Illegal mercenaries, as the name suggests, primarily undertake missions that are illegal.
Looking a bit wider, even near ordinary people, there were quite a few who could be described as illegal mercenaries.
In the lower levels, in places like Chinatown or Little Shinjuku, and even in Redwood, illegal mercenaries formed by gangs were rampant.
In a way, the nature of mercenary work was just like that. Undertaking missions and conducting mercenary tasks didn’t require a certification like other professions.
All that was needed was skill and a track record.
In a world where countless vagabonds dive into the mercenary industry only to die each day, the difference between illegal mercenaries and regular ones wasn’t as big as one might think.
Then, what constitutes an illegal mission? This was even simpler to explain.
A mission that could harm the city.
Simply put, if it didn’t adhere to the city’s laws, it could be considered an “illegal mission”.
Even if one took on a mission and didn’t pay the designated taxes, that too was entirely an illegal mission.
Perhaps that’s why, in Neon City, the stature of illegal missions was quite low and narrow.
There was another reason.
Since ‘No Answer’ took control of Neon City’s mercenary industry, taking on illegal missions was completely banned.
Although, to my knowledge, there were still quite a few who secretly exchanged missions under the radar.
However, once caught by No Answer, one would be expelled and wouldn’t be able to receive missions from any intermediary influenced by them.
Due to such risks, the number of people taking on illegal missions had definitely decreased compared to the past.
But what kind of creature is a human (including all species)?
If the path one wishes to take is blocked, finding a way around or a new path is how humans (including all species) live.
Since I’ve never taken on an illegal mission, I’m not entirely sure.
But from what I’ve heard, it seems to have branched out into various factions.
Some suggested creating a secret site through net space to exchange missions, while many others, given the high risk of exposure in reality, preferred to meet in person and only take missions from those they trusted.
Eventually, it seems only one method prevailed.
Thus, a certain “game” was born.
It was cumbersome to access using outdated input and output devices like monitors and keyboards. It had graphics and gameplay that couldn’t easily be enjoyed by interested individuals. It wasn’t a virtual reality game, so it was less likely to cause real harm through hacking. And the servers were physically separated by the operators, ensuring security.
Surprisingly, it was nominally a normal (or more) game, making it easy to avoid suspicion.
Since server data logs were not left, it was perfect for secretive conversations and encouraging illegal activities.
If this story is true, it’s not strange at all that the game lacked endgame content and was poorly received in terms of gameplay.
…Hmm.
So.
“You want me to believe that?”
“…It’s true.”
I was incredulous.
—
Classic Game Enthusiasts (3)
I’ve mentioned this in the past, but if there’s something that changed when the game became reality, it’s that I encountered “settings” I was unaware of.
It’s normal for every NPC walking down the street to have a detailed “story”.
However, this was something I hadn’t anticipated, something I don’t recall ever encountering during my time playing the game.
Ah, but it’s been roughly 10 years since I played the game, so it’s possible I’ve simply forgotten.
I couldn’t easily recall anything beyond the main characters or the main storyline.
Can’t be helped.
But conversely, it means I do remember the main characters.
Game’s antagonistic NPC.
The villain who loves rabbit dolls and is a wanted criminal.
Julia took a big bite of the tomato spaghetti I recommended. For reference, the menu listed the tomato content as 0.0%.
Her cheeks puffed up with food, looking just like an ordinary girl of her age.
But that wasn’t the reality.
“…So, you’re saying.”
There’s a “game” primarily used for receiving illegal missions.
You’ve been playing this game and doing real “hunting” for the first time, curious about what kind of person I am, so you wanted to meet me.
“Is that what you mean?”
“…Yes.”
Although I was surprised that a deep web-like secret was hidden in a game I played for fun,
The fact that a user, who I thought was just another regular player, turned out to be a famous fugitive was also astonishing to me.
I just played a game that suited my taste, unaware it made such a deep impression on a notorious criminal.
I wanted to prove my innocence and show that I am a law-abiding citizen.
“That’s, as I said earlier, I’m not an illegal mercenary, you know?”
“…I know.”
Huh?
“…You’re the ‘Sole Sorcerer’, right?”
“I don’t really like that nickname.”
It sounded too much like something from a teenage fantasy.
Actually, that kind of sentiment was common in this world.
“…Shooting Star, Red Horn, Tech Master. You’re also their colleague.”
…Hmm.
Hearing the nicknames of the other colleagues, maybe ‘Sole Sorcerer’ wasn’t so bad.
Those were the nicknames of Catherine, Andrea, and Dreck, respectively. To be honest, they sounded a bit childish.
