How to Survive in a Fusion Punk

Chapter 21 – A Sudden Twist

The Manticore roared down the road, its engine growling as it picked up speed.

The evening sun, bathed in pumpkin hues, was beautiful.

But it didn’t reach through the forest of buildings that rose unpredictably.

The streets, as always, were dark and dim.

Rusted streetlights and ominous neon signs were all that illuminated the land, making it hard to distinguish day from night.

Jin looked out beyond the blurry lights.

A woman spinning a gun with a frustrated expression, a man running shirtless and high on drugs, a sex toy harassing a passerby, the distant sound of gunfire, gangs, homeless people, and people on the street.

It was all so different from his hometown.

But it had now become a part of his life.

As the Manticore accelerated, everything started to lose its shape and blend into one mass.

And so it was, under the name Downtown.

A low hum.

At some point, the bike crossing the road slowed down and turned into an alley.

The path twisted, like a maze of closely-packed buildings.

The Manticore continued through the narrow passage until it came to a stop under a dim light.

The engine shut off, and Jin stepped down from the bike.

He stretched his sore back, glancing up at the building in front of him, before opening the door to Anekdote.

The bell chimed.

The first thing that caught his eye was Khalifa, sitting alone at a table.

Her legs were crossed, her foot resting on her thigh, and she raised her glass to her lips as she cast a glance at the open door.

She let out a small, ironic laugh, her eyebrows raised.

“…Ha? Look who it is.”

“Hey, Khalifa.”

Jin waved his hand and walked into the store, taking a seat across from her.

“Why all alone in such a pitiful state?”

“It’s not pitiful. I’m just enjoying my time alone.”

“I didn’t interrupt, did I?”

“Well, it’s not so bad.”

Kalifa stood up and, as usual, served him cookies and warm milk.

“Why did you stop contacting me?”

“Oh, the device… What’s with that look? Were you worried?”

“…Jin. Do you think I’m just someone who serves cookies? As a Linker, I need to check on the life or death of a Solo member.”

Khalifa sighed lightly.

Jin tilted his head.

But from the moment they first met, she had been too calm to be acting out of concern.

As expected, Kalifa continued the conversation in a composed manner, as if she already knew everything.

“I’ve heard the story. You almost died.”

“Fenrir, did he say that?”

Khalifa neither confirmed nor denied.

She just sipped her drink, nonchalantly.

She placed her glass down on the table and spoke again.

“…Fenrir is a Level 3 Solo. As I’ve mentioned before, at this level, he would be treated as a veteran. And Fenrir rarely goes into beast form for most things, so personally, I think his skill level is more than enough to be considered a step above that.”

Jin didn’t respond.

There was no need to comment on something like this.

“So I wasn’t really worried. I thought Fenrir could handle this assignment just fine, even with you, a newcomer, along.”

Khalifa paused here, suddenly standing up from her seat.

Was she going to give him another plate of cookies?

Jin eyed the milk, waiting with a hopeful gaze.

But when Khalifa returned, she wasn’t holding cookies—she was carrying a large leather bag.

She dropped the bag on the table and spoke.

“Who would’ve expected this? That Fenrir would owe his life to a newcomer.”

Jin blinked in surprise.

“What are you talking about? Both of us were depending on each other’s lives.”

They had fought desperately to survive, knowing that if one fell, the other would follow.

“Fenrir doesn’t see it that way.”

Khalifa smiled and gestured toward the bag on the floor.

“Open it.”

Jin hesitated but reached out and unzipped the bag.

Inside, he found stacks of bills.

He stared at them in shock.

Kalifa spoke, seeing his expression.

“25 million credits. After deducting the fee, it’s the full reward for the mission. Fenrir transferred his share to you.”

“…Why?”

“Who knows. Ask him next time you see him.”

Kalifa answered simply, and Jin became even more confused.

He must have hit his head during the fight.

What’s going on?

Actually, Jin had planned to thank Fenrir when he saw him.

After all, it was him who had taken care of Jin and helped him escape when the warehouse exploded, even though he had been unconscious at the time.

But this… a favor?

It was a feeling Jin couldn’t quite understand, but with no real reason to refuse, he casually pulled the bag closer to himself.

The strong smell of crisp new bills made him dizzy for a moment.

How much is this all worth?

Jin was zipping the bag closed when Khalifa spoke again.

“Aren’t you going to ask something?”

She poured herself another drink as she said this.

With her long eyelashes lowered, her face, twirling the glass absentmindedly, looked like someone waiting for a question.

Jin opened his mouth naturally.

“That dark magician… who is he?”

Perhaps expecting the question, Kalifa answered immediately.

“Crow Madeye. He’s a dark magician from Styx. People usually call him ‘that madman.'”

“…Styx?”

It wasn’t a completely unfamiliar term to Jin. Just hearing the name, he immediately thought of the river that connects the world of the living to the afterlife.

That was information imprinted in his mind from childhood.

It was all thanks to a legendary bestseller in children’s books—the illustrated Greek and Roman mythology.

Anyone in their 30s would know about it.

It was so fun to read.

Of course, Jin didn’t dwell on whether Styx was just a homophone or whether it had been borrowed from reality for convenience.

