Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Kwasak!
I force the bread in and chew. The moment I swallow the mushy meat, a bitter and sour taste spreads across my entire tongue.
'To think they sell this crap for money. Do the chefs in this world have no conscience?'
I want to spit it out right now, but I have to get at least the bare minimum nutrition.
Forget about the country of origin; it doesn't even say what kind of meat it is.
There was once an urban legend about street stalls selling rat or pigeon skewers, but honestly, that sounds better than this.
I grumble, but my mouth keeps chewing while my eyes are glued to the terminal.
Combat footage of mages that the fence sent a while ago. Just like the boss said, most of it is pixelated, low-quality garbage.
It's such low resolution that I can't even tell their gender, let alone their distinct features.
'Is this why the police aren't coming to get me?'
The number of people Emul has sent to the afterlife is over ten. They were bounty hunting targets, but murder shouldn't be legal.
It's true I was worried, since I'm fated to walk the gray zone hidden in the shadows of the rule of law.
I don't know what future investigation methods are like, but I should assume I'm at least not leaving behind any clear evidence.
Even as I think that, as soon as the video ends, I tap the screen to play the next one.
'...As expected. This guy is right-handed, but he only uses his left hand for magic. He's pretty good at fighting even with one hand tied behind his back.'
After stopping the bounty hunting and watching it for a few days, the patterns are starting to become readable.
I can't capture the flow of mana with the lens, but the habits that accompany spellcasting are revealing themselves one by one.
Like their gaze moving before their body, or their breathing becoming shallow. I've already noticed weaknesses that even the person themselves hasn't paid attention to.
This isn't Emul's talent, but a remnant of his days living as a gamer. It resembled how he used to analyze and internalize the playstyles of top-tier users.
When the final video finally plays, Emul's eyes narrow.
'A viciously practical mage.'
When the man in the video was pushed back in a power struggle, he started using the surrounding terrain and objects indiscriminately.
The residents who were unlucky enough to get caught up in it weren't exceptions; to them, they were just objects.
[ Kwajijijik. ]
The bodies of ordinary people bursting so easily.
As the man waves his hand, the scattered flesh and splattered blood start getting sucked into a gravitational force created in mid-air.
A typical magical function that absorbs only the materials, excluding broken building debris or dust fragments.
The components that make up the human body gather in one place, and soon, something pitch-black tries to crawl out from the center.
[ Ppiii——. ]
Then, the video cuts out helplessly along with the noise.
Emul had some idea of the identity of the magic that appeared in this snuff film.
'It definitely looks like black magic, but it depends on what they summoned. If it's just a standard corpse resurrection or an explosion, that'd be fine, but...'
Once you're a ranker, summoning a demigod-level entity is nothing.
It's a mythical story that's understandable because it's a game, but if such an event happened in reality, the word "dystopia" wouldn't even be enough.
It's a disaster that shouldn't happen, but it might be possible.
It's awkward to worry about such an uncertain future, but the unknown that hasn't been uncovered weighs on Emul's shoulders.
'What's annoying is that I don't even know what I don't know. That kid who deflected the bullets. Was it Addy?... I thought he used Qi as a medium. But that wasn't it either.'
Qi, which non-mage classes used instead of mana in the game.
It's characterized by being red and hot, but none of those characteristics were displayed by Addy.
Emul looked down at the sleek-looking pistol tucked into his holster.
If he can steal magic, which is a mage's skill, he should also be able to steal a Gunner's skill.
However, not only had he never seen anyone use proper firearm techniques, but it was also hard to even guess what kind of ability system that would be.
'Since Gunners didn't use mana or Qi...'
The sniping skill he implemented, Sniping, was ultimately just trapped within the framework of magic; it couldn't be considered a true Gunner skill.
Like this, there are many parts where game knowledge seems to apply, but also many where it doesn't.
It feels like crossing the open sea in the middle of the night on a makeshift raft. Even if I have a constitution that doesn't get stressed easily, I can't avoid a headache.
Uung-.
Emul sighed inwardly and checked the notification that popped up on his terminal.
[ Hello, Zen-nim. I hope you have a good day today. There was a little progress yesterday. I would like to share the details with you, but I would appreciate it if you could take a look when you feel like it. First, my magic's... (Read more) ]
A greeting text that Camellia sends every morning since the deal was made. Sometimes she shares things she's realized like this, too.
Then Emul reads it casually, replies if anything comes to mind, or just ignores it.
The one in a hurry is ultimately Camellia.
Emul also needs to know the identity of the deadly poison flowing in his body, but he had received word from Marvin that there would be good news soon.
'Since the seizures have also subsided.'
Has the tolerance to painkillers disappeared due to technological advancements? Even so, that doesn't mean he's given up on the goal of an antidote.
It's just a difference in desperation.
If it weren't for Marvin, he wouldn't have been able to maintain the tilted relationship with Camellia.
Gulp.
