The All-Master of Cyberpunk

Episode 3

 

 

3. New Hometown

 

 

‘Your face is still thick.’

 

In person, he looked even more gruesome than he did on the screen.

 

Choi Hyun-soo, guild leader of Chilgok.

 

He used all kinds of blackmail and gaslighting against players who survived the Gargoyle, forcing them into unfair contracts.

 

He was a typical one-off villain character who didn’t give any rewards.

 

Naturally, he dies a miserable death at the end of the first chapter of the main story, along with the player and other hunters.

 

So viciously so, that within hours of its release, the community posted a 3-minute Choi Hyun-Soo tribute mad movie.

 

I’m the one who cleared all seven endings, using all sorts of weapons to cast True Education.

 

His basic likability rating was minus 500.

 

But despite that assessment, it was still worth it.

 

The ‘Guild Leader’ fight, which only has 28 players in all of Daejeon, is more useful than you might think.

 

At most, you’ll be ranked 19th out of 28, and even that will temporarily drop to 23rd with the death of Kim Sang-yup.

 

It’s not all bad, though, as it can bring you some pretty lucrative requests and allow you to utilize your guild status.

 

In this world, set in a twisted, near-future Korea, it’s one of the most necessary identities.

 

“I’ll be a guest soon enough, so I’ll suck what I can.

 

That was why he had given the soul stones in exchange for the guild’s D-class Hunter status.

 

If you sold it, you could make a lot of money, but that was only in the tutorial area of Daejeon.

 

A bowl of cold noodles costs 30,000 won, just a little further north.

 

But for a decent piece of equipment? Five hundred is ridiculous.

 

All things considered, 20 million won is a lot of money to have.

 

With all the mutants I’d defeat and the rewards I’d receive, it wasn’t a bad short-term investment for its initial convenience.

 

Even now.

 

“Hunter Idojin. As I understand it, you’re from the Liberation Village, so you don’t have a home? Oh, no…… I didn’t mean to demean you. I mean, you’re welcome to use our guild’s quarters.”

 

The house rolled in on its own.

 

Not the half of an older villa that you’re assigned at the beginning, but the third floor of a newer villa that’s not in bad shape.

 

“A pretender is a pretender.

 

Choi Hyun-soo was a simple man.

 

He’s a sneaky, amoral, manipulative horse, but he’s generous to those who bring him money.

 

In other words, give and take, at least in an equal relationship, is a certainty.

 

Cooperation.

 

Plus, since I’d established a clear momentum early on, I knew he wouldn’t look at me as just another pawn.

 

Of course, if you show weakness, they’ll bite you right back.

 

I don’t know.

 

Would he die first, or would I get ripped apart?

 

“Whatever.”

 

I stretched out on the fluffy bed.

 

My head was spinning.

 

I was possessed and attacked by Gargoyle the moment I woke up.

 

I’d absorbed the power of the pure organics I’d gotten as an extra perk and repelled the mutants.

 

Somehow, I managed to survive, but it didn’t change the fact that this was a world where human life was treated like an ant life.

 

That means surviving in a place full of people with half a screw loose somewhere, with all sorts of dirty deeds done with the government’s acquiescence or encouragement.

 

Not only that.

 

‘The Daejeon Green Zone will completely collapse in one month.

 

It was an unstoppable flow.

 

Just like plugging a hole in a dam won’t stop it from collapsing, Daejeon’s demise was already a foregone conclusion.

 

The reason I encountered the Gargoyle today is because the city’s air defense system has been compromised.

 

I’m already in the middle of hell.

 

And I’m also troubled by the message I heard from the faceless man just before I was possessed.

 

 

[Good luck; I’ll see you in Seoul].

 

 

He was the only NPC who never showed his face until the end of the game.

 

A man who even the current president hasn’t met.

 

And at the end, he says something that recognizes me.

 

‘Maybe I’ll know something when I meet him.

 

Anyway, I knew two things for sure.

