“Guaaaahk!”
On the way back, having disposed of Maika, his implants, and the Hound, Toppers, who had been dozing in the car, suddenly awoke with a scream.
“Urgh, damn it… H-huh, you startled me. Boss? What—what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
“Shit…”
Startled, Luchi swerved the wheel, sending the car lurching, but Toppers was oblivious to it.
“…Did you really have a nightmare?”
“…A nightmare, yes. If it must be called a nightmare, then a nightmare it was.”
Toppers swept a hand over his face, replaying the dream’s content. It was truly insignificant: a grey-haired girl lightly hopped in the center of the wasteland.
Indeed, to anyone else, it would be a dream that wouldn’t even qualify as a nightmare. Yet, to Toppers, it felt profoundly different.
The earthquake and explosion that followed that simple hop.
Billowing dust, a raging gale, the land itself overturned and shattered, even utterly vaporized.
And that wasn’t all.
The sight of her muttering about needing to leave claw marks, then tearing apart the hardened earth with a crudely crumpled buggy-turned-shovel, was truly, utterly terrifying.
Had one experienced that even once, seen it with their own eyes, the dream from moments ago would undoubtedly be a nightmare. They might foam at the mouth and collapse in a faint just from seeing the girl hop in place.
Of course, there were humans in this world capable of such feats. But they, at least, did not appear human.
They had no beautiful form like Soo’s, but rather bodies caked in crude, aggressive implants.
“Hoo…”
That was why Soo was so terrifying.
A girl who conjured natural disasters, causing cognitive dissonance…
Could the wasteland harbor any greater calamity than her?
A sandstorm? Less so than Soo. Sandstorms arrived with a grand announcement, their immense size visible from afar.
Soo possessed no such tell.
She was an innocent girl who could unleash disaster at a whim if her mood soured, utterly incomprehensible from the perspective of any sane person.
If you were to ask if he disliked her.
That, too, was not the case.
Her thoughts were unknowable, her actions unpredictable, and she was, frankly, a little unhinged. She could act like a seasoned mercenary who had weathered countless storms, only to reveal a startling lack of common sense, making it impossible to guess her age.
Nevertheless, Toppers quite liked Soo.
He found her to be a good companion.
This held true not only for her raw power but also for her handling of matters after a job was done.
Her straightforwardness in immediately stating her fee, her act of placing the compensation directly into his hands, and her words of trust, promising to wait at their hideout—all these traits resonated with him.
Toppers did not speak casually with Soo.
However, if she were to display such behavior among his own family members, wouldn’t it undermine his authority as their leader?
Thus, Soo had not accompanied Toppers, choosing instead to wait at their hideout.
How could he possibly dislike someone so considerate?
‘When she’s giving me this much credit, I couldn’t hate her even if I wanted to.’
The sale of the Hound alone yielded enough credits to sustain Toppers’ Family for eight years, and Soo had offered them a forty percent share.
Toppers’ desperate, momentous decision to only take a 7.5% cut now seemed utterly meaningless.
And then there was the most crucial item: the Void Spike.
While they hadn’t yet found a suitable buyer for it, selling this alone would guarantee them comfort for at least two years.
‘Yes… that’s right. For this much, I could shine her shoes for the rest of my life.’
Although she was a stranger he had only met yesterday, Toppers sensed something in her that could only be found in a seasoned mercenary.
“…Why are you suddenly grinning?”
“Grinning? A big grin? You little punk, what’s with your insolence when talking to your boss, huh?”
Although he smacked Luchi’s bald head and snarled, Toppers couldn’t stop grinning.
Despite discovering the existence of magic, meeting a girl who could conjure natural disasters, and even inadvertently aiding in the destruction of a Zirek (TL Note: A major corporation in this world, often involved in unethical research) experimental subject, Toppers felt it had been a fulfilling day.
This ineffable sense of clarity and fulfillment was something he had only experienced during his mercenary days.
“The world is truly beautiful.”
Of course, the most satisfying aspect was his heavy pockets. The perceived weight of the credits, despite their immateriality, also brought a sense of satisfaction he had only known as a mercenary.
****
For the people of this world, an ID chip was akin to an identification card; virtually no one existed without one.
Without an ID chip, one couldn’t undergo implant procedures, secure housing, or even purchase a simple loaf of bread.
Even among the scavengers of the wasteland, finding someone without an ID chip was rare, leading one to assume that everyone in the world possessed one.
Yet, Soo had no ID chip.
Toppers, who had been thoroughly intimidated by Soo, initially thought she was lying, but she truly had none.
“So, Boss, what will you do about an ID chip? You absolutely need one to enter Eden, right?”
“I’ll buy one from a broker.”
“A broker?”
ID chips acquired from brokers were, naturally, forgeries.
Some claimed they were crafted using the ID chips of individuals reported missing in Eden, while others insisted they were entirely fabricated from scratch; the truth, it was said, was unknown even to the brokers who sold them.
“Yep. This much gold should be enough to buy one.”
