Chapter 254

A while back, the time was about four in the afternoon.

The place was somewhere in the back alleys leading to the nearby commercial district of the gray zone, where a man in a pitiful state was found.

“Ugh… shi-, I’m starving and my stomach hurts really bad…”

Sniffle.

Too lazy to move his arms consciously, or perhaps moving would painfully stretch the muscles around his abdomen, he only turned his head and rubbed his face against his shoulder.

His beggarly appearance was pitiable enough that the manager, out of consideration, had him pick out some clothes that fit from those stripped off the deceased. Though the musty smell pricked his nose, it was better than having nothing on at all.

The effects of the merciful anesthesia had worn off, leaving him suffering harsh aftereffects from the one-time daily job he recklessly did the day before. Still, clutching his empty stomach, he managed to stagger forward.

Of course, his other hand was occupied, constantly feeling for the prepaid card in the pocket of his coat, making sure it hadn’t disappeared.

There is money, the currency called Credits that’s accepted in this world. If he uses it sparingly and eats only the calculated amount of calories, it should cover his food expenses for a month or two.

Such a tight, pitiful, and utterly unhealthy lifestyle would at least be worthwhile since the joys of eating junk food make it bearable.

“Damn, this is tough.”

A sigh, and a solitary motivational pep talk crumbled into thin air.

But the fact that it was a blood-like emergency fund that shouldn’t be recklessly spent until the exact price of what he was searching for was known pushed him out of the restaurant and toward an entirely different destination.

Anyhow, the current destination of the man was Circuit Refinery’s main building.

To the extent of his knowledge, it was the best store where he wasn’t refused entry and could visit, offering a wide range of choices from discounted goods to high-end anti-cheat equipment.

A company that earns profits from software sales and data chips in Neo Haven’s terms, they use the strategy of selling physical products cheaply on their dedicated floors to draw customers in like bait.

So, with a bit of luck, he might be able to get a subpar translator without spending all his savings (150,000C).

Though, the one regret he has—perhaps too late—is:

“Should’ve practiced my English conversation skills…”

Not only is the distance far, who could have foreseen such a large-scale kidnapping across realms?

The price of ignoring the cliché in some sectors—”Clearing a suspicious game results in a ticket to another world”—has brought him this far.

He lacks even the money to eat, yet needs additional investment for smooth conversations. Damn.

Honestly, if you mix in gestures, communication isn’t impossible, but the situation of encountering a complex array of proper nouns and fast-paced speech has made the last few days stressful.

Especially since, upon realizing that the language barrier couldn’t be bridged, any faint goodwill people initially had toward him quickly disappeared.

Nevertheless, it is fortunate that his clever maneuvering and strategic exploration of various approaches have led him to uncover somewhat unconventional routes in the colossal Neo Haven.

If caught in an arbitrary police checkpoint now, without even an ID to present…

Finally managing to make his way to the main road with a sigh, he looked ahead.

There, standing proudly to emphasize his ownership of the place, was a grotesque statue of Mr. Big Hemet, elongated in height, sculpted with a handsome face, and exaggeratedly doubled in hair.

Though it felt questionable for a short person to pull off such a swindle, the image had firmly stuck. …What is this?

“Uh? Er??”

Clearly, the neon sign blinked “Circuit Refinery” in carefully arranged letters.

Judging from various crooked signposts that relate to chips and electronics, it’s certainly the right place, but wasn’t it larger, flashier, and a landmark in this area with various other signposts?

Hmm… Did I come here too early? Maybe before the owner made a fortune.

Buzz, buzz.

The man abruptly shook his head.

Wallowing in minor errors wouldn’t help. Now, as long as the shop simply didn’t deceive the inexperienced customers but sold goods at a reasonable price, anything would do.

As if trying to overlay anxiety, he made an effort to ignore the constant stream of murmurs escaping his lips and stepped inside the cluttered shop full of courage.

Everywhere he looked—chips, price tags, English, cursive script, strange symbols. In the middle of this chaotic mess, he noticed something vaguely familiar.

Behind the front counter was a dingier and more skeletal pedestrian robot than his recollection, with a dirty little dwarf sitting on it.

For some reason, after being kidnapped, this was almost the first familiar face he’d encountered, no matter how distant from eye candy.

And so, without any hesitation, he stuck to the counter.

Without fully crafting a proper greeting or explaining what item he was searching for in his mind,

“…Are you here for a consultation? If you have something to buy, you need to remove the tag first and bring it over. Don’t set off any alarms unnecessarily after checkout.”

“…Here for a ‘Consulting’ aye? If not, grab whatever the fuck you’re interested in and come back after paying the price. Instead of causing the shitty alarm by the tag.”

“…”

Wow, shit. He’s really messed this up.

The dazzling display of practical combat slang and foreign languages made his brain fuzzy. He should’ve explained his purpose before being addressed.

But mistakes can be rectified. Especially when Hemet’s mood doesn’t appear terrible, which is highly encouraging.