 

First, I had to do something about the giant nightmare that was coming to Daejeon in a month.

 

And second, I knew I had to head to the Korea Tower in Seoul to find out what had happened to me.

 

“Woohoo…….”

 

I closed my eyes, still barely dressed.

 

I don’t know if it was combat fatigue or a side effect of my pure organic nature, but I was incredibly tired.

 

I should get some sleep first, then get up.

 

 

* * *

 

 

[Idogene! Wake up! [How long are you going to sleep?]

 

 

The young man’s voice made me jump up. Angrily, I checked the clock on the wall and realized it was early morning.

 

Two in the morning.

 

It was 6 p.m. before I fell asleep, so I must have gotten eight hours of sleep.

 

I sat up and looked out the window.

 

Beyond the darkness of the city, the skyscrapers glowed brightly.

 

It was dark around the villa, with no streetlights on, but the buildings in the center of the city glowed like moonlight.

 

“This is what it feels like.”

 

Cyberpunk.

 

It was only now that I realized I had entered such a dystopia.

 

A world where a person’s life could be snuffed out at a moment’s notice.

 

“Don’t waste another day.”

 

I quickly put on my black aviation jumper and left the house.

 

In truth, I couldn’t afford to waste any time away from home.

 

The crisis that was about to hit the Daejeon Green Zone had to be dealt with from now on.

 

However, even if I became a D-ranked Hunter of the Chilgok Guild, the connections I could utilize were limited.

 

To break through the city’s complex security system and various electronic equipment and successfully escape the Green Zone, I would need to cooperate with a ‘hacker’ more than anyone else.

 

“I was planning on meeting him as soon as possible anyway, so let’s head over there for a quick bite to eat.”

 

I turned down a dark alley and started walking deeper and deeper into the city.

 

At this hour of the night, I’m sure I’d find Daejeon’s hottest hacker there.

 

“There.”

 

At the end of the alley, not far from the hostel, a building stood tall among a cluster of old-fashioned villas.

 

On the outside wall of the building, a neon menu board that reads “Traditional Busan Perk Daejeon” is screaming.

 

Even if it was a safe city center barrier, it was a risky move to let it shine so boldly at such a late hour.

 

Anyone outside of the main downtown area would see the lights and start to attract all sorts of criminals and vagrants.

 

However, paradoxically, the safer the neighborhood, the better.

 

The most representative case of this was Oewol Grandma’s soup kitchen.

 

A bang.

 

“We’re not open for business today, eh?”

 

A woman, who had been watching the broadcast idly, jumped up from her seat.

 

It was a familiar face.

 

She had already seen him a few hours earlier.

 

“You!”

 

Her long black hair was tied back into a ponytail, but it still fell past her shoulders.

 

Despite the world going to hell in a handbasket, his hair is still shiny, a testament to the fact that he’s always taken care of it.

 

“Lee dojin?”

 

Her brown eyes widen in disbelief.

 

“You said your name was Lee do-jin, so I formally greet you.”

 

The reason I had come to the noodle shop at dawn was to meet her outside the guild.

 

She may look like the Guild Leader’s closest assistant, but she’s a Class A hunter.

 

She was one of the top ten hackers in the country, having been dispatched from the Great War.

 

In other words, a top-tier information warfare agent.

 

“Ha, what the hell? How do you know you’re here? Are you following me? Just go back before the guild responds.”

 

But in reality, she seemed to take great offense to my visit.

 

It’s like she’s looking at me like I’m crazy. Another X who’s been stalking her since the first meeting.

 

I can’t help it.

 

I cut to the chase.

 

“No, I already knew that you live here with your aunt.”

 

“Um……?”

 

“That and the fact that Mr. Haan came down under orders from the new government in Daejeon.”

 

Poof!

 

In a flash, she pulls a pistol from her waistband and aims it squarely at my forehead.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“Calm down; there’s no need to be so wary.”

 

“…….”

 

“For now, may I ask for a bowl of soup, as I’m rather hungry?”