If we’re talking proper nicknames, something like Golden Hand or Smasher seems better. They sound cooler.
Though I doubt anyone actually goes by those nicknames.
“…You’re famous on our side.”
“The others are somewhat famous.”
“…No, not that. You, the Sorcerer.”
“Me?”
Why would I be famous?
I wondered what could possibly make me noteworthy.
“…They say you can’t be killed no matter how much they try.”
“Ah.”
That wasn’t a good reason.
Nor was it a favorable evaluation.
Was it because they were from the underworld?
Their judgments were harsher than those from the lawful world.
I changed the topic, turning to Julia.
“Ms. Julia─”
“Just Julia.”
“Julia then.”
Right, titles are important.
It wasn’t because I got nervous and corrected myself.
“…being a wanted criminal, are you sure it’s okay for you to be here?”
This wasn’t because I didn’t want to be associated with a fugitive.
I was genuinely concerned.
Julia lifted the doll she was holding to my eye level.
A white rabbit doll.
Its red glass eyes twinkled at me.
“…This is.”
With her other hand, she grabbed the rabbit’s ear and stretched the doll’s neck and body. The doll, seemingly made of cotton, stretched and shrank with her movements.
“It distorts nearby signals…, preventing facial recognition. And I was careful coming here too.”
[Information.]
Wow.
Eve continued.
[By hacking the cameras, I confirmed that the presence of the doll causes noise, significantly degrading the image quality around it.]
Is that so?
These kinds of gadgets were common in the underworld upon further thought.
So that’s why she carries the rabbit doll around.
“…I just like the design.”
And she giggles softly, expressing her fondness for rabbits.
Without playing the game, I would never have suspected her.
This
little girl is a wanted criminal by the NCPD? Make sense when you talk.
I would have dismissed it outright.
Luckily, it didn’t seem like she wanted to fight me.
I hoped today would end peacefully as well.
“But, more than me─”
“What is it?”
“You, the real sorcerer─”
“…Could you call me by my name?”
Hearing my game ID in reality was quite burdensome.
Julia suddenly put down her fork.
As if choking, she stopped eating her spaghetti and hastily gulped down water from the glass beside her.
She didn’t look like a real villain at all.
“…Your name is.”
“Siwoon, Lee Siwoon. Lee is my family name.”
“Oh, Mr. Siwoon.”
Being called ‘Mr.’ by a fugitive felt strangely odd.
“…From what I know, there’s a bounty on Mr. Siwoon too?”
“What?”
It was only natural for me to freeze at Julia’s words.
She continued.
“…You’ve been famous among the underworld mercenaries lately. It’s been a few days, I think… Your bounty is even higher than mine?”
Why would that be?
What kind of madness is this?
I had no reason to have a bounty on my head by the underworld mercenaries.
I wanted to hear more details.
But then,
The restaurant’s atmosphere became noisy.
It seemed like several people stormed into the restaurant at once.
The murmuring of the surrounding people.
Something had definitely happened.
Their target was none other than me.
“There you are, golden sorcerer! We’ve been looking for you!”
The timing was somewhat amusing.
Just as I learned about the bounty on my head, people armed with knives and guns entered the restaurant.
“What took you so long, huh? Julia, what are you doing here?”
The gaze of the man who spoke, presumably the leader, shifted to Julia, who was sitting in front of me.
“…Hi.”
“What are you doing here? You ignored your mission and just left.”
I wasn’t sure who the man was, but he seemed to know Julia.
“Ah, so clueless. Doesn’t even recognize the cash cow in front of her.”
The leader scratched his temple with the pistol he held. Was that scar on his head from a similar action?
At a glance, his body was modified with combat implants to the extent of the Chrome Psychos I’ve seen in past missions or on the news.
While I couldn’t say anything in this perplexing situation, Julia confidently spoke her mind.
Unlike when she was stuttering during our conversation, now she showed no sign of hesitation.
“Not really.”
“What did you say?”
“It’s not that I didn’t recognize him.”
The atmosphere in the restaurant, which had briefly relaxed, tensed up again as if a string had been pulled taut.
“…Then why aren’t you capturing him?”
“He’s my party member, so I can’t.”
“Then move aside.”
“That I can’t do either.”
The leader’s irritation seemed to have reached its peak.
“…Listen. I can overlook you pointing a knife at me as a joke. But what’s this? This situation can’t be brushed off as a joke.”
“I wasn’t joking either.”
The leader clenched his teeth.
Julia’s hand had already moved towards the rabbit doll in her pocket.
I just sat there, still.
I couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.
For now, I took a sip of the cola in front of me.
Regardless, the cola was refreshing.
