NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30 - Standing Alone 2
Chapter 30: Standing Alone 2
『Energy Payment Reminder Notice
Document Number: No. 1183812
Recipient: Ark Multi-Purpose Energy Management Corporation of the Oriana Administrative Execution Organization
Sender: Ultima-Class Returnee Exclusive Lodging, Kowloon Residential Zone-Barrier No. 11
Subject: Regarding Energy Payment
We wish for your endless prosperity!
The Ultima-class lodging where you reside operates under a civilian energy subscription system. However, as of ■Month■Day, a sudden surge in energy usage has been confirmed, exceeding the subscription limit.
If you’ve been busy and forgot to pay the fee, or if an unfortunate incident like a power leak occurred, please prioritize paying the fee. Subsequently, you may file a formal objection with the Management Corporation.
The amount you must remit is $2,391.
If you wish to avoid unnecessary excessive energy payments in the future, please consider subscribing to the energy plans provided by the Management Corporation!
For inquiries regarding subscription, contact us through the corporation’s website or the official customer service hotline.
To the endless development and glory of Ark!』
“…….Mom.”
【Verification—In reference to a human, the entity referred to as ‘Mom’ does not exist in this life.】
【If we must clarify, First-Class Overseer Oriana Haleson has supported you akin to a surrogate mother, thus she could be considered the equivalent of ‘Mom.’】
“Are you mocking me right now?”
【Yes, that is correct, Human.】
“You little…!”
【-Not something I would actually say. By the way, $2,391 is an exploitation-level energy charge that even I find absurd.】
Look at that.
Her deflection is top-notch.
When I’m with other people, Theresa doesn’t talk much, but when it’s just the two of us, she seems to overflow with emotions, as if she exists solely to tease me.
Isn’t an AI assisting the protagonist’s machine supposed to act formal and mechanical?
Yet, she’s barely been activated for a short while and already acts like my equal.
“I guess I’ll have to sign up for that energy subscription plan or whatever.”
And $2,391…
This is an enormous amount of money. Back in my first life, $1 was roughly equivalent to 1,300 won.
That means, when converted, this amounts to about 3.18 million won.
No, today’s the first day.
All I did was spend one night replenishing my energy to ensure I had a decent start to my journey alone, and yet this ridiculous amount showed up.
Of course, I was aware that my current energy consumption and charging method were highly inefficient.
Imagine trying to drink from a bucket filled to the brim with water.
With just a tiny mouthful, much of the water spills over rather than going into my mouth.
I wish I could gulp it all down without spilling!
But this isn’t something I can control.
I expected some expenses.
But I didn’t expect to get slapped with a bill exceeding 3 million won in just one day.
【The current situation stems from the machine’s design and operational purpose being overwhelmingly focused on survival and mobility.】
“In simpler terms?”
【As I’ve mentioned before, Human, you need to upgrade this machine by consuming appropriate resources, much like when you absorbed the energy of the ‘Scrap Dragon.’】
【Through upgrades, we must adjust resource consumption, operational capacity, and the efficiency of the entire system.】
“Ah, so you’re basically saying I should consume rare or high-efficiency resources, like in a game?”
【Some details were omitted, but that’s essentially correct, Human.】
In the end, my body is that of an android.
Fully mechanical—metal, bolts, and gears.
Mechanical tentacles resembling those of an octopus, along with pincers or spikes protruding from them, were part of the design.
Of course, I lacked any knowledge about dolls or machinery, so I had no choice but to rely on Theresa, my auxiliary personality, in this area.
“Let’s pay the money first. Theresa, how much did you say I have in my account?”
As I said that, I raised my wrist, and Theresa’s violet hologram merged into the smartwatch attached to it.
It looked like mana gathering into a magical spell, but in reality, it was Theresa’s holographic synaptic command system forcibly hacking the smartwatch.
Since I owned the smartwatch, unlike when hacking the Barrier Agency’s AI, there was no need to decode passwords or combat internal security systems.
【The return support fund provided by Oriana Haleson amounts to a total of $30,000.】
“Is that a lot?”
【Considering the immediate resolution of housing issues, it is a significant amount.】
A simple calculation converts $30,000 to approximately 40 million won.
The Helderi/Aldehilly restaurant Oriana and I visited served synthetic pork cutlet, artificial cream croquettes, and mixed artificial flavor soup as a set, which cost about $20 if my memory serves correctly.
It seemed slightly expensive compared to the prices in my previous life, but not drastically so.
