WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Max-Level Swordsman of Fusionpunk ◈
Chapter 8
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Kang Doseok tucked his terminal inside his coat.
Then he walked straight out of Kabel’s office. As he rode the elevator down, neon signs blurred beyond the glass walls.
The noise of the street reached him when he arrived downstairs. He left through the rear entrance and stepped into a quiet alley.
He took a blood capsule from inside his coat. It contained Raden Beck’s blood sample.
He set the capsule on his palm and twisted the locking mechanism.
Crack! The sealed lid came off, spilling blood onto his palm.
A moment later, the blood pooled in his hand began to stir. It ran between his fingers, then stopped.
The skin below his wrist split faintly.
A red thread crawled out from beneath his skin and tangled with Raden Beck’s blood. As thin as a blood vessel, the line ran from his wrist, across the back of his hand, and into his palm.
Before long, the red line extending from Kang Doseok’s wrist was pointing straight ahead.
The skill Blood Tracking.
It was the lowest-level common skill in the blood family. Any character could learn it.
Unlike class-exclusive skills, which were limited to certain classes, anyone could learn common skills as long as they obtained stars.
Blood Tracking did exactly what its name suggested: it tracked the owner of a blood sample.
That didn’t mean it could do everything.
If the blood had gone bad, been mixed with someone else’s, or been tampered with by a competent Blood Mage, the direction could easily be wrong.
But Raden Beck’s blood was clean. It had been stored well, and Doseok sensed no interference from a Blood Mage.
That was only natural. Raden Beck was a bastard who had run off with someone else’s money. He might have spent money on hiding himself, but there was no way he’d hired a Blood Mage just to block Blood Tracking. Their fees were beyond imagination.
Kang Doseok looked down at the red line wriggling above his palm. It pointed out of the alley.
“So he’s alive.”
Keeping his bloodied hand raised, he walked in the direction it indicated.
The red line led him out of the alley. The neon lights of the busy district didn’t last long. After about two blocks, the dizzying signs began to disappear one by one. Three more blocks, and even the paved road ended.
An overpass stood at the end.
Vehicles passed overhead. Rainwater dripped between thick concrete pillars, and old oil stains gleamed on the ground. An iron door in the wall beneath the overpass led down into the sewers.
The door stood half open.
Kang Doseok went inside.
The smell hit him first.
Rotten water, oil, vomit, and old blood. Black water flowed slowly beside the narrow walkway under his feet. Plastic bags, cigarette butts, and a dead rat floated on the surface.
There were people farther inside the sewer.
Some sat on wet cardboard. Some slept beneath tarps. Others had ripped seats out of scrapped cars to use as beds. One was missing an arm. Another leaned motionless against the wall, their cheap cybernetics out of power.
They were homeless.
No money, no legal identity. In Netron City, the homeless were treated much like sewer rats. In other words, nobody cared about them.
They lined the sewer walls. Some had empty cans set in front of them. Others clutched broken heaters.
Kang Doseok walked past them. The red line above his palm moved slowly.
Before long, the line stopped swaying from side to side.
The blood on his palm shifted, gradually pointing toward a man.
The man sat with his back against the sewer wall. A filthy tarp covered him up to his shoulders, and thick black grime coated his face.
His beard had grown wild, and one eye was cloudy. A dented, empty can rested on his knees.
Kang Doseok stopped in front of him.
Black eyes looked up at Kang Doseok.
“Are you Raden Beck?”
“Fuck!”
The man sprang to his feet at Doseok’s question. As the tarp dropped to the ground, his hand darted inside his coat. A small dagger flashed out.
“Die! Gah!”
Kang Doseok kicked him at once. The tip of his foot drove into Raden Beck’s stomach. His body folded in half, and he flew backward into the opposite wall.
Bam!
“Guh! Urgh!”
The man’s groans echoed through the sewer.
The nearby homeless people all turned to look at Kang Doseok. He glanced around before speaking.
“What are you staring at? Yes, I’m kidnapping him. Mind your own business and get on with whatever you were doing.”
They turned their heads and quietly edged away.
Kang Doseok walked over to Raden Beck and grabbed him by the collar.
“W-w-wait. You came to catch me, right? Wait, I... I don’t have any mon...”
“Shut up.”
Thwack!
Kang Doseok’s fist slammed into Raden Beck’s jaw.
Raden Beck’s head snapped back. His eyes rolled up, and his body went limp.
Still holding his collar, Kang Doseok dragged him away. His limp body scraped across the wet floor.
The homeless people who remained watched them go for a while.
Someone muttered quietly.
“That tarp looks warm.”
Soon, one of them crawled over to the spot where Raden Beck had been sitting and wrapped the tarp around themselves.
They closed their eyes as if enjoying the warmth, then rolled over to lie down. Nobody cared that Raden Beck was gone.
* * *
Kabel’s office.
Two glasses stood on the black glass tabletop. Kabel sat back in the chair, while a woman sat on the opposite sofa with her legs crossed.
A black jacket. Short hair. Blue electronic circuits blinked slowly inside her eyes.
“He’s really going to collect that shitty debt?” the woman asked.
Kabel lifted a glass before answering.
“Yes.”
“But he’s just a swordsman. How’s a swordsman supposed to find Raden Beck when he’s been hiding for years?”
“He’s not just any swordsman. He’s Kang Doseok.”
“So what if he’s Kang Doseok? Is he gold-plated?”