 

I held up both hands to show I had no intention of fighting.

 

I shuffled over to a suitable chair and sat down.

 

“What…….”

 

“Mr. Haan, I’m sure you have a lot of things you want to ask me right away, so let’s take it slow.”

 

Mr. Haan stared at me with a confused expression, then holstered his pistol at the sound of a click.

 

The look of disbelief on his face was a bonus.

 

It was the end of the meal.

 

I haven’t eaten since I was possessed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Sleep.”

 

Lee do-jin put down a bowl of steaming soup in front of him.

 

Even if you’re not in the mood to eat, it’s enough to make your mouth water.

 

“Do you have any kakdugi?”

 

“What do you want so much?”

 

“I’m from a liberated village.”

 

I shrugged smugly.

 

It was a fixed setting in Seoul 2056 that the protagonist, or player, was from a liberated village.

 

She ruffled my bangs nervously and walked back into the kitchen.

 

“Extra side dishes are 10,000 won.”

 

 

“No, a bowl of soup is 20,000 won, and all you get is kakdugi and dadaegi? Is there a guild discount?”

 

“There’s no such thing!!! And the set meal is more expensive than the a la carte?”

 

So she’s the youngest granddaughter of the owner of the owner of a broken and angry soup kitchen.

 

I smirked and quickly finished my bowl of soup.

 

It was quite a meal. The soup was thick, and the meat was quite a bit of meat.

 

The only downside was that it wasn’t real meat, as Seoul 2056 itself is a cyberpunk dystopian world.

 

Even if it was artificial meat, it was fine as long as it tasted good.

 

“So, when you’re done eating, answer me.”

 

“Answer what?”

 

“I’m not going to play games with you, so if you don’t want a hole in your skull, answer me straight.”

 

Ihaan drops the pistol in front of him, too scared to finish his meal.

 

Well, I guess this is how he is as an agent.

 

I met his vicious gaze and wiped the corner of my mouth with a tissue.

 

“It doesn’t matter where you belong; what matters is what I’m here to do.”

 

“……?”

 

“Daejeon Industrial Guild. Isn’t that guild the reason Mr. Haan came all the way down to Daejeon?”

 

She didn’t show much reaction.

 

But her fingers trembled faintly. She was getting agitated.

 

He hadn’t expected her to give him the name of the guild she was tracking.

 

It was just as it had been in the game.

 

“If we continue to fight the government, we will only bring ruin to Daejeon. Do you think what happened yesterday was a coincidence?”

 

Daejeon Industrial Union.

 

Currently the third largest guild in the Daejeon Green Zone, the guild was organized at the beginning of the crisis by people who lived in the northern industrial zone.

 

Due to the nature of the industrial zone, many of them are skilled in body modification and mechanical engineering, including tech bodies.

 

They succeeded in sweeping aside the northern thugs, who had been making their presence felt as soon as the blockade of the city began.

 

Even if their single hunters are no match for the first or second-place guilds, An organization so overwhelmingly dominant that its guild-scale power is unquestionable.

 

The problem was that the Daejeon Industrial Union would be the catalyst for the demise of the Daejeon Green Zone a month later.

 

That was the real reason why Ian Hunter, who had been to Daejeon before, was sent there.

 

To see what was happening in the Daejeon Green Zone.

 

“I’m sure Mr. Haan wouldn’t want Daejeon to be ruined overnight, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to offer some help.”

 

“You’d better tell me who you are.”

 

Ihaan, still on guard, was about to be intimidated by the stern voice.

 

A gray-haired grandmother with a nostalgic dialect emerged from the silence of the kitchen.

 

“Ma, who are you?”

 

With a stubby cigarette in her mouth and a giant mechanical arm belching out steam, the sense of power she exuded was overwhelming.

 

A living legend, the matriarch of the North.

 

“Speak straight.”

 

Ihaan is the second most essential ally in the plan to survive the coming destruction.

 

It was the arrival of the ‘white bone’ Ouyue.