Chapter 35
-Congratulations on being issued full citizenship in Magitera.
-Full citizens are protected by Magitera’s city registration network.
-Full citizenship grants you various rights, including legal residence, the ability to enter labor contracts, access to medical institutions, the opening of financial accounts, ownership of registered equipment, and limited access to restricted security zones.
-Full citizens are obligated to comply with the city’s safety regulations.
-Full citizens must comply with identity-verification requests from the Public Security Bureau and contracted security agencies in emergencies.
-Full citizens must pay taxes, public maintenance contributions, emergency restoration charges, and district stability contributions.
-Full citizens may not transfer, lend, forge, or conceal their citizenship information.
-In emergencies recognized by the Magitera municipal government, full citizens must comply with temporary movement restrictions, asset freezes, and identity re-verification procedures.
….
Kael was waiting at Magitera City Hall to have his full citizenship issued, listening to Edrian’s explanation.
As the hologram droned on about the supposed benefits of full citizenship, Kael was on the verge of being overcome by boredom.
Just then, a new number appeared on the signboard along the wall.
[Citizenship Issuance Counter 7]
At the same time, an announcement rang out.
[Mr. Kael, please proceed to Counter 7.]
When Kael rose from his seat, several people’s gazes brushed past him, but he walked to Counter 7 without reacting.
A clerk in a neat gray uniform sat on the other side of the counter. The dark circles under her eyes were deep, suggesting she had been worn down by her work.
A thin connection line from an administrative-assistance ACU was visible at the back of her neck.
The clerk checked her terminal as soon as Kael sat down in front of her.
“Are you Mr. Kael?”
“That’s right.”
“Please place your wrist terminal on the authentication pad for identity verification.”
Kael readily extended his wrist, and a blue light passed over the pad as it began scanning his identity.
[Verifying identity]
[Name: Kael]
[Registration Status: Temporary Citizen]
[Guarantor: Seraph Industries]
“Verified. There are several items to confirm.”
“All right.”
“Your registered residence is 17th Street, East Grave Rock Block, in a building registered as a Seraph Industries asset. Building identification code G-R17-044. Is this address correct?”
“Yes.”
“Your current employment status is listed as unregistered.”
“That’s right.”
“Your registered ACU is listed as Tier 5, but… is that correct?”
Kael was silent for a moment, then lightly nodded at her words.
The clerk quickly moved through the items displayed on her terminal.
“One registered weapon has been confirmed. Vesper V-9C. It has temporary carry authorization, and the guarantor is Ms. Lin Arclight.”
“That’s correct, too.”
“Understood.”
The clerk checked off the items with practiced ease.
“Finally, we need to confirm your consent to the citizenship conversion.”
At her words, a document appeared on the transparent panel in front of the counter.
The sentences were so long that they reminded him of the mindless paperwork of the old days.
Kael slowly read it from the first line.
[Consent Form for Conversion to Full Magitera Citizenship and Integration into the City Registration Network]
……
[As a full citizen approved by the Magitera municipal government, I consent to the storage and updating of my biometric information, residential information, equipment registration information, contract history, medical access history, and emergency response history within the city registration network.]
[I understand that my information may be accessed on a limited basis for the purposes of public safety, law enforcement, tax assessment, emergency response, cooperation with corporate security requests, and verification of citizenship integrity.]
[I understand that if I abuse my citizenship to assume a false identity, reside illegally, conceal unregistered equipment, support an anti-establishment organization, or refuse a lawful order from the Public Security Bureau or a contracted security agency, my citizenship may be suspended or revoked.]
When Kael hesitated for a moment, the clerk spoke as though accustomed to it.
“Please sign after reviewing the contents thoroughly.”
In the end, Kael raised a finger and wrote his name in the signature field.
[Kael]
Once the signature was entered, the document glowed blue for a moment.
[Consent Complete]
[Proceeding with Full Citizenship Issuance]
The clerk checked her terminal and nodded.
