Asle had once been a bustling city center in the distant past, but it was now known as a vast slum that had fallen into ruin because of failed urban planning. It was a major location in this world, and District B in particular resembled a palette where countless colors had been messily mixed together.
─ Just 100 credits. Please, just give me 100 credits…… I haven’t eaten in two days.
─ Love Lab’s new sex toy series! Amazingly, prices remain unchanged! Starting at 700,000 credits! This is a pop-up store. Come give them a try~.
Buildings stood densely packed together. Elevated highways cut between the skyscrapers rising among them, seemingly waiting for the day they would collapse, while a glittering sea of neon signs surged below.
Beside a stairway in an alley, a sign depicting a pinup girl blinked pink.
─ Money! I told you to pay me back! You son of a bitch!
─ If you don’t have money, you should die. Huh?
As one walked through the streets, strange screams could be heard from somewhere within the tightly packed alleys. The sound of someone being beaten, followed by distant gunfire.
Against that backdrop, an itinerant merchant traveled down the street while a bizarrely modified car bristling with spikes roared past him.
A woman with machinery in place of an arm stared intently at Evan before disappearing into an alley, while a group of boys lounged around inside a smoke-filled abandoned building.
Their faces were covered in piercings, their hair dyed in pastel colors and styled into mohawks…….
As Evan watched them, one of them soon approached him and asked,
“Hey, handsome. It’s dangerous to walk around Asle alone. Want to stop and rest for a while?”
A fair amount of time had passed since Evan fell into this world, yet he could not get used to sights like these at all.
A massive garbage dump built atop the ruins of prosperity.
That was Asle’s identity.
After walking for some time, a building that looked exceptionally clean suddenly came into view.
Anti-intrusion wire was tangled across the top of a tall metal fence, and helmeted security agents stood by the entrance, scanning their surroundings.
『Hotel A-Da』
The flashing neon sign looked incredibly tacky to Evan.
“Stop!”
When the security agents saw the immaculate appearance of the disguised Evan, they lowered their weapons and addressed him politely.
“Present your identification.”
Evan presented the corporate man’s ID, which he had prepared in advance. The moment they confirmed that he was Grade C, a hint of disdain overlaid their formerly polite tone.
“Don’t cause any trouble.”
Evan entered the room, unpacked his belongings, and ran a hand down his face.
FSSSH——
His original black hair and pale face returned.
He removed his cloak, tossed it onto the floor, and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Whew…….”
Whether large or small, black magic rituals always had side effects.
The mental side effects were especially severe.
‘Magic that has to be continuously sustained definitely puts a strain on the body.’
After resting for a while, he looked around.
The guest room contained nothing but a bed and a table.
It had been his first attempt at using the black magic transformation, Phantom Spirit Incarnation, but it had succeeded.
He had easily deceived the security agents and had even managed to fool the AI in the hotel lobby.
‘This spell is definitely useful.’
However, it was not an all-purpose transformation spell.
According to his calculations, it could last for three hours at most.
It was, of course, possible to suspend it for a while and use it again later, but he could hardly call that amount of time generous.
In any case, nothing was perfect.
That was one of the reasons he had liked this game, but……
“Now that I’m here, couldn’t there be at least one perfect thing?”
With his life on the line, his perspective could not help but change.
He lay down on the bed.
It felt like cheap nylon, but to Evan, who had grown accustomed to sleeping outside, even this felt like a five-star hotel.
‘At least I can spend some time alone for the first time in a while.’
In this world, where people were everywhere he went, time alone was extremely precious.
Whenever Evan had the opportunity, he devoted himself to practicing black magic and uncovering its secrets.
He abruptly rose, stood in the center of the room, and concentrated.
Black energy began to swirl before taking on a human form.
The mannequin did not move in the slightest, but it possessed a soul.
It was a practice dummy Evan had personally created to research and train in the essence of black magic.
There was a world of difference between swinging at empty air and training with even a punching bag in front of him.
That was especially true for black magic.
Evan placed a hand on the dummy’s head.
Along with a tingling sensation, an enormous amount of information flowed through his fingertips.
Its size, disposition, biological characteristics, components, memories, and countless other details were jumbled together.
A massive, unorganized collection of data.
A soul.
That mass of information transformed and tore apart according to Evan’s will.
When the soul was torn, the corresponding parts of the body rotted and shriveled.
┌────────────┐
【Black Magic: Soul-Eroding Seal】
Analyzes the soul of a target in physical contact.
An analyzed soul can be damaged.
Damaging the soul also damages the body.
