Chapter 27

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 27

Chapter Title: Cyberpunk 6974

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Stairs leading down to the underground bunker. After opening a few tightly sealed steel doors, a vast interior space welcomed me.

An underground bunker equipped with self-generators and mana power facilities. It even had an indoor farm for growing crops, along with twenty years' worth of canned goods and preserved foods.

There were all sorts of essential survival facilities, amenities, and communication equipment for the outside world. It was a semi-permanent shelter designed for complete self-sufficiency for life. Optimal capacity: four people.

The moment I entered the bunker, I infused it with my mana to activate the simple gate.

Fsssh-

Now I could teleport here anytime. I toured the bunker, inspected all the facilities, and headed to one of the living quarters.

Seven bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was practically a mini-palace, far nicer than the mansion I'd lived in. Worth every penny.

I flopped onto the bed and pulled out my phone.

"Gotta. Not much time to waste."

I lay back on the bed and scanned for the next parallel world to clear.

Demon King's Castle 2nd Run wasn't active yet. Probably needed more cooldown or another quest clear to unlock.

So I scrolled through the list of parallel worlds excluding Demon King's Castle.

A lineup of parallel worlds that looked like absolute headaches at first glance. Chills ran down my spine as I skimmed them.

'Getting railed in all these wildly different worlds...'

Well, if I'm getting fucked anyway, might as well pick the one with the highest points. Right now, that was Heavenly Realm.

70,000 points on clear, plus extra rewards for side quests. But Heavenly Realm scared me a bit.

I'd already been to Demon King's Castle, so I probably reeked of filthy demon to them. Angels would probably beat my ass black and blue.

'...Though stuff like Monmusu Quest shows heavenly realms can be even scarier sometimes.'

I skipped Heavenly Realm and went with the next highest: Cyberpunk 6974. Sure, it'd be a shithole, but what world wasn't?

Even in a martial world, I'd just get wrecked by female martial artists. Warring Factions? Start as cannon fodder and get passed around warlords. Mercenaries? Same deal.

Cyberpunk felt closest to real-world culture, at least. Still lying on the bed, I asked Yuria,

"You coming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this time?"

A future world I hadn't experienced. Better with Yuria's support, just in case.

"Come along. You never know."

I selected the parallel world and closed my eyes. As the world faded to black, my mind transported somewhere else.

Shaaaah-

"..."

I opened my eyes to a throbbing headache.

A stench like raw sewage assaulted my nose. Trash cans and junk littered the view haphazardly.

Squeak-squeak-

A rat scurried past me with a rustle. A shiver shot through me as I bolted upright and scanned my surroundings.

This was a narrow alley between buildings. The walls were crumbling, concrete flaking off, covered in vibrant graffiti and curses sprayed in lacquer.

Your standard slum alley. But different from the real world in one key way.

Vrooom-

Beyond the sliver of sky, dazzling neon signs from skyscrapers pierced the gloom, and cars in hideous designs zipped through the air.

'...Made it here properly.'

Cyberpunk 6974. Judging by tech progress, probably not literally the year 6974.

"Yuria. You there?"

Figured. A fairy fluttering around would draw too much attention.

Good thing Yuria came along this time. I let out a sigh of relief and began scouting the area.

First, I rummaged through the trash piles for something to cover up. I was basically naked. I picked a torn, ragged piece of tent cloth.

I wrapped it around myself like a robe to hide my slender frame and hooded my head. Glancing at my reflection in a puddle, I looked like prime kidnapping material.

'Wandering slums looking like this? I'd be fucked.'

Being handsome is great, but not always. I stepped out of the alley, wrapped head to toe.

Emerging from the dark, cramped alley revealed a fantastical... yet brutally real world.

Whiiiish-

Beep-beep-

Cars hovered low over roads, police cruisers blared lights and sirens.

Sleek skyscrapers loomed, draped in multicolored neon signs below. The city overflowed with billboards and glowing lights.

Crowds shuffled along wide but filthy boulevards, everyone sporting bizarre cybernetic implants.

Overwhelmed by the info overload and spectacle, I gawked upward like an idiot.

That's when it happened.

Thud-

Something massive barreled into me, sending me sprawling.