If he works his brain at 200%, maybe he can set aside some budget for dinner tonight, recharging himself with happy thoughts, and approached the negotiation with the brightest voice possible.

“…Shit, what the hell! Blocking out noise but filtering sound? There’s nothing cheaper than this anywhere you go! What village have you come from that you’re only looking for stuff this cheap!?”

“Goddamn it! It’s not like I want to!”

He swallowed back tears and the excuses he couldn’t bring himself to voice.

He had completely messed up due to an absolutely insufficient, bottom-of-the-barrel budget.

During the ‘You fuck nugget!!’ part, he almost got his forehead bopped by a robot arm, and all he understood was that the magic word was said with excellent fluency, leaving him cursed.

When a lump sum comes in next, which should he buy first—a citizen certificate or cyberware? He had to reconfirm the need to quickly obtain cyberware implants even if expelled to the outskirts.

What to do? Rather, what exactly should he do?

It’s physically impossible to do that job again… could he just shamelessly beg for credit? But with the likely refusal and subsequent reporting to the police due to lack of references?

Me… Did I just hit a dead-end? Should I just eat the little money left until I starve?

He might be able to take on odd jobs delivering items difficult for drone couriers, though risks and credit are secondary concerns for now.

However, answers to the questions—’Will I find that in time?’ and ‘Is merely sustaining life through such means really living?’—are ambiguous.

Just as he was beginning to feel overwhelmed and the idea of giving up started to eat away at his heart,

An elegant, delicate voice tickled his ears from behind.

“Hi, Mr. Hemet. Am I interrupting? I’m just here to pay.”

“Huh!?”

It was almost a miracle that he managed to suppress his reflexive shout.

Even she conversing in incomprehensible language didn’t bother him. It was almost ironic considering he had just complained about the complexity of English.

Her gentle demeanor, soft yet lively, high-pitched tone, and an aura that made it seem like her sweet scent might permeate despite the broken purifiers, all combined to make his body react before his mind.

The man instantly recognized who approached him without warning.

Top sub-heroine who frequently gets into strange disputes with other users, the younger sister of the 0-tier companion Valentine sisters from the original work. A landmark in chaotic scenarios, a character often spotlighted in fan-screenshot uploads.

Possibly, the girl with all the answers to the mysteries—Anastasia Valentine.

He felt a joy that words couldn’t capture.

It felt as though an invisible string had guided them to meet, and his heart quickened.

But, on the other hand—his skin prickled with chills.

Thus… why do you suddenly appear here?

Characters, everyone has private lives, and in games, they often wander around freely without being summoned by the protagonist, which is both inconvenient but also makes them less like NPCs. Since she’s a character often tied to Easter eggs and hidden sub-settings, it’s common to unexpectedly run into her at events, so this isn’t entirely odd… but just now?!?

“Hey! Pull yourself together!”

As he tried to objectively evaluate the unfolding situation, he suddenly felt a jolt upon catching a glimpse of Anastasia’s shimmering short bob cut and the white nape of her neck peeking over her jacket collar as she passed by.

The reason wasn’t solely because he noticed the presence of the famously passive-skill-equipped AI robots, but because he had no time to be enraptured by the charm of beauty.

This is not the time. Think, you must think!

It would be convenient to dismiss it as pure coincidence, but in this world full of conspiracies and schemes, he was simply too well-informed for that.

Alright, let’s force ourselves to think even of the worst possibilities.

At the moment, though the assumptions seem few due to the sparse information given:

First, she might be the actual superscientific entity that lured me here, and she’s currently just taking a look around before coming to collect me!

Ah… this is too desperate? There’s no solid ground to conclude that she harbors ill intentions, and it’s tough to explain leaving me stranded in the city for days, so this probably isn’t true.

If this assumption is correct, the problem is far beyond his control, and he felt his mood dip.

Alright… there’s nothing one can do. Let’s go with the second option.

She has merely come to investigate the unusual language and accent someone nearby is using.

Generally speaking, Anastasia does return positivity to “proper actions.” But thinking rationally, she wouldn’t be so carefree as to buy an expensive item for a complete stranger. That would be unlike a stubborn character who achieves goals despite the obstacles.

Look at this.

It feels like cheating when she smiles sweetly, offers to foot the bill, and tells him not to get so worked up while letting him buy whatever he wants.

Why is she being so generous? What’s the reason??

For a moment, there was the terrifying thought that if it weren’t a makeshift gas mask hastily grabbed due to the poor air quality in this area without public facilities, he might have already revealed his slack-jawed expression.

In the midst of dawdling, a PDA that looked so expensive it would probably be showcased by a gloved expert at some convention back in Korea now came into his possession.

Staring blankly at the bizarre text that appeared on the screen the moment the device was powered up, the man had to rethink everything from scratch.

[Received the design plans of the dimensional rift interference device from Anastasia Valentine.]

The final third option. Nothing here has become reality yet; the future where he survives must still be built from this point on.

Even though only a few days had passed, his wick, almost extinguished by the fear and loneliness of failing to eat and rest properly, was reignited.