└────────────┘
This time, Evan concentrated the sensation in his hand.
The soul was sucked into his palm and became a dark blue bead.
The human test subject collapsed, reduced to an empty shell.
┌────────────┐
【Black Magic: Spirit-Sealing Bead】
The soul of one who has lost their will is weak.
A weak soul can be seized and possessed.
└────────────┘
Evan looked at the small blue bead in his hand.
A face screaming in agony rippled within it.
He stretched it out and tied it into a knot.
The knot became a dark blue flame and soon began burning Evan’s fingers as well.
Evan hurriedly shook his hand and extinguished the flame.
┌────────────┐
【Black Magic: Soulcraft】
Manifests dark rituals using collected souls.
The law of equivalent exchange is absolute.
└────────────┘
Read the soul.
Possess it.
Offer it as the sacrifice for a ritual.
These were the three principles that formed the foundation of black magic.
It was an alien and heretical power, entirely different from what this world called magic.
It was powerful.
“But I need to become stronger.”
Evan knew very well what this world had shown itself to be like within the game.
‘If I want to avoid getting caught up in the Disaster Scenarios.’
Survival had to come before escape.
He had to become stronger, and he had to understand the principles by which a black mage grew.
“Where can I find the answer?”
It was not as though he had no clues.
Traces of black magic could be found as faded superstitions in old history books.
Heresy, devil worship, witchcraft, forbidden rituals, and artifacts.
His only option was to track down the records of black magic that had survived in such forms.
While this vast city embraced engineering and pleasure and hurtled uncontrollably toward the future, he had to become the sole person obsessed with the past.
Evan stared at the soul flickering above his fingertips and fell into thought for a while before drifting off to sleep.
***
【SYSTEM: User awakening detected.】
【SYSTEM: Vitals normal. Optimizing neural circuitry.】
【SYSTEM: Good morning, Evan.】
The next morning, before Evan could even fully regain consciousness, system messages filled his vision.
The health-monitoring device implanted inside his body had activated.
“Let’s get moving.”
After slapping his face to shake off the last of his sleep, he immediately searched the room.
He found a laptop that the corporate man had used while alive.
He also found a handgun and a twelve-round spare magazine filled with bullets.
“Oh, a handgun.”
No matter how much magic existed, a gun was always an excellent means of communication.
After all, a mage still had holes blown through his body when he was shot.
Evan shoved it into an inner pocket of his cloak and opened the laptop.
‘Let’s see what’s on here.’
It was truly an age of information overload.
At the same time, it was an age of absolute control.
It was an age when information itself became opportunity.
The first thing he found after opening a folder was……
“……?”
Several hundred gigabytes of pornographic videos.
They were even specialized files linked to artificial eyes to guarantee a vivid experience.
【Black+Shadow+Wriggling+in+the+Abyss.drf】
【The+Secret+the+Elven+Corporate+Madam+Hid+for+400+Years.drf】
“How vulgar…….”
He saved them immediately.
Of course, he made it perfectly clear to himself that he was not saving them because he wanted to watch them.
It was merely because this was the kind of world where even things like these could be worth money.
Information was opportunity. Information was opportunity…….
More importantly, what in the world was the secret she had hidden for four hundred years?
Finally, he attempted to connect to Floor City’s network.
Surely he could find something on the internet.
[Hello, Paul P. Kinder. Welcome to the Floor City Security Network.]
[Please enter your password.]
“Ah, shit.”
He could transform into Paul P. Kinder’s appearance, but that did not mean he obtained his brain.
Of course, a soul was ultimately a collection of data.
If Evan could only interpret it, it should have been possible to extract information like this, but…… no matter how many times he tried, he could not manage anything that advanced.
‘I’ll have to find a competent hacker.’
At least this era was convenient in that regard.
As long as one paid enough money, one could do anything one wanted.
While staring at the window as daylight began to brighten it, Evan suddenly felt an intense thirst.
“……Something to drink first.”
He rose and walked toward the refrigerator.
Its sensors detected his approach, activating the lights as a sweet voice flowed out.
「Hotel A-Da always does its utmost for its guests.」
The surface of the refrigerator became transparent, revealing the contents inside.
Evan mindlessly reached for the door before stopping.
The numbers floating on the transparent display were price tags.
[Moonpowder Drink: 45,000 credits]
[Hongtan Beer: 30,000 credits]
[Purified Water: 40,000 credits]
He checked the amount of money he had.
【49,000c】
Even that total included the cash he had taken from the corporate man’s pocket earlier.
