Chapter 255

In the beginning, he had quite a cocky imagination.

For example, he would think, “Wow! Game possession? Reincarnation?? Anyway, it’s another world!” or console himself with weak reasoning like, “I know a lot, so it should work out somehow~.”

Of course, he was just an ordinary person with nothing to offer.

As for the standards of this world, as Hemet said, he could do no more than avoid street thugs and gangs by hiding or think of a few truly awful part-time jobs to make quick cash. It didn’t take long for him to realize that was his limit.

“…gulp.”

He desperately wanted to cover the screen with both hands. However, it seemed that both Hemet, who was explaining the items with enthusiasm, and Anastasia, who had stepped aside after finishing the calculations, hadn’t seen the sentence that had suddenly appeared, so he swallowed hard instead.

“Hey, kiddo. Snap out of it and focus! I’m not gonna babysit you, even if you come back later on!”

“Ugh? Yes! Okay, focus! Yes….”

Despite his gaze and hands being fixed on him as if he had caught the attention of the boss, there was still an undeniable pull on his nerves towards someone behind him.

[ You have received a blueprint for the dimensional rift interference device from Anastasia Valentine. ]

This was not something that would just be handed over in a straightforward manner. Absolutely not.

Even if he sampled the entire Neo Heaven Prime user pool, there would only be a handful who knew such an item existed. It was a secret that wasn’t even mentioned, even if he raised her personal favorability to its maximum and became lovers.

However, ironically, he knew how to receive the blueprint. In fact, there was only one way he knew.

After spending nights bleeding from his nose trying to figure it out, how could he forget?

It was a bit taxing, but he could push the story along by choosing options that weren’t too sticky and quietly eat away at her personal favorability until it bottomed out. Then, after triggering the boss battle quickly, he would just need to win cleanly.

……… Except if he didn’t actually have some spare lives, everything seemed utterly screwed.

Um… or maybe not?? If he maximally utilized future knowledge and all sorts of trickery, it might theoretically be possible somehow.

“Ha ha…!”

A silly, airy sound escaped him.

Had he gone crazy from feeling overwhelmed? Not at all. That was more of a nervous laugh due to the tension being released.

Personally… he thought it was better to be on a thorny path than an endless sea.

And whether he was part of some grand epic waiting for him in the future, or just another extra who would die somewhere, or just an idiot caught up in an unfortunate situation because he was too into the game, none of that seemed certain in this bewildering situation.

The phrase that had vanished like a mirage at least provided a clear sense of purpose.

After awkwardly turning his back on the two,

he slightly bowed his head towards Hemet, who was grumbling to leave as soon as he had learned the basic controls, and slowly exited the shop.

The very person who generously provided him with some temporary electronic devices to replace cyberware and shockingly even managed to give him a semblance of translation, why did he want to greet Anastasia?

It was because he clearly felt he was receiving above-average kindness.

He couldn’t bear to say hello to someone who had an air of mystery, as getting caught up in his uniqueness could lead to disasters he wouldn’t be able to handle.

Having already decided to take that route and walk the thorny path, starting to get familiar and building a good relationship would likely act unfavorably, so it was best to be cautious for now. But still…

“…damn.”

Honestly, he regretted it in his heart.

Over there was a beauty who was already a top contender in unofficial community popularity polls. He had saved plenty of fan art and screenshots of her.

Seeing her look around with a gloomy demeanor, asking, “Could you take a look at this just once…?” was painfully evident. Yet, he couldn’t even make accidental eye contact!

Sigh, fine. Let’s leave things for later.

Even though he was currently alive due to a kindness he didn’t understand, and the situation was utterly awkward, he could prepare like crazy from now on, and things could change later.

With that thought, the man tried to leave quietly… or so he thought until he heard fluent Korean encouragement coming from behind him, something he never expected.

“Be careful! While this neighborhood can be a bit harsh, don’t be too pessimistic!”

“……”

Unlike when he had intentionally kept silent before, this time he was completely at a loss for words.

No way…! Did he just learn a second language in that brief moment? A hacker has a sharp mind, but for someone who looked like a broke bum? Really?

It was a bit ridiculous since Neo Heaven Prime was an open-world shooting game.

He wanted to apologize to those friends who laughed at how the quality of the favorability system and character nicknames, such as “Our Angel~” were cheesy. It seemed like Anastasia truly was a black-haired angel.

Even foreigners with blue eyes would nod if they greeted “Hello, thank you” in Korea, yet to hear genuine encouragement like that in a far-off land?

Even though he wanted to toss aside all the absurd thoughts and run to her, clinging to her feet and pleading for help… he held himself back.

Men often boast and act tough when faced with a beauty.

Wasn’t it too embarrassing to give up without even trying on his own?

“…Cough! Thank you, thank you, Angel…!”

Holding his PDA tightly at his solar plexus, he hid his reddened nose and awkwardly expressed his thanks in his clumsy English before leaving.

From now on, he would struggle a little harder. He wouldn’t just live by not being able to die, but to achieve a grand goal.

That would be much cooler… and he could be proud of himself.

…But, wasn’t there someone who said that it’s important to hear Korean until the end?

The hypothesis that “Anastasia Valentine noticed something” and the threat that came with it, the will to meet for the next business after already giving him an item, or the suspicions that burst late due to some strange remarks all weighed down on him.

– Excuse me, guest who just left the high-priced PDA at the Circuit Refinery. Please stop for a moment. The owner who paid the bill wishes to have a private conversation with you. There is no ill intent, so please spare some time. –

“Uh.”

He felt the droid thudding closer from afar.

People nearby began whispering, and someone whose path crossed with him fled in a panic.

