!*
“Gah!”
Anyway, that was that.
Today marked the fifth day since I had resolved to buy a bed.
The process was going quite smoothly.
There were so many people doing bad things in the back alleys here.
I could easily achieve my daily goal of five within a day.
Wander around, descend upon a crime scene, hit, take, and ascend.
Wander again, descend, hit, take, and ascend.
Since no one had yet been able to counter my psychokinetic flick.
This was simpler than lying down and eating cake.
‘Well… not that I have any intention of fighting someone who *can* counter a psychokinetic flick.’
*Thud.*
The psychokinetic flick struck the top of his head like a bolt from the blue.
The man who was threatening the woman collapsed helplessly to the ground without a chance to resist.
Strangely, the man was wearing a motorcycle helmet.
Unfortunately for him, my psychokinetic flick was a technique that could strike as long as there was even a little empty space above the crown of the head.
Even with a helmet, knocking out an opponent was no problem.
Situation resolved. I naturally approached the unconscious man and rummaged through his pockets.
From them, I pulled out an unusually pristine wallet.
‘Is this leather? I could probably sell this to Mr. Greg separately.’
It was the most expensive-looking wallet I had seen in the back alleys so far.
Most of what you saw here were either tattered rags or made of some cheap leather of unknown origin.
But this one, no matter how you looked at it, was real leather, or a high-quality product of comparable level.
If I just closed my eyes and sold it… my dream of a bed would surely take three giant leaps forward!
‘…No. I might leave a trail. I shouldn't be greedy here, just take the cash.’
The memory of the vampire chasing me after I took that ring popped into my head.
Of course, unless I was incredibly unlucky, I wouldn't get caught over a single wallet.
But trivial greed can lead to great disaster. I decided to obediently leave the wallet behind.
I stuffed the cash I'd taken into my clothes and stood up.
The woman who had been trembling just a moment ago was now nowhere to be seen.
It was a common occurrence.
About half of the victims would thank me, but the other half would run away while I was rummaging through pockets.
I didn't really care.
Whether they ran or not, my business was only with the moneybag lying on the ground.
Time to go, then.
As usual, I hurried to leave the scene.
If a passerby saw me, strange rumors might start.
And if I started drawing attention, it would become a hassle to move around.
But then, someone suddenly approached the alley I was in at an incredible speed.
“Woooah! Where are you! Where! Ghost!”
*Thump! Thump! Thump-thump! Splaash!*
“…!”
“There you are! Finally, finally!”
The figure that appeared from beyond the alley was a soaking-wet, blond-haired man.
His hair was plastered down from the water, and a bit of foam clung to the top of his head.
The damp gown he wore showed that he had been washing up just moments ago.
‘Who in the world is that? A pervert?’
As I stood there, blinking blankly, unable to process the sudden situation.
The drenched man suddenly pointed at me and shouted.
“So you really exist! I’ve been looking for you, Ghost!”
“…”
Why, why me?
Feeling confused, I instinctively took a step back.
A man wandering the back alleys in this cold weather, dressed like that.
His personality wasn't just overflowing, it was exploding. I had no desire to get close to him.
‘An original character from the story? No… if my memory serves me right, there was no one who looked like that.’
If someone with such a distinct personality had been in the original story, there was no way I wouldn't recognize them.
In other words, this was just a genuinely strange person.
If so, this wasn't a situation for conversation.
“If you could just talk with me for a moment… W-wait! Don’t run away!”
No way. Why would I?
Ignoring the man’s desperate plea without a second thought, I turned my back and dashed down the alley.
Of course, my natural running speed was slow as molasses.
So I used the method of pushing off the soles of my feet with psychokinesis to accelerate quickly.
Thanks to that, I was able to turn a corner in just two breaths and enter a deeper part of the alley.
‘Please don't follow me.’
I hoped with all my might that the man wouldn't follow me.
Partly because I didn't want to attack someone who hadn't done anything wrong.
And partly because, no matter how I thought about it, avoiding a pervert wandering the back alleys in just a gown was the right thing to do.
A wise person avoids unnecessary fights.
Of course, I'm not saying I'm particularly wise!
***
“Ah… she’s gone.”
Victor, the bounty-hunting Fixer with foam still in his hair.
He scratched his head in frustration at the sight of the Ghost, who had vanished in an instant.
Of all the times for news of the Ghost to arrive, it had to be while he was enjoying a leisurely bath.
Because of that, he had rushed out in a hurry, and now he was in nothing but a gown with none of his equipment.
A gun… not that he planned on using it on the Ghost.
But he should at least have his grappling gun, which he usually used for mobility.
Could he really chase the Ghost in this state?
A sigh escaped him.
“Mr. Victor. Your trademark spiky hair is gone. You look much greasier than usual because of it.”
“Ah, Assistant. Sorry. I asked you to play the victim, and then I let her get away.”
“It's fine. It wasn't a difficult task.”
Just then, a woman with long limbs approached the man from behind and spoke.
The woman was Victor’s assistant.
Her role was to act as a victim being attacked by a man, in order to draw the Ghost closer.
As an expert who could change her face and body shape with special disguises.
Playing the part of another person was as simple as breathing for her.
“Where’s the apprentice?”
“He’s sleeping on the ground over there. It seems the motorcycle helmet wasn't much help.”
“That was the apprentice? The Ghost must be even more skilled than the rumors say.”
Victor instinctively put a hand to his forehead at the sight of his subordinate sprawled on the ground, still wearing the motorcycle helmet.
He might not look it, but the apprentice was a promising talent he had poached from an elite mercenary guild.
Among the youngsters, he was one of the strongest, you could count them on one hand. To think he was knocked out in a single blow.
He mentally revised the Ghost's strength up a notch and glanced at his assistant.
“Sigh, is there any way, Assistant? It’s a bit of a shame to just give up like this. I have a feeling she won't show herself at all starting tomorrow.”
“There is… a way.”
“Oh, as expected of my nice assistant. You’ve already thought of something!”
Victor and his assistant whispered their plan in the back alley.
A few dozen minutes later, they were able to find the Ghost again in another alley, far away.
“Found you! Ghost, let’s talk!”
“…!!”
The sudden appearance of the blond pervert she was sure she had shaken off.
The Ghost, startled, immediately bolted deeper into the alley.
Victor, having no intention of letting her go, immediately followed in the direction she went.
And so, an unexpected nighttime chase began.