Evan had originally possessed a mere 9,000 credits in his digital wallet.
A cheap synthetic-meat hotdog cost 2,000 credits, so that amounted to the value of an astonishing four and a half hotdogs.
“Shitty cyberpunk world.”
One could do anything one wanted as long as one paid enough money?
That was no different from saying that, without money, even survival was a luxury.
Evan took out the water and irritably gulped it down as he thought.
‘I can’t live on cheap synthetic meat forever.’
He had to make money.
Besides, there was no doubt that he would need money in countless ways while searching for Yender’s Amulet.
When Evan wrapped himself in the cloak he had carelessly draped over a chair, black clouds descended and enveloped him.
The moment he crossed the threshold of the guest room, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
「Have a pleasant day, Mr. Kinder. Vertex Corporation looks forward to your dedication.」
The AI in the hotel lobby murmured through the speakers.
Leaving the hotel’s main entrance behind him, Evan headed into the slum alleys of Asle.
***
Evan knew every event that could occur in the Asle slums.
However, whether each event actually occurred was entirely random.
The only way to find out whether one would happen during this playthrough was to search for it in person.
That was why Evan headed toward the pub operated by the old man and the red-haired Stella.
Although it was too early to open a bar, the pub’s door was already open.
Pubs in this world also served as employment agencies.
Places that connected clients with problem-solvers in this manner were called Proxies.
When Evan entered, he saw someone sitting at the bar and heard their conversation.
“I’m telling you, I need people who actually know what they’re doing for this job.”
“Hmm. With your credibility, I’m not sure you can find any competent runners.”
“Come on, old man. Don’t be like that. At least put out an anonymous request…… Huh?”
The person who had been commissioning the job flinched at Evan’s arrival, then grumbled with a deeply displeased expression.
“You’ve got incredible timing.”
The old man stared at the client with a sharp gaze Evan had never seen before.
Then he turned toward Evan and grinned.
It was a fairly menacing expression, but Evan could tell that it was meant to convey welcome in its own way.
“Well, look who it is. I thought you would have no reason to visit such a humble place again.”
At the old man’s fuss, the client stared at Evan with a bewildered expression.
“What? Is he famous?”
“Not famous, but he’s a little out of Asle’s league.”
“What does that mean? Out of its league……?”
“That’s none of your concern. If you’re finished here, get lost.”
“Damn old man, you’ve got a shitty personality……. I’ll come back in a few days, so make sure you handle the job properly.”
Leaving those words behind, the client glanced at Evan and walked out of the bar.
“What brings you here today?”
Evan went straight to the point.
He asked whether there was any work that paid.
At that moment, Tumble’s expression changed.
The determination not to let a “big catch” escape flickered in his eyes.
“Full-time? Freelance? If you are willing to work with us, we will make it worth your while.”
“Freelance.”
“That is unfortunate. Do you plan to keep at it for long?”
“For now, give me something short that I can finish quickly.”
Evan’s conditions were simple.
The job had to pay enough for him to eat something slightly better than a synthetic hotdog that evening.
For the moment, that was enough.
It would not be too late to think about what came next after filling his stomach.
“In that case……. Hmm. I can hardly offer you something like menial labor at a nearby hotel construction site.”
Evan leaned against the bar and waited, but an answer came from somewhere entirely different.
“For a job like that, how about talking to me?”
Evan turned around.
In a dim corner at the back, a man wearing sunglasses sat striking a pose.
The bald man, who nevertheless had a thick, bushy beard, grinned at him.
“Do you know the Lubener Family Church? I have some business there.”
“Ah, absolutely not.”
Tumble shook his head before the man had even finished speaking.
“What sort of horror are you trying to drag him into at that cursed church? I do not know what you are trying to propose, but do not pull any bullshit in my establishment.”
“Being old sure has made you meddlesome. I’m asking that man for his opinion.”
“Pretend you did not hear him. That church is…….”
After drinking the large glass of free water Tumble had given him, Evan spoke.
“The incident where a whole group of people died inside that church overnight? Was that yesterday, by any chance?”
At Evan’s words, the bald man whistled in surprise and smiled.
“You’re impressively well-informed, brother. Sounds like you and I will get along just fine.”
“I suppose the bastards who dropped dead in there were members of your gang?”
That was the moment the smile vanished from the man in sunglasses.
“……I didn’t expect you to know that much.”
Naturally, Evan knew.
He also knew that the reward for this event was quite substantial.
He was simply pleased that an event he would otherwise have needed to search for had come rolling directly to him.