After swallowing the last piece of bread and dusting off his hands, he stood up and looked at the terminal again.
It's been six days since he visited the mercenary office.
It's time to give the answer he'd been putting off.
*
"Well... Emul, Setrang, Addy. You're all here. Then I'll start the explanation right away."
Emul, who had been looking at the tightly closed entrance of the container, turned his head.
Rahul, wearing a monocle-like Scouter, Setrang sitting in a chair with his arms crossed. And even Addy, the swordsman, standing stiffly as if nervous.
Two front-liners and one mage is not a bad combination. After finishing that thought, Emul turned his gaze.
Bip-.
A general map of the outer district is drawn on the hologram floating above the table.
Blue lines overlapping in three dimensions to form the outlines of buildings and roads.
"Our target is... here."
As Rahul manipulates the terminal, the blueprint zooms in. The close-up stops, showing the streets of an industrial complex.
"As you all know, it's District 29. It's the area closest to the 30s districts occupied by gangs."
As the two, excluding Emul, nod, Rahul taps the terminal once more.
Then the blueprint changes into a clear photo of the street. It shows rows of factories and workers walking down the street.
Bip-.
In the photo taken from the same angle at the same location, only the collapsed, burning factory remained.
"A new force has emerged that specializes in robbing District 29. The middle managers of the factory district pooled their funds to deploy combat agents, but it was useless. Their goal is the machines and products inside the factories."
"...Then they must only be hitting factories that are easy to rob. Ones that produce very small products... a pharmaceutical company?"
Rahul looked at Emul for a moment, then continued.
"You almost got it, but unfortunately, it's not a pharmaceutical company. It's not a place that makes proper medicine."
"Hmm, hmm. Then it must be sludge."
"As Setrang said, sludge... they mainly targeted factories that manufacture low-quality drugs. They said micro-CNC or bio-factories were also targets, but it seems they robbed them messily to intentionally cause confusion. This client's location is also a sludge factory. The targets are as follows."
Bip-.
Blurry photos that look like they were taken by surveillance cameras pass by one by one. They are all wearing masks or gas masks so their faces can't be recognized.
There are five people in total. In particular, the image quality of two of them is severely degraded.
"Uh... are those two mages?"
Rahul shook his head at Addy's question.
"To be precise, one guy who carries a Calculation Auxiliary Device and one Cyber Psycho. The other three are said to use ordinary guns or swords, so those two are the real combat power."
A world where guns and swords have become ordinary. Rahul, seeing Emul wearing a smirk out of absurdity, smiled and said.
"That's right, Addy. If you call guys like that mages, Emul-nim will be offended."
"Ahhh...! I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry!"
Emul said nonchalantly.
"I don't care. Whether it's a mage or a wannabe mage. You have to survive to be able to run your mouth."
If I have the energy to care about useless titles, I should focus on figuring out how to move forward.
Emul said it with that thought, but Addy seemed to take it completely differently.
"That's right...!"
The young man, full of spirit, clenched his fist tightly.
"Addy. A moderate amount of tension is good, but if you burn yourself out before we even leave, you'll just waste your energy."
"I'll keep that in mind!"
"Youngest. Keep your voice down."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Addy, who calmed down at the successive advice from Rahul and Setrang.
Bip-.
"As you can see, the nearby factories are closed, so it will be quiet as a mouse at night. You can go wild, but there was a request to minimize damage to the machines or products if possible."
Perhaps having nothing left to explain, Rahul turned off the hologram and continued.
"Come back alive."
At the same time, the three men, as if by promise, silently left the container. Even the somewhat lively Addy kept his mouth shut.
Death, which can strike at any moment, is like the fate of a mercenary.
Although they say the pay is high compared to the time spent, they wouldn't prioritize money over their lives.
Ironically, though, it's like scraping up chips by putting their lives on the line.
Emul, thinking that, discovered a huge modified truck parked on the main road.
A color painted in a pink tone that doesn't match its beast-like appearance at all. He had seen tuned vehicles a few times, but this one was decorated to the point of being excessive.
'I didn't know wheels could be bigger than a person's height. What kind of guy drives this thing around...'
Ppi-bik-.
Emul's head turns in the direction of the sound.
Setrang, holding a small remote control, is climbing into the front seat with agile movements.
"Get in quickly. I'll explain the operation when we get there."
Emul, looking at the closed driver's seat, felt a gaze.
"Please get in first..."
Addy, looking resigned, opened the back seat door for him.
"...Thanks."
As Addy gets in after Emul, the truck departs immediately.
As Setrang taps the display placed in front of the dashboard, a heavy and calm song flows out.
Music he is fully feeling for the first time since waking up in this desolate world.
It wasn't to his taste, but it was enough for the forgotten sensibility to seep in.
"First, let's go and... clothes... most of what you need is here..."
The explanation that Setrang started to ramble on about overlaps like white noise.
Emul closed his eyes and engraved the flowing sounds into his ears.