“All procedures have been completed.”
She took out a thin card from a small device beside her.
The city emblem of Magitera, Kael’s name, and his citizen registration number were engraved on its surface.
The clerk handed it to him with both hands.
“This is your full citizenship card. Since it is also registered to your terminal, most authentication can be handled through the terminal. However, the physical citizenship card may be used as a supplementary means of authentication for entering certain districts, registering equipment, and opening financial accounts.”
Kael accepted the citizenship card.
“If you lose it, please visit City Hall immediately and begin the reissuance process. If the loss is reported late, problems such as identity theft, equipment registration errors, and access restrictions may occur.”
The clerk saw him off with a bright smile, her tired expression gone.
“Then welcome to full citizenship, Mr. Kael. Welcome to Magitera.”
Kael looked down at the citizenship card in his hand, tucked it inside his coat, and began to rise from his seat.
But then something suddenly occurred to him.
“Ah.”
The clerk raised her head.
“Is there anything else you would like to inquire about?”
….”
Edrian had said that people out there called it being a mercenary.
“I heard there’s something I need to do here if I want to work as a mercenary.”
The clerk maintained her uniform smile.
“I believe you mean freelancer registration.”
“Is that what it’s called?”
“If you intend to personally perform combat, security, recovery, outer-district exploration, or security-support work, you need to register as a freelancer.”
Kael nodded.
“That sounds like it.”
The clerk operated her terminal.
“Now that your full citizenship has been issued, you may apply. However, depending on the type of work, you may need to undergo a physical-ability assessment, confirm your equipment registration, undergo a criminal-record check, obtain liability insurance, and review the scope of your waivers for death and property damage.”
Then she continued.
“Freelancer registration is handled by the department in charge, not this counter. I’ll provide directions.”
When she operated the panel beside her, a new route appeared on Kael’s terminal.
[Freelancer Registration Department]
[City Hall, East Wing, 3rd Floor]
[Estimated Wait: 47 minutes]
***
The Freelancer Registration Department saw all kinds of strange people. It started with the mildly insane, then moved on to people with various body parts screwed up… and, in the worst cases, chrome freaks.
Hector Varen knew that better than anyone.
He had once been a mercenary himself.
He was not a mercenary famous enough for everyone to know him, but neither had he been some nameless nobody.
He had returned alive from Magitera’s gray zones on the outskirts several times, survived unofficial clashes between corporations, and had once received simultaneous recruitment offers from three subcontracted PMCs.
That was enough. In this city, being famous usually meant dying young.
Hector had been moderately famous, earned a moderate amount of money, and retired after suffering a moderate number of injuries.
It was a fairly enviable standard career path for a mercenary.
He now worked in the Freelancer Registration Department on the third floor of City Hall’s East Wing.
His job was nothing impressive—just crushing the sprouts who were about to try their luck.
That was his work.
“Next.”
Hector spoke from the examination room beside the counter.
Freelancer registration could not be passed with paperwork alone.
In Magitera, anyone could call themselves a mercenary. The problem was that if someone believed them and gave them a job, only for that mercenary to run away crying at the first gunshot, the cleanup ultimately fell to City Hall and the Public Security Bureau. The damage to City Hall’s reputation was an added bonus.
And it was fortunate if only the braggart died. More often than not, they took the people beside them along as well.
That was why freelancer registration included a minimum verification process.
Whenever possible, Hector crushed the sprouts so thoroughly that they would never want to return to the Freelancer Registration Department.
That was his way of showing kindness, consideration, and mercy.
Of course, most of them did not take it that way, but what could he do?
“Tell the next applicant to come in.”
At his words, the door opened, and a young black-haired man entered.
Hector finished evaluating him the moment he saw him.
Far too young for this kind of rough work. If so, he probably had no combat experience either.
Moreover, by Magitera’s standards, there were barely any signs of modification attached to his body.