"What the fuck? This little shit."

On the ground, I looked up to see a mohawked brute glaring down.

Leather jacket straight out of a bad novel, tattoos everywhere. One arm was fully mechanical.

"S-Sorry."

I clutched my makeshift cloth and apologized. My real body could've one-shot this punk, but right now? Harmless as a kitten.

"Watch where you're going, brat."

Thud-

He kicked me, spat on the ground, and stomped off.

Tremble-tremble-

Even after he left, my body shook. This frail form's conditioned reflex... or straight-up fear.

"Y-Yeah."

I took deep breaths to calm down and stood.

My leg throbbed where he'd tripped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me, but I couldn't lie here. Time to move for the quest.

Quest meaning get fucked, sure. But not by any random thug on these mean streets.

Could end up with some musclebound freak with weird tastes...

Better aim for high-end corps or ritzy districts. Get eaten there.

'...Is this actually harder than Demon King's Castle?'

There, they just did everything passively. Anyway, I wandered the cyberpunk streets, eyes wide with curiosity.

Before long, I reached the city outskirts.

Sun had set, crowds thinned from the boulevards. Instead, lowlifes crept out from alleys, staggering like zombies, high as kites.

"Kyaaahoo!"

"Kekekekeke..."

Glowing green eyes in the dark. Drugs or night-vision implants.

They rode spiked bikes or prowled with weird clubs and guns.

'Scary... and hungry.'

I slipped away from the sketchy outskirts, heading back toward the lit-up city center.

Then, a familiar scent hit my nose.

Sniff-sniff-

I followed the nutty, comforting aroma.

I ended up at a bakery. Too scared to go in, I huddled nearby, shivering.

Jingle-

The door opened. A kind-looking old man stepped out.

He saw me crouched there and beckoned me inside.

'An angel. He's an angel...'

Entranced, I followed him in.

"You must be starving."

He handed me steaming fresh bread. I devoured it without a second thought.

What was there to suspect? Starve here? Besides, my traits meant I wouldn't die anyway.

"Thank you."

"I'm the thankful one. Heh heh."

"...?"

I blinked in confusion, but drowsiness crashed over me, and I blacked out.

In my hazy mind, I heard voices arguing.

"Sid, just fuck him and get it over with?"

"Not fresh merch then. Value drops."

"But pure human pretty boy and we can't even fuck him? What's this, a patience test?"

"Hold it. One big score then retire. Rape him now and it's all fucked."

"..."

The terrifying conversation pulled me awake slowly.

A vast concrete room with high ceilings. Bed in one corner with rumpled sheets, opposite side crammed with bizarre computers and machines.

Holograms floated over a central table, outside cars hummed. Still deep in cyberpunk.

Clank-

My arms wouldn't move—bound. All four limbs tied.

I was strapped X-style to a wooden pillar, naked as the day I was born. Ass hanging out.

I twitched, making noise. The two women chatting turned to me.

"Aww~ You're awake?"

"Finally."

"Nice to meet ya~ I'm Elise~. This grumpy one's Sid."

The pink twintail girl with a sweet tone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠introduced herself as Elise.

Her top plunged deep, black jacket loosely draped. Pants? Barely-there hotpants.

Cute tattoos covered her, stirring something primal.

Beside her, turquoise ponytail in a full white hoodie, black mask, gloves—Sid.

"Wh-who are you ladies?"

Sid replied coldly.

"Can't tell? We're hunters."

'Hunters?'

Not monster hunters like me—people hunters?

That bakery geezer must be in on it. Knocked me out, tied me up. Their "merch" talk confirmed it.

"...Human trafficking?"

Elise giggled and waved it off.

"Pfft, human trafficking? Don't be so crude. Call us slave hunters, nicely now."

Same difference. Caught by traffickers from the start? Fit the shithole world, but damn.

Where would I end up? High-class corp lady's toy? Best case. Worst? Lab rat for mech tentacles.

Or gut-busting pig-dicked slobs...

Shuddering at the thoughts, Elise approached and stroked my cheek.

"Should've stayed knocked out~ Wouldn't see such scary stuff."

Then she flicked my limp dick with a finger and grinned.

"...Or are you waking up to give us ladies some fun?"