Here, the truly expensive items were related to energy, and with the high population density, land prices were likely exorbitant as well.
The housing issue, being the most significant concern, was resolved as an Ultima-class returnee was provided an entire three-story house. However, energy wasn’t something I could save on just by being frugal.
-[Sending $2,391 to the Energy Management Corporation.]
“Theresa, if I do nothing, how long can this support fund sustain me?”
【In the case of minimal energy consumption for Human, the maximum would be two months.】
【However, that is based on the standard of an ordinary human, and there is a high possibility of unexpected additional consumption. Realistically, you have about one month of leeway at most.】
“One month, huh…”
It’s short.
Even considering Ark’s cost of living, at this rate, I might end up evicted from the house, reduced to wandering like a beggar in the lower tiers.
Of course, that would only happen if I did absolutely nothing and sat idly like a jobless bum.
Having gained a third life, I wasn’t about to waste it moping around indoors.
If that were the case, Oriana wouldn’t have taken me in to begin with.
‘I originally planned to casually explore nearby cities, check out some restaurants, and stroll around the streets…’
Of course, some convenient ways to earn money did come to mind.
The lower tiers of Magrid.
And hacking.
The Magrid lower tiers were said to be akin to a labyrinth crawling with criminals and gangsters.
Perhaps I could beat up criminals and take their money, but the issue was that many of those criminals were likely awakened individuals.
I also had to consider the possibility of unknown big shots or strong adversaries.
Unlike in the previous world, I couldn’t afford to think of myself as the strongest anymore.
My fuel efficiency was abysmal, and my mana depletion rapid. I couldn’t even use the magic I once prided myself on.
The only reason I managed to defeat the True Ancestor was due to its carelessness and the unexpectedly superior performance of my physical body.
If that True Ancestor woman had been determined to kill me or hadn’t allowed me to get close, I might have been the one melting in boiling blood.
And as for hacking…
[Are you a robot?]
“………”
【Yes, I am a robot.】
“I wasn’t asking you…”
As soon as I accessed Kowloon’s official bank website, that window popped up.
How to bypass it?
At first, I thought it would be simple.
Select the fire hydrant, select the car, select the bicycle…
I followed the prompts and selected the options.
But no, they rejected it.
The system concluded I was a robot and blocked me from the website entirely.
“…Wait, how do they even know I’m a robot?!”
【I have confirmed that certain magical spell protocols are embedded in all institutional AIs in Ark, including the Barrier Agency and the banks.】
“What kind of magical spell is that?”
【The spell identifies intelligent beings’ access attempts and reads the user’s cognition while they select the images. During this process, the spell-interpreting AI seems to attempt a distinction between robots and humans.】
“You’re saying the spell itself determines whether it’s a robot or not?”
【That’s correct. To put it more simply, the agency’s AI essentially said, ‘You think of yourself as a robot and proved it. Get lost, beep-boop. This is for humans only,’ and kicked Human out.】
“Damn it.”
I wasn’t planning to pull off some Hollywood movie heist, hacking a bank to steal large sums of money in an instant or deposit it into my account.
But with the bank’s institutional AI functioning like this, it’s safe to say any idea of making money through hacking is out the window.
So, what’s left is naturally…
“Hunting work.”
【Wasn’t that your original plan?】
“Well, I was going to do it, but I planned to take it easy. Spend a week or so sampling electricity here and there, visiting some good restaurants, and maybe exploring the lower tiers…”
【Human, that is called laziness.】
“Oh, it’s not laziness. It’s rest for my body and mind, a means to work more efficiently afterward.”
【Human, do not speak of body and mind when you’re a scrap metal machine. Additionally, your current internal energy level is at 100 percent. Your physical condition is optimal, so get to work.】
“…….”
I had nothing to say.
Fine, fine, I’ll go.
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The weather was quite cold.
Not that I could feel the cold.
As an android, I wasn’t particularly sensitive to temperature differences, but the people walking by bundled in coats and hunching their shoulders made it clear how cold it was.
That was probably why I was drawing so many stares.
A young girl walking around in nothing but a thin suit would naturally lead people to assume I was either abused or crawling out of a slum.
Their misunderstanding and wild imaginations piled on top of each other.
For the record, this suit was part of the basic attire stocked in the wardrobe at home.
I noticed a few others walking by in similarly tight-fitting suits, which made me realize these clothes, though clinging to the body, were surprisingly comfortable for movement.
‘Maybe I should start wearing a coat next time?’