Soo unfurled the pouch she held, displaying its contents. It was essentially the cash from selling the Hound, converted into gold.
It was more than enough money to buy a counterfeit ID chip and still have plenty left over.
“Tsk… that’s true, but where exactly are you planning to enter? I hear security has been tightened recently due to the Eastern War, making it difficult to get in with a forged ID chip.”
“Southpeak.”
“Ah… I see. You might be able to get through there with a suitable show of sincerity.”
“Yep.”
Southpeak was the poorest district in all of Eden.
A neighborhood so devoid of lucrative bribes that even the pockets of the Southpeak ECPD (TL Note: Eden Central Police Department) officers remained light.
Hence, by offering a suitable token of sincerity—a bribe—one could usually pass through, even if the forgery was detected.
“That sounds like a good plan. Even if there’s trouble, I trust you’ll be fine, Boss. The only real issue might be… that tail of yours.”
“I’ll buy a scan-blocking implant too.”
“Indeed, you’re thorough.”
Toppers finally nodded, as if relieved, looking like a father sending his daughter off on a trip.
“Which broker are you going to? If you don’t have one in mind, I can recommend someone.”
Soo tightly wrapped the gold-filled pouch, slung it over her back, and shook her head.
“I have one. Their name is a secret.”
“Oh… is that so? Still, you have to be careful, as there are so many thugs among brokers… Hmm, no. I trust you’ll handle it well, Boss.”
‘Who am I worrying about?’
‘Worrying about Soo? On the contrary, I should be worrying about the broker Soo is going to meet.’
With that thought, Toppers fell silent.
“Alright, I’ll enjoy the lunchbox.”
“It’s hardly a lunchbox. I just packed a few frozen hamburgers.”
“Still, thank you.”
Soo smiled faintly, opened the door, and waved.
“Goodbye. If the night grows long, meet me beneath the moonlight.”
“…Huh?”
Toppers blinked, then covered his face with both hands and crouched down.
If the night grows long, meet me beneath the moonlight.
It was one of the farewells exchanged among mercenaries.
Because each person who offered the greeting had their own life and experiences, it held no fixed meaning, yet it was a sentiment understood by all mercenaries.
“Hmph…”
And so.
His chest throbbed.
It was grotesque for a large man to express himself in such a way, but Toppers truly felt it.
Was it because Soo hadn’t treated him as a scavenger piggy bank?
Such a flimsy reason… well, it was part of it, but not the whole truth.
It had been a year since he escaped Eden.
Not a terribly long time, but Toppers believed he had lived a fierce life as a scavenger.
To hear a greeting he’d only known in the past now stirred a whirlwind of emotions within him.
“…Hah.”
Barely managing to compose himself, Toppers rose and spoke with a resolute expression.
“It’s Ebner.”
“Hmm?”
“Toppers Ebner.”
At his words, Soo tilted her head, then broke into a bright smile.
She realized why he had suddenly revealed his surname.
As mercenaries continued their work, they often became entangled in a web of favors and animosities, and it was not uncommon to lose family in the process.
That was likely why Toppers had hidden his surname from the start.
Perhaps he had even changed it entirely.
But now, he had told Soo his true surname. This implied that his family remained in Eden.
“Family?”
“Yes, Westtown Sector 8. It’s not a good neighborhood, but my younger sister is there. Her name is Miki Ebner. Though she could be a handful, she was quite a good sister.”
“Yep.”
Whether to meet them or not.
What to do if she did meet them.
The subsequent actions were Soo’s to decide.
Yet, Toppers had trusted Soo and spoken of many things. Soo, in turn, would surely repay that trust.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome. Travel safely.”
Soo waved her hand and turned away without a trace of hesitation.
For if the long night continued, they would meet again beneath the moonlight someday.
****
“…Ugh.”
Soo pondered before the tightly shut iron door.
She knew the broker-slash-illegal doctor she was supposed to meet only operated when they felt like it, but she hadn’t expected them to be closed today of all days.
This was someone who would open their doors when their money ran low, and once they’d earned enough, would simply shut down and rest for a month or two.
She didn’t know how many days they’d been resting this time, but it was certain she’d have to wait at least 24 hours.
Soo scanned her surroundings with a darkened expression.
She wasn’t looking for people, though.
Soo was searching for a sandstorm, and as she confirmed none were nearby, her expression brightened.
A sandstorm wouldn’t be coming for a while.
So it was ‘alright’ to open this door.
Soo grabbed the doorknob without hesitation, and with a loud *Kwaddeudeuk—!* she twisted it open.
“Ha! Just walking through the front door? You’re really off your rocker, aren’t you? You’re not even trying to hide it anymore, huh?”
What greeted her from within was a broker-slash-illegal doctor, ‘Miko,’ pointing a shotgun at their own head.
“Do I look like a fool who’d let you bastards catch me easily? f*ck off. You think you’ll get any information from me, you goddamn vermin.”
“Oh.”