Amy gave a hollow laugh.
“Let’s be honest, Kabel. Even I couldn’t find the bastard. He’s changed his face, erased his identity, doesn’t own a terminal, and never goes online. How’s some guy running around with a sword supposed to find him?”
“He can. He’s Kang Doseok.”
“I’m skeptical.”
“Then go hold a meeting.”
“You call that a joke? It’s not funny at all.”
Amy narrowed her eyes at Kabel, who smiled without a care.
“Still, it’ll take him a few days. Considering how well that rat hides, it won’t be eas...”
That was when it happened.
Click. The door opened. Kabel turned.
“Kang Doseok?”
Kang Doseok stood in the doorway.
Kabel briefly worked out how much time had passed. It hadn’t even been a few hours since he’d left.
“Why are you back?”
The woman on the sofa turned her head too.
Instead of answering, Kang Doseok flung what he’d been dragging into the room.
Thud!
Raden Beck hit the office floor.
“Aagh! Aaaagh!”
Raden Beck rolled across the floor, screaming. A foul-smelling coat hung from his body. Black grime covered his face, and his terrified eyes darted about.
“Shut up.”
Kang Doseok strode over and kicked him.
Thwack!
Raden Beck rolled several times across the floor. He came to a stop in front of the black tabletop and curled up.
“Urrgh. Th-this is illegal. It’s kidnapping! A violation of the Private Debt Collection Act, assault, unlawful confinement, infringement of personal liberty, all of this is...”
“So what?”
Kang Doseok grabbed Raden Beck by the scruff of the neck and lifted him.
Then he set him down in front of Kabel and the woman.
“Check him.”
“...”
For a moment, the woman stared at Kang Doseok, her mouth open in apparent surprise. After a brief silence, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
“...I heard you were one hell of a debt collector.”
She rose as she spoke.
“You really get the job done.”
“If I don’t get the job done right, how am I supposed to get more work? Who are you? The client?”
“That’s right. Give me a minute, will you? I need a word with this bastard.”
The woman turned toward Raden Beck. His shoulders flinched, and she smiled.
“Raden Beck. We have some accounts to settle, don’t we?”
“Eek.”
Raden Beck’s face went white.
“A-Amy. Amy? You’re Amy!”
“That’s right.”
Amy uncrossed her legs and stood up.
“Long time no see, you son of a bitch.”
“Wait, let’s negotiate. We can negotiate. I’ll get you the money somehow. I mean it. I don’t have it right now, but I have a hidden account...”
“Negotiate?”
Amy snapped her fingers.
Blue letters raced through her eyes.
“Sure. Let’s negotiate.”
“Huh?”
“Your records say you’ve got quite a lot in that body.”
Raden Beck’s lips trembled.
“A BrightHealth Grade 3 cultured liver. A Harrow Medical enhanced heart. Both kidneys replaced, too. Oh my. You’ve even replaced one lung.”
“No, that’s...”
“It’s fine.”
Amy smiled.
“We’ll get a fair bit if you cough all of that up. It won’t cover the principal, but it should pay off some of the interest.”
“N-no. You can’t.”
“Why not? Aren’t they yours?”
“It’s my body!”
“How are organs you bought with Harrow’s slush fund yours?”
Amy was still smiling.
“I’ve already contacted the morgue. Don’t worry too much. We’ll swap them out for organs from some suitable homeless person. I can even lend you the surgery fees. Interest deducted up front, at 240 percent a month.”
“A-are you insane?”
“For the record, that’s a preferential rate.”
“Amy, please. Let’s settle this nicel...”
Smack!
Amy’s palm struck Raden Beck’s cheek.
His head twisted to the side.
“Nicely?”
Smack!
Her hand flew out again, leaving a red mark across his cheek.
“Do you know how many months I wasted because of you?”
Raden Beck shut his mouth.
Amy shook out her hand and turned toward Kang Doseok.
“Thanks, Kang Doseok. People who don’t use the net are hard for me to find.”
“Sure. If you’re done, take one of these.”
With an indifferent expression, Kang Doseok reached inside his coat. He pulled out a white business card and held it out to Amy.
Amy accepted it and studied the writing. After a short silence, she spoke.
“Wow. Impressive.”
She looked back and forth between the card and Kang Doseok.
“I’m very impressed that you go around handing out business cards packed with such creative advertising slogans. I’ll give you one too.”
“Give me what?”
“A business card. Take mine. It’s electronic. I just made it.”
Blue text flashed across Amy’s eyes. They were artificial.
Kang Doseok’s terminal went Bzzzt. He took it out of his coat. Glowing letters appeared on the screen.
They read:
♡♡♡ AMY ♡♡♡
♡ NET-RUNNER ♡
♡ Corporate Security Infiltration / Internal Data Retrieval ♡
♡ Frozen Account Unlocking / Money Trail Tracking ♡
♡ Deleted Log Recovery / Connection Record Tampering ♡
♡ Surveillance Network Takeover / Tracking Signal Blocking ♡
♡ Identity Laundering / Surveillance Network Access / Cybernetic Shutdown Available ♡
♡ Junkies Welcome Too, as Long as You Pay ♡
“Name’s Amy. See you again if our paths cross, yeah?”
She smiled. The electronic circuits inside her artificial eyes crackled blue.
Footnotes:
Kabel’s joke turns on the shared Korean sound in the words for “skeptical” and “meeting.”
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