That can’t be right, right? He hadn’t ordered a boss battle demo!

Was answering there considered wrong?

Or was it a pattern of being caught by some logic like, “Why did you call me by that strange nickname? Suspicious, could you come over so I can take a better look at you?”

The companion character that usually partnered with the player was generally a reliable comrade.

Even if the favorability was bottomed out, as long as it didn’t turn into hostility like with special events such as Anastasia, they usually wouldn’t point guns at each other, so there should be some comfort in that.

But the opponent had to be her? And right now, they were in a state that didn’t even matter?

Oh, sister. Can you hold on for a second? I have something urgent to do. Can we meet in a couple of months? Well then, I’m off…!

Tap tap!

Before his mind could coolly analyze the current situation, his legs moved instinctively, deciding to run.

No matter how beautiful, even her angry expression could make a great picture.

Yet, the pressure radiating from her, as if one looked into the eyes of death, caused him to lower his gaze automatically when meeting just the two of them.

“Ugh…!”

The droid’s intimidating warning voice telling him to stop echoed,

and the piercing feeling from the stares behind him made his skin itch as if he had burns, yet he forced himself to ignore it and ran.

Even if he got caught, it seemed like he could navigate through the good parts, so he might get away safely… but wasn’t that a bit too pathetic?

– Oh no…! Please come to a stop immediately… –

“Ugh…!!”

Using the pained groan escaping his lips as a sound effect, he dashed into an alley densely packed with small shops, off the main road.

Swish—. He slid around the corner almost like a slipstream.

The droid, desperate to capture him, seemed a moment too slow, but the curious gaze of someone who saw a madman running away adhered to him. He had to shake them off at all costs.

Screech!!

The soles of his already worn-out shoes were wearing thin from friction heat.

Restricting the enemy’s shooting angle and repeatedly changing direction and using cover to create even the slightest blind spots for the pursuer was a fundamental of hardcore FPS games.

He entered a narrower alley from an already cramped alley.

There were fewer citizens who could see where he was going.

Even if there were witnesses, they wouldn’t be much help.

Also, if he helped a seemingly wealthy beauty, there would be few strange people who would stand up for a dark-skinned dude with an unclear identity.

“Ha, heh. Heh heh…”

Breathing heavily, he grabbed a discarded empty delivery box that was lying on the street.

As long as he had escaped from view, running like a madman through the crowd was a rookie move. Competing that way would naturally lead to the robots suppressing humans with endurance in no time.

Since he had created some distance, what he needed to do was… escape, not simply flee!

“…Huh!”

Once when he had just crossed dimensions and arrived, using it as a buffer to reduce falling damage, and another time when he was searching pitifully for thrown away items since he didn’t even have shoes.

Now, he would dive into a large trash bin for the third time, using it as a hiding spot.

With its mushy yet dense contents. As soon as he felt that his extremities were sufficiently concealed by clutter, he capped himself off by placing the empty box over his head upside down.

Earlier, he regretted not being able to smell anything due to the mask working well, but now he was grateful for the odor-blocking effect.

His clothes and physical condition were already a mess, so he decided to jump in boldly with the sense from the game, but the choice to dive into a pile of unidentified garbage was not an easy one to make.

From now on, it would be a test of endurance.

Although he hadn’t depicted any financial fatigue, she, as a freelance hacker and practically a business owner, wouldn’t likely spend several days on the lookout for a strange guy like him.

If she couldn’t find him after searching the area, it would be uncomfortable, but she would likely have to retreat.

So… even though it was a dreadful environment, perhaps due to the tension being released, his stomach began to grumble with hunger and pain, but he just needed to wait calmly in a meditative mood.

…Well, according to the boss battle, in the first phase, he shouldn’t think so optimistically when facing someone who would dramatically black out an entire district, signaling the start of the battle.

How much time had passed? Excluding movement time, perhaps no more than 6 or 7 minutes?

His breath, which had been wildly racing, was finally calming down, and just then, from within the dim box, white and red beams of light burst forth along with a calm announcement.

[ An emergency disaster alert is being transmitted from the Neo Haven Emergency Management Agency (NHEMA) to you, citizens within the signal range. This is a real situation responding to grade 2 or above large-scale natural disasters, and all those engaged in their livelihoods… ]

“…Uh? Oh, crap. What the hell!?”

In a hurry, he looked down at the front of his clothes, and there it was—a massive red exclamation point had popped up on the notification.

But why now? He knew that an emergency disaster message system existed, as it had appeared in the prologue, but the timing was too coincidental.

Fearing he might get caught, he frantically tapped away at the screen.

The brief controls he learned earlier didn’t include scenarios like this, but he had enough understanding of the electronic device to know that just closing all the displayed items would make them disappear.

But wait, something felt off? Did disaster notifications sometimes come without mentioning what the disaster was? Why were the detailed items left blank?

As if someone had shoved in a fake message made carelessly.

“Ah, damn.”

Suddenly, a gun barrel leisurely protruded from the bottom of the box.

Filthy thick and gleaming with a weak reflection from the screen light, it added a chilling sensation.

As he helplessly flipped the box he had poorly and pathetically covered himself with, the gun barrel went up with it.

The chill of the dim alley air came in first, and then a super alloy soldier staring blankly down at him filled his field of vision completely.

– Did I not warn you not to run away? I doubt you have any means to pay the price for wasting Anastasia’s time. –

“……”

Among users who frequently discussed it, this entity had a reputation for being the root of the unjust difficulty for her encounters.

The shadow of death seemed closer than ever.

Disregarding him, who was acting foolishly like a mere bystander, the famous strong AI offered a deadly greeting, and he began squeezing out ways to survive.