Chapter 1265 – 1265. Dark Moon
I arrived in Zone Z.
Zone Z was a vast wasteland, pure and simple.
Wider than any other zone, Zone Z didn’t feel like a city at all. Zone X, with its old buildings and dirty alleys, at least had a city-like atmosphere.
Zone Z was merely a piece of land included in Neo London’s territory.
Neo London had almost given up on managing Zone Z. Neo London’s laws held no power in this zone. Zone Z was a lawless area.
‘This is where citizens who don’t have Neo London citizenship live, I hear.’
Even so, Neo London tried to maintain minimal control over Zone Z, since it was still their territory. There were even administrative agencies.
‘The problem is that those administrative agencies aren’t functioning properly.’
I rode the bike I had borrowed from Zone W. In Neo London, you generally needed permission for vehicles, but Zone Z was an exception.
I started the bike and sped across the wasteland. In the vast Zone Z, a vehicle was essential.
And the public order was a mess. Only fifteen minutes into riding across the wasteland, a biker gang appeared and started following me. Their goal was obviously to pick my pockets.
“Kyah-ho!”
“How dare you wander around our zone alone?!”
“Stop right there, you crazy bastard!”
“Heh heh. He’s stepping on it like a horse on fire. Are we that scary?!”
“Step on it, step on it! Kyah-hooooo!”
The bikers were closing in from behind.
‘They’re being annoying.’
Biker gangs weren’t as organized as gangsters, but they were full of crazy people living like mayflies.
Dozens of bullets flew from behind, bouncing off my barrier. The barrier rippled.
‘A level 5 barrier reacting to just a few dozen bullets? They must be using mana bullets.’
I layered another barrier on top.
“Kyah-ho!! He’s a mage! We can rob him blind!”
“Just because he’s a mage doesn’t mean we’ll run away!”
“No matter what, this is our zone!!”
The bikers’ formation changed. They spread out, keeping their distance to prepare for magic. Their quick movements suggested they had a lot of combat experience.
[Air Boom]
Bang!
I exploded the air, creating a shockwave. Even though it was a level 3 spell, it was invisible and had decent power, making it one of my frequently used spells.
But today, Air Boom disappointed me. Not a single biker was hit by it. They had sensed the mana reaction before the Air Boom went off.
‘They reacted and turned their bikes before the Air Boom activated. You need at least a level 2 mana affinity to dodge an Air Boom… Did all of them have a level 2 mana affinity?’
It wasn’t impossible.
But it was more likely they had taken illegal combat drugs.
“Can’t you hear us telling you to stop? Mages are so damn disobedient!”
One of the bikers reached out towards me. There was a round hole in the center of his palm. Inside the hole, gray mechanical parts were whirring.
Pshoooom!
A wire flew towards me, hitting my barrier. I thought it would bounce off, but the wire didn’t stop, wrapping tightly around the barrier. An unknown substance flowed from the wire, starting to melt the barrier.
“Heh heh. It’s anti-barrier acid! No matter how strong your barrier is, it’ll melt easily!”
“Well, thanks for the explanation.”
[Using Instant(刹那). Remaining stacks: 6]
In the slowed-down world, I calmly calculated the incantation.
[Spark]
I enchanted the melting barrier with the lightning attribute. The current flowed through the wire that was melting the barrier.
“Kieeeeeeeek?!”
The biker who was electrocuted through the wire let out a bizarre scream and collapsed.
“The leader’s down!”
“Damn it! Who’s the leader now?!”
“Obviously, I’m the leader, as the second-in-command!”
“Don’t make me laugh! You think we’d accept a weakling like you as the leader!”
The bikers who had been chasing me started fighting among themselves.
I, who was preparing the next spell, let out a dumbfounded laugh.
‘Bunch of morons.’
The bike continued forward. The bikers who had been chasing me were out of sight. If I had my way, I would have dealt with the bikers who had bothered me, but I needed to conserve my mana in case I had to face a level 4 contaminant.
Riding across the wasteland, I took out my pocket watch. Click. I opened the watch cover. The minute hand glowed faintly, pointing to the right. I turned right and rode on.
***
I arrived at my destination before sunset.
It was a village called Wayway. It reminded me of a Western town from the American frontier era. In fact, Zone Z was created with the American frontier era as its background. Most of the villagers were dressed as cowboys, with revolvers at their waists.
I got off my bike at the entrance of the village.
A group of people walked towards the entrance. At the center was a man wearing a cowboy hat and a shiny sheriff’s badge. The badge had the words ‘Neo London’ on it. A sheriff recognized by Neo London. In other words, a police officer backed by public authority.
He was a middle-aged man with a beard. He was armed with a musket on his back and four revolvers at his waist. He looked at me and spoke.
“Who are you?”
His voice was heavy.
“I’m from the X Manpower Agency.”
“Ah, you must be the mage who was supposed to come here. I heard you were a level 5 mage… I’m surprised you’re so young.”
“A lot of people are surprised.”