The complete absence of visible cyberware meant he was nothing but flesh.
These days, if someone came in wanting to become a freelancer with a body that clean, it meant one of two things.
Either he was a lunatic calling himself a minimalist, or he was a clueless greenhorn.
Hector checked the application screen.
[Name: Kael]
[Registration Status: Full Citizen]
[Application Type: Freelancer]
[Registered Equipment: Vesper V-9C]
[ACU: Tier 5]
Hector’s eyebrows rose slightly.
He had an ACU.
The pampered young masters of good families sometimes turned up like this.
They got a decent ACU through money and connections, then believed that training in an indulgent environment meant they would be useful on the battlefield as well.
Hector listlessly swiped past the application and leaned back in his chair.
“Kael?”
“That’s right.”
An immediate answer.
The young man showed neither fear nor excitement.
That was a little unusual.
Most sprouts were one of two types.
Either idiots overflowing with confidence or bastards trembling with fear.
This young man seemed to be something else… He simply looked annoyed by the procedure he was going through.
Hector did not like that.
“You’re here to register as a freelancer?”
“That’s right. I heard I had to register here to work as a freelancer.”
He looked the young man up and down, then waved him away.
“Go home.”
The young man looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because people like you, who have no cyberware or combat experience and act tough while relying only on an ACU, die quickly. And City Hall doesn’t particularly like that.”
“Without even testing me?”
“I’m saying I can tell without testing you.”
Hector put down his terminal.
“I’ll say it again. No cyberware, no equipment for the outer districts. You just registered a gun, and you have nothing but an ACU. From the looks of it, you’re the type who just learned magic and mistakenly thinks you can do something with it.”
When the young man gave no answer, Hector continued.
“Mercenary sounds good as a name, but in the end, you’re someone who gets paid to do the jobs other people don’t want. Security, recovery, identifying corpses, searching contaminated zones, cleaning up after failed corporate operations… It’s a much dirtier job than you think and a much shittier one than you’ve heard.”
“I see.”
“Not ‘I see.’ I said go home.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Haa….”
Hector was silent for a moment.
He had seen plenty of people who refused to listen even after hearing all that.
In those cases, there was only one solution.
“Fine.”
Hector rose from his seat.
“Then we’ll test you.”
The young man nodded at his words.
“What do I have to do?”
“Follow me.”
With that, Hector opened the door beside him.
Beyond it was a small training room.
It was a practical response-testing room used by the Freelancer Registration Department. The walls and floor were coated in dark gray metal and anti-magic material.
Inside, most low-tier spells could not be maintained properly, and ACU output was forcibly reduced.
It was not enough to completely incapacitate a mage, but it was enough to silence anyone putting on a show.
“This is an anti-magic shielding room.”
Hector said,
“Forget about trying any magic bullshit. ACU assistance doesn’t work properly here, and this test is meant to see how far you can go with nothing but your physical abilities, not magic.”
The young man swept his gaze across the wall once.
“A room that prevents magic.”
“What? Are you getting a little scared now?”
“Interesting.”
Displeased by the answer, Hector tightened his gloves and began thinking about how to cook this brat.
“The rules are simple. You pass if you last one minute without being subdued, or if you land a valid hit on me.”
“What if I knock you down?”
Hector burst out laughing at his words.
“That won’t happen.”
However, the young man showed no particular reaction. Apparently, he seriously thought he could do something to Hector.
Hector liked that even less.
Fine.
Then he just had to crush him.
“Let’s beg—”
That was when it happened.
Hector could not finish his sentence. His field of vision suddenly dropped. His body collapsed. He reflexively tried to put strength into his arms, but his right arm would not move.
Both his knees were touching the floor. He had not even realized when he had fallen to his knees. When he tried to draw breath, cold fingertips touched the side of his neck.
Only then did Hector realize that he was face down. And that the young man was standing on top of him.
Before the words ‘let’s begin’ had even ended, everything was over.
“…What?”