Chapter 9
#009
1.
The narrow, sweltering dead of night had passed.
But my day was only just beginning.
“Citizens of Necropolis, this blessed morning has granted us another day of labor. Current time: 5:00 a.m. Let us spend today in gratitude for the sleeping quarters and nutrition blocks given to us!”
That goddamn street broadcast.
I'd love to see the face of the bastard who writes those lines.
I'm seriously deflating.
The shock of contrast is terrifying.
Being dumped from a dreamlike palace straight to the bottom of the gutter had killed all my motivation.
Still, if there was anything to take comfort in....
Maybe it was the weight of the all-purpose coin in my arms?
I toyed with the heavy gold coin at my fingertips.
“That thing sure looks tempting.”
The all-purpose coin.
The only currency that could be directly traded with the 'world'.
If you feed an all-purpose coin into the 'vending machine,' the world grants the 'wish' chosen by the user.
But there are only so many things you can do with just one coin.
At most, it could suppress aging and extend your life by one year,
strengthen your mana circuit,
or engrave a mana circuit into a body that doesn't have one.
Unfortunately, using it that way right away wouldn't be efficient.
What good would an extra year of life do me here? I still wouldn't be able to get near the vending machine.
It was practically worth ten million Vios.
And ten million Vios was a huge haul in itself.
We hadn't shared any real affection, but Arbel had left behind a truly valuable keepsake.
“....”
For some reason I felt melancholy, but anyway,
aside from Arbel disappearing, my goal remained the same.
First, survival.
Second, escape Necropolis.
Third, enter an ark city, recover 200 million Vios, and enjoy a happy otherworld life.
At least I had some starting capital now.
What was the fastest route to achieving my goal?
“How about tripling it at the gambling den?”
I wanted to sprint to the gambling den, but barely held back my urge.
Even in Korea, getting a lump sum of money was dangerous.
If someone found out I had a lump sum in this orphan of a city?
They'd come running straight at me with murderous intent.
Then....
“For now, I’m going to work.”
I was absolutely lacking in information.
Necropolis's customs, how to make money, how to get to Aden.
The Big Dick office was my only ally here.
That meant I could at least gather information thoroughly.
2.
Even in the early dawn, there was life inside the office.
“The youngest is here.”
“James, you’re here already? No! What’s wrong with your eyes? They’re bloodshot! Did something happen?”
“My family ended up dying, so I went to the columbarium and came straight to work.”
“Is that so? Hang in there. You must be tired, so drink this at least.”
Ron, the foreman, handed me comfort and coffee with a gloomier expression than mine.
-slurp
It was cheap coffee of a flavor I couldn't even identify, but as long as it took the edge off my fatigue, that was enough.
“Boss.”
“Hm?”
“How do I get out of here and go to Aden?”
The foreman thought for a moment, then scratched his scruffy beard and said,
“I get how you feel, but put that thought away, kid. Aden isn’t a place you can just go to because you have money.”
“Even with ten million Vios?”
“Of course not.”
“What? Why not?”
I was surprised by how immediate his answer was.
No, even ten million isn't enough?
“Hmm.”
Ron, who had built up the suspense like this was some hugely important piece of information,
“Necropolis is Aden's trash bin. You know the bastards who can't pay taxes in Aden, the criminals—they get exiled here, right?”
“I know that.”
“Anyone who rolls all the way down here has seen hell. Do you think Aden is going to take back people who've already grown dissatisfied with the system? That place is already bursting from overpopulation as it is?”
“...?”
“Besides, to manage the 'outskirts,' they have to keep grinding people up continuously. Population flowing back is something they absolutely have to stop. So they raised the hurdles to the extreme. To make sure you couldn't even dream about it in the first place.”
I was genuinely shocked.
Because the foreman, who had seemed so dumb, had suddenly started speaking with incredible logic.
Seeing my dazed reaction, the foreman grinned.
“James—no, I don't even know your real name—but... I'm also one of the people who were cast out from the ark like you. Fifteen years ago, I was a fairly capable lawyer.”
“Tch, sounds like a lie, sir...”
“It's the truth, punk.”
