＜ Episode 2 ＞
“You know what to do? Take off that fancy coat first.”
“Take it off slowly. Shall I play some music?”
“I want my ass to be nice.”
The faces of the men giggling towards him were vulgar, full of menacing energy, but John’s expression did not change.
clap.
John slowly raised his arms as the muzzle, apparently custom-made, was pointed at John.
“yes. right. A friend who knows how to behave.”
“Don’t worry, I will save your life if you cooperate with me.”
It was then that the men made eye contact, as if they had found some time to spare.
dismissal.
Along with a small sound, electromagnetic waves that were not recognized by the eyes spread out around John.
It was a phenomenon that could not be observed with the naked eye, but the aftermath was not trivial.
“What?!”
“I can’t move my hands!”
A localized EMP crippled the implant, and the sloppy contraption, fortunately a one-time use, only temporarily disabled the effects, but that was enough.
bang!
Like a lie, a cannon-like sound exploded from the sawed-off shotgun in John’s hand, and a 12-gauge slug bullet dug into the skinny man’s chest.
“Cheak!”
The skinny body flew into the sky like a lie, and by the time the implants of the rest of the men returned to their proper function, John was already standing beside them.
bang!
“Keah!”
“Ouch!”
Again, the destructive power of the slug bullets flew the two men away, and John broke the body of the shot with his rough hand.
Ting.
The smoke-emitting cartridge fell to the floor, and John, who finished reloading with a quick hand, quickly aimed at the men scattered on the floor.
John, who glanced at the squirming skinny, probably because he had a nervous reaction left, turned his gaze away.
No matter how much implants I have, it is almost impossible to survive unless my chest is pierced.
It is said that among those who inherited the lineage of superpowers, there are those who can regenerate even if their entire bodies are reduced to powder, but such people would never appear in these back alleys in the first place.
“Turn it off…”
The man who was hit by a slug bullet in the front died instantly, and the man who was crushed by the huge body was also not normal.
The prosthetic eye that emitted red light seemed to have not lost its function, but the rest of the body could not have been normal since the man who had the living body was covered with implants.
A moan of pain escaped the man’s mouth, with one knee fully rotated and another joint in his right arm, but John was not alert.
No matter how much the situation seems to be complete, I do not let go of tension until the very end.
That was the driving force that kept John alive in Luna City for the past three years, and of course John had no intention of violating those principles.
bang! bang!
“Quaaagh! son of a b*tch! Aagh!”
The man wriggling on the ground was hit by slug bullets again in his intact limbs, and since the limbs that were fine were torn off from his body, the injured side was better.
“As expected.”
Seeing the man writhing in pain, John nodded.
It wouldn’t be strange if he suffered an instant death from shock and blood loss if his limbs fell off, but the man did not lose consciousness even though he was writhing in pain.
This meant that there was something special, and there was a high possibility that medical nanomachines were implanted in parts of the intestines.
John was convinced of his judgment by the sight of a cloudy white liquid flowing from the torn limbs instead of red blood.
Ting.
I pulled out the smoke billowing casing and raised the reloaded shotgun and aimed it at the man’s face.
“ruler. for a moment! Tongue, let’s negotiate!”
“take no interest.”
Seeing the shotgun pointed at his head while struggling in pain, the man shouted urgently, but John answered in an emotionless voice and pulled the trigger.
bang!
A slugshot fired from close range pierced one of the man’s eyes and turned his head into mush, leaving brains, fragmented skulls, and cloudy white liquid all over the place, creating a hideous appearance.
All the gazes secretly watching from here and there disappeared at the terrible sight, which is hard to see even in the slums.
Uzijik.
The prosthetic eye that was connected to the optic nerve fell off, and John, who confirmed that there were no visible scratches, wiped the prosthetic eye on the corpse’s clothes, but then put it into his bosom.
Holding a shotgun in one hand and searching the corpses, John secretly took a small object with his eyes shining.
“It’s dog hair.”
John, who clenched his tongue in a disappointed tone, turned around and left the alley, and after a while, small figures appeared here and there in the alley.
Dozens of skinny and diminutive figures flocked to the corpses, and after a while, nothing remained in the place where they disappeared.
***
After leaving the alley without incident, John saw a shabby signboard.
After checking the name written on the signboard, which looked no different from the small shops around him, John nodded and entered the store, where he saw a dark interior.
He frowned at the sudden change of vision for a while, and John, who had quickly adjusted to it, looked inside with a cautious look.
I saw a pile of books of unknown origin, and I saw a wall full of bizarre-shaped decorations.