If he thought too deeply about it, it would surely lead to panic.

In the meantime, Khalifa began explaining.

“It’s a group composed of criminals rated level 5 and above. Every member has a huge bounty on their heads, but that just shows how monstrously strong they are. In reality, no bounty hunter would target them solo. Well, there were a few who tried, but their corpses piled up into buildings before long.”

Jin’s upper lip twitched.

So how much are we talking here?

Asking that would be too blunt, right?

“They’re also fixers like us. Of course, you can’t hire them just by paying money. They say you need to stimulate their interest or something. Anyway, they’re madmen. They look difficult to deal with, but sometimes they cause chaos in the most unexpected places.”

Khalifa paused before continuing.

“Like that warehouse.”

“I understand.”

Jin nodded.

No wonder things seemed off.

It wasn’t just a level 1 to 5 problem—it suddenly jumped to a level 20 situation.

What a mess he had gotten into.

He clicked his tongue and popped a cookie into his mouth.

As he wiped off the crumbs from his fingertips, Khalifa, who had been watching him, lowered her voice.

“Jin. What I’m about to say is neither consolation nor an excuse. It’s just a fact you have to accept.”

Her calm words and her red eyes were fixed on Jin’s face.

“As long as you live solo, these kinds of incidents will happen again and again. Unexpected threats. Uncontrolled situations. Countless variables created because of them. It’s nearly impossible to prepare for all of them in advance. So, in the end, it’s up to an individual’s capabilities. That’s just how this business works. Harsh, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Do you still feel confident?”

At the follow-up question, Jin hesitated before answering.

He didn’t quite understand why a mere middleman like her was asking such a thing, but he did understand the point she was trying to make.

A warning for someone who’s stepped on a golden path.

Ahead lies hell.

But hadn’t that always been the case?

Since the moment Jin opened his eyes in this world, he had never once been free from the threat of death.

Swords and guns?

They hurt, sure.

Being stabbed or broken never got any easier, and he would sometimes cry out of frustration, not being able to bear the pain during sleepless nights.

But what scared him more was the thought of lying down comfortably with his limbs intact.

The nights filled with endless thoughts.

The spiraling thoughts.

Is this really just a game world?

If it is, then what am I?

A possessor?

A game character?

Why me of all people?

How did it end up like this?

Can I escape?

Even if I return, how will I live with these memories?

Goddamn status screen.

Goddamn goddamn goddamn.

And then, inevitably, the black waves came crashing in.

At some point, Jin turned off the lights and couldn’t sleep.

After getting the terminal, he had been playing loud music and keeping it by his bedside.

Maybe that’s why, but Jin felt like he was split in two, like the opposite sides of a coin.

An übermensch, throwing punches like cannonballs, relentlessly advancing no matter what broke, and a coward, curled up in fear of the night.

As time passed, the gap between them grew.

Jin accepted the only option presented to him.

To reach the end of the path suggested by the status screen.

And when he got there, whatever was waiting, he would destroy it with his own hands.

It was still a distant thought.

Thus, the life of a solo was merely a process to reach that far-off end.

Finally, Jin spoke up.

“Of course. I’m confident.”

“I thought you’d say that.”

Califa gave a slight smile.

“Anyway, you really went through a lot. To fight against Crow MadEye and come back alive… That alone proves your worth. So, here’s some good news.”

“Good news?”

Jin asked, somewhat puzzled, as Khalifa clapped her hands with a grin.

“Po!”

As if on cue, the bartender appeared from behind the central shelf with a flourish.

“You called, boss?”

The perfectly timed entrance felt almost like a scene out of a play, and Jin couldn’t help but chuckle.

Khalifa turned back and said,

“Go ahead, tell him. You’ve been wanting to say it.”

The bartender, Po, politely nodded and addressed Jin.

“Congratulations, Jin. Through the official procedures, you’ve met the requirements for your promotion. You are now listed as a Level 2 Solo in the Solo Intranet.”

At the same time, dopamine exploded in Jin’s mind.

「Promotion」──────────────

A little further, a little higher.

You’ve been promoted to Solo (Lv2).

Reward: 2,000 XP

─────────────────

“It’s very rare for someone with so little experience to be promoted. Only those with legendary feats, like 7th-level Solos, can do that,” Po said.

“Po, don’t overdo it.”

Khalifa shot him a brief glare before turning back to Jin.

“From now on, I’ll arrange better work for you. It’ll happen naturally. So, I look forward to working with you.”

Amidst the fog of dopamine, Jin shook her hand with a dazed and slurred response.

“Uh-huh, me too.”

“…Huh? What’s wrong with you?”

Later.

After clearing up the small misunderstanding, Jin left Anekdote with a heavy money bag in hand.

Thud.

He loaded the bag into the trunk of his bike.

As the engine of the bike growled low, ready to start running again.

Jin looked up at the now dark sky.

Where would he go today?

There were no set plans.

He would just live wherever his feet took him.

Maybe he had become a little more like a wanderer.

After a faint smile, he twisted the throttle.

Vroom!

Under the dim moonlight, the bike sped across downtown.