He let out a hearty laugh and continued,
“Anyway, if you want to get a new identity and start a new life in Aden, you need 500 million Vios, or skills on par with a 5th-rank fixer.”
“A 5th-rank fixer?”
You mean I have to be as strong as a first-tier mage?
No, is 500 million Vios some dog's name?
No. Let's think positively here.
Wow! Still cheaper than a Doramp Gold Card visa!
“What if I sneak in?”
“If you can stay on the run in Aden for over a year without citizenship, you're at least a 5th-rank fixer.”
My head started to hurt.
At this rate, my plan was broken from the major premise onward.
If I assume I'm going back with straight cash, then even finding 200 million Vios leaves me 300 million short.
“It's going to be rough, but hang in there. If you keep living, somehow you end up surviving. Ah, and don't tell people elsewhere that you're from Aden. They'll all see you as an easy mark and rush you.”
“....”
“You’ve got talent. Unlike me when I first started. You’ll adapt quickly.”
Ron patted my back with adult-like composure.
I didn't even have the energy to answer.
Hah.
Why is life difficulty set this high, seriously?
Or was it?
Maybe I was overreacting?
-click, click, click
The hitman who attacked the mansion had been real.
Head butler Albert had said that no one must ever learn my identity.
-click, click, click
But would that assailant really be after me too?
A useless good-for-nothing with no abilities whatsoever?
Then I wouldn't need to bother getting citizenship.
I could just go back to Aden and live leisurely as 'Cedric.'
-creak
The old office door opened.
Suddenly, the whole place seemed to brighten.
It was because a beautiful woman dressed in traditional Eastern-style clothing had entered.
Her hair was smooth as ebony, her eyes beautiful like fully bloomed violets.
With every small movement she made, the goldfish embroidered in gold thread on her black silk seemed to sway their fins gracefully.
On top of that, she wore a lavish felt hat the sort courtesans might use, a long Japanese sword at her hip, and towering geta.
In every sense, she was unreal.
She met my eyes and gave a faint smile.
“Hello?”
I was starting to get the picture.
If someone in this city had such an unreal presence, they were probably a mage.
“Oh! You’re here to give us a job!”
“Yes.”
“You’ve come to the right place. We are the famous! Big Dick office, proud of our 100% request completion rate!”
Especially if they looked at other people as if they were insignificant beings far beneath them.
Ron, who had just been offering wise advice a moment ago, showed no sign of offense despite receiving that contemptuous gaze.
“Youngest! Go make some coffee! Th-th-there’s good coffee inside the shelf!”
Instead, he rubbed his hands together and offered the woman a seat.
“It's a bit messy, isn't it? Our office is a little dirty for hosting a beauty like you!”
“Yes, and it smells unpleasant too.”
“Oh dear, how embarrassing.... This is the cleanest seat we have, so please sit here.”
“It's fine.”
The woman smiled faintly and placed her hand on the sword hilt.
She drew the sword about three centimeters from the scabbard,
-clack
and resheathed it.
“Huh?”
Ron’s head, sent flying into the air, rolled right to my feet.
His eyes were still wide like a goldfish's, as if he still didn't understand what had happened.
His body, still standing for a moment, turned into a sprinkler and sprayed blood everywhere before collapsing with a thud.
The thick, metallic stench spread through the air.
“...?”
People flinch when they’re startled, but if something too unexpected happens, they go numb.
What the hell.
What in the world is this situation?
An attack from a rival company? A kind of WWE that happens often in Necropolis?
Or....
“You’re Cedric Montraben, right?”
Fuck.... That's right.
It was a visitor looking for me.
My neck went stiff with tension.
“Who’s that? I’m James.”
For now, I wanted to buy time by staying as calm as possible.
This was the second life I had barely been granted.
I couldn't die like this. Do you know how hard I've been clawing my way through until now!!
How did she find me?
Did I leave some trail?
No. That's something to think about later.
Prioritize and focus. Right now, survival came first.
But was there a way?
The other side was a bona fide mage, after all.
“I went through a lot of trouble to find you.”
The unknown visitor clicked her tongue.
Her hand moved to her waist.