“How old are you?”
“Why do you want to know? Are you going to do a minor check or something?”
“You’re being difficult. Can’t I just ask?”
“I’m much older than you think. Don’t get hung up on appearances.”
I looked around. The gazes directed at me, including the sheriff’s, were full of suspicion.
Of course, whether they suspected me or not was none of my business. I just needed to complete the request and get paid.
“Where is the contaminant?”
“It should be somewhere to the east.”
“It was said to be lurking around the village… Did it leave? You’re not going to cancel the request now, are you?”
“It’s tasted human blood. Once it’s tasted blood, it won’t let us go. To it, our village must look like a refrigerator full of food.”
“Until nightfall… Hmm. I have to wait at least three hours.”
“You’ll have to wait five hours. I’ll show you to your lodging. Follow me. Everyone else, go back to your homes, and gather at the village hall in the evening!”
The sheriff shouted. The people followed his instructions well. I could feel that they respected him.
He approached me and extended his hand for a handshake. Honestly, I didn’t want to touch his hand, but I had to act like a gentleman.
“I’m Max Maxim, the sheriff of Wayway Village.”
“I’m Eugene Meyer, a level 5 mage from the X Manpower Agency.”
“Hmm. Even up close, I’m not sure if you’re really a level 5 mage.”
“Would you believe me if I put a thunderbolt in your head?”
“Why are you so sharp? I know we haven’t welcomed you properly… But there’s no need to be so on edge.”
“……Sorry. I met a biker gang on the way here, so I’m not in a good mood.”
“You met those crazy bastards… I understand.”
The sheriff led the way, and I pulled my bike along behind him.
“As you can see, it’s a shabby house, but please understand. There’s no suitable house.”
“It’s just a place to stay for a few hours anyway.”
I parked my bike against the wall and sat on an old chair. The chair creaked.
“But isn’t that outfit uncomfortable? I have a few spare clothes. I can lend them to you if you want.”
“I’m comfortable in this outfit. Is there anything else to do?”
“I guess I’m bothering you. I’m working right now.”
That meant his job was to keep an eye on me. It was annoying, but I couldn’t help it. From this village’s perspective, I was an unreliable outsider.
“Is the job worth it?”
“What?”
“I’m talking about your job. They call you a fixer, a laborer, a freelancer, a mercenary, right? How much do you make?”
“Are you interested in this kind of work?”
“I’m already 48 years old. In two years, I’ll have to give up this proud badge.”
“You’re retiring at 50? Isn’t that too early?”
“It can’t be helped. Sheriffs have to leave when they turn 50. That’s the rule in Zone Z.”
“……The income from my job depends on my skills. It’s not like there are always good requests, so you need some luck too.”
“You’re a level 5 mage, so why are you doing this kind of job? There must be more stable jobs for you.”
“There are hardly any jobs that can make as much money as this one.”
“…Is the X Manpower Agency a good place? I heard they charge more commission than other brokers in Neo London. That’s why they’re less competitive than other places.”
“If the commission is high, there’s a reason for it. The X Manpower Agency guarantees freedom. You can leave whenever you want. And…”
“And?”
I hesitated. I wondered if I should tell Max this.
Since I was bored, I decided to just say it.
“There’s a rumor that the head of the X Manpower Agency has connections with the upper echelons of Neo London.”
“Indeed, that’s impressive.”
Max leaned against the wall. He lowered his head and fell into quiet thought. I took out my pocket watch to check the time.
‘Time is moving so damn slowly.’
***
“I’ll treat you to dinner. Mrs. Ferrer makes a very good beef stew.”
“No thanks. I brought my own dinner.”
“Don’t tell me it’s nutritional capsules or combat rations? It’s better not to eat that kind of stuff.”
“It’s a lunch box.”
He looked at me with a strange expression.
Regardless, I took out my lunch box from my bike. It was a lunch box that Yuria had packed for me. Having become accustomed to Yuria’s cooking, I wasn’t interested in other food.
I placed the lunch box on the table and opened it.
‘Huh…!’
When I opened the lunch box, it was full of vaginas. It was a vagina lunch box.
‘…No. Wait. I must have seen it wrong.’
They weren’t vaginas, but abalone skewers. I picked up an abalone with my fork and put it in my mouth. I could taste the savory and chewy abalone. The more I chewed, the more my face relaxed. Come to think of it, I remember hearing that abalone is also good for stamina.
“You’re eating so deliciously. Can’t you give me just one bite?”
“……”
I didn’t want to give him the vagina. No, the abalone. I threw a piece of vegetable from the corner of the lunch box at Max. Max picked up the piece of vegetable with his fingers and clicked his tongue.
“You’re much stingier than you look.”
“Be grateful that I gave you anything at all.”
Max put the vegetable in his mouth. His eyes widened.
“Oh, oh, oh! Just one bite! Let me taste just one abalone!”
[Barrier]
I watched Max, who was banging on the barrier, and leisurely picked up an abalone and put it in my mouth.