“Welcome.”
John, who felt a voice coming from inside and felt goosebumps running down his back, hardened his expression.
“Cluck. You don’t have to be so nervous.”
Perhaps seeing the change in John’s expression, the owner of the voice appeared with a laugh that sounded like scratching an old tree.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Clack cluck.”
The old woman’s distorted face as if nothing had happened to John’s voice, which came out a beat late, had the power to make people feel uncomfortable just by looking at it.
With a hunched back, sporadic gray hair falling to the floor, a face full of wrinkles and a strangely long hooked nose that looked just like a wicked witch from a fairy tale, even John, no matter how bold he was, couldn’t hide his shaking heart.
“Anyway, you are a good guest. Welcome to the witch’s shop.”
I don’t know if he liked John’s attitude, but an old woman with a distorted face greeted John.
Of course, in Luna City, which coexists with supernatural powers, as well as science that is bizarrely developed, there are, of course, places that sell related items.
One of them is the witch’s shop that John visited.
Although they say they sell all sorts of curse-related junk, the reputation of the shop is not good.
It is also true that it is almost impossible to encounter supernatural powers in the 60th district, and in most cases, the items sold in the witch’s shop located in the 60th district also do not work properly.
It was the first time John, who is interested in items related to survival, also visited this place.
John, who only believed in what had been verified, had no particular interest in the supernatural power he had not encountered, and it was clear that it would never have come in the future.
But the events of last night changed John’s resolution.
– How to get abilities? chuckle. After all, NPCs are all the same, yes. I want to gain strength somehow. Don’t even dream! It is impossible for non-players to obtain such power! what? Would you like to know how? Kehehehe. yes! This generous body will tell you how. Go and frustrate yourself! ha ha ha!
It wasn’t difficult to coax the drugged man out, and John pinned his hopes on his not being a full-fledged inhabitant of this world.
While John was lost in his thoughts for a moment, the old woman who walked slowly and sat in his seat opened her mouth.
“yes. The slum solver. John Doe. What do you want?”
“…you know me.”
“Cluck cluck cluck. Of course you know. There is no one more prominent in this slum than you.”
The old woman’s reply brought an accusation to John’s lips.
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Most of the fixers in slums have implants implanted in them.
whether it was intentional or unintentional.
Those who maintain their bare bodies because they don’t have money for implants are at the very bottom of the slums, and the fact that such naked humans are a little known among the fixers is what made John special.
It is surprising that he is a naked body solver with no special abilities, but he has become a position that attracts attention in the slums without realizing it because each work is so clean.
John, too, was aware of the changed gaze.
Gaining fame is like saying that you will have enemies.
Even if it wasn’t so, I was thinking about countermeasures related to it, but it wouldn’t be strange if I was attacked sooner or later if even the old woman I didn’t know.
‘It’s fortunate.’
So John was grateful for yesterday’s good luck.
Whether it’s porridge or rice, it’s because I have hope to break through the situation.
Taking a deep breath, John stiffened his expression and opened his mouth.
“I came to receive Luna’s inheritance.”
The face of the old woman, who had been watching John with a wicked smile, hardened.
“What did you say?”
‘Suck!’
John couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
It was because the old woman, who had been like the witch in the story just before, had disappeared, and something with an indescribable, gigantic presence appeared in front of her.
“Tell me again. What did you say?”
His legs trembled spontaneously, his blood felt cold, his head became dizzy, and his complexion turned pale.
He wanted to get down on his knees and lie down on the ground right now, but John desperately gathered his strength.
Hard!
The force was so strong that the interlocking teeth gnawed out on their own, but thanks to John, he was able to speak desperately.
“…I have come to receive Luna’s legacy.”
The old woman’s eyes lit up, but her solemn expression did not change, and her presence, which had grown even larger, pressed John.
“Who did you get it from?”
An intense headache arose, and the blood vessels burst and his eyes were stained red, but John pulled up his last strength.
“…something from beyond the stars.”
“···Right.”
The old woman, who had been staring at John with a pale complexion and her nose bleeding, turned around and only then did the power that gripped her whole body disappear.
“Kuk!”
The old woman’s voice was heard over John’s head, who fell on his knees involuntarily.
“Follow me. This must also be the flow of causality. cluck cluck.”
Hearing the ugly witch’s whisper, John got up.
John, who stole a nosebleed with his lethargic hand because his whole body had no strength, smiled faintly and struggled to move on.
＜ Episode 2 ＞ End
All the best op mc from now on…