“Wait, wait, wait!”
Just like before, she gently drew her sword and sheathed it....
Fwoosh.
A strange sound rang out.
A tiny sound, like the sound of a candle going out recorded by an ultra-precise microphone.
At the same time, my body seemed to tip forward and collapse, and my vision spun wildly.
“How utterly disappointing.”
When my vision, jumbled as if I'd been thrown into a washing machine, finally settled,
I saw my feet.
My reflection appeared in the pool of blood that had run down my trouser leg.
Ah, right.
I hadn't fallen forward.
It was only my head that had cleanly fallen off and rolled across the floor.
“Your big sister was boring... but I had high expectations for you.”
I died with my head cut off.
This was my second death.
======
『 ED 1. I Do Not Know Your Name 』
Poor thing, you met death in the most mundane way.
It was a predictable ending brought about by your ignorance and negligence.
Well, I don't know if this will be any comfort, but...
You still have plenty of chances left to fail.
<Run Summary>
▶ Achieved Titles: None
▶ Obtained Title: 「Lucky for Now」
▶ Challenge Points: +221 pt
※ Death penalty has been applied ※
[ Delayed Response ]
- You cannot move for 24 hours after regression.
- This remains in effect until the end of this route.
May you arrive at transcendence at the end of arrogance and folly.
======
I heard laughter.
2.
This was my second time dying.
The first death was a fall.
The second death was a beheading.
I was once again thrown into the void.
Again, this feeling.
The horrible sensation of vanishing into utter emptiness and nothingness, becoming an existence less than dust.
My sense of time dulled, and my self quickly turned murky like a drop of water mixed into black ink.
The darkness chewed me, bit me, and swallowed me again.
No, this isn't darkness.
We call this death.
.
.
.
“Because there isn't a big sister at the academy.”
“…What?”
“If I go there, I can't be with big sister.”
“Y-you...?”
Huh?
Arbel was right in front of me.
Her gorgeous golden eyes, which had gone as empty as a corpse pit, were moving with life once more.
I had no time, no room to think, but my body moved on its own.
“Mmph!!!”
“Mm…?!”
“Mmph…! Mmph…?!”
That dawn when the mansion was attacked.
“Puhah…!”
After choosing the option.
“You right now... wh-what are you doing...?”
“I'm confessing.”
“C-confessing...?”
“Yes, yes, I feel the same way as you, big sister.”
The moment I kissed Arbel.
“No, there...! Ngh?!”
“Don't get too nervous. I'm not trying to do anything bad.”
I was recreating it exactly.
What was happening?
My head had definitely been cut off.
My body, moving like a doll, still remembered that sensation.
It still remembered the endless time I had been cast into in the middle of death.
The goosebumps prickling along the severed line of my neck were proof.
But in the end, I had come back.
Back to that day when I'd chosen that option.
I remembered.
Genre conventions.
Possession, and regression.
Humans are allowed only one life.
No being can defy it.
And yet, I returned.
‘This is totally....’
Before all catastrophe began.
As if returning to a save point.
‘It's a game, isn't it?’
That was the moment I murmured it to myself.
-ding!
At the same time as the crisp notification chime, a translucent window appeared before my eyes.
- ■■■■(LV.0) is activated.
The redacted text peeled away one character at a time.
- 사■■■(LV.0) is activated.
- 사망■■(LV.0) is activated.
- 사망유■(LV.0) is activated.
When all the characters had been revealed,
- 사망유희(LV.0) is activated.
A dazzling system window appeared before my eyes, just like a game UI.
======
[ 사망유희(LV.0) ]
▶ User: Cedric Montraben
▶ Achievements: 「0th Death」 「Lucky for Now」
▶ Held Title: 「Pleasure-Seeker」
▶ POINT: 221pt
▶ Relic Display Stand: [ ] [ ] [ ]
◆ Shop
◆ Playground (Locked)
◆ Enhancement (Locked)
※ Death penalty is currently in effect ※
[ Delayed Response ]
- You cannot move for [23h:58m:23s] after regression.
- This remains in effect until the end of this route.
======
Why are you only here now!
My status window!