I was drawing too much attention.
Not to boast, but my appearance easily caught people’s eyes.
On top of that, wearing a suit that accentuated my figure caused some to cast subtly lecherous glances in my direction.
If this were the lower tiers of Magrid, someone would have already stepped in front of me, trying to pull some sleazy stunt about wanting a taste of a little girl.
But since this was the upper tier, while people cast sidelong glances, no one dared to make direct contact with me.
“Oh, it’s huge.”
There’s no romanticized adventurer’s guild here.
Instead, there were corporations that assigned contracts to hunters and paid rewards based on the byproducts of the monsters they defeated.
The place I arrived at was labeled as the [Ltd.] Kowloon-11 Outer Wall Exploration Agency.
As the name suggests, it was an agency for exploring the outer walls.
For the 11th outer wall where I resided, it essentially acted as the adventurer’s guild.
Originally, I’d heard that the Barrier Agency where I took down the True Ancestor also functioned like an adventurer’s guild, comprehensively issuing and accepting contracts for hunters and awakened individuals.
But it had been announced that someone had inflicted severe damage on the Barrier Agency AI, rendering it incapable of performing its proper role for the time being.
Truly, this is a fearsome world.
Who would dare commit an act of terror against the Barrier Agency?
【…….】
For some reason, I felt like Theresa was glaring at me, but it was probably just my imagination.
“It’s quite big.”
The Outer Wall Exploration Agency was larger than I expected.
The agency was a massive structure attached to the wall, with enormous wheels roaring as they turned.
Huge machinery resembling drills were pounding into the wall as if drilling for oil.
Numerous vacuum tubes that looked like elevators ran inside the wall, suggesting this was indeed the place.
I walked into the building with long strides.
“What’s with the kid?”
“Looks like she’s lost.”
“Isn’t she cold in just a basic suit?”
“She’s pretty…”
Some whistled, and others assessed me.
Expecting their stares, I ignored them and headed toward the area labeled “Central Information Zone.”
“Hm?”
The first thing I saw was a neatly dressed female employee in a suit.
She seemed to be performing the role of an adventurer’s receptionist, commonly seen in guilds.
The difference was that, unlike adventurer receptionists drowning in piles of paperwork, this employee was intensely working with computers and holograms while maintaining a meticulous appearance.
“Are you lost?”
Naturally, given my youthful appearance, she didn’t even consider that I had come to register as a hunter.
There were female hunters in the building, but they had metal prosthetic arms, significant body modifications, or carried large, unidentified customized weapons that marked them as hunters.
In contrast, I looked like a delicate girl at first glance, so it wasn’t surprising that she assumed I was a lost child.
“I’m here to become a hunter.”
“If you’re lost, we can assign you an agency drone…”
“Here.”
With that, I handed her the silver-plated house key that Oriana had given me.
Although it was a house key, it also functioned as an identification card proving my identity.
“Even with this, for a child to be a hunter… huh?”
The female employee’s eyes widened slightly when she saw the ID I handed her.
“P-Please wait a moment… No, just a moment, please!”
Flustered, she hurriedly opened a back door and disappeared.
As I was about to sit on one of the chairs prepared in front to pass the time, a man, who seemed to hold a much higher rank than the female employee, appeared through the door she had entered.
His lower jaw, including his mouth, was encased in something resembling black armor, making me think he was either a cyborg or, like me, an android. But upon closer inspection, parts like his Adam’s apple and eyes were still human flesh.
“Hello. May I confirm, are you the Ultima-class returnee, Alice?”
The man asked me politely in a voice that echoed slightly.
“Yes.”
At my response, the man bowed deeply to me.
It felt like witnessing a noble’s formal greeting.
“Ah, I see. My deepest apologies. This is unprecedented, as this is the first case where an Ultima-class returnee like yourself has applied to be a hunter at our headquarters. I deeply regret taking up your valuable time. Please accept my sincere apology.”
“Uh… Oh, no. It’s fine.”
Though I answered vaguely, I was slightly flustered on the inside.
I had heard from Oriana that Ultima-class returnees received many benefits, but seeing someone who seemed to be of high rank bowing his head so humbly made me realize that being an Ultima-class returnee wasn’t just about benefits—it felt like being granted some sort of high-status title.
“If you permit, we’d like to escort you to a more private area. Would that be acceptable, ma’am?”
I nodded silently.
Showing an overly startled and dazed expression over minor things would be a disadvantage.
It was better to keep my mouth shut